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).

photo flashbacks from 8/28

pushing my swing all by myself....

later that day, i actually asked mommy to put me in
my playpen. i crawled over to it and patted the front of it
until she lifted me up, set me inside and gave me some toys.
then, i played by myself for 10 minutes,
which really surprised mommy.

 

stood up next to mommy

tonight, i played upstairs with daddy while mommy cleaned up my mess from dinner. when mommy came upstairs to join us, i crawled over to her. i pulled myself up by holding on to her legs, then i let go and stood up by myself for what mommy says was at least 5 seconds.

10 month update

Hannah turned 10-months old on the 25th. No check-up or shots this month, so we don't have an exact weight. One of these days I'll step on the scale with her again. She was 19 lb 4 oz at 9 months, so I'm pretty sure she's reached the 20 lb mark by now.

Our little bear is increasingly mobile and expresses herself more like a big girl every day.
Yesterday, she spit out jarred peas. She had never actually spit out food she doesn't like until this. Usually she just clamps her jaw shut or turns her head away. But she spit the peas out twice.
She also discovered the baby gate which Daddy finally installed at the top of the steps. She acted as though she thought she could squeeze out at the hinged end and then the latched end. When she realized THAT wasn't going to happen, she sat in front of the middle gate and pouted. She kind of bounced on her bottom and hit her head against the bars, like she was trying to nudge them down.

Later on, she actually "asked" to play in the pack-n-play. She kept pulling herself up next to it and hitting it. When I placed her inside with some toys, she played and was more content than she had been all afternoon. Go figure.

No teeth yet... cousin Juliana has 2, but Hannah's are taking her time. Although at times she is so crabby we think she must be getting her first tooth. Hannah cruises the furniture, occasionally letting go for a split second before she falls to the ground. She loves looking at books and Baby Einstein dvd's. She also loves to use her high chair as a walker in the kitchen.

Of course, we are biased, but our daughter is the most beautiful little girl. We are so blessed to have her!

potato chips, baked beans and scalloped potatoes

We went to a cookout at Daddy's co-worker's house. It was also Mommy's birthday. Anyway, Mommy was munching on potato chips, and when she wasn't looking, I broke a piece off and began eating it. Later on, I was so captivated by watching the excitement around me that
I wouldn't eat my sweet potatoes. But when mommy put them away and got her plate, i was more than happy to share her baked beans and scalloped potatoes. they were so yummy. i wonder why i don't get to eat them more often. mommy says not to get my hopes up because they are so sugary and salty, but i am looking forward to having more of them. i can't figure out why daddy doesn't like baked beans, he's so silly. momy says i'm like her because i eat anything. i wanted to try hamburger and hotdog, but she would not let me.

waving bye-bye

hannah has waved occasionally, or 30 seconds after the recipient has disappeared, for quite some time. this morning, she waved bye-bye to daddy as he left for work, and also bye-bye to Papa as he left for Memphis. her wave is an adorable, floppy arm movement, and it's so cute!!!!

hannah's first pasgetti

as you can see, hannah takes her food very seriously.

she had spaghetti for the first time on sunday night.
"papa" tomas was here to witness her display of messy bliss.
she also loves green beans like mommy and daddy eat,
not from the jar, and pretty much any noodle she can get to her mouth.
she'll eat cheerios, but not baby cereal. (she must think she's too big for that mush.)
pretty soon she will boycot purees all together... perhaps except fruits.

i can do this!

good stuff!

looking at "papa".

shower snapshots...

proud grandma & baby c's bunny!

"baby c" will be pretty in pink!

catey's "baby" (drawn on top of her head)

hannah shares her walker with juliana..

aunt s & baby c's party

ok, so we didn't get to see baby c... she is not expected to be born until just before thanksgiving. mommy's long-time friend (my "aunt" steph) will have a lot to celebrate. Lord willing, c's daddy will be home for a break from service halfway across the world just in time. aunt steph is spending a couple of months home with family and friends here, and she came over for what mommy called a shower yesterday. juliana and catey were the only 2 other kids at my house, well that could play. steph and her friend w. are expecting babies about a month apart! baby c and her mommy got a lot of nice things. mommy will post some pictures when blogger and her internet connection will permit!

my week so far....

i love knobs!!!!!!

my old "walker"

hidden treasures found... cheerios? are you there?

7 pounds... you have got to be kidding!

woody looks kinda cute... i haven't seen that video yet!
one more push and it'll hit the floor!

my new walker works backwards too!
















i love helping mommy with my laundry!
















full speed ahead. oh, wait, i'm stuck....
see, i crashed and the doors opened.

today this little piggy went to bar-b-cutie

and devoured green bean bits and mac and cheese! i also managed not to throw my plate on the floor, i was so intent on getting my bits of food into my mouth. (many of them ended up on the floor, but daddy and mommy took turns keeping my plate secure. for some reason i did not try to turn it into a frisbee like i do with my cereal bowl at home.) the nice lady who works there says i liked their food so well because mommy ate there so much when i was inside her. mommy says she'll bring the camera next time.

mommy hesitated to give me table food today, because i had a puking episode in my car-seat after my lunch. we drove down to the mall to meet caroline's mommy, and as we parked the car, i puked and then fell asleep in my carseat. it was my very first full-fledged spew. it covered me, splashed onto the leather seats (daddy is so glad they are leather!), and got on my toys. even cousin juliana's reflux probably can't compare. mommy was scared by the sound that came out of my mouth. it sounded like a grown up with the tummy flu. mommy took my temp at home.. no fever. she decided she probably gave me too many prunes and they came up the wrong end. i acted normal after i woke up from my nap, acted hungry at bar-b-cutie and wanted big-people food. then i fell asleep on my way home and (so far) have stayed down... maybe i will sleep 12 hours like i did last night. mommy hopes so. she will check my temp again in the morning, but we think this was a random occurence. we hope.

this little piggy had.....

mashed potatoes and gravy.

mommy was eating her leftover pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch and i was playing on the floor like a good girl. well, i tried to pull myself up to standing on a chair, lost my balance and bumped my head on the hardwood. then mommy picked me up and sat me in her lap while she was eating. she gave me some mashed potatoes, which i loved smashing in my hands. i especially liked the potatoes that had some of the gravy and butter in them!

when she put me back down, itried to eat what i had dropped off the floor. mommy scooped me up and gave me a bath. yay!

Photos of the week

let me in there! 8/11/06
















supergirl!! 8/8/06
















sittin' pretty...

















Practicing my "crab crawl"












Yummy banana!!!!
8/11/06









I've got the camera strap, I'll get the camera, too!

Chasing Mommy and Hiding in My Cave

I love chasing Mommy. I chase her from the living room to the kitchen, from the laundry room to her closet, and around the bonus room. I even helped her change the sheets on the big bed in her room today. I had fun hiding under them before she tucked them in at the bottom.

I also love crawling into places that I really shouldn't go... the computer cords, for example. And today I crawled between the loveseat and the drum table in the living room. I was checking out my old infant carrier, which was between the wall and the drum table. Well, it looked like I was in a cave because of the shape of the table and the arms. Mommy ran to get her camera, but I got out of the cave (because I try to follow her everywhere, of course!)

playing games with mommy

i've got mommy figured out. i fooled her. i made her think i was going to chase her around the bonus room. i posed on all fours, giggled so deeply that anyone would have been convinced it was time for "baby tag", and she bit the hook. she started crawling around the room, and i chased her.. then i started climbing the entertainment center. before i could grab the dvd's off the shelf and pull then to the floor, (this time) she scooped me up in her arms. i will finish the task later, when she least suspects.