The butt pose: a natural

Baby, you're a natural. You came up with "the butt pose" all by yourself!
Years ago when traveling in Norway, we happened upon someone posing like this and thought it was hilarious. Since then we've taken photos of ourselves and others in the butt pose on all of our trips - just like this one from our cruise to Alaska.

Just talking to myself again

Wow, she's been asleep for a while.

I should get something done.

But what if she's dead?

Maybe I should go check.

But that will just wake her up.

Maybe I should just wait.

Hm.

Now it's really been a while.

I should really get something done.

But of course she'll wake up just as I get started.

Unless she's dead.

Maybe I should go check.

Baby cooing.

Dang, she's awake.

When sharing is overrated

You've caught your first cold – and since you're so generous with the germs, mom and dad now have it too. It stinks because we all feel crappy and are getting even less sleep than normal. I really didn't know I could function on such little sleep.

If our friends are any indication, this is just a glimpse into our lives over the first year we have you in school with other children (aka germ factories). Heaven help us and bring on the Robitussin.

Perfect for scaling the alps - or my cupboards

I crocheted you this little Heidi top from an idea - not a pattern. I think I'm onto something as I can never read the patterns anyway.
But there is no time to take a photo! You've got work to do!

Almost every second that you are awake now, you are on the move - busy searching each nook and cranny you can find for adventure. And each new thing you find has you riveted. A crayon - yay! The garbage bill - yay! A piece of carpet lint - oh my gosh - yay! It is all just so exciting that you have to stop and clap! Of course, anything you've played with before is - yawn - boring. Here you are starting in on some shelves.
You are such a social creature and you are always reaching out to people around you. No one can resist your little wave and "hi" from your stroller so we are making lots of new friends when out and about. Here you are crawling into my lap.

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And here's the mess you created while I wrote this entry.

Crawling and talking - oh my!

You took your first forward crawl this week at the neighborhood Swap n' Play. You went for an exotic (at least for our house) golf ball!

With all the new motion, you've had a couple of pretty good head bumps. Yesterday, your face met with the kitchen floor when your arms slid out to the sides. Poor baby, I'm sure there's a lot more to come in that department.

We've also realized that you really are saying some words now. You say "Hi" pretty clearly. I think that probably counts as your first word. You also say "Yay" when you clap or see someone else clapping.  If we say it then you start clapping. You said "Kitty" when you saw the neighborhood tomcat outside and you are saying something really close to daddy when you see Jeremy but you also say that other times so we're not sure if you are fully onto that one. Note - you are saying nothing even close to mama. 

Grape girl

I can tell which foods are your favorites as they don't end up on the floor often. A pack of sugar ants has figured out your voting system and is now awaiting any morsel you leave behind. I'm guessing that they will be finding bits of cheese crackers, noodles, and maybe some grated carrot. But you're pretty stingy with the grapes and will be keeping them all for yourself.

Sew theraputic

Finding balance between work/home/baby/etc continues to be a challenge. Some days, I feel like I'm on top and managing it all. Other days, I feel like I've fallen behind and I'll never catch up. Relaxing with a simple sewing project, talking with friends, or reading a good book seems to help me keep things in perspective. Now, if I can just find the time...

I made some more bibs for expectant friends. I love how these turn out and they wash great.

For Barbara, Erin and Amy. Now I need some for Kim and Melissa!

And I'm almost finished with a strip quilt I'm making for your special friend Wendy, who will be a grandma soon. She promises that she will still want to spend the odd Saturday afternoon with you while dad and I go out for a movie, but I figure a little bribery can't hurt. No really, I want to give her some extra thanks as she's been a wonderful friend for many years. I'm sure she'll be a fantastic grandma. Especially since she's had you to practice on for the past 9 months.

For Wendy who is your special auntie and a fan of all things turtle.

I've still got a ton of fabric scraps so I'm looking for other projects to use them up. I'm afraid to start looking around on Etsy though as I'm sure I'll start dreaming of projects that are really fun to start but not so fun to stick with or finish. The last thing I need is a stressful sewing project.

She really likes recycling

You finally took a step forward in your walker today. You've had the reverse gear down for about a month and you can back up like nobody's business. Lately we've been trying to coax you forward with all kinds of toys, food, etc. I admit, we never thought of offering what you finally went for - our giant green recycling bin.

Daily inspiration: dance

Dance til the stars come down from the rafters. Dance, dance, dance til you drop.

~  W.H. Auden

(from the Portland Parks & Rec catalog)

Our birthday gift from the gang will come in handy with this one. Woohoo! Thanks guys!

Primary lessons

Today in primary, we talked about family roles and responsibilities. I've been in the primary for years and this topic comes up a lot. It warms my heart every time because the kids absolutely light up and are so happy to talk about or sings songs about their families. You can really tell that the kids love and look up to their parents, grandparents and siblings. Each child seems to believe that their mom is the most beautiful and that their dad is the bravest, smartest man in the world.  

It was even more special today because when they were talking about their moms, I was thinking  "oh yeah, I'm the mom now - that's me!"

Here's what a mom does according to the Colonial Heights primary:

"Helps me find my clothes"

"Teaches me how to unload the dishwasher"

"Makes good things to eat"

"Sometimes does the dishes"

"Takes me to the doctor and makes soup when I'm sick"

"Sings songs that make us happy"

It looks like Jeremy has got his work cut out for him too. According to the kids:

"Dads lift the heavy furniture around the house"

"Dads protect the family. Like, when it looks like there is someone peaking in through the window, he comes with a baseball bat and makes sure there isn't anyone there."

Well, I think there is a little more to it than that, but that should get us started.