(a very belated) 11 months!

And…we have a walker! She took her first steps on August 20^th and loves practicing her new skill - she still prefers to crawl though, as she’s much faster at it. Needless to say, she’s gotten quite a few bumps and bruises this past month – she’s just about as graceful as me! She’s also taken to climbing furniture – I find her sitting on any shelf that’s her height, her favorites being the little table in the dining room and the bottom shelf of the linen closet. She took her first trip to the ocean and she had a blast. Her favorite thing was eating sand which made for some pretty interesting diapers! Mary, Justin & Mira (and Ace) got to spend about 6 weeks with us this past summer and Adelaide loved having that time with her cousin. She also loves Ace and now says ‘dah’ (dog). They’re gone now, but every time we get home, she says ‘dah’? when we come in the back door. She also says it whenever she hears one bark. I still nurse her at night & in the morning and it’s my most precious time with her. She’ll hold on to my thumb or necklace, sometimes stopping and just laying in my arms  jibber jabbering away …ah, it is priceless. Mornings with her are the best, I bring her into bed and we snuggle, it’s the best way to start the day! She’ll sometimes get slaphappy before bedtime and it’s just so fun to see her little personality developing. She has such a raspy little voice and I can’t wait for her to talk more! She’s eating pretty much everything now. She gets fed Very well at Zia’s house (…’today she had 3 popcicles, lasagna and 2 icecream cones’…kidding, kind of!). She is not a picky eater at all and likes her vegetables just as much as the sweets! Zia & Zio taught her to turn off lights, so now whenever we leave her room, she has to turn the switch off.  She is the joy of my life and I am amazed by her every day. Can’t believe she will be one in just a few short weeks!

Devotional for August 31st

Grow strong in your weakness. Some of my children I’ve gifted with abundant strength and stamina. Others, like you, have received the humble gift of frailty. Your fragility is not a punishment, nor does it indicate lack of faith. On the contrary, weak ones like you must live by faith, depending on Me to get you through the day. I am developing your ability to trust Me, to lean on Me, rather than on your understanding. Your natural preference is to plan out your day, knowing what will happen when. My preference is for you to depend on Me continually, trusting Me to guide you and strengthen you as needed. This is how you grow strong in your weakness.


from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

10 months

Adelaide has been keeping me Very busy these days. She's quite the fast little crawler and is fond of playing by the toilet and under the old fashioned clawfoot bathtub. She's gotten very brave with her cruisin around furniture and will let go and stand for a few seconds before she falls. She has started flashing this smile

to whomever looks her way. She does this thing where she sticks out her arm, almost like she's saluting or presenting something and then smiles very big about whatever it is she's trying to show you. She now gives kisses - they're open mouthed and sloppy and just simply the best thing ever.She still loves practicing high fives and clapping her hands still. She's become a master at climbing up & sliding down the stairs. She now has 6 teeth - 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. She's really becoming less and less of a baby and more and more of an independent little girl. I'm still nursing her, but she is so easily distracted that unless she's dead tired, it's quite a feat to try and get her to sit still...she's such a little acrobat and twists and turns and ends up doing the downward facing dog all the while still trying to nurse. I don't think I ever mentioned this previously, but she started this a few months back, where she makes a panting sound when I'm getting ready to nurse her...and it is absolutely hysterical and adorable at the same time. Her sleeping is still a mess, but for the most part it's a morning nap, afternoon nap then she goes to bed sometime between 8 & 11...so fun for me!

glimpse of summer so far...

Adelaide is enjoying so much time with her cousins! Looking forward to Mary, Justin & Mira joining us this weekend, doesn't happen too often, but everyone will be in town! So fun!

All dressed up for Uncle Randy & Aunt Erin's wedding!

The BEAUTIFUL, happy couple!

sweet Anna

no, i didn't intend to coordinate the outfits...happy it worked out that way though :)

 

playing with cousin Samuel...gotta love that smile!

Seth & Pa building a new picnic table for Nannie...used the old one as a pattern...love how similiar they are!

Adelaide's first trip to Blossom to hear the Cleveland Orchestra :)

SO much fun with cousin Madelyn

sweet Gwen

fun with cousins at Stan Hywet

love this...wonder what they were talking about...

nieces make the best back massagers...

of course everyone had to have a turn...

such a little lady

little ham!

9 months (a few days late!)

a bit too hot for the owl onesie this month...

At her 9 month check up this morning, Adelaide was 22 lbs 4oz and 29.5 in long. She is still off the charts, but proportionally, so we're not to worry. She is pulling up on everything and really trying her darndest to walk. She’ll pull up on the couch and walk the length of it holding on. She is getting very brave and will even let go and just hold on with one hand. Needless to say, she’s gotten quite a few bumps and bruises lately. She still loves bath time, but naturally wants to stand during it now which provides quite a challenge for me. She loves the water - bathtub or the pool - and loves to splish splash around in there. I know I say it every month, but the older she gets the more I cherish my nursing time as I know it won’t last forever…the way her little hands grab on to my shirt, or necklace or anything available, and how her little feet move around practically giving me a massage is my absolute favorite. Instead of sitting up in her sleep in the middle of the night, we now find her all the way pulled up standing holding on to the rail of her crib crying to be saved. This month she’s tried egg yolks, wheat germ, flaxseed oil, peaches, melons, grapes, hummus, goat milk yogurt and maybe even a popsicle or two (at Zia’s house)! Her favorite game is unloading whatever she can find – box, purse, bag, hamper, laundry basket…it provides an endless amount of fun for her. She does this thing where she looks at you then blinks hard and smiles & laughs like she’s trying to tell you something with her eyes. I love it. She’s gotten very good at clapping and will respond to Zia saying “batta le manine”. She is also really good at high fives now and also does this thing when she’s sitting where she wiggles her upper body, like she’s dancing. She has become quite a little flirt and latched on to a particular waiter recently while I was out and she just smiled and laughed to get his attention. She now gives kisses to anyone who is willing to accept them or she'll settle for the air if no one is available. She is getting more and more vocal and I suppose her first word was really 'dis' (this) which I wrote about last month. She has now added 'dada' to her repritoire and the sound of her little voice is just the sweetest sound in the world to me.

favorite game...dumping her hair bows all over the house

busy body

Listen here

Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this

And I don't need to see it to believe it
I don't need to see it to believe it
Cause I can't shake this
Fire deep inside my heart

Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real

Cause I don't need to see it to believe it
I don't need to see it to believe it
Cause I can't shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It's all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You

Hillsong ~ Tear Down the Walls