11 Months

Yes, it is a bit blurry, but I'm still pleased I could capture this picture of Julia. She's so active and busy!

She's fearless!

I took Julia to meet a couple of friends and their kids at a local mall to play. Even though most of the kids in the play area were older, bigger, and faster than Julia, she had no fear. She crawled as fast as she could go towards the action. She loved watching the other kids and was quick to "talk" to everyone.

Up the Stairs

July 4th in Highlands

For July 4th, we drove to Highlands, NC to visit Oma & Opa in their new, beautiful mountain house. Julia did really well in the car, but she had trouble sleeping away from home. The weather in Highlands was wonderful, and we had fun swimming in the club's pool.

Julia had a great time with Oma and Opa, as always. Then, she had some trouble with teething and came down with a fever. Our girl was not herself. After a couple of days, she was back to playing and swimming. She even had her first taste of ice cream. (No surprise, she liked it!)

Jake, on the other hand, enjoyed every minute. He was delighted to ride in R's car and had a great time playing on the golf course every day with Opa. He also loved playing with Gus and Barbara's dogs, Grammy & Beau. I was concerned he might want to stay in Highlands. He was glad he made the trip back when he saw one of his favorite people on the way home...Uncle Roger.

We can see why Oma and Opa like Highlands so much, and we look forward to many good times there in the future!

Favorite Things (Continued)

Here are a few more things Julia is enjoying lately:

- Sliding at the playground
- Going to parties
- Eating grapes, blueberries, & cherries
- Trying new foods (most recently falafel!)

Here are some of Julia's favorite activities that I try to prevent:

- Splashing in Jake's water bowl
- Grabbing the cell phone (especially if it is in use)
- Sharing her meals with Jake
- Playing with power cords
- Eating paper
- Banging on laptop keys

She Stands!

Over the last couple of weeks, Julia has started letting go after she has pulled up. Until this week, she would stand for a split second and collapse onto her cushiony, diapered rear. This past week, she has gotten more adept. She'll let go and stand for a solid few seconds (while grinning broadly). Sometimes, she'll drop onto her rear. More often, she'll sloooowwwlly lower herself down into the sitting position and start crawling. I'm keeping careful watch for those first steps.

Julia walks her baby.

Into Everything

I'm sitting at one of our bar stools (rather, perched on the bar stool); Julia is exploring the kitchen. I am amazed at how competent she is at opening cabinents. She just opened a cabinet door and pulled every dishtowel and cloth trivet onto the floor. She's been crawling, pulling up, and cruising all over the kitchen.

I've put the dog bowls out of reach. One of her favorite things to do is splash in Jake's water bowl. It's fun to watch her explore, but I'm keeping a close eye to see she doesn't get into anything that could hurt her. I love how curious she is, but I think it is time to step up our baby-proofing to include kitchen cabinets. Otherwise, I'll be washing the dishtowels quite frequently!