Everything's Coming Up Roses....or Daisies

First of all, whoever came up with the concept of hooded towels is a genius. They are way too cute. Here is Leah modeling the towel that she got from Dana, Jon & Micah. It has taken her 10 months to grow into it, but it was worth the wait!



Now for the big news: Leah is crawling all over the place!! Miss Leah may have waited a little longer than many of her friends to crawl (and sit herself up, and pull up), but she decided to wait, and master them all in one weekend. So perhaps, she hasn't quite mastered the pulling up piece yet, but it has been amazing to watch her skills grow with each day. She seems to have a big desire to walk, so I would imagine that she will speed through the crawling so that she can get to the part that interests her.





In the next few weeks, Leah is looking forward to another visit with V.V. She will be staying with Leah and the dogs while Mommy & Daddy take a quick weekend away. It is also time to start planning that first birthday party. Mommy is excited, and in denial at the same time. The months are flying by, and every minute of it has been special. Not always fun, but definitely always special!

Topsail Trip 2008

We just got home from a fun (and way too quick) weekend in Topsail Island, NC. We were there to celebrate V.V.'s birthday. With all of the family, and all of the dogs, there weren't many still moments. However, I think a good time was had by all. There are even discussions of a trip for next year already! I apologize for not including photos of everyone. Some of our family are foster children, and we aren't allowed to share their photos publicly. Rest assured, those boys had a great time too.

The first day out, Leah crashed as soon as we hit the beach. I'm pretty sure you can find similar shots from her February trip to Florida. There must be something about napping al fresco that our girl enjoys.


Here are Leah's furry brothers soaking up the sun. They both enjoy cruising the beach, though they disagree on the point of getting wet. Buffett wants in the water every time. Jack steers clear.


Leah woke up refreshed, and had a grand time playing with V.V. in the sand.


By the time we got Leah out to the beach on the second day, it was unbearably windy. We were out for about 15 minutes before we gave in - you can see in one shot what a baby looks like when she is getting whipped with sand AND her toys are blowing away.

Mother's Day

Thanks to Leah & her Daddy, we had a fantastic Mother's Day around here. Of course, Mommy forgot to take her camera along for the family festivities, so we will have to get those photos from Aunt Kim. In the mean time, here are a few more shots from Passover....


Leah loves her cousins. It looks like she & Charlie are on track to be pals for life!



Finally, a family photo:



We are off to the beach with the Medeiros family this weekend, to celebrate V.V.'s birthday. Many photos sure to follow!

Spring Time & Passover

Leah was a superstar at seder both nights. The yellow dress was for the first night, where she was able to keep up with all of her cousins running around, and 25 adults too! You can see Leah checking out her first matzah ball. She was not much of a fan when Mommy fed it to her, but when she got to feed herself, she was much more interested. The adorable purple outfit was for the second seder. All of the cousins left earlier that night, so then Leah had a really good time being the star of the show. In fact, she provided the after dinner entertainment with her flirting and babbling.






Leah and Samuel enjoyed a beautiful spring day at the park. Leah got a chance to try out the swings for the first time. As you can see, she wasn't too sold on the idea. She liked it for a minute, but then changed her mind. Guess we'll just have to try again another day.





Here is Leah's fancy new "hat"! Perhaps we have a future designer on our hands? Or a model? Who knows, but she sure had fun improvising with this toy.

March/April Thus Far

Ahhh, so we've been slacking a bit in the photo department. V.V. and Pop are missing their Leah, so here are a few shots from the past few weeks. First, Leah has been getting into the playdate groove. Here she is enjoying Anna's company for lunch, and Eleanor's for happy hour. Leah is LOVING being around other kids.



Leah's Daddy had to go away on business for 3 nights, and we missed him a lot. We decided to enjoy the nice spring weather, and greet Daddy as soon as he pulled into the driveway. Here Leah is exploring the interesting textures that the ground made underneath her blanket. She has started to show a love of the outdoors. The other day, she cried and pointed out the window until Bubbe took her back outside!



Finally, here is Leah showing off the souvenir that Daddy brought her from Washington, DC. He really wanted one that said "Madame President", but since he couldn't find that one he settled for "Future President".



Leah's first Passover is in the weeks ahead. We will be sure to get some more pictures up as soon as we can!

March Madness

As usual, Leah is keeping up with a dizzying social schedule. In the past few weeks, she has spent time with her Gholson cousins (photos to follow soon!), and had several play dates. Leah's favorite girl cousin is Sophie - by a mile. Now that Leah is more animated, Sophie is returning the attention in spades. Below you can see the girls getting some snuggle time.



Here is Leah hanging out with Aunt Elaine at brunch.

Leah had lunch with Micah & Jonah - two older men in one date!


Leah is continuing to expand her culinary horizons. She has added yogurt, and the all important bagel (for teething purposes) to her repetoire this week. We are trying to get outside more, since the weather is warming up nicely. We should have a relatively quiet few weeks ahead, but will share the highlights when we can. - J

Beach Bum

Finally! Leah's first ever trip to the beach has been blogged! Of course there are MANY more photos than this, but I almost crashed the whole slide show application trying to include them all. Below are the highlights. Leah was a superstar for her first plane ride. You will see that Leah's first experiences at the beach and pool had some ups and downs. Mommy & Daddy didn't plan the beach well, and arrived very close to Leah's nap time. Combine that, with the fact that Leah sleeps to ocean sounds every night (naps too), and the sound of the real ocean put her over the top. She cried, and then sacked out in the stroller. The first dip in the pool was also not smile-filled, but Leah's confidence grew with each additional swim. You will also note that she had one bathing suit for each swim - what a fashion plate! While we were in FL, Leah also got a chance to meet Mommy's friends, the Burton family. She and Andrew had a great time watching each other over lunch. One more first that we were able to squeeze in was the first shower. Leah seemed to enjoy it once she got the hang of it. Thanks again for a great time Bubbe & Honey!!

If you have a huge desire to see the rest of the pics, let me know. I can e-mail a link to anyone who wants it. - J