Birthday and Other Happenings

There's been an awful lot going on since my last post, but Mommy has been very tired with my little sister growing in her tummy and keeping up with me, so Daddy decided to help me with this post.

For my first birthday, I was lucky that my four grandparents and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Suzie came down to visit. Mommy and Daddy were doing a lot of cooking for Thanksgiving anyway, but they still bought me my own little cake to celebrate. It was tasty, but the icing was very sweet, so I only was able to eat a little bit.

My first Thanksgiving wasn't very exciting. It seemed like a normal day, except there was a pretty parade to watch in the morning and a big dinner that I got sit with all the grown-ups and enjoy later in the day. It was nice to have all those people at our house though, and they were all very interested in me for some reason. I got a lot of new toys and books for my birthday. I like books very much and sometimes ask Mommy or Daddy to read the same book to me over and over.


A few weeks later, we took a looooong car ride up to Syracuse. We left at night, so I was able to sleep part of the way, and I was good playing with my toys in the back seat. I got so see my Grandma Rita, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Suzie again, and this time I also got to see my Aunt Kathy, whom I hadn't seen in almost a year. While we were there, it snowed. This was much different than the little bit of snow that we got in Greensboro, that all melted away a few hours after it fell. Mommy and Daddy took me outside and I got to walk around in snow that was half as deep as I was tall! It took me a while to get used to sleeping in my pack-and-play rather than my crib at night, and it was another long ride in the car on the way back, but Mommy and Daddy said I was a Good Girl the whole trip. I sure hope I get to see some more of that snow sometime soon.

Speaking of walking, up until now, I've crawled everywhere I wanted to go, or asked Mommy and Daddy to carry me. I've been able to take some steps while pushing on the handle of my car, or by holding on to Mommy or Daddy's hands. Over the past couple of weeks, I decided to give a few steps a try without any help. I like walking a few feet over to where Mommy or Daddy are sitting. They always catch me when I fall and tell me what a Good Girl I am.

Maybe someday soon I'll try to walk farther, but for now, crawling is faster, so there's no need to change.

It sure is pretty with all the Christmas decorations and lights around the neighborhood. I don't remember much of Christmas time last year, since I was less than a month old. I like playing with the tree that Mommy and Daddy brought into the house. There are a lot of shiny balls on it to point at and say "bah".

I'll write some more later and talk about some yummy potato pancakes I got to eat and some pretty candles that Daddy lights every night while Mommy says words in another language. There is an awful lot to see and do going on nowadays and I'm trying something new every day, it seems!

Pictures and a Video

Today, I finally convinced Mommy to transfer some pictures and videos from her cameras onto the computer. I'll explain each one as I show them to you.

This is a video from October 15 where I did a little bit of standing on camera. I'm better at standing when I hold onto something first and then let go, but back in October, I liked the challenge of trying to stand up from the floor without help. Now, I've realized that I was doing it the hard way, and I usually don't do this anymore.

Here are some pictures of me in a costume that Mommy and Daddy struggled to get me into on Halloween. It's bulky and the head hole is tight, but once it's on, it's not so bad. First, we practiced wearing the costume on the back deck.

Then we went outside at night to see the neighbors. Unfortunately, I was sick that day, so I only lasted about 5 minutes and then wanted to go back inside for bed. Maybe next year I'll learn what this trick-or-treating is all about.



Once I started feeling better, I was back to my monkey antics. I climb into the dishwasher to help Mommy do dishes. She lets me in for a little while, then picks me up and puts me somewhere far away with pots and pans or a toy she thinks I'll enjoy.

We've been outside almost every day this month because the weather isn't too hot anymore. I like to play with leaves, and after many taste-tests, I've decided that they're not worth eating.


Daddy helped me climb a tree to see where the leaves were coming from.

On Mommy and Daddy's wedding anniversary, we celebrated by going to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. I got a seat of my own, but Mommy and Daddy had to hold it down to prevent it from folding up on me. They let me crawl around on the concourse during intermissions.

Today, we went to get pictures taken at Portrait Innovations again. Here are some photos we'll be sharing for my first birthday and for the holidays.

My four grandparents and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Suzie are coming to Greensboro for Thanksgiving and my birthday party. I'll write more after their visit.

"Bah"

I'm learning how to talk! When I see those clear plastic things filled with milk for me to drink, I know to say "bah-bah". And I play with things that roll on the ground and call them "bah". Also, when it's time to leave somebody, I wave and say, "bah-bah". It's amazing how much I can communicate using one syllable. The only words that are different are Dada and Mama, and I can sometimes say those words at the right time, but sometimes I just babble them for fun.

Today, I went to a pumpkin patch with Mommy and Daddy. First, I got to crawl among the pumpkins.



Then, Mommy and I sat in a corn crib. I was good and didn't try to eat any of the kernels.



We walked through a maze made of tall corn stalks. Mommy and Daddy had no trouble finding our way out, because it was really just a big circular path.


Finally, I sat on top of a huge haystack with Mommy.




At home, I'm getting really good at standing for 10 seconds or more. I even like to stand myself up from a squatting position without using a table or chair to pull myself up. My legs are getting strong! Hopefully, Mommy will catch me on camera or video soon.

Paper

When I was little, I thought that paper was only for eating. Now that I'm a big girl, I know that paper can be used for crumpling, ripping, throwing, and many other fun purposes (including the old standby - eating). Here's what I did to Daddy's Sports Illustrated today.



Since I haven't written in a while, I thought I'd share a picture of my first ride on a merry-go-round. I'm wearing the same outfit as I am today, but the picture was taken on September 13 at the Central Carolina Fair.




In other news, I'm learning how to stand. I still love to pull myself up on chairs, couches, and Mommy and Daddy's legs, and I hold on for balance. However, occasionally I will let go for about 2 seconds and laugh while everyone claps, then I grab back on. Maybe someday I'll get brave and let go for longer so Mommy can take a picture.

Feeling Sick

I have a cold. My nose is drippy and I'm drooling a lot. I guess it's the same way the other kids at Mrs. Kirch's felt earlier this week. The good thing is that Mommy gives me an eyedropper of this yummy cherry tasting stuff every 4 hours. I wake her during the night to remind her if my cherry stuff wears off.

I'll write again when I'm feeling better (and Mommy's had more sleep).

Whistling

Well, I don't have much new to report here, but I'm on the computer so I thought I blog and show a picture that Mommy took on Labor Day. I'm on the deck in back of our house, and Daddy is jumping up and down behind Mommy to make me smile.
Mommy is back working every day at school, so Daddy brings me to Mrs. Kirch's house every morning around 8. There are other kids there, so I have fun playing with them. When I see Mommy walk in around 3:30 or 4pm, I always start bouncing in place and then crawl right to her. She picks me up and hugs me, then we go home to play.

I do have a neat trick: I know how to whistle. When I'm five or six, I'll beg Mommy and Daddy to teach me to whistle. They will remind me that I knew how to do it when I was nine months old. Maybe they'll catch me on video someday, but I only do it when I'm in the mood, not when they have the camera out.

Pool Party

Today I went to a party with Mommy and Daddy. It was Mommy's friend Caty's birthday, so we went to her parents' pool. Mommy really wanted me to swim, but I found this really big tennis ball to play with, so I didn't want to get in.

Finally, Mommy grabbed me and I waved to Daddy. But the water was really cold, and I don't even like baths, so I was pretty miserable.
















Mommy got the hint, and put me down to play. I sat on the side of the pool while all of the other kids and grown ups enjoyed the water.
















Here are the ladies that Mommy works with and their kids.
















I like parties, but maybe I'll enjoy pools more next summer when I'm one.

New Tricks

I've learned how to wave "hi" and "bye-bye" now. I'm also good at giving hugs to Mommy when she says, "huuuug", although I think I've forgotten her name. I definitely remember Dada's name, but was a little scared of him when he shaved his beard off.

Here I am with Dada. His beard is starting to grow back already.

Flying Up North

Mommy, Daddy, and I flew in an airplane to visit my grandparents. Here's a brief overview: get strapped into a carseat, meet new people, play on the floor, sleep in a strange place, repeat many times.

We left home on Thursday, August 14, and flew through Atlanta to White Plains, NY. I watched a Baby Einstein video on Daddy's computer to pass the time on the plane. Then we rented a car and Mommy drove us from the NYC area up to Syracuse. I listened to Mommy sing silly songs and watched Daddy sit in the back seat of the car and play with my toys. Despite their efforts, I was really sick of being strapped into my seat by dinner time and cried a lot. But Mommy and Daddy were impressed with my day as a whole and called me a good girl many times.


I spent the night in a hotel in Syracuse, and then went to Grandma and Grandpa Rose's house. We played on the floor and I got new clothes from Grandma Rita. Then I went for a walk with Aunt Suzie (and Mommy and Daddy) and played with Uncle Ron. That night, I went to Temple Concord and Rabbi Ezring blessed my Hebrew name, Ilana Clada.

On Saturday, we did more playing at Grandma and Grandpa Rose's house, and then I napped in the car while we drove to Hemlock Farms in Pennsylvania to see Grandma and Grandpa Lindars. Grandma Alice had some V Tech toys for me, and I played on the floor a lot there, too. That night we went to dinner at a restaurant, and then Mommy, Daddy, and I checked into a new hotel. Sunday was a cookout at my grandparents. Aunt Wendy was there, and I met some more Lindars relatives, too.

Finally, on Monday, we drove back to the airport, flew through Atlanta again, and came home to Greensboro. Mommy and Daddy were really impressed with my behavior on the way back. I was good in my car seat every time they strapped me in on Monday.


Here are some pictures from my trip. Uncle Ron did a puppet show with my favorite ducky.

At the hotel in Pennsylvania, I liked the pattern on the bedspread.

I had fun on my trip, but I'm really glad to be home now.

Eating Cheerios

I've been working hard for the past few months, trying to figure out how to get these little O shaped things into my mouth. When a grown-up puts one in my mouth, it's very yummy, but when I try to pick one up, it gets caught in my fist and I can't get it out.

The past few days, though, I've been getting some of the O things into my mouth! I can pick them up with my thumb and another finger (Mommy calls it the pincer grasp), and then I stick all five fingers in my mouth. I use my tongue to find the yummy O, and then I take my hand out of my mouth. I'd estimate I get about 75% of them into my mouth, and the rest fall on the floor, into my seat, or inexplicably into my diaper (even when I'm wearing clothes).

Since I'm getting better at feeding myself, I've been allowed to try pears (yum!), biter biscuits, apple slices, bananas and tofu. I still use my mesh feeder for grapes because I might choke on them. Everything else I eat is either mushy babyfood from a spoon or best of all, milk from Mommy.

That reminds me, I understand a few words now. The first thing that Mommy realized that I could do is look at Daddy when she asked, "Where's Dada?" Now, she has checked me on a few words, and I understand Dada, milk, Mama, ball, up and truck. Whenever Mommy or Daddy says "Up!", I get all excited and raise my arms because I know they are going to pick me up. I can say mamama (sounds like mum mum mum) and dadada, but don't say them in relation to Mommy or Daddy.

We're working on waving and clapping. Sometimes I wave, but Mommy isn't sure if it's coincidence or if I do it to say hello and bye-bye. I haven't learned to clap yet, but everyone always claps for me so maybe I'll start doing it myself soon.

I'm going to be taking a plane and visiting Syracuse and Hemlock Farms later this week, so I'll blog more when I get back.

Crawling

I forgot to tell you! I've been crawling for almost a month now. Mommy has been catching me on video.

This one was taken on July 19. I was crawling down the hallway to see Mommy but I got distracted by a springy doorstop.

This one was taken today. We went to visit the Greensboro Children's Museum again, and I crawled through a tunnel.

I can also pull myself up to standing position from the ground, but I don't want to do it on camera. Trust me, though. I'm getting pretty good at it, and I even like to climb the stairs. Mommy and Daddy never leave me alone when I'm trying that, though.

Swinging

Last Friday, I went to the park with Mommy's friend Leah and her son Emerson. We both fit in a swing together. Boy was it fun! Ever since then, Mommy has been taking me swinging almost every day.

Portrait Pictures

On June 29, Mommy and Daddy took me to Portrait Innovations to get my portrait pictures taken. There was a lady there with a funny flower and I kept on smiling when she tickled me with it. After a while, I just smiled when I saw her because she was a nice lady. But she had a light that kept getting bright. I wonder why?

Here are some of the pictures:

I sat up straight in a wicker chair.

I got to play with blocks.

The big bear's brown coat was fuzzy.

Playing with my toes is always fun.

Mommy held me on a chair so you can see my profile.

I'll be back for more portraits around my first birthday!

My Exciting Weekend

Mommy has been planning to show me how to do a blog since I was born. She's finished with school now so she is teaching me about computers. I'm going to start by showing you what I did this weekend. On Saturday, I visited the Greensboro Children's Museum and played with some big, colorful balls.
I also practiced my crawling in the baby room. I'm not very coordinated, but if I try really hard, I can crawl a few feet.

On Sunday, I went to the zoo. Daddy and I saw some bison, and Mommy kept saying, "tatonka", whatever that means.

My favorite part of the zoo was trying to touch the turtles with my new friend lil' d. They were right at our eye level.

Background Video

Since Mommy just taught me how to blog, you don't know about my first 6 months of life. Here's a video montage that will help you catch up. My mommy made it for my daddy for Father's Day.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com