checking "mail", stacking & sorting blocks

if you look at previous posts with pictures, you'll see that baby bear's walker is actually a toy mailbox. it comes with 3 plastic "envelopes" and slots which hold them, and the front has 2 doors which open and close. the top door has a slot that the letters will fit into.

hannah has learned that it's easier to open the top door and drop the letters in than it is to actually slip the letters into the slot.

earlier this week, she stacked her rubber blocks on top of some larger blocks. she has attempted to stack the blocks that come with her shape sorter, but hasn't quite succeeded. she also gets frustrated that the blocks won't fit into the "wrong" holes on her shape sorter. however, if i show her a hole and point to the blocks, asking her which goes into the hole, she will usually choose the correct block. her motor skills aren't quite good enough for her to put them in through the shaped holes without help, though.

no teeth yet. she is also becoming a more finicky eater. those genes came from her daddy.

The Cele-Brayden Circus & other notes of interest...

On Saturday, we took Hannah to her buddy Brayden's 1st birthday bash. Silly Mommy forgot her camera. Brayden's parents went all out, with lots of games for the kids (and adults), adorable table decorations, even a cotton candy machine! Hannah especially liked the next-door neighbor's trampoline. She liked the bouney house, too, but that was a little hard to get her in and out of since she's not qujite independent, plus we didn't want her to take away from the older kids' fun inside. With the full-sized trampoline, we could stand next to her on the ground and give just the right amount of support. She and her friend Karis loved bouncing with the big kids!!!!

Hannah clapped intentionally and audibly for the first time while she was hanging out with Daddy and our friend Richard. Ever since, she has discovered how much fun it is to clap-clap-clap. She has put her hands together, of course, but this is different. Her face lights up when she hears the "clap".

Our big girl stands up for longer time periods every day. She's stood for at least 20-30 seconds before falling back to her bottom or knees. She loves to climb the stairs (with Mommy behind her, of course).

When Daddy left for work this morning, she said "Ba ba" as she waved bye-bye!

Oh, yes... she continues to want what we eat. She usually refuses pureed baby veggies now and prefers munching on formerly-frozen veggies. It's amazing how much she can chew with those toothless gums! I was a meanie and wouldn't let her have cake at the party, but daddy might have snuck some to her. He tried to sneak her some cotton candy, but she spit it out like a good girl. Last night, she tried to drink her bowl of soup all by herself, dumping much of it in her lap in the process.

more of the day's activies...

we just may have to start hanging our trash from the ceiling...
nothing is safe from our baby bear!

consequences of "emptying" the trash....

("banishment" to the exersaucer)

helping mommy with my laundry

more photos...

9/11/06- exploring the guest room

9/8/06: re-arranging the dining room chairs...

eat 'em up, eat 'em up, yum yum!

labor day flashback...

uncle grant and aunt sara captured most of the memories, but here are some mommy managed to get after they left...

labor day at the pool (aka hannah's 1st swim in a big pool!)...safe in daddy's arms

yummy lens cap/sun bathing in pooh suit

...hanging' out with em and daddy

climbed all the way to the bonus room!

i couldn't take pictures, because i was "spotting" my little adventurer. after practicing all weekend with cousin em cheering her on from the landing of her house's steps, hannah has successfully scaled our stairs. she was trying to get to the mail, which daddy had left on the 3rd step. i kept moving it up a couple of steps, until we reached the top. time to gate the bottom of the steps (the top is gated).