Baby Girl Photos

Peeking out from between my medals and apron on the telephone cart

Leah loves being spun around in the recliner. If she wants a "ride", she'll "walk" over to it.

Why is it that babies love to carry things in BOTH hands?

Master of the walker.

Leah saw Scott outside so she crawled over to the door and pulled herself up to her knees to get a better look.

Leah and her friend Will spent some quality time together sharing books.

"What's this? A hand? It's FASCINATING!"

Guess who's taught Mom (me) how to mellow out a bit when it comes to toys/ messes?

Upon opening the door in the island cabinet, she discovered me waiting on the other side.

Picky Eater

No, I'm not talking about Leah; I mean Scott. The funny thing is, I never really considered him to be picky until recently.


I guess technically, he's not the typical picky eater since he'll eat whatever I make for dinner. He's just picky in that there are certain foods that he simply doesn't like (like most people). For instance, he doesn't "do" beans (legumes-- black, kidney) or fish (except for salmon). He's also not big on "non-traditional" vegetables (eggplant, squash, peppers, sweet potatoes, etc.) and certain fruits (bananas, clementines, etc.).


While there are foods that I don't like either (ham-- it's a texture thing), I'm more open to trying new foods. I love looking through cookbooks for new recipes, but often find myself disappointed. Many dishes that I'd like to try I won't because I know that Scott won't like them. Granted, I know that he'll eat them, but I want him to enjoy them, too. (I've realized that cooking and baking have become demonstrations of love; I do them and enjoy them because it's one way for me to show others I care.)

Eggplant parmigiana? Not tonight. Vegetable lasagna? Nope, don't think so. Shrimp scampi? Never. Guess we'll stick to good ole PB & J.

11 months

Eleven Months Old (yet another cold)

Baby on the move!

I can't believe our little girl is eleven months old! I feel as though I cannot get enough of every moment with her, so maybe that's why the time is passing so quickly. Within the past month she's already grown so much... unbelievable! Since it's hard to group her growth into specific categories, I'll just bullet it for you.

*She's rather proficient at getting up and down now. When she wants something, she will quickly pull herself up... or get back down to a crawling position. (We noticed the latter last night; she had been standing next to the footstool, but when we pulled out her high chair for dinner, she quickly got back down on the floor and bolted our way.)

*She's learning to walk with the walker, but she still prefers holding our hands. Leah takes full advantage of the time when Scott and I are both home; holding onto my hands (or Scott's), she'll walk over to Scott. Then, she'll grab one of his hands. From there, we take a family stroll around the house (usually out to Wags, the bobble-head dog that sits by the front door).

*We think we might have a soccer player in training; she loves kicking her toys along the hardwood floor.

*A favorite pastime of hers is standing outside the exersaucer while Scott sticks his hand up through the middle. Now whenever she's by the exersaucer, she'll lean into the center looking for Scott's hand, even when he's not home.

*Lately, Leah's had an insatiable appetite. Often, I'll eat breakfast after she's eaten. As soon as I sit down to enjoy my cereal with bananas, Leah makes a beeline for me, eager to eat a second breakfast. She'll then join me (on my lap) for bananas. Though eating without her on my lap is certainly easier, I do enjoy those moments with her.

*Though you wouldn't know it by the way she and her friends play together, Leah's learning to share, well, with me and Scott, that is. While eating now, she'll offer us some of her meal. She'll do the same with some of her toys; she'll extend them to our mouths, and then retract them. She's also figured out how to play peek-a-boo while drinking her bottle. She'll grab her burp cloth, cover her face, and then pull it off.

*Since turning eleven months last Wednesday, Leah's been working on her top four teeth. Yes, four. The first of the four cut through Sunday. I think a couple others made their way through last night (poor baby); she woke up in pain, and it took us about an hour to get her to calm down and go back to sleep.

*When she doesn't realize it, Leah will stand on her own. She's pulled herself up to (free) standing on a couple of occasions, but when she realizes she has, she then grabs onto something (or someone). She stood on her own for minute intervals the other day because she was distracted by some of my medals that are hanging on the telephone cart.

My baby girl is growing up so fast! Thankfully, I'm enjoying every minute with her, and doing what I can to capture each moment forever.

Snow, snow everywhere...

and no place left to put it.

I didn't fully appreciate the amount of snow that fell this weekend until I stepped outside on Sunday to take some pictures. Oh my. Scott said he had to climb on top of the piles just to shovel us out! Like several others we know, finding a place to put all the snow has been the real challenge. The front of the driveway isn't an issue, since there's yard on either side. The problem area is the middle and end of the driveway because of the trees and bushes that flank it.

To compound this snow removal issue, the forecasters are now calling for 10-18 MORE inches tonight into tomorrow. Ugh!! Poor Scott. He was lamenting this prediction yesterday, especially since he has yet to fully recover from the eight HOURS of shoveling he did this past weekend.

Oh spring, where are you?

Well, at least it LOOKS pretty... until you have to shovel it.

Yup. There's the mailbox.

The poor tree at the front corner of the house couldn't handle the weight of the snow.

See our neighbor's house? You're not supposed to, but the bushes that normally block the view are bent over and into our driveway.

Perfection.

Lately, I've been thinking about how hard it (life) must have been for Jesus' siblings since he was perfect. Literally. The Christmas season put this thought in my mind, but as Scott and I contemplate when we'll try for another child, I can't help but wonder what that child will be like. After all, Leah's such a good baby that I often think she's spoiled us. Which brings me back to Jesus.

Perfect. In absolutely every way. Can you imagine? Even as an infant he was without sin. I can't even picture what he must have been like as a baby. And then think about him as a toddler. No terrible twos or threes there. Can you imagine a little one who was always obedient, who never threw a tantrum?

On the flip side, imagine the stress that Mary and Joseph must have experienced. There they were, imperfect, sinful people raising God's perfect Son. Need I say more?

And what about Jesus' siblings? Did they experience jealousy or envy? After all, their older brother was perfect, so doesn't that imply he was the apple of his parents' eyes? Wouldn't he be considered the favored one? Imagine how difficult life must have been for them knowing that their brother was the Promised One, the Saviour. Talk about sibling rivalry!

I'd like to expound on this idea, but I'm speechless; how can I fully understand Christ's perfection when we humans are so far from it?