Giggler

I realize these first two videos are redundant but they were so great that I added both. This was last night while cooking supper.

Below is a clip of Noelle operating from inside her toy basket. I think she is going to be a mountain climber.

Playtime

In the box

Why make pie?

Fall Festival

Go Cats!

Over the gate...

Sink Graduate

Okay......so we've been doing bath time in the kitchen sink for a while now and it's been fine. In the past week or two though, Noelle has been trying more and more to stand in the sink instead of sit. When I get her out and sit her on the towel I usually cover her head and lie her down on her back. As she obviously knows what to expect, she has started to just through herself back onto the counter ready to lie down. We have known it was time to move to the big girl bath tub but just hadn't yet made the transition. Tonight everything was washed and then rinsed and she took it upon herself, with no help at all, to turn around and climb out of the sink onto the towel in the counter and sit there ready to be dried. Tomorrow night I think I'll just hand her the wash cloth.

Changes

-Noelle continues to change almost daily. She up to 5 'words' now including: mama, dada, hi, bye-bye, and baby. Granted it takes an expert ear to distinguish between her versions of baby, bye-bye, and ba-ba-ba-ba-ba but there is a difference. We are also pretty sure that she tries to immitate Coach's barking. She's actually been doing this for a while but we didn't realize what it was. Thanks to Coach for teaching her first word.
-She likes to point at things and makes a little noise until you tell her what they are called like squirrels and birds and trees especially.
-She has also started standing for extended periods on her own without support. Today we went into the backyard and I learned how well she can walk while holding only one hand or finger of mine. It won't be long now for sure.

First Steps

I almost forgot to post it but yesterday Noelle took what I think qualifies as her first step. She was standing with her hands on the foot stool reaching towards Daddy. She couldn't reach his hands so she left go of the stool, moved her left foot forward, and was then able to reach Chris's hands for support. It won't be long.

What a Grown-up...

This picture is dark but if you look closely you will see Noelle has one of Coach's toys. She is taunting him with it trying to get him to take a bite.

9-17-09 Today Noelle was playing beside me while I was ironing. I was glancing down at her every few moments. Suddenly, I found she had undressed herself. Wish I had caught her in the act.

I made sure the doors were locked, stairs gated, toilet seat down, outlets plugged and left Noelle contentedly playing in the den while I ran to the basement, picked something up, and ran back upstairs. I couldn't find her. She was no where. I thought, "Don't panic. She can't have gone far. No one came in and took her. Figure this out." I was calling her name with no sound or response. Then I found her hiding between the radiator and the end table. She was peeking out at me through the table watching me search. Of course this whole scenario took about 10 seconds but it felt much longer.

Zoo

While the Durbins were here we were able to spend the day at the zoo. Here are some pics.What species is this one?

Look Daddy, there's a Florida Gator!

Hi everybody!

Nana & Pa Paw

Nana and Pa Paw came for a visit this past weekend. It went fast but we all had a great time. Noelle especially loved all the attention. She is still peeking around the corner after she wakes up to see where all the members of her fan club are hiding. Or she yells down/up the stairs looking for 'the others'. I tell her, "It's just you and me kid."

Nana, where'd you go? Come back!

Storytime

Sharks

Noelle has begun pointing at things with her index finger only. I don't always know what she is aiming at when the finger is in midair but it is a new skill none the less. She has also learned that Coach is a sucker for a treat. He circles around her seat like a shark at meal time waiting for some tossed or dropped scraps. These days, if Noelle takes notice of him while leaning over the edge of the seat, then she graps as much food the she can fit into her hand without even looking at the tray and throws it over board to watch him feast. We've had to start quarantining Coach to the backyard during mealtime. Better news is that she is eating table food better and better. Interestingly, she prefers fruit pureed but vegetables solid. Whatever works!

10 Months Old

Noelle is 10 months old today. It goes without saying, that I find this remarkable. She has grown so much and developed into a little person. It's incredible. We watched a little Sesame Street today and had a celebratory popsicle on the porch. 11-04-09

Ham It Up

Anybody want a little 'HAM' with supper?

Wild Blue Yonder

We've had some cooler days lately that have just been fabulous. In spite of not having a screen door and windows that won't stay open I have managed to make it work. It's okay for me and Noelle; the only draw back is a fly here and there and of course when, Coach our ferocious lion of a dog, decides to go airborne from the den to the street in 2 seconds flat. As I over heard the neighbor boy say one time, "That dog is CRAZY!" Anyway, Noelle loves to gaze outside. I don't know exactly what she is looking at, everything I guess, but it successfully occupies her for a good while. She looks so cute standing on her own peering out into the wide blue yonder. She's working on scaling the gate just like Coach...just like an older sibling to teach naughty tricks.