Little Miss Walker

How quickly things change!

First, a health update.... Jadyn's visit to the doc yesterday AM revealed her ears were clear -- yay! no ENT specialist visit! -- and that she had gained almost a pound in 4 weeks. She is now up to 18 pounds, 9 ounces, and her weight is tracking right along the 5-10% growth curve. Mommy is going to stop worrying about whether Jadyn is eating enough (or so she says). Jadyn got her H1N1 booster shot at the visit as well. And she has now come down with a little cold that appears to be going around the 'waddler' room; let's hope she doesn't share this one with Mommy and Daddy.

For the past week or two, we have witnessed Jadyn willing to try walking a step or two into a parent's arms, egged on by one or both parents. But on Sunday night, with our wonderful neighbors over for dinner, she made the choice to take a couple of steps of her choosing away from Daddy and toward her friend Cleo. All 4 adults were watching intently without encouraging, and as fast as the moment came, it went again, as J dropped down to her knees and wondered why we were suddenly all clapping for her. Then on Monday evening, and again at several times today, Jadyn has chosen to walk many steps between two "safe" locations -- the coffee table and the doorway to the kitchen, for instance. Check out this video for proof of her new status as a walker!


Over the past couple of weeks, Jadyn has added a few more tricks to her repertoire of cute baby antics: taking a firm hold of her toothbrush to brush her teeth by herself (Mommy still makes the buzzing sound of the Sonicare for effect), putting her hand over her mouth and nose and then waving her hand outward to blow a kiss, carefully pointing out noses on all members of the household (cats included), growling 'bow-wow-wow' when she sees a dog or hears one bark, and also imitating the cats' meows. She has also discovered that she can fit a finger perfectly inside a nostril. Temper tantrums now sometimes include knocking her head on the floor for extra effect (we're trying not to give this particular antic any response). After a few prompts from Mommy, she began identifying the moon, when the clouds have cleared so she can see it. She regularly uses the sign for "all done" at the end of meals and when she is finished on the swings at the park, and we think she signed "more" one day at the dinner table, too. We'll keep practicing that one.

Here's another couple of shots of Jadyn on her bunny chair. Super cute!

Recent Photos

Here are some pictures of Jadyn's exploits from over the last few weeks.

We've had some truly beautiful weather here, in stark contrast to last winter's weather. Jadyn really enjoys being outside!

Napping in her pack on the way back from the coffee shop


Helping Mommy plant radish seeds




She helped one of her friends from daycare celebrate a birthday -- the party was at the Children's Museum.




Jadyn has recently added a new activity to her bedtime routine: after a diaper change and pajamas, she crawls across the bed, climbs onto the nightstand, turns on the radio, and sways to the music (it's often a blues program that she catches).



And here is Jadyn playing with one of her birthday gifts -- a soft, snuggly bunny chair.



Jadyn enjoyed a meal at a Korean BBQ restaurant with Jenny and some of her colleagues -- lots to watch, chopsticks to try, and people to entertain!



She's still not walking, but leads us around the house by holding our hands and marching ahead of us. Her transition to the first toddler room at her school has gone pretty well. She plays outside for a half hour twice each day, and she comes home really tired. We see the doctor on Monday to check on her ears. She hasn't gotten sick since her transition, which is fantastic, and we're hoping for a clean bill of health! Stay tuned....