Look! A puddle to splash in!

We went to Sea Ranch for New Years... And were treated to a terrific storm. During one of the of breaks in the storm we went out for a walk.

Teresa with Annie

Teresa and Allison... playing with blocks.

Dad with cousin Allison.

At the christmas party: Teresa eyes auntie Barb's wine glass...

Aren't those reindeer fetching??? 

We went to see Santa at the HOA Christmas party on Sunday. Teresa wasn't really sure what to make of that red suit, but she didn't scream like some other little kids! 

Mom with Teresa in her christmas suit! 

And teaching gramp the sign for change! 

Teresa, doing her best impression of a cherub. 

Gramma and Gramp came for a visit last week. Teresa was happy to show off her walking skills and to have help trimming the christmas tree! 

Our walking zombie! 

Little Jeeper

One day in Madison we went to the local children's museum. Not a huge place, but lots of fun toys, and Teresa got to practice her driving. 

Jester!

We went to Madison, WI last week for a little work/vacation trip. It was rather cold (down to 15F as a high one day). Fortunately, Teresa had a nice warm fleecy jester suit. Doesn't she look cozy! 

Teresa has really been taking care of her newfound mobility... recently she's been pushing the kitchen chairs around. Simply walking around them is too boring, but she doesn't seem to quite have the confidence to walk around everywhere she wants to. Then, this evening, dad was 'watching' her while playing guitar and looked up... and she was on top of the kiddie picnic table!After looking like she wants to climb everything in sight, she appears to have finally found something accessible to her.

Walking!

Well, so much for thinking about walking... This morning Teresa was again walking on momma's fingers and momma put her down a few steps away. Teresa got so excited that she forgot that she didn't really know how to walk yet and walked to momma, falling into her hands! OK, it was only three steps, but this evening Teresa really went at it. She walked at least 6 steps to daddy, and was obviously stable the whole way.

In actuality, it was very similar to the way she started crawling... she looked at us for a while with an expression like "I can never crawl that far"... And then in a very short time went from crawling 6 inches to crawling across the room.

Not bad for a 9 1/2 month old!

A step!

This morning Teresa took a step!!

She had gotten to a stand at my legs as I was making breakfast. I stepped away hoping to distract her with tupperware so I could finish prep. She stood there watching me and considering what to do. Then she lifted her left foot and stepped forward. And then sat down.

I called Dad who dashed in but her morning performance was over, no more steps while Dad was home...we'll see what the rest of today brings.

Teresa and I had our usual Friday hike with other Moms and babes. This was a great adventure! Well, all hikes are adventures, but generally we follow a trip report we find posted online (as well as use a map) so we know generally what to expect. Not yesterday. We had the trip report and were following where it said to go, but then reached a point where it was unclear if we were to parallel Eagle Creek or cross Eagle Creek. We picked crossing which as it turned out was not the right way. nonetheless we were still hiking and it was gorgeous. We eventually reached a trail junction that, while again was not signposted well, it actually had a map board so we could see where we were. We saw we could backtrack a smidge and get back on route, or loop around another way. We conferred and chose to loop. The trail took us down the back side of the mountain we'd just climbed, down to a river... sans bridge! So we mamas removed shoes and socks and waded across the knee deep water. All babies made it across nice a dry. We trekked about a mile and then crossed the same river back again. And then climbed up up up the mountain again, eventually reaching the top and the "overlook" that was the turn around spot of the orginally proposed hike. All down hill now back to our cars where we shared a wonderful picnic lunch and lolled about the blanket while the kids climbed, rolled, and explored.

We moms were all pleased with our river fording, but wonder if we'll ever get more moms to join us once word gets out that we're not sedate trail moms ;-)

After playing, there's nothing quite like curling up in the shadow of a pumpkin!

Teresa also got to go on a little train ride!

Teresa went to the pumpkin farm today! Note that her hair is exactly the same color as the overpriced pumpkins!

So yesterday Teresa and I spirited up to Aunty teensy's to deliver som clothes for Alli and 2-bit as well as the carseat and swing that big girl Teresa has outgrown. On the drive up Teresa was playing with her blue key from Good Uncle Jim that plays sounds. She kept whizzing through the sounds until it played "the wheels on the bus" tune at which point hse listened carefully to the verse her Mommy would sing. The key would stop playing and Teresa would again press it again and again until the right tune came on... looks like there is decent hope that she DID get her Daddys musical ear!

Teresa has started playing peek-a-boo with us - I mean that she initiates the game! and she thinks she is the funniest little thing to ever walk the earth when she plays. Of course she is pretty dang funny!! Yesterday I was sitting at the computer working and she was playing in the dining room. I heard her crawling through the kitchen and then get quiet. Well, sometimes she decides to just sit and play with her fascinating hands so I left her be for a moment. Then I heard a quick EEE! I truned around and saw this little cherub faced girl standing tall, with a look of complete amusement, peering around the refrigerator at me! She laughed!!! and played peek-a-boo for a while before crawling to me to get hugs.

Then while we were eating dinner and she was playign int he family room she decided Dad needed some giggles. She crawled over to the table and positioned her self to peek at him. She peek acouple times with little giggles. She started laughing so hard and had such fun laughing that she forgot to play pee-a-boo and just stood there laughing! darling darling girl.

And Teresa got to work on her bouldering moves!

Keriann and Teresa chewing some books!

Keriann and Teresa readong some books.

Teresa got to play in the sand!

We went up to Sea Ranch with Bethany and Keriann... Here we are frolicking at the mouth of the Gualala River.

Here's Teresa in her new swing... showing off her new tooth. (OK, you can't see it.. its the upper left incisor.)

Teresa is closing in on nine months old and has just been doing all sorts of fun things... Including getting sick for the first time, along with momma and daddy! Fortunately, she and momma only had a fever for about a day. This picture is from last week when the mommies went to the Monterey aquarium... of course Teresa's real favorite was the otters with all the running water!

Standing..... By herself!

Recently, Teresa's big thing is that she has been pulling herself up to standing and holding onto things. Occasionally she get's this glassy look in her eyes as she looks across the room at something that she wants to get to, almost as if she could just run across the room to get it at any moment. Well.....

This evening Teresa was standing and holding onto her play-stool (a Fisher-Price widget that she can hold onto and bat and it makes noises and such), with Daddy playing guitar and Mommy working on the computer. We were both watching her out of the corner of our eyes, when she let go.... and stood... for... like... five... seconds!

Yes, for those of you who are counting, that's less than two weeks since she was just rocking back and forth on her hands and knees... Next week we plan to have her staked out on a 5.10c

Welcome home... During our trip, Teresa began crawling and pulling herself up to standing: Probably the influence of getting to see her cousins wandering around! Anyway, we decided that when we got back we would start solid foods. So, here you go... Nectarines!

Teresa with Great-Grandma, Cousin Megan, and Great-Aunt Jane.

Next we stopped to see Mom's family in Ohio. Here is Teresa with her Great-Grandma Ruth.

Then we went to see Niagara Falls! Did I mention that Teresa likes water?

In New York, Teresa met up with her cousins Ben, Sara, and Taylor... What a bunch!

We also went whale watching... Teresa liked the splashing bow wave! We saw lots of puffins and briefly saw a minke whale too!

Teresa got to stick her feet in the water... It was a little cold!

The top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia NP.

We just got back from a whirlwind tour of the east coast... It wasn't quite the trip from hell, but perhaps the trip from heck. Don't get me wrong... It was alot of fun to see so many people, it's just easier when they all come to see you. :) The brief summary: Maine Wedding to Acadia NP to New York to Ohio to Pennsylvania. On the trip out, Teresa practiced her flute position with a pair of chopsticks.

Oh My!!