Kitties, pups, and dancing

Contrary to what these pictures may lead you to believe, we don't just sleep all day around here. Well, ok, the kitties do.


The basket is perfectly Paka-sized.

Bosley wanted to get in on some basket action, but Paka wasn't going to give it up.

Ohhh Heidi... the dog that wanted nothing to do with Leah, that would have been happier if she never came home from the hospital. And now? Now she can't get enough of giving Leah kisses, rubbing up on her, romping around her, etc., to the point where we have to tell her to get away because it's JUST TOO MUCH. Leah even steals Heidi's food from her bowl while she's eating, and though Heidi used to growl at her, now she just shares it (I know, I'm not an advocate of eating dog food, but sometimes it happens). In the picture above, Heidi is displaying her most recently frequented resting spot-- outside Leah's door while Leah takes a nap. So sweet.

Beware: the following video shows some nudity. Leah got a toy chest for her birthday, and she likes to use the box it came in as a stage while she dances. I made the mistake of letting her run around in "just the diaper" and naturally, her diaper was yanked off (see earlier posts regarding that), and she decided to dance for a bit.

I should point out that we've made some progress on the music front. While before she would only dance to Haddaway, Madonna, or some kind of techno/club music with a heavy beat, she is now starting to expand her musical interests to children's tunes.

Oh, and please excuse the mid-dance fat man belly scratch.

Our family of 3...

... is becoming a family of 4! That's right, Jared and I had so much fun the first time around, that we decided to give it another go. Baby Judy #2 is due on March 15, 2010. Not that ultrasound pictures are very exciting, but here's some added proof...


And for all you jokesters out there, there is only one baby in there. ONE. God knows that I'd go crazy if there were any additionals. :)

We are super excited and feel very blessed to be having a second child. So much so, that we wanted to get Leah a shirt to help spread the news. Unfortunately, clothing manufacturers have decided that it's unwise to have a second child before your first one turns 2, and we couldn't find any "Big Sister" shirts smaller than a size 2T. (Bah! What do they know??) So, we improvised with this 12 month sized little sister onesie.
We'll keep you posted on any shenanigans that occur in the next 6ish months. Oh, and just as an FYI, we aren't going to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl, so no need to ask. It's much more fun this way. :)

Tricks and Turks

Leah learned a new "trick" last week. I call it, her Who-needs-these-nasty-diapers trick. In one quick movement, she yanks open those straps and steps out of the diaper for some naked freedom. Just look at how pleased she is with herself:

Naturally, this has made things difficult. We used to let her run around in just her diaper all the time. Now "just her diaper" turns into no diaper at all, with the potential for accidents on the floor. It's like having a puppy again! The solution? Pants over her diapers at all times.

Leah isn't the only one learning new tricks around here. Just look at Bosley demonstrating his sweet hiding skills...

... ok, maybe we have to work on that one.

Below, Leah is becoming accustomed to farm life. She really wants to catch one of those turkeys...

If only we had Heidi or Rowdy sitting next to Leah looking at the turkeys as well... what a sweet photo that would be!

Happy First Birthday Leah!

In honor of Leah's birthday, we started off the day by going to the Angleton Rec Center where they have this cool indoor swimming area, complete with slides, current pools, and fountains. What kid wouldn't have fun at this awesome place?

As you can see above, Leah had a blast! She loved floating/swimming around the current pool with us and splashing in the water. It was great watching her take everything in and enjoy herself. I attempted to take her down one of the little slides, but that didn't go over so well. Maybe next year!



After a nice afternoon nap, we celebrated Leah's birthday at her Oma and Opa's house where we ate dinner, opened presents, and had cupcakes.

Leah is inspecting one of her gifts from Oma and Opa.

Looking at her new See 'n Say with Daddy.

She loves pushing around her cart from Aunt Jess. The funny thing is, whenever she pushes, she sings too. :)

Even Harry gave Leah a birthday present-- sloppy doggy kisses. (As you can see, she is a willing receiver of doggy kisses.)


Anxious to get to that cupcake!

Yum! A first birthday is not complete without cake being smeared all over the baby's face. Leah's initial instinct was to smush the cupcake as much as possible between her fingers. Once I showed her that she could eat it, she proceeded to do so while mumbling "yummy, yummy, yummy." She is correct-- cupcakes ARE yummy!

After the cupcake, Leah was on a sugar rush for a good hour and didn't crash until 9 that night.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes, cards, and birthday gifts for the little miss. It means a lot to us, and though Leah doesn't understand appreciation yet, we sure do.

And happy first birthday Miss Le-le Pants! May all your birthdays be this joyful!

August 11, 2009

Leah turned one year old on Tuesday. I never actually thought I'd be sappy about it, but it hit me pretty hard. On Monday, the day before her actual birthday, I kept getting teary-eyed whenever I thought about the fact that it had been one year since Leah had been born. One whole year! And though I knew nothing drastic would change from August 10 to August 11, having Leah hit the one year mark was like she was no longer my itty bitty baby anymore. The line from baby to toddler was drawn.

This past year has been amazing. I never thought I would find so much joy in watching this little girl grow. My friend Paige said it best when she said, Being a mom is beautifully and strangely exciting. I couldn't have come up with truer words myself.

Psalm 16:6 reads, The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

Beautiful indeed.

Fabulous Tuesday heads to the beach!

This Tuesday, Leah and I headed to the beach with my mom and sister. We didn't stay too long because it was hot and we got cranky, but it was a fun adventure!

Upon arriving at the beach, Leah had to take a moment to contemplate life.

She then played in the water with her Aunt Jess.

Leah refused to keep her hat on, and so I first "fixed" the situation by slathering gobs and gobs of lotion on her head, hair and all. She was a bit of a greasy mess. So then I fashioned a new "hat" out of her little underwear/diaper cover pants she was wearing with her dress earlier. For some reason, she didn't mind leaving this on her head. She looked like a little french girl with a beret! :)

Getting in some obligatory cuddle time with Oma.

Of course she stood up mid-photo, hence the cut off head.

My little miss and myself, enjoying the surf.

A quick list

Leah has been growing up like crazy in front of our very eyes. Just take a look at the things she's been doing these days:

• Three weeks ago, we put cabinet locks on all of our kitchen and bathroom cabinets. It was a complete pain to do so, but we figured it was worth it to prevent her from pulling things out of the cabinets all the time. This past weekend, Leah figured out how to open them. I stood there and watched her study the way they worked, and then use her little brain to open the doors, and not just once, but a few times. Not kidding.
• She knows that turning the radio on involves pushing the button on it, but she also knows she's not allowed to touch the stereo. So if she wants me to turn the radio on so that she can dance, she goes over to the stereo and then sways back and forth, looks at me, and repeats until I turn it on for her.
• She is repeating words. So far she can say Da-da, Ma-ma, Mommy, dog (doh), duck (duh), yummy, and meow.
• She waves bye bye when you ask her to do so.
• She points at her duck in her room and says "duck" when you ask where her duck is.
• She is now on the verge of running, because walking is just too slow.