A parade and your first carnival ride!

Saturday, April 28 was a super fun day. We went to the 82nd Ave. parade with the FiveCrows where you surprised us by sitting very calmly on the curb with a lollipop. You experienced your first ever carnival right too! You a love with it and we're so sad when it was over.

The most remarkable thing about that day, is your insistence on not having mommy next to you while Lucy was around. I felt one tiny little string snapping. I was so proud to see you be so independent, but with that came the first indication from you that there are more interesting people than mommy and daddy. Bittersweet, for sure.

New haircut

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Easter is the new Halloween

Last night in the middle of the night, I woke to cries of "hide the egg! Hide the egg!" I think Easter has replaced Halloween, at least temporarily, as your new favorite holiday. We were so lucky to have had wonderful friends coming over to play that day, and you are particularly fascinated with this idea of the egg hunt. Quite often lately you will come up to us and say "hide the egg! Candy in it!" we play this game, substituting fruit and other healthy snacks for candy most of the time. I think your dad and I will both be sad when it is no longer a fascination. So for now, we plan on hiding eggs all summer long!

Overheard today

After telling me you needed to be "alone" in the laundry room, this is what I heard: "Hi pepper! More food? Okay. " The two of you are getting to be better and better friends every day, and it's no wonder why.

So many things I want to remember From Christmas 2011

Dear Gigi- that's what you call yourself these days,
During this last Christmas vacation there're so many moments that I wanted to capture and keep forever. Every time someone said Merry Christmas, you promptly corrected them by saying Halloween. You continue to be fascinated with Halloween, and ask us to be to your Halloween books over and over again. you're also obsessed with the book called uh-oh calico,and ask for it all the time even though we had to take it back to the library.
You absolutely love looking pictures and videos of yourself especially when you're dancing! It absolutely amazed us that you were able to learn the names of all of your cousins and took a special shine to the oldest ones, Marshal and McLane. I think the oldest ones played with you the most and were very kind to you. On Christmas morning you got every present had a baby in it, it was so sweet. Going back to work after being with you for a couple of weeks has been so tough on both of us, I think about you all the time and miss you terribly when I'm away. Being your mother continues to be the most amazing experience of my life, I wish I could slow it down a little but I do try to enjoy it as much as possible!

Words, words, words

I have been feeling the need to record your first words- I think you'll find itinteresting someday!
First-Signs for: all done, "more/again", outside, milk
@10 mo:
Ducky
Doggy
Daddy
Clicky sound for "Binky"
Hi!
Ball
Bubble
Key
Go (Go! Go! Go!) (first sentence was "go Outside!" )
@13 mo:
Pepper
Bad (second sentence: Bad Pepper!)
Amma (grandma)
Ah-um (Alex next door)
Nodding yes/no appropriately
@14.5 mo
Happy
Hungry
@15 mo.
Cow
Cracker (the cutest! sounds a little like cwack-koo)
Shovel
Raisin
School (because we go play and walk there!)
SSSa (for Sam)
Mama is very intermittent and I'm not convinced you really "use" that word!
Sign for "Help"

Walking!

Ginny, after taking a few timid steps here and there over the last week or so, on Tuesday July 5th you just up and walked yourself across the living room, multiple times!  I missed it because I was at work, but later that day we caught you on camera here:

Dirt is fun.

 

Playing in dirt keeps you entertained longer than just about anything! 

Best.Year.Ever.

Pre-Party, All prettied up!

Outside under our awesome blue tarp tent (courtesy of the best neighbors ever!), eatin' cake!

Um, yep, she liked it!

Way too fast.

I keep meaning to hop on here and record every little thing you're up to- and of course spending time with you always trumps updating this blog :).  Your first birthday is in less than a month- I can't believe how this year has flown.  What they say is true about the speed in which time moves when you have a kid. The following are things that are special to me that I want to make sure I remember:

Your first word was definitely "Da-deee" and you say it ALL the time.  You do say Mama- but only when you're upset.  Daddy, on the other hand, you say with exuberance and joy, many times it is the first thing you say in the morning.  You started with these words about mid-march, I think.Around the same time you also started signing "more" and "all done".  Before then, you were waving "bye-bye", but you're totally bored with that now and refuse to do it.

Last week you totally surprised me by repeating "Ducky, quack quack quack"  (it sounded more like cack cack cack) after me when I was reading you your farm babies book from grandma,  You're crawling, cruising, pointing at all sorts of things and imitating tones, sounds, and actions.  It is absolutely amazing to watch you learn new things every day.  You get upset when I go to work in the morning, which makes me sad.  I miss you all day long when I'm at work- some days are really hard.  I do get to talk on the phone with you every day, sometimes you "talk" back too!

You remain the happiest baby in the world in the morning- loads and loads of giggles, talking and smiles.  Evening is definitely cranky time for you.  You "share" pretty much everything.  You're very fond of sharing whatever you are eating, and very fond of sharing the dirt you pick up when playing outside.  So considerate!  You're very friendly and outgoing with strangers and other kids, you are so interested in what people are doing-much more than toys most times.  You love being outside- and point out the window every time you see one.

Today- you "threw" the ball for Pepper on the patio- we were so proud of you! Up until now, all of your throws ended up behind you- but you mastered it! You can definitely propel the ball forward now- and of course you are delighted when Pepper returns it to you.  This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship....

Every day I look at you I marvel at how just last year, you weren't even here yet. I could never have imagined loving someone exponentially like this- it just keeps getting better and better.

Hallway crawlin'

This is one of your favorite activities lately, you started crawling a couple weeks back. We love your peg-leg crawl- you're really getting fast!

Like a fish to water...

Rubber ducky- you're the one.

Ok- so by and large I am not a "invest in large pieces of plastic" kind of mommy.  All our large plastic items have come to us passed down, which eases my green guilt a little.  However, this particular thing is my favorite baby item ever.  You LOVE it, and I have the comfort of knowing there will be no accidental heads under water during bath time!  And in case you all were wondering out there- Yes, it quacks.

Christmas 2010- having fun at Grandma and Grandpa Nielson's!

Winter wonderful!

Due to our camera-less nature since thanksgiving- recording your world has been tough! We left our camera at Aunt Evelyn's on Thanksgiving, and then our video camera went caput. Thus the silence.

But, I have been thinking for some time that there are so many thing about you right now that I don't want to forget- the way you reach out and touch peoples' cheeks when you meet them, how fascinated you are by little kids (especially your cousins!), the way you wake up every morning (lately at 6:30, ugh) with a long string of babble and a happy yell or two to greet the day, the joy you get from turning the faucet on while you sit in your bumbo seat watching mom getting ready for work, the way you happily sit and flap your arms on the little froggy potty we got you (starting early!!),  the way you follow your dad with your eyes wherever he goes and completely light up when you see him.

I do remind myself throughout the day to breathe it in- you are really only this little for today. Tomorrow brings new sounds, new skills, and more bittersweet moments of putting away jammies that don't fit any more.