Tour de France's Newest Member

Daddy, what is that? Please ignore my big water stain on my belly!

Hmph! Not liking this so much.

Does this helmet make my head look fat?

Yeah, I guess it's alright.

We got a bike trailer and needed to outfit Miss P with a helmet. We had her try it on. She doesn't seem to like hats anymore, so we wondered if she would try to pull off the helmet as well. She did. We haven't actually had a chance to take the bike trailer out with her in it, so when that day comes I'll let you know how it goes. For now, she looks so darn cute with the helmet even though it looks mighty big on her!

Footprints in the Sand

Even though we've been to the beach lots of time, Lil' P hasn't actually walked on the beach herself. So, we thought we'd give it a try. She was unsure of the feeling of the sand beneath her feet. She was more interested in the rocks and shells. Her balance was off, so she was close to the ground most of the time. As quick as lightning she had grabbed a rock and put it in her mouth--sand and all! She got to experience the sand between her toes. Brrr! It was a cold morning.

Almost There!

I'm ready to go shopping!

Ever the busy body!

She likes all things electronic--remotes, cell phones, phones, etc.



A quick snapshot before I rush out the door to work.



Our very active sleeper with stuffed animals atop her head!

More babyproofing.

It's been eleven months of knowing and growing to love our little one as each day goes by. It seems that everyday there is some new thing that she is accomplishing, and sometimes she seems to be so proud of herself! I'll try to list them here, but I know that I'm missing so many milestones.

• When Daddy drops off at daycare, she has been crying.
• She has really been mastering the art of walking.
• She is very attached to her stuffed doll, Pea Bear.
• She can spin on her heel and do an about face.
• She goes to sleep on her own just by us putting her in the crib (yippee!).
• As we dress her, she's been putting her arms through her shirt on her own. (Thanks for helping sweet girl!).
• She can associate pictures of Mommy, Daddy, and Jannu!
• Her favorite words seem to be "Ay-da!" and "Hi".

One of my favorite things about her this month is when I pick her up at daycare, she has taken it upon herself to be the official greeter as each parent comes to pick up their baby. She usually says, "hi" and the parent greets her before they even greet their own kid! She's too funny. Sometimes she will even cry when other parents leave in the morning.

She is already becoming very independent and doesn't seem to want to be held too much. She likes to roam around and keep busy. I want her to be more cuddly and clingy at this stage because I miss that part of holding her close. I love this little girl so much. My heart is filled with her. I just have to think about her or imagine her silly little grin, and I smile and even get choked up. I get it when folks tell us that it goes by fast. Please stop telling us that (not that it's any readers of my blog--it's usually strangers who say this to us). I know it does and saying it won't slow things down so let me enjoy the early years. Believe me, I'm cherishing every moment and branding the images and memories in my brain!

Look Ma--One Hand!

Uh-oh! Mommy doesn't look too happy!

What? I was hungry!

Oh well. I may as well start eating.

Be My V♥lentine!

It started out alright, full of anticipation...

Clearly, this project was going nowhere, FAST!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Sweet Pea! As I teacher, I always loved celebrating this holiday because I particularly loved the part when the kids passed out their Valentine's cards and when they opened and read them. So, I figured, almost one year-olds can participate, too.

We made Valentine's cards for all of P's friends (and some special family members, too). Most of her Valentine's were boys, except for one girl, Lily.

We started the project after dinner one night, and let me tell you, it didn't go over very well! She was not too happy as she wanted to do it herself and probably lick the paint off her fingers.

One of the fathers told me that his boys (twins) received their card from P, and they were blushing! It was so cute when he told me as I think he was even blushing, too! I also got comments about How do you have time to do this?

It took me a couple hours, but as I've told folks before, I like doing this kind of thing, and it relaxes, me. Also, when I start these type of projects, I always think it's going to go faster than it does or I end of thinking why I did this in the first place! It's worth it, though, since a lot of these babies are newborns and therefore, it's their first Valentine. Hooray for Valentine's Day!