Midwest Legers - midwestlegers

Well, I've been mulling it over, and recently I've decided to make the move back to Blogspot!  I didn't really like it when I started there originally, but I've found that Shutterfly isn't exactly what I was looking for either.  

 

So we're starting with a clean slate, and with the very clever (and accurate) title:

 

Windy with a Chance of Wind

http://windywithachanceofwind.blogspot.com

 

See you there!

 

 

Sorry, I haven't posted pictures in forever.

 

Here are some new ones...

 

And a new video...

I feel like someone opened up some hidden control panel under Hollie's skin and turned her volume up a notch.  She has always been talkative, but suddenly she needs everyone in Wichita to hear her!  She's been perfecting her high-pitched screech, which, despite rupturing an eardrum if you're too close, always makes me smile because it usually means she's super excited about something.

 

Lately, Hollie has been confirming all the fears I had when I was pregnant...even with the night-feedings and colic and everything, I knew having a newborn would be the easy part...and I suspected that having a toddler would be the real challenge.  At [almost] thirteen months, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but we are already seeing this little monster beginning to take over our goofy, playful baby girl. 

 

The other day at Babies R Us, she spotted a cute little stuffed animal, and reached for it, so I thought, what the heck, and handed it to her to examine.  HUGE mistake, but it was too late.  I had no intention of buying this waaaay over-priced toy, and when Hollie realized this, she let me know exactly how she felt about it.  I couldn't be "that mom" who gives it back to her to make her happy, so I just high-tailed it to a more boring section (diapers).  But boy, did it take her a while to forget about that toy!  So I made a mental note (which I might just have tattooed on the backs of my hands): IF YOU LET HER EVEN TOUCH THE TOY, YOU BETTER PLAN ON BUYING IT! 

 

Oh, and she does the "limp-legs" thing all the time!  It's her go-to move these days.  We're out at, say, a book store, and I let her down to walk around while we're waiting at the cash register.  She loves this!  She smiles her little shy smile at everyone and always manages to make a new friend.  But oh man, when it's time to leave, and I go to pick her up again...she gives this awful whine and her legs just collapse and before I can get a grip on her she's lying on the ground and letting everyone in Barnes and Noble know that she's not happy.  So I pick her up and head toward the door but she's squirming like crazy.  This is when she uses her other great move.  She pushes her feet against my hips, straightening her legs, and pushes away from my shoulder so that her whole body is about a foot away from mine.  When this fails, she puts her knees into my ribs and sometimes even bites my shoulder (if she's really mad).

 

Yeah, we've got a biter.  We're working on that.  At least she usually follows it up within a few minutes with a nice hug.

 

Sorry for such a stinky post!  She's really not like this all the time.  We've just been having episodes like this so much more frequently that we can't just say she's having a bad day, or she's sleepy, or anything like that (though I guess she certainly is...sometimes).  She's asserting her independence and testing her limits (those are the two key phrases, right?).  Time to pack up the baby books and go buy a new set!  But I'll probably leave a certain someone at home for that trip... 

 

PS- Does it sound weird if I say that I really really want to film one of these "episodes"?  I want to have it to play back for her when she's 18 or, better yet, when she's pregnant someday...hehe! [evil laugh] 

Healthy eating has been somewhat of a hot topic is our house lately.  We feel stongly about eating good, quality food...but we also feel very strongly about our favorite comfort foods.  No use denying anything...gumbo isn't the healthiest meal in the world but it sure does make me happy.  Daniel being the world's greatest chef (and yours truly catching up quickly) and our shared love of indulgent foods has become a recipe (pun intended) for a downward trend in our eating habits over the last year or so.

 

And we were completely aware of it, too.  Unfortunately, all our resolutions and rules were broken within weeks, or even days.  We needed something different from your standard "eat-this-don't-eat-that" diet, and a few weeks ago, our primary doc recommended an amazing book: 

 

Mindless Eating, by Brian Wansink, PhD.

 

It's not a diet, it's a change in the way you think about food.  The central theme of it is called the "mindless margin": you can eat 20% more OR 20% less than your average caloric intake every day and not feel either full or hungry.  In other words, you can eat 20% less every day and not even know it, because you won't feel hungry. 

 

One of the easiest tips in the book is using smaller plates.  We packed away our dinner plates and started eating dinner on salad plates.  The idea is that if you sit down at the table with a full plate, you will feel full when you're done, no matter what size the plate you're using.  Same goes for smaller bowls.  And on the other hand, we use larger bowls for healthy snacks and meals.

 

Another easy switch: leaving the unhealthiest part of the meal at the stove, letting everyone serve themselves, and keeping the veggies in a big bowl on the table.  If you're still hungry, you'll just scoop up some more veggies, rather than get up for more spaghetti.  We've been packing up leftovers almost every night since we started doing this, something we rarely did before!

 

There are a gazillion other tiny little things we've taken from the book, from eating more slowly, to storing our indulgent snacks in inconveniet, out-of-the-way places, to the "Power of Three".  The author believes that most diets fail because they ask you to do too much.  Instead, he says that every month, you should come up with three little trade-offs.  These would be things like: I can drink that soda, but only if I go for a 30 minute walk afterward.  And with the weather improving, that one has been getting easier!

 

The thing about this, though, is that there are no immediate results.  He says if you follow the guidelines in the book, you might lose 10 or 15 pounds...a year.  But the difference is that this weight-loss is maintainable, because you don't feel deprived.

 

We are loving it, so far.  In addition to the unconscious changes we've made, like the plates, we've been making a more conscious effort to add more healthy foods to our meals, and prepare our meals is more healthy ways. 

 

The other big part of it is that Hollie is sharing most of what we eat, too.  And we can't exactly sit there eating our fried whatever and expect her to eat her broccoli and carrots, can we?  

It's the first official Book Week over at O My Family!  I love this idea...some of those chewed-up old board books are some of the best childhood momentos, right?  I love it.  :)

 

The book I wanted to share is Babies by Gyo Fujikawa.  It was first published in 1963 and is still in print!

 

Sorry, this is becoming too book-report-ish.  As you'll see in the photos, the book was a gift from my dad's parents when my little brother was born, 19 years ago!  We (my parents) have held onto the book all these years and when we (my husband and I, plus baby inutero) moved away, I brought the book and have been reading it to her quite a bit.  It's a little goofy to read a book about babies to, well, a baby...but oh well.  :)  It's the only book I won't let her chew on, because we're saving it for someday when we introduce her to her new younger sibling(s), and for her to read to her kids someday (fingers crossed).

 

Here are a few photos of the book...

 

I haven't done You Capture for...awhile.  Just haven't gotten around to it.  We've but a bit busy!  But this week I just happened to take two photos that perfectly fit this week's theme: reaching. 

 

Here are mine.

 

And check out all the other great entries at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

We went to our one-year doctor's appointment yesterday, and the new numbers are in:

 

29 1/4 inches

18 lbs.

 

I love Hollie's hugs.  She'll run over to my with her arms open, and wrap them around my neck really tight and just squeeeeeze!  Even when I just hold her on my hip she keeps one arm around my neck.  I just love it.  I'll try to get a picture of it one of these days.

 

I taught her to give a high-five, too, which was probably a bad idea!  Now she likes to just hit me whenever she wants.

 

These days, when she wants to be picked up, she will reach her arms up for you.  She used to just grab our legs!  So this is an improvement.  It took awhile, but while Daniel's parents were here she eventually started reaching up for them to pick her up, too (even while Daniel and I were home!). 

 

Speaking of when we were home, and when we weren't, I forgot to mention the amazing concert that we went to while taking advantage of the free babysitting!  We got to see One Night of Queen, which is an absolutely amazing Queen tribute show.  This guy is Freddie Mercury.  We will definitely see the show again if we get a chance.

 

So not much else is new these days.  We're taking a little break from that darn basement, and planning a trip to see the AZ folks soon... 

On Sunday afternoon we all visited Exploration Place, a local childrens’ museum, which has a separate section for toddlers. 

 

Hollie had a blast!  Lots of foam building blocks, miniature furniture, and a big wooden train set…she was in heaven.  Once she had thoroughly explored everything, we checked out the rest of the museum.  There were a lot of other (older) kids running around, and the most exhibits weren’t as toddler-friendly (boo, exposed outlets and wiring!) so I held Hollie for most of it.  She started getting pretty frustrated and tired, so at that point we dragged Daniel away from the airplane exhibits and headed home.

 

Plenty of great pictures and video!  Unfortunately, Shutterfly is limiting me to 10 videos that I can display on my site, so I taking off some.  The new ones that I’m adding are just as adorable…don’t worry.  :)

Sorry for the lack of updates the past few weeks.  Not much has been going on...except our mad rush to finish the basement bedroom (which we didn't) so that Daniel's parents would have a place to sleep when they arrived...yesterday.  Oh well.  We got close, though!

 

Today was the big day!  We took it easy in the morning, and then went to P.F. Chang's for lunch, where Hollie munched on carrots while we munched on lettuce wraps.  In the afternoon Daniel and I went to get haircuts while Hollie and the grandparents went shopping. 

 

That evening we Skype'd (?) with Daniel's brother and his wife and daughter (who is 5 months older than Hollie) (check them out here) while Hollie sampled her first birthday cake!  It was a panda cake.  You'll love it...I will post all these pictures tomorrow, I promise.  She really dug her fingers into it at first, squished it up in her hands a little, but I don't think she ate much of it.  She seemed to be enjoying it, but then all at once the picture-snapping, the computer screen in her face, and all the gawking and "Hollie-look-this-way!!!" overwhelmed her a bit and she shed a few tears into her goopy, crumby hands.  I felt so bad. :(  Maybe we'll try again later, with a little less pressure. 

 

Later we opened presents!  This gets more and more fun with every gift-giving holiday.  She is sooo captivated by new things...opportunities to learn new skills.  It's incredible to watch her!  We have new pictures and video of all that, too. 

 

So...the festivities will continue tomorrow...we'll be doing an outing of some kind.  Not sure what yet.  I'll post all the pictures together tomorrow.  Good night!  

...two things...

 

...to climb in and out of her carseat.  She did this once before, awhile ago, probably by accident...but today she did it like, three times.  So goofy!

 

...also, that it's fun to throw her sippy cup over the gate at the top of the stairs.  Lots of fun.

 

We also had round #2 at the park.  Daniel came too!  We tried out the swings this time, and got some great pictures...

We had our first little public melt-down today.

 

Cabin fever has really been getting to me lately, so when the temperature hit about 46 degrees this afternoon and the wind wasn't too bad, I decided it was finally warm enough to get Hollie out to the park again.  I bundled her up and got her into the stroller, since it's kind of a long walk. 

 

There were geese everywhere making lots of noise, and a few other families out enjoying the sun.  Once Hollie figured out how to walk on the grass (she had trouble with that last time), she had a blast, carrying around sticks and leaves and her favorite: a pinecone.  After awhile though, her pants had gotten pretty muddy from falling down, and her little fingers were like ice, so I figured we should go. 

 

She didn't protest when I picked her up... until I tried to sit her in the stroller.  

 

She arched her back and screamed bloody murder!  For a second I was afraid people would think I was abducting her.  I put her down and thought, maybe if I take the stroller and start walking, she'll follow me.  Didn't work- she went right on wandering around.  I called to her, kept walking...but she paid no attention. 

 

I went back and picked her up again, and she started crying immediately.  This time I thought, maybe we just need to get out of the park- get the temptation out of sight and maybe she'll be okay.  By the time we got out of the park my arm was already aching...she's heavier than she looks!  There's no way I could have carried her all the way home, so thankfully she was calmed down enough to get into the stroller.  I took off one of her shoes and let her hold onto it, which made her feel better.

 

So we made it home eventually, but it was a rough moment.  I would have loved to let her stay as long as she wanted, but it was just too cold.  Also, with her having no concept of time, we would have been there for awhile, and she would have gotten hungry and the melt-down would have been ten times worse.  I can't wait until the weather gets warmer and we can spend more time outside...for my sanity as much as hers!

 

I took some great pictures while we were there...check them out.  Plus a new video!  

As you already know, Hollie sleeps on a floor bed.  I found this article, if you want to read more.  It has been working wonderfully for us so far!  I love that at the end of our bedtime routine, she can crawl into her own bed and go to sleep all by herself.  However, she hasn't been able to do this during the day for her naps.  When she gets sleepy right around 11 or noon-ish, she gets cranky and comes to me. 

 

Until today.

 

Like clockwork I noticed she was getting drowsy, right around the normal time, but when I carried her to her room she was got wide awake and decided it wasn't time for that nap yet.  She does that a lot!  I went back to what I was doing before (cleaning the kitchen) and she wandered back into the living room and was quietly playing with some toys.  After a few minutes, I had gotten a little absorbed in what I was doing, and realized I couldn't hear her anymore.  I took a quick look around the living room and didn't see her, so I took a look in her room, expecting to find her playing with her toys in there.  Instead, I found her ASLEEP.  ON HER BED.   

 

I can't believe it!  WOW.  We have been saying it more and more often these days...she is truly not our little baby anymore.  

...that some toys (like an egg shaker) fit into a cup, and some (like stuffed animals) don't.

January 2010

...to clap her hands!

 

 

We're all sick.  H-bear and I are congested, and D-husband has an upset stomach.  That's an understatement...he ended up missing work and going to the doctor.  It seems he has a stomach virus. 

 

Anyways, normally only one of us gets sick at a time, so there's always someone to take care of them.  I guess this time there was a little miscommunication of the immune systems.  A scheduling conflict.  We really should plan these kind of things better. 

 

In the last twelve hours or so, we've gotten several inches of snow.  I don't know an exact number, but enough to completely cover the bottom step outside the front door.  This really worked out well, because it provides the perfect excuse for us to sit around and do absolutely NOTHING while we feel crappy.  That's right, Dada's at home today too.  They haven't plowed our street yet, so there's no way he's getting to work. 

 

H-bear's....

...you know what?  I'm kinda tired of the whole disguised naming thing.  It's getting to be a drag.  I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this knows us personally anyway.  And if you don't, and you're reading this, planning to use our names to buy a yacht or a private jet or whatever, just know that we do check our credit scores.  Go ahead, see if I'm kidding.

 

So anyways, HOLLIE (!!!) is walking better and better everyday.  Hardly ever catch her crawling anymore!  She's getting around a lot faster, though still with her feet about as far apart as possible.  I took her to the park one afternoon last week when the weather was crazy warm.  She only wanted to walk on the sidewalk...she tried the grass but just couldn't keep her footing.  We let her walk around in church a little, which was fun.  Kindermusik classes started up again last week...everyone was SO impressed. 

 

We had to get her a real pair of shoes.  What she had before weren't really made for walking. 

 

There are two more teeth coming in!  The upper lateral incisors (just outside the two front teeth- the central incisors).  You can just see them, but not feel them yet.  This may be part of the reason for her stuffiness.  And since I'm congested too, hey, maybe my wisdom teeth are finally coming in! 

 

She loooooves her cabinet of bowls and cups, and hates that all the other cabinets are locked up.  Our locks allow the door to open about an inch or two before it catches, so she can still fit her arm in up to the shoulder.  How frustrating!  She also loves holding her hands under the faucet while I fill up the bath tub (don't worry, only after the temperature is right).  She's figured out how to open and close a flip phone. 

 

Her hair has had a little growth spurt lately!  I just noticed the other day how long it's getting.  She gets craaaazy bedhead. 

 

That's all for now!  Pictures coming soon, but now we have to get back to do absolutely nothing while feeling crappy.

-Daniel and Andrea  

We have a walking baby!  We've finally reached the point where H-bear's walking more than she's crawling. 

 

Still pretty wobbly.  She walks with her feet wide apart, and hardly bends her knees at all!  Sooooo goofy, but getting better every day.

 

There is a new video posted.  She climbed into that cabinet, turned around, and climbed out ALL BY HERSELF...yup, that's my girl!  And those little steps at the end just top it off.  Enjoy!

Yesterday she learned to open the kitchen cabinets.  Enough said, right?

Actually, we’ve been back almost a week now.  I’ve had a particularly needy baby monopolizing my attention these days, which should explain the lack of news.  Poor thing.  H-bear’s still fighting that congestion (yep, the same bug that started about when we arrived in Lake Charles).  There have been a few times when we thought she was recovering, but then she’d go downhill again. 

 

On top of that, she’s been teething almost constantly since Thanksgiving.  The tooth count is up to FOUR!!!  That’s right, two on top and two on the bottom.  It’s adorable.

 

Anyways, sorry that whole opening was such a downer.  We really did have a wonderful Christmas/New Years/D-husband’s b-day vacation.

 

The drive was twelve hours total, which, split over two days, was a piece of cake.  We hung out in LC for a day before heading to New Orleans for Adam and Hillary’s wedding!  They are H-bear’s godparents, FYI.  D-husband was a groomsman in the wedding, which was gorgeous.  The wedding looked good, too (hahaha…). 

 

We stayed in NOLA for a day after the wedding to visit Café du Monde for breakfast and walk around a little, and hang out with D-husband’s brother, his wife, and their 15 month old daughter, our one and only niece!  [Check them out here.]

 

We had a great time watching the cousins together.  See the pictures.  H-bear absolutely fell head over heels in love with her Aunt Bekah!  Right from the start she was crawling into her lap, giving her kisses, and generally loving her.  Pretty much adorable. 

 

From there we went back to Lake Charles.  Cousin J and family came too, fortunately, so we were able to spend a few more days with them.  We went on a “double date” for an hour one afternoon, leaving the girls at home with their grandparents! 

 

On Christmas day, after opening presents we hit the road for Houston, to see Abuelita B’s parents and siblings.  Great family, great food.  So good to see all of them!

 

That day turned out to be a warm-up for another enormous family function the following day.  D-husband’s dad’s family had their annual Christmas/New Years gathering.  Again- great family, great food.  And LOTS of both!  H-bear got passed around so much I think her head probably spun a little, but she loved it, and never fussed once.  Smiled at everyone, and was generally adorable.

 

After that we had a few days to just chill, which was soooo nice.  D-husband and I were able to go out a few times by ourselves.  We love our daughter more than anything, but sometimes that alone time is just really nice.

 

As usual, we have some developmental updates.  She’s kinda walking.  A little.  She can stand up on her own and string a few wobbly steps together, which I guess this the definition of walking, but she’s still primarily crawling.  Four or five, maybe six steps is her limit these days.  She likes to try to pick things up while she's standing, too! 

 

Today, while she was playing with something, and I held out my hand and she actually placed the toy in my hand and let go of it.  That was a first, and it really surprised me!  Usually when I do that, she’ll set the toy on my hand, but keep hold of it, and quickly pull it away again.  We passed it back and forth a few times.  Haven’t been able to get her to do it since.

 

As she’s gotten older we’ve been able to expand her food options a little.  We tried some ground beef a few nights ago, but she just played with it.  Tried plain white rice last night, which she loved!  Also hard-boiled egg yolks.  She made a face at them at first, but after awhile she liked them.  Still loves her bananas, baked apples, sweet potato, carrots, and graham crackers.

 

She also recently got her first taste of arepas!  They are a Venezuelan breakfast/snack sort of thing…size and shape of an English muffin, but you just open it out like a pita and put things in it (ham and cheese, eggs, pretty much anything, or eat it plain).  D-husband made them himself, a few days after we got back.   

 

So we’ve been home about a week now- unpacked, settled in, and we’re ready to get working on our basement!  The before and after pictures will be amazing…

 

Speaking of pictures…

I topped off December 2009, started January, and made a separate album for the trip.  The arepas also got their own album. 

We arrived last night at D-husband's parents' house in Lake Charles!  Soooo good to be here.  H-bear did great in the car.  It was a relatively short trip, compared to our recent voyage to Phoenix.

 

Unfortunately she's developed some pretty bad nasal congestion, just since we got here.  Not cool.  I'm thanking my lucky stars she waited until we got here though, instead of being sick on the road.  Hopefully it'll clear up soon. 

 

We'll be here until after New Years.  I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know I might not post very regularly for the next few weeks!  We'll be having waaaay too much fun with baby cousins, Darrell's sandwiches, and a wedding! 

 

We'll fill in the gaps later.

Happy holidays!! 

I haven't done You Capture for a few weeks because we've kinda had a lot on our family plate lately.  But this week the subject was "lines" and I was so excited when I found the perfect shot on my back porch yesterday morning!  As you can see, we are having some nice wintry weather.  The second one is actually an photo I took quite awhile ago at our old duplex.  I hadn't posted it here because there's not really much to it, but it definitely fits the theme.  The third is the tubing on my euphonium.  You can Google it.

 

And be sure to head over the Beth's to check out all the other entries!

 

We had Hollie's 9-month appointment yesterday.  Went great, as usual.  She's ahead of the curve, physically, with all her crawling and standing and pincer-grasping.  However her growth has kind of stalled out!  Here's the numbers:

Weight: 17 lbs. 4 oz (21st percentile) That's a gain of only 8 oz in 3 months.

Height: 27 1/2 in.  (46th percentile)  If you're keeping track, that's the same as 3 months ago.  But of course when measuring squirmy babies, there's some room for error.

Head size: 18 1/2 in. (99th percentile)  Good to know she still has an enormous noggin.

 

According to the doc, this is really nothing to worry about as long as she is pooping consistently, as a sign that she is getting enough to eat.  That's a relief, because pooping is H-bear's favorite activity, after unrolling the toilet paper.  Yeah, it happened.  First and last time.

 

Teething seems to be over (for now).  She is sleeping great again, and is in all other aspects back to her normal, crazy, giggly, squirmy self.  I've updated the November album, started one for December, and added a new video.  Apparently tissues are nearly as much fun as t.p.!

Sorry about the hiatus.  We've been super busy moving into the new house!!  I'll post pictures of it as soon as it looks halfway decent.  This is our second (2nd!) move in three (3!) months.  Ugh.

 

For awhile now I have been wanting to transition H-bear to sleeping on a mattress on the floor rather than in a crib.  This way she can get out of bed on her own when she wakes up, instead of having to wait for me to come and get her.  It's just another small dose of independence.  She will also be able to get into bed on her own, so that sometime in the future she can have control of her own naptimes.   

 

I read all about waiting for a "good time" to do transitions like this...when they aren't sick, teething, going through separation anxiety, etc.  If that's the case, we'd have to wait til she's 30!  We knew it would be a gamble, but our little girl has made so many big adjustments in her short life (plane trips at a young age, transitioning to a crib at 2 1/2 months, a move at 6 months and another at 9...) and has taken them all in stride, so we thought it might be easier/simpler to combine this move with the new sleeping arrangement.  Just to see.  

 

That was three nights ago.  We had the movers leave her crib in the garage (that took some explaining!).  It was a pretty hectic day, with the packing/loading/unloading/unpacking, and her naps took place either in her carseat or in my lap.  When bedtime finally rolled around, it was her first time on the floor bed.  She slept through that first night without a hitch!  She was probably pretty exhausted, but it was encouraging nonetheless. 

 

Then we spent our first full day in the new house, and she put in some good hours of exploring.  The new layout scared her though...if neither of us were within sight, she got upset.  That second night was rough.  I think the new house generally freaked her out, and she was up every few hours. 

 

Second day in the house went much better.  The essential unpacking was done, so we could spend some more time with H-bear while slowly unpacking everything else.  The third night was back to normal, however, I did find her asleep on the floor in the morning.  :)

 

The fourth night (last night) went fine, as well.  She is very comfortable in the house now, and knows where she is, and I think that made a big difference.

 

This morning she had a slight fever, which is unusual.  D-husband and I had both noticed recently that she had a little bit of a bony ridge on her lower front gums, but we didn't think much of it...figured it's probably always been like that and we never noticed.  But since she had a fever (a sign of teething), I took a look in her mouth and saw...

 

A TOOTH!!!

 

Just a teeny tiny bit of white, poking up on her lower jaw, on her right side.  So cool!!!  I never would have thought her smile could get any cuter, but it did today. 

 

Now I feel bad for combining the move and floor bed thing, though.  :(  Poor girl.

 

I don't know when I'll be able to get a good picture of it.  First of all, she won't let anyone poke around in her mouth at the moment.  It's also, like I said, teeny tiny (and surprisingly sharp).  Just be patient, and as soon as I get it, it'll be here.   

Just realized I haven't put up new pictures in FOREVER.  So I started a November album.  There are already some November pictures in one of the You Capture albums, so I didn't duplicate. 

 

Also, H-bear rarely says to say "mama" anymore.  All she'll say now is "dada".  Ouch! 

 

Clarification:  she says "mama" when she's upset: tired, hungry, bored, etc.  She says "dada" when she's in a great mood: having fun, making a mess.  She's going to be such a daddy's girl.  :)  

H-bear is slowly coming out of her funk.  I guess the biggest improvement is that she's eating her solid foods pretty consistently.  We got some great advice from various people, and along with some experimenting on our own, we've settled into a nice feeding routine twice a day.  She gets a meal after her morning nap, and she eats again with us while we eat dinner.  The high chair is much less of a novelty by this point, so she can sit in it without getting too distracted by the arms and the buckles.  We've also stopped using a bowl and spoon, which she looooved to just play with before.  Now she just eats off the tray, and actually ingests some of the food! 

 

We have proof (don't ask).

 

No teeth yet.  :(

 

Her standing-up abilities are steadily improving!  A chair, coffee table, or helping hand are still required to get to the standing position, but once she's there, she can now stand unassisted for quite a while.  No feet moving though, except to occasionally move down the length of the couch!

 

And now...some non-baby-related news!  Gasp...

We're buying a house!  We close next Monday.  I hadn't said anything about it yet on the blog because I was seriously afraid of jinxing it (kid at heart, anyone?).  I just didn't want to bore you with the details of our house-hunting, only to call it off later.  Which we came close to doing.  You wouldn't believe the hurdles we've had on the house we're buying.  But it looks like it's finally going to happen, and we are closing and moving in next week! 

 

This will be our first house.  Maybe the first house H-bear will have her first memories in.  Can't wait! 

But I don't mean one of her human uncles. 

 

While we were visiting my family in Phoenix last month, we jokingly referred to my beloved old dog as "Uncle" Duke.  Unfortunately our sweet baby girl tends to take these things literally, and this morning I caught her crawling around carrying a teething ring in her mouth.

 

I guess by nicknaming her our "little bear" we haven't really pointed her in the right direction.

 

Forget "Where do babies come from, Momma?".  I'm dreading the "we're-humans-not-animals" talk.

 

 

This week on You Capture, we're supposed to chronicle our everyday life.  What that says to me is: one photo every day for a week! 

 

Here's mine.

 

Check out the other entries at I Should Be Folding Laundry! 

I don't know what's going on.

 

H-bear has been unusually fussy in the evening.

She's been waking up at night.

ABSOLUTELY refusing solid foods (yes, just since the last time I posted).

She's been taking three (3!) very long naps everyday for the past several days.

She seems a little moody (but that may just be my imagination).

 

She's had no fever or runny nose or anything, so I'm pretty sure she's not sick.  They say this kind of stuff can precede a milestone of some kind.

 

Is she going to start walking?  Get her first tooth (finally)?  The suspence is killing me!

 

Of course, maybe she's taking long naps because she's waking up during the night.  Or maybe this is nothing.  Just a phase.  But I'm crossing my fingers for that first tooth.

A couple new things to mention...

 

H-bear is well on her way to walking!  A few weeks ago she stood up unassisted for the first time, by pulling up using a chair or something, and then letting go.  She wobbled precariously for a few seconds before plopping down on her rear end.  Since then she has tried it a few more times, with the same result. 

 

That was until yesterday.  Yesterday all she wanted to do was see how long she could stand!  She's still pretty wobbly, and hasn't once tried to move her feet.  She just stands there stiff as a board for a few seconds before she gets so excited that she starts laughing and waving her arms and then...plop, down she goes.  She was having so much fun.

 

Solid foods:  lately they haven't been going so well.  During our trip to Phoenix we kind of fell out of our routine, and she didn't have any solid foods while we were gone.  When we got home I tried to get back into the swing of things, but she just wasn't interested in her sweet potatoes, or even carrots, anymore.  I thought maybe she needed a new flavor, so we tried broccoli last night.  Again, she wasn't interested.  But then I realized the key to getting her to eat.  I took the bowl and spoon and started eating the broccoli myself.  THEN she wanted some!  After that she ate almost the whole bowl (about 2 tablespoons).  What a goof.

We just got back from our road trip to Phoenix!  Quite a drive, but not bad.  H-bear did pretty well.  The challenge was keeping her awake during the day, because she tends to fall asleep in the car seat, and we didn't want her to be up all night.  We stopped at night when she got fussy (i.e.- sleepy) but once we got into the hotel rooms she would always wake right up and take an hour (or two...or three) to explore the new place.  All in all she did very well on the road though.

 

It was a very quick trip: two days to get there, two days in Phoenix, and two days to get home.  We participated in the alumni band for the ASU Homecoming game, which is always fun.  It was D-husband's third year as an alumnus, and my second.  We miss marching a little, probably me more than him, but mostly it was great to see our old friends.

 

New pictures are posted!  I added a few to finish off the October album, and made new one for the Phoenix trip.

I couldn't really get a good photo of this, so I figured some video would give a better representation of the index-finger-to-thumb pinching action. 

 

Here it is! 

H-bear likes to feel things with just the tip of her index finger now.  Especially the illustrations in her books.  It's so cool!  I'll attempt to get a picture of it one of these days.

 

Considering that not too long ago she was mostly concerned with fitting the entire book in her mouth, this is a big step up.

This week's You Capture challenge from Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry is : technology.  I didn't really have any lightbulbs go off, so to speak, for this one, so I just sat at the computer and took a few pictures of some things I saw. 

 

Have a look!

H-bear and I went grocery shopping this afternoon.  She can sit in the cart now, which is soooo much fun!

 

A couple of times, strangers would stop and ask how old she was, or comment on how cute she looked, or whatever, and she would never smile at them.  Instead she just gave them her "sizing-up" stare that she gives to pretty much anyone she doesn't know.

 

Finally we got to the check-out counter, and the cashier smiles at her and says, "Hello, little one!  How are you?"  She gives him the stare, but then all of a sudden her lower lip starts to tremble, and she bursts into tears!  That poor cashier.  As I'm unbuckling her and picking her up out of the seat, he asks if he did something wrong to upset her.  He was really worried about it!  I tried to tell him that she doesn't really like strangers right now, and she's probably tired.  She calmed down after a minute or so.

 

I felt bad for her, and for the cashier, but man, it was funny.  

H-bear has come down with a little stomach bug.  It started Sunday afternoon...she had been napping for about a half-hour, when I heard her cough, and it just didn't sound quite right.  I was near her room (thank goodness) so I just quietly stuck my head in the door, because I thought she might have gone back to sleep already.  Instead I was shocked to see a massive puddle of spit-up next to her.  She was still lying on her back, and had this surprised look on her face too, and she started making her little whimper like she was going to cry.

 

My first thought was that she might have swallowed some of it and not be able to breathe, so I pulled her up to a sitting position, away from the puddle, and just gently patted her back.  I really had no clue what to do; it was the only thing I could think of.  She was breathing in little gasps and crying a little, probably as a result of this rude awakening from her nap, but at least she was moving air.  Then she had two more enormous bursts of spit-up, and I knew it wasn't spit-up at all, but her first real vomit. 

 

By this point I had called for D-husband and he was getting some wash cloths.  We cleaned her up and just held her close on the couch for a little bit, and offered her some water.  We decided we would call the doctor if it happened again.  

 

Sure enough, about 5 minutes later, a little more vomit.  We called the doctor (well, we called the paging service, who called the doctor, who called us about 20 minutes later), and she suggested that we give her some pedialyte, and told us to expect a fever and some diarrhea, but that if she stayed asleep too long or we couldn't wake her, we would need to get to the hospital.

 

Thankfully, H-bear had returned to her normal happy self, and was anxious to get down and play.  I wanted to keep her still for awhile longer, and I'm glad I did because over the next 30 to 45 minutes she vomited several more times, in small amounts. 

 

Once I decided that she was done throwing up, D-husbad ran to the store for the pedialyte, and I gave her a bath.

 

FYI:  That unflavored pedialyte tastes NASTY.

 

Last night went fine.  We had given her in small, frequent meals all evening, so as expected, she woke up hungry in the middle of the night.  This morning she seems to be okay though, maybe a little warm, but no vomit.  Back to normal.  Right now the landscaping guys are out mowing the lawn, and she jumps everytime they go past the house.  Already this morning she has torn up some magazines that she pulled off a shelf, and taken all the dirty laundry out of her hamper.  Yep, back to normal.

 

I'm scared to leave her alone for her naps now, though.   :(

 

On a completely separate note, I recently finished these two books:

"Unconditional Parenting" (Kohn)

"Montessori From The Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three" (Lillard)

 

Pretty interesting stuff.  Amazing in theory, but I just have to wonder about everone (myself included) that weren't necessarily raised in these particular ways, and "turned out just fine".  Or maybe that is how I was raised...I don't remember.  Or maybe I'm not really "just fine".  Who knows.  In any case, some of the ideas in these two books struck a chord in me, so I thought I would share them.

 

The post has gotten long enough, don't you think?  Congrats for making it all the way to the end!  I will be sure to post any future changes to H-bear's health. 

Beth's You Capture challenge this week is "Still Life".  I wasn't real sure what that was, so I confess, I went to Wikipedia for answers, as usual.  I think I got the gist of it.

 

Check 'em out. 

 

 

Nothing much is new right now.  I was just thinking about how happy I am that we have been able to make our new place really feel like home.  As opposed to the apartment that we lived in for seven months, without even hanging anything on the walls (it was too small, we knew we weren't staying.  We didn't even fully unpack).

 

Therefore I decided to put together a little photo-tour of the new place.  Hope you like it!

 

I also added some new pictures of Miss Bear. 

So...a couple of weeks ago, H-bear discovered the kitchen, and has enjoyed hanging out in there with us while we cook dinner.  She hasn't realized that the cabinets open yet...but it's only a matter of time, because she's just found out that the refrigerator opens, that it's nice and cold inside (all the more intriguing), and it's filled with brand-new, brightly colored toys.

 

Now she is right on my heels every time I walk into the kitchen, and just sits next to the fridge waiting for me to open it!  So this afternoon I was trying to make a sandwich, and she was practically jumping into the fridge every time I opened it.  We keep some teething rings in there (she's not really teething yet, but like I said, she loves cold things), so those held her interest for about 5 seconds until I had to put the bread and lettuce back in the fridge, and she started trying to climb in all over again. 

 

When I get a chance I plan to move the safe (i.e., indestructible) foods and containers to the lower shelf so that she can explore the fridge a little (hopefully without running up our electric bill).  But this afternoon I was starving and just wanted my sandwich, so I distracted her with an old set of plastic measuring cups...and WOW, do they make noise when you bang them on the floor!!

 

On the topic of food: she still likes those sweet potatoes, and another new favorite is carrots.  Next up: peas.

 

You know what else she does that's just incredibly precious?  She whispers to her toys.  She will just sit there and examine a toy in her hands, and if everything else is quiet she will just babble softly to herself.  It absolutely kills me every time.

 

She spent about 10 minutes feeling my teeth and gums the other day.  Future dentist, maybe?

 

Our camera issues have been resolved, so, as promised, a million (or so) pictures have been posted in a new album: October 2009.  There was something about a "updating" a "driver"...  Props to D-husband for his infinite technical knowledge. 

 

H-bear's babble has evolved slightly to include repeated sounds.  She can say "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" and sometimes "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba".  Last night, I got some great video of her saying "ma-ma-ma" and managed to also get another new skill that she's been practicing: banging her hand on the table!  It's posted under videos, so check it out... 

 

It's 44 degrees outside right now...which is about 30 degrees below the average for this time of year. 

 

Two weeks ago it was 80 and we were wearing shorts.  Global warming, my butt.  (Please don't post a rant educating me on the complex atmospheric changes that have been occuring over the last eon and who or what is the cause.  I was just commenting on the obvious irony.) 

 

In other news, we are having some camera/computer malfunctions.  Specifically, I can take pictures, but I'm having trouble getting them from the camera to the computer.  D-husband helped me download something that was supposed to help...and I think it started to...but then it didn't...I don't know.  So there might be a little lull in picture uploading for a little while, until we figure it out. 

 

But I can promise that when we do, there will be about a million new pictures for you.  :)

In case you don't know my dad, he is a pun connisseur, and in that respect the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.  He even has a pun dictionary, which he gave me when I started coming up with them myself.  Several years ago we compiled our three all-time favorites, which all happen to start with C...so we named them The Three C's.  I guess you'll want to know what they are:

 

The first one isn't original.  It's the one about the vulture who is taking a flight and the guy at the airport asks if he wants to check his bag, but the vulture replies, "No, it's a 'carrion'."

 

The second is my dad's.  We had been out to a seafood restaurant.  I had gotten some fried clams, and brought them home in a box.  Out in the parking lot I tripped, almost dropped the box, and Dad said, "That would have been a 'clam-ity'!"  (Like 'calamity'.  This one isn't as good when it's written instead of spoken).

 

The third one is mine.  Dad was telling us a story from work, I think, about some conduits that were broken and couldn't be fixed.  I told him he should have said, "No con-do-it." 

 

So there you go.  I hope you sighed and rolled your eyes for at least one of them.  Anyway, I said that I'm in the mood because I just came up with an awesome pun, but I'm waiting for the right opportunity.  Puns are spontaneous in their purest form, but I think I'll hang onto this one until the right time. 

 

I know I'm going to read this again in a few weeks and not be able to remember it.  But if you think I'm just going to tell you what it is now...no way!  :)

H-bear and I had a great week in Phoenix!  She did great on the flights, as usual.  On both flights, whoever was sitting next to me was nice enough to go find an empty seat so that I could have more room.  I wouldn't have even thought to ask...it was really nice of them.

 

It was great to see my parents, Nana, siblings, and of course, Duke.  He pretty much ignored her at first, like he did last time, but H-bear was much more interested in him.  She would crawl up to him, but he would get up and walk away when she got close.  I helped her corner him so she could feel his ears, nose, and feet.  She even grabbed a handful of fur a few times, but honestly, this is the sweetest (laziest) old dog in the world, and he didn't pay her one bit of attention.  Except for when she got a big lick on the face!  It was hilarious, and amazingly, we got it on video.

 

I went down to the east campus to see everyone that I used to work with.  The last few years they have been doing a general campus remodel, adding some new buildings, and awesome new landscaping.  It looks pretty cool.  And it was nice to see everyone there again.

 

Did I mention that I miss In n Out Burger?

 

We made several trips to Tempe:

First went with a few friends to one of my favorite sandwich places: Dilly's Deli.  They serve the sandwiches and soups in big wicker basket/trays, and after we ate we decided to sit H-bear up in the tray, like Moses.  It was too cute, but she definitely wasn't happy about it.  Then a family came in with a little boy, about H-bear's age, with lots of bright red hair.  When they sat down, the two babies just stared at each other!  Then they started babbling back and forth.  All the way across the restaurant (which wasn't that far, maybe 20 or 30 feet).  It was really amazing!  I bet they could understand each other. 

 

We went to Heather and Chris' wedding at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was beautiful, and H-bear did really well.  The wedding photographer even came over and got a few shots of her before the ceremony started.  She smiled at everyone, even Nate.  It was the first time most of my friends had seen her!  She chewed on my plate at the reception...which was hilarious, and everyone got a kick out of it.

 

I went out to Tempe without her for a going-away party for Lauren, who was my maid of honor.  She's moving to DC.  Again it was great to see lots of old friends.  We told lots of old stories and got to hear new ones.

 

Finally both H-bear and I went out again, on our last night, to visit two friends at their new apartment.   They just got married a few weeks again...man, they are super cute together!  :)

 

H-bear was generally pretty shy the first few days that we were there, but once she got comfortable it was great to see how social she was, smiling and babbling at everyone.  However, the entire time we were there, she would not let anyone except my family hold her.

 

We also went to a really nice park, where we found a shady spot and let H-bear explore a little.  She just kept trying to eat the grass though.  I was worried about her getting dehydrated, so I had brought one of her little bottles with cold water.  I had gotten her to successfully drink a little water at home in Kansas.  This time, however, she wasn't interested, she just wanted to play with the bottle-top cover, which is the same size and shape as a little shot glass.  We decided we could just pour a little water in it and let her try to use it as a cup.  She has tried to drink from empty cups before, mimicking us, so we figured she might actually be able to do it.  We only filled it half-way, maybe a tablespoon.  She immediately lifted it up to her mouth and drank out of it!  We were pretty impressed...until we realized it was just running down her chin...and all over her clothes.  I'm not sure if she ever swallowed any of it, but she was having so much fun that we kept refilling the cup for her.  And she kept drinking from it and getting herself soaked.  At least it kept her cool.

 

That afternoon, or maybe the next day, my mom went out and got her first sippy cup.  At first it went well...she knew to put the little sippy part in her mouth, and lift the whole thing up...but again she didn't swallow the water, and just got soaked.  She even turned it over and chewed the bottom of the cup, while it dripped on her feet. 

 

Guess what, I nursed in public for the first time!  On the plane (if that counts), and at the park.  It was weird.  I don't think I'll do it again unless I have to, but at least now I know that I can.

 

Two little new things she started doing while we were in Phoenix: going from crawling to sitting, and clicking!  She had done the crawling-to-sitting thing a few times at home already, but during our trip she got really good at it.  She also started making a clicking noise with her tongue, which my dad figured out is really just her making a sucking motion.  But it's so cute...we click at her, and she clicks back.  We're going to teach her Morse code!!!

 

Well, we really enjoyed our trip...got H-bear some new ASU stuff, got some In n Out, saw all my old friends...but eventually we missed D-husband and had to go back. 

 

We will be going back for ASU Homecoming next month! 

Boo's: It will be a short trip, probably just Friday to Sunday.  I don't think we'll bring H-bear to the game, it might be a little too much for her.

Bravo's: Gamenight on Halloween.  Cooler weather.  Alumni band! 

This challenge was so much fun! 

 

The first two photos, both H-bear, weren't intended for this challenge but I felt like they just fit.  I spent some time thinking about what else I wanted to do.  The first two that popped into my head were travel and books...and then I realized how those two are subtley related.  I love to see new places, so it makes sense that I also get hooked on fiction and adventure stories.  Interesting.

 

Anyways, enjoy my take on what happiness really is, and check out what other people think at I Should Be Folding Laundry! 

Sweet potatoes!  Just boiled, and pureed in the blender...went over pretty well this morning.  Not great, but she actually opened her mouth for a few bites, instead of clamping shut like she normally does. 

 

Success!

 

Next on the list are:

Carrots

Spinach

Bananas

We went to our second Kindermusik class last week.  It went much better!  We got there early and H-bear got a chance to crawl around a little and check things out.  She got a little clingy when the other babies arrived...which is so weird!  I didn't expect her to be like this at all.  When we see other kids at church or the store, she squirms like mad to go see them.  I guess she feels pretty secure when she's being held, but then when she finally gets the chance to have some interaction, she's a little unsure of herself.  Anyways, at least she didn't cry this time.  :) 

 

She is still working on the standing up thing.  She loves it!  She'll just pull up on the coffee table or the couch and just stand there forever.  I feel so bad when she gets tired and her arms and legs start to shake a little.  It sounds cruel, but she has to learn to sit back down on her own.  A few times I have rescued her.  Sometimes she just falls down on her bum, without seeming to even notice.  She is really having a great time, though.

 

Last week we tried some pureed foods.  Squash and zucchini.  We were told to start with veggies, because if we start with fruits then she'll develop a sweet tooth and refuse the veggies later.  Well, since the squash and zucchini weren't a hit, we're planning to try carrots next.  And maybe spinach.  My parents say that I liked spinach as a baby, so we'll see. 

 

When I tried giving her the zucchini and she gave me the look, like "this is, by far, the most awful of the five things I have tasted in my whole life"...I just gave up and let her play with it.  The result: some great pictures.  They're in the September album.  I got some great video too.  I actually took a few short videos, so as soon as I figure out (or D-husband shows me) how to splice them together, I'll post that.

 

 

This week, Beth's You Capture challenge was to take a picture of something up close.  I had trouble coming up with new ideas, since most of my pictures from last week would have worked perfectly for this one.  So I just took a few shots of things that caught my eye. 

 

Hope you like them! 

 

 

D-husband and I have decided what we want to be called when we're grandparents.  I want to be Mummum, like my great-grandmother, and D-husband wants to be Papalito, from the Cajun "papa", and the Spanish "abuelito".  Fitting, isn't it?  Not that we're looking forward to this already, or anything.

 

Guess what!  A few days ago (the 12th, I think), H-bear was crawling around and decided to reach up for the edge of the coffee table, which, thus far, has been just beyond her reach.  This time, however, she grips the edge of the table.  After a little wobble or two, she reachs up with the other hand, pulling herself up onto her knees.  Then she pulls one foot under her, and with enormous effort, stands up.  She gets this huge smile on her face as she looks at everything on the table: the glass of water, magazine, camera, the folder of info from Kindermusik...and immediately starts pulling everything toward her mouth.  We hadn't interfered yet, because we wanted to see if she could actually do it, but at that point we make a mad dash to clear everything off the table before it gets spilled, chewed, or otherwise ruined. 

 

She is taking over this house, one day at a time.  

Our first Kindermusik class didn't go too well, unfortunately.  We were the first ones there, and H-bear seemed to be doing fine at first, sitting on the floor in front of me and just looking around.  Then some other moms and babies showed up.  When they sat down, H-bear immediately crawled over to the closest baby.  She just sat and looked at the little boy for a few seconds, and then burst into tears!

 

When I held her again, she felt better, but she didn't want to be put down again for the first half or so of class.  Everyone else did some baby massage and sang some songs, but whenever I tried she scrunched up her face like she wanted to cry.  The second half of class was much better.  We played with some toys: those egg-shaped shakers and some little cage bells.  She LOVED that part!

 

Maybe she was just a little overwhelmed and out of her element, or maybe we just caught her on a bad day.  I'm going to keep taking her back every week, and I'm sure she'll get used to things and have a little fun. 

 

We had her 6 month doctor's appointment this afternoon!  Here's the new measurements:

16 lbs. 12 oz. (63rd percentile)

27.5 in. (95th percentile)

Head circ.: 18 in. (99th percentile!)

 

She got more shots, too, and did surprisingly well! 

 

 

Another weekly edition of You Capture!

 

This challenge was to take photos of something you've never photographed before.  It turned out to be just the motivation I needed to get some of those essential baby photos of the H-bear.  You know...the hands, the feet, the bum.  She's so squirmy, and thinks the camera is just the most fascinating thing ever, so it took literally 2 or 3 hours to get these.  Hence why it hasn't been done before.

 

And of course, since we've just been moving into our new place, things are still a little messy...but this past week I finally got the kitchen table cleared off.  I know it sounds lame, but it feels so good to have that done!

 

Enjoy!

The H-bear turned 6 months old last week, and we've been busy...

 

Took her for her 6 month portaits- She did great this time!  No screaming.  He had her sitting up for all the pictures, and the whole time she had her arms up in the air.  We think she might do this to help keep her balance.  What a goof.  She didn't smile a whole lot, but we agreed she did infinitely better than last time.  

 

We also having her sit up in her infant bath tub.  It has made baths a whole different experience!  She must have something in her hands to play with, or else she will try to crawl (even though in the tiny tub there is nowhere to go).  Haven't taken any pictures of this yet, but I promise I will soon.

 

An interesting developement- She has started banging her toys against her leg, another toy, the floor, Mom's leg, or pretty much anything.  Especially the ones that rattle or make some other noise.  It all started with that toy with the rings in that video posted awhile ago...now she does that with almost all of them.  The cutest is when she bangs two toys together.  :)

 

She's crawling around like a pro, of course.  Sometimes she'll come and find D-husband or me in another room...I'll always remember the first time when I went into the bathroom, and a minute later she comes around the door like "Pssh...you can't hide from me!"  If she's getting tired and I'm sitting on the floor, she'll try to crawl into my lap, which is just amazing.  And of course she OWNS everything on the floor now.  The one thing she hasn't been able to do yet is go from crawling to sitting. 

 

This weekend I was sick for the first time since I get pregnant...no joke!  I think it's those prenatal vitamins.  Anyways, it was pretty standard: congestion, headache, fatigue, but no fever.  It only lasted a few days, and I was just starting to feel better, when...

 

H-bear had her first little fever yesterday.  I noticed it pretty suddenly, right after her nap yesterday afternoon.  We monitored it that evening, and the highest it got was 101.  We gave her a lukewarm sponge bath, put her to bed in just a diaper, and decided to wait til today to call the doctor.  We knew that temperatures run higher at night anyway.  Last night there was thunder and lightning non-stop ALL night, and the H-bear was up about every hour (probably because of both the fever and the thunder), so none of us got much sleep.  Sometime during the night her head felt a little cooler, and I didn't want to her to get chills or anything so I put some clothes on her.  She's had a little dripping from her nose, too, but hardly anything. 

 

This morning she slept late (thank goodness), and her temperature was back to normal.  She still has a little bit of goop in her nose, but she doesn't even seem to notice. 

 

Assuming she gets over this little cold, I have something new planned for her and I later this week.  I'm taking to a free preview class at Kindermusik (www.kindermusik.com).  It's like an infant music class.  Whenever we go anywhere, she seems sooooo interested in other people, especially other kids and babies, so I've been looking around for something like this that can get her a little interaction.  Like I said, it's a free preview class, so if she likes it, we will sign up for the 12-week semester. 

 

Not much else is new.  We have gotten a LOT done around the house...finally got those DVD shelves up, and brought in the big rug for the living room.  It's finally starting to feel like home.  :)  The program that D-husband has been on at work is coming to a close (no more overtime for a while, maybe?), so he's either going back to what he was doing before, or he stays on to finish up the final stages of this program (he's hoping for the latter).  We'll let you know!

I just realized I'm a week ahead.  THIS week's challenge is food...NEXT week's challenge is old signs.  Since we don't have any interesting food around right now, I'll get back into You Capture in two weeks.

 

:P 

 

Mom-brain, anyone?

I recently came across this blog:

 

I Should Be Folding Laundry

 

and decided to take part in Beth's weekly "You Capture" challenge!  This week it's "Old Signs", so I took the camera along on a little trip downtown this weekend.

 

Unfortunately I don't think there's a way to post pictures within a journal post on Shutterfly (correct me if I'm wrong, please!!!), so just check out the new photo album below.

 

Enjoy!

What a weekend!  With D-husband's parents here to help, the move went pretty smoothly.  Easy for me to say...I didn't move any big furniture, and I didn't even get a chance to help clean up the old apartment!  It would have taken FOREVER without them.  :)

 

We still have some unpacking to do yet.  H-bear is getting the hang of crawling, and with all the empty boxes, books, electrical cords, and other stuff laying around, she's pretty much having a blast.  During the day I've been juggling unpacking while keeping her happy, but away from all that fun stuff.

 

Yeah, the H-bear started crawling last Saturday morning!  We were just starting to get the first load of furniture into the U-haul.  D-husband's friend from work was there helping us, and while he and D-husband were taking a break to play with H-bear, and she took her first little crawl, toward: what else...D-husband's cell phone.  We happened to have the video camera nearby, so the video is posted.

 

We're definitely trying to baby-proof as we unpack.  We're looking into mounting the TV on the wall and putting the cable box and DVD player on shelves so they're well out of reach, and we're going to put all the DVDs on wall-mounted shelves, too.  All our cleaning chemicals are going up high instead of under the sink, and we're not leaving any trash cans out on the floor...all the standard stuff.  There is one exception:  we set aside one low cabinet in the kitchen that will belong to H-bear, with wooden spoons, tupperware dishes, and big mixing bowls.  She's not quite ready to be interested in that yet, but it will be there when she is.

 

In the past few weeks she has started laughing, which is the coolest thing in the world!  It started as more of cough-like sound, but has evolved into a real laugh.  It takes a lot to get her to do it though.  Lately what she likes best is when I look away at something else and give a big surprised gasp, and then look back at her and gasp again.  She'll sometimes laugh at random words, too.

 

One last little point of interest:  the bald spot on the back of her head (from sleeping on her back) is finally starting to grow back!

 

 

 

 

We started moving into the new place this weekend.  It's really nice...we're so happy with our decision!  We're just moving what we can in our car...we're renting a U-haul and D-husband's parents are flying up next weekend to help with the big stuff.

 

I added more pictures to the August 2009 album, by the way!  Check out the one of H-bear in her new doorway jumper.  It's really blurry, but it's the best I could do. 

I was out running errands with the H-bear this afternoon, and it was uncomfortably hot.  By the time we got home her cheeks were pretty rosy, so I thought I might try giving her a little bit of cold water in a bottle.  She gave me a nice little grimace, so that was the end of that.  :)

I added the video of H-bear's first taste of rice cereal.  We are still feeding it to her, usually every other day.  She is so messy afterward that she really needs a bath, which she only gets every other day, so that's how it worked out. 

 

She typically loves the rice cereal and really goes for it at first, but then gets distracted by chewing on the tray and the arms of the high chair.  It could be that she is just still too young to be really interested in solid food.  I hate to push it on her if she's not ready, and make it a bad experience, so I'm thinking about only feeding it to her once or twice a week, and let her spend more time in the high chair just to play.  She also LOVES the spoon and bowl!  That's the reason she gets so messy.  :)

 

She is still really intrigued by Mommy and Daddy's food.  I read somewhere that babies at this age just want to mimic whatever they see us doing.  Maybe the bland rice cereal was kind of a let-down! 

 

Otherwise she is doing great, as usual!  When she turned 5 months I took her to the clinic at the hospital to get her weighed....15 lbs. 8 oz.!!  She has more than doubled her birth weight, which is awesome. 

 

She is well into the "grabby" stage.  Everything within reach gets locked in her death-grip and pulled toward her mouth.  She will even grab our noses and ears if we let her.  Oh, but Mommy's hair is her favorite. 

 

She is sitting up very well now.  She does better if she has a toy or something in her hands.  We still keep some pillows behind her, because she tends to just topple over backward if she's had enough sitting up, or go forward to get a toy that's too far away. 

 

Crawling is right around the corner!  She can get up on her hands and knees, but can't quite coordinate them yet.  More often than not she ends up scooting backwards. 

 

She prefers to get around by rolling over.  Now that she can easily go from stomach-to-back and vice versa, she can really cover some ground!  We have to keep a close eye on her now.

 

She is showing that she can spend longer periods of time playing by herself, which is nice for me, knowing that I can spend 15 minutes or so getting something done and not have to be there to entertain her.  She still needs our company most of the time though, and we're more than happy to oblige her.  :)

 

Earlier this past weekend we had a bad night.  It was about 8:30 or so, about the time that we get H-bear ready for bed, and she started whining a little like she was upset or tired, which she doesn't normally do.  We went into the normal bedtime routine, lotion on her elbows and ankles (which are still usually pretty dry), diaper change, and feeding...but by the time we get to the feeding part, she was really upset, and crying like she was in pain.  The only other time she has cried like that was when she got her shots.  When she refused to nurse, we thought maybe her gums were hurting her.  We gave her a cold gummy toy to chew on, which helped for a little while, but when we tried to nurse again she just screamed.  At this point I was pretty sure it was her gums, so I gave her some infant Tylenol.  It took about 15 minutes after that for her to calm down enough to nurse and go to sleep.  This all happened in about 30 minutes, but of course it felt like hours.  I guess even if it wasn't her gums, the Tylenol helped whatever was bothering her! 

 

The next morning, she had a tiny red spot on the white part of her eye, right beside the iris.  I called the doctor right away, and she said it was probably a ruptured blood vessel, which can be caused by coughing, pooping, or crying, and should go away on it's own.  That's pretty crazy! 

 

Everything has been fine since then.  Check out the new pictures! 

 

 

Hi!  Putting photos on our Blogspot is tricky, so I'm giving this a try.  If we decide we like it, I'll put a link up on our old site:

www.talesofmidwestlegers.blogspot.com

Helping Momma fold the sheets
3/19/10


3/19/10

Peek a boo!
3/19/10

Playing with a paper towel roll. She talked into it, and her distorted voice startled her a little! So cute.
3/22/10

Test driving the new FORWARD FACING carseat!
3/22/10

I think she likes it.
3/22/10

Helping Dada make dinner.
3/24/10

We turned the car seat box into a little house!
3/24/10

Adorable new outfit from Old Navy.
3/25/10

Yogurt for lunch! She occasionally likes to actually use the spoon! Not too often though.
3/26/10

Hmmm...
3/26/10

Needs a little water, maybe?
3/26/10

Dunno what she's pointing at...
3/26/10

Wait for it...
3/26/10

All done!
3/26/10

And of course, you know when she's done when the bowls and cups hit the floor.
3/26/10

Yum!
3/26/10

And there goes the bowl.
3/26/10

Just had to get one more of Miss Yogurt Face.
3/26/10

Awww...
3/27/10

Just bein' cute!
3/27/10

Brand new shoes. Hadn't even worn 'em yet. Chewed up!
3/29/10

That blur in the middle is Hollie, running around after removing her own diaper. By herself!
3/29/10

She's always happier naked!
3/29/10

Here's the front cover...


On the first page...


Very classic, colorful illustrations...not too wordy...perfect for reading to wiggly babies!

Hollie, looking out the window in her room.
3/11/09

This is one of the first little shoots that popped up through the dead brown stuff in our front yard this week! This is totally my new desktop background.
3/15/09

This is the first half of the cake, which broke apart when Barry took it out of the pan.

3/5/10

This is the second half of the cake, which stayed in one piece...until I turned it over on the cooling rack.

3/5/10

Waiting for her birthday cake!

3/5/10

We are in the bedroom for the cake, because that's where the computer is. Travis and Bekah wanted to watch via Skype.

3/5/10

Skyping with Travis, Bekah, and cousin Juliet!

3/5/10

Panda cake!

3/5/10

Hmmm...

3/5/10

Five seconds later...

3/5/10

First present.

3/5/10

Now she's got the hang of it!

3/5/10

She loooves this keyboard (thank goodness it has an "off" switch)

3/5/10

Train set!

3/5/10

A car, from Momma and Dada.

3/5/10

Looove this tutu skirt from Abuelita and Pepere!

3/5/10

Got the same card from the Legers and my mom...what are the odds??!!

3/5/10

Woohoo! She's a blur these days.

3/6/10

What a cutie!

3/6/10

At the childrens' musuem.

3/7/10

So much new stuff!!

3/7/10

What IS it?

3/7/10

Not sure she likes it.

3/7/10

Carrying this ball around was tough...she couldn't see over it very well!

3/7/10

This was the only way into the little foam blocks fort.

3/7/10

She made it!

3/7/10

So much fun!

3/7/10

She's trying to get back out, poor girl.

3/7/10

See her sticking her tongue out when she concentrates? I do the same thing!

3/7/10

She was sooo cute with that fireman's helmet on, but I don't think she was real fond of it.

3/7/10

Making friends?

3/7/10

Playing with the train set.

3/7/10

Climbing on the train set.

3/7/10

Pretty cool little rocking horse!

3/7/10

She was a little scared of the see-saw, but she tolerated it for a few minutes.

3/7/10

Baby loooooves spinach.

2/9/10

At the park!

2/12/10

Awww...

2/12/10

Having way too much fun.

2/12/10

Swings

2/13/10

Goofy face

2/13/10

Yay!

2/13/10

This is when she climbed in all by herself!

2/15/10

Mardi Gras in Wichita = Homemade king cake with cream cheese filling...turned out amazing!

2/16/10

Exploring the laundry basket!

2/24/10

First bite...maaaaybe...

1/3/10

Yum!

1/3/10

See her top two teeth??!!! Yay!

1/3/10

Here Momma, try some!

1/3/10

Looooove those eyes. The light coming in through the windows there was PERFECT.

1/3/10

I love this face!

1/3/10

And that smile.

1/3/10

On Sunday morning after the wedding in NOLA, we paid our usual visit to Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, where H-bear sampled her first beignets!

12/20/09

I think she liked 'em.

12/20/09

H-bear with Cousin J!

12/20/09

The dialogue here is written on their faces.

12/20/09

No, MINE!!

12/20/09

That's better.

12/20/09

H-bear going in for a hug with Aunt Bekah.

12/20/09

I love this one!

12/20/09

Both looking? SCORE!!

12/20/09

So cute.

12/20/09

Me with my favorite niece and her awesome miniature sling for her doll.

12/20/09

Yep, not big on sharing yet. We'll work on that.

12/20/09

I love J in this one!

12/20/09

We were hoping J could give H-bear a few pointers on the whole walking thing.

12/20/09

Back in Lake Charles. The cousins raided each others' toy bags.

12/21/09

Both looking...again! That's a little booster seat that has a removeable tray. Both girls just loved sitting in it.

12/22/09

One of them didn't quite get it, though.

12/22/09

This is from the Leger gathering in Iota. This pretty much captures it: blur in the background, people everywhere, and H-bear in the middle, talking to (not on) someone's phone.

12/26/09

Taking a break outside with D-husband's aunt Lesley.

12/26/09

Whee!

12/26/09

I love this part. Every year, Mawmaw and Pawpaw Leger sit here, and we take pictures- one with all on the children (eight total. D-husband's dad is one), another with their childrens' spouses, then the grandchildren, then grandchildrens' spouses (yours truly was in that one), and finally this one: great-grandchildren. Whewww...

12/26/09

Back in Lake Charles again. H-bear, where's J?

12/27/09

There she is!

12/27/09

Went out for a walk. Looks like the wind followed us from Kansas!

12/27/09

Aww...

12/27/09

It got a little chilly, so we put her in D-husband's jacket like a sling. Snug as a bug!

12/27/09

So...my mom sent a package of Christmas gifts to us while we were there, but they were delivered to the back door (duh), so we didn't realize they were there until the 28th. No harm done though, thankfully. Rubber ducky was just as chewy.

12/28/09

She went right to work.

12/28/09

Gotta get those last little bits of packing paper!

12/28/09

We actually put some paper back in, so she could pull it out again.

12/28/09

This puppy has a bowtie that lights up when you press it's feet. She went CRAZY over it!

12/28/09

She literally would not let us take it away, to get it out of the box!

12/28/09

Finally did, though. She's in love.

12/28/09

Last day...happy birthday! Cupcakes from Cypi's (where we got our wedding cake).

12/29/09

Daddy-daughter chill time

1/3/10

Our baby, the contortionist.

1/4/10

"My First New Orleans T-shirt"! There are two little musicians and a little street sign that says "Burbin". I love it! And yes, I taught her those dance moves.

1/7/10

Obviously, this one requires explanation. After H-bear woke up insanely early one morning and decided it was time to play, I curled up and dozed on her bed as she pulled my hair and threw stuffed animals at me. At some point after that, D-husband woke up to find us both asleep again!

1/10/10

Goof.

1/12/10

If you look close, you can see all four teeth!

1/22/10

This was the first day it was warm enough to go to the park by our new house.

1/22/10

Walkin' the walk.

1/22/09

One step at a time.

1/22/10

Look...no hands!

1/22/10

Ready for my close up!

1/29/10

You know what would be fun? Getting UNDER the rocking chair.

1/31/10

Piece 'a cake.

1/31/10

Uh-oh.

1/31/10

Not so easy getting out again!

1/31/10

Help! Anybody?

1/31/10

Out the side, maybe?

1/31/10

Hey, camera-lady, help me!

1/31/10

Starting to get mad.

1/31/10

Maybe...

1/31/10

Yessssss!

1/31/10

Free at last!

1/31/10

Brrrrr...

12/9/09

I took this back in October, but I hadn't posted it until now, so I'm not cheating I promise!

10/16/09

My euphonium. <3

12/10/09

Now, what could possibly be going on here...

12/4/09

That's what!

12/4/09

This is what happens when I take 2 seconds to put some laundry away. Learned my lesson!

12/4/09

No guilty face here.

12/4/09

I don't remember what she's doing here, but it's cute!

12/4/09

She says, WOW, these keys are SO much better than mine!

12/4/09

Guess what's just as much fun as toilet paper?

12/10/09

She says, Momma HOW have you let me live so long without these tissues?!

12/10/09

So goofy.

12/10/09

CUTE.

12/11/09

Someone wanted to be a human burrito.

12/11/09

Burrito on the loose!

12/11/09

Goofball!

12/12/09

Her new name is Crazy Legs Leger.

12/12/09

I had taken off the tray to take these pictures, so by now she's like...okay, no food? I'm bored.

12/12/09

Last time I leave the box of wipes open...

12/15/09

I couldn't believe she lifted it! Strong girl...rawwwr.

12/15/09

Too much fun!

12/15/09

12/15/09

Carrots

11/5/09

How did she fit under there?!

11/9/09

She loooves pureed chicken. She's saving some for later (on her face).

11/13/09

She escaped during a diaper change and made it all the way to the kitchen (sans diaper).

11/15/09

Duck socks! She's also talking to her toy here, which is sooo cute.

11/18/09

Banana slices coated in graham cracker crumbs, to make them easier to grip.

11/19/09

Again, saving some for later.

11/19/09

This is the best picture I could get of her carrying a toy, in this case a spoon, in her mouth. What a goof!

11/20/09

Sneaky face!

11/20/09

One cabinet down, twelve to go.

11/29/09

My work here is done!

11/29/09

This is great. The day that we finally closed on the house, D-husband carried H-bear over the threshold.

11/30/09

Thursday---Pureed carrots on the kitchen floor.

11/5/09

Friday---Keys, the all-time favorite.

11/6/09

Saturday---This is what happens when the game is only broadcasted online.

11/7/09

Sunday---That's right. Pumpkin pie...homemade.

11/8/09

Monday---Sampling Momma's glasses.

11/9/09

Tuesday---It's almost 10pm and she's still. not. tired.

11/10/09

Wednesday---She's been doing this for a awhile, but now we have PROOF!

11/11/09

It was a loooong car ride

10/29/09

Yaaaaawn!

10/29/09

Our little bear!


There was a whole bear suit, but it was much to warm for Phoenix (even in October!)


Steak 'n Shake in Oklahoma City!

11/2/09

She couldn't have a shake, so she settled for just the spoon.

11/2/09

This is our "wire drawer", with all our battery chargers and connector cables, where sneaky babies can't get them.


ASU!


Haha...look at all the wiring we have wrapped up behind our wall-mounted TV. It's kind of funny.


We keep the trash can up on the shelf behind the printer. Another result of sneaky babies.

The bookcase in H-bear's room. The shoes are mine, from when I first started walking. The little box has a rosary in it (these were gifts to the guests at her baptism back in May). The bucket has all my foreign coins in it. And that doll? It's wearing an old Arizona State marching band uniform. Truly creepy looking though, huh? And of course, "Where The Wild Things Are". My all-time favorite (and maybe "The Snowy Day", and "Corduroy", and the list could go on...)

10/14/09

We have two mouse pads, and I love both, so we have to use both. :) The top one is from my old high school, Red Mountain. The other one is a photo taken my first year in the ASU marching band, when I met my husband. Yeah, we were band nerds. So what?

10/14/09

Yeah, H-bear's not too keen on the high chair, so it has become a coat rack for baby coats now that it's cooler out.

10/14/09

I love this. Story of my life, huh? A photo from our wedding, and lurking behind it...a baby monitor.

10/14/09

Think maybe a baby lives here?

10/14/09

I started accumulating these family photos, so I decided to make one of these photo-ribbon-board-things. Below is the link where I found my instructions. SUPER easy and SUPER cheap!

10/14/09

Link to DIY instructions!

So when you come in from the garage, the kitchen is here on your left. That other door goes into the laundry room.

10/14/09

To your right is the kitchen table, which we never use for anything other than projects. Straight ahead, just around that corner is the front door, which we never really use at all.

10/14/09

Fireplace, computer desk...and don't you like our mounted tv and cable box? :)

10/14/09

Here's the other side of the living room. We mounted that wall lamp ourselves, hence the cord taped down the wall. And we have more plans: Our giant Cajun flag is going to go over the couch, and in the space to the right of the lamp we are going to hang some of H-bear's pictures. Tell you what, I'll just take a new photo when we've done all that. The door that you can just see down the hallway is H-bear's room.

10/14/09

Almost forgot! Between the fireplace and the back door, we mounted these shelves for all the DVDs. Thank you again, D-husband. (Yes, we know they're sagging...badly. We're working on it.)

10/14/09

H-bear's room!

10/14/09

Other side of her room. I have a plan for that big space over the changing table...I'll take another photo when that's done, too.

10/14/09

This is the hall bathroom, directly opposite her room. The long counter is PERFECT for the infant bathtub!

10/14/09

Our bedroom is a capital-M Mess, but I just had to get a picture of my FAVORITE thing about this place...the enormous bathroom! Two sinks, separate toilet and shower (through the door on the right) and big walk-in closet!

10/14/09

Looking at the blinds (they make such nice beams across the floor!)

10/6/09

Look what I've got!

10/6/09

These are clean, right Mom? (haha)

10/6/09

Whoops!

10/6/09

Peeking over the coffee table (I don't know why, but I just love this one)

10/6/09

Hey, these are new!

10/7/09

It was the H-bear, in the kitchen, with the measuring cups.

10/7/09

Helping with the laundry again

10/8/09

Haha, H-bear got her hands on the webcam, so I opened it up on the screen and took a few photos. I mostly just got the inside of her mouth...this is the only one that came out somewhat recognizeable.

10/11/09

We made a tent with a bedsheet. She got a kick out of it!

10/13/09

Anything makes a good toy...even diapers and wipes. Diaper changes are impossible now.

10/13/09

Taking a look in the fridge.

10/14/09

She goes right for the ranch. Like mother, like daughter! (I'll put ranch on ANYTHING)

10/14/09

Caught her "reading"

10/18/09

10/19/09

Looking for something?

10/20/09

Attack of the sweet potato face! I love this one. Her eyes look enormous!

10/21/09

Helping with laundry again

10/23/09

Sampling the glass

10/26/09

Tastes pretty good!

10/26/09

Duke is thinking, "Don't make me play with her...pleeeease!"

9/24/09

Sitting in a Dilly's Deli basket. Obviously thrilled.

9/24/09

Playing in the kitchen.

9/25/09

Playing with Duke's tags.

9/25/09

Rehearsal dinner at Rustler's Rooste. I had never been out on the balcony before. It was awesome!

9/25/09

Phoenix skyline! The view was incredible.

9/25/09

Camelback. And the two lumpy reddish ones on the right are Papago Park.

9/25/09

Cool cake.

9/25/09

I came home from the rehearsal dinner to find this... I think I might get it framed.

9/25/09

At the park.

9/26/09

Trying to pull some grass, probably.

9/26/09

Drinking some water!

9/26/09

Getting soaked.

9/26/09

Palm trees!

9/26/09

H-bear and Dad

9/26/09

At the Desert Botanical Garden, for the big day.

9/26/09

This was the only decent photo I took the whole time. It isn't easy taking pictures with a baby on your lap.

9/26/09

H-bear is thinking, "Why won't he play with me??!!"

9/27/09

Hanging out at Tempe Marketplace.

9/28/09

She laid back in my lap just for this picture...it was so goofy!

9/28/09

We're at Nana's house now. That's Alvin (the chipmunk). When I was little, Nana used to keep him at her house all the time, for me to play with when I came over. Look at her tongue!

9/28/09

Alvin makes a good pillow.

9/28/09

Four generations, take 1.

9/29/09

Four generations, take 2. Much better!

9/29/09

This was the first balloon she had ever seen. I was scared it would pop, but it didn't, thank goodness.

9/29/09

Man, if this doesn't say happiness, I don't know what does.
Happiness1.jpg 2009-09-18

This one just makes me happy!
Happiness2.jpg 2009-09-18

Okay, enough baby pictures, already! I'm visiting my parents in Phoenix this week, so while packing I took the opportunity to capture something I love: TRAVEL!
Happiness3.jpg 2009-09-22

I love how nice and cozy this one turned out. It's "Anne of Green Gables" and a mug of chai tea. This, to me, is what heaven would look like.
Happiness4.jpg 2009-09-22

This is a nifty little cross I got on a trip to Mexico several years ago.

9/17/09

The bottom of a glass, sitting on a coaster.

9/17/09

I'm not really sure if this fits the theme, but oh well. :)

9/17/09

Clean table!!!
FirstPhoto-Table1.jpg 2009-09-03

Clean table!!! Woo hoo!
FirstPhoto-Table2.jpg 2009-09-03

Believe it or not...I have NEVER taken a picture of her bum before.
9/3/2009

Or her hand. Isn't that sad?
9/3/2009

Baby belly!
FirstPhoto-Bellybutton.jpg 2009-09-03

Toe dimples
9/3/2009

Oooh, laundry basket?
new pics 333.jpg 2009-09-01

Haha...
new pics 331.jpg 2009-09-01

Too cute
new pics 332.jpg 2009-09-01

Chowing down on the remote
new pics.jpg 2009-09-01

Helping with the laundry
new pics 335.jpg 2009-09-01

Slouchin'
new pics 002.jpg 2009-09-06

Exploring under the table
new pics 003.jpg 2009-09-07

Going somewhere?
new pics 013.jpg 2009-09-09

Cute!
new pics 028.jpg 2009-09-15

Getting a bath sitting up!
new pics 032.jpg 2009-09-15

She really has fun during bathtime now.
new pics 038.jpg 2009-09-15

Checking out the big mirror.
new pics 041.jpg 2009-09-15

Uh-oh. Here comes trouble!
new pics 046.jpg 2009-09-15

She is standing there saying, "Mmm! Mmm!"
new pics 047.jpg 2009-09-15

Playing with her pureed zucchini. It got EVERYWHERE!
zucchini 006.jpg 2009-09-17

She definitely got a bath after this.
zucchini 002.jpg 2009-09-17

Well, she had fun, right? That's all that matters.
zucchini 003.jpg 2009-09-17

Yummm
zucchini 004.jpg 2009-09-17

The grand finale. Is she finally trying to eat some of it??
zucchini 005.jpg 2009-09-17

Wholesale
new pics 353.jpg 2009-08-29

Parking
new pics 334.jpg 2009-08-29

Furniture
new pics 338.jpg 2009-08-29

Graffitti
new pics 340.jpg 2009-08-29

Open1
new pics 343.jpg 2009-08-29

Mayflower
new pics 346.jpg 2009-08-29

3 Mosley Street
new pics 347.jpg 2009-08-29

Arcade
new pics 348.jpg 2009-08-29

Open2
new pics 350.jpg 2009-08-29

Working on that crawl, again
new pics 271.jpg 2009-08-01

Enough for one day
new pics 272.jpg 2009-08-01

At the park
new pics 273.jpg 2009-08-01

Somehow got the shoe from her foot to her mouth while in the carseat!
new pics 276.jpg 2009-08-02

Rice ceareal beard
new pics 277.jpg 2009-08-03

Sneaky sneaky
new pics 281.jpg 2009-08-04

She loves this toy
new pics 283.jpg 2009-08-04

Yummmm...
new pics 285.jpg 2009-08-04

Still has that bald spot
new pics 286.jpg 2009-08-04

I know their bones are flexible, but wow!
new pics 293.jpg 2009-08-11

Loves this jumper! Couldn't get a clear photo.
new pics 294.jpg 2009-08-12

Ooohh...carpet!
new pics 296.jpg 2009-08-13

Book worm
new pics 303.jpg 2009-08-14

Looking at something funny
new pics 305.jpg 2009-08-14

New house!
new pics 311.jpg 2009-08-14

Cutie!
new pics 313.jpg 2009-08-21

She wants the camera. Really bad.
new pics 314.jpg 2009-08-21

Reaching for something. Not quite crawling yet!
new pics 315.jpg 2009-08-21

Working on that crawl
new pics 260.jpg 2009-07-29

Big smile!
new pics 197.jpg 2009-08-10

I can SO do this myself
new pics 248.jpg 2009-08-10

Another big smile!
new pics 263.jpg 2009-08-10

Sitting up
new pics 268.jpg 2009-08-10

This one is an absolute gem...

3/26/10  If you can't tell, I'm trying to get her to do raspberries.  :)

Fun at the childrens' museum

3/7/10

And her favorite birthday present was...

Napkins! 

3/5/10

She's a monkey

2/11/10

Cabinets: Easy to get into...not so easy to get out of.

1/15/10

Walking! (with a little help)

1/10/10

"Mama" + table drumming

10/11/09

 

There's D-husband in the background, fixing his laptop!

Kisses!

9/27/2009

I love how he is sniffing her diaper right at the beginning...I didn't even notice that at the time!  I could just watch this video all day.

First crawl

8/22/09

H-bear's First Food - 2.1.wmv

The soundtrack is "Marcha de los Grillos" from Las 100 Clasicas de Cri Cri, vol. 2! 

 

(In English: March of the Crickets)