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!

Lake Lovely

Leah spent the 4th of July learning about the wonders of Bubbe & Honey's lake house. She swam at the Lake Club a few times, and had a fantastic time watching the other kids swim.


Here is Leah in her Independence Day best - red & white. She had a blast at Lou & Paula's. She feasted on BBQ (which made Daddy so proud), but alas, she did not make it all the way until fireworks time. Bubbe took her home early, so that Mommy & Daddy could see the show.


Leah also got to experience her first cruise on the lovely waters of Oconee. She seemed to enjoy the breeze, and watching the scenery. However, she is still a little on the small side for her life jacket. It kept riding up, and eventually she started using it as a chew toy! Leah also got to man the captain's chair for a bit, and help Captain Honey steer the boat!

Another Month Down

I know I say it a lot, but time really is flying by. Today I ordered paper goods and party favors for Leah's first birthday party. It is merely 3 weeks away! I catch myself doing a lot of "This time last year..." thinking, and am constantly amazed at how different (and mostly amazingly sweet) life is now. Here are the highlights of the end of Leah's first June:

Leah has been hitting the pool a lot. Here she is floating with Micah. Micah is one of her favorite friends. At six months older, he is just advanced enough to keep her interest without being so far advanced that Leah gets frustrated.


Leah has been trying many new foods in the past few weeks (including cheese pizza). In the instance below, she got her first taste of yellow kiwi. As you can see, it was VERY popular.


Here are some shots of Leah and Anna from Anna's first birthday party. The girls were born exactly 3 weeks apart. In the face-forward shot, you can see Leah's first goose-egg/bruise combo. That's what you get when you try to duck and roll on the changing table...



Miss Leah is about to wrap up her first year, and enter her second with a bang. Before we hit the 1-year mark, she will be celebrating the 4th of July at Lake Oconee with Bubbe & Honey AND visiting the NC mountains with Daddy Erwin, Mama Judy, and the rest of the Dinerman crew. Finally, V.V. and Pop are coming into town to celebrate the big B-day. Stay tuned for new photos soon!

June So Far

Leah was lucky enough to have V.V. come visit for a week. She had a great time playing with V.V., and even learned to play the maracas. Mommy & Daddy were lucky enough to have V.V. watch Leah and the dogs so that they could take a little belated 5th anniversary escape! Also, you will see some photos of Leah and dogs. Of course, you see her climbing into bed with Jack. She will go ANYWHERE that Jack is. Their new favorite game is chase. Mommy is going to try to get it on video, because it is very funny. Leah also climbed into bed with V.V.'s dog, Sunny. Sunny was very well behaved, but I think you can read the panic on her face. She thinks babies are fine....from afar.






Leah's Daddy had to work through part of his first Fater's Day. However, he was able to wrap it up in time to squeeze in a visit to the pool before dinner at Bubbe's house. Leah's first few visits to the pool this Summer have not been as well-received as today's was. That is extra impressive, since she completely skipped her afternoon nap today. She hung out in the water for about 20 minutes, and had a great time floating and kicking.

Girl on the Move

As we mentioned before, Leah waited a bit longer than most of her friends to become mobile. However, now the child won't sit still! Keep in mind that this her moving after 1 week of practice. Not too shabby, if we do say so ourselves! If you watch with the sound on, you can hear her "talking" towards the end of the clip. In other news this week, Leah's first little tooth broke through. It looks like there are a few more on the way pretty soon as well.

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!