Standing O-vation

We've been busy here practicing some new tricks.  Just last week the Girlie took her first steps!!  She is all about standing, cruising, and shuffling now.  Every chance she gets she tries to push along the laundry basket, or her dino, or the entire play garden which is about 4 times her size.  You think that's going to stop her?  Here's a teaser:



And another:



Rock on, Babycakes!!!

11 Months

We are just 1 short month away from the Bambina hitting the twelve-month mark!  Wow!!  It is unbelievable how fast a year can go...  And how much this little one can learn in these months that seem to be speeding past.  She is crawling and cruising all over the place.  

In order to make life a bit easier with this active little one, and to make a style statement of course, we got some Babylegs for her this week.  And now for the benefit of your viewing enjoyment, let's vogue:

Daddy keeps calling her "Flashdance," but Mommy is all for the revival of legwarmers.  This is one '80s fashion icon that deserves a resurrection.  These things are great for protecting sensitive knees.  And so easy for the potty!  Why didn't we think of this idea and start selling it to the masses??  

Unfortunately, the hat we ordered didn't quite fit...

Today we celebrated the Girlie's 11th month of lovely life with a morning stroll to Georgetown, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  Ahhh, autumn...  Afterwards, Mommy took a detour for a haircut and when she returned the Girlie wasn't sure what to think:

Umm, Daddy...  Who is this lady?  

You look really familiar.  I know I've seen you somewhere...

She knew the whole time, but it was still very entertaining to see the perplexed look on her face.  

It is hard to believe that the end of summer is here.  It's even harder to believe how much our little girl has grown and changed.  Her personality has always been evident, but she expresses more of it each day and it's amazing to see.  She makes our lives so much more alive.  Everything is more meaningful.

For My Daughter in Reply to a Question

by David Ignatow

When I die choose a star 

and name it after me

that you may know

I have not abandoned

or forgotten you. 

You were such a star to me, 

following you through birth 

and childhood, my hand 

in your hand.

Labor Day Highlights

We've been readjusting to life back in the big city this week after spending some time in our home state of Pennsylvania.  This time around it was warm enough to enjoy all of the superb outdoor activities that the Keystone State has to offer.  We spent time at the local park testing out the swings:

Mommy tested out some other playground equipment, all of which has been there since she was a kid, and it just barely passed.  Needless to say, the Girlie won't be trying out that slide until she's about 20, just to be safe.  (I think I set a speed record-- after, that is, I survived the climb to the top).  

The Bambina also met a new cousin of hers:

Daisy and her hit it off right from the start.  They have so much in common after all-- same height, parents native Pennsylvanians, love of the color pink.  A match made in heaven.

The Girlie had a great time at Nonna and Paddy's, and she especially enjoyed playing with Aunt Anne and Uncle Mark:

She had an awesome time at Nanny and Pap's house as well.  They had set up an entire play area for her, complete with a garden and kitchen!!

How lucky can one girl be?  

We even got a tour of Pap's garden by the head gardener himself:

You can take the Nonna out of Italy, but you can't take the Italy out of Nonna:

Before we returned to the big city, we picked up a dinosaur for the Girlie.  That's right, her very own vehicular reptile.  She was so excited that she even helped Daddy put it together this week:

Where'd she go??

Check out her new ride:

Up High, Down Low

Aunt Anne has been visiting for the past week, and we are having a buh-LAST!  She is so much fun to play with!!

And she has fabulous fashion sense.  So we not only play splendidly (what a Mary Poppins-ish word), but we look good doing it.

We even played with some grass on our picnic:

A natural birdwatcher:

Today, Uncle Mark joined us here and brought some silliness along with him.  The Girlie's motto is "the sillier the better," so Uncle Mark is doing quite well.  He even taught the Girlie how to give high-fives!  Check it out:



The Girlie is loving her visitors :-)

Quote of the Day

"You've got to throw the ball at her.  I throw the ball at her so she'll get good reflexes."
   ~Daddy

10 Months

Happy 10-Month birthday to the Bambina!!!  We cannot believe you are 83% of a year old!  Slow down there, Kiddo!

I don't think there's any chance of her slowing down anytime soon.  Once she learns something new, it's on to the next thing without a second thought.  Right now, she is pulling up on everything in sight.  She can even let go and stand there for a few seconds (at least 5) before gracefully falling back down on her bum.

She's so motivated, which means we need to be on the ball acting as her human bungee cords.

She's still not quite crazy about food, but she had some fun with broccoli last night:

Our current favorite song to sing is the "Good Morning" song, an original by our favorite singer/songwriter: Daddy.  We do our best to replicate his voice, but it's so much better when Daddy is here to sing along :-)

It is quite impossible to not have fun with the Girlie.  I read somewhere once that childhood is the lens through which we view the world for the rest of our lives.  Hopefully you are enjoying yours as much as we are.  Cheers to you, Chickee, on yet another marvelous milestone!

A Prayer Haiku for O:

God bless your toes.

I kiss your sweet hands, sweet face.

My love be with you.

Beach Baby, Beach Baby