Corn on the Cob

We introduced Leah to corn on the cob tonight, and she loved it! The corn was sweet and "yummy, yummy" and the cob served as a great teether. We're all anxious for native corn this summer!

Camp is open!

Nannie returned from Florida this weekend, and we joined her at camp on Saturday. I wish I could say we helped her open camp, but most everything was done by the time we arrived. Erik did a few jobs, but mostly we enjoyed the sunshine and good company. Leah loved playing on the beach - just a preview of how much fun we'll have this summer!

































Leah and Nannie walking on the back road.




















More fun in the sand!




















To see more pictures, click here.

Words

Leah has been saying a few words for a while now - her favorite is her very own name.... Wee-aah. She went through a phase at day care where she said her own name over and over again. In fact, Owen's mom (Katye, who is a friend from yoga class, too) reports that instead of Mama or Dada, Owen's first word is Lee-laa! Maybe teaching is in her genes! In the past few weeks, Leah's vocabulary has exploded. Here are a few examples:

Yah or Da = yes (Russian influence???)
Dada = Daddy or doggie, depending on the context
Dat = that (we think this came from asking, "What's that?")
Mama
Baawl = ball
Baybee = baby
Jah = jacket (she LOVES to get her jacket because it means we're going outside!)
Uh-Oh
Weeee
Yummy yummy yummy

Leah also shrugs her shoulders and turns up her palms whenever asked a question, even if she knows the answer. It's very funny - maybe I'll capture it on the camera one of these days.

A Few Cute Pics!

Is Springbrook open yet?




















Hanging out with Dad.















What's going on up there?




















Curlie Q.

Nanie K. and Grandpa Gordon's Visit

Nanie K. and Grandpa Gordon couldn't have picked a better week to visit! We were all (finally) on the mend after sharing some kind of nasty bug. And, in terms of weather, we seemed to skip spring and jump right into summer! We enjoyed some nice walks, visits to playgrounds, and even meals outside on the deck.

Here's the crew at Willard Beach (after a stop for some goodies at Scratch Bakery).

Leah walking with Grandpa Gordon - she did just fine until she realized those jeans didn't belong to her dad!




















Leah discovered that holding TWO hands can be lots of fun!














Exploring at the Maze Craze playground in Falmouth.

Leah received a "baybee" as a gift from her grandparents. She's having lots of fun carrying it around with her (in its bassinet, of course) and pointing to it's nose, eyes, ears, etc. Too cute!

A music lesson with Nanie K.

Leah's First Bike Ride!

We were very excited to take Leah on her first bike ride! Last fall we found a very 80's neon bike trailer on Craig's List, and today was the day to try it out. Our weather was supposed to be rainy and cold, but since this morning it's been dry and somehow we took advantage of a short window of sunshine.

Here's Leah just loving that she's outside! I wonder who she gets that from? This summer will be so much fun!




















Ready....














Set....




















GO!




















In the end, I think Erik and I were much more excited than Leah. I'm sure it seemed much like a stroller ride to her. While she wasn't too animated during the ride, she did enjoy taking in the scenery.

You may have noticed that it's been a while since our last post. Last Friday I received a call from Kay to pick Leah up from day care. When we got home, she had a 102 degree fever! This ended up lasting 5 days. When we took her to see her pediatrician, he figured she came down with the flu, and then developed an ear infection from the congestion that didn't clear. Who really knows? Leah was a real trooper, though. At times she had enough energy to play, although mostly she just wanted to sit with one of us and read some of her favorite books (Dear Zoo, Brown Bear, Ten Little Ladybugs, Maisy's Big Flap Book, and her photo album).

Ready for the Open Road

Leah's bike helmet arrived in the mail today (we ordered it from REI since we had dividend money to spend). She thought it was novel to try it on, but the novelty wore off quickly. Hopefully the weather, and Leah's patience for wearing a helmet, will cooperate so we can go for a ride this weekend!

Swings, Slides, and Snow

The Riverton School and Community Center has a great playground that we enjoy year round. Leah always loves to swing and slide, but this time she particularly liked walking in the snow. It was only an inch or so deep so she could walk on her own, hear it crunch, and see her very own footprints.














Weeeee!




















Ready for a snowball fight!




















I just adore this one...

A Very Special Hand-Me-Down

Here's Leah looking cute in a comfy fleece jacket. It was given to her when she was just a few weeks old by the mom of a little girl I used to babysit. I can't believe Leah is already outgrowing it! AND, I can't believe that Sarah, the original owner, is in college!!

Bruno's Birthday Party

Leah got all dressed up to go to Bruno's birthday party! Now that she's walking, dresses are more sensible, although Leah's not a big fan of putting on tights. Who is? She recovered well, though, when she realized we were going to put on her Mary Janes, too. The shoe obsession continues!




















The Birthday Boy himself!




















The drum was a big hit (no pun intended, actually)!

Easter Weekend Adventures

Easter weekend has been full and exciting for us. We somehow arrived early to our 8:30am Saturday morning swim class. While sitting at the edge of the pool kicking our feet, Leah decided to slide right in (just as I was talking to a mom on the other side). All those advice givers are not kidding when they say these things happen SO quickly! Instinct kicked in, as I don't even remember reaching down to pull her back up. Erik said it looked completely casual - I'm glad it appeared that way! Leah was fine and we pretended that it was just as fun as all those dunks we do during the lesson itself. Thank goodness she loves the water!

Sunday morning was an early one, too. We decided to go to the Easter service at a local Lutheran church. This is not the normal routine for us, but Leah did remarkably well. From there, we headed to camp for our annual winter (spring?) walk down to the lake. On the way, we stopped at Jillson's Farm for the Maine Maple Sunday festivities. We got lots of maple treats (maple ice cream with maple syrup was, hands down, Leah's favorite)! And, we saw a variety of farm animals. Leah was very skeptical of the sheep.















Erik managed to say upright for most of the steep section!















It's a beautiful spot anytime of year.















No deck furniture needed!




















See more photos of our camp trip here.

Yoga Babies Birthday Bash

Last weekend we went to a big one-year birthday bash. Everyone there met at a prenatal yoga class, and we've kept in touch ever since (through e-mail, potlucks, cafe visits, etc.). This photo captures only some of the chaos!

Spring in Maine

We've had quite a winter, and this year spring means that the roads, at least, are clear of snow so Leah can practice her walking skills. Just the other day she discovered the fun of puddles!

And, her independence is growing with each step!

I hope you noticed her rain boots. They are cute, right? Well, Leah sure thinks so. She'd wear them to bed if we let her. Honestly, she's completely obsessed with shoes. She'll wear yours or mine or hers on both feet and both hands. Just today Leah's note from day care said, "She watches Simon and when he loses a Croc she goes and tries to slip her foot in... sometimes successfully!"

Finally, we're still maintaining our photo gallery. If you just can't get enough, click here.

Ok... we're really blogging now

It took a while for us to become convinced, but we've decided to use this blog as a way to share our family happenings with all of you. Below are some videos that will catch you up on Leah's winter. Everything from sledding to scooting in the kitchen to her latest dance moves!

Leah's on two feet!

Once upon a time I thought I might use this blog to post pictures of Leah. We're still happy with Picasa Web for that, but this seems like a better place ot post videos...

Leah has found the confidence to take more than just a couple steps - check out her moves (and our 70's tile floor that we can't wait to replace this summer) in the video below.

2008 and finally blogging...

Well, we're finally upgrading to a blog. We'll see how this new mode of electronic communication works for us...