Let it snow!

We dug out of about 8 inches of snow this morning. Paige went out for a walk while it was coming down yesterday. Here's our cotton-candy pink snow bunny in action! If you are wondering how that snow tasted, the answer is "COLD!"

Laughs in daily life

About a week ago, Paige and I were having a snack in the food court at the mall. Specifically, a cinnamon & sugar pretzel. I gave Paige a small bite, then another. I took a few bites myself. I asked if she wanted more. She made the sign for "more"! I was so excited! A couple days later, she made the sign again to ask for more raisins. So we are entering a new level of communication. She is also making the signs for "eat" and "drink" on a regular basis (although not every time yet).

At a church potluck recently, the kids were gathered around listening to a nativity story. An older boy was sitting up on his knees with his bare feet tucked underneath him. Paige walked up behind him and tickled his feet! The boy was surprised but not upset. Another mom and I were sitting behind them, watching it all, and laughing into our hands.

Yesterday, Paige and I went out to do some holiday shopping. She was a champ through the whole afternoon, but started to get cranky in the (very long, very slow) checkout line at our last stop. I thought for sure she would have a melt-down when I tried to put her coat on and get her back in her stroller. But she didn't. I also thought she would fall asleep as soon as I put her in her carseat. But instead, she was game for a full 5 minutes of hide and seek, where I hid behind the passenger seat headrest and popped out at her to the left, right, and above the headrest. She got the gigles from this game and laughed the whole car ride home!

12 month check up

Paige's doctor declared her a healthy girl at her check up today! She weighed 21 lbs 11 oz and measured 31" tall. She's off the chart in height and in the top quarter for weight for kids her age. We've started mixing in whole milk with her formula, and so long as it's warmed through, she drinks it down just fine. Paige is eating mostly "normal" food these days, although we try to feed her more veggies and less junk than what we eat! She actually likes broccoli (a shock to any readers who are familiar with mom's preferences as a kid!), peas, carrots, corn, and she's crazy about beans! Who knew! Green, black, red/kidney - she would eat them at every meal if we let her. She still loves cheese, yogurt, cheerios, applesauce. She's branching out more with proteins: turkey, chicken, tofu, eggs, veggie burgers, and even some creamy peanut butter. She likes to feed herself and lately will put her hand on the spoon to "help" mom get the food to her mouth.

Paige is saying mama, dada, and Hannah pretty clearly these days. We can also make out "all done" and "hello" pretty often. She points vigorously when she wants something. She makes the sign for "milk" when she wants some kind of drink. She sometimes puts her hand to her mouth when she wants to eat, although this isn't consistent yet. Her communication is surprisingly clear for not speaking too many words! We're not sure if this is a developmental milestone, but Paige is certainly entertaining herself more and more. In this video, she "twirls" around and around.

Birthday Fun

We celebrated Paige's birthday on the 23rd with a party of 9 people: Paige, mom, dad, Anne, Annmarie, Rick, Mari, Loren (9 days old!), and Socorro. We had left-over turkey (of course), plus birthday cake (made by mom), and ice cream (made by dad). Paige liked the cake quite a lot, but didn't care too much for the ice cream -- probably too cold. She opened lots of gifts: clothes, books, toys, savings bonds. She really likes a couple of her new books that more interactive (mirrors to look in, animals to touch) and the ones with the fun rhymes (Go Dog Go!). Her new bath toys are also a hit, since she LOVES the bath! Mom and dad caved in & got her an electronic toy.

Paige liked the cake

Paige got a puppy

Reading a new book with Dad

Housewarming

We hosted about 25 people today at our housewarming party. Paige slept through the first hour, but was thereafter quite social. It helped that several of our guests brought their kids, so she had fun playing with them.

Paige is babbling more everyday. We're sure that anyday now, we'll be able to understand what she's saying! She imitates us and tries to make sounds like "all done" and "bye bye." She also has a sound she greets her babysitter with that sounds sort-of like "Hannah."

Photos from the party below.

Mom, why are you blowing on the cake?!

Who needs toys when you have these cool coasters to play with?

Family portrait from the big day

Settling into the new home

So if you know us in person, you know that we just moved into a new house. Paige is adjusting SO WELL! She has taken over as queen of this "castle" and has fully explored every corner (and I do mean every corner, even the ones we try to keep her out of!).

Here are a couple of quick notes about what she's been up to.

Paige had trouble going to sleep the first couple of nights in the new house. About the 5th night, I'm rocking her in her room, she's just finished her bottle. She squirms in my lap to get down. She gets down, walks to the bathroom, comes back with her rubber duck. She climbs back into my lap, chews on the duck for a while, then discards the duck in favor of her thumb. Then she falls asleep. Perhaps the duck has become a security object??

A few days ago, Steve wisely purchased some cabinet locks (the kind that tie two knobs together so you can't open the door on either side). We installed one in the kitchen and one on the new TV stand. Last night, Paige walked into the kitchen, grabbed the cabinet lock, and pulled it right off the knobs! The bad news is, the lock didn't work. But the good news is that she was too interested in playing with the lock itself to open the cabinet and start pulling things off the shelf. We parents have learned to be grateful for the small victories!

Paige was a great help when it came time to pack up the clothes

Paige helping to pack some kitchen items

You would think she gets enough fiber from all the book pages she's eaten!

Demonstrating that the child is much smarter than the "child-proof" lock

Southern Tour

Paige's blog has been quiet lately, not because she has been idle, but rather because her whole family has been BUSY BUSY BUSY! We took a trip to Asheville NC, Beaufort SC, and Savannah GA at the end of Sept. We stayed with friends in Asheville, took a hike in the woods, ate terrific Southern cookin, and generally relaxed. Paige tried to make friends with the cat, but the cat was not ready to make friends with her. In Beaufort, we watched proudly as Paige's cousin graduated from Marine basic training. In Savannah, Paige rode the trolley with us, toured some old mansions, and spent some quality time with Grandma Joy and Grandpa Joe (while mom & dad went on a dinner date!). Paige enjoyed the view from the top of Tybee Lighthouse (thanks to me carrying her up in the Ergo backpack), however, the wind was a bit stiff! She was overall a very good traveler, managing to sleep on both flights and even get through most nights in strange places fairly smoothly.

Paige at the helm - Uncle Bubba's Oyster House Restaurant

Paige (sleeping), mom, Grandma Joy, Grandpa Joe

Strong wind on top of the lighthouse

View from the Grove Park Inn, Asheville

Nine Month Check Up

So we were only 3 weeks late for the 9-month check up. We found out the reason our doctor was so busy was all the kids going back to school in Aug & early Sep who needed check-ups. Paige weighed in at 20 lbs 9 oz and 30 3/4 in long! She ranked 75th percentile for weight and off the chart for height. In fact, she is the average height of a 16-month old baby! She passed all her developmental & motor skills with flying colors. She got 2 more vaccinations today, but they didn't seem to slow her down at all. She was cruising around our living room all afternoon & still had a healthy appetite for oatmeal and mixed fruit for dinner.

Here's a photo of Paige last week, modeling the new onesie with moose & bears from Grandma Karen & Grandpa Joe's recent visit to Grand Teton National Park.

New Chariot

Last weekend, we bought a new stroller for Paige. Up till now, we were using a hand-me-down Combi donated from some friends who moved out of state. We leave on vacation next Monday & we needed a small umbrella stroller. We test-drove several models & decided on the Maclaren Triumph. Here's a photo of Paige enjoying the new wheels.

New Moves

Paige has been busy this past week. She went to a party on Sunday to cheer on the Chicago Bears in their first regular-season game. She held her own against 4 men, 4 boys, 2 dogs, and a rabbit!

In other news, Paige has learned how to go up the stairs. Today she climbed the entire staircase from bottom to top! Soon she will have to learn how to get down, but one skill at a time...

And possibly the most endearing move: when I hold Paige on my lap, she will often take my hands & bring them together to make them clap. Lately, she grabs my hands & places them on either side of her face, so I am holding her little head. It's very sweet and of course warms mom's heart.

Walking!

Paige took her first official steps yesterday, and we caught them on camera today! We're very excited and SO proud of her! She seems to walk best when she's carrying a favorite toy and not thinking too much about putting one foot in front of the other.

Garfield Conservatory

In our ongoing quest to find cheap, fun things to do in the city, Paige and I took a field trip today to Garfield Conservatory. She was very curious on the EL ride, looking out the window and making "conversation" with other folks on the train. And she wasn't even the youngest one! We met another mom with a 1-month-old baby on the train!

The conservatory is featuring a sculpture exhibit by Niki De Saint Phalle through Oct 31, and many of them are available for touching, sitting, or climbing on. I would definitely recommend this for other families with little kids. Here are a couple of shots of Paige enjoying the day.

Paige inspects Louis Armstrong's leg

Paige explores inside an alligator

Paige finds a tunnel

Everyday Adventures

Paige loves the bath. Here she is having a little fun.


Paige & I took a field trip to Lake Michigan last Thursday afternoon. She was really curious about the sand. She couldn't figure out how she could pick it up, but by the time she got her hand to her mouth, it was gone! She also liked the feeling of the waves lapping over her feet.


Thanks to Grandma Joy & Grandpa Joe for the lucky black patent leather shoes!

Nine Month Birthday

Here are a few photos from Paige's 9-month birthday (which was Aug 23).

Party Girl

Paige attened a 1-year birthday party for Max yesterday. She was the youngest of the "mobile set" - which is to say, there were babies there younger than she, but they were not yet sitting up, let alone crawling. However, she held her own with the 2 and 3 year olds. All the kids wanted a piece of the action when it came time to open gifts, including Paige. Her favorite: the wrapping paper with red & yellow balloons on it! She got along really well during the whole party (social butterfly that she is), and only cried when I would not let her eat said wrapping paper.

This mom forgot the camera, but several other moms were taking photos, so I will track them down & get a photo to accompany this post, post haste.

In other news, Paige is "cruising" much more proficiently these days. She walks around the living room from the couch to the ottoman to the easy chair and back (holding on to each, of course). She is also doing really well feeding herself. We're trying to include more finger foods in her diet so she has plenty of chance to practice: cottage cheese, veggie puffs, tofu cubes, cut-up fruit, and (new this week) scrambled egg. All this self-feeding frequently results in bigger messes, which does not seem to bother her in the least. "Oh, that cottage cheese in my hair? Those veggie puffs on the floor? I was saving those for later..."

August Family Visits

We've been busy since our trek up to Milwaukee for the Wisconsin State Fair! We took a road trip to Ohio to visit family. We spent a day with Grandma Sara & Grandpa D, drove over to meet Great-grandma Kay, spent a day with Granpda Joe & Grandma Karen, and had an adventure at the Ohio State Fair with Mike, Molly, Payton, and Blake. Below are some photo high-lights.

When we returned from Ohio, Grandma Joy & grandpa Joe were in town for a visit, but we forgot the camera. They brought Paige her first pair of patent-leather shoes - a sure sign of good luck! We look forward to seeing them again in Sept & we will take lots of photos.

Paige with Grandma Sara & Grandpa D

Paige meets Great-Grandma Kay

Paige (alseep in mom's backpack), with mom & dad, Uncle Mike, Aunt Molly, cousins Payton & Blake, and Smokey the Bear at the Ohio State Fair

Paige with mom & dad, Grandpa Joe & Grandma Karen

Wisconsin State Fair

We took Paige to her first-ever Wisconsin State Fair on Saturday. Granted, she went last year in utero, but she doesn't remember much :) We took her through some cow and horse barns, where she stared wide-eyed at the animals. They were a lot bigger than the dogs she usually sees in the park around home! Steve and I ate the obligatory corn on the cob, bratwurst, and cream puff. We offered Paige a sample of the cream puff, but she refused, causing me to doubt that she actually IS my daughter! We'll write it off as being too tired to care about food.

Note we also recently purchased a new baby carrier, called an Ergo, and so far, we're big fans. We like the extra padding and the easy clip-n-go buckles. You can see the new contraption in the photo below with the cattle.


Paige gains a new appreciation for "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"


Paige and Dad at the Fair

Wiggleworms in Millenium Park

Paige and I went to Millenium Park in downtown Chicago on Friday for a free Wiggleworms concert! Wiggleworms is a high-energy singing/dancing/full-participation music program for kids. The Old Town School of Folk Music offers dozens of classes for kids, and Wiggleworms is a perpetual favorite. So, before we signed Paige up for 16 weeks of this, I thought it wise to check out a free version first. She had fun, I had fun, and clearly all the other kids were having a blast! We went with friends Kerry & Theo, who also thoroughly enjoyed the concert.

Friday also marked Paige's first ride on the El train. She was fascinated and made several new friends!


Paige checking out the hula hoops after the concert

Kerry, Theo, and Paige at Millenium Park

Paige and mom posing in front of the Millenium Park Amphitheater

Bears Training Camp

The Chicago Bears started their training camp this week in Bourbonnais, IL. The three of us took a little road trip down there on Friday afternoon to watch.


Father-Daughter bonding


Paige's first driving lesson

Morton Arboretum

Paige, Hannah, and I took a field trip to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. We had a great afternoon, eating our picnic lunch and checking out the trees. There's a great children's garden that we'll take Paige back to explore when she's a little bigger.

Paige with Hannah at Morton Arboretum


Paige with Mom at the Morton Arboretum

New Throne

Princess Paige got a new throne over the weekend: AKA a new carseat. The previous model was approved only for kids up to 29" long, and, well, Paige's feet have been hanging over the edge, so we went shopping. She finds the new ride to be quite cozy.

Crawling Hazards

Well, now that Paige is mobile, she is experiencing some of the hazards associated with this new talent. Namely, getting into places that she can't figure out how to get out of. Yesterday, she crawled under one of our bar stools. She thought it was funny when I took her picture, but as soon as I put down the camera, she wanted my help to get out!


Also of note, Paige got tooth #3 on Monday July 16. It's on top, to the right of the middle pair (or the space where the middle pair would be, if she had them). I've been sure that she was teething for about 2 weeks, and finally something to show for it! The new tooth is not yet camera-ready (not poking out far enough), but you can bet we'll be watching for that photo op.

Houston, we have a crawler!

Paige can officially crawl! She's been working up to it for a couple of weeks, and now we have the evidence on film. Video length: 1 min. (with sound)

Techno baby

Paige is up to new tricks all the time! In this episode, she demonstrates her ability to pull up to standing inside her crib, her prowess with gadgets (note phone and remote control), and her quickly-advancing coordination picking up her toys.


Paige standing in her crib, but looking innocent


Paige talks on the phone and pushes buttons on remote control. Her knack for technology is further confirmation that she is her father's daughter.

In this video (taken today), Paige looks into her toy box but decides to play with the toys already on the floor. Not much sound. Video length: 59 sec.

New tricks and new shoes

Paige gave me quite a thrill on Tuesday when I walked into her room to find her standing in her crib! She had pulled herself up on the slats! We've already lowered the mattress as low as it will go, and now we must diligently raise the adjustable side as well. Paige is taking a few steps with assistance, so we thought this was a good time for an official first pair of shoes. She has had slippers/booties before, but these are real shoes with leather soles for walking. They are light green with a pink lady bug on top.


Pulling up on the toy box


Demonstrating the new shoes

Swings!

Here's Paige having fun on the swings at the park. We've been there every day this week!



And here's a link to Paige swinging in live action! Turn on your speakers - I was making her laugh with sound effects.

Fun at the park

Our baby girl is growing & changing all the time! This week, we added hard-cooked egg yolk to her menu. She still favors oatmeal, bananas, avocados, & applesauce, but we are slowly expanding her tastes. We think there are more teeth on the way soon, based on recent fussiness & chewing... we'll see how long this set takes to show through the gums.

Paige now LOVES the swings at the park. Steve caught her on video last weekend-- here's the clip. Note this was taken on his camera phone, so there is no sound. Video Length: 27 seconds.

2 Videos: Paige with Blake, Paige Giggling

We're attempting to add a link to Paige's 2 online videos in this post. Click the video links & the video will open in a new window. Be sure to turn on your speakers for these.

In Paige and Blake, Paige makes grunting noises and raspberries/ motor boat noises at Blake. Blake's face slowly falls. Blake begins to cry. Was it because of something Paige said?! Video length: 25 seconds


In Paige Gets the Giggles, Daddy made Paige laugh for 1 minute straight while playing peek-a-boo! Video length: 1 minute

Baby blues & motor boats

Paige turns 7 months old tomorrow! I can hardly believe that 7 months ago, on a chilly November evening, my water broke in a movie theater, and about 9 hours later (in one of nature's ordinary miracles), Paige was born. I remember it like it was only last week, and yet, it seems that she has always been with us.

Paige was born with blue eyes, and they're still blue. All the books say that if the baby's eyes are going to turn brown, they usually do so by 6 months. So it looks like Paige will keep her baby blues.

Paige becomes more active every day. She loves standing (with a little help), and she pushes up on her hands & knees all the time. She can move her knees, and move her hands, but she hasn't put it all together in a rhythm that gets her anywhere yet, much to her frustration! Paige loves blowing raspberries/ moaking motor boat noises. This morning, I knew she was awake because I heard this noise (pppppbbbbllt!) coming from her crib. She will do this to entertain herself for 10-20 minutes at a stretch. Needless to say, this results in A LOT of drool, but it's also highly entertaining. Here's Paige helping "fold" some clean laundry. Don't worry - we don't keep her in the basket all the time! Thanks to Hannah (Paige's nanny) for capturing the photos in this blog entry.

This week's discoveries

As any parent will tell you, babies grow. Fast. Paige is no different. She is changing all the time. She loves oatmeal; she doesn't like green peas. When we sit her in her high chair, she reacts by opening her mouth like a baby bird when we make the sign for "eat." She can roll her tongue! (Turns out, Steve and I can both roll our tongues, so she inherited this trait from both of us.) She can push up on her hands and knees. She can lie on her belly and spin around 360 degrees. Crawling and walking cannot be far away. She is the joy of each new day.

Birthday fun

Paige took her third trip to Ohio this weekend to visit the family and sing happy birthday to her cousins, Payton and Blake. She took her first wagon ride in Grandpa Joe & Grandma Karen's red wagon. She watched the fish in Grandpa D's study, and she helped Grandma Sara make BBQ chicken sandwiches. Here she is having some fun in the Buckeye State.

Paige with Daddy and cousin Payton

Paige reaches out to cousin Blake

The birthday cake!

Paige with Grandma Sara and Grandpa David

Paige with Mom and Grandma Sara (three generations of smart women!)

Paige with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Joe