I love my Squash

In order to assist in feeding, Grace gets to hold her own spoon, while we feed her with another. More often then not, this creates the image you see...

And yes, that is a Christmas bib, hey the holidays have to start sometime.

Grace goes to the LA County Fair - Friday the 5th

On Friday, we went to the opening of the LA County Fair. Grace was a good sport dealing with the crowds and heat. We remained at the fairgrounds for just under 2 hours, which was too long. I must applaud myself from eating any deep-fried food (snickers, Oreas, pop-tarts, twinkies). We headed over to look at the animals in a large enclosed barn. Grace preferred to look at the ceiling fans. (She loves ceiling fans.) Also, she liked to look at the small children, shadows, and dirt. Animals ... not so much.

Grace at 9 Months

So, our little bundle of joy turned 9 months old!

What is it like with a 9 month old?
- The biggest thing (to me) is she says 'dada'. Yep! When I walk into the room, she'll turn and say the two beautiful little syllables.

- She scampers about on all fours.

- You have to make sure you keep the front door shut ... or she is high-tailin' it outside.

- You can't leave anything on the floor ... or it is right in the mouth.

- Scratches and bumps and bruises from falling.

- When she cries because of falling, she'll put her arms up for mommy.

- Changing diapers is an immense undertaking all of a sudden, you have to keep her pre-occupied or ...

- She doesn't like to have clothes put on or taken off.

- She plays. She has her favorite toys and books and will sit and play for long periods.

- Constant chattering ... and a new game with daddy, called: "Repeat Screaming." It goes like this, I'll make a loud strange sound, then she'll copy. And then repeat. Sometimes, she'll start the game.

- Loves ... and I mean loves pulling mom and dad's glasses off. She gets so excited.

- Will drink her own bottle. She'll lay in her playpen (although she still prefers the couch or her mom/dad's arms) and drink her own bottle.

- Loves to dance with mommy.

- Like to play, "throw the pacifier out of the crib"

Grace visits Long Beach - Saturday August 23

Jenn and I are taking a weekly hike with Grace. So far, she has been to the Monrovia waterfall hike and Whittier Narrows.

This past Saturday we drove down to Long Beach to do the beach hike from the Aquarium to Belmont.

For the most part, she enjoyed it. But, there was a point near the end, were Jenn and I took turns carrying her. She just didn't want to be in the stroller.

Please note her bottom chompers.

Our Little POW

Grace is now sitting up on her knees and reaching for items to pull herself up with.

She has demolished her crib and we had to lower the bed portion down to the very bottom. In addition, we had to remove all toys and push her dresser away from the crib. (She was reaching through the crib and trying to pull her toys in.) Also, she has decided she loves her dad's shoes. Once, she is placed on the ground the makes a b-line right for them. With her new crawling fervor and the fact she enjoys throwing her pacifier around, she is beginning to spend some more time in her play pen.

Her is some POW pictures. Please note, she had decided she liked to lick the mesh netting (mmm good).

Kate and Justin's BBQ - 8-9-08

Jennifer and I hosted a BBQ the next day for Kate and Justin. It was a mixture of hamburgers/hotdogs and leftovers from the wedding. It was very much an open house with people arriving at 11:30AM and people finally departing at 6:30 PM (with a little help from yours truly).

Once again, we were able to "trick" a friend into feeding Grace. Now, if we can only do the same with her diapers.

Kate and Justin's Wedding - Part 3 - 8-8-08