A couple more "Firsts"...

After all the excitement of the previous weeks Mom and Dad decided that we all needed some downtime. Mom spent a lot of time getting things done around the house, while I enjoyed exploring my surroundings.

One morning while Mom was taking some boxes to the recycling bin she got an idea. I was in the back yard in my car and saw the whole thing from beginning to end. First, she stopped in her tracks, and I could see the wheels in her head turning. Next thing you know boxes, scissors, and duct tape were lying all over the yard. Before long she had constructed what she called my new fort. Now, I've never had a fort before, and don't know what they are supposed to look like, but this one is AWESOME! There are windows, mirrors, pictures, and all sorts of neat things for me to touch. My favorite is the flooring in the "living room" made of bubble wrap. I could stomp on that for hours.

Dad laughed when he came home from work and saw the monstrosity (its not easy on the eye, but it will do just fine for me!)



Fourth and I became good buddies this week. She lets me pet her from time to time, although I tend to get too excited and shriek with excitement scaring her away. Mom noticed that I have a special name for Fourth, and greet her with it. To the "big people" it sounds like "ih-ie", but at least mom knows whom I am referring to.

I have become quite a big girl but I still enjoy my time in the Johnny Jumper. I know that mom puts me there when she needs a free hand and can't keep a constant eye on me, but I don't mind the restraints because I make the best of it...

Last weekend we celebrated my FIRST Father's Day with the bestest Daddy in the whole world! Mom and I woke up early to decorate the house and make him a special breakfast. We made signs and drew pictures that we put EVERYWHERE! Dad was excited when we all sat down for his Daddy's Day breakfast- and I even got my own plate!

Pancakes, eggs, and cantaloupe- it was AWESOME!

After breakfast the whole family took the "deet" (Jackson) to the beach to play ball. I had a great time watching all the other "deets" run around! When we got back home Mom and Dad gave me a special gift- Mommy's old computer from college. I guess they figured out how much I enjoyed banging on Daddies and gave me one of my own. I love to turn it on and listen to all the noise it can make!






We enjoyed spending a relaxing day at home pampering the greatest Daddy in the world!!!!!

Oh, yeah- I can't believe it has taken me this long to tell you:

The pain from my teeth subsided this week as my 5 new teeth finally surfaced!!!! I now have a mouth full of chompers and Mom jokingly calls me Jaws.



For some reason, with the new teeth has come this urge to bite. The other day Mom and I were playing in the front room and I strolled over to her and bit her hard on the knee. She yelped from what I can imagine was pain coupled with a bit of shock, and would you believe I left a mark? I guess I don't know my own strengths. Mom now warns everyone to be weary...

Just when I thought that my week was going to be boring I got a great surprise; Grandma Schafer came to visit us! I sure enjoyed hanging out with her. She showed me all sorts of silly things, including my NEW FAVORITE face:




She also taught me how to play chase. Mom isn't too happy about that because now I want to play all the time.

Grandma brought her surf board to our house so that she could play out in the Ocean. She told me all about surfing, and I became quite curious so Mom and I went down to the beach one morning to see Grandma in action. Before she went out she showed me how to hang 10.





What a workout! While Grandma was busy catching the waves Mom and I had a picnic on the beach. I got to sit in the Froggy chair that my Great Grandma Schafer gave me. Mom kept trying to keep me out of the direct sun, but I found that hats are more fun to play with than to wear. As you can see I was in the process of taking it off...

We feasted on snacks as we watched the surfers, and Mom was really excited when I learned how to open the box and get my own crackers.




After we ate Mom and I played on the beach for a while, and I practiced putting on sunglasses.

How do I look?

All that action wore me out and I got back in my chair to relax. As you can see I really enjoy lounging...


Grandma really wanted to take me out in the Ocean with her, but she settled for a swim in the spa when we got home instead.

Grandma was able to stay and play with me for 4 WHOLE days and I was very grateful that I got to spend so much time with her. I showed her all my tricks: my waving, my high-fiving, my clapping; I even let her see me walk! Though she only saw me take 3 steps, that's a trick I haven't even shown to Mom or Dad yet. What a lucky Grandma!

I was sad to see Grandma go on Sunday morning after all the fun we'd had, but Mom and Dad made me feel better by taking me to my friend Bella's house.

We had a fun time in the pool, but I WAS NOT HAPPY when Mom tried to dunk me under the water. Since Bella enjoyed it so much I guess she thought I would- boy was she WRONG!

When we got out of the pool she tried to comfort me by holding me. Dad laughed at us and said that something just didn't seem right...

Now that our couple weeks of downtime is over life is back in the fast lane. Pa's birthday is coming up, we are having a 4th of July party at the boat, and my FIRST birthday is on the 12th of July! Lots more fun to come...

Life is Good...

The bigger I get, the more I am exploring this great big wonderful world.

I enjoy crawling in and out of all sorts of things.

For a while I would crawl into a tight space and get stuck. Mom would watch as I struggled to figure it out, but she allowed me to do it on my own and eventually I learned.

Thanks to her "hands-off" approach to learning I am challenging myself and succeeding!

This freedom she gives me has allowed me to travel throughout the house, and my new found love for discovery led me to a deck of cards in a basket under the living room table. Who knew that they could be so fun???

It didn't take me long to find out how to open the box. I asked mom to play 52 card pickup with me but she declined and left me to pick up the mess.

Grandma Schafer came to visit me for the weekend, and I decided to show off some more of my new moves. Aunt Hayley will appreciate this one...

After the weekend was over, I became cranky and unruly. Mom didn't know what to do with me; I was swatting at my ears, and being fussier than ever. After a day went by and nothing changed she took me to the doctor to see if I had another ear infection. The doctor examined me and informed Mom that my only problem was that I was teething again. I have 5 more teeth trying to poke thorough, and when they do I will have a total of 9 teeth! He explained to Mom that I was swatting at my ears because I had learned after my last ear infection that it got me attention...

Mom wasn't too happy when she found out that I had been playing her. The good thing about going to the doctor was that they weighed me and told Mom that I topped the scales at a whopping 17lbs 2oz. Can you believe that I finally hit the big 1-7!!!

When we got home mom helped me ease the pain of teething by giving me these great biscuits. She hates the scent, and loathes the mess they make, but endures it on my behalf. Mom wanted to get a picture of my mouth for everyone to see but I was determined NOT to let anyone open my mouth!

Our week went by like a whirlwind, and before we knew it the weekend was here again. Mom, Dad, and I drove down to San Diego to celebrate Liz Mahan's birthday. Can you believe that I got to take my first ride in a limo! Talk about being a high roller- Inside there were TV's, video games, food, and drinks; it was awesome. The best part was looking out the window and seeing the world fly by. I tried to wave at all the other people on the road, but think they must have been intimidated by me because I didn't get any responses.

Here is a picture of all of us at one of the wineries.

While Daddy and his friends enjoyed the wine, Mom and I enjoyed the food.

We made stops at different wineries throughout the day, but my favorite one was our last stop. There was a big grass area where people sat and enjoyed the day.

After playing with Dad I decided to roam around on my own.

My desire to climb, along with my need to get a hold of Mom's empty energy drink can, led me to venture into the basket below my stroller.

As you can see, I am very adventurous!

After our trip to the wineries, the limo dropped us off and we went to dinner. I "hammed-it-up" with Jason and Liz and everyone loved my high fives!


Since we were at a Mexican restaurant Mom and Dad let me sample the cuisine. I got to eat beans, tortillas, chips, and my personal favorite, guacamole.

Dad decided to let me try a bite of lime. I dove right in, but immediately regretted it. It tasted icky and I don't know what possessed Dad to give it to me, or better yet, what would make him think that I would ever LIKE it.

I spent the next 20 minutes licking my lips to get rid of the taste:

After we ate dinner we drove down to San Diego to see Grandma Schafer and Great Grandma Jensen. I hadn't seen her in a long time, and it was great to be able to show her all the things I am able to do now.

Can you believe that there are four generations of women in those pictures????

Later that night we drove out to Pa's house in Jamul where I feel fast asleep. The day tuckered me out, and I slept like a baby (he he he)

The next morning Pa was up to his usual tricks. I don't know why he thinks it is funny hanging me upside down, but she was sure laughing.

As you can see when I finally got upright I was a little discombobulated!

After my participation in the morning circus I took a nap. When I woke up Great Grandma Jean was at the house. The last few times I saw her we didn't really get along, so in an attempt to buy my affection she brought me cookies and a new chair. Her ploy worked, and we got along just fine!

Grandma Jean and I played for a while, and after she left Dad and Mom took me for my first swim in the big person's pool.

We had a great time swimming and afterwards I was so wiped out from all the excitement that I had to take a 2 hour nap.


For the second time that day when I woke up the house was full of guests. Great Grandma Jean was back with Connie, Randy, and Brandon, and Chris and his Dad came over for the BBQ!

We all hung out on the back patio, eating, drinking, and hanging out. As you can see I mingle with the big people now!

After Great Grandma Jean bought my affection earlier in the day, I spent a lot of time with her and boy are we good buddies now!

There was all sorts of food at the party, and I got to try it all! I was ecstatic!

As I was finishing my dinner Aunt Connie brought out some funny glasses for me to try on.

I think they make me look smart. Brains and Beauty, what a package!!!

Mom thinks I look like the female version of Harry Potter.

After dinner and a bath we had to pack the car and head home. Before we left I showed Pa that I had mastered climbing up and down his stairs.




I sure love spending time with my friends and family, and am looking forward to this coming summer when I get to see my Aunt Hayley, my Uncle Shawn, and lots of other people who love me.

Off to a rocky start...

My week began with a trip to the doctor to confirm that I had an ear infection. Poor Mom couldn't understand why I was so whiny. I tried to give her some clues: I pulled and clawed at my ears, and I think that my disdain for any liquid hinted that my throat may be a little sore...

The trip to the doctor was a miserable experience. They tugged and poked and prodded, and to top it off they flushed out my ears with liquid. Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper.
They did however place me on the scale, and Mom was ecstatic that I had put on some pounds. Can you believe that I now weight 16lbs 8oz?!?!?!?

Despite my ears throbbing, my throat aching, my head pounding, etc. I still managed to keep a rather good disposition. The Doctor gave Mom some medicine for me, but nothing can cure my ailments like hanging out with my Dad!



He helped me walk through the house on his toes, although I don't need to much help movin' these days...

As you have just seen I move with the speed of light, and even Jax has a hard time keeping up with me now.

Even though I was battling sickness, Dad spent extra time with me (unfortunately it resulted in Dad getting sick). He helped me forget all about feeling icky, and taught me a new trick:

My favorite thing is to make that sound on my own. Mom laughs as she hears it from the other room. Because I was sick this week I wanted my Mommy all the time. I cried a lot when she left me in my playroom, so she decided to let me roam around on the floor while she worked in the kitchen. I found the ties to her apron and twisted around with them. Fun can be found everywhere.

During the day Mom would let me roam around the living room while she was working on some Tutu's. I spent most of my time in the curtains playing peek-a-boo.

Being such a BIG girl, Mom lets me sit on my horse and rock back and forth. The bigger I get, the more I am allowed to do.

I have been crawling over to objects and standing up for over a month, but recently started standing up ON MY OWN. Check me out...

Not bad huh?!?!?

Of all the places I have explored throughout the house, my favorite room is the bathroom. Mom and Dad think its gross that I want to hang out in there, but they don't understand how much FUN it is. The door is shut 99% of the day, but every now and again I find it open... grabbing the magazines out of the bin and tearing them up is quite entertaining; the mini trash can makes a great noise when pounded upon; and I have found the holy grail of FUN:

Mom laughed so hard the first 10 times I did that, but didn't think it was to amusing when the water wouldn't stop running. She told me that the bathroom is NOT a playroom and that I shouldn't make plans to play there in the future.

Crawling throughout the house I manage to find interesting items all over. The other day I found a pear on the table and to Mom's surprise I picked it up and began to eat it. I finished most of it before she took my Fun away.

Speaking of eating Mom lets me feed myself at dinner time now. Check out my night with avocado and cous cous:

Obviously I enjoyed dinner, and to top it off I got to take a bath in the BIG GIRL tub!

Just when I thought that life couldn't get any better...