Ugh, computers. For some reason I can't put in a title to this post, I guess we'll have to live without one. Anyway, I can't believe how fast Sofia is growing. Within the last week, she has started to stand on her own for long stretches and then within the last couple of days, she has started to walk on her own...no lie. It's so funny to watch. She looks like a little drunk person. It's just so amazing to watch her and see the wheel's turning in her head. She is so smart. Now she's just going to be walking more and more. It's crazy. I am thankful every day for having such a good baby. She can keep herself occupied and play for at least two hours at a time. And she's not afraid of anything! She likes to swim, she's great in public, and she amuses herself without any help. I love this baby!!

Happy 4th of July!

Fireworks! Hamburgers! Swimming pools! Awww, I love the 4th of July. We drove down to my dad's side of the family in Mt. Orab, Ohio. Don't worry, no one else knows where it is either. My dad, stepmom and brother all went to my cousin Jenae's house. They have a brand new pool and it was awesome, and a little cold. Poor Logan had to head back to my dad's early because he wasn't feeling well, but we still went on without him. I got to see Jessica. She only has about 7 weeks left until her baby is due and she definitely has a round belly. Even though only half the family was present, we still had a ton of food. A ton. That's what I love about our family get togethers is all the food. Yummy. Everyone was happy to see Sofia. Last time they saw her was Christmas and she was only 3 months old. Now they got to see her crawling, swimming and eating rocks. The BBQ was fun, the ride home not as much. Ryan and I were both so tired that we had to share the driving while the other one slept. It was the only way we could get through the two hours. To all my readers (all three of you) I hope you all had a great 4th of July. Now I'm going to get ready to light up my sparklers.

This is Summer?

Okay, I'm not complaining, but what is going on with the weather? It's gorgeous out! I leave Phoenix and 110 degree weather and come home to Ohio, and 80 degree weather. I love it. It may not be only the weather that is strange. Poor Sofia has had the hardest time sleeping since we came back from vacation. I don't think she has had a chance to catch up or get back on schedule. Today she slept a total of two hours for her naps, which is far less than usual. Plus, bedtime has been difficult. I don't know if it's her teeth (of which there are zero to date) or what, but she'll sleep for an hour and than wake up crying. Tonight it happened, and when I walked into her room, she was crying and kind of sleeping all at the same time. Poor thing. Who knows what's going on in that little baby head of hers. I wish I did.

What a Circus

What a way for Sofia and I to end our trip. Tonight we had tickets to Ringling Brothers circus. It was awesome, I felt like I was 8 years old again. Our tickets were great because they were through Mom's work, which means we were in a suite with two other families. "What's the big deal?" you may ask. Well, let me tell you. First of all, we were dead center in the arena, it was a perfect view. Second, the suite had free food, chicken tenders and nachos as well as soda, water and really good cheesecake. We had our own private bathroom and really comfy seats. Having this type of accomadations with a avery small child was awesome. As for the show, it was really good. Sofia didn't know what to think at first. She just sat on my lap, eyes as big as saucers, and her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth. After about 15 minutes she started to get into the music. She was clapping. She was bouncing. She was having a blast. Then she was asleep. I was impressed that she lasted the first hour. She slept the rest of the show, only waking up once during and then after it was over. It was a fun way to end our vacation and I wouldn't have it any other way. Now I'm feeling a little bittersweet about leaving. Sad to leave Mom, but happy to see Ryan. Too bad Sofia will never remember this trip, but at least I have this blog to keep as a record of our first, but certainly not last, time in Phoenix, Arizona!

Arizona Part 2

It's still hot here. Just thought you'd like to know. Sofia and I are still enjoying ourselves. I woke up at 6:45 a.m. this morning to the sounds of people moving into the apartment upstairs. They are from New Hampshire and still on East Coast time. I don't mind getting my day started early while on vacation. I got a lot accomplished this morning. By 8:15 a.m., Sofia was fed, I had put a whole turkey in the oven and we were in the pool. The turkey was a gift for my stepdad for Christmas, and Mom decided that we should just go ahead and cook it. Luckily, I have three years of Thanksgiving turkeys under my belt and I was prepared. After our eventful morning, I put Sofia down for a nap and relaxed. I was able to finish my book (7 points on my summer reading club card, only three more to go!)

Mom came home early from work and the three of us went into downtown Chandler. It's a ghost town during the day with the heat and all. No one is stupid enough to go out in the heat, except for tourists. We only walked around for about 15 minutes before we escaped into the air conditioning at the Chandler Public Library. Not to be conceited or anything, but I wasn't very impressed. The outside of the building was cool and very modern, but I was a little surprised by how old a lot of the books were. Most of the stuff would have been weeded at my library. Plus, the Children's section was disappointing. No storytime area or anything (although there was a quiet reading area, go figure.) They did have a little cafe/gift shop run by their Friends of the Library which was very nice and sold some really yummy fudge.

We ended the day at the pool, just like I wish I could do everyday. Well, technically I can since my apartment complex has a pool, but half the time the water is too cold and I'm just lazy.

ARIZONA!

Sofia and I are in Arizona. I must say, getting here was much easier than I imagined. I was so worried about security at the airport and then I was afraid Sofia would cry on the plane. All of it was so easy...maybe a little too easy. Sofia only cried for maybe 5 minutes on the flight to Chicago, and that was because she was tired. I would have cried too, it was a small plane and there was a rather large gentleman seated next to us. Sofia slept the last 20 minutes of the flight and woke up after we got into O'Hare. Now talk about a big airport! Our next flight's gate was only a short distance away, so we were able to grab some lunch. The flight out to Phoenix wasn't bad at all. We lucked out and somehow ended up with an empty seat between us and the other passenger. Sofia kept herself busy by playing, looking out the window and munching on so snacks. The total flight was a little over three hours and Sofia was able to sleep for a little over an hour. I was happy when we landed and I'm sure I had a big goofy grin on my face as I walked up to Mom. I must say, it is hot out here. HOT. No getting around it. Sofia has been a real trooper though. The time change has been rough, and we both woke up at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. Ohio time.) She's kept up though. Today, after Mom and Ken woke up, we went out to breakfast and then drove an hour and a half to Payson, AZ. They're thinking of buying a small vacation home out that way and it gave me a good chance to see the desert. Sofia slept. The temp. there was a lot better than in Phoenix since we were about 5000 feet up. We went to a park, ate some lunch and drove around. After a couple of hours we headed back. I think one of the weirdest things out here is the cacti (is that really the plural of cactus?). They look so alien. Well, once we got back to the apartment, we all went for a much needed swim. They have a really nice pool here and the water was the perfect temperature, just bordering on bath water. Sofia had a great time in the pool practicing her kicking and putting her face in the water. I swear, nothing bothers that girl...not time changes, planes, or face fulls of pool water. Well, even though it's only 9:30 p.m. here, my poor body is still on Columbus time. Tomorrow we have nothing planned since everyone else has to go to work, so I plan on laying around, maybe going swimming, and sleeping. I hope everyone is having fun in Columbus (not to rub it in that I'm on vacation!). We miss you Ryan!

Only One More Day

Wow, I'm so excited about Phoenix I could puke. Seriously, my stomach is that upset. I can't wait!! I stocked up with books at the library today. I want Sofia to have something brand new to look at on the plane to keep her occupied. I talked to my mom yesterday and she was telling me about some of the stuff she had planned. Unfortunately she couldn't take too much time off, but that's okay. I'm just happy to see her.

So, on Sunday we plan on going to the Phoenix Zoo in the morning. Sofia hasn't been to any zoo yet, Ryan and I were waiting on going to the Columbus Zoo. Then on Wednesday we're going to the Ringling Brothers circus. I can not tell you the last time I went to the circus. Probably when I was eight or something. The best part is we've got seats in one of the suites. Cool! The only bad part is it'll be close to Sofia's bedtime, but if we're in a suite, we should have room to put her. This week is going to be so much fun. We'll miss Ryan, I wish he could come too, but he'll have fun.

I promise to take lots of pictures and talk all about the trip.

I just had to add that Sofia was so good at my library meeting today. I've been bringing her along to our Harry Potter Party planning meetings (because I have no babysitter for the middle of the week) and she is always so good! She crawled around on the floor and under the tabe, played with some books, and talked a lot. The ladies at the library love her (which I am very thankful and lucky). I'm just glad that even though Sofia is only 9 months old, she is already so well-behaved in public. (I'm sure I'll be kicking myself in a few years for making this very comment.)

For the Love of Books!

Well, there is no doubt in my mind that Sofia is definetly Ryan and my child. She's been playing and looking at her books more and more (that would be my influence) and she's also learned to get into the kitchen cabinets and has started playing with the pots and pans (that would be Ryan's influence.) She's getting into everything and I love it. It's really amazing to see how much she has learned and to watch her thinking behind her eyes.

So, three days until we leave for Phoenix! I'm so excited! On the other hand I'm nervous about the whole flying thing. Well, more so the whole packing and bringing a baby on the plane thing. I've been doing my research and have checked out the TSA site, but still. Wish me luck! If anyone has any advice on flying with infants, please feel free to comment. I'll take all of the advice I can get.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is father's day, so I dedicate this post to Ryan. What can I say, he's a wonderful father. He helps around the house, does most of the cooking and shares in equally when it comes to Sofia. I'll be honest and say that not everything is always perfect (how boring if it was) but our little family is awesome and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here's a little montage of pictures of Sofia and Ryan.

Funny Girl

Sofia just keeps getting funnier and funnier. Every day she just acts like a total cheese-ball, and I love it. Only one week until we leave for Phoenix! I'm so excited. Mom wrote me an e-mail and said that it was getting to the really hot part of the summer, with temperatures close to 110 degrees. Ugh! Luckily their apartment has air conditioning and a pool right out the front door. I've also stocked up on sunscreen! (I should buy a share in Coppertone, I'd be rich with all of the sunscreen I have to use.) Summer is really started to swing into motion and I can't wait for all of the exciting things we're doing!

Na Na Na

So, that's what Sofia has been saying since Monday..."nananana." I have no clue where she picked it up. She just all of a sudden picked it up on Monday.

We had a fun weekend. Summer reading started on Saturday at the library...very busy. Then Sunday, Sofia and I drove down to Cincinnati to go to my grade school's festival. It was fun. Chelsea and I walked there, even though Sofia's stupid wheel kept coming off of her stroller. We won her some fun prizes, like a tambourine, a slide whistle, and a couple of blow-up balls. She was very happy. Plus, she got to see her Great- Grandma and Grandpa Wenninger and the next day she got to see Grandpa and Grandma Whyte and Great-Grandma Whyte and Great-Aunt Becky (it's kind of hard to write all of those greats). And somehow on Monday she picked up the "na na's." It's hilarious, she'll just crawl around saying it. I swear, that girl cracks me up!

Today Ryan signed her up for the summer reading program at our library. It gives me something to look forward to this summer (if you don't count Phoenix and school.) I also signed up myself and Ryan. Ryan doesn't read much, but I really want him to finish so that he can get the canvas reading bag, because I want to use it!

Arrgh, Summer Reading Scruvy-dogs!

That'a right, Summer Reading Program has begun at the library. The official day is tomorrow, but tonight we started things off with a concert at the library. Sofia, Ryan and I attended and had a really nice time. Sofia enjoyed seeing all of the library ladies and especially all of the kids that were there. It was really cute watching Sofia while the ragtime bnad played, because she would clap her hands and then swing her arms back and forth with the music. Do we have a musician on our hands? Ryan is all for getting Sofia a drumset at some point (don't ask me why.) I think we're going to sign Sofia up for the SRP on Tuesday. Get her love of reading started early!

Other than that, nothing new has been going on. I did put water in her baby pool and let her play in it for a short time. I didn't keep Sofia in too long because the poor girl has goosebumps all over her body, and besides, she was more interested in picking up mulch off the patio than playing in the water.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some pictures of Sofia. Of course I forgot to bring the camera tonight (when will I learn!).

Bathing Beauty! (Ed Grimly anyone?)

I'm not really sure what to say about this picture. Sofia's been using her mouth as a third hand to carry things.

If she was 20 years older, this picture would be a little provocative. As it stands now, she just looks plain cute!!

Crusty Nose

Poor Sofia. She's had a crusty nose for the past couple of days. Ryan's sick too and they spent the whole day together yesterday while I was at work. He said that she didn't eat much at all, only a few ounces of formula and a couple of bites of food. She seems to be doing better. In fact, she's become a little beggar. Everytime we're eating, Sofia stands by us and stares. Sometimes she reaches for the food or opens her mouth. I can't help but indulge her. Last night I was giving her lentils. And you know what? She liked them. I know there's that whole thing of waiting three days between new foods, but I just can't help letting her try things if she seems interested. (Of course I don't give her honey, seafood, nuts, or anything else that you're supposed to wait on.) She should be pretty safe, Ryan and I don't have any allergies. Besides, what do they do in other countries?

Okay, enough with my rant about food. (But I will take any advice anyone would like to give on the whole food front.)

Where are the Posts?

I know, I know...I've been slacking. It's either that or lack of anything exciting going on. Sofia's doing great. She went swimming in the pool for the first time last week. She loves it. I was so happy. She laughed and splashed and even stuck her whole face in the water.

Also, I'm happy to announce that Sofia is getting her naps again. She used to cry and stand in her crib until one of us came and got her to lay her back down. Now she has learning to sit down and lie down without any help. At night we've been putting her to bed and after a few minutes of playing she's out. It's so nice. I know some parents aren't quite as lucky as we have been, so I'm very happy of our circumstances even when they're not so pleasent.

So, there is one new thing with Sofia. Lately she's been carrying things around in her mouth and then crawling. It could be a washcloth, a sock, a plastic ring...whatever will fit. It's pretty funny to watch. We've got our own little puppy dog.

Since I haven't been posting, here are some pictures to tide you over.

Sofia's first time in the pool! (I am very brave to post this picture of myself.)
Sofia having fun at Easton. She loves the fountains.

Memorial Day

Before the parade...After the parade!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone! Wow, what a long day...Sofia and I started things off by walking in out town parade with the library. I pimped Sofia's ride by putting streamers and balloons on it, it was pretty tacky. We arrived at the site at 8:30 a.m., and then got into line at 9:00 a.m. Our position was 211, that's how big the parade was. The start-off was 10 a.m., but we didn't leave our spot until after 10:30 a.m. Sofia was kept occuppied by a couple of other little girls as well as all of the library ladies. One of her favorite parts of the day was petting my manager Monica's giant English Mastif Angus. That dog is huge! 205 lbs. to be exact. We all joked that Sofia should ride him in the parade. Anyway, things finally got underway and we were off. Sofia made it about 15 minutes before she was conked out. I kept waving anyway (probably looked like I was pushing an empty baby stroller too.) And we walked, and walked. I didn't realize how long the parade was going to go. It was about 3 and a half miles round trip. Now that I think about it, I guess it wasn't too long...but walking back was the worse. Especially with all the heat! Anyway, Sofia woke up about halfway back and then we went home.

Sofia and Angus (both are drooling machines.)

This afternoon we had a cookout out with our good friends Russ and Vanessa and their little girl Genevieve, and our neighbor Dan. We had yummy chicken and steak kabobs as well as green bean salad, cheddar macaroni salad, potatoes, and bakes beans. It was all so good and now I'm stuffed. Sofia was a little jealous because of the attention I was giving Genevieve. She wasn't happy with Russ or Vanessa's attention, oh no. She had to have me or daddy! Ahhh...it feels good to be loved and wanted!

All in all, it was fabulous weekend. I love getting the oppurtunity to see all of our friends and just have a chance to relax and hang out. We don't get to see everyone as often as I would like, but this weekend was great! Thanks everyone for getting together! You guys are the best

A little family portrait, although I'm sure we've all looked better.

Grilling Out

Today was a fun day. Ryan, Sofia and I went to a cookout at my friend Jenn and John's house. Sofia had a blast playing with all of the other kids. There were five kids under the age of four. Everyone there were friends I went to college with and their significant others. I'm glad we all are able to get together, even with our busy, hectic lives!

Sofia played in the grass, ate some peppers (or at least chewed on them) and found lots of toys to play with. At times there were little scuffles with the toddlers over toys, but Sofia didn't care. She was just happy to be around so many people.

Welcome to Napville

I think we've finally got the nap thing down. Now that Sofia can sit herself down, she's been putting herself to sleep at naptime. It used to be that she would stand up and cry until someone came in and laid her back down. I think she's finally got the hang of it. I can't complain too much. She's been really good about playing and keeping herself occuppied. She'll go for a couple of hours in the morning with minimal crying (unless I stop her from doing something "fun" like pull the plugs out of the wall or eat paper.) Now that weather has turned very warm, the apartment complex opened the pool. Yesterday Sofia had her first little "dip" in the pool. We were out walking to BigLots and on the way back I thought it would be fun to put our legs in the water. We sat on the steps in the shallow end I put her down on the first step. She loved it. No crying, no fussing, just all smiles. I even put her up to her waist and she didn't mind at all. Her diaper grew to five times its normal size, but that's fine. We'll go down to the pool as soon as I get up the courage to put on my bathing suit. I bought a new one when Chelsea was here, and I really like it, but with my pale skin and psoriasis, I really need to psych myself up first.

Ryan, Sofia and I have some fun plans for the holiday weekend. Sunday we're going to Jenn and John's house for a cookout with all of my college friends. There will be another little girl close to Sofia's age, so she'll have fun. Then Monday morning, Sofia and I are marching in a parade for the library. I'm going to decorate Sofia's stroller with streamers and balloons and whatnot. Later, we're having Russ and Vanessa and their little girl Genevieve over for a small cookout. It should be fun and I'll try to remember to take pictures!

A Case of the Mondays

I've been a little behind on my posting, but I blame it on working all weekend. I saw Sofia a total of four hours between Friday and Saturday. Sofia's doing pretty well. I wish I had some exciting news to share, but I don't. Here's a couple of pictures instead.

A DayOut

Sofia and I went to the mall and spent over three hours there. We actually had a lot of fun. I've been experimenting with her to see if she'll nap while we're out and about, and so far she has napped every time we go someplace during normal naptimes. (Normal being relative of course.) We went to a different mall than the one down the street. I wanted to give Sofia a chance to play in a new area and mommy wanted a chance to play at H&M. Sofia had a blast in the play area. As soon as she sees other kids, her face lights up and she starts to squeal. All she wants to do is explore the whole area and check out what's going on with everyone. This particular play area was comprised of the planets, which looks like giant globes coming out of the floor. I promise that one of these times I will bring a camera.

By the way, for all of those interested, Sofia still has no teeth. She's chewing and biting, but alas, nada.

8 month check-up

Sofia had her 8 month checkup yesterday. She's 15 lbs. 5 oz. and 26 inches tall. That puts her in the 1oth and 20 th percentile, respectively. So she's growing, slowly but surely. We had no shots this time, thank goodness. The nurse was impressed by how little she has been to see the doctor. I'm glad she hasn't been sick (knock on wood). So, in conclusion, she's healthy and growing and happy.

Happy Mother's Day

It's been awhile since I last posted, and I would take the time to backdate some posts, but honestly I'm just too tired. So, I'll mention a couple of things going on and then put some new pictures on here. Let's see...Ryan had Thursday off, and I didn't work until 5 p.m., so the three of us went to Easton Town Center for the morning. It's awesome there at 10 a.m. when it's nothing but moms. Sofia was alseep when we first arrived and didn't wake up until we were in the Discovery Place store. After that, we sat and watched some kids playing in one of the fountains. The fountain is this grate that has water bubbling up, and along the edge are jets of water that randomly shoot out. It's really pretty cool. After that we ate lunch and then I took Ryan to the jewelry shops to show him some rings that I like. Oh yeah, I was hinting at engagement rings. Plus, he needed a little lesson in buying rings, because he had no idea what to do. Well, after that, we took Sofia back to the fountain and let her play. I love it, she was so brave. She would have walked right through the center (with me towing behind) if I hadn't stopped her. She didn't care about water splashing in her face or anything. Next time I'm going to bring her bathing suit because she was soaking wet when we were through. (I did have a change of clothes, so no,

I didn't let my baby sit in wet clothes the rest of the day!)

So, other than that, Aunt Chelsea came to babysit Sofia on Saturday. They had a lot of fun and of course Sofia took three good naps while she was here. Ryan had to work all day today, so Chelsea, Sofia and I went shopping. It's so hard not to buy her stuff! I bought a couple of new outfits for when she's wearing 18-24 month stuff. I also bought some fabric because Chelsea is going to make curtains for Sofia's room. Alright, so that was the week in a nutshell. I'll be sure to post tomorrow because Sofia has a doctor's appointment. Okay, here are the pictures!

Check out my ride!

It's been a looong day!

Aunt Chelsea and Sofia monkeying around!

Check out that belly!

Do I really need to say anything for this one?

Visitors

Grandma Rose and Grandpa Mark came to visit Sofia today. They were in for a little surprise, because she has changed a lot since the last time they saw her, which was New Year's Day. She went through all the paces today. We got to see flirting, smiling, laughing and of course, crying. Of course she had to show off her crawling and cruising. She also got some cute, new outfits and a new bathing suit. Sofia's going to be all set this summer! I think Sofia really enjoyed seeing everyone this weekend. Thanks for driving here Grandma Rose and Grandpa Mark! We can't wait to see you again. And Chelsea, we'll be seeing you next weekend. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy

!

Night Out

Ryan and I have had our first night out alone in about three months. Luckily my sister came up from Cincinnati to bring some furniture and agreed to watch Sofia so Ryan and I could go out. Alone. Don't get me wrong, we go out as just the three of us, but usually the conversation revolves around Sofia. Ryan and I didn't do anything too exciting, just went to a couple of bars and had some drinks, but boy did it feel good! We waited to leave until Sofia was asleep, so the only thing Chelsea had to do was sit and watch t.v.

Earlier in the day, poor Sofia had some traumatic experiences! Well, not traumatic, but she's got three more bruises and scratches than she did yesterday. This morning she fell into the coffee table, again. Five minutes later, the cat scratched her face. Then, when Sofia, Chelsea and I were at Target, she fell sideways in the shopping cart and hit right by her eye. I wasn't there to view that one, but I could here it. I was in the dressing room trying on a bathing suit (scary, but I did find one) and all of a sudden I heard screaming. Then I realized it was my baby wailing. She was four aisles away! Poor baby!

What's up homey?

I just wanted to post this picture Ryan took of Sofia. We're getting ready for Chelsea's visit on Saturday and then Grandma Rosa and Grandpa Mark on Sunday. It's going to be a fun weekend!

Adventures in a Library

Okay, so this post isn't about Sofia (partly because she's being a little pain in the you know where) but about my little "situation" at the library today. So, we have internet computers that the patrons can access by using their library cards. The computers are all over the library, but for the most part anyone can view what you are looking at. As I walked around in the stacks I saw some questionable material on a gentleman's computer. As I walked closer, he hurridly switched the displat screen. Lightbulb goes off. This time, I am more covert and sneak behind the biographies and peek at what he is looking at on the computer. What did I see? Full on porn. Not just boobies, but everything else as well. I come back to the librarian at the desk with me and ask her what I should say. Once I've practiced my bit, "Sir, you're not aloud to look at innappropriate material on the computers. I'm going to have to ask you to shut down those pages." I go over to him and say it. Probably one of the most embarrassing moments I have had at the library. Who says the library is a boring place?