Crocs

Bell loves her Crocs these days. I think they might be her favourite thing to wear. It's a little upsetting to her that she can't wear them outside right now with the snow and rain, so they have turned into house shoes. She is very proud in this photo having put on her socks and crocs on all by herself...who cares that they are on the wrong feet : )

Number 14!!

Bell's fourth, first year molar arrived today! Pretty crazy to see her little mouth fill up with little white chompers!

Jingle Bells

Bella has been singing Jingle Bells all day today. She says "Jingle bells" and then you can't really understand what she is saying, but what she is singing follows the rhythm of the song - it is so cute! She has also read The Sweet Smells of Christmas about 20 times today. The funny thing is, when we ask if she can smell each sticker - she sniffs each one and says "No, No", but then goes in for another sniff. Thanks Kris for the great book, she will love it for years to come, I'm sure.

Three Words!!

When I was putting Bell to sleep tonight she ran out of her room and said "Bella be back"! She needed to run down the hall and give Daddy one last hug and kiss goodnight. This is the first time she has put together a three word sentence. She is getting so vocal these days - it's great to watch.

New attack style!

While we were at the mall play area today, Bell came up with a new way to attack kids. She would hug them around the neck squeezing so tight they would get scared. It is better than pulling hair, but still not the best way for her to interact with kids. She just wants to play with them, and love them....poor thing! Now, I'm going to try and teach her to hug around the body, instead of the neck - and ask before hugging....wish me luck : )

Diaper Changes...

Bell loves to play mommy! She has now started changing her babies diaper. She uses lots of wipes, but can't quite manage the whole diaper thing yet : )

Best present so far!

Bell's presents from her Grammie (Gabe's mom) arrived in this box earlier this week. She has been playing with it ever since. Climbing inside, pushing it around the house, loading it up with all her toys... I wonder if she will like any of her "real" Christmas presents as much : )

Shake Shake!!

Bell was in heaven today - I let her have some of my Egg Nog milkshake. More shake, more shake! I took a great picture of her - now I just have to figure out how to get it off my phone.

Artistic...

Gabe taking fun family photo's!

Number 13

We have been waiting for Bella's bottom right molar to come through for the past couple of weeks. Today when I checked to see if it had come through, I found that we were still waiting, but the upper one arrived without my knowing it! Poor thing has been in so much pain - hopefully it will all end soon!

2 hrs and 15min and 13.1 Miles later...

Bell and I after running the Seattle half marathon today. 2:15 was my time, I'm quite pleased with myself...my goal was 2:30. Three months ago I decided I was going to do this and started training although I'm not a runner. It has been a goal of mine to run a marathon for years - so this was my start. I had a great time, and felt really good the whole way. I plan on running the full marathon this summer, so after a short break I will begin training again.

I guess I'm now a runner : )

New Love...

We set up the Christmas tree the other day. Such an awesome feeling to have it all decorated in our first home!! Bella loves kissing all of the decorations. She goes over to the tree says "saaf, saaf" (soft, soft), then grabs one of the decorations and goes in for big smooch.

New addiction...

We let Bell watch Curious George a few weeks ago and now she is addicted. She would be happy if we let her watch "George, George, George" all day every day!! When we are out she talks about George, and makes the sign for monkey all the time... Who knows know long this addiction will last - at least the sound track is cute : )

Happy Thanksgiving!

My mom and dad made me this great Thanksgiving dinner; prime rib roast, lemon green beans, squash puree, roasted potatoes and onions! It looked delicious but all but the only thing I wanted to eat was onions - I'm a strange 19 month old : )

Love, Bell

Smile..

This is what Bell looks like when we ask her to smile....funny little thing! One day she will learn : )

Not cool...

For the past three nights at 6:30, Bell has started spitting in her hand and then saying "gross". Then looks for a napkin to wipe her hands with. How she picked this up we have no idea - but we can cross our fingers that at 6:30 tonight it won't happen : )

Always on her mind

Last week I took Bell to the zoo to visit with the animals. Ever since she hasn't stopped talking about feeding the pac's (alpaca's), so today we decided to take her for another visit. Now she can't stop talking about pac's and the deer! She gets to the point of almost being asleep and then stands up and says, "pac, deer, foo" and then goes to sleep. It is pretty hilarious. She won't feed them herself, she just likes to take the food out of the bag, and then give it to me to give to the animals. We will be getting good use out of our membership.

Number 12

Tooth number 11 arrived today. Maybe that is why she woke up in the middle of the night so many times talking about feeding the alpaca's : ) It was pretty funny knowing what she was dreaming about!!

Hand in hand...

Bell can't seem to stop talking about holding Ben's hand. It comes up every hour or so - hopefully this doesn't mean she will be a stalker later in life : )

Kissing...

How cute is this!!

Dr. Douglas

Would it disturb you if your doctor walked into the exam room wearing her stethoscope around her waist? This is how Bell plays with it all the time. Regardless, of whether or not she is in a diaper, fully clothed or Halloween costume! She sure makes us laugh : )

Look at my belly!

Bell showing off the stamp that she got at school!

How was your day?

I was out with the ladies for my Mom's Night dinner last night - it was great...of course! While, I was out Gabe asked Bell how her day was - which is something he does everyday. She answered back saying she was at Claire's and that they have a cat. He knew that we were going over to her friend Claire's house that day but he had forgotten they have a cat. When I got home he asked if they had one - because she had said they did, and was talking about it all evening. How cool is that - she can tell us about her day!

Tree hugger...

While we were at the park on Saturday (after my 10mile run - that's why I'm dressed that way) I asked Bell to hug a tree. I thought it would make for a funny picture. She wasn't super keen, but Gabe was able to get a couple of shots. Today while we were at the park, she kept on saying "hug, hug, hug"; it took me a while to realize she thought trees were called hug : ) I wonder how long it will take to teach her the correct word?

Play time

This is what daddy daughter play time looks like! Gabe took this video one morning while I was sleeping in back in early September. I usually sleep in on Saturday and he gets Sunday - it is a perfect trade off!

Zoom Zoom

Bella's favourite song today was Zoom Down the Freeway. On our drive home this afternoon it was the only song she wanted to sing. If we started to sing something else it was Noo Noo Noo - until we started zooming again. She sings along and does the hand gestures as well so it is pretty cute!!

Pho - yumm!

Bell may have a new favourite food. This afternoon we had Pho for lunch, and Bell was in heaven! She would use her fingers to put the noodles into the Chinese style spoon, then try and eat the noodles out of the spoon. If she wasn't able to get the noodles out of the spoon with her mouth, she would then take them out with her fingers and plop them in her mouth. A little later on she figured out that if she sucked it would slurp into her mouth quite fast...loved it!! She was even a little disappointed when it was all gone.

New walk...

Bella has been walking for months - she usually runs everywhere she goes. Today, while we were volunteering she was in the classroom and she started doing this strange new walk. She started walking across the room on her knees. She was upright, but walking/wobbling along on her knees, as though she had no feet. Not the fastest mode of transportation, but pretty cute to watch!

She has also started saying Tracey and Wendy names "Trace, and End"...

Track star in the making...

A little back story...

I'm in training for the Seattle marathon at the end of the month. I'm only doing the half, but 13 miles is still further than I have run before. If all goes to plan, I will be running the Seattle Rock n' Roll marathon in June 2009 - the full 26 miles!

Why am I writing about this - and what does it have to do with Bella? She has taken to wearing my headband, running shoes, and running jacket around the house! Then wanting to drink my gatorade, while sorting through all of my gu's and powerbars! We have a little athlete in the making : )

Checking it twice...

Bell, is currently sitting in the hallway reviewing all of today's receipts. She is following along each item line with her finger - making sure we weren't over charged : ) Our CFO in the making!!

Swibi Swibi!!

Our girl loves to pretend! Today, I was walking down the hall and found her lying on the floor kicking her legs, saying "swibi, swibi" (swimming, swimming). Swimming in the bath tub is one of her favourite things to do, both on her front and back. Apparently, it is time for me to look into swimming classes, or taking her to the local pool!

Bed Hog!!

This is one of the reasons why we transitioned Bell to her crib : ) She weighs 25 pounds, and is less than 3 feet tall, but she still managed to take up the majority of a king size bed. The other reason we moved her out is because she has started doing tae kwon do in her sleep. We got didn't like getting kicked and punched - a 4am heel in the eye sucks!!

Our Canadian girl

I bought Bell and new touque (winter hat) the other day because it is getting chilly here on these rainy fall days. It doesn't help that she is still bald : ) So now she walks around the house saying "touque, touque" while wearing it and one mitten, trying her best to get the second mitten on....hilarious to watch!

Don't hurt my Mama...

I took Bell to my chiropractor appointment today, she sure doesn't like then my Dr. cracks my back. She was fine while he was in the room just asking questions but as soon as he started to crack my back she started flipping out. So much so that another Dr. came into the room to see if everything was ok...she stopped crying then. As soon as the second Dr. left she started flipping out again. Good thing that the appointments only last a couple of minutes. It's too bad though because our chiropractor is so nice, and she would really like him... He is great about her crying, his daughter screams when he adjusts his wife as well, so thankfully he is used to toddlers...

Number 11

Tooth number 11 arrived today...hopefully that explains the middle of the night screaming last night! All the better to eat her pizza crust with - she sure does love pizza crust!!!

How I love thee...

At toddler class Bell always sits on Teacher Amy's lap when it is time to sing songs. I sit in the circle and take part in the songs, but I think I could walk out the door and she would be quite happy "zooming down the freeway" on teacher Amy's legs. It is a good thing that the other kids don't seem to interested in sitting on her lap, because I don't think Bell would like having to share : ) It's funny Bell doesn't really pay too much attention to her throughout the rest of class, but when it comes to songs and stamp time - Teacher Amy is the best!!!

I tried...

I tried to take Bell to the dentist for the first time yesterday...it didn't go well. A few weeks ago we went with Gabe to get his flipper adjusted. She was fine sitting on the chair with me beside Gabe, and watching the dentist do his work. Today, I sat with her in the exam chair and she freaked out as soon as the dentist put his gloves on. Their was no way that she was going to let him near her mouth. The assistant tried to make her happy with a toy, but no go. She wasn't even happy when he was making adjustments to my night guard.

I made another appointment for 6 months from now - so we'll see how it goes then. The best I can do is brush her teeth and make the appointments : )

First Dance

Eli and Bell dancing at the Halloween party - it was so cute! If only we had video...

Halloween Party

Today was our second annual Halloween party and baking swap with my mom's group. It is always so nice to see all the kids playing together and all dressed up - even better. They looked so cute! We had a cowboy, dog, mouse, snow white, Elvis, panda bear - sadly, our michael phelps couldn't make it : ( Dad's come to this party as well, it is always nice to see them and our working mom's, who can't make our weekly play date! The baked goods of course were delicious - I now feel very ill from eating too many treats...

First of many....

Bell has her first cold of the season...poor thing. Coughing, sneezing, tired, and sounds terrible - we are hoping that she doesn't feel as bad as she sounds. She is sucky, but it's well past her bedtime and she is still playing so she can't be that bad...right??? I tried to put her to bed a while ago but she just danced in her crib, so I decided that she could dance around the house instead... Thankfully, she likes Kleenex and usually lets us try and wipe her nose without too much hassle. Now she is pretending to blow her nose, and then hiding the crumpled Kleenex around the house : )

Happy Halloween

We were supposed to go a party at a friends tonight, but decided to stay home because Bell has a cold and it pretty sucky. We thought that people in costumes would just make the situation worse...poor thing.

This is a picture of Bell before we left to show her off at a couple neighbours houses. She wasn't a fan - so we just brought her back home. She was quite happy to play with all the shiny little candy packages; taking them all out of the bowl, and then putting them back into the same bowl. We didn't let her eat any, but we'll see how long that lasts : ) I'm a sucker when it comes to letting her eat the things I'm eating. Gabe is much stricter that me...who knew??

Number 10

Bell, has been super cranky for the past few days - a third molar popped through today. Hopefully, she will be in a little less pain, and therefore not wake up as many times throughout the night. Today, was also the first day that she happily took the Tylenol tablets instead of liquid medicine. We tried them a few months ago and she hated them. In the next few months hopefully she will start to like the Motrin tablets as well.

Candy Yumm!!

Bella, was super cranky today and I caved while eating some licorice. She was in heaven when I let her have a piece! She was rather disappointed when I didn't give her a second piece. I may have created a monster!

If you're happy...

This morning, I was singing "If you're happy and you know it" which is a song we don't normally sing, but we did sing it at the library the other day. When I was singing it with her today she went along with all the actions - clapping, stomping, and hooray!! It was so cute - I love that she remembers things now, and participates with me in our singing!!

Number 9

Tooth number nine emerged today!

Dip Dip Dip!!

Oh, does Bell ever love dunking her veggies in hummus (or any dip for that matter) these days! She says "dip dip dip" while dunking her peppers and then licking off the dip, and then dipping again. One day we will teach her about the "no double dipping" rule. For right now we are just happy that she is starting to be more interested in eating. Plus, she has her own bowl to dip in - so no kooties for everyone : )

Our big girl...

For the last week or so, Bella has been fighting me when it comes time to buckle her into her car seat. Either making herself super ridged or limp but difficult to strap in either way. Yesterday, the poor Bell threw up all over herself and the seat so it needed to be taken out and washed. We decided that when Gabe put it back in this morning he would install is facing forward. She is loving seeing the world from a new direction! We tried turning her around a couple of months ago but she hated it so we switched it back - looks like the move is permanent now though! I'm thankful for less screaming while driving down the freeway - even if it means that car naps will be a little shorter due to gravity.

Pascal is your breathing ok..

We recently gave Bell a little medical set - blood pressure cuff, needle, band aide, stethoscope, ect... I wandered into the living room today to find Bella checking Pascal's lungs (with the stethoscope correctly in her ears), and trying to take his temperature. She either has a great imagination, or she spends too much time at the doctors office : )

Swibi

Bella loves to go swibi (swimming) in the tub these days. It is one of her favourite things! She asks to go swibi all the time. She and Gabe used to bathe in the tub together - she wants to be in there by herself now! For now we hold her, but I'm sure that will change soon!!

Happy Birthday Nana!!

Happy 60th Birthday Nana!! Can't wait to spend some time quality with you next week!

Love you!
Bell

Kung Fu, Kung Fu!

While we were sick we let Bella watch more TV then usual, and it seems like she is still addicted! Bella has a new sign, for Kung Fu Panda - her current favourite movie! It is super cute, she lifts her arms and one leg in the karate kid stance. We thought it would be funny to teach her how to do this, not thinking that it would turn into sign language. Which is a bit of a problem because she knows that we understand what she wants when she is asking to watch her movie. Always fun to try and distract a stubborn toddler when she knows what she wants : )

Smartie Pants!

It is 60th Nana's birthday in a couple of days so today I was trying to teach Bella how to say "Nana". She wouldn't say it - but pointed to the phone, because she knew that's how we talk to Nana. Of course, I promptly called her to let her know Bell's new trick!

Present for dad...

While we were at the park today Bell found a white rock and wouldn't let go of it the entire time she was playing. Climbing up stairs is a little tough with stuff in your hands but she managed ; ) She gave it to Gabe as soon as she got home. He was so pleased with his first gift from his sweet girl!

Sushi and a splash!!

We went for lunch at Blue C today and had loads of yummy sushi! Bella had a great time eating edamame, tuna rolls, and rice while watching everything go by on the conveyor belt. After lunch we let Bella play in the water feature outside the restaurant, and needless to say she got soaked! She had a great time splashing around - it was super cute watch. I didn't have a change of clothes with me (I know what was I thinking??), so we just wandered around the outdoor mall with her in shoes and a diaper. It was hot so people were jealous, and thought the naked baby was adorable - as per usual!

Jello stains...who knew?

Gabe and I were so sick today, but Bella was rearing to go. We didn't have the energy to take her to the park, or even in the hallway to blow bubbles. I came up with idea to have her and I get in the shower with a tub of Jello though. She threw it all over the walls while I rubbed it all over her body. She thought this was fantastic! Once I hosed her off I realized that cherry Jello stains - she is covered in red dots, and her hair has a bit of a red hue! I still haven't decided if this was ingenious or neglectful parenting...

Toxic

Bella is feeling a little better today, although she is still super tired. She took 5 naps yesterday, and 3 today!! She hasn't thrown up since the drive to Children's...wahoo! The pooping started yesterday, and boy is it ever gross! Her belly must hurt so much! It's like the infant exploding poops, she used to have...poor thing : ( To top it off, yesterday was Gabe's first day back at the office after vacation, so I had to change all the diapers. At least she doesn't have the energy to run away, or squirm while I'm changing her - because that would be MESSY!

I kept on saying "Bella your poop is toxic, toxic, toxic." She now says "adick" - or something along those lines!

Ouch!

Even though Bella is sick, she is still well enough to teach herself new words - our little smarty pants! She tripped and fell over then said "ouch" all on her own! I have a feeling we will be hearing this word a lot because she falls at least 30 times a day. She gets running too fast and then trips, or looks at one of us while following the other one and walks into a wall. She has also decided that holding her hands over her eyes while walking is fun. Not so safety first this little Miss Bella.

When Gabe get home tonight, I asked her to say "ouch" for him. She did at the same time as pinching her hand - so apparently she inflicts pain on herself as well!

Fifteen times!!!

Poor little Bella threw up 15 times in a 12 hour period today! She woke up at 12am in her crib and threw up and continued to do so throughout the night and morning. She had a temperature of 101.1, not super high but we took her to the doctor to have her tested for a UTI. When we got to the pediatrician it was decided that we should just go to Children's ER. It would be easier to get her the IV antibiotics she would need if it turned out that she had a bladder infection. It was also a concern that she was dehydrated because she hadn't peed in 6 hours. Poor little thing threw up in the car on the way to the pediatrician and to Children's...naturally making it tough for Gabe to drive. Thankfully, I was in the back seat with her holding a bowl for this possibility.

At Children's the nurses did the speediest catheter she has ever had - poor thing, but she peed like a champ! They also gave her some melt away Zofran, which is an anti-nausea, that is amazing. Twenty minutes later, I was allowed to try and nurse her for 1-2 minutes, and she managed to not throw it all up! Within the hour she was a new kid, walking around, talking, playing..etc. Prior to that she would just sit on our laps scream, and nap, she was wiped out, it was so sad to watch and not be able to help.

The preliminary tests came back saying it didn't look like she had a UTI - yeah!! I was able to nurse her and she kept it down so we didn't need to give her an IV - yeah!! We were allowed to take her home with a diagnosis of the stomach flu, and we could expect it to last 3-4 days and the pooping should start soon....not so yeah! It is also a strong possibility that Gabe and I will get it as well because it is highly contagious...cross you fingers we don't get it.

When we stopped at the store to get things for Bella, to keep her hydrated - popsicles, gartorade, and jello, we also bought stuff in case we get sick as well. Hopefully, now that we are prepared we won't need it : )

Number 8

When Gabe was giving Bella her medicine tonight he spotted that her bottom left molar, finally broke through the skin. With his braces, surgery and general teeth issues he can truly sympathize with how much pain Bella is in.

Mmmm Mmmmm...

Mmmmm Mmmmm is what Bella says now when she wants a kiss. She just comes over to you, pushes her lips forward in kiss position and says mmmmm until she gets the kiss she is asking for. It is so freaking cute! Best medicine ever - too bad I can't bottle all that love!

So tall..

Bella learned today, that she is tall enough to reach the water dispenser on the fridge. How crazy is that!! Thank goodness it has a lock feature. Who knows how long it is until she is tall enough to figure that out : ) Now she brings her cups over and is confused as to why no water appears...

In training...

We aren't sure what sport she is training for yet - but she sure has her weight lifting routine down! When, I come home from the grocery store she likes me to put the melons on the floor, so that she can carry them throughout the house. Thankfully, she hasn't dropped one on her toe yet...but now that I have said that I'm sure it will happen anytime now!

They finally fit!!

Gabe's mom made these slippers for Bell - she loves running around the house in them. Apparently, she doesn't care that it is summer and 30 degree's outside : )

Number 7!

Bella screamed and screamed when we tried to put her to bed tonight. After way too long we finally asked her if her teeth hurt, "nod nod yes yes", do you want some medicine, "nod nod yes yes". When we finally got her mouth open to get some Motrin in, we saw that yet another tooth had broken through. The eye tooth on the right and she has really swollen lower gums, so it looks like another molar is coming. Preparing ourselves for another cranky week...

Ohh no!!!

Bella, has learned to open a door - not cool! This means that when I nurse her at nap time, and get up to put her in her crib, she runs to the door opens it and bee lines it down the hallway! I now have to make sure that I lock the deadbolt on the front door while we are at home. She likes to try and follow Gabe when he leaves for work in the morning. It is pretty sad, she gets really upset when he leaves...poor thing loves - her Daaah so much!!

Number 6!

Thankfully, we have a reason for Bella's foul mood this week - she got her first molar! Poor thing, was in so much pain and was so cranky this week. If only she could tell that she needs a little Motrin to take the edge off! Too bad for me, it is frowned upon to drink during the day, to take the edge off : ) CPS and their silly rules!

I love you!

Bella started signing "I love you" back to us tonight! How awesome is that - now if she only knew what it meant : )

Poop!

Bella's new favourite word is poop! She has been saying it for a while now - and Gabe is oh so proud : ) The part that we are both proud of though, is that she now comes up to us, signs and says change when she poops. How cute is that! Even better, is that when she is the one asking for the diaper change she doesn't usually put up too much of a fuss when getting it done. When she doesn't want it done - it can be quite a battle. If only she could understand that it would go so much quicker and get back to playing that much faster if she would just let us do our job : )

Ouch!

Bella skinned her knee for the first time today. She was running away from me at the park, (I wanted to change her diaper), and tripped and fell. She didn't cry, just got up came over for a kiss better and went right on running away from me! No blood just cement burn!!

The next American Idol!

Bella has learned to sing! This morning, she was sitting on the floor, dancing and singing "dick-dock, dick-dock." She was trying to sing "Tick-tock, tick-tock, I'm a little cuckoo cuckoo clock..." The best part is that we hadn't even been signing it that day, so now we know she has memories that she can tell us about!

Sushi please...

Bella enjoyed her first salmon roll today! She had been eating smoked salmon earlier this week and loving it. So we thought it was time that she tried sushi...yum! She loved watching all the plates go by on the conveyor belt. Too bad all restaurants don't have such an amazing distraction :)

Beauty regimen...

Bella has started her beauty regimen early! In the morning, while I'm doing my makeup, hair, and putting on lotion, Bella pretends to do the exact same thing. Today she was using her toothbrush as a hairbrush...for all those lovely locks she has : )

UP UP UP!!

Bella has learned to say "up", although it really means to her "throw me up in the air"! While we were at story time today we were singing songs, with actions and I threw her up in the air as one of them - she loved it!! She has always loved these songs, but this is the first time that she has been able to tell us that she wants to do it again. Or rather the first time we have understood that she wants us to do it again : )

This evening we went to our first neighbourhood BBQ to meet our new neighbours. It was nice to meet some of the people that we have been passing in the hallway, and the owners of the dogs we hear barking. Bella was the only girl in the attendance while about ten little boys were running around...she will have her pick of boyfriends in the future.

Way to go Gabe!!

Tonight, I went out for my monthly Mom's night out dinner with my friends, and when I came home Bella was asleep in her crib!! Gabe put her in her pj's and read her some books and he asked her if she wanted to go to sleep, she signed sleep and said "seep" and then walked over to her crib. He put her in bed, and then held her little hand until she fell asleep. This is the first time that Bella has been put to sleep without nursing beforehand!

Ouch that hurts...

Bella seems to be teething again - or at least I hope that is the reason for her latest biting rampage. Bella's top three teeth are about half way in, and her two bottom teeth - meaning it freaking hurts when she bites!! She broke skin on my shoulder this morning, I expect to see a bruise tomorrow. Then bit a tiny chunk out of my thigh (through jeans) a little later this afternoon...so not cool. We are trying to redirect her to things she is allowed to bite - but it is a slow learning process.

Colds Suck!!

Bella seems to have picked up the cold that the rest of the family was fighting in Victoria. She is just not herself, and her nose is running like crazy! Hopefully, it won't last too long. We had to skip our play date this morning because we didn't want to get any of the other kids sick as well. At least with this cold when we tell her that we want to wipe her nose she usually lets us - which I don't recall being the case with the last one.

First Wedding...

Bella attended her first wedding today, and had a great time. Congratulations, Linda and Taiki!!

Book Worm!

While, Gabe was reading books to Bella this evening he was able to teach her the word and sign for book. They came out of her room to tell me what she had learned - saying and signing book, book book... Needless to say she got a few extra books read to her tonight : )

Ohh...she also learned to say shoes as I was putting her to sleep. She walked over to her shoes grabbed one, and said shooos...our little smartie pants!

Pound it!!

Gabe taught Bella "high five, low five, and pound it". Here she is doing it with Kris....too cute! This latest trick has been quite a hit...

A day filled with firsts..

1) I got yelled at by another mother at the park!
Bella bit her little friend Ben today, and I didn't notice so Jill (Ben's mom) yelled "Bella no biting" (no big deal at all). Two minutes later Bella did her - pull your hair and pulls you in for a bite/kiss, thing to some strangers little girl. As soon as I saw her reaching in, I go running over and say gentle and and trying to get her off the little girl (maybe 2) - the mom yells "GET YOUR KID OFF MY DAUGHTER" - she was bottle feeding her younger child so it wouldn't have been a problem for her to come and help, but no she YELLED at me. I say "Sorry, I'm doing my best" while I was pulling Bella's hands out of the little girls hair. She comes over to soothe her crying child. I apologize, and give her the I'm sorry look, that I thought most mothers understand - but apparently not.

2) Played in the water, and sand at Newcastle beach park.
We went and did this promptly after I got yelled at : ) Nana, and Papa had taken her to the beach before - but this was a first for me and Bella together.

3) Ate an entire banana..
Bella is getting better and better with eating more solids every day!

4) Napped in her crib...
Bella didn't want to fall asleep on me while we sat on the couch for her nap, so I thought I would give her crib a try. It worked!!

5) Bonfire party!
We went to Christy's birthday party tonight and Bella was a hit. Everyone thought it was great that she was in such a great mood, past her bedtime - and the fact that we let her play with empty beer bottles!


6) Started out the night sleeping in her crib...
She was tuckered out after the party, so we thought we could give the crib another try. She did great, and stayed there until she woke up at 2am and brought her back into bed with us.

Doe Head...

My brain hasn't been working very well lately, and today was a prime example!

Thursday mornings, we volunteer at the Evergreen 9-12 month parent baby class. We finished up and headed to the car, when someone I sort of recognized walked by us - we said hello. I unlocked the car, threw my baby bag onto the passenger seat, and keys on the drivers seat...like I always do. The person who we just said hello to turned around and called my name, we chatted for a second. It turned out to be Christine one of the parent baby class instructors who teaches on a different day. I haven't seen her in months. During all of this I managed to press the power lock button on the door and then close it, locking everything inside! Thank goodness, I was still wearing Bella at the time and hadn't managed to strap her into her car seat.

Bella and I walked back to class to use the phone - seeing as mine is in the car!! In my state I couldn't remember Gabe's cell phone number : ( Thankfully, he eventually picked up his office line, and gave me our AAA number. I called them and an hour and a half later a really nice guy came and unlocked the door. Putting the metal thing in between the door and in the window, just like in the movies!

Good thing we were among friends! Miss Bella was great during all of this - she played with the younger 6-9 month kids, and then took a much needed nap while in her carrier.

At least this time I didn't lock Bella in the car, but I think it might be time for me to get a spare : )

Just like Mama...

We got new cell phones this weekend so I gave Bella my old phone to play with. Best toy ever apparently!! She has been walking around all afternoon chatting away with it glued to her ear. Holding it to her ear with her should so that she can still play, read, run around, eat, and lounge on Pascal. Apparently, I multi task a little too often : )

Even funnier - just like mama... Bella now imitates what the true use for toilet paper is, while standing in the hallway outside the bathroom.

Happy Independence Day!!

Although, Bella is the only American in the house we still celebrate - to keep her traditions going even if she has know idea : ) We had a morning playgroup forth party at a friends house before a nice long nap! It rained all morning, with thunder and lightening so we weren't able to have our picnic in the park. Welcome to summer weather in Seattle! Later, that night from our bedroom window we had a view of 5 sets of fireworks including the ones from downtown Seattle! Thankfully, Bella was able to sleep through it all!

Twist and shake...

Bottles are no longer just for shaking. Bella has figured out that you can twist the cap on and off now, which means we have to be a little more careful will what we let her play with. No more contact cases, lotion, tooth paste, shampoo...all the good bathroom stuff : ) Her favourite bottle to play with is either mine or Gabe's Sigg water bottle. Hours of entertainment!! This morning on found cereal in hers when I was filling it up - so we may end up swallowing all sorts of neat stuff one day!

Oh Canada...

Happy Canada Day!!

Bella hung out and Gabe's office for a couple of hours while I ran some errands. She wanted to run around and show off her cute Canada Day T-shirt : ) Friends came over for dinner and drinks tonight, and Bella put on a perfect show for them. She sure wanted our cocktails - she just wanted to join in on all the adult fun!

15 Month Report Card

We went for Bella's 15 Month Well Child Check up today. This was the first well child appointment that Gabe wasn't able to join us - which is a little disappointing for us all : ( Now that we have moved we switched pediatricians offices to one that is close to home. Most dad's only go for the first couple of appointments, and it was nice having him always be there.

15 Month Stats:
Weight - 24 lbs 11oz / 75-90%
Height - 33 1/4" / above 97%
Head Circumference - 47 1/2 cm / 90%

She got a couple of shots and did really well, and wasn't upset for too long. She was most annoyed with the band aide that they put on her toe after they did an iron test. Thankfully, her irons levels are still normal so we don't have to go back to giving her iron drops. Those sucked for everyone!!!

The Dr. was pleased to see that Bella's leg was doing much better from her injury earlier this month. Her limp is pretty much gone, and her foot no longer turns in the way it was even a couple of days ago. Bella wasn't too happy about being in the office though, I think she remember the traumatic appointments she had a couple of weeks ago....poor thing.

The only bad news we got was that Bella's weight has fallen off her curve and the Dr. is a little concerned. We are going to have to try and push solids a little more, and hopefully she well stop nursing quite so often. We go back for a weight check in 6 weeks time to make sure that she hasn't lost any more weight.

Milk Please!!!!

If I'm making dinner or doing something else when Bella is frantically asking for milk. It is sure tough to ask her to wait for a couple of minutes when she is clenching her fist and then starts rubbing her little tummy, which means that she is signing "milk please". How do you say just a second to such a polite little girl?

Family heritage

Bella is American, but she sure sounds like she is from New Waterford, Nova Scotia! She runs around the house yelling after Gabe, "Dah, Dah" - it is too funny. She hasn't made a trip out to Cape Breton yet - but she sure would fit right in.

Say please!

Our little girl is learning her manners. When prompted, she now signs please when she wants something. Pointing at whatever is on the counter and then signs please, by rubbing her tummy with both hands back and forth. It's funny to see how she interprets the signs that we do, and makes them her own.

That was fast...

One more tooth today! So makes three on the top and those same two on the bottom. In order to feel out her new teeth she keeps grinding the top and bottom one's together. Ohh, what a terrible noise it makes - almost worse than nails on a chalk board. Hopefully, the neat feeling will pass soon, if only to save her poor teeth....no need to chip those new pearly whites! She's going to have to start letting us brush a little better. Currently, she clamps her mouth shut when we try, or sucks the toothpaste off :)

One more..

After, a very tough day tooth number four came in today. Poor little thing was so sad most of the day, and then she finally let me give her some Motrin and I felt that the tooth had broken through. Her gums are pretty swollen so I think their are still more to come.

Ohh the pain...

After two nights in a row of waking up screaming at least 15 times, we finally have something to show for it. Bella's third tooth has finally broken through her gums. With how upset she has been the past couple of days, I'm hoping that a few more will be showing up soon. She had been holding strong with her two front teeth since Christmas, while most of her friends have mouths filled with teeth. It is amazing how the kids are all different and work on things at their own pace.

Happy Father's Day!!

I love you Daddy, Granddad and Papa!!

Groupie..

We took Bella to the Flogging Molly concert in the park today. We all had a great time! We weren't sure how well she would do late at night, but she did fantastic. Dancing the night away, with Granddad. We brought blankets, chairs, snacks and drinks and we were set for the night. Hopefully, we will make it again this summer.

Ohh so polite...

Bella, now signs thank you (when prompted) after you give her something that she wants. It is amazing to watch her pick up new signs all the time. Even better that Granddad was here to see it happen for the first time!

A real human

Baby Belle, now has real human poop instead of the peanut butter mush of infants. Gabe thinks that the pancake log is easier to clean up though. I think it makes for much less mess when it comes to blowouts - yeah!! What it really means though, is that she is getting better about eating solid foods instead of just having a diet consisting of only breast milk.

Wide legs pants

When Bella is running these days, her legs are wider then her shoulders. It i t hilarious to watch. She gets going so fast that she falls over because she looses her balance, with her center of gravity being off.

Hugs and Kisses

We can now ask Bella for hugs and kisses and she gives them to us. It is such and amazing feeling. Who knew a kiss from for a little girl could be so awesome!! When we put her to bed at night, Gabe plops her on the bed, and she goes back and for between us giving kisses to each of us. My favourite part of the day, by far!!

Apple

Bella now signs apple. Instead of doing the ASL "a" on the apple of her cheek, she puts two fingers in her ear. Boy, is it ever cute to see!! I wish she would ask for apples all day long! She is also doing really well at eating apples with only having two front teeth. She drags the apple across her teeth and little chunks fall off. She is always very proud of herself when she bites a piece off!!

What's that hole?

Bella, figured out the name for her, and other people's belly buttons today! She now goes up to Gabe (or whoever]s) lifts his top and pokes him in the belly button, when we say "where's _____'s belly button"? : )

Putting her stuff away...

Instead of just throwing her blocks out of the bin, Bella now likes to put them back in the bin as well. I don't know that I would go so far as to say cleaning up, but it an additional fun activity for her to do while I'm trying to make dinner :)

Our little Picasso

Bella, learned today that crayons are for more than just eating! So now like all proud parents we have our first piece of kid art on the fridge. With many more to come I would imagine. I think it was her magna doodle that taught her the beauty of drawing. She, and all her little friends have this one in white, at it is awesome.

A new part!

Bella learned where her nose is today! Now, if she would just stop putting her finger up it, that would be even better :)

Building with Lego..

Bella, has learned that her blocks can be placed on top of each other instead of just thrown out of the bucket! It is so cute to watch her stack them up, she hasn't figured out yet that they snap together. Our little architect will be building castles very soon!

Pop Pop

Bella says "pop pop" now when she wants to blow bubbles. It is super cute of course. They use this bubble set at story time at the library. I thought it was great so went out and got it a couple of weeks ago. It is great because Bella can blow through the pipe no problem, unlike a traditional wand. Sometimes, we go outside to the courtyard and blow them, and other times we just go out into the hallway. That way I don't have to clean up bubbles on our fresh new carpet :) We say pop pop when we are cleaning up the bubbles in the hallway, so I think that is where the "pop pop" comes from.

Baby Crack

Bee Movie is now like crack for Bella. Normally, we don't let her watch TV - but when taking her medicine every night we needed something to help distract her. It is a little scary to watch how mesmerized she gets, if I put something in front of her face she just moves her head so that she can still see the TV. Thankfully, she doesn't scream nearly as much, or for as long when getting her daily medication. We'll see how long it is before Bee Movie makes Gabe and I crazy :)

Please Dad..

Bella was getting fussy, so we decided to put her on the pony and see what she thought. She thought it was great. What little girl doesn't want a pony? This is the closest she will come : )

Yumm!

Ohh my is fried food ever good! Some video of Bella eating some of the falafel out of my wrap. We are at Mom's diner with Granddad and Gramma - what fun!

Blow!

For the past couple of weeks, Gabe has been trying to teach Bella how to blow her nose. He sniffs each time he goes at her with the tissue and it seems to distract her enough to let him clean up the mess. For a while she was screaming when we came at her with a tissue. Today, she walked over to the toilet paper pulled at it until she had enough, brought the tissue to her nose and started sniffing!!! How cool is that! Cutie pie tries to blow her nose... Hopefully, Gabe will get to witness this soon as well.

Story Time..

Today, was our first time at Story Time at the local library. The room was packed with babies, toddlers, a couple of second baby infants, mommies, grandparents and nannies...I think they said about a hundred people. Stories, songs, throwing babies up in the air, bubbles and parachutes - what could be better!! It was a little overwhelming, but I think as Bella gets a little older it will be one of her favourite weekly adventures. It's such a fun way to foster reading...

Picking up dad..

Bella, walked from our condo all the way to the park and ride to meet Gabe as he got off the bus. (For those of you who don't know where we live, it's a couple of blocks away and takes Gabe 6-8 minutes.) She walked so much faster then I thought she would. I was expecting her to stop and look at every flower and rock along the way but it didn't happen. While we were waiting for Gabe's bus to arrive, Bella was trying to suck the crosswalk braille. She managed once, and I had to wipe pebbles off her tongue :)

Ohh so happy...

Bell sure does love when she gets to visit with Aunt Karen and Uncle Drew. This time they brought cousin Jody too!!!

Pucker Up!!

Bella walks around with a pucker up face these days. Lips pushed out just ready for a kiss, but when you try to kiss her she turns away. It is super cute! We'll see how long it takes for her to learn that it means a kiss is coming...

Monkey see monkey do

Two days ago, I put Bella at the bottom of the stairs (in the common hallway coming up from the garage) and tried to see if she would climb the stairs. She wasn't really all that interested, but I thought - heck I should give her the opportunity or she will never know how. Today, I did the same thing and she started crawling right away. She crawled up both flights and walked to our front door! She was taking a while, I kept on reminding myself be patient and to just stay in the moment. I was tempted to just scoop her up in my arms and hurry up the process...but I didn't!

Twenty minutes later, the phone rang while we were sitting on the couch so I put Bella on the floor. I grabbed the phone turn around and see that Bella has learned to climb up onto the couch!!! Thankfully, she knows how to get off the couch safely - but now we have to teach her to stay on her butt, and not stand... Wish us luck!

Chatty bird

Bella was walking around the house today flapping her arms like little wings, and talking the whole time. She did this for at least a half hour - it was super cute! We called Gabe so that he could hear too, but she stopped chatting as soon as she saw the phone.

Our little reader....

For a few weeks Gabe was teaching Bella about the best way to read books, which is sitting on dad's lap. He would sit down on the floor and pat his leg and she would come and sit down. Now, she walks up to us with the book, and if we aren't in the right position, she somehow maneuvers herself to be on our lap and then we read away... She also backs up her little butt into us....so funny!

Bears oh my!!

We finally got around to hanging some art today. We have two Jimmy Wright paintings that are from this series, and Bella seems to love them. I don't know if she is just noticing them now because the walls have been bare for the past 6 weeks, or if she is old enough now to like them. We had them hanging in the old place as well - but then she wasn't as mobile, so didn't see them as often I guess. Now she goes up to them and points at them - so cute. Gabe brought her to them when she was upset, and it seemed to calm her down. We will have to work on teaching her the sign for bear.

Running..

Bella now runs with her walker! She loves it so much that she wouldn't let go of it when Gabe brought her to bed last night. Pretty cute to see her being lifted while holding this huge thing, and it ending up in bed with us :) She let go once she saw that milk was coming - milk always wins!!

Frankenstein

Bella looks like Frankenstein when she is walking these days, it is pretty hilarious. She is very determined...it is so cute to watch!

If only she could spit...

Poor Bella, she has had her first cough for the last 5 days, and life would be so much easier if she could spit. She is super congested, making it tough to breath while eating as well. Thankfully, she no longer has a fever, and is in good spirits so things seem to be looking up.

Baby's First Sign

Bella started signing milk today. She does it to both Gabe and I, so we think for her it really means Mama. When she signs milk I try and feed her and sometimes she is interested and sometimes not, but she does want to sit with me or have my attention at the time. Which is why we think it means Mama. Pretty cool that she is trying to communicate though!

Who knew??

Who knew that such a small amount of hair could get greasy?? I guess that means we need to bath her a little more often - what neglectful parents she has : )

Although, it appears as though she has no hair a lot of new growth has come in recently. Enough so that when in the tub we can pour water to one side and make a part - it's hilarious.

Saftey First

Bella has learned to get off the couch safely - wahoo. She now crawls to the edge turns herself around, and slides down feet first. What a smart cookie. On the ottoman it is super cute to watch her decide which side she wants to slide off, tough choices : ) Next step - having her learn to do that on the bed, which is a much bigger fall.

14 Steps!!!

While I was at our local coffee shop getting a much needed break, Bella took 14 steps unaided. Gabe said that it was a few steps at a time, pause for a few seconds, and then a few more steps...and repeat! Very soon we will have a true walker on our hands...scary!

So much fun!

Drinking out of a big girl cup is the best thing ever! Bella points at a water glass now and grunts until we give her a drink. She takes a big gulp, swallows a little and spits out most of it, ending up rather soaked. I'm hoping that she will start drinking a little more water this way and then possibly start drinking it out of her cups as well. I can always dream...

Starting young!

Uncle Drew giving Bella her first beer! We like to start them young around here : ) What a great way to celebrate on the eve of her first birthday!!

Where's Bella's tummy?

Bella learned where her tummy was today. It is so cute asking her where her tummy is, and then she pat's away at her belly! It's even better when she is patting her big'ol naked belly..,

Favourite new game

Bella loves the new house. Her favourite thing to do is roll around and woof like a dog, on the plush new carpet. It is hilarious to watch! We are happy to let her go nuts on the cootie free carpet : )

Tough Love

This is how I spend a lot of time at play dates! Uncurling, Bella's fists from her friends hair and wiping away the slobber from the kiss/sometimes bite on the head. She is the little bully of the group. We have been trying and teach her to be gentle for months but no luck yet :(

Smarter than mom and dad

Bella is able to curl her tongue in ways that is impossible for Gabe and I. We both can turn our tongues in and make a U, but she is able to to turn is sideways and upside down as well. What a talented little girl!

Spring has sprung..

We are busy packing up the house before we move to the new condo next week. We are exhausted, but so excited about becoming home owners!! We took a break to watch the baby ducks at the lake in our complex. Bell thought they were pretty fantastic swimming after their Mama...

Seriously guys...

Bella really didn't feel like having her picture taken any longer. This is Nana, and Papa's favourite picture of Bella these days...

How do I look?

Bella hasn't taken a bottle since sometime around 4 months old, but she loves the bottle cap. She searches the cap out from her toy box, and crawls around with it in her mouth like this. If for any reason I'm feeling a little blue, I give her a cap to play with and it cheers me right up!