Granddaddy's visit

Granddaddy and Lois are in WV to visit with family members -- including me. We had a nice visit Sunday afternoon. Granddaddy sang to me and let me grab his glasses. Aunt KaKa kept me entertained by letting me pull her hair and making me laugh with stuffed animals. We just spent the day relaxing and hanging out with family.

Love the outdoors!

I just love the outdoors, but not my hat. It's a challenge for Mommy & Daddy to get me to wear it. I did wear it while we strolled briefly downtown in Lewisburg Sunday on our way home.

It's fun playing outside in the dirt and getting some sun. I don't like it when Granny,Mommy or Daddy makes me come in from playing. Mommy said the good thing about me playing outside during the days is I get worn out easily and by 8 p.m. I'm ready for bed. I have a tendancy to wake around 3 a.m. though. I just like to call for Mommy to come into the room so I can have some cuddle time with her. The other night, I grabbed both sides of her belly, leaned in and said hello to my baby sister. She kicked in return. Then Mommy and I cuddled while she rocked me for a few minutes before putting me back to bed. It's our nice mid-night ritual.

I'm learning new words every day. The past two days it's "cookie." As in "Cookie Monster." Aunt Sara reinforced the word all weekend when she kept showing Cookie Monster to me on the Sesame Street toy I have. Then I got home Monday and played with the stuffed Cookie Monster and told Mommy it was "Cookie."

I love dirt!

There's nothing better than playing in the dirt. After we spent the weekend in the woods, I helped Mommy & Daddy around the house on Monday and Tuesday. We went to Capital Market and bought some plants for the garden and flowers for our planters. After a long nap in the afternoon, I helped Mommy place her flowers in the planters. Well, I mostly just grabbed the dirt. Later, Mommy made me get cleaned up with a nice long bath before bedtime.

Weekend in the mountains

We had a short, but adventurous trip to Pocahontas County, where the Bott family cabin is located. Saturday we took a train ride at Cass Scenic Railroad to Whittaker Station. I made a friend on the trip. He was two months older than me, but didn't talk nearly as much. We played in the dirt and with rocks this weekend. And Daddy gave me a salamander to hold (first photo). you can't see the salamander very well. Unfortunately, he had an untimely death because I didn't realize how fragile he was and squeezed too hard!

Everyone we met couldn't believe I wasn't a year old yet and of course mentioned how cute I am. We saw Chris Legg from church at Meck's Bakery, but his son Benjamin (who I like to talk to in church) wasn't with him.

Exploring my world

Now that I'm walking all the time, it's so much easier to explore my world. For instance, I quickly discovered the wipe warmer. I like to pull all the wipes out. So Mommy locked it so I can't get into it.

I overheard Daddy saying something about child-proofing the house. I think that means he's going to take all the fun stuff away from me. Daddy and I had a good time hanging out last night. We played and giggled just before bedtime.

Can I have a bite?

When I'm not busy walking across the floor, then I'm sharing my food with Daddy or anyone who asks. Daddy, Granny or Pawpaw ask me for a bite and I gladly oblige. Pawpaw and I have a new game we play. I say "Daddee" and he says "Pawpaw." We keep going back and forth. Today, Daddy played the same game with me but he said my name instead and I said it back.

Baby sister

Belle's getting a baby sister!

First steps

I took my first steps on my own today! We were hanging out in Grandma & Grandpa Bott's living room Sunday afternoon. Daddy went outside to pack the car and I tried to follow him. I took about four steps before I fell. Grandma and Mommy cheered and laughed. Then Daddy and Grandpa came in and I was a walking fool. I walked several times, 6 steps, then 8 and then four. They all laughed and cheered, but I wasn't sure why. I just knew I was entertaining so I kept it up!

We had a good visit in Morgantown this weekend. Mommy had an event in town this weekend. I "walked" along the rail-trial with Aunt Dee, Grandpa & Grandma and some of their friends. We saw ducks, dogs and the Subway Sandwich guy.

I had a great time chasing the cats around Grandma & Grandpa Bott's house. We had a cookout on Saturday after the walk and I got to see Great Grandpa Bott and Aunt Barb and Jenny. Cousin Kevin was there too! It was a fun, but exhausting weekend. I was wiped. As you can see from the first photo. Mommy said I fell asleep before we hit the Interstate.

We'll try to do a better job updating the blog. I know everyone likes to know what we're up to. We've just had a busy schedule lately. Tuesday we find out whether I'm getting a brother or sister, so we'll definitely update Tuesday afternoon.

Visit with Aunt Sara

Aunt Sara is finally back home! Well, sort of. She's at least closer, so we'll see her more. She came to visit us for the weekend. At first, I wasn't sure who she was, but I quickly remembered and we became good friends. It's easy to be friends with someone who operates on the same level as you! We did enjoy some nice weather this weekend and together, with Daddy & Mommy, took a walk around the neighborhood.

I waved bye-bye to church friends on Sunday -- which pleased everyone. And I'm saying some words but not with regularity. (Nor do I realize what I'm saying.) They keep asking me about this yellow animal that says, "quack." Course, "da,da" or "dadee" are still my favorite sayings.

A new friend was born on Saturday. Trevor Lane Bailey was born at 3:02 p.m. He weighed slightly more than when I was born at 9.2. He's the new son of friends of Mommy & Daddy. Jaiden said she is excited about having a baby brother. We'll find out in a couple of weeks whether I'm getting a brother or sister later this year.

Standing

Every day I practice standing on my own. Granny, Pawpaw, Daddy and Mommy try to distract me so I'll try to walk. I'm stumbling some, but not quite walking. As you can see, it's easier for me to stand when we're outside or on the carpet at Granny's house. I've been playing in the back yard with Daddy a lot lately. He's excited about the warm weather and getting his garden planted. I just like the breeze on my face!

Crafty

It was such a nice day on Sunday that Daddy decided to finally mow our lawn. Then we all worked on a craft together. We created a stepping stone for the garden with my name on it. It was supposed to have my handprints on it, but I didn't like the feel of the concrete on my hands.

Visit to Morgantown

Daddy had to go to Morgantown on Saturday for football practice. Since it was raining and Mommy couldn't do much around the house, we decided to drive up with Daddy and visit Grandpa & Grandma. Daddy turned my car seat around so I face forward now. What a difference! I sure like looking out the window and being able to talk to Mommy & Daddy. We had a short but nice visit with Grandpa & Grandma and, of course, Penelope!

Emmaus #2

After the Emmaus people had their party, a nice man named Dan gave me all the balloons to play with. As you can see the string always fascinates me.

Clowns, balloons & fun

I met some clowns today. We helped out at Rippling Waters for the Men's Walk to Emmaus. Daddy spent the weekend out there working on the team. I thought the clowns were funny and liked to watch their show.

Hot day, cool shades

Hello peeps,

Wasn't it a gorgeous day today? Daddy took me out so I could enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful flowers growing in our yard. He even let me touch my feet in the grass. How fun.

We can't wait for the weather to stay warm so we can work in the garden and play outside.

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

Mommy turned another year older yesterday. I helped her celebrate by playing with the balloon that came on her flowers. Granny sent them to her office. We just had a good time hanging out at home last night. Mommy moved some stuff around in my room trying to organize it better. I think she's trying to do some spring cleaning. I had a good time bouncing the balloon around, but the strign was most fascinating to me.

Two teeth!

You can barely see my second tooth in this picture, but it's there. No others to speak of yet. I woke the folks early today and didn't want to take a nap so we've had a trying day. They let me try to feed myself at dinner to entertain myself a bit. I made a big mess.

I did let them watch some basketball while I played in the playpen for a bit. As you can probably tell, I don't like to be contained for too long so I started fussing when I wanted out. I overhead Daddy say something about being "your daughter' to Mommy -- whatever that means.

Happy to be home!

I'm sure many of you are upset that the beloved Mountaineers lost Thursday night, but Mommy and me are happy. Daddy is happy. We're happy to all be home together! We had a great time hanging out today reading the Dr. Seuss books that Aunt Sara sent me. See my cool Dr. Seuss backpack? I like taking books and toys out of it. Mommy keeps trying to put toys away and I just bring them back out.
Daddy took Mommy out for her birthday tonight. Uncle Richie and Aunt Grace watched me, but I wasn't happy about that. Course, I didn't take a nap this afternoon so that probably added to my grouchiness.
I'm crawling on my knees now. I finally learned I can get around quicker. It's easier to get into stuff I shouldn't! I can also feed myself puffs. I have to stick my fingers in my mouth, which makes a mess, but Mommy will just have to deal. She showed me the mats for under the highchair. She said I can start feeding myself now since I can't make too big of a mess!

Standing on my own

We visited Dr. Khan (Dr. Skaff's wife) today. She said I'm growing and I look great. I'm in the 95th percentile for my height (30 inches) and 75th for weight (19 lbs. 12 oz.). Just a few more ounces and I can sit with the carseat facing forward. I'll be happier in the car when I can see what's going on!
I had a shot today. I didn't care for that at all. Otherwise it was a routine visit and I won't return until I'm a year old. Dr. Khan told Mommy and Daddy my diet was fine. That I can wait for soft table foods for about another month. And I can start potty training between 12-15 months.
My second bottom tooth is nearly ready to break through. I can stand on my own for a few seconds at a time. Anyone who saw the pictures that PawPaw took can see me standing on my own in my big girl dress. This is one of the many poses PawPaw shot last week.

Harriet

Mommy is excited because some movie with a kid name Harry came out today. She says she has to buy it to add to her collection. In honor of the release, I dressed up for the occasion. Maybe if Mommy wasn't so concerned about movie releases, she would have recorded my doctor's appt. on the right day of the calendar. We showed up at Dr. Skaff's office today and my appt. is next week. Oh well. It's a trial one. I was good to her today and let her sleep in until 7. Gotta give her a break sometimes, right?

B-R-A-T

Mommy & Daddy keep saying the letters B-R-A-T over and over. I'm not sure what that means, but I can see frustration in their eyes. I don't know what they're getting upset about. I just don't want to be in this prison (bed) all the time. I let them know when I want to go to sleep (regardless of their schedule). I like to stand up in bed and yell until they have to deal with me.
Unfortunately for Mommy, I've been sleeping a lot in the evenings so I don't get to see her much. She sees me for a an hour or so in the morning before she goes to work and then usually an hour in the evening. Daddy will be the one to miss me soon. He's going back to the Big Apple to watch the Mountaineers play in the NCAA tournament. Is it wrong to hope they lose? That would sure bring Daddy come quicker.
I had my picture taken today at the mall. If anyone is interested in seeing it, you can ask Mommy for the site and password so you can view the shots.

Always posing ...

I always have time to look over at the camera ... whether Paw Paw is feeding me or not. You'd think I'd rather eat some of these yummy yams.

Paw Paw and Granny watched me today while Daddy was recuperating with something called kidney rocks, or something like that. When they start hurting, Daddy isn't too happy.

Sibling

Trying new things

Each day, Mommy & Daddy make me try new things. For example, this new sippy cup. If you hadn't heard, I'm pretty fond of my favorite bottles. I am not easily fooled. They tried to slip those bigger bottles by me, but I put my foot down, slapped the bottle away and screamed until they gave me what I wanted.

This new cup isn't so bad. It has two handles for me to hold onto it. The bonus to drinking out of this cup is the parental units allow me to try new foods, like juice. Now that my teeth are coming in, I'm also able to try some solids. Daddy gave me some mashed bananas. Mommy gave me some mashed sweet potatoes for dinner Sunday. I eat these "puffs" that granny bought me. They dissolve pretty quickly in your mouth. I prefer the sweet potatoes to the strawberries. Pretty soon, I hear I'll get to have some of what they call Cheerios.

First tooth

Well, it's finally here! At last, I cut my first tooth. It isn't the best photo. You can glimpse the top of the tooth breaking through my gums (white area on left.) Daddy discovered it this morning when he was dressing me for church. Guess they also figured out why I've been so fussy lately. I had a good time hanging out with Daddy and Granny last week, but I sure missed Mommy! Mommy brought me a present from Memphis. It's a puppet of a duck head that quacks to the tune of Old McDonald. It's quite amusing. Mommy bought it at the gift shop in the Peabody Hotel, where apparently thousands of tourists visit each day to watch 5 ducks leave the fountain the lobby and march down a red carpet to an elevator. Whatever turns you on I guess. She said Graceland was better! Elvis has left the building, folks.

Pretty in pink

I got dressed up in this fancy dress yesterday to attend church. Mommy said I gottta start wearing these clothes before I grow out of them. That's why she has me in a short sleeve shirt that's too tight today!
We drove to Morgantown on Saturday to surprise Grandma. Daddy had a WVU game to attend. We were only there for a few short hours, but I enjoyed hanging out with Penelope.
I can tell I'm driving the folks crazy lately. I give them a tough time. I'm not fond of the naps lately. And I've become an early riser again. I can just imagine Mommy & Daddy lying in bed doing rocks, scissors, paper to see who has to get up with me.

Great grandparents & more

G. Grandpa Bott had a good time hanging out with me on Sunday. I showed him all the fishing equipment in my tackle box.

I visited Dr. Chiang today. She just went over test results with Mommy. I'll have to have more tests done in a year to see if I outgrew the reflux in my kidneys. I have to take antibotics until then.

I weighed 19.3 lbs. and measured 28 3/4 inches long. I'm getting big, but not nearly as big as Mommy thought. :-)

Morgantown

Despite the snow, we traveled to Morgantown this weekend to see Grandma & Grandpa Bott. I also visited with G. Grandpa Bott. On Saturday, he turned 82!

I had a good time goofing off with the grandparnets this weekend. Course, I always laugh at Bear E. Beckner. And I had to show off for everyone -- showing my great ability to stand up.

Mamaw & Pap watched me while Mommy worked on Monday. It's always fun at their house too. The blog will have to hold them over until our next visit next month.

Peek-A-Boo

Did you know good things come in small packages? Daddy stayed home with me today. He said I was sweet, but I was still HMG. Since I'm mobile now, Daddy has a hard time keeping up with me. So Mommy corralled me and put me into a box.

I've managed to pull myself up to standing position in my crib and onto my toy. Daddy lowered my crib tonight so I won't be able to crawl out of bed and hurt myself.

We're headed to Morgantown to visit Grandma & Grandpa and the rest of the family this weekend. Great Grandpa Bott has a birthday on Saturday, so we're going to visit with him too.

Mommy said I've been a little fussy this week. It could be that my gums are aching because these teeth won't come in! On Valentine's Day I have to see a specialist about my kidneys. We're not even sure what the test is, but we'll let you know the results.

Fun with cousins!

We visited with the Gibson family after church on Sunday. Cousin Jessie let me help myself to carrots. I sure had fun at Aunt KaKa's house -- until I got too cranky from not having a nap. Daddy said I barely made it outside Bancroft before I was asleep. It was nice to see Aunts Dodie, Grace & Karen, Uncle Rocky, cousins Blake, Jonah and Ethan, and Paw Paw.

Mommy & Me

I love my Mommy. I especially love to grab onto her hair! We've been hanging out today. I don't like it when Mommy won't help me stand, though. I get mad when she makes me try it on my own first.

First bite

Tonight at dinner, I ate a few bites all by myself. As you can see, I had a little trouble finding my mouth in the beginning. Can you believe Mommy let me make this big of a mess? Don't worry. She cleaned me up promptly when I was finished eating.

Gone fishing

I just love my first tackle box. Mommy says the worm is to lure the fish, but I think it tastes great. Mommy is feeling much better, but her voice hasn't entirely come back. And I think I'm still wearing her out pretty easily. We're managing, though. Daddy is in New York for another game. It's a short trip, but we still hate to see him leave.

Before you know it, June will be here and I'll be turning one year old. Don't make plans for June 10. That's when we're going to celebrate.

Those Mountaineers.

Can you believe those sticken Mountaineers? They lost to Marshall, a team that is far inferior to them. Clearly they were having an off night. Daddy came home upset from the game. Mommy said something about those Marshall fans will be insufferable now. Mommy and I watched the game on television for a little while before I went to bed.
I would say it's been nice having Mommy home all week. But she isn't really much fun. She can't talk or do silly things to make me laugh. Luckily Daddy has been home to care for both of us.

Nothing new in terms of teeth or other developments. I'm prefer standing over sitting. And I would rather Mommy or Daddy just put me in a standing position, rather than making me work for it. Daddy says I take after Mommy. I have a temper and I get frustrated that I can't do what I want to do -- which is walk. Granny bought me a walker. I haven't figured out how this thing works yet, but I have noticed that it makes it easier for me to reach things I'm not supposed to have, like magazines or bills.

On my own

Well for two days now, I've been practicing on my own. Daddy says I take after Mommy and get frustrated easily. I fuss when I can't get my way. And sometimes it startles me when I fall, but I'm willing and ready to get back up and try again. I love this new toy I got for Christmas. Mommy said I'm excelling past my development stage -- something about usually babies stand on their own or try to stand on their own at 8 months.

Hanging around

I'll be hanging around with Daddy again today. Mommy is sick, so Daddy gets to play Mr. Mom again. We will watch the Mountaineers play UCLA this afternoon. Glad Daddy didn't have to travel to L.A.

What a wonderful world

For two wonderful days, I've enjoyed hanging out with my Daddy. We've had such a blast. We played. We watched The Muppets. We went for walks and hung outside on the deck (where we took this picture). We look quite serious in the photo, but our time together was anything but serious.
I've been told by Mommy that some people are upset there aren't any "natural" (i.e. bad photos of me on this blog). Well, truth be told, I really don't take a bad photo. It's true. I'm a ham. I love the camera. Mommy said she'd try real hard to catch a more "candid" photograph so people can see a more dimensional me.

Pulling myself up

Forget this crawling stuff. I'm going to bypass crawling all together and just try walking. Today, I managed (with a little help) to pull myself up from sitting to a standing position. I held onto my Gymnastatics toy and stood for awhile. Guess I'm getting the intended use out of this toy. Mommy has footage of me trying to stand. We're still trying to figure out how to get it on the blog. I like to chew on the top of the toy. I'm still trying to get those teeth to come through.

Visit from the grandparents

Grandma & Grandpa Bott came to visit this weekend. We had a good time. They watched me Saturday afternoon and took me to the mall. Grandpa said I was a "babe magnet." All the women cooed and aahed over me. And a man with his son in a stroller said, "Suck your stomach in son, a cute girl is coming," by when we passed. Grandpa likes to joke around with his puppet, Bear E. Beckner. Even though I know it's Grandpa talking, I laugh to amuse them.

Another doc visit

Yesterday, Mommy and I waited for 2 hours to see Dr. Skaff. By the end of the visit, we were both more than a little annoyed. He wanted to talk to Mommy about that reflux I have in my left kidney. It means there is a small leak of urine from my bladder to the left kidney. I'll be on antibotics for 6 months. Dr. Skaff also referred us to a specialist. I entertained myself for a bit playing with my tackle box, but then it got to be mealtime and I was cranky. Course, I always find Dr. Skaff interesting because of his accent.

The good news is the test for lead came back fine. Mommy & Daddy will continue to watch for paint chips in the house. Other medical update: I now weigh 18.8 pounds.

Hanging with Granny

I haven't had much to report this week. I've just been hanging out with Granny. Daddy and I spent Thursday at Granny's house. Daddy had to use their computer for work. I have fun with Granny. She certainly makes me laugh.

Still no teeth. I'm getting closer to crawling, though. Last night, I did a one-armed Army crawl. Mommy & Daddy were pretty excited. Mommy took video of me trying to crawl, but we haven't figure out how to get it uploaded to the site yet. Mommy also has video of what she swears is me saying "ma, ma." I just babble; I don't know what I'm saying. It sure made her happy though.

We've certainly enjoyed this nice warm weather we've been having. Mommy & Daddy took me out on the deck yesterday to just feel the sun and warm air. I can't wait until summer when I can play in the backyard.

Have a good weekend. We certainly will. Mommy is off on Monday so we get to hang out together.

Playing with Daddy

It's been great since Daddy came home. I wrestle with him on the floor! And then I love on him (like in the photo.) We're having a blast.

Haven't mastered crawling, yet, but I'm working on it. My first tooth hasn't popped in yet either.

We haven't received official news on the tests I had done at the hospital last week. But the doctor at the hospital said I have reflux. The flap between my bladder and kidney (on the left) isn't closing all the way. So Dr. Skaff will likely put me on antibotics to prevent getting a kidney infection. The doctor said it will take care of itself, but I'll have to have the ultrasound and CAT scan done again in a few months to make sure.

Gotta crawl, before....

Slowly but surely, I'm learning how to crawl. Mommy keeps putting objects (like my favorite toys) just out my reach so I have to move to reach them. I'm creative in how I obtain what I want. Sometimes I just roll from side to side until I move forward enough to reach the toy. Other times I slowly reach forward and then fall to my forehead to reach the object. Other times, I do a half army crawl to get it. I often get frustrated and yell, but Mommy just tells me to suck it up and keep going.

We had a relaxing weekend at home. Daddy comes home tonight and will be home for about a week. We're excited to see him. He is in Philly with the Mountaineers (basketball this time.) We're impressed they beat the third ranked team in the nation.

Another big development: I'm pretty close to getting my first tooth. The top right (my right) tooth is trying to pop through the front of the gum. There isn't enough to get a photograph yet. But when there is you can be sure that Mommy and Daddy will record it for the blog.

Pawpaw is our hero!

This is just a small tribute/thank you to my Pawpaw. He took off from work today to fix a couple of gas leaks in our basement. I know it's because he was so concerned about my safety. I also know that Mommy and Daddy are grateful for his help becuase a plumber would have cost mucho dinero. There were a couple of leaks around the hot water tank. Pawpaw had to replace some parts, cut off a line, and more.

Granny watched me at her house while all this was taking place. Mommy went to pick Daddy up from Pittsburgh. We're excited to see him. And we're very happy that the Mountaineers won the Sugar Bowl. I guess we'll let them off the hook for taking Daddy away for a week.

I'm grateful to be blessed with great grandparents, especially those nearby who can help out in emergenices. It doesn't hurt that Pawpaw makes me laugh (like in the picture.) Thank you, Pawpaw and Granny.

Pretty in blue

See how the blue brings out my eyes in this photograph? Mommy said I looked very pretty yesterday, even though the pants were a little short on me. I'm already growing out of some 9 months clothes. We had a nice weekend together -- Mommy and me. I slept a lot, which gave Mommy time to tear down the Christmas decorations and straighten up the house. We played with my new toys that Santa brought. We sure did miss Daddy on New Year's Eve though. Luckily he comes home tomorrow. The three of us are going to hang out as a family together on Wednesday before Daddy has to fly out again to yet another Mountaineer game. Basketball this time.

I woke Mommy had 4 a.m. today. The thunderstorm that tore through town must have woken me. Mommy was frustrated because I wouldn't go back to sleep right away. It was 5 a.m. before she got back to bed.

I still haven't cut any teeth, but they should be coming in any day now. I chew on my gums constantly or anything I can get into my mouth.

We have a busy week ahead. Mommy has to pick Daddy up in Morgantown and he flies out again on Thursday. Mommy has to take me to get an ultrasound of my kidneys at the hospital on Friday. I'm sure it's okay. Dr. Skaff is just very thorough. We'll let everyone know the results as soon as get them.

Love,
Belle