9 Months

C is growing up so quickly. She is starting to find her voice and make her needs and wants known to us. The first time she signed for us, was while playing with this balloon, she signed "more" when it went out of her reach and she couldn't yet move to get to it. 9 months old!

Reading books together.

On the move.....

C started crawling right at nine months. Now there is no stopping here. She now makes her way down the hallway to the kitchen from the bedrooms. Here's a video from her first days of crawling. Notice the butt lift into the air. We're not sure if it is to get traction on the floor or if she's trying to stand.

Honorary Squirrel

Labor Day weekend I became an Honorary Squirrel. How you ask? Well by climbing the Deadman's Lookout Tower of course! It was only about 5 miles from where we were camping, so Saturday afternoon M, D, C & I headed to the hill to start the climb. It was pretty tall!!

But I made it all the way to the top all by myself. D says I was using my hands and knees a little bit near the top, but nobody had to carry me up.

The whole fam!

The volunteer at the top gave me my special card, making me an Honorary Squirrel.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing in our new lounge chairs. Enough room for both C and I.

Hanging out by the fire with D and G. Too bad fall and winter are coming and we won't be able to go camping again until next summer. Side note: M was hoping to get out once more in late September or early October, but due to the extreme fire danger we have been in--2 fires within one week near our city--Larimer County just put a open fire ban on. It's just no fun to camp without a campfire, so I don't think we will get out again. Besides it was really cold overnight in our pop-up camper even with the heater running all night!!

Gramma's Benefit

On Friday evening, some friends of G's who own an art gallery in town showcased G's work with proceeds going towards medical costs and cancer research. When G first was diaganosed with breast cancer 3 years ago, she started taking a watercolor course that a local artist offered free to cancer patients. Since then she has continued to paint, attend classes and has flourished in her skill. When the cancer came back this spring, she continued painting whenever she got a chance. Here is just a sampling of what she showed. G had 22 original pieces and lots of prints made. M&D let me pick out which one I wanted. I picked a flower piece and M&D picked a bird painting for C to have. M also got a print of the lilac (which is her favorite flower!!).

Even her sisters got involved by sending her a beautiful boquet of flowers since they couldn't be there. But about 200 people stopped by during the 4 hour open house. Lots of pieces sold that night and by the end of the weekend all the originals were sold. G had to reorder a bunch of prints, because the gallery wants to showcase her all month.C and I with G, sporting our pink for breast cancer awareness. G was feeling pretty good that night which was very good since she was in and out of the chair all night talking to people and showing off her talent.

G--we're so proud of you!! And you are in our prayers everynight before bed. LOVE YOU!!!!

Fun in WY

About a month ago, M's college friend C moved to WY. We finally made it up to see her 2 weekends ago. At first we were going to pick them up and head to some hot springs. That was before M realized they were another 80 miles away from C's house. So instead we stayed at their house and played. The double stroller was perfect for C and I when we headed to the park just before leaving. S and I became fast friends. OK, ok....so I was very friendly. I'm not sure S knew exactly what to think of me!! But we had fun together. We played in the backyard until it started to rain on us and once it stopped we drew with chalk on the front steps. Had supper and played at the park. What an afternoon!
S and his dad C.

M and C.

We had lots of fun together and with them only being in WY for a year while S's dad interns, M is hoping that we can get together a few times. Maybe next time we can actually make it all the way to the hot springs and make a whole day of it rather than a few hours in the afternoon.

Growing up....

M says I am growing up so fast. Last week I started learning how to sleep without my pacifier. I've been doing really well--even if M has kind of "tricked" me into sleeping without it. It started more by accident when M forgot to take my fussy to DC. I asked for it, looked for it and then fell asleep with really no fuss. So the next day M gave my fussy to the counselor and told her if I really needed it I could have it. By the fourth day, M decided to try it at home. The first night I started crying a little bit for it, but M told me that if I cried I couldn't have it at all. I needed to lay quietly for 10 minutes and then I could have my pacifier. Here's the trick--I can't tell time yet!! So when I fell asleep 12 minutes later, M walked out of my room and I never got my fussy!!

The weekend naps were a little rough (M just doesn't run me nearly as much as I do at DC so I wasn't exhausted at naptime!!) but for one whole week bedtime has gone smoothly--again with M usually telling me that I have to try sleeping without it and that I can have it after 10 minutes. M thinks I almost fall asleep faster without my fussy then I did with it--usually within the 10-15 minutes, so I never get it!! The last 2 nights I've barely even asked for the pacifier and have fallen asleep quite quickly.

But M is a little sentimental, so here's a reminder picture of how I used to be with my pacifier. I have always ever just gotten it for naps and bedtime, but when I did find where M hid them during the day, I would make sure I got my fill of them. Almost 18 months old and I had found 2 of them--ready to go about my day!!Back to present day....All grown up and playing with my dollhouse. If you notice the paint on my face, I was a mouse at DC that day. C is growing up also. She is just starting to eat finger food and is doing pretty well.

She also has found the DVD shelf. It was quite fun to pull all the movies off the shelf.

M's big 8 month old!!

C isn't on her tummy very much (M's not in a hurry to have her mobile), but she is trying to figure out how to get closer to her toys when she is set on her tummy.

Day at the Fair

Two Saturdays ago the fair was in town. We went with P&G to spend the evening enjoying the sights. We stopped by the petting zoo first. There were dwarf goats, a donkey, a camel, some ducks, a calf, lots of sheep and goats and a turtle. After M, C and I went in to pet them all I had to show G them also. The fan was spraying some water so the animals wouldn't get too warm, so I cooled off also.C loved watching the animals also.

Once we got our tickets, M took me on the big slide. It was lots of fun and I immediately wanted to do it again. But we had limited tickets, so I only got to ride it one more time with D.

There were lots of other rides that I was able to go on by myself. The motorcycles were fun, but my favorite was probably the ski doo ride (which M didn't get a picture of).

D even helped me play one of the games and I won a little stuffed monkey that I added to my collection of toys I sleep with.

We took some time to go through the animal barns and even watched a few barrel racers. Before heading home we enjoyed a treat. M and I shared a Raspberry Orangade, C just enjoyed the orange part of it!!

Update on allergies....

Last week I went to see an allergist to see exactly what I am allergic to. I haven't really been coughing since I did the nebulizer treatment at the end of May, but M has noticed that I still itch my nose a lot. And when we all recently had the flu/cold I had issues with chocolate milk again (several instances in the past year and a half at restaurants of throwing up chocolate milk and/or mac&cheese immediately after eating). M was pretty sure all my issues were hay fever related and that the milk issue is more a mucus/thickness of milk issue vs. true allergy but she wanted to be sure. So off to the allergist I went.
As M&D told my story--symptoms, when/where, how often, etc. the doctor took notes and came up with possible combinations of things I could be allergic too. The usuals--grasses, weeds, trees, dog/cat, dust, mold....and then because M asked Maple, Oak and Pine trees (Maple and Oak in our yard and Pine because that's what M suspected was the source of it all), and horse because I ride horses every week at DC, milk because of the slight issues I was having. Although the doctor warned M that Pine was probably not the cause--since very few are truly allergic to pine, but rather grasses that also spread at the same time. The doctor told M&D to be prepared for unclear results, since kids my age don't always react to the scratch test.
The nurse then came in and gave me "tattoos" all over my back and then by each dot did one scratch. The nurse was so impressed with how well I did--she said I did better than some adults she has. I barely flinched at all. I sat very still on M's lap and just tightened up a little and said, "Owie" after most of the scratches. Here's what my back looked like after the nurse was done with me.
Here I am waiting for the doctor to bring back the results. I colored with blue and yellow, a color by letter sheet. I did pretty well but mixed up my B and Y's. Halfway through I told M I was coloring B for Brileigh--but was using the yellow crayon. At least I was consistent!!
So the results are as follows: I definitely have hay fever! The surprise for the Doctor was that Pine triggered some results...the surprise for M was that the big responses came from mold (outdoor varieties) and dustmites. Maple and sagebrush also triggered results. SO M's pretty maple tree in the front yard is one of the culprits to my allergies. Absolutely no response from grasses, animals or milk. I also am histamine positive--which I think is a good thing since anti-histamine medicines will work for me. So we're trying a chewable pill that is an anti-histamine, but also help with my respiratory issues (since cough is my main symptom) and I will go back in 2 weeks for a follow-up appointment.
At least it's nice to know what I have allergies to and have a plan for fighting them when they flare up.

Year of the Moose....

This has been the year of the moose for my family. Of course M hasn't gotten ANY pictures of them, but we've seen quite a few. One of the most exciting sighting was Wednesday night on our way down the mountain from work/day camp. We were almost to the last turn (just on the edge of town) when M starts screaming, "there's a moose, there's a moose!!" There was a big bull moose running down the road. We have to turn right at that road, and it was to the left running down the private gravel farm road and then down into the freshly harvested grain fields. The thing is moose don't usually frequent our side of the mountains. So even though I've seen a few moose, having one in our town was very exciting.

The other five moose have all been in there natural habitats. We've seen them when we go up into the mountains to camp. Although the bull moose who came to visit us in our campsite a couple weeks ago was also pretty exciting.

D's started calling this the year of the moose, since we've been so lucky to see so many.

Where's the camera??

We went up camping this weekend and M packed her camera in with the clothes in the back of the pickup, which made it a little more inaccessible to her. And there were a few times over the weekend when M thought to herself..."I wish I had my camera right about now."
The first time was on the way up when M looked back at C after she had been crying for a while. She had found her barefeet and was using her big toe as a pacifier and was almost asleep. As M watched the toe started slipping from her mouth and C just grabbed her foot with her hands and stuffed it back in.
The second instance was just after we got to the campsite. We hadn't even unhooked the camper yet when who should happen by but a bull moose. Just out for an evening stroll. Of course M's camera was still in the back of the pickup.
And the third instance was just after we got home. The ice cream truck was coming up the street, so I went with M to buy a Popsicle. It wasn't until M was paying that she realized this was my very first time purchasing ice cream from an ice cream truck. And of course, the camera was still in the back end of the truck.
So you will just have to use your imaginations to join us on these recent adventures of ours. But trust me, we always have fun....with or without M's camera!!

Silliness

After a recent rainstorm, I went singing in the rain while M watched from the shelter of the garage.C loves cups, so M decided she needed her own cup. She's only drunk from the sippy cup a few times, but is getting a little better at it.

D was giving C a piggy back ride, but she was more interested in eating his hair then in the ride she was on!

Trying on one of G's wigs. C is not a fan of things on her head, so this didn't stay on very long.

D and his girls!

I am an expert at making C laugh. Just the simplest things, like throwing a block at her will make her giggle.

C has found she can do motor mouth. D loves it, but M doesn't like it when she is trying to feed her.

Fun-filled Saturday

Two weeks ago, D had a company picnic that we went to. There was lots of fun things to do there. We ate first--hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, BBQ chicken, brisket. Yum, yum. Then we started doing all the activities. I visited with Buster the Bus. He even knew my name!I then played in some bouncy gyms and slides.

It was the hottest day of the year that day. I think it got up to 100 degrees by that afternoon.

So D bought us some sno cones. C loved hers. She pretty much ate it all gone.

Here's the aftermath, with the blue tongue.

After spending most of the hot afternoon indoors (in our nice cool basement) we headed to the park for a picnic supper. Ever since we tried to ride the train on my birthday and it being closed due to maintenance issues, I have been asking M to go to the "choo, choo train park." I went twice on the train. The first time D and I went while C slept.

Then when C woke up I went with M and C.

We also played on the usual playground equipment. C loves the swing.

She is also a huge fan of the sand. (M finally got a picture of her playing in it--this is something like her 5th or 6th time at the playground playing in sand).

Since it was still pretty warm when we got home, D turned on the sprinklers for me and I went running all over the backyard.

To say the least, we had a busy fun filled Saturday. I guess you could call it a celebration even (it being C's seven month birthday and all). But mostly it was just a day together as a family!!

C going "sand" wild!!

Fourth of July camping trip

G&G came out to visit us over the Fourth of July, so we took them camping with us. It was absolutely beautiful weather. It only rained twice on us--the first night just after bed (left puddles for the rest of the weekend) and next evening during suppertime. Otherwise it was sunny and warm the rest of the weekend. M&D had a little bit of trouble the first night--the winch went out on the pop-up, so D had to manually crank (he didn't have the right size for his socket set); then the propane tanks leaked so we didn't have have heat the first night. For the heat, D just turned on the generator for a little bit and M plugged in the heated mattresses and we stayed warm enough (it helped that it didn't get below 40 overnight!!). Of course this all happened when it was just M&D, C and I by ourselves up at the site. No one else joined us until the next afternoon.
Once everyone else came up, we built up the campfire and had a very enjoyable time riding around on the ATV's.
G and C are checking out the dog.....or is the dog checking out C?
I found a perfect seat for myself around the campfire.

P helped perfect it a little bit! It even came with a footstool. I called it my princess chair.

G&G on the ATV's. G drove most of the trails, but G was content to just be a passenger. So D&G would go on long rides, and M&G and I would just go on the shorter rides on the blue bike. Over this weekend we learned that I can't be a passenger on the yellow bike at all--it gets too hot by my legs, so I have to stay on the blue bike for all rides.

Camping is tiring work!! As soon as we left on Sunday afternoon, I fell fast asleep in the truck!