Spring chicken

My poor child.  That's all I can really say. 

She has been my source of inspiration for all of the great (and not so great) things I have decided to make lately.  The other night I was despirately trying to brainstorm things to put in her Easter basket this year.  Obviously candy is not an option and I want to start the tradition of having an easter basket.
I know, I know, she won't notice.

I was inspired by this post by Smile and Wave which has these easter egg covers that would look adorable as a hat.  I decided to try it out since I had a simple cloth hat lying around and a spare half hour since Julia has devoted a great deal of her floor time to the pursuit of movement. (No. we're still not moving, but she is determined!  So this week she has been so agreeable to hanging out on the floor).

Here we go...it's for her Easter basket, but I couldn't help but to try it out.  Unfortunately this week she has also mastered the art of ripping her hats off.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the chicken...

In the NINES. a l m o s t

What do

I do

with this?

Success!

Today we traveled back to the Dr. for happier reasons.  Julia will be nine months old on Saturday and we went in for a check-up.  She greeted Dr. B with some claps and was so good through the entire visit.  She even tried on Dr. B's stethascope and was quite proud of herself! 

She is now 19.4 lbs and 27 1/4 inches tall. 

Yep, she's growing!

We are still waiting to document her first "steps" toward mobility. We decided we weren't going to count the fact that she scooted herself backwards 180 degrees to get to a toy that she wanted.  She's so close, but I will cherish these last few days/weeks of peace knowing that she still stays pretty much where I put her down. 

 Our newest endeavor?  Tupperware.  I might as well box up all of her toys (except for her stuffed clam) and call it a day.  She has so much fun with the mundane things that I can find for her throughout the house.  It's quite fun for me as I now have a whole different view on the use for these household items. 

NEWFUL - definition: full of new things

Without a lengthy explanation about our rationale, we have decided to get a new camera.  This had been something that we'd debated for some time, but with all big things in our family, it takes a catalyst to spur us into action.  A few weeks ago we took Julia to visit her OTHER great-great grandmother for the first time.  We took a few blurry photos and that was it...Charles and I decided we were going to make our big purchase that day. 

We are so excited about this camera.  Instead of torturing Julia with incessant photos, this camera is so simple and takes such pure and crisp photographs.  After a little research and some help from a very nice fellow customer who had done tons more behind the scenes work, we decided on the Canon Rebel SLR (highly recommended if you are on the hunt for a good camera).  So until I get a real tutorial on this, I am snapping away in an attempt to get accomodated with our camera.  Here is a review of our last 2 weeks:

(I must preface this with the fact that we have been a REALLY sick family in the last few weeks.  The outtakes remind me that it wasn't all bad and we had some glimmers of goodness in the midst of nausea and fevers.) 

This is Julia's 2nd visit to Mrs. Robinos in Wilmington, DE - generations of my family have come here for dinner. This was Julia's first experience with Pastina.  Yes, Pastina is capitalized.  It is a fixture in our family and must be revered for its role in nourishing each member of my family for years.

Then we came home to be with the Petit's for Clara's baptism. 

I love this photo that Charles captured of the family. 

Then we got sick. 

There is nothing like a little girl who has just discovered how to clap to conjure up a smile.

Yep, we're going to be okay.

This reflects the record number of baths that were taken in the past 2 weeks to keep Julia as clean as possible.  For some reason I had it in my head that the bath was base - the germs couldn't get to her if she was here.  I'm not sure if that argument would hold up, but hey, it's all really about peace of mind.

And then we were feeling a little bit better and I thought we would take some pictures for a mini nursery tour.  Her room is the most peaceful place in our entire home.  Since her birth, her room has truly taken on a unique style.  When I play her CD filled with Rosie Thomas, Ben Harper, and James Taylor to put her to sleep it literally brings tears to my eyes and reminds me of our first weeks at home.  Anyway, yes, I love the feeling I get when I step into her room.  So Julia had other plans.  She was insistent on playing with her bucket.  And even wiggled her way in (with some help).  I will give you another glimpse another time.  For now, the camera was focused on Julia's bucket adventure.  And then we lost some daylight and some cooperation.

and as of yesterday, everyone is feeling better.  Most importantly, Julia is fever free and eating solids again!

Based on the great shots we were able to get, you wouldn't know that every other moment was spent under the covers or at the pediatrician.  That's how good this camera is! 

We are back in action!