She's a-movin' and a-groovin'

"Can you believe I already know how to pull myself up on everything?!"

"Here I come!"

Gloria still prefers to scoot around on her tummy, but she does know how to crawl on her hands and knees. Gloria and I were at library story time on September 9 when all of a sudden she started crawling. She only went a few feet before going back on her tummy, but I saw her and was surprised! Since then she will occasionally crawl in the middle of her scooting on her tummy.

"I stand up in my bed whenever I wake up."

Yes, Gloria now stands up in her crib whenever she wakes up, even if it's 3 in the morning and she's wearing her sleep bag. I'm quite impressed that she figured out how to stand up while wearing her sleep bag since her feet aren't out. I'll go in her room to get her and there she is, standing at the side of the bed. She knows how to sit down with no problem, fortunately, so she doesn't get stuck standing up and we don't have to go rescue her.

Today I bought Gloria some new shoes to wear while she's outside in her walker. Her other shoes were not staying on and she can't be walking around in her bare feet. I put the shoes on her, put her in her walker, and she was off - racing down the driveway. She finally figured out how to get around in the walker this past weekend. Now there is no stopping her. She's a speed demon. I still have to get a video of her so that I can post it here and you can all be amazed!

When we were visiting Rob's family a few weekends ago, Gloria tried out her cousin Julian's old walking toy. We brought it home and have been practicing walking with it and now it's like she's a pro. For the most part, Gloria can pull herself up on it and walk around the living room. She's not that good at going straight and definitely not good at turning yet. So, we help her turn it around when she gets to the end of the room, and we nudge it to help her go straight. When she runs into something like the couch, the wall, the toybox, etc., she keeps trying to go which then makes the walker start to flip and in turn, she falls on it. But she hasn't given up.

Gloria stops a lot during her walks to wave and talk to the kitties. She lets go with one hand, waves, and then puts her hand back on the handle to continue walking.

"Hi Boomer!"

So, I had to include this picture of Boomer.

"Na na nah boo boo!"

Apparently he was interrupted while cleaning himself and forgot to pull his tongue back in his mouth. He left his tongue out for at least 5 minutes, even while April was taking pictures of him. He's a great kitty, always putting up with Gloria chasing after him and trying to pet him, even though at times it's more like pulling his hair. He likes to tease Gloria by letting her get a few inches away from him and then he'll move four feet away and plop down on the ground. She'll scoot up to him again and he'll move four feet away and lay down again. Boomer likes to play with Gloria's toys and wants to be right where all of the action is.

What a good eater!

Gloria has tried so many new foods and, for the most part, likes them. This past Friday my mom and I gave Gloria zucchini for the first time. It tasted good to both of us - I steamed the zucchini pieces and put them through the food processor. The texture is a bit gritty because of the peel, but it still tastes good. Gloria isn't quite sure of green foods in general, and zucchini was no exception. She ate quite a few bites, and in between bites she decided to give herself a zucchini facial. She has had it a few times since and seems to prefer the zucchini when it's mixed in with other vegetables.

"The aftermath of zucchini...it made a nice face scrub!"

Here is the list of all the foods that Gloria has tried:
rice cereal
banana
avocado
oatmeal
peaches
sweet potatoes
baby "melt in your mouth" puffs
carrots
papaya
acorn squash
pears
butternut squash
green beans
plums
mango
peas
broccoli
nectarines
asparagus
biter biscuit
celery
cauliflower
cantaloupe
eggplant
kiwi
brussel sprouts
zucchini
applesauce

We also have come to the conclusion that Gloria is allergic to eggplant. The first time she had it she had some red splotches around her mouth. We weren't sure if it was from the eggplant or if it was just from her drinking out of her cup. We have tried it a few times since and still red spots appear. Tonight she had one small cube of eggplant mixed with sweet potatoes and the red spots were there again. She had rubbed her hands on her mouth and spread some of the food to her forehead and cheeks and had small red blotches there as well. So, we will be removing eggplant from her menu for the time being.

We've been giving Gloria small pieces (though Rob says they're big) of different foods for her to chew with her gums. With her oatmeal at breakfast, I'll share a peach or a pear with her. She's had banana pieces and has bitten pieces off of the banana too. She's also had kiwi and plum pieces. Gloria really likes having chunks of food to mush. She gets a big smile on her face and is so proud that she knows how to eat some foods that aren't pureed.

Books

Gloria loves loves loves books. She gravitates towards them when they are out amongst her toys. She likes turning them over and over in her hands, opening them up and closing them. She will sit on our laps for up to twenty or thirty minutes just listening to us read books and looking at the pictures. Gloria does have her favorite books that she will reach for time and time again - "Peekaboo Baby," "Ten Little Ladybugs," and "How a Baby Grows."

Mommy's Birthday

I turned the big 2-6 a week ago. We celebrated in St. Joe with my family on my birthday (and in Taylor with Rob's family two weeks ago.) We had a delicious lunch at Clementine's, followed by presents and cake at my mom's house.

Gloria thought it would be fun to open one of my presents up before I was ready to open that one. She just pulled herself up on the coffee table and grabbed a hold of the paper and started to tear. Next thing I knew, half of my present was unwrapped. I helped her by unwrapping the other side and found a crock-pot! (I had asked for it, and used it two days later!)

"I thought it was for me!"

"Just wait until it's my birthday!"

"Happy Birthday Grandma and Holly!"

Explorer Gloria

Gloria likes exploring. Two weeks ago she explored the land underneath our kitchen table and found a jungle gym just her size (a chair).

"Just playin'."

"It's a maze."

"Hi!"

The same weekend that she explored our dining room chairs, Gloria began to pull herself up to standing by her musical table. We still had to be close just in case she took a tumble, but she was getting up all on her own. She would scoot over to the table, put her hands on the side, pull up to her knees, walk on her knees closer to the table, and then pull herself up.

"On my knees...just have to pull up to my feet now."

"This is my favorite toy!"

"Elmo likes to play too!"

And thus began Gloria's obsession with pulling herself up. She now pulls up on anything and everything that she can grab onto. She pulls herself up on the couch, on the toybox, on her jumperoo (though it's not stable), and us!

Labor Day Weekend pt. 3

"Our trip to the lake."

On the Monday of Labor Day weekend, we went to the lake house of some of our friends. We had a cookout and did some wakeboarding/tubing behind their boat. Gloria was able to experience a lake and sand for the first time. She had a blast walking through the sand and the water, and then scooting around on her tummy in the sand.

"What am I walking on?"

"The water feels good."

"I wasn't scared of the sand at all!"

"I'm having a blast at the beach! I'm sandy and wet!"

After we ate lunch and Gloria took a nap and played a bit, we went out on the boat. Gloria looked so cute in her baby life jacket and hat.

"Chillin'"

"I'm going tubing!"

I started out the boat ride on a tube. After a trip around the lake, Rob and I switched spots. As I was climbing back in the boat he told me that Gloria had fallen asleep almost instantly as the boat had started. It must've been the motion combined with the roar of the motor and the waves and the warmth from the sun. He handed her to me and she remained sleeping until the boat was parked and Rob was carrying her down the dock.

"Sleepy baby."

Labor Day Weekend pt. 2

Before we left Grandpa and Grandma Hettig's to go back home, we stopped at the Lawrence Ox Roast. We watched kids compete in the pedal tractor pull, saw a boy fall in a dunk tank over and over, and had a snack. Gloria enjoyed all of the sights and sounds of the day and slept for most of the way back home.

"Hi"

"Grandpa, Grandma, and me!"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for this rising star. Soon you'll be able to say, 'I knew her when...'. I'm proud to present Miss Gloria Grace on the drums."

Ta-da!

Labor Day Weekend pt. 1

Over Labor Day weekend, we visited Grandma and Grandpa Hettig to celebrate my birthday and Rob's birthday. Gloria finally met her cousin Ami and they played together a bit. Ami wasn't quite sure what to think, at first, of the little girl that was scootching towards him. They had fun playing toys together.

"Cousins"

My dad has a drum kit in his basement. Rob showed Gloria how to hold a drum stick and how to hit the drums and the cymbals. She wasn't sure if she wanted to touch the cymbals but after a few minutes she really got into it.

"Crash, boom, bang!"

"My daddy is a rockstar!"

"Oooh! A drumstick like all the real drummers use!"

"I'm gonna get you!"

Pull ups

Two weeks ago, I was hanging clothes up in Gloria's closet so I put her in her crib to play for a few minutes. Not long after I put her in there, I turned around to look at what she was doing and this is what I found!





She pulled herself up! I honestly didn't think she could do that yet, but she showed me I was wrong.

This past Monday Rob went in to get Gloria after she took a nap and she was standing up waiting for someone to get her. Since then, she's been trying to pull up on everything and is being successful. At first she'd pull herself up onto her knees, but now she's pulling up onto her feet. And, she does it really quick. Little girl isn't so little anymore.

Kitty cat Gloria

Two weeks ago Gloria found Monet's basket bed in the living room. She started off by just holding onto the edge and tipping it up to get at a kitty toy that was in there. Then, Gloria decided she was going to test the basket out. She managed to get in it, roll over, and then scoot back out.

"I did it! I'm in the basket!"

"Meow"

"It's soft in here. Maybe I'll take a nap. Nah..."

After crawling out of Monet's bed, Gloria scooted over to our end table and found some of my parenting magazines. I suppose it's never too early to begin learning tricks of being a parent.

"This is a very interesting article."

Just look at the way she's laying there with her foot/leg up on the rocking horse.

Almost barrette time

Gloria's hair is growing and it's getting pretty long - long enough to stick up and cause some crazy looking bedhead. One evening last month, after getting her hair washed, she had some very funky looking hair that I just had to capture on film. So, now, presenting "Gloria's crazy wet hair!"

"What are you looking at?"

"It might be time for a barrette."

Now, here are two videos. The first one is from swimming class. The second one is of Gloria's introduction to celery. Did she enjoy it or not? You'll have to watch to find out :)

Messy face

Gloria thoroughly enjoyed her first experience with a biter biscuit (Aug. 26). She knew exactly what to do and started gnawing and sucking on it right away. They are very messy once they get wet and afterwards it's best to just give the baby a bath instead of trying to use a washcloth. Gloria ate the biscuit until only a piece a little longer than an inch remained; it started out about 4 inches long. That was when I said it was time to be done because it was becoming unsafe. (If you click on the collage, you can see the pictures bigger with better detail.)

"YUM YUM YUM!!!!"

Of course we documented this occasion with some video - take a look!

We gave her another biscuit a few days ago and she enjoyed it just as much as the first time. What a special treat for a special baby girl!

Ride 'em Cowgirl!

Gloria has her own pony! It's white with big, beautiful black eyes. Sure, it's plastic and it lives in Grammy's house, but don't tell Gloria that! She rode on it for the first time before we went to Deer Forest on August 19. She seemed to enjoy the fact that no one had to hold on to her since there is a plastic ring around the seat. So, she practiced at Grammy's house and then rode a real pony at the park.

"I love my pony!"

"Her name is Snowflake."

"Now if I can only convince Grandpa to build me a pony ride by the pond..."

I'm a little late (almost a month) in posting about our trip to the zoo on August 9 with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Vicki. We had a yummy picnic in the park beforehand and then spent the afternoon exploring the zoo.

"Cheese!"

Grandpa gave Gloria a wild animal to play with - a squirrel. Don't worry it doesn't bite :) Gloria took to it right away, and now it's a staple in our toy rotation at home.

"Just me and my Grandpa."