Playing in the Dirt

Fiona loves to get dirty outside.  We are doing a lot of work around the house so there is tons of dirt for her to get into.  Today, she found a terrific stick to march around with.  She contently swung it around and poked at the dirt piles in her pretty white dress.  A couple weeks ago, she was hands and knees on the sidewalk as the sprinkler that was watering new grass seed drained over the brick.  Again in a lovely pale dress, she ran her hands in the crevasses of the brick, digging up as much mud as possible.  Oxiclean is an important part of our lives right now. 

15 months old!

We haven't been doing monthly photo shoots like we were, but we are trying for at least every three months, so here we are.  She is quite the lovely lady even as she shoves all of her fingers in her mouth.  At least she is smiling since we are heavy into teething again.  Two new ones appeared up top and maybe more--she doesn't like me to look.  

Her personality is really starting to come out in funny ways.  She has been sporadically showing her goofy side.  Lately, it has been the goofy face.  She started doing it out of the blue a couple weeks ago.  I don't exactly know where she picked it up, although it isn't a completely foreign look, but I just can't pinpoint it.  Let the pictures speak for themselves, so commence the goofy face series!

Growing Girl!

Woohoo! Fiona truly decided to walk this week.  On Tuesday, she decide that she wanted to walk and spent the hour before bed just cruising around the living room to our delight.  We worried that it was just another bubble of interest, but it persisted.  She walked inside, outside, with shoes, and without shoes.  We are ecstatic.  She is growing leaps and bounds, climbing up in her chair to do a puzzle and using more and more "words."  Exciting week of development. 

Vacation's Over

Vacation is over, and it seems like Fiona's interest in walking is over too.  She's seemed really reluctant to walk for some reason.  She gets ready to walk--balanced and hands out ready to go--but then squats or sits and cries.  I think her teeth are bothering her because she has been extra clingy too.  She hates to be put down and has been frantically tightening her arm around my neck when she thinks I am going to do so.  Hopefully, the post-vacation walking slump is over, and I will have more to report in the week.

Beach Time and First Steps--Finally!

We have spent a lot of time at the shore the last couple weeks.  Fiona has been loving it.  She can play in the sand for hours and continues to charge fearlessly into the water no matter how cold it is.  Even the seaweed didn't slow her in the ocean.  She has also been loving her cousins.  She breaks out a silly beauty pageant (or politician?) wave anytime she sees them, particularly Grace and Maddie.  She has been giving them and us kisses (with a mwah sound), lots of hugs, and dancing up a storm.  My favorite moment from the week has been her finally taking her first steps.  We have been waiting eagerly for a while now, and with her having Tim and I around all day for some extra walking practice, she did it!  We were sitting on the porch, Tim and I sitting on the floor, and she toddled back and forth between us several times.  Those Brown's donuts must be quiet an incentive.  Looking forward to seeing her walk some more!  

 

Party Girl and Beach Babe

We celebrated Josie's first birthday party on Saturday with Lori and Ryan.  Fiona and Josie are just two months and a day part.  It is so cute to see them together.  Fiona didn't quite know what to do around her--lots of parallel play, checking out what Josie was doing across the room--but I'm looking forward to seeing more collaboration!

Since we were headed that direction for the party, we made it a shore weekend.  Fi still loves the beach.  She was our little archaeologist helping us comb for shells in the sand.  She is also a fearless water baby. Tim took her down to the water, and she kept on charging forward into the ocean despite waves hitting her above the waist.  She also was pretty happy sitting in the sand and letting the waves lap over her even when they came in high.  Fi was clingy though, like she has been lately.  It felt like she was playing King of the Hill as she climbed on my back while I laid on the blanket.  She sat on my back, rested her head on my butt and stomach, and assumed pretty much everyone possible position that put her in direct contact with me.  I am looking forward to spending the week at the shore over the Fourth.  First steps at the shore?  She is so close but not quite there, although she now does an adorable version of the sign "all done"!

Picnic Table, Coloring, Block Party, Father's Day = Pictures!!

My posts have been pretty brief lately, but I actually have stuff and lots of pictures to share this week!  It was quite a week.  First up: picnic table fun.  Aunt Mary Jean, Uncle John, and family gave Fiona a picnic table for her birthday.  It has lived in our kitchen for a while now, and Fiona has taken a strong interest in it this week.  One day this week I walked in the kitchen to find her sitting on the very top looking out the window--and since then she has been sitting up there doing other shenanigans.  I know she has been standing on the benches too, which she still does.  The only thing she hasn't seemed to do is actually sit at the way she should.  I had been trying to teach her to sit at the bench, and it seems like it wore off to some extent, because one day I turned around when cooking dinner to find her sitting there with both arms up, chilling!

Second up:  To Tim's annoyance, I leave pens, pencils, and highlighters everywhere.  Serendipitous result, Fiona has gotten pretty good at picking them up and manipulating them so I thought we should try out some crayons.  It took a little coaching for her to use them on paper but she did it!  We ended up with a lovely artwork created on the back of evaluation objectives from my Bronx Zoo project.  Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Third:  On Saturday, the neighborhood had a block party right next to our house.   We met some new neighbors, Fi met a lot of new kids, and she had fun at the playground and with the games.  Fiona was a little shy at times, and we took her for a walk as her pre-nap crankiness kicked in.  Tim was thrilled because on her wagon ride, she was bear hugging the Hobbes stuffed animal that Chris Woytko gave her.  It was a swinging back and forth, I love you forever hug we have never seen.  Very cute. 

Last but not least:  Father's Day!  It was a pretty low key day, but Fiona enjoyed some good quality time with Tim.  She treated him to coffee this morning, took him to Home Dept, watched him mow the grass while eating toast with peanut butter, then took him out for an ice cream soda that she insisted on sharing.  Phew!  Busy week!  Oh yeah, and her nose is running like a faucet.  Allergies?