Delanie Footage!

Here is some video of Delanie with her baby! I know it's sorta long, but the grandparents will be happy! The cutest part is the last two minutes or so.

She's a B-I-G Girl!

Delanie continues to enjoy summertime! And, now that she is a full fledged walker, we are putting her in all those cute summer dresses! With her growing mass of curls, we attempt to do her hair, but hair accessories typically only stay in for five minutes. Delanie is starting to get the idea of "posing" for the camera, as evidenced by this photo!

Here is Delanie doing her version of the sign for "water" in her adorable ladybug dress (Thank you Papa Dave and Nana).

Unfortunately for our animals, Delanie is going through an aggressive stage with our pets. She tugs tails, pulls ears and pokes eyeballs. She has taken to chasing Bailey (our ornary cat) into a corner using her play lawn mower, then trying to ram right into her. With the dogs, she climbs on their backs or stomps on their tails, then laughs in delight when they jump up out of fear. We hope this stage will pass quickly and it is just an exploration into "cause and effect," not a future career in World Wrestling Federation!

And, despite her sometimes aggressive nature, she loves all three of her pets, no one can make her giggle more than her dogs or cat! (Thank you to our groomer Anda for dressing our two dogs in VT bandanas!)

Then there is the other side of this wonderful little girl - her new obsession with baby dolls. She has adopted two new babies since our last post. The first, pictured here, is Mommy's old half-naked Cabbage Patch Kid doll. Now, for a woman who grew up in the 80s, handing down a CPK is a dream come true! The other adoptee is a baby at daycare that actually belongs to her teacher's daughter, Georgia. Georgia accidentally left her doll in her mother's classroom. Well, Delanie hasn't been willing to part with it yet! So, the baby actually has joint custody - she spends each day with Delanie and goes home each evening with Georgia.

She shows such care and attention to the babies, offering goldfish crackers or wrapping them in blankets. One is always with her, and there is even a seat reserved at the dinner table. She has started brushing their teeth with her toothbrush and brushing their hair with her hairbrush. She makes sleeping noises after she puts one to bed on her old Boppy pillow. And, anyone who knows Delanie, knows that she never has a shortage of things to say, so she narrates the entire sequence of events for her baby!

15 Month Update - The Jolly Blonde Giant!

That is the nickname that Dr. Durand has given to Delanie after her 15 month check up today. And once again, both the doctor and the nurse looked me up and down then confirmed that no, my husband is not tall either. At Delanie's last appointment, Dr. Durand said she thought Delanie might slow down for a bit, allowing her peers to "catch up." But, instead, she continues to grow at the same pace. And with each appointment confirming her growth, the doctor is becoming more certain that she will be a tall child (and maybe even a tall adult). Dr. Durand even pulled out her growth chart to show me how impressed she was. If you look at a standard growth chart, there is this large shaded curve that represents "normal." Delanie's growth follows the shape of the curve very precisely, except she is well above the shared area. So, here are the 15 month stats (drumroll please):
weight: 26.5 lbs (93%)
height: 33.5 in (>97%)
head: 18 1/8 (52%)

Delanie is right on target developmentally, although her parents (and grandparents!) think she is also way above the curve in that area also. She is at the most fun stage, Dave and I are so happy to be around her and watch her little mind work each day. She continues to be a chatterbox, mixing gibberish with words. She will try to parrot back just about any word you ask her to, and does a pretty good job with sounds and syllables. She is also becoming a great mimic, repeating motions and gestures. Delanie has also recently become attached to her baby. The baby sleeps and eats with Delanie, and they spend most of the day together. If Delanie gets involved in play, after a few minutes she will get a concerned look, hold her hands out with palms up, and say, "Baby?" And, in terms of mimicking behavior, she hugs, kisses, feeds and holds baby much like she's witnessed Mom and Dad do with her.

Here are some of the cute things Delanie did TODAY:

- While waiting for Dr. Durand, she placed the baby on the rolling chair and rolled her around the room, saying, "Whee!"
- When I got out of the shower, I found Delanie with a pair of my shorts on her head and my sunglasses on her face.
- While playing hide-and-go-seek with Dave, Delanie peered her head around the corner and said, "Boo!"
- When I went in Delanie's crib this morning, I found Delanie and her baby with heads on her pillow (new addition to the crib as of yesterday), blanket over them and Delanie talking to baby.
- As I type this at 9 pm, Delanie is singing to baby in her crib and her parents are beaming at the baby monitor!

So, bottom line, if we could freeze time right now, I think we'd jump at the chance, we are just loving this time with such a happy, silly, smart girl!

Delanie on Vacation Part III - WI

Delanie had lots of fun in the cabin playing on these stairs!

Here is Delanie chillin' with Ethan (Dave's cousin) on the hammock

4th of July Celebration at The Point - Delanie had fun with these volleyballs

Funny thing about boats - toddlers find them MUCH more entertaining when they are tied to the dock and Grandpa gives a gentle ride. (Of course, we know this from experience as she threw a tantrum about 2 minutes from shore because she didn't want to wear a lifevest)

Delanie on Vacation - Part II Hershey Park

Delanie and Daddy on the Carousel - she was a little scared of the horses

Riding the antique car with Daddy

Riding on the train with Mommy

Admission into Hershey Park: $37.00
Total cost for a greasy lunch $23
Seeing Delanie burst into tears upon seeing a life size hershey kiss... priceless
(To be fair, it WAS scary)

Delanie on Vacation Part 1 - PA

Lounging by the pool LaFleur-style!

At Crayola Factory - she was a little young to do any of the arts and crafts, but we had fun looking at other children and searching for Jon and Kate Plus 8 Gosselin (they had an episode that featured Crayola Factory)

Doing crafts with Daddy

Delanie in front of the Dansbury Depot - a restaurant that is a former railroad station - she loved watching the trains go above her head.

Summertime!

Deanna's first official week off of work, and we have been having lots of fun! On Saturday, we went to Charlie's house to celebrate Father's Day and summer in general. The two toddlers rode to the pool in style - Delanie loved the wagon. The Millers grilled an excellent meal, we enjoyed the company of several couples and babies (and one unborn peanut).

Here's the thing about teachers - they are so excited for summer to come so they can get away from school, then they end up hanging out together the entire time they are off!! A group of us hit the lake Tuesday, which turned out to be a wonderful spot for toddlers. A playground, sand and water, what more could Delanie want? We even got a great spot in the shade! Delanie is quite observant, here she is sitting in her chair watching a volleyball game.

I hear that while I was in the restroom, Delanie and Caleb went to first base - they kissed! Delanie, who is obsessed with trying to dress herself, apparently also helped Caleb get dressed (or undressed, who knows?). While I was chaperoning, this is as close as the pair got!

Delanie had a wonderful week with Grandma Molly while Mommy finished up at work. Grandma Molly taught Delanie how to have all sorts of fun! And, with the heat wave, most of the "outdoor fun" actually took place on the porch. Today, Delanie insisted we fill some containers with water so she could play on the porch. She is holding a bowl of grapes - this girl now wants everything in a bowl. She loves being Little Miss Independent! She definitely gets that from her father, no way that came from Mom!!

Our family is heading on two weeks' vacation with family! We look forward to posting some good pics when we return! Have a wonderful and safe July 4th! Happy Birthday America!