Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Halloween

While this was not Leah's first Halloween, this was the year of her first costume! She was a lovely purple iris, and Jack was a busy bee. They went as a pair to the Halloween party at All Creatures Animal Hospital (we're still waiting to hear the results of the costume contest, as they vote by secret-ballot after the party). As always, Jack doesn't mind the body of the costume, but he is never a fan of the head-gear. On the big night, we went to Bubbe's house, and checked out the Glen Errol Halloween festivities. Leah got to hang out with cousins NASCAR Charlie, and Spidey Max. It was a fun time for all, and we look forward to doing it again next year! Hope you all had happy haunting. =)



Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Great Maine Adventure

Leah has returned from her big road trip to Maine and back. She was an absolute super-star! Especially remarkable for a 15-month old to sit still for that long. We made stops in Raleigh and CT on our way up, before forging on to ME. Of course, our first stop in Maine was at Kittery for lobster rolls and whoopie pies. Leah her first taste of lobster very much.


Leah got to meet her friend, Caly for the first time this trip. Caly is 6 months old, 3+ inches shorter than Leah, but weighs almost a full pound more! The girls hit if off well, and it was fun for Leah to be the "big kid" for once. She helped return dropped toys to Caly, and inspired Caly to clap her hands.


Leah met 3 very special guys this trip too. We didn't get a picture of her with Uncle Al (aka: Uncle Boom), but below you can see her goofing off with Uncle Neil & Uncle Jimmy. She found all three men highly entertaining. She especially thought it was funny when Al or Neil tickled her. Leah loved spending time with Aunties Shannon & Kris as well. She has met them both before, but not since she had much conscious memory. Shannon had story time with both babies. They all had fun, and it was a nice break for the mommies too.




Leah got to go on her first apple-picking expedition. She had a great time picking apples (with, or without adult help). She also got to put those new top teeth to work, and learned how to take a bite out of a whole apple.


We were SO lucky to get this time with friends. We had a terrific time just hanging out, and the scenery was brilliant. Our next goal is to plan another get together for 2009!!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Burt's Farm

Leah had a very exciting adventure today. We rode out to Burt's Pumpkin Farm in Dawsonville, GA. There we went on a hay ride through the farm, and Leah romped among the pumpkins. They had pumpkins of all sizes, from tiny to HUGE...and from the traditional orange to blue! Leah loved the hay ride, and pointed out every flower and pumpkin that we passed along the way. Two other firsts, Leah tasted her first fresh apple cider (iced to combat the North Georgia Indian Summer), and her first fried apple pie. Today was a simple day, but so much fun for all of us! We were able to spend some time together, and it is so amazing to watch Leah experience fun new firsts. Seeing the world through her eyes is a very beautiful experience. Now we're aiming to rest up, before we hit the road for Maine. Hopefully I'll get some photos of the front porch once we have all of the pumpkins set up.








Thursday, October 2, 2008

Busy Baby

As usual, Leah has been a very busy girl. She has spent a lot of time with family lately, including her cousins. She is also in the process of moving to 1 nap/day. This is a big transition, and some days it is working better than others for Leah. Luckily, we are able to stay pretty flexible, and try to ease into the new schedule. Two of Leah's newest interests are shoes and purses. You can see here her bold fashion decision - nothing accessorizes fish pajamas better than (fake) Prada.


We've been able to spend some good time at the park lately. The weather has been great for it. The most exciting news there is that Leah FINALLY likes the swings! Up until two weeks ago, she would cry every time she got on the swing. Now she giggles and smiles. She especially enjoys it when she has other friends to watch swinging next to her.



Up ahead for Leah is the pumpkin patch this weekend. Then, we head out for Maine shortly thereafter. This will be a huge adventure for all of us, and we're looking forward to seeing Auntie Shannon, Auntie Kristen, Uncle Al, Uncle Neil and Caly!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Long Time No Blog

Ahhhh, so now that Leah is on the run it is hard to keep up! She may not actually be running, but she is walking all over the place. Here are a few shots of Leah from the beach. We had a fantastic time in Watercolor with Bubbe, Honey, Uncle Michael, Aunt Kim, Sophie, Max, & Charlie. Leah was NOT a fan of the beach itself, but she made up for it in the pool and at home. We also got a treat when Auntie Michelle visited for an afternoon.




Mommy & Daddy have seen Holly & Kirk over the past year, but they had yet to meet Leah. We finally had a breakfast date, and Leah was intrigued by Kirk. She is such a flirt!


Suddenly, Leah has decided that sunglasses are cool. Here she is modeling her shades. I think she has realized that she gets BIG reactions from people when she walks into the room in those shades.


In the next few weeks, Leah's calendar is pretty busy. We've got a Dinerman/Schulman/Katz family get together, and we'll be celebrating cousin Charlie's fist birthday. It all leads up to our great Maine vacation in October. I'll try to be better about getting this thing updated more often. Since Leah is moving, it is also hard to get pictures of her sitting still!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Year 2 Begins

Leah has been a busy girl since her birthday. She had her 1-year check up, where we confirmed that she is still a little shrimpy! She weighs 17lbs, 15 ozs, and is 29 inches long. That puts her at the 6th percentile for weight, but the 48th for height. A tallish-skinny baby, are you sure she came home to the right house? Too bad, we're keeping her anywy!

Leah had a fun excursion to the Georgia Aquarium with Micah & Jonah. This is extra-special, since Jonah came all the way from Alabama to play! This was Leah's first visit to the Aquarium since she was 4 months old. It goes without saying that she was able to enjoy it on a whole new level at this visit. She really enjoyed the tropical reef, and Beluga whales the most. Here she is standing at the reef, watching all of the fish go by. Leah gets extra kudos for that day, because she hung in there on "big kid time". She skipped her usual morning nap, and was an absolute trooper. At the end of the day, she definitely crashed, but she deserved it!



Leah essentially eats what we eat these days. Though, the lack of many teeth can be an obstacle for some foods. The pediatrician gave her the all-clear to try peanut butter, but I haven't given her any yet. Here you can see her enjoying the sheer messiness of a pasta dinner. As with most kids, the messier the food, the more she enjoys it!


Finally, Leah got the chance to spend a fun-filled weekend at Bubbe & Honey's lake house with the Galbraith Family. Leah and Sam are pals, and spend tons of time together. However, it was really funny to see them be surprised when the other was still there after a nap...or in the morning...Leah & Sam swam at the pool, and enjoyed hanging on the dock in the evening and morning. They even got to dip their toes into the lake! I think it is safe to say that all parties had fun, and we'll try to plan another visit to the lake together soon.



Up next on Leah's social calendar: Dinerman Family trip to the beach! We're heading out for a week, and looking forward to hanging out with cousins Sophie, Max & Charlie. The only potential problem is that Leah will have to share Bubbe & Honey with her cousins! Look for photos when we return!!

Birthday Girl!

I can't believe that Leah's first year with us has come and gone. I REALLY can't believe that her party was weeks ago, and I'm just now getting things updated. Leah had a fantastic birthday week, really. Her V.V. and Pop arrived from Raleigh on Wednesday, and spent the week playing and helping with party preparations. Leah partied with Samuel on Saturday the 19th to celebrate his 1st birthday. Then, the 20th was her big party day. She got to spend the afternoon with friends and family, and had so much fun visiting. Leah is in a very social stage, so she was thrilled to see so many faces in one place. She hung out in her high chair, and chowed on pizza before the cake was served.



And boy was their cake! With V.V.'s help, I made doggie cupcakes with yellow cake & caramel frosting. Since they were very labor-intensive, those were only served to the children. Mama Judy made Leah the most adorable cake of her own - with two tiers! Mama Judy also made a delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting for the rest of the guests to enjoy. You can see below the results of the carnage!


On Monday, the 21st, Leah spent her actual birthday with her parents and grandparents. She opened gifts in the morning - who knew ripping paper could be so much fun?!? Then, in the afternoon we went swimming at Bubbe's pool, and had a quiet dinner with Bubbe, Honey, V.V. and Pop.



It goes without saying that we have MANY more photos of the weekend. However, in the interest of not crashing Blogger.com, we only put a few here. If you aren't on Facebook, and want to see more, let me know! I can't close a post about Leah's first year without thanking everyone who has had a hand in this adventure. You all know who you are - offering moral support and/or physical reinforcements. Leah's life so far is enriched by each of you. Here's to year number 2!
Lilypie 2nd Birthday Ticker