Lil' Monkey

Julia enjoyed her second Halloween. We did not trick-or-treat, but she had fun at a playgroup party on Wednesday. Tonight, she enjoyed seeing the big kids all dressed up. (I let her stay up a bit late to see the neighborhood kids.)

Given her disdain for hats, I thought she would immediately pull the hood off her head. Instead, she liked the monkey costume and showed no signs of wanting to remove it.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Holland Photo Arts

No, this post has nothing to do with R's homeland. Our friends, Nicole and David, hired Holland Photo Arts for both their wedding and to take pictures of their twins. When we saw their beautiful photos, we decided to hire them to take some photos of Julia. In addition to being very talented photographers, Bill and Anne (a husband and wife team) are incredibly nice and warm people.

Their "Watch Me Grow" series includes three sessions with a child over the course of the first year or so. We had our 2nd session with them in late September. Here is a sneak peak on their blog. You will see Julia's beloved Dolly featured in the photos.

(btw, We do live in FC - not Arlington - for those outside the area. They just got that mixed up.)

Clapping with Papa

R and Julia enjoyed the great weather and practiced their clapping at a friend's cook-out.

Born to Ride

Her feet don't yet touch the pedals, but Julia is crazy about her new bike. I can push her and steer, so all she has to do is hold on and enjoy the ride.

New Pajamas

One of Julia's current hobbies is removing her socks, especially at night. The other day, I was changing her crib sheet, and I found a pile of seven socks behind the crib. Now that it is cooler at night, it was time to switch to pajamas with feet to curb the cold-little-bare-feet-at-night problem.

Beautiful Days

We've taken advantage of some beautiful October weather for a few trips to the park. Julia likes to swing, but she loves the slide!







Thanks to Aunt Kylelyn, Uncle Charlie, and Scott for the cute little birthday outfit!

Where's Your Tummy?

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to Julia, and I said something about her tummy. Right after I said it, she patted her tummy. (!!!) I was so surprised that the she had made the connection between the word and its meaning. Since then, I ask her "Where's your tummy?" She'll (sometimes) grin, lift her shirt, and pat her tummy. Someone mentioned that although it is very cute now, we should discourage her from doing it when she is, say, sixteen. Hmmm....I think we'll stop a bit earlier.



When I played this video earlier, Julia was in the room, and she heard me say "Where's your tummy?" on the video. At that moment, she reached down, lifted her little pink shirt, and patted her tummy.

A Request from Jake

Dear V & B,

I hope you are having a good time in the mountains. I'm looking forward to your visit next weekend. I'd like to ask a favor: if you have any old tennis balls around and if it is not too much trouble, will you bring me some? We are running dangerously low, and we have had a couple of panicky moments when we haven't been able to find a single ball in the yard.

My whole family is excited that you are coming to visit.

Love,
Your Granddog, Jake

Glad That's Over

Today, I had to take Julia for those three shots that we had to re-schedule. They have moved the shots from her thighs to her arms. I hate that moment when she goes from happy and smiley to red-faced and crying. Oh, it is the worst. The only thing that was worse than seeing her crying and upset was seeing a little trail of blood down her arm after the third shot. My poor baby!

Clemyjontri

Julia's playgroup visited a fantastic park in McLean. It is near Julia's Oma and Opa's house; they introduced us to the park a while back, and I have been waiting for Julia to be big enough to play on there.

Clemyjontri has the biggest playground I have ever seen; it is on 18 acres of land donated by Mrs. Adele Lebowitz. She donated it to the county so that they could build a playground where children of all abilities can play side-by-side. The name is a combination of the donor's childrens' name. Check out more about Clemyjontri.

It was a beautiful day, and the kids had a great time!
Photo credits go to my friend, Kristi:









Julia also got to practice her walking skills:

Walking!

Julia is walking! She had been taking steps since the second week of August, but she put it all together on Sat, Sept 6th. On Friday, she took 13 steps in a row, and on Saturday, it clicked for her. She's more comfortable crawling long distances, but for a short distance, she'd toddle from one place to another. She gets a little nervous if Jake is close by, because she is concerned (and rightly so) that he might inadvertantly knock her over.

She's not confident about it yet, but she is definitely walking!

12 months!

I am pleased that we are finished with these month-by-month photos, as they were increasingly difficult to get. Julia had no interest in sitting still, but she did have interest in eating the paper or throwing the dogs on the floor.

Julia stats: 12 months

Weight: 22 lbs 9 oz (70th%)
Height: 32 1/4 in (97% +) - off the charts but on her growth curve, as usual!
Head Circumference: 18 3/8 in (87%)

Today, Julia was supposed to get three shots, but my pediatrician's office scheduled our appointment two days *before* her first birthday. For some reason I don't understand fully, these shots must be on her birthday or after. So, we have to come back in a couple of weeks for the shots. I should have been frustrated about having make a second trip, but I was so relieved we didn't have to deal with shots that it just put me in a really good mood. (It is just delaying the inevitable.)

In any case, Dr. Myers said that Julia looks great, physically and developmentally. I always feel like I've received an A+ or gold star after one of these well baby visits, even though I don't know how much credit I can take.

Social Climber

Julia continues to earn her new nickname, Danger Baby. She is very interested in climbing as high as she can go, and she is pleased with herself when she climbs on top of something or someone. Did I mention she is fast?

Yesterday, as we were preparing for her birthday party with the playgroup, she quickly climbed on top of a play table; as I rushed over, she was standing on top of it, holding onto a barstool and grinning. As I returned her to the safety of the floor, she laughed, but I had to get my heart to start beating again.

At home, she doesn't seem to mind her baby corral, but she still tries to escape it, for sport. She pushes a play table up against the side of the corral and tries to climb over.

I have tried to explain to her that the higher she climbs, the farther she can fall, but she doesn't seem to listen!

First Birthday Party!

Julia's birthday is the same week as two of her playgroup friends, Abigail and Megan, so we hosted a joint birthday party for the girls. It was a pool party, but the weather did not cooperate. The kids had a great time playing. Julia loved her cake (thank you, Carol); she took a big fistful of the cake and stuffed in her mouth!

3 Steps!!!

Over the last two weeks, Julia has taken *one* step on three separate occasions. I should have marked the date of the first step, but this seemed much more like the real milestone. She actually moved from one point to another. Julia was playing with Karina in the baby corral, and I went in to play, too.

Julia was turned towards me, let go of the side of the corral, and WALKED to me. Robert commented that it was a shame it was one of the few moments I didn't have a camera in my hand.

When You're Happy, and You Know It...

Clap your feet?!

Hugging, Biting, & Climbing

Julia has started giving hugs. It melts my heart. She reaches out to me, throws her arms around my neck, and gives me a huge hug. Unfortunately, she also likes to test out her little teeth from time to time. (She has six now. The incisors on the either side of her two front teeth finally came in a couple of weeks ago.) About one hug in ten, I am enjoying her little embrace then suddenly, OUCH! I feel her sharp little teeth on my shoulder, arm, or chest. It's still worth it!

Another dangerous habit of Julia's is climbing. If she is given an opportunity, she will turbo-crawl down the hall and will be halfway up the stairs before I can catch up. She has also branched out and started climbing on more than just stairs. Most recently, she has climbed up our raised hearth and was going to check out the decorative logs when I caught up to her.

In her big baby corral (which we considered a safe zone), Danger Baby proved us wrong by climbing onto and trying to stand on one of her play tables. It happened very fast, but never fear, I was there to make sure she didn't fall. Climbing has turned into quite the hobby for her, and as far as she is concerned, that is the now the sole purpose for the little table.



The video ends abruptly, because I saw she was going to stand. It was clearly time to put the camera down!

Peas, please!

Fashionista Files: Sassy Bikini

My sister, Leigh (aka Lulu), outfitted Julia (aka "her baby") beautifully for the summer, including this bikini with matching skirt.



Elizabeth and I took Julia to the local rec center today for a swim. I find that Julia's bikinis are best reserved for indoor pools. When you are as fair-skinned as we are, a bikini reveals too much to adequately cover with sunscreen.

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!

10 months

These photos are becoming difficult to take. Little Miss is not interested in sitting still. If she is willing to sit in the chair, she will try to eat the paper sign or rough up the stuffed dogs. I distracted her this month with the toothbrush; who knows what will work next month.

Tooth Watch 2008: The Front Two

Julia had a rough week last week, because she was trying to cut her right front tooth. Happily, it broke through Friday night/Saturday morning, so we all have gotten more sleep.

She doesn't like it when I try to feel what is going on in there; she will clamp that little mouth closed or turn her head. I do hear her grinding her bottom teeth against that new little bit of tooth. That's how I knew it broke through.

Today, I got her to give me a big smile. My agenda was really to see what was going on with the teeth. The right front tooth is definitely coming through, and there's a bit of the left front tooth showing as well!

I can't wait to see she what she'll look like with those two front teeth. My guess is that it will make her look like more of a toddler than a baby. She's already acting like a toddler, trying her hardest to talk and walk.

New Camera

I got a new Canon digital SLR, and it's wonderful. There is a great deal I have to learn, and hopefully, the class I'm taking on Saturday will help get me started. I bought the same camera as my friend, Nicole, so we are taking the class together. (Coincidentally, Carol also bought the same camera, and I promised to teach her what I learn in class.) We all have small children and take many pictures.

My sister is also in the midst of learning to user her new digital SLR. She has quite an eye and has already taken some artistic, amazing photos with her point-and-shoot. I can't wait to see what she'll do with her new camera. Perhaps she should start a blog!

Our mother moonlighted as a professional photographer (while teaching school and raising four children). My siblings and I grew up with a darkroom in the house, surrounded by her beautiful photographs. We were all inspired.

Here are some recent photos of my favorite subject:

Hup Holland Hup!

The Dutch team is playing really well in Euro 2008, and thanks to Family Wolt and Family Smits, Julia is dressed appropriately to cheer them on.

Thanks to Tom and Irene for the football.

First Father's Day

We celebrated Robert's first Father's Day with Oma and Opa at Coastal Flats. (Yum!) Julia was very happy at dinner, and we all enjoyed our evening out.

9 months

Tasty Little Tootsies

I thought it had been too long since I posted a picture of Julia.

Julia stats: 9 months

Weight: 20 lbs 5 1/2 oz (80th%)
Height: 30 3/8 in (97% +)
Head Circumference: 17 7/8 in (85%)

Whoa...Julia's shots are just getting tougher. Yesterday, she was happily babbling away to the nurse, giggling and waving. I was just cringing knowing that two shots were coming her way. That big, dimpled smile turned into big, fat tears and a red face. Luckily, she got over it quickly.

Later, a lab tech stuck Julia's finger for a CBC to test for anemia. She didn't get enough blood with the first stick so she had to stick another finger. The first time, Julia did not cry, but the second, she lost it. After seeing the tech squeeze and squeeze that little finger to get more blood, I told the woman that they should consider having Valium on hand for the moms. Perhaps that is an idea for the suggestion box I saw on the way out of the office.

She's crawling!

Over the last 4 or 5 days, Julia has gotten this crawling thing down. She is no longer *trying* to crawl. She's figured it out. She can be fast, especially when she is trying to reach one of her favorite things like a cell phone or a mirror.

Time to step up the babyproofing efforts!

A Few of Her Favorite Things

From comparing notes with friends who are mothers of babies Julia's age, I know that some of Julia's current interests are typical for kids her age. I'm sure she has a few of her own unique quirks here!

Likes (in addition to the people in her life)
Jake
Cell phones
Cell phones, again
Dancing
Remote Controls
Mirrors
Baths (She tries to get into the tub before I even get her undressed.)
Paper (She likes both crumpling it and trying to eat it.)
Music
The play table
Men with glasses
Men with glasses & facial hair
Pulling glasses off of people
When Dad sticks out his tongue, especially when he makes the phhhttt noise
Parties
Saying "DAdaDADaDADadadDadadDAda"
(I keep repeating "MaMaMaMaMa to her. So far, it hasn't caught on.)
Being out and about
Talking to strangers (We'll need to work on this.)
Walks
Drinking water out of a real glass
Chewing on her feet
Being outside
Pulling hats off of her head



Dislikes
Diaper changes
Wearing bibs
Lying down, especially for diaper changes
Having anything pulled over head
Having her fingernails or toenails cut
Peas
Having her face wiped, especially her nose
Bonking herself in the head with a hard plastic toy (It happens.)
Being put down in her crib, at least the first 5 minutes. ("I'd really prefer you sit in the rocker and hold me all night.")
Wearing hats

I realize some readers may find that these posts include too much minutiae. That's OK. I'm writing them for me. I know that some day it will be fun to go back and read what was going on in our day-to-day life with baby Julia.

Wow!

Julia was a bit slower to sit up (or so it seemed), so I expected that she might take longer to hit subsequent developmental milestones. Well, I was wrong.

Getting to Sitting...2.0
I knew things were going a bit faster when I saw her sitting up, gnawing on the crib railing. On Friday, Julia got the hang of getting to sitting. (She can get around, but she doesn't have crawling quite figured out yet.) She seems so intent upon learning these new skills and so excited when she figures something out. She'd army-crawl a couple of feet then wriggle her body around to the sitting position. Then, she'd grin and clap with delight.

Pulling Up
On Saturday, Julia and I were at a friend's house (yummy brunch), and baby Sophia had a play table. Julia really enjoyed standing (!!) at the playtable. When I got home, I got out Julia's table. (Thanks, Nicole. She loves it.)

Sunday afternoon, Julia was playing near R who was lying on his side. She was climbing all over him and using him as a jungle gym. She grabbed his shirt and pulled her little body up to standing.

Now, she just wants to stand (so far, always holding onto something). Much like when Julia learned to sit; she no longer wanted to lie on her back. "I don't want to lie down. Lying down is for babies." She seems fascinated with standing, dancing, and from time to time, pulling up. She's had a couple of spills, and it's tricky to keep her from bumping her noggin.



Today, after her afternoon nap, Julia was STANDING (!!!!) in her crib. I'm working part-time, and I'm a little nervous she'll start walking Thursday while I'm at work!

Not ALL Roses and Sunshine

I want to make sure I present an accurate picture of life with Julia. Most of the time, she is a funny, happy, smiley, giggly girl. There are the moments (few and far between) where she can be a bit of a....drama queen.

First Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, I reveled in the fact that I am a mother!! Despite some rainy weather, we enjoyed a wonderful brunch in DC with Julia's Oma & Opa.

Julia Updates

Little Miss is really growing up.

Trying to Crawling
She has made some significant progress towards crawling lately. For a while now, she has been getting onto all fours and usually ends up in Downward Dog position. She seems to be trying to both stand up and crawl at the same time.

When I was in Atlanta two weeks ago, Caroline and I were hanging out with the kids down in their playroom. Over the course of our conversation, Julia scooched - backwards- about 3 feet. I called R to share my excitement about her new mobility. Hours later, as she took her first signficant tumble, I called R near tears....about her new mobility.

Getting to Sitting
She has been sitting up for a while now and is much less wobbly. Another big development is that Julia can get to sitting all by herself. The first time I knew she had acquired this skill was also confirmation that we *really* needed to lower the crib mattress.

Last Sunday, Julia was down for a nap, and I heard her wake over the monitor. She didn't cry, but I heard her moving around long enough to be satisfied that the nap was over. She wasn't just stirring in her sleep. I walked in the room to find her sitting up (!!) with what seemed to be spit-up on her face. Upon closer inspection, I could see that her face was covered in white paint, because she had been testing out her new chompers and gnawing on the crib railing. Time to lower the crib mattress AND purchase a crib rail guard. I called my friend, Nicole, and informed her that Ian and Julia have something in common. Perhaps he is the twin for Julia.

8 months