6 Month Photos

It is hard to believe, but Mallory celebrated her 6 month birthday earlier this month.

She has started to be able to sit up, with assistance from her boppy and sometimes all by herself. But she could tip over at any point.

Here she is feeling around for her first tooth that recently sprouted up (bottom, front). While this has been an exciting development, it has caused her a bit of discomfort and some sleepless nights for Mom and Dad.

Here she is blowing bubbles to the camera, which is one of her primary methods of verbal communication. Sometimes she keeps talking and talking, just like her mother.

For the most part she is just a happy-go-lucky little girl and her parents' pride and joy.

Como Zoo

In early August, the Held family went to the Como Zoo for a KPMG work picnic.

After getting a quick lunch, Mallory and Dad went and hung out by the monkeys...

and then over to see the giraffes.

Mallory and her mom even took time out to go for a quick ride on one of the giraffes.

But her favorite animal at the zoo was definitely the zebra. Mallory was able to get up close and personal with this guy and was absolutely enthralled. She did a great job at picking out the various animals and following them around.

Rah Rah Rah for Ski-U-Mah

Mallory's BFF from China, Stacey Mitchell, gave her a nice new shirt to show her Gopher pride.

Like any good U of M student (see Held, Steve and Mitchell, Derek), she is very inquisitive and always yearning for knowledge. Here she is exploring the shapes and colors of one of her toys.

Here she is modeling her shirt with her favorite U of M alum. Look out Class of 2030!

Mallory is amused by her dad telling her that they already have Rose Bowl tickets reserved for this January.

Animal Kingdom

One of the most recent discoveries for Mallory has been her new animal-themed playmat.

Here she is playing peek-a-boo with the giraffe.

She likes to pull on all the animals and try to put them in her mouth, and she also is fond of checking herself out in the mirror.

And sometimes she just likes to hang out on her tummy and give her mom and dad lots of smiles.

Tummy Sleeper

Apparently Mallory takes after her mom and now loves to sleep on her tummy.

She also likes to move during the night. In the morning, we often find her at odd angles or perpendicular to the way we placed her the night before.

Yoga Baby (Part II)

Mallory and I enjoyed our final yoga class prior to me returning to work. She has become quite the yogi and has mastered several poses, including ...

Warrior II ...

Baby inversion ...
Warrior I ...
Standing tall ...

and abdominal strengthening. We're going to miss attending class together.

Flaherty Open

The last weekend in July, Mallory and family took a trip down to Princeton, IL for the Flaherty Open, the annual golf tournament/family reunion for Grandpa Jim's side.

Before the tournament, Mallory took some time to play on the swings near the Moose Lodge in Ladd.

"Licensed to kill gophers, by the government of the United Nations."

Mallory chilling in the cart with Mom and Jamie's cousin Megan.

Not sure where she gets it from, but she may have a fondness for the game of golf.

Maybe Nike needs a new spokesperson with Tiger on the shelf. But she does need to get better at showing the Swoosh while getting photographed.