It's Official

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, Leah is growing up. She is officially a toddler. About a month ago she took her first steps and over the past week she has gone from taking a couple of steps to walking everywhere. She still isn't very steady, but she's getting better at it every day. She can even stand up without pulling up on anything. She is so proud of herself. We are proud of her, too.

Pushing her babydoll. Beginning to walk longer distances (one week ago). She thinks she has this walking thing perfected (today). This one is a freebie just because I think it is cute.

Thanksgiving

Okay, so I'm quite a bit late getting this post on here, but at least I made it before Christmas! For a little over a week before Thanksgiving day, Leah had a cold. We decided to go to our family Thanksgiving anyway. Leah did well although you could tell she didn't feel well. You'll see that in the pics later. When we were about 45 minutes from home she began to get very upset to the point there was nothing I could do to keep her calm. She was just screaming at times. By the time we got home, she had a temp of 102.5 and was miserable. We had a long night and headed to the doc the next morning. I am so thankful for a peds group that is open around the holidays and on Saturdays! Thankfully, she did not have an ear infection or strep. The doc diagnosed her with a sinus infection, gave us an antibiotic and the next day she was a different little girl.

Here are a few photos from the day.

Grump is always up to something!

All of the grandchildren.

Can you tell Leah doesn't feel very well?

Great-grandchildren... including one on the way.

We also surprised my brother and sister-in-law with a baby shower.

Boy, does he have a lot to learn!

Leah and her Grump

Just to clarify, my dad chose the name Grump for his grandfather name. It's not that we chose it because he is a grump. He really isn't, but he likes the name. So we will see if Leah really calls him Grump.

So onto the reason for this post. Grump is retired (my mom still works) so he keeps Leah for me when I need someone. He loves it and so does Leah. He kept Leah while I got my hair cut. He told me all about the fun they had while I was gone. Later that day I received photos which more accurately described the fun. Just so you know, my dad enjoys whittling a stick to have in his mouth while on his daily walk (it's a very southern thing or maybe an older man thing).

The caption of the e-mail containing the following photos was "Grump and Leah on the patio relaxing and discussing philosophy, politics and other current world events." Enjoy!

Leah is Learning to Walk

Leah has been trying to learn to walk recently. She's been cruising around furniture for a little while, but has really been using her walker toys much more often and with increased balance. A couple of weeks ago she spent most of her time tripping over her feet or pushing the walker out too far in front. I think they are a little tall for her, but you can't really adjust them. She seems to be getting the hang of it despite the height challenge. Then she made a turning point today. She and her grump discovered a new kind of "walker" that is much more suited for her height. Now she can cruise all around the living room at a much faster speed. She loved it!

Yes, it's a chair! It glides amazingly well over the carpet.

Cruising through the living room.

She had to take a break to show me her new bracelet. Thanks, Aunt Dana!

Leah Visits the Pumpkin Patch

Leah made her first visit to the pumpkin patch today. We had a great time. The weather was great. Gran was able to go with us. Along with riding in the covered wagon and finding some pumpkins, Leah got to see several of the animals that we look at in her books. She didn't know what to think. She did learn that a goose does not make the noise "honk" like mommy says. She now makes the new goose noise which sounds more like a loud grunt. Here's a few photos from the day. (I couldn't get any with the animals due to some children running around wildly.)

"This is the one I want."This place is great!

Leah and her Gran.

Leah Goes to the Dentist

My mom works for Dr. Norby. He is a great pediatric dentist. So Leah had her first visit to the dentist the week after her first birthday. Thankfully, due to good brushing techniques she did not have a cavity in any of her 5 teeth. She didn't really like the cleaning or the exam, but as soon as she sat up she was happy as could be.

Mom is showing Leah the mirror. So far so good. She's getting a little suspicious."Oh, this is not good!!"

Leah's First Boat Ride

My brother and sister-in-law took our family out to the lake to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was Leah's first time to ride in a boat. She didn't really like the life jacket. I can't say I could blame her. Although, it was the smallest size my dad could find (and he searched diligently), it was still so big that she couldn't sit down without it pushing up on her head. As long as we helped her stand she was fine. She really enjoyed it, but eventually she gave up and went to sleep. It was a great day.