A few videos

Over the last month, Juliet has started doing so many fun things, but she's such a little stinker about doing them when we get the video camera out. (or in this case, Chris's i-phone)

On this one we managed to get clapping and patting her belly when asked, "where's your belly?"



And while this one is a little repetitive with the clapping, she also waves bye-bye, gives me a high five and after a lot of begging, gives a sweet little kiss. The kisses are my personal favorite, and she was so good about giving them when she first learned, but now she's so busy looking around and being distracted, she often just slaps at our faces instead =)



This one is AJ and is a very accurate picture of every Thursday at our house when the garbage truck comes. But, I think my favorite part is his reaction to "puppy dog". He is always very concerned that puppy dog is going to get him.

friends

They really are "friends". They play, they laugh, they fight. Yes, THEY, she is not sitting back and taking it anymore, she fights back!

We were heading out for dinner the other night and when I realized their clothes kind of coordinated, I had to do a quick photo shoot. They may not be the best pictures ever, but I love the way they capture the interaction between them.

A baby calf

You couldn't tell? It's clear as day to me. He showed it to me, told me it was a baby calf and asked me to take a picture of it =)

Lincoln Park Zoo (from July!)

In July, we took a very quick trip to IL on our way out to CA. We were there less than 3 days, but we were able to meet my parents and niece, Ella, at the zoo one day. Unfortunately, the weather was horrible. It was still great to see them. Aidric has been asking for Ella lately. Yesterday, he told me he NEEDED to see her.

Our Sweet Girl is 10 MONTHS OLD!!

Time is just going SO fast. I can not believe that Juliet is really 10 months old already. We were at the doctor today because she cried SO much in the middle of the night last night that we were convinced something had to be wrong. Nope- ears look great, no fever and our pedi doesn't even think she's teething that badly. No excuse at all other than she wanted company. Really hoping she's a little more independent tonight.

So, while we were at the doctor, she was weighed. Drum roll please....this child weighs NINETEEN POUNDS AND FOURTEEN OUNCES!!!!!! Oh my, I knew she seemed even chubbier lately, but wow. 19 lbs. 14 oz. The nurse commented, "Might as well just say she's 20 lbs, because she will be by the end of the week."

The reason for the weight gain is pretty clear though. She loves to eat and other than the "scooting" she's not ALL that active. Her fave table foods right now are: Morning Star Sausage links, Trader Joe's honey wheat pretzel sticks, nutri-grain bars, and peaches. She also loves sweet potatoes and Yo Baby yogurt.

As for that activity, just today she started sliding backwards while attempting to crawl forward. This is a HUGE step for her, considering prior to this she would not even try to crawl. Also today, she was able to get from laying on her tummy into a sitting position, something she's been trying for awhile.

My very favorite new thing is her kisses. I can't even explain how sweet it is. I say, "Juliet, can you give mommy a kiss?" and she leans in with her mouth wide open. After the "kiss" she gets this big smile on her face and often goes back in for more.

Another favorite is the adorable interaction between Juliet and Aidric. He's always been really interested in her, but it's only lately that I've seen her really really respond to him too. In the bath, they sit and splash and crack each other up. At dinner, they take turns shaking their heads and bouncing in their chairs. I feel like we're getting a glimpse of the next stage in their childhood and I can't wait!

It's catch up time....

I am putting this on here so that I hold myself to it. For the next hour of naps, I am going to work on blogging all of the pictures and events I've neglected over the last few MONTHS!!!!! Here I go....check back

EDITED: I'd like to blame my sister-in-law for calling and chatting with me during nap time. I got 4 pictures edited. New goal: 4 new posts by the end of the day =)

She Moves!!

Nope, not crawling. But she scoots very effectively. It's always really casual too, like if you didn't really watch her in the process, you'd just think she had already been sitting in the new spot. This morning, I left her in the playroom to bring Aidric to his room for a time out (whole nother post there) and when I got back, she was on the OTHER side of the playroom, taking advantage of her alone time with Aidric's car ramp.

Excuse the horrible sound of my voice. And I apologize in advance for this being a somewhat long (over a minute) video. Once she starts moving, she's quick, but she had to really think about it before she committed.