A Secret Admirer

How scandalous! We have a secret admirer! This admirer doesn't shower us with gifts or good deeds (such as shoveling our driveway after the blizzard of '09). Instead, she (I'm pretty sure it's a she) sent us an anonymous Christmas card.

Going through the mail last week, I happened upon a Christmas card without a return mailing address, so I checked the postmark. Unfortunately, that was too faded to read. No problem. Surely the sender would sign her name. Oh no. She wanted to keep it interesting.

I opened the card and discovered... nothing except for the pre-printed message. Seriously! I had to laugh. No salutation. No closing. Nothing except for an envelope addressed to the three of us.

I've never heard of anyone anonymously wishing a Merry Christmas to someone. Maybe that's the gift: we get to play detective to determine the sender. Well, if that's the case, I do have a few clues and two possible suspects (but for privacy's sake, I won't reveal their names).

Clue #1: Red ink used to address the envelope
Clue #2: Very neat and pretty penmenship, much like a teacher's
Clue #3: Based on the minimal postmark, I'd say this is a local admirer
Clue #4: This person knows all three of us since she addressed the letter to all of us (not just me or Scott)

To whomever our admirer might be, thank you for the smile. And Merry Christmas right back at you!

Call a Spade a Spade

Each year about this time, Bill O'Reilly opines on the attack on Christmas. Obviously opinions vary on this topic, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of emails that he receives and shares on his show. However, Scott and I can't help but notice that what O'Reilly says has merit (and no, we don't always agree with him). Specifically, watching our favorite Thursday night shows on NBC verified O'Reilly's assertion.


Now don't get me wrong: I understand that there are other faiths that celebrate other holidays. I have no qualms with that. What bothers me is when people deliberately secularize Christmas, even though this season is the Christmas season. I mean, are we hitting all the sales because of some other holiday? No. What about the Christmas trees? Santa? Red and green? Are these for another holiday? No. Yet our society has been saying that despite all these factors, we can't say "Merry Christmas" for fear of offending someone. Why is that? Why is it that Christians are made to feel GUILTY for celebrating an important event in our faith, yet society bends over backward NOT to offend those of other faiths? Can someone explain this, because it doesn't make sense to me.

That being said, MERRY CHRISTMAS. Regardless of how you might celebrate, may your Christmas be filled with warmth, happiness, and laughter.

Nine Months

So, if Leah doesn't look too happy in the above photos, it's probably because she hasn't been feeling well lately. She's been battling a nasty cold since Saturday, so she hasn't been her usual happy self. Thankfully, though, this is nothing more serious than a cold (she had her nine-month check-up today, so the doctor also evaluated her sickness).

According to the doctor, Leah's right on track developmentally (which we already figured). Though she doesn't pull-up on furniture on her own, she will pull-up on our fingers. She's definitely TRYING to pull herself up, but she still doesn't have the upper body strength. That slight hindrance is not stopping our Leah. She knows we'll help her stand, and once she's up, she scoots right along. When she's feeling particularly bold, she'll hold onto me (or Scott) with one hand, leaving the other hand free. Because of her interest in standing (and moving!), Scott's teaching her how to sit down when she's tired. It seems to be working; she doesn't fall straight back as much as she used to. Don't worry; we still supervise her when she's mobile.

When she's not standing, she's exploring. Apparently she's grown tired of the family room and her many toys, so she feels a need to explore the rest of the house. This little adventurer will crawl right past the kitchen and head for the hallway, pausing just long enough for us to ask, "What are you doing?", before smiling, laughing, and taking off for the foyer and study. (Hmmm, I guess it IS a good thing that she's not walking yet!)

Oh, our intrepid explorer did find something of interest in our kitchen: gifts. There are two bags of gifts sitting on the kitchen floor. I didn't think she'd be interested, especially since she can't actually reach them. Silly me. Leah managed to pull one of the bags down (no clue how) and then proceeded to grab the bow off one of the packages. She did that not once, but twice, and then brought her "prize" into the family room to join her other toys. I can only imagine what will happen come Christmas! (Side note: surprisingly, she's not that interested in the Christmas tree, or the gifts under it, yet. She did pull a snowflake ornament off when I was holding her, but she then proceeded to "place" it on one of the boughs.)

Turkey Day

Our Little Turkey


Despite being sick, I think Leah enjoyed her first Thanksgiving. She was one of only three little ones at the annual Allen-Thorstad clan gathering, but she didn't mind, especially since she had plenty of adults to love on her. Plus, her (second) cousin Ben and friend Max kept her entertained (well, until they tired of it, and decided to do their own thing).

Leah with cousins Megan and Ben.

Hanging with the boys: Ben, Leah, & Max

8 Months

Yes folks, she smiled for ALL her pictures!!

See her teeth?

Our little monster/ boogs/ two-teeth/ bugger is quite the mover and shaker now. She's still as happy as ever, but she's even more fun than she was last month. I love watching her discover the world around her, especially when she finds the joy in simple things (like the ties on my apron).

Leah's become rather proficient at the army crawl, and doesn't seem to be too interested in the traditional crawl. Every so often she'll get up on all fours, but then she doesn't go anywhere. Which makes me wonder if she'll skip the traditional and go straight to walking. After all, she DOES like standing. We'll extend our fingers to her and she pulls herself right up. Sometimes she'll crawl over to us so that we'll help her stand (whereas in the past it was so we'd hold her). I know, what have we done?!

Accompanying these moves have been some new sounds, too. I'm not sure if it's because of the teeth or not, but Leah now purses her lips and blows, almost as if she's trying to whistle. Granted, nothing comes out, but it's so cute to watch! Oh, yes, she has her two bottom teeth (and she's been working on some more). Because of the teeth, her tongue is regularly sticking out due to her feeling the new additions to her mouth.

I feel as if there's so much I could say about Leah, but I'm not even sure what else to include. After all, as a first time parent, everything that she does amazes me, so it's hard to filter the really amazing from the somewhat amazing.

One last note about our little explorer: she loves hanging out with me and Scott. I know, most babies prefer their parents, but what makes us laugh is that we could be sitting in separate spots in the family room while Leah's playing on the floor, and she's perfectly content. She'll just hang out with her toys. But the minute the two of us are sitting next to each other on the couch, Leah's over there, wanting to join us. Once she's on the couch, she's ten times happier than when she was playing (happily) with her toys. That goof. She knows how to make us smile.

Capturing the Moments

Yesterday I realized that I wish I could capture every moment with Leah so that I could re-live them years later. She's growing by leaps and bounds now, and her little personality is really starting to shine. Our eight-month-old (as of yesterday!) is quite the explorer, which is why I wish I could capture every moment. Here are just two moments (from yesterday) I wish I could re-live daily:

Leah has discovered the bottom shelf of the bookcase that's in our kitchen, so I recently moved some non-breakables to it (I thought that might be better than letting her play with the ceramic mixing bowls that had resided there). One of those items is a tin of recipes... and Leah LOVES it. She'll crawl over and pull it off the shelf so that she can "drive" it on the floor. So yesterday, I was sitting at the kitchen table writing while Leah was playing with "her" tin; soon it became strangely quiet (anyone with a baby knows that type of quiet), prompting me to turn (after all, Leah's also started venturing down the hallway or into the living room). There was my baby girl, pulling herself up on top of the tin. She had managed to hoist her upper body onto the tin and was trying to stand (oh, have I mentioned before that standing is her new favorite activity? She can't do so on her own, but she will with our help). Scott, who was in the family room, and I just watched her, cheering her on to success (yes, we're crazy, and no, she didn't quite make it all the way up). If only I could re-live that moment.

Later that evening, Scott and I were eating dinner and Leah was entertaining herself in the family room (for those of you who don't know, our family room and kitchen are basically one big room, so it's not like Leah was unsupervised). Anyway, as most of you know, Leah loves exploring underneath the end table. Well, that's the one on the right side of the room. She hasn't really expressed an interest in the one of the left until now. Up until recently, there were two packages of diapers (unopened) stacked underneath it, thus preventing our little adventurer from getting very far. That wasn't the case yesterday. While we were eating dinner, I happened to glance into the family room only to see a little panda butt sticking out from underneath the end table. The little bugger had climbed onto the one package of diapers and was trying to make her way completely underneath the table! Scott and I both laughed out loud, as I rushed over to redirect her curiosity, but not before I snapped a picture. When I sat down next to Leah, she looked at me and grinned. She was so proud of herself!
Now that's a moment that will always bring a smile to my face.

Trunk or Treat

Our Little Pumpkin

Leah and her girlfriends (fellow March babies) convinced us parents to take them to Trunk or Treat at church, even though they are MUCH too young for all that candy. Being the doting parents that we are, we agreed, despite the rain and the crowds. Luckily, we were able to duck into an empty room so that the girls could hang out and take pictures. This is one motley crew, and I just hope that they "remain" friends as they grow older. Enjoy the photos!Lizzie, Kate, Leah, & Evie

Let's try this again with ALL the girls. Can you tell this was rather entertaining?
Lizzie (chick), Kate (princess), Leah (pumpkin), Evie (clown), & Avah (peacock)

Leah really had a thing for her friends' costumes. (Above) Grabbing Kate's princess costume. (Below) Munching on Avah's peacock costume.

Our Little Explorer

Leah loves exploring the house, especially if it involves crawling UNDER something. Thankfully, we can "control" this interest (slightly) by setting up her toy tunnel (thanks to the tummy time mat my students gave me last year). Still, that doesn't always hold her interest, which means she has to find other furniture to crawl under. Recently, that's been the end table. She's rather adept at ducking her head. In fact, she's mastered this skill, thus enabling her to maneuver that much faster.

Playing (more like lounging) in her tunnel.

Why play with a weight on the rug when there's one under the end table?

As soon as Leah saw me with the camera, she burst out from under the table.

Okay, so she's not under anything, but I bet she wanted to be; she crawled right over to Scott to help him fix the garbage disposal.

Mashed Potatoes?

Let me confess right now: Yes, I love to cook and bake, but I HAVE to follow a recipe. Have to. On a rare occasion I'll "doctor" the recipe here or there, but for the most part, I need serious guidance in the kitchen.

Growing up, we always ate instant mashed potatoes, so it's been shocking for me to discover that a good number of people haven't; being accustomed to the real thing, they sort of turn their noses up at good ole instant. Well, because of this attitude, I thought, "Hey, I could try making REAL mashed potatoes. How hard could it be?" Plus, when my in-laws were here, Mel showed me how to cook the potatoes in preparation for mashing them (well, in preparation for blending them for Leah).

So, this past weekend, I was feeling adventurous; "I'll make REAL mashed potatoes. It can't be that hard," I thought. Plus we had extra potatoes that I wanted to use before they went bad. All started well; I prepped and cooked them just as Mel had shown me. But that's where her guidance ended. See, when she was here, we didn't make mashed potatoes; we made BLENDED potatoes so that I could freeze 'em for Leah. See where I'm going with this?

Anyway, I already had the blender out, so I just added the potatoes. Yes, I could have mashed them by hand, but I figured the blender would be so much easier. Plus, they'd be smoother and creamier. Or so I had thought. On goes the blender. In goes some milk (just a little... after all, doesn't everyone add milk?), butter, salt, and pepper. Hmmmm, this doesn't look right. Wait! This looks just like Leah's potatoes! Well, maybe it won't be SOOOO bad. After all, I added the right ingredients.

Pouring (yes, pouring, like a liquid) the potatoes into a serving bowl, I couldn't help but notice its soup-like consistency. Hmmm, that can't be good. But maybe they'll still taste good. After all, looks can be deceiving.

I dished (more like ladled) some onto my plate where it promptly pooled to one side. Scott just sat across from me, daring me to try my concoction. In goes the fork (not much stuck to it, though). Opening up my mouth, I take a bite. Ugh. Definitely nowhere NEAR mashed potato goodness.

Needless to say, the bowl of potato soup just sat on the table while we ate dinner; and Scott had quite a few laughs at my expense. Oh well. At least I know better for next time: Instant it is.

Baby Dedication

Leah, along with five other little girls/ babies, was dedicated at church this past Sunday. My parents, in-laws, sisters, and friends were there to witness this special moment. As usual, Christina did a great job sharing bits and pieces of information about each little girl, the thinking behind the baby dedication (versus a baptism), and commemorating the special day.

Of the six dedicated, there were four of the six March babies, two of whom are Leah's "friends" (in quotes since Leah probably doesn't understand that term just yet; I guess a better phrase would be "two of whom are my friends' babies"). Anyway, all the little girls were well behaved during the service. I think they were just taking in the congregation, the lights, the attention. (I know Leah was; ever observant, she kept looking around the sanctuary.) If you read the previous post, you'll know that Leah's taken a liking to her voice. Well, she used her time during the service to share her thoughts with everyone. While Christina was talking about her, Leah added her own two cents. She quieted down for a bit, but when Christina introduced Leah's friend Lizzie, well, Leah sent her a shout-out. Guess the girls didn't have a chance to catch-up before the service.

As a token of remembrance, the Children's Ministry provided Leah with a children's Bible, a certificate, and stone with her name, date, church, and life verse (Micah 6:8: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."). The stone was a different touch to this dedication; as we families approached the stage, we set our daughter's stone on one of the steps so as to create an altar, a reminder of this special day. We left it up there throughout the rest of the service so that the congregation had a visual reminder of what had transpired earlier.

Below is the photo we shared with the congregation during the service. It's quickly become one of my favorites since it really captures who Leah is.

This and That

Leah's growing by leaps and bounds, or so it seems lately. In the course of one week, she's really discovered her voice and has her first tooth peeking through.

The voice. It started with some growling. Sometime last week, she discovered the joys of a deep-throat growl. This discovery kept her entertained throughout the day as she'd growl during every activity-- crawling, playing, getting her diaper changed-- you get the idea. Then, later in the week, she re-discovered her actual voice. She's been babbling since she was a few months old, but recently she's kicked it up a notch. All of a sudden, we'd hear a loud "yow" (or however you'd describe a baby noise that's not the typical ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, or da-da-da). Initially, we both thought that maybe she was upset (unusual, but not impossible), until we looked at her expression. Her toothless grin revealed her great pleasure at simply making loud and long noises. Now that she's expanded her "vocabulary", the two of us have fascinating conversations all day long.

The tooth. Yes, after months of teething, Leah finally has something to show for her efforts and pains. Low and behold this morning I noticed her first tooth (bottom right) just breaking the surface. Yeah! I was so excited, I almost called Scott to tell him, but decided against it. (He'd probably wonder why I called to tell him about a tooth. Of course, I think he was pretty interested in checking it out this afternoon after he got home. By the way, am I the only one who is excited over a first tooth?)

The spit-up. Not the most appealing topic, but this one amuses me to an extent. Like most parents, I'm curious about the person Leah will be become, about the adult she will grow into. Watching her and her spit-up today, I was thinking she might be either a psychiatrist or an artist. Okay, so spit-up probably doesn't make most people think of careers, but then, you haven't seen Leah (though I'm sure most babies do this). Upon spitting up, Leah loves rubbing her hands (and occasionally her face) in it. If I'm not quick enough, she'll swish her hands around, almost as if she's painting a picture. But then, I also thought that perhaps she's trying to determine what pictures she sees in it, similar to a Rorschach. When I pull her away from the puddle, she inevitably looks up at me, wondering why in the world I had to spoil her fun.

Ahhh, the joys keep coming.

Seven Months... Already?!!

Leah turned seven months old this past Saturday. To commemorate the event, we went shopping. (Well, not fun shopping. We (the family) went to BRU to buy a baby gate. And in actuality, it wasn't really because Leah turned seven months. It was just because we needed one... and we had a coupon.)

My little honey girl (as I like to call her) is doing more and more each day. She's just recently (within the past week) started rocking while on her knees. Every so often she'll crawl a bit on 'em, but she hasn't made the full transition yet. She's also started talking much more, though she's especially talkative when her daddy gets home from work. When Scott walks through the door and Leah sees him, she squeals with delight.

She's still working on teeth, though none have made an appearance just yet. Who knows when they actually will; I've been thinking that one of them might poke through soon since she keeps sticking her tongue out (as if she feels something under her gums), but I'm not holding my breath. Another sign? She hasn't exactly been interested in eating. She'd rather fuss (which is not like her at all).

Leah's doing much better about sitting up, but she can't pull up to sitting yet. And her transition to crawling, well, let's say it's not pretty, but it suffices. She does enjoy standing up (with help), but once she's up, she bends over to examine her feet. It's as if she's thinking, "hey, what are those doing down there?"

All in all, Leah is still a content and curious little baby, for which I'm thankful. (Proof of curiosity: she now watches when we clip her nails. Yes, she'll sit still-- for the most part-- and let me trim her fingernails. Crazy kid.)

One More Perk

I'm sure I've mentioned before just how much I love being home with Leah, but recently I thought of yet another perk: the ease of travel. Now, I'm not saying traveling with a baby is easy (I've certainly learned that), but scheduling our trips (now that I'm a SAHM) IS. After all, now we just have to work around Scott's schedule.

Take this weekend, for instance. We're heading up to NY for a wedding. Well, had I been working, I would have had to request personal leave, which probably would have been approved. I also would have stressed about creating lessons that a sub could follow/ teach. That of course would also entail assembling all of the necessary materials on top of compiling rosters and writing out basic procedures. Oh, and did I mention that I'd probably only be allowed to take two days personal leave? That would have REALLY been a headache, especially since we're not coming home until Monday (I suppose we could drive from Massena to VA in one day, but 9 hours is quite the drive).

So... because of my "new" profession, our family can actually travel when we'd like to, not when the school system dictates. Ahhhh, just one more perk.

Facebook

So, several months ago I joined FB. What an interesting way of "socializing". It has certainly allowed me to reconnect with some "old" friends, especially those from high school. Because of the wonders of this site, I can now glimpse into the lives of friends, family, and acquaintances alike. Hmmm, that's quite the concept.

Like most people, I'm curious about the lives of others, but how much information is too much? The range of comments that people post is much greater than I had anticipated (which doesn't say much since I wasn't exactly sure WHAT to expect). Some are rather mundane, while others stir up controversy. And others are just gibberish... really. I think the type of comment reveals more about the individual than the comment itself. For instance, those who post regularly/ daily about what's going on in their lives tend to be more social. Why else would they share as often as they do? Those who use it to advocate a political position are, well, "deeply committed to the American democratic process" (is that PC enough?).

And then there are those like me. I rarely post updates. What does that reveal? Well, I'm a private person who simply doesn't feel like sharing what's going on. That, and there's not always a lot to share (except for photos of Leah, but even then, I prefer posting them here). Plus, when I do want to share something (hence this entry), I'd rather share it via my writing. This is a much more natural forum for me to speak. I guess little snippets here and there about my day just aren't my style.

One of the benefits of FB is staying connected... supposedly. For those who check it frequently, I agree. For me, though, not so much. By the time I check it, there have been so many posts and updates that I inevitably miss quite a bit. After all, I don't want to spend the time looking through ALL of the posts that I have missed, especially since they span several days' worth (and who has time to read through all of those?). Thus, even if someone's posted big news on FB, there's a good chance that I haven't seen it... and won't.

Now don't think that this is my farewell to FB. I'll keep checking in and posting pictures (and the occasional update) now and then because that does allow me to stay connected. Still, don't expect my overall FB use to change; after all, I am who I am, and FB can't change that.

Why yes, I DO workout.

Okay, okay. I confess. Leah's so strong because she's been working out from a young age. The proof is in the video.

Emerald Isle, Aug. 2009

At the end of August, we had the opportunity to vacation with friends for a week in Emerald Isle, NC. Though the drive there (and back), was rather long, it was still worth it. We had the chance to hang out with friends all while enjoying the laid-back beach atmosphere.

We didn't hit the beach every day (it was about 30 minutes from where we were staying, and the kiddos-- Leah and Connor-- could only handle so much surf and sun), so we mixed it up by hitting some of the other local sites, too. We took in Fort Macon one day and the aquarium another. Leah didn't seem to mind either of those; actually, maybe she preferred them since then she wasn't subjected to the ocean water. (We dipped her toes in each day, but she was never in for very long.)

I would've included some video (from the camcorder) here, but I didn't realize until today (translation: didn't read the owner's manual) that in order to do so, I had to record it to a memory card instead of a cassette. Go figure. Anyway, the pictures still capture the story.Fort Macon

The Girls-- Me, Leah, & Amelia

Leah breaks out of the Fort

Safe in Daddy's arms

Testing out the water.

Beach Babe(y)

Yes, Connor's EATING sand.

Leah & Connor playing in the beach house.

Surprisingly, Connor could fit in the Bumbo.

Jason, Connor, & Amelia watch the shark tank.

Not the carseat again!

Watching the sharks with Daddy.


Outside the aquarium. How come we didn't think to take more family photos?

Check out the video... hopefully

Pictures... in no particular order

Leah's almost messier with a bottle than with solids.

Mmmmmm, squash.

"I can do this myself, Daddy."

Caught in the act! Leah was wrestling with one of her crib mates.

Six months old!

Playing with Daddy. Need I say more?

Drinking water from a glass. Well, trying to, at least.

Catching up on some reading.

Five months old.

The "Official" Six Month Update

Leah turned six months old this past Thursday. Oh my! Unlike other doctor's appointments, which have been after her "birthday", this latest one was actually ON her "birthday". Despite receiving three shots (two standard vaccinations and a flu vaccine), she did really well. She didn't even cry for the first shot (was it shock?).

Our little one is definitely that... little. She's 24 1/4" long (8%) and 14 lb .03 oz (20%). Thankfully, there's nothing to be concerned about, even though she's dropped several percentiles since her four month check-up. The nurse practitioner agreed that Leah might be smaller because she's so active for her age. (Of course, it could also just be her genes.) Plus, looking at Leah, the NP could see that Leah's certainly not "failing to thrive"; she's got the typical baby rolls! (Yes, I know it'd be easier to show this in a photo, but no, the computer issue STILL isn't resolved. I talked to a DELL tech Thursday, though, and she's sending out some CDs/DVDs so that we can re-load Windows. But I digress....)

Leah's also moving on to new culinary experiences, namely squash. I picked some up yesterday at Wegman's, and cooked it up last night. She LOVES it! I don't think we'll go back to rice cereal (which I'm sure she's grateful for). Leah doesn't eat much rice cereal (I'd fix a teaspoon and even that was too much), but she gobbled down the squash. Today for lunch I could hardly feed it to her fast enough! (By the way, making the baby food was super easy, and in the long run, it'll definitely save us some money.) Once she's had time to adjust to the squash, we'll move on to pears and sweet potatoes. After that, who knows? Green beans? Peas? Carrots? The possibilities are endless!

Five Almost Six Months

Since I have a moment (and feel like writing), I might as well update everyone on Leah's growth. The pictures will have to come later since she's not officially six months yet (not too much longer though) and well, if you read the previous post, you know why.

Scott and I have finally admitted that Leah is indeed crawling. As a friend pointed out yesterday, Leah's actually been crawling for the past month or so, but Scott and I have refused to call it that. After all, it looks like she's just scootching about.... even if she's gotten rather fast. (We now have to train ourselves to keep the doors to the basement and laundry room closed. And of course we also have to work on baby-proofing.) Plus, it doesn't really even look like the true military crawl; she primarily uses her arms. What opened our eyes to the truth? Leah's now starting to use her knees (and did I mention she's getting really fast?). We've only witnessed her doing this here and there, but we know it's only a matter of time before she really starts using them. She's quite adept at crawling to what she wants, whether it's a toy or a hug (when she wants us to pick her up, she'll crawl over to where we're sitting).

She's also become quite the chatterbox when the mood strikes her. There were a couple mornings when we were on vacation that Leah wouldn't stop talking from the time she finished breakfast until the time she took her first nap! Now that we're home, she's not as chatty, but she does have her moments. Interestingly enough, she tends to be more talkative once Scott gets home from work. Guess she just wants to tell her dad about her day!

Like most babies, she doesn't limit her conversations to us. I'll regularly hear her talking to her crib friends (Harley bear, momma bear, Lambchop, and seahorse), and then, when I pick her up from her nap, I see that she's also rearranged her friends. This evening, for instance, she talked with her animals for the longest time before settling down for a nap. When I went in to get her later, I discovered that three of the four animals (she never messes with her seahorse) were in the middle of the crib rather than in the corners. (Other times Scott and I have peeked in on her to see that she's flung Harley bear from his corner so that she can nestle in his spot.)

Hmmmm, other new adventures in this journey? Well, we recently started rice cereal. She's not eating much of it just yet, but I can't say I don't blame her. After all, have you seen it? It certainly doesn't LOOK appetizing. Hopefully next week we'll start her on some other foods, too. (Crazy me, I'm actually going to make her food. We'll see how that goes. Perhaps it'll be good fodder for a future blog.)

Keep checking back for pictures. I'm hoping our computer issue will be resolved within the next week so that I can finally clear out the camera (and camcorder).

Let's See If My Fingers Still Work...

or maybe I should re-title this "Let's See If My BRAIN Still Works". I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. Well, scratch that. I can believe it (though there is a bit of incredulity on my part). Having not written in so long, I do wonder if this post will even make sense.

I didn't purposely neglect my writing. Actually, I'd think about it regularly during August, but always came up with an excuse not to.

The primary excuse? Computer issues. Long story short, we ordered a new computer and then had to re-load Windows. Unfortunately, in the process, the necessary drivers weren't loaded. Despite contacting Dell (and speaking with a rep at least four times), the issue still hasn't been resolved... and we've had the computer about a month now. So what has this to do with blogging, especially since I'm obviously using the computer/ Internet now? Well, I had intended on updating everyone when Leah turned five months. That updated included photos. Well, since I'm waiting to upload our camera software, I haven't been able to upload any photos (which is really frustrating). I never expected the issue to continue for so long, but now it looks like it won't be until at least next week when I might hear from someone. And that means at least another week before I can upload and/ or share any photos. (FYI... Leah will be six months old next week. Looks like I'll be posting her five and six month photos together.)

Vampire Baby???

The pictures say it all.... (Notice she's only this way around her daddy. Hmmm...)

Freecycle success?

Yesterday I responded to a Freecycle post and was overjoyed when I was declared the "winner". My prize? Baby food. Though Leah's not eating it yet, she will be in a couple months, so I figured we could hold on to the jars until we need them.

Now, since she's not eating baby food yet, I didn't even think to ask what kind it was, so imagine my disappointment when I picked it up yesterday only to discover that it's none of the real appetizing foods (veggies, fruits). Instead, it's turkey, beef, and ham. Mmmmm, oh so appetizing. Do babies really eat this stuff?

Leah's Latest Stats

Leah had her four month appointment last Friday. Despite the shots, she did really well (at least she didn't fuss too much). She's 12 lbs 7.7 oz (only the 30%, which is a drop from her two month check-up) and 24" (48%). This healthy little girl is also rather active. She's scooting quite a bit; just last night, Scott was showing me how Leah will creep after a toy. Oh boy. I wouldn't be surprised if she's crawling before we head to the beach next month. Oh my!
Yes, Leah was eating the bar of her playmat in the top photo. I really think she's teething (even if it's the early stages). Now that she's getting older, she looks more like Scott (well, at least in some photos). I still say she has my eyes, but she sure does remind me of her daddy in this picture.