Leahnese

Our little Le Le is talking non-stop these days. There was a time in her life when I was concerned because she babbled so little. I remember asking Mrs. Pam (her babysitter) if she talked any less than other kids at daycare her age. She told me to just wait! Today I jotted down all of the words she is saying that she knows and understands. She repeats EVERYTHING we say, but this is a list of the words she says and understands on her own at thirteen plus months.

• book (without the k sound)
• bye bye
• snack - na
• Papaw - pu paw
• Nana
• Mimi
• kitty
• puppy
• baby
• Mama
• Dada
• fish - fi (goldfish crackers)
• more - muh (as she signs it)
• tree - tee
• night night - ni ni
• milk - mi (without the lk sound)
• papa (pacifier)
• Chris - key
• bike - bi (without the k sound)
• french fry - fich fie
• poo poo (anytime we change her diaper)
• bath - ba (without the th)
• pool - puh
• hi
• purple (when reading her colors book, she can even point it out)
• blue - boo (also in her colors book where she can point it out)
• again - gin (anytime she's doing something fun like riding in the laundry basket)
• pineapple - piiiiiiiiineapple (with her mouth open wide for the iiiiiiiii part)
• apple
• ball - ba (and knows that you throw balls so she does all the time)
• bunny - buh buh (her bunny cookies that Mimi gave her that she loves)
• bear - be (without the ar)
• Trey - ta (her green monkey)
• Pam - pa
• block - bah (sounds like ball)
• bite - bi (without the t, anytime we're feeding her with a spoon)
• pig - pi (without the g sound, she can point out pigs in books, on tv and on her toys)
• duck - duh (she can also point these out in her books)
• hot - hawwwwwwwwwwwt (with her mouth open wide for the awwwwww part, Mimi taught her this one)
• nose - no (she can grab our noses when we ask but has trouble finding her own, she reaches for her mouth instead)
• George - ju (like jug without the g, her Curious George monkey)
• Kelley - key (she says everyones names as we look at pictures in hallway, she knows who each person is)
• mmmm hmmmm (she nods yes while she's eating when we ask her if it's good and says this)
• uh oh - uh (without the oh)

And our favorite that Daddy taught her tonight at dinner.......

• muh (when we ask her what the cow says)

Exercise

Because we haven't been able to go to "My Gym" while we've been in Texas, Leah had to find other ways to exercise.....

• Cheerleading

• Playing Football

• Running Track

• Swinging

• Bike Riding

Go Mustangs!

It looks like the Denver City Mustangs (and Fillies) have a new cheerleader joining the squad! She even learned a little cheer.....anytime we say "Go Fillies" she throws her arms up in the air and smiles really big!

What Happens in Vegas.....

The time finally came for Luke's twice-a-year Las Vegas market. It is usually at the end of July; however, this year it fell in the middle of September. Nana (or Papaw) usually come to stay with us while Daddy's away, but this time we decided to head South. We all flew to Vegas on Saturday where Papaw met us and then on Sunday, Leah, Papaw and I flew to Texas while Daddy stayed in Vegas for work! Leah absolutely loved all of the bright lights and loud music and even enjoyed riding in her first cab! She is already looking forward to her next trip!

Dear Baba

Dear Baba,

The time has come that we bid you farewell. You've been such an important part of our lives for the past thirteen months, but we know that the time is right. The sooner we wave goodbye, the easier it will be on all of us. No one wants to see a four-year-old drinking from a baba!


You've had your ups and your downs. Sometimes you would leak and sometimes I couldn't get your lid off without a bit of cursing under my breath. (I know that wasn't your fault, baba. Daddy always tended to tighten you a little too tightly for me.)


Thank you for being such a special part of my baby's life! You stepped in to feed her in the early days when I couldn't. I cried and cried and cried when you took my place and gave my baby something to eat when she was just days old. I didn't want to have to compete with you, but I must now thank you. You filled my baby's tummy when she was starving and I had nothing to offer. You were then very happy to take a backseat for awhile but were still available when we needed you. Little Leah seemed to like us both so jealousy was never an issue! I did let you take center stage in all public outings, however! Wasn't that sweet of me!

I was very thankful when you became BPA free because washing you by hand every single night was no fun at all! You know you had fun in the dishwasher! Who wouldn't! I thought of you tonight as I loaded the dishwasher and saw your basket sitting empty.


I'm so sorry that you were never able to enjoy juice or water. You were so good at serving formula, and most recently milk, so why ruin a good thing! Actually, not allowing you to serve juice or water is part of us being able to say goodbye. It was all part of the training process. I'm dying to ask you which was your favorite, formula or milk? My guess is formula because we got to shake you and sing the "shake shake shake" song that Leah loved so much and learned to mimic! I'll admit, though, that my favorite is the milk as it is much cheaper, even in its organic form.

Maybe we shouldn't think of this as goodbye but as an I'll see you later. I know that we'll meet again in the future! Until then, sleep tight dear baba and enjoy your vacation in the cabinet! I promise to give you a good washing before you make another debut!

Thank you again!

Leah's Mommy

When in San Francisco.....

1. Take a stroll through Ghirardelli Square!

2. Enjoy lunch and dinner with a view and a white tablecloth! No pink placemat required here!

3. Enjoy a carrot cupcake from Kara's Cupcakes! These aren't just Oprah's favorite anymore!

4. Enjoy people watching all of the crazies along the wharf!

5. Ride a street car!

6. Listen to the sea lions bark while holding your nose! They're a little bit stinky!

7. Visit Alcatrez! This is one of Mommy's favorites and she promises to take me one day!

8. Wander through the crowds on Pier 39!

9. Take in the views of downtown from atop Macy's while enjoying a snack!

10. Run around Union Square!
11. And finally, just like Frank Sinatra, leave your heart in San Francisco!

Thirteen Months

It's so hard to believe that my baby girl turned thirteen-months-old today! I'm not really sure when you stop counting your baby's age in months, but I still enjoy snapping a picture of her on her very special day of the month! Some things I want to remember about Leah at this age:

• Her walking is getting much faster, and, at times, it seems as if she's running!


• She has four teeth on the bottom and two on the top.


• She knows how to blow kisses!


• She's a signing pro with eat, bath, night night, all done and more all part of her signing vocabulary.


• She's starting to repeat words we say. It's time to really start thinking before we speak!


• Her favorite toys are her two monkeys, George and Trey.


• She loves to eat and will eat most anything. Her favorites are macaroni-and-cheese and a can of mixed veggies. She also loves pineapple so much that she can say the word!


• She still loves her pa pa (pacifier) but only gets it in the car and in her bed.


• She's sitting in her carseat like a big girl now getting to face forward.


• She gives kisses and hugs when asked.


• She's a happy, friendly little girl waving and smiling at everyone she meets.


• She loves babies, can spot one a mile away and even refers to them as "baby." She absolutely loves to look at pictures on the computer of herself and will say "baby" to each and every picture.

And so it begins.....

I am a self professed blog "stalker." That's right! I'm addicted to reading blogs, even those of complete strangers! I don't feel guilty as I have gotten so many "mommy" ideas this way.....some fun, others brilliant and even a few that merely help me survive my new role! With that being said, I think it is time that I invite the world wide web into my life, the one I share with my amazing husband, Luke, and ridiculously adorable daughter, Leah! Welcome to our world! Some days are beyond boring and others we can barely keep up! Join us on this wild ride we call life!