Beach

We went to Dillon Beach last week and the weather was more beautiful than Ian and I had ever seen it there. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot, and, amazingly, there was no wind! We splashed around in the surf until our feet were numb.


Lennon thought it was great and was laughing and running around the entire time. She thought it was especially hilarious when she would fall into a puddle. By the end of our day her clothes were soaked and she was covered in sand.

A Very Busy Girl

In the past two months our brilliant girl has learned so many signs. Without us prompting her to do it, she signs: milk, eat, drink, cracker, water, banana, all done, mom, grandma, potty, diaper, more, bird, fish, dog, horse, bunny, frog, baby (which she does when she wants to watch "Baby Signing Time"), hat, please, thank you, ball, wash hands, and brush teeth. Sometimes she signs "eat, cracker, please", or "wash hands, water". I can't even imagine the communication problems and frustration we would have if she couldn't tell us what she wanted. She can say a few words now, too. She says (and understands what she's saying): Dada, Mama/Mumma (she sometimes calls my mom "Mama", a little confused), Bubba (Trooper's nickname), bup (when she wants "up").

Nowadays, Lennon will sit and look at a book or play with some toys for a couple of minutes, so I get some time to get few things done around the house. She also feeds herself now, so I actually get to eat too!

If you've had the pleasure of spending some time with Lennon you know she is extremely active, social, curious, and very bright. She is proving all of our baby-proofing attempts to be failures. Her trick du jour is pulling the pillows off the couch and using them as steps to get up on the couch where she grabs everything she can before we catch her. It's exhausting chasing after her, but it's also so much fun. She keeps me on my toes, but she's one of the few people in this world who can really make me laugh.

More!

The day after I posted that Lennon couldn't walk yet, she started to walk! She falls down quite a bit because when she tries to go too fast, but other than that she a really great walker.

We've been working on the sign for "more" for months now and she finally started using it after I gave her a little bite of cake. Now whenever she wants something she signs for more.

And, for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of LB dancing to one of her signing DVDs:

I just found this picture at my parent's house

It's freaking me out how much Lennon looks like me when I was little.

Can somebody please tell me what happened to the past year?

Everyone said it would go by too fast, but I really had no idea until now. Our baby is one year old already! In just matter of months she transformed from a tiny, helpless infant into a curious and determined little girl with a huge personality.

I'm not sure if throwing a temper tantrum is considered a milestone, but she has mastered it. Walking is coming too soon. She can take six or seven steps in a row before she falls down or has to grab on to something. Climbing is a scary new obsession, whether it's on moving boxes, furniture, or my legs, she wants up.

We're still working on sign language, but she has only done three signs so far. She can ask for "milk" and now her hands never stop flapping open and closed, open and closed.

Lennon and I are starting to settle into a daily routine in the new house with regular nap times and everything! She is still sleeping in our bed, which we are all happy with, but the exciting news is that she doesn't need to be ON someone during her nap! Hurray!!!

Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

Here's a little video of a trick Lennon learned today. I'm hoping she forgets it tomorrow. You also get to see how much she can rock. (please don't mind Ian and me discussing salad)

Lennon has been all over the place lately, crawling as fast as she can. We can hardly keep up with her. She can also cruise along the furniture, but no walking yet. She likes to wave, clap, hug, make a kissy noise, and point at everything.

Her current favorite foods are yogurt, cheddar cheese, tofu, and Cheerios!!! She's also learning how to drink water from a sippy cup, which is great for me because I was starting to worry about nursing her all day long during the hot, hot summer.

We're all super excited about moving in a couple of weeks. Yay! For the next month or two things are going to be hectic, working on houses, packing, moving, setting up house, fixing up our old house, etc. Ick. Let me know if you want to come over and play with LB (aka give me a break). I'm exhausted.

Lennon has been crawling for a couple weeks now. She's getting faster and faster every day. Right after she learned how to crawl she figured out how to pull herself up, so we spend a lot of time hovering around her to make sure she doesn't topple over and whack her head on the hard wood floor. Since she's able to move around and tire herself out during the day she's been falling asleep a lot easier for naps and at night (with a little help from her daddy).

We all love giving Lennon kisses and now she gives them back. We make kissy noises back and forth all day long. She also says: dada, papa, mama, baabaa, and my favorite, bad dada. I'm pretty sure she still has no idea what she's saying, but it's cute anyway.

7 months old

Just a quick update and some eye candy. Lennon 's bottom 2 teeth came in a couple weeks ago. She has been gnawing on everything!

LB has been slithering around on the floor on her belly and can get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth a little. She can also sit up by herself without her hands on the floor and without folding over onto her face! So talented!

I Like Food!

Here are Lennon's first couple of bites of food. Despite the look on her face she actually ended up enjoying her meal.

Why I Haven't Posted in Such a Long Time

click here: Ask Dr. Sears, then read #10 (she's the cuddly type) and #11. This girl keeps me busy.


Coming soon: more videos! Just as soon as Lennon gives me a couple hours to figure out our new video camera.

ps-Lennon has conquered tummy time and seems to be eager to crawl! Anyone want to make a donation to the Roomba fund?