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 |
Friday, October 31, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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.)
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.)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Clapping with Papa
R and Julia enjoyed the great weather and practiced their clapping at a friend's cook-out.
Monday, October 13, 2008
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!
Thanks to Aunt Kylelyn, Uncle Charlie, and Scott for the cute little birthday outfit!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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:
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:
Saturday, September 06, 2008
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!
She's not confident about it yet, but she is definitely walking!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
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.
Friday, August 29, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)