Sophie at 11 months

Another month for Sophie and things are going great.

Milestones include crawling up the stairs as fast as I can walk them. Unfortunately, getting down the stairs is another issue.

She somewhat discriminates as she calls for Dadada and Mamama, and when asked "What does doggie say?" she attempts

her own version of a "woof". Waving hello and good-bye was a great surprise for her Daddy when he recently returned from

a business trip. Very exciting stuff folks!

Still no walking (PHEW) - but I am guessing that her first birthday may include this milestone.

We have enjoyed the hot weather with lots of swimming - Sophie loved the beach and playing in the sand.

She was in the water for over 2 hours straight while at Oneida Lake! And as for the water itself, the deeper

the better - she didn't mind going underwater either. We had a blast with her cousins. Did I happen to

mention that she just loves her cousins?? Lots of sun screen and battling to keep her sun hat on.

But alas - we made it through the day without a sunburn.

And as for Sophie's size - she is still Billy Fucillo HUGE.... 18 month clothing, although her 24 month suit

fits better than her 18 month suit. Needless to say - the appetite is still great.

Now on to plan the birthday party!

Yupper - 10 months

I cannot believe that 10 months has gone by so quickly! A year ago I was bigger than a house and now

I just wish I had a bigger house! (It is amazing how much space someone so small can take up.)

Sophie is weighing in at 23 pounds 11 oz - at least that is her wrestling weight. She is 30 inches long.

She is very heavy to carry around, which can be tough. She had her first cold a few weeks ago and

wanted to be held a lot. I learned to do a lot of things with one arm - and now I have well-toned arms -

just in time for the sleeveless fashions of summer.

She is crawling at lightening speeds, pulling up and standing on anything that will support her weight,

and she magically crawled up the stairs a few weeks ago without having shown them much attention before

that. She has no fear of the darned things. I, on the other hand, am besides myself over this.

Her eating is still going pretty well - although she is getting a little finicky. She seems to have an

affinity for some summer fruits, namely strawberries and blueberries . (messy, messy)

She loves books and has learned to turn the pages - in the right direction even! She also has learned

to kiss the various characters in her books. Come to find out, Aunt Norma (her sitter when I work) has

taught her these neat tricks.

Sophie utters a lot of mamamamas and dadadadas, but does so indiscriminately, at least we think. One

day she may surprise us! (I see it now - 3 am - DADADADADAA.... hee hee)

So now on to the lazy days of summer (whoever uttered this phrase didn't have a near-one year old at the

time, I am quite sure.) Hope to get a baby pool and hang out - do a little hiking with the backpack, and

jogging some of the local lake trails with the baby jogger. So much gear I tell you!

That's it for this update. Take care!

9 months and still going!

Hi All!!

Well, Sophie has officially hit the 9 month mark. Wow does time fly!

This past month we were able to visit Grandma Morphet in North

Carolina. Sophie did great in the nearly 11 hour car ride. She had a

blast seeing Grandma; going for walks, her first swing, and lots of big

open spaces to crawl around.

We also squeaked in a trip to visit 94 year old Great Grandma Szarlacki

in Rochester. Great Grandma was thrilled to see us, snatched the baby

to hold her as soon as we got there, and exclaimed "She is so big!".

At around 25 pounds, you betcha!

The most significant of milestones has to be that she is now STANDING.

Yup. Here comes trouble. Let's see how long that crib of hers will

contain her.

She still has 8 teeth, hair still stands up on end, and is still a very

contemplative young lass. She loves books - especially of the touch

and feel variety. It is so much fun to sit with her and read.

Well, that is it for now. Looks like spring has finally sprung here in

Syracuse. Hope everybody enjoys the upcoming good weather.

-Leanne, Steve, Sophie and Buddy

8 months, 8 teeth

So Spring is finally here!

Much like the tulips and daffodils - Sophie is just growing and growing and growing.

She started doing pushups a few weeks ago - even a few one handed ones! This led to her next fateful milestone; Sophie is officially crawling forward, and like a champ. Her pincer grip (between thumb and forefinger) is another achievement this month- which helps her put those yummy Cheerios (although the organic variety) in her mouth! She enjoys clapping her hands, occasionally waving like the queen, and blinking both eyes after Mommy does.

She is sitting up on her own - which helps her play by herself a lot more. She is beginning to get bored with her toys - so out comes the tupperware and wooden spoons!

And yes - 8 teeth! Still eating like a sumo wrestler, I might add.

She enjoys spending time with her family - she loves to see all her cousins. She gives them lots of smiles and enjoys playing with them more than anyone else. I have attached a picture of a few of her terrific cousins from our Easter visit to Grandma Boulware's house.

We will be visiting Grandma Morphet in NC this week - what a fun car ride this should be! 2 tired parents, 1 protective dog, an 8 month old baby and 11 hours of driving down the highway! (Keeping sanity - priceless) Spare a prayer or two for us, eh?

Until next time - happy spring!

And on to 7 months for Sophie

It's almost spring - yahoo! Can't wait for the weather so that Sophie can

enjoy taking walks in her stroller more often.

She sleeps pretty well now. That's not to say that she doesn't get up now and

again - but it isn't very often. She manages to squeak out 11 hours a night.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all do that? Even though we put her on her

back she always seems to end up on her stomach or side.

She has 6 teeth now. Loves to eat peas, carrots, spinach, potatoes, squash,

zucchini, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, BUT NOT BANANAS!? I have a

dog who won't eat American cheese, and a kid who won't eat bananas - how

weird is that? :)

She likes to feed herself. This is not the most enjoyable experience as a parent.

Never knew oatmeal could end up in so many places. And don't even ask me about

the Cheerios.

She is sitting up very well on her own now. Has even managed to figure out

how to tip over and land somewhat gracefully. She is beginning to figure out how to

steer her reverse creeping - so she is VERY mobile and strategic to boot.

She is trying desperately to get into a sitting position on her own. I have a feeling

that she will have accomplished this by the next update.

Buddy is still figuring her out. He dropped his toy in her lap to play fetch-

but she didn't throw it. He kept on retrieving his toy to Sophie even though Mommy

was throwing it for him - that was until Sophie grabbed hold of one of his ears and

pulled as though she was yanking a rope in the bell tower. YIPES! Thank

God some of those Cheerios end up coming his way - he seems to forgive her every time.

At 6 months she was nearly 20 pounds and 27 inches - she is our 95% baby.

We had a baby party recently, and Sophie was the youngest AND the largest.

(See picture with (l-r) Claire 10 months, Sophie 6.5 months and Madeline 8 months)

My little linebacker!

Daddy and Mommy are doing pretty well - we love laughing and spending time with her so much.

Life is good.

Happy St. Patty's Day ...

Sophie's been around for a 1/2 year already - WOW!

6 months have flown by like I cannot believe. She is super fun now. I consider these the golden times of babyhood.

She is up to tooth number 4, drooling all over the place, mobile yet not crawling, sitting up froggy style pretty well,

sitting on her own only to end up falling on her face, saying dadadada tatatata alot, and grabbing for everything.

She enjoys her cereal, carrots and peas. She LOVES to eat like her mamma. Just take one look at her and you can tell-

nice Herculean thighs! Will be going for her checkup this Friday - can't wait to hear her height and weight. Out of the

three baby girls in the neighborhood, Sophie is the largest AND the youngest. ha ha

She may not be crawling, but she moves in reverse very well. This pretty much ticks her off since she is TRYING to go

forward. Combining this reverse method with a few rolls pretty much gets her all around though.

I have a feeling dada will hear his name uttered first. This doesn't bother mommy though. I am looking forward to her

yelling dada at 3 in the morning instead of mamama very much.

She's managed to grab Buddy's tail, ear, and scruff. Doggy is starting to look nervous, but is getting the general idea

to run for the hills when baby gets interested in him.

5 months for Sophie!

Well, we made it to five months and things are going well.

Christmas was great. We had a lot of fun with Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, and Grandma Morphet coming into town to spend the holidays. We sure do miss them.

Sophie has added another tooth! She really does well with her rice cereal - she loves for Daddy to feed her. She likes sitting in her highchair - dinners are a lot more special now.

She is rolling really well off of her back to her tummy - she seems to enjoy tummy time a lot more now. This rolling thing is just the start of her upcoming mobility and we are getting nervous about what will ensue. Buddy watch out!

Mommy started back to work (part time) today. Daddy is not teaching this semester.

Things are hopping and we are loving every minute of it.

We wish all a Happy New Year!