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....

Happy Valentines Day + Growth Stats

Jadyn had a lovely Valentines Sunday, all decked out in a new red outfit from Grandma.


She had a blast at dinnertime, working on eating with a spoon. Fingers work just as well, as you can see. Also on Valentines Day, she did her first sign for Mommy and Daddy, telling us that she was all done at with her meal at the table. As if we couldn't tell!




Monday was a holiday and Jadyn had her one year check up. She is now 17 pounds, 12 ounces, and 28.25 inches tall. She has nearly tripled her birth weight, and grown about 10 inches in length. AMAZING! She measured 5th percentile in weight and 25th percentile in length, and has been sticking pretty closely to her growth curves all along. The doctor isn't worried about her size at all, but we are keeping an eye on her poor ears -- yes, another (mild) ear infection, this time only on one side. We're not sure if it's coming or going, so we'll watch her at home and see if it gets worse. We'll go back to the doctor in 4 weeks to have her ears checked again.

5 immunizations today didn't keep Jadyn from her usual level of activity. She found plenty of time this evening to empty a kitchen drawer and get inside. What a cutie!

Jadyn Turns 1 Year Old!

Peek-a-boo! One down, n-1 to go.... Jadyn is now one year old, and she had a wonderful birthday weekend. On her actual birthday, she spent some time at school while Mommy was at work, and the first photo below is Jadyn on the big day. The photos that follow are from her birthday party, held the next day. We invited friends from the neighborhood, friends with kids, and friends that supported us through this amazing journey. Jadyn was the life of the party! She helped to blow out the candles, and even ate a cupcake (the cake part -- she hated the frosting). Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate, here in Seattle and in spirit from somewhere else! And special gratitude to Wes and Julia for loaning us the wagon -- it has been a huge hit (see below).



Jadyn getting into the wagon

Jadyn getting out of the wagon

Jadyn pushing the wagon

Jadyn and Alexa in the wagon together

Jadyn reading a book

Jadyn climbing onto the shoe shelf

Jadyn fully on the shoe shelf

Jadyn very proud of herself

Cupcakes!

Happy Birthday to you, Dear Jadyn, Happy Birthday to you!

51 Weeks Old

Jadyn is one week shy of her first birthday, and she seems so much bigger than just a few weeks ago at Christmas time! Daddy has shown her how to turn lights on and off with the switch, and she LOVES it. She has taken to trying to hug the cats, and occasionally Cosmo will allow her to get close enough, with some parental supervision, to let that happen. She still prefers to 'cruise' using objects to steady her rather than walk, though we have noticed her scooting upright on her knees. Also, sometimes she'll pull herself to standing with the help of furniture or a parent's leg, and then, with a toy or two in her grasp, she'll forget to hold on with one or both hands. She's mostly just steadying herself now, as her balance is pretty good. We figure one day she'll just make up her mind to let go, take a few steps, and never look back.

Here are some photos taken over the last few weeks. Visiting the coffeeshop on Saturday mornings for o's and pushing chairs around is still great fun, as is emptying the kitchen cupboards. The music table is a post-holiday gift from Mike, long-time friend in MD. Thanks, Mike! She adores it, and her parents appreciate something so fun and interesting that keeps her busy for a few minutes at a time. We've also included a few photos of her playing at daycare -- Mommy remembered to bring her camera one day this week. Jadyn is now the oldest (by a few days) in the infant room and will be transitioning to the toddler room before too long.












Jadyn has been branching out with new foods -- broccoli and spaghetti with meatballs have gone over well at home. At school, she has enjoyed cauliflower, cheese lasagna, and vegetarian chili. She'll eat vegetables as finger foods, but she has been refusing fruits (unless we spoon feed them to her, pureed). Go figure! She has also been more playful at the dinner table over the last couple of weeks, occasionally throwing in a round of pat-a-cake during the meal, or trying to balance her sippy cup of water on her head, or reshaping her slowly lengthening hair with sticky, food-caked hands (see below). What fun!


Tonight Mommy and BabyJ spent a few hours at Rosemary's with a bunch of colleagues for food and fun. There were a couple other kids there, and Jadyn immediately wanted to play with 3 year old Sophia (check out the shot from Jadyn's first tea party, complete with hot pink 'cups'). She ate a good dinner picnic style (on the floor), explored as much as the adults would let her, opened an early birthday gift, and then conked out immediately once we hit the car for the ride home. TGIF!