Not a First Word, but...

Cecilia likes to make the "quack" sound a duck makes. She first did it about a week ago with me while playing with her rubber ducky in the bath rub and then yesterday she did it numerous times with Grandpa! It basically consists of her holding her mouth open and making a "ah" or "ack" sound, but it is certain what she is doing. So cute, but not quite a first word...maybe first "sound"?

Happy First Birthday Cecilia!!!

Cecilia turned One Year Old today! But I don't think she knows or cares. Oh well, maybe next year she will get it.

Anyway, Cecilia is doing well and has progressed fantastically through her first year. She not only walks like a pro but can even speed walk (almost run) and climb up a single stair (which she likes to practice on boxes she finds around the apartment). She loves to walk laps around the dining room table and roll around on the floor and look at things from every possible angle. She can be quite cranky if she doesn't get her half of a banana each morning (no complaints here) but complains equally as much if she doesn't get some Oatmeal Cinnamon cookies (oh well - they are organic and 10 calories a piece - we should all eat so well). She loves books and although she is still learning not to chew on them, she loves turning the pages. She absolutely loves music of just about every kind and enjoys "dancing" (bouncing) to it. She is a big Veggietales fan but has also liked Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly (she has good taste!) We are still waiting to hear that first word of which she knows the meaning, but she is not behind in this. She babbles and makes sounds all day and we are simply waiting for the day she will surprise us with her first meaningful word.

Her Birthday party will not be until next Sunday, so it may be a bit before we have pictures of that. This Wednesday, however, she will be getting her first portraits done and we look forward to sharing those with you. Cecilia definately has a busy week ahead of her - her 1 year doctor's appt. is on Friday which will, I'm afraid, include a few shots. She is also still in discomfort from teething so please keep our Birthday Girl in your prayers this week.

UPDATE: 1 Year Height: 29 inches (70th %); Weight: 20 lbs 1 1/2 ounces(40th % - what can we expect from a little girl who is on the move from morning til night - I can barely keep up!).

Favorite Book

Lately Cecilia has absolutely adored this book. She will completely ignore poor Daddy at bedtime so as to sooner get to this book. I must say I rather enjoy reading to her each night.

New Favorite Things To Do!

Well, lately Cecilia has picked up three new things she loves to do....

1. She loves to twirl. She will just start spinning in circles in one place until she gets too dizzy to continue. She esp. likes doing this while holding a blanket or towel and see what she hits with it while spinning.

2. She has discovered if she pushes down harder with one foot than the other while she is walking it is louder. STOMP! walk. STOMP! You get the idea. She even tries to do this in the bath tub!

3. Her absolute favorite thing to do now is get on her hands and feet and raise her rump in the air and tuck her head under so she can look at the world upside down through her legs. She does this everywhere. Sometimes I can't resist and put my head down to say hi to her through her legs. She laughs.


Overall her sleeping and eating changes are going very well. She generally does end up in our bed late in the night, but that is after sleeping 6 or so solid hours in her crib and sometimes another stretch after that.

P.S.

Not that our current time of adjustment needs any complications, but Cecilia has Tooth #5 breaking through.

Cecilia with Mrs. Stover

During our Florida trip we visited a friend, Mrs. Stover. She teaches 3rd grade and we stopped by one morning before classes began. We forgot our camera but fortunately she had hers and sent us a copy of the pictures. Below are the pictures she sent and I scanned. You see Cecilia found a little Veggietales Junior Asparagus in her classroom and was ready to take it with her.

Sleeping and Eating

Well, the past week has been VERY busy for Cecilia.

Cecilia had been cosleeping and nursing at will 24/7 pretty much.

We have cut back her nursing to 3 per day and she is doing very well with that although it did take a day or two for her to learn she couldn't pull up my shirt whenever she wanted.

Yesterday she also began sleeping in her crib. She slept there for both naps, which, unfortunately, were only 30 and 40 minutes each, but it is a start. She slept there last night and had the best night she has had in a long while, for the most part. She slept from 6:50pm until midnight, nursed and then slept from 12:30 until 4:24am. This was where it got unpleasant. I couldn't get her back to sleep. I tried for almost an hour and a half both in the crib and in our bed. Finally, with only 4 hours of sleep myself, I gave in and nursed her to sleep in our bed and we all got another hour of sleep. I think tonight we will try putting her to bed a bit later and see if she can make it at least until the 5am hour. We usually get up between 5:30 and 5:45 but 4:24 is too early for a rooster no less us.

Overall she is doing very very well. She cries very little when going to sleep in her crib.

James just recaulked (sp?) part of our bathtub so we are hoping in the next day or two to move her baths out of her little inflatable tub (that goes in the big tub) and just have her take her baths in the big tub. Then she will get to use all her Christmas tub toys!

We have a few videos but I haven't d/led them yet. Will get on it soon though! God Bless! And here's to peaceful sleep.....zzz....

Update

I'm sorry it has been a while since an update.

Three weeks ago, James became ill. The day after Christmas, I became ill. And on New Year's Day Cecilia fell ill. Other than a lingering cough, I am well again. Cecilia's fever has left and her runny nose has improved somewhat but her cough is still strong. James' illness has developed to a bacteria infection for which he is now taking antibiotics. Needless to say this was not quite how we intended to spend the Christmas Season. We are all, however, on the road to recovery.

Unfortunately, all this material evil has delayed the printing of any pictures, the planning of Cecilia's First Birthday Party, some cleaning and chores, etc.

In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from Christmas...

Here Cecilia and I chat with Fr. Caulfield, a dear friend, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington.


Isn't she adorable on her new sofa? It folds out to a mini bed too.


Here she is in her beautiful Christmas dress. We will get portraits taken in that dress in a couple of weeks as well.


Here we are again - but this time Cecilia wanted the camera.


Here is Cecilia playing at her very own kitchen


Here is the picture Cecilia's Great Grandma painted for her for Christmas