Happy Halloween!

Well, I guess trick or treating is tonight. Mommy decided we'd just dress up and hand out candy at our house since Daddy won't be around to go with us. We had a busy weekend. We attended special ceremonies at the Women's Emmaus walk this weekend and visited with friends out there.

I had a spinach/carrot mix for my veggies these past two days. It's not as good as peas. It didn't go down very well. So Mommy said I wouldn't have to eat spinach again anytime soon.

I overheard Mommy & Daddy saying how fast I'm growing that they'll have to buy a new car seat soon. I'm about to exceed the length requirements. No wonder it's getting so snug in that seat. I tried to tell them I'm uncomfortable in that thing!


I don't return to see Dr. Skaff until Dec. 15. That's good news! Mommy & Daddy hope that we'll get into our new house before Nov. 20 (my dedication) so that they're not stressed with too much going on in one weekend. Talk to you soon. Love, Belle

Happy Halloween!

Toes are good!

Well, I've been trying for weeks now and I finally accomplished it! I got my toes in my mouth last night. Boy did they taste good. The big toes is especially tasty! Mommy says I should enjoy this flexibility now because when I grow up it won't be that easy to pull my leg up.

I had a good night last night. I've been sleeping well again. Aunt Grace watched me this morning since Granny is sick. We hope she feels better soon. We'll be home again this weekend. Mommy & Daddy said they can't wait to take me out to a special ceremony at the Women's Emmaus Walk this weekend. Whatever that means. But we visited with some friends out there last night. I did okay visiting with people until I got tired. Pawpaw kept lifting me up in the air and that made me laugh for awhile. We hope you all have a good weekend too. We'll talk to you soon. Love, Belle

Continue to grow

My latest trick (that Daddy taught me) is to blow raspberries. It's not that hard. Sometimes I get spit all over my face, but Mommy promptly wipes it off. I don't know what the big fuss is over it, but it sure makes everyone laugh, especially Pap.
Yesterday, Daddy fed me the rest of the zuchinni and I spit it everywhere when I blew a raspberry. As you can see from the photo, we haven't mastered eating with a spoon. A lot of the food still ends up on my face!
Grandma & Grandpa Bott came to visit last night on their way home from FL. They had a nice vacation and brought me a gift. I won't see them again (unless they come to visit) until Thanksgiving day when the Mountaineers play Pitt. Go 'Eers. Talk to you later. Belle

First snow

We returned from Morgantown today. What a trip! Can you believe it snowed in October? I got to see my first snow. Mommy didn't take me out in it, though, since I didn't have a snow suit or very warm clothes with me.

I got to hang out with Mamaw & Pap again and visit with Aunt Dee, Aunt Barb and cousin Jenny.

Yesterday, I had my first taste of zucchini. Mommy just keeps finding new green veggies for me to try. I just love eating from a spoon.
Pretty soon I should be able to sit up on my own. I don't quite have the balance thing down yet.
Today, I'm home with Granny and Daddy and helping Daddy write his articles. He had a scary flight through the snow and ice from Pittsburgh to DC. His flights from DC to Newark were canceled so he didn't go to the Big Apple. Hope everyone is doing well. Love, Belle

Keep 'em on their toes!

Hello again,

It's fun to watch Mommy & Daddy drag themselves into my bedroom at 4 a.m. Their eyes are barely open and they try to smile, but I know they really wish they could sleep. I thought maybe Mommy would feed me early, but she just changed my diaper and rocked me back to sleep. I gotta do something to keep them on their toes!

Daddy is staying home with me today, so I'm sure we'll play some video games. As you can see from the photo, I like playing Daddy's football game.

Mommy & Daddy said they want me to be good this weekend and take lots of naps so they can pack. We hope to move into our new home soon. Repairs are taking place now and Mommy & Daddy finished the loan paperwork last night. We hope to be in the new home before my dedication on Nov. 20. By the way, I hope you'll come to church with us that morning.

Have a good weekend. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again. We're headed to Morgantown on Monday and Tuesday. Mommy has meetings and Daddy has to fly to NYC on Tuesday. I hope he brings me back some bling, bling from the Big Apple!

Won't see FL

Well, thanks to Hurricane Wilma, Mommy & Daddy said we won't get to go visit Aunt Sara. But my crazy grandparents went ahead and drove down to see her. We're praying God will protect them and all the people in FL from this hurricane.

I have now had my second helping of another green veggie... green beans! They're not as sweet as peas so it took awhile for me to warm up to them. I'm getting this eating with a spoon thing down pretty well now. Granny and Mommy still won't let me hold the spoon on my own though.

Since we'll be home this weekend, Mommy & Daddy said they'll take me to my first WV Book Festival. We hope to find some good children's books at the large book sale. I like to hear stories. Last night, Mommy read me Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree." I like his crazy poems too.

Well, that's all for now. I'm off for a nap. By the way, hope you like the picture of us in Watoga Park. That's after we found my first letterbox. We'll be doing more of that, my parents say, when I can travel better and when Daddy's actually home for a weekend.

Peas are yummy!

Belle tasted her first solid food on Sunday. She had about 6 baby spoonfuls of peas. Surprisingly, she didn't make any funny faces and appeared to be enjoying the food. After a couple of bites, she started to open her mouth for the spoon. We will try peas for a couple more days and then move onto another green veggie. Dr. Skaff told us to start her on green veggies at lunchtime.

Shots

Belle was not all smiles after her shots yesterday!

Well Andrew and Belle waited for more than two hours at the doctor's office yesterday. I had to travel to Pocahontas County for work so I missed this appt., which is fine because Daddy got to be the bad guy this time!
So she now weighs 15 lbs. and 4 ozs. She gained 2 lb.s 2 oz., but she only grew by a 1/4 of an inch. She is now 25 1/2 inches long. She got two shots in her left leg yesterday. Andrew said she cried so hard her face turned red/purple. It broke her Daddy's heart.
She has been cleared to take her first flight next week. We'll be traveling to Tampa for the SF game. Belle will get to visit with Aunt Sara a bit. Dr. Skaff told Andrew his secret anecdote for flying: (read in a Lebanese accent) "You give her a little bit of Benedryl and she sleep through the whole flight.") Andrew is skeptical, knowing how stubborn Belle is. She's like her Daddy in that regard. :-)

Our bee

Belle was pretty fussy yesterday. I think the gums are bothering her. She goes to the doctor tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. She'll receive four shots. According to the AAP guidelines, she's a whole month ahead of schedule. She can rollover both ways and holds her head up very well. I've posted the latest Belle creation.
Richard is very clever. We appreciate all the great photographs he takes.