Now that the weather is warm, we've been letting Sasha squirm around in the buff on a towel for awhile before her evening bath. She loves to stand with our help and is really pretty good at supporting herself.

Last week marked the first that Sasha really started using her hands effectively. She can raise objects to her mouth and when her hands are empty, she often stuffs her fists in her mouth or studies them with great concentration.

This weekend 5 of my GC friends came into town to join Mandy Yoder and myselft for out annual weekend get-together. This time though there were 5 babies too--all 13 months and younger. Here they are lined up from oldest to youngest. It was pretty wild--especially the night that we women went out alone for dinner and 3 of our husbands were left in charge of the babies. Everyone survived!

We went up to Northern Indiana 2 weekends ago to visit family (great-grandma Gingerich above). Phil interviewed for a job with a neurosurgery group in South Bend as a possible back-up if our first choice of Santa Fe does not work out. Hopefully we can announce for sure where we will be moving to in a few weeks.

It was a bonus to get to see Joe, Teresa, and big cousin Jake Smucker who were also in town.

Playing at Parkside Elementary School playground in Goshen, Phil's old stomping grounds.

This is Sasha's official U.S. passport picture. Does she look innocent enough to get back into the country after our trip to Nicaragua this summer?

Going swinging at the park is now the highlight of every day for her. Until we had her, we never appreciated how nice it is to have a park 2 blocks away.

Phil showing off. Sasha jealous.

We broke down and got one of those huge plastic exer-saucer things. It pretty much fills our tiny living room, but she loves it--at tleast for a few minutes before her head gets tired and she ends up just laying her noggin down and sucking her fist. We are attempting to sell our house now so this will be one more thing to stash in the closet along with the bouncy seat, swing, etc. each time someone comes over to look at the place. We are literally bursting out of our 2 bedroom condo.

Sasha tentatively enjoyed her first ride in a swing yesterday. She looks so tiny hanging there and there is a big blanket stuffed in the back so she doesn't flop around so much. We enjoyed having my parents here for a few days during my mom's spring break. Sasha, my mom, and I took the bus to Chicago for an afternoon for shopping and eating out. The weekend before Sasha had her first plane ride out to New Mexico as we continue our process of figuring out where we will be next year. She is a very good traveler so far thankfully.

Now that the weather is warmer in Indy, Sasha has enjoyed more walks to the park right by our house in her Maclaren stroller.

Phil's childhood neighbor in Goshen made her the stained-glass name to hang in her bedroom window.

Fun with a rattle for the first time.

Sasha's favorite activity: bathing

This is how she prefers to be held.

Catching a few of the NCAA games on the couch.

Phil can hardly wait to get his hands on Sasha every day when he comes home from work.

Last week my sister Megan got to meet her first niece for the first time. Lucky for us she decided to spend her spring break from law school here in Indiana. I preordered a few sunny days to make her feel more at home (she lives in New Mexico). She was terrific with Sasha, but the visit reaffirmed her desire to wait until school is completed to have a baby. We sure hope they do eventually because we're counting on her kids to teach ours Spanish!

Here are just a few other favorite shots from the last few weeks. This first photo was before attending her first wedding.

A reliable smile can be produced in front of a mirror. She loves to "stand" in front of the mirror--hopefully this will not lead to vanity...

Sasha and I (Jess) spent a week up in Goshen while Phil attended a conference in Munich. It was so nice to have the extra help from both grandparents and for them to have an extended time with Sasha. She also got to spend time with Jess's extended family including great-grandma Gingerich and went to my mom's school to meet all her co-workers. That week she really began to coo loudly when sung to and when looking at the Poo mobile at Smucker's house. Phil was so happy to see her at the airport on Friday.

All snug and ready to hit the shops of downtown Goshen.

Though the hand-eye coordination isn't there yet for grasping, Sasha loves to lie on her play gym mat and watch the animals swaying abover her.

Sasha is happy to help out around the house, here pausing for a quick photo between flipping pancakes.

She loves her bouncy seat (borrowed from cousin Jake), and usually is able to entertain herself for a while to allow mom to take a quick shower in the morning!

Sasha just moved to her own room this past week, and has done very well on her own. She started out with a 7 hour sleep that night, and has since had many 7-8 hour stretches at night without a peep! Great news for sleepy parents as well.

Sasha had a bath in the afternoon and later settled down for a long nap despite moist hair... she awoke with this cool mohawk, which seems a little too perfect to have just formed on its own. We were very impressed with her.