Fourteen And A Half Months

Hi friends.  I hope you are all having a good October.  We are  enjoying the Fall weather and all the pretty colors on the trees.  And, I've been having so much fun these last two weeks.
  It's been fun to get out and about.  I've had a blast at our Tuesday Play Group - the park last week was especially fun for me (pictures below) as I'm getting bigger and able to play on the playground a bit more.  I love getting outside and playing in the yard - the leaves on the ground are so much fun.  I also liked going to a nearby Pumpkin Patch this past weekend.
  This past Sunday we drove up to Madison, WI to celebrate my cousin's, Parker Lee, FIRST birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PARKER!!  It was a beautiful day - I had fun playing with my cousin (when neither of us were napping) and his other side of the family, too.  
  Mommy and Daddy say I am sometimes quite the feisty little girl.  When I don't get my way, I sometimes try to bite whoever is denying me something.  Or I may swat at them.  Or if I'm eating, I might even throw all the food and my milk from my tray to the floor.  My parents are trying to teach me self-control and that I need to obey them.  But, at 14.5 months, I don't always listen.  Other times, they say I am like an angel and am super sweet.  Guess I am just testing my new found independence and learning all sorts of new things (good and bad).
  Mommy ordered my Halloween costume from the internet.  Below is a preview picture - although you'll have to wait until next time for the whole thing.  But, be warned - you may smile so much that it hurts - because Mommy and Daddy say that I am SUPER CUTE!
  
Photos of the last two weeks:

Halloween Preview

Fun times with Daddy and Mommy:

  

Mommy and I got to visit with Ms. Nancy Deibert (she was Mommy's principal in Vienna, Austria):

Fun around the house:

  

  

  

Mommy wearing part of my Halloween costume

   

  

  

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch with Mommy and NaiNai:

  

  

  

  

  

My cousin, Parker Lee, and I in his little red wagon

Oops - Mommy forgot the video :)

Fourteen Months

It's been a busy few weeks around here.  

   I forgot to report in my last blog that I am completely weaned from breast milk.  I now get my liquids from whole milk (Mommy says please pray that I will like this more and drink more of it) and a water/juice combination.  Because I am not drinking enough milk, Mommy makes sure that I get yogurt and/or cheese most days to help out.  She also tries to sneak milk into all sorts of things to help me get more.  I dont use a bottle - I drink mostly from a sippy cup or from a regular cup with a straw.
   And, while we are talking about food/drink - you'll see pictures below of me eating NaiNai's egg-n-tomato and her green beans (these were two of Mommy's favorite dishes when she lived in China - and I really like them too).  I also really like Mommy's pulled bbq pork and chili too.  Mommy is amazed at the foods I will try and like. I can also now bite things off with my teeth (like  a strip of pear instead of just small pieces) although I often put the whole big thing in my mouth - and sometimes choke - so Mommy is helping me learn to take small bites.  
   I am very  much a toddler.  I am getting into everything and can find the smallest piece of lint/food/fuzz/dirt on the floor and get it to my mouth.  Since I last wrote I can also stand up on my own (before I needed something to pull up on) and walk backwards.  But, all this means that I fall down A LOT.  I've had tons of little falls and only a few BIG falls - one where I hit the coffee table and got a big goose egg on my forehead (this one scared Mommy a bit but because it popped out so quickly she knew I was ok).
  Last week, we went on an adventure.  Daddy needed to get some continuing education credits, so we (Nai Nai went with us too) loaded up the car and drove to Pennsylvania.  We drove the 12-hours in 2 days, about six hours a day - and I did really, really well in the car.  Nai Nai sat in the back seat with me and kept me entertained between naps with toys and snacks.  And, Mommy had some fun kid music on cd's so I really enjoyed that.
  While Daddy was in class, NaiNai & Mommy & I enjoyed the Lancaster area. We went on an Amish tour - I rode a horse-drawn buggy (but Mommy forgot to take pictures).  I had a blast at a petting zoo.  We drove to Hershey, PA and went on a chocolate tour.  AND - our hotel had an indoor pool which I thoroughly enjoyed - especially on the nights that Daddy finished class early and he was able to play in the pool with Mommy and I.

Fun pictures of these two week:

Mommy cannot remember what I am laughing at

  

  

  

 Loving this good food:

  

  

  

Trip to PA:

  

And a bit of video footage: