Wednesday, June 13, 2012

11 Months Old!

Blakeley is 11 months old!


She is having so much fun discovering what this great big world is all about.  She wants to do everything we do and use everything we do...drink coffee, use the computer and phone, sit in the chairs at the table and on the couch and chair (by herself), eat by herself without any help, etc.  She wants to be much bigger than she is and this, I'm sure, is only the beginning of her want/need for independence.
She is feeding herself pretty well with a spoon, although it is quite a mess after.  She is saying some words pretty clearly for me to understand...I'm not sure others can...so far she says, "Uh-Oh", "Dada", "num-num" when she is hungry and "Bay-ba" (Baby), and is still making consistent sounds that are associated with animals, although they are very high pitched and not really word-like.  She also has started to say "moo".  She loves to "read" books, magazines, any paper item and imitates reading to us.  
She started to show interest in writing too, so she now has her own crayons and notebook. 




 She is usually pretty good about just using the crayons on paper but there are several marks on her chair, clothing, and we have to watch her quite closely or there will also be marks around her mouth. ;)
She cruises the furniture with more confidence, stands on her own and wants to stand more than just sit, and has become more eager to move in the upright position, she has attempted to take a step a couple times but just falls to the ground--she gets right back up.

She is a very happy girl, loves to snuggle and be outside, with a particular interest in playing in the water, and has so much fun playing with her daddy every day.  

Friday, June 1, 2012

Cleveland bound!

Casey has an opportunity to work in a lab at Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland during the month of June, so we decided to make the trip with him.  We will be living in a high-rise apartment building in  downtown Cleveland...let the adventure begin!


Thursday, May 31, 2012

Popsicle anyone?

Every summer we stock up on the Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles that Casey loves so dearly.  Blakeley was very curious about them and decided to unpack all 200 onto the kitchen floor...








This is the face I got when I sat down to show her how to put them back in the box




Thursday, May 24, 2012

Funny Face

Blakeley has become quite expressive...

Apparently she gets it from her mother! ;)



"Yippee, I got mail!"







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Thursday, May 17, 2012

10 months old!

Blakeley is 10 months old! Oh how much this girl continues to grow, learn, and change.  She is standing by herself for brief moments, walking while pushing things around the house, curious about everything and signaling for things she wants, like food, help, pacifier, baby, among other things.  She continually wants to do things over and over and over again...practice makes perfect! She loves to play outside, climb up the stairs, play chasing games, take walks, swing, and watch the dogs at the park across the street.  She keeps us busy!



She wanted to show everyone how much her hair has grown! ;)



Monday, May 14, 2012

North Carolina visit

We traveled to North Carolina to spend graduation weekend with Casey's brother and the rest of the family. Brian finished his PhD at Duke so we went to celebrate with him.  Blakeley enjoyed traveling on planes, playing in the airports, playing with her grandma, grandpa, Aunt Amanda and Uncle Brian and sleeping in her soon-to-arrive cousin's room. We are so proud of Brian!  














Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Deirdre was here!

Casey's cousin, Deirdre, was in Columbus for a couple hours for a lunch meeting and had some extra time, so we met her for coffee at Easton (an outdoor mall).  She has two children, and her youngest, Caroline, is only 2 months older than Blakeley.  We are looking forward to visiting New York so they can play together.  It was so great to see her and catch up!