Sasha at 10 Months

Here she is at 9 months:

 And again at 10 months.  Her hair got a little longer.  I tried to switch things up with a new outfit, but at this rate I think Sasha is going to be a disappointment in the drastic-changes department. 

 This month started off with an ever-so-nasty cold.  It wouldn't have been so bad except it made her nose run with the nastiest green goo.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but I remember it well.  YUCK!!

 I introduced the sippy cup to Sasha this month.  She doesn't have problems getting stuff out, but she doesn't seem to have enough arm length to get it up very high.  If it's full she can get a little out, but it's too heavy for her... She seems to like it though, which is always a good sign.

 We've also had some great adventures in exploration:  Climbing into laundry baskets...

 And onto Kaleb's stationary bike.

Onto our couch!!  That freaks me out since there is nothing but bare floor behind this couch.  Thankfully she hasn't shown much interest unless someone is actually sitting on it.

 And of course, as expected, Sasha started walking this month.  Her first steps were just a week after her 9 month mark, but gratefully she likes to master something then immediately move on to something else, so she didn't advance much in the walking department over the last few weeks.  She would take just a few steps, then plop down to crawl.

Here's a little video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiEPaLFtLSM

 Since Sasha was walking, I figured it would be best to start putting shoes on her.  Not only is it difficult to keep them on her since she has very thin feet, but she walks like a cat with tape stuck to its foot.  Apparently she is not a fan of the shoe.  I'm keeping them off until she gets a little more confident in her walking. 

 Some other exciting steps include her ability and utter excitement in clapping!  Plus she likes to wave "bye bye" now.  She finally cut A top tooth.  She has had three teeth now for three weeks, but it looks like she is gonna cut the next top three within a few days. 

 She also loves to lift her hand up high and twist it around like she is unscrewing a light bulb.  Still don't know why.

Something I have found a little funny but sort of obnoxious is Sasha's need to put her hands in the mouth.  It's the worst when I am feeding her a bottle, but even when just holding her and talking to her, one hand ends up shoved in the mouth.  She also likes to play a game where she grabs my face and pushes it to the side.  She can be very determined, so it can often hurt, but it makes her giggle, so it's almost worth it. 

   Sasha is FINALLY able to sit up in the bath.  I know that seems a bit late since she has been sitting fine for months... but she is such a spaz in the bath.  She has FINALLY learned you can't just try to squirm your way out like a catfish.  We even tried to give her and Kaleb a combined bath, but HOLY SMOKES!  She is not ready for that kinda freedom just yet. 

 Sasha is also using a lot more sounds like "oooooh" (as in "that's interesting") and "Doh".  She makes the cutest little duck/kissing type face that just cracks me up.  She also has the horrible habit of SHRIEKING with excitement.  It gets a little out of hand sometimes. 

 And of course, with getting older means realizing frustrations.  She likes to cry when somebody takes something or if she wants to be held or if i don't feed her when I'm eating (that's only a problem with mommy, not anyone else).  I think that little lip is just adorable though.

 A wacky new tendency for Sasha lately is to tap her forehead on things she likes.  She does it with Ammon and me, she will bonk our foreheads together.  This is a photo of her constantly placing her head on the high chair cuz she was enjoying her snacks.  We have a book with a mirror in it and she will just push her head up against it and kick her legs with joy.   My favorite was when she wanted to put her head onto her bath water cuz she LOVES baths... needless to say, she ended up with several face-fulls of water. 

Sasha also loves to look up and throw herself backwards.  For a mom who has such deep-rooted paranoia, this is not a healthy habit.  She also likes to shke her head in a very purposeful way which makes you think she is refusing to do something, but she seems to just like the different view it provides... plus it makes for some fun dancing when strapped into a car seat. 

 A funny thing that was recently pointed out to me is how lucky I am... Sasha LOVES her car seat.  It's not that she always wants to be strapped into it, but during church I would place her in it for nap time and until a few weeks ago, she would eventually fall asleep.  If she didn't she would lay there quietly.  For the longest time, I would usually just put her in her car seat for naps while visiting others since she preferred it to a playpen.  So stinkin lucky! Of course, now that she's getting so big we like to leave the car seat behind for church... sigh...

Kind of a fun side note is that not only does Sasha know her name (she has for a few months), but she also knows who I mean when I say "Mommy" or "Daddy" or "Kaleb."  She is so stinkin smart!!

 It's hard to say what Sasha's favorite toy was this month.  She definitely has a strong interest in looking at my phone. 

 And pushing around Kaleb's dump truck. 

We played with bubbles a few times and those were a huge hit!

 But it's a toss up, I think, between the penny whistle (which she tried so hard to get to whistle, but would often just nibble on)...

 Or a wet-wipe.  You give Sasha a lone wipe and she will be content for a good thirty minutes.  She likes to wipe it all over her face or chew on it (only possible with the Kirkland brand since all the others fall apart)... she even likes to clean.  I've seen her wiping furniture on several occasions, and there was even a time she just couldn't help but give Daddy's feet a good scrubbing. 

Out of Africa

The week after Kaleb's birthday we dropped Sasha off at the in-laws and took Kaleb on a little road trip.  He handled it very well, but got a little bored about half-way.  Since dad was driving I got the opportunity to sit in the back seat and play lions and tigers and dinosaurs with him for the rest of the two-hour drive. 

 Once we arrived in Out of Africa, we were rushed into the Safari bus where we got to drive through a make-shift Serengeti.  The driver (one of the park keepers) gave us lots of details about each of the animals. 

 We also got a few pieces of carrot to give us the chance to feed some of the animals.  We gave Kaleb all of ours, so he got to feed the giraffe...

 And the camel (he's behind a fence because he and the giraffe apparently do not get along).

 We also saw a bunch of other plains animals.  My favorite part was hearing Kaleb's voice holler each animals name so that the whole bus could hear. "Look, Mommy, ZEBRAS!!!"  It was fun.

 After a quick (but expensive) bite to eat, we got to walk around and see some of the animals.  Here are some grizzly bear cubs...

 And of course the tigers.  Out of Africa houses some twenty-something big cats throughout the park, most of which are tigers.  Kinda ironic considering there are no tigers in Africa.  It was really cool to get so close while they were just walking around. 

 After lunch was the main attraction:  Tiger Splash.  Trainers encourage the tigers to chase them around a pool.  Since it was pretty warm that day, the tigers were slow to get moving, but Kaleb got a great seat!!

 A few times, the tigers showed us some pretty impressive moves.  Thankfully, I caught one on camera.

Kaleb also enjoyed using Daddy's binoculars after getting splashed so much!

 After Tiger Splash, they offer the audience the chance to feed a tiger (with 3-foot tongs and for a small fee), so that was a cool experience.  Our tiger was getting kinda full by the time we got to her, but she was still an impressive sight!

 The day we went they presented a large snake show, where we got to learn about and pet a boa constrictor.  Kaleb was pretty hesitant at first, but once he saw the other kids and daddy get involved, he couldn't help but touch it.

 On the drive home, Kaleb was SOOO tired, but so excited that he never took a nap.  Near the end of the trip he was pretty slap happy, so we all had the giggles once we picked up a very happy-to-see-us Sasha. 

Kaleb's 3rd Birthday

I just realized that I hadn't posted anything about Kaleb's third birthday (since I wanted to cut his 3-year post down a little.  Anyway, Kaleb's birthday was marked by a lot of freebies, including his first blizzard.  I think it was chocolate with strawberries... but I could be wrong.

 And a happy face breakfast at IHOP... he ate his yogurt-in-a-tube and a couple of bites of eggs... that was it.. good thing it was free!

 Anyway, as we went to a couple of stores to get ideas for Kaleb's presents this year, it became very obvious that he was really interested in dragons.  He even wanted to ride on the dragon on the carousel at the mall. 

 So... I had my sister make him a dragon-themed cake.  You can see the little dragons on one side of the moat and castle ruins aflame on the other... the castle ruins say Kaleb, but it's kinda hard to make out.  My sis was suffering from morning sickness that week, so she did a really awesome job considering. 

 Kaleb got a cool ninja dragon:

 And a couple of dragon families (the babies were the ones on the cake)

 This is the first year Kaleb had no problem blowing out his candle and really being a part of the festivities. 

 He loved opening all of his presents.  Ammon's parents gave him several shorts/shirts sets and a bunch of puzzles.  He was excited about all of those clothes!

 And he loved almost all of his other gifts too!  That's his fake-for-the-camer- excited face.

 This is his face when he gets a bunch of underwear as a gift.  CLASSIC!

Update on my Knees

Well it's been a few months since I've started doing therapy on my knees, so I wanted to share in my progress.  I did physical therapy for almost three months.  It helped my right knee a ton (once i got the official referral from my doc), and it got to the point that it would only ache after a long day of walking.  My left knee was definitely better since the beginning of my therapy, but I had a flareup at the beginning of June that put me quite literally back to square one.  Not sure what caused it, it occured around us going to Out of Africa, but it was bothering me before we went.  Anyway, once that happened, my physical therapy wasn't as effective (since that leg was super-weak), and I had to limp to the point that my left foot would cramp up from using my walking muscles differently. 

So there was one secondary option my doc recommended called Supartz.  It's a series of weekly shots over a five week period that is meant to help build a cushion in the knee joint.  I was interested in getting them before I had the flareup, but once that happened, I called to schedule the injections.  I checked patient reviews online, and all seemed to be positive, that the injections cured almost every person's pain, often for years.  I was nervous about how much the shots might hurt, but I figured a lot of pain for a short time is better than the pain I've been having lasting for the rest of my life.

Well, today I had my third set of injections.  I'm getting them done in both knees (as Ammon put it, "Your body is so fickle, you should just get the right knee done too just in case.")  Thus far, the pain during the shots has been tolerable.  It's a lot like when you get a novacaine shot at the dentist.  Except it's in your knees, and a little quicker.  The feeling for a few days after is just that of puffiness within the joint.  For the most part, my knees have been feeling better.  I can still barely straighten (and still not lock) my left knee, which makes any sort of long periods of standing and walking a bit uncomfortable, but it's better than limping.  Today, the injection into my right knee hurt like the dickens.  I got really nauseated and had to lay down for a few minutes; then I couldn't straighten that one for a few hours, but that seems to have passed (THANK GOODNESS; just try walking without straightening either leg... it's a little goofy)

I'm interested to see how these next two weeks go.  Since my doc is going on vacation next week I will have two weeks between my injections, and it seems that my knees get better the longer it's been since an injection.  Anyway, as for the Weight Watchers experiment I've decided to go back to my original diet plans.  I've lost 21 pounds since January, but only about 5 of those were Weight Watchers.  Once I went back to trusting my instincts in healthier eating I lost 2 pounds in a week.  Long story short, Weight Watchers wasn't helping me do anything I wouldn't do on my own, and it was just more confusing.  So we'll see how things go from here. 

Sasha - 9 Months

Here is the gorgeous Sasha at 8 Months:

And at 9 Months. 

Those pants are getting too small, so I think I'm finally going to retire this outfit.  Funny, since she could still wear it pretty easily.  It's been 6 months in that same outfit without a significant amount of outgrowing anything.  Silly cute baby!! 

At her 9-month appointment she was 28 inches (75th percentile) and 17 lbs, 15 oz. (25-50th).  She continues to be learning and growing at a brisk pace.  She is finally stable enough to sit up in her little bath tub.  This month she started standing on her own.   

And climbing onto anything she can.  She hasn't quite gotten onto the couches, but I'm not looking forward to that day!!

She also finally got her first teeth.  They came in together.  This means I have to be a lot more careful of putting things in her mouth... like my hand and my face.  She is eating more solid food, and has taken a definite liking to bread and oatmeal. 

With all her tumbling and adventures, headbands just aren't cutting it anymore. 

So I made my first attempt at pig-tails... a little crooked, I will admit. 

 The whale spout look is much easier on me, so I tend to do that one more often then anything else.  I promise we did not make the same face in this picture on purpose. 

It shocks me how bright Sasha is at times.  I have taught her drop her binky (on command) into her crib when I pick her up from her naps.  Then, the other day, Kaleb taught her to help clean up the Legos.  He showed her how to drop them in the bucket, and she followed along.  It was AWESOME!

Sasha's favorite thing is to be tickled.  We found out her most ticklish spot is her hands.  It's so cute!!!  She also likes to play peekaboo... through anything.

And around anything. 

 We got to take Sasha to the public pool for the first time.  All she did was splash. And Splash and SPLASH and SPLASH and SPLASH.  Our faces got soaked, but she didn't seem to mind at all.  She just squealed and splashed some more. 

I've noticed Sasha taking a greater interest in her hands.  She will point and even sometimes watch them like she doesn't have control over them.  Now when she gives hugs, she likes to pat people on the back like she really understands. 

She went through a phase where she would put the back of her hand in her mouth and open and close her hand.  Silly cute little quirk.  Plus, she started blowing raspberries.  Add that to the teething and you can imagine the trails of drool!

 Sasha has started exploring more of Kaleb's toys, and it's fun to see her try to understand them.  She can just wander amongst the pile of toys for hours without complaint.  Here she is trying to make a Cat's Cradle (for those who even know what those are).

 This is a toy that's more for her age group.  You hit it and it spins with the little balls rattling around inside.  She liked it for about ten seconds... and moved on. 

 There was a love/hate relationship with this large exercise ball for awhile.  She would get close to it and smack it around, but if it came near her she would get really scared.  Silly, sasha!

What I have loved the most this month is seeing Sasha traveling with toys while she is crawling.  This toy was one of her favorites, cuz it made noise.  Another top contender was one of those echo microphones.  It made an impressive racket every time she smacked it against the floor... almost like the Jaws theme song... you could hear her coming for you. 

Her absolute favorite toy this month is this ball bouncing contraption.  It's been hiding in Kaleb's closet with a lego shoved in it that we never really tried to get out.  It's a noisy little sucker, but she and Kaleb just LOVE it!!

 Well then again, perhaps Sasha's favorite thing to play with is really Kaleb. 

 I guess anything is better than the TV, but she does have her favorites.  Anything with music (which she will readily dance to) and close-ups of dogs and cats appear to be the most attention-getting.  However, I think we have another Sesame Street fan blooming.   

My sweet little girl is still such a cuddler.  She loves to be held and played with by just about anyone, anytime. 

And blankets are always big winners in her book!!

This is her little reminder of what our little world revolves around.  I guess she's not quite ready to have a placemat on the table.