The Ladybugs Picnic!

This was the inspiration for Delanie's 1st birthday party theme - Doesn't this clip bring back memories?

Delanie loves this song, we have gone around the house singing it for days. My husband, on the other hand, now loathes it.

11 Months Old!

Wowsers! I am 11 months old! It feels like I went from infant to toddler in the blink of an eye. Mommy and Daddy have tried to measure me, but being a toddler means that sitting still is not one of my current strengths. I am "about" 24 lbs and 31 inches, give or take some, due to squirminess.

Let's start with all the new things I can do. I am easily cruising now, using furniture to move around the room. I do not like when people hold my hands to have me "walk," however. I will immediately fall to my knees. So, I may have to teach myself to walk, by moving from one piece of furniture to the next. I have started using sign language - I can say eat, more, and all done using my hands. The only problem is, I like to use the sign for eat for other needs as well. In my head, it's crystal clear what I'm asking, but Mommy and Daddy are usually a little confused.

I love clapping my hands because now my hands make noise when I clap! I clap when I hear music come on, or when someone starts singing a nursery rhyme. I also click my tongue (this started on my 11 months birthday) then giggle at the noise. I have perfected my pageant wave, waving at everyone at Target, runners during our walks, random animals such as cats and squirrels. I am very friendly!

My vocabulary is expanding, I am trying so hard to say some of the words I hear so often, such as turtle, more and all done. When someone asks me "What does the doggy say?" I answer, "woof."



Eating continues to be an area in which I excel. My parents are trying to provide me with a "balanced" meal, including veggie, fruit, protein and starch, per daycare/state mandates. But, I am not a big meat eater, other than chicken. So, I have started eating Boca burgers, left in the freezer by Uncle Nick. They are yummy! I also ate a scambled egg yolk yesterday, gobbled the whole thing down. I have started using a sippy cup more, as my parents have introduced whole milk to my diet.

Month 11 will surely go by fast, and soon we will be celebrating my one year mark!

Sick of Being Sick!

February has been a tough month on our family. All three of us went to the doctor this week, and this was the third sick visit this month for Delanie. All three of us have similar symptoms, but were diagnosed with three different ailments - go figure. So, we are each taking prescriptions and over-the-counter meds and Vitamin C in hopes of finally feeling better. Dave and I alternated days off from work while Delanie has been quarantined at home away from daycare. This week, we were fortunate to also have an extra set of hands - Grandma Molly came to offer some much needed help.



While at home, Delanie has realized how fun our new built-in shelves are as a climbing toy! She now spends the majority of her time in this cabinet - sitting, standing, quiet, banging, singing, playing - it doesn't matter. She just likes climbing in and out of it all day long.

Here she is, playing with some of her outgrown toys and posing for the camera.

I think this has got to be one of the most beautiful pictures of Delanie's eyes - if I could photoshop out that big drop of drool it would be even better! You can double click on the photo to see it enlarged and see those gorgeous eyes, and yes this is a completely biased opinion here. Ok, so after watching Delanie crawl in and out of the cabinet all week, we went to Toys R Us and got her an early birthday present - a Little Tikes climber. And, of course, in typical baby fashion, she spent more time in the box it came in!

Here's a picture of Delanie checking out the new toy. She doesn't quite get the concept of moving her hands forward as her legs go up the ladder. As a result, she has done 3 major face plants into the platform at the top. She didn't cry, but had a very confused look on her face each time. Maybe this is why she decided to play with the box!

As we work to recover from various illnesses, our thoughts also go out to so many friends and family who are suffering from their own illnesses. It seems like such a tough cold and flu season, with very contagious and long lasting germs! And, to those of you in good health, stay healthy!

February Photos!

Delanie after her bath in her froggie towel (Thanks Grandma)

I found these crochet booties in Delanie's drawer - we had to wear them once!

We were having a few younger babies over, so I laid out some of Delanie's outgrown toys. Well, I went to start a load of laundry and when I got back, I found Delanie riding her Bumbo chair like a horse!

One of Delanie's favorite meals - pasta with tomato sauce! Needless to say, we usually send this meal to daycare to save ourselves the mess!

What is Quiet Time?

This video footage may help send the point home that this child is NEVER quiet!!

10 Months Old!

My tenth month has gotten off to a rocky start this week. Right when Mommy and Daddy thought my cold was going away, I developed a viral sore throat. I didn't eat for a week (so unlike me)! I had a fever that was all over the place, so I was sent home from school on Wednesday. And, boy, did my sore throat put me in a sour mood! I still haven't quite snapped back to my old self.

As you can see from my video, I have started climbing the stairs. I can go both up and down pretty well. I am so excited and proud of this feat that I sometimes forget I am actually on the stairs when I jump and stand. So I wouldn't say I am an independent stair-climber at this point.

I have been spending a lot of time with my friends lately. This might have to do with that sour mood I mentioned earlier, and how it is affecting Mommy's sanity. Charlie came over for dinner on Sunday, we played with blocks and my exersaucer. On Tuesday, we had swim class again, so I was able to see all the babies in my class. Thursday, I went to Marbles with Caleb and Cohen, we had lots of fun! And today, we went to the park with Caleb, where I tried a swing for the first time - not a big fan of the swing yet.

I have decided to put my foot down on naps at daycare - I am just not going to take one! There, I said it! I don't care how exhausted I feel, it's just not going to happen. Sorry, Ms. Gillian, I know you're trying.

In terms of my development, I am easily pulling to standing whenever and wherever I can. Doing this in the tub is becoming especially fun for me. I can even balance on my own for a few seconds, but I don't like for anyone to let go of me at this point. A few times, I have used the sign for "more" but only to refer to goldfish crackers, they are very motivating for me. Oh, and I can say "Mama" but I prefer to just make the noise mamamama over and over and not actually acknowlege Mommy while saying it.

Now that my appetite is coming back, I am making my food preferences very clear. I am not a fan of fruit - it is a little too slimy for me. So, I feed it to the dogs. I love my mixed veggies and crackers. And I LOVE cheese! Crumbled, shredded, melted - cheese never tastes bad! I even requested that the waiter at Olive Garden grate some on my veggies at lunch today.

Month 10 promises to start improving for me as I keep learning new things!

Naked Time!

A conversation with friends this week motivated me to post this picture. You see, after each bath, we have "naked time." These are some of Delanie's most enjoyable moments, as she must feel a bit more free. Anyone who is a parent knows what "naked time" means to a baby or toddler. But, as we learned this week, when you look at your husband and daughter and say, "after our bath, we will have a little naked time," the childless folk conjure up much different images than you intended!!