Look Who's 11 Months Old Today!

Corinne was born 11 months ago today, and perhaps the only thing more significant than that is that now we are officially counting down to her FIRST birthday!Here is our sweet girl after having opened the desk drawer to find...a piece of candy! It is so amazing to me that Corinne knows the difference between toys, plain old inatimate objects, and food--even if she has no idea what the food is and has never seen it before she has some kind of radar that lets her know when she comes across something edible! And then she immediately wants it. Case in point: this picture. How did she know this was a piece of candy? The funny part: she's trying to eat it, even with the wrapper. Whew--that's a good thing--we'll be holding off on candy for as long as possible. Mostly because I have the worst sweet tooth on the planet, I'm sure, and if she inherited that then we're definitely in trouble.

Things Corinne is into:
throwing her socks out of her crib after naps
avocado and banana
climbing the steps
pointing to eyes: animals', people's, anything that has them!
walking her lion
reading her books
bath time
doll baby
the phone
playing at, around, and in (!) the dishwasher
crossing her legs
smiling for the camera
sucking her thumb while twirling her hair
eating her barettes
laying on, hugging, and "kissing" her teddy bear
crawling up onto the dining room table from the chair

Taming the Lion

Remember just a few weeks ago when Corinne was riding her lion? Well now she has quickly mastered walking her lion. I think that walking (without lion's help) is right around the corner--I can't wait! It's amazing to us how much Corinne has changed since September when she turned 9 months old. Since then each week really does bring something new as she adds one more step, layer or level to an already mastered skill. It's pretty fun to watch. And, Corinne definitely enjoys her new found freedom, as well. Way to go, Little C. We are so proud of you, smart girl.

Conquering the Steps

This is how Corinne begins her ascent to the top of our stairs (there are 12 in all, after the landing). Just the other day she climbed the stairs at least 3 complete times, with increasing speed. Her secret motiviation: the grouping of photos of Brett, Corinne, and I which hang in the hallway at the top of the stairs. She LOVES to look at pictures these days! When she climbs all the way to the top of the stairway she then proceeds to stand up against the wall and look up at the framed photos that still hang several feet above her. She beams and talks and points at them each time she gets close to them. It's very sweet and so neat that she recognizes her family. Anyway, here are a few pictures taken at various stages of one of her "rookie" climbs just one week ago. Now her climbing skills have become second nature! (I'm going to work on getting some pictures of her from the top...but that's tricky during the day since I follow behind as her safety net:)

Halfway There!

Birthday Wishes

What we're trying to say is...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARCEY! We love you and hope you have a fantastic day today. We cannot wait to see you soon!!

love, Corinne, Betsy and Brett

Quirky

Have I mentioned that Corinne likes to eat her snack of Cheerios with her legs crossed?! It's true. And she doesn't even realize that it's quirky! Below she's looking at the camera as if to say, "What's wrong with that?"

Vocabulary Lesson

Corinne amazes me with all of the words she understands now. She knows names of toys, for instance: giraffe and turtle who are pictured below. She also knows books, rooms in the house, people's names, and several direction words like up and down. If only she could say them:) But that will come! I just think it's extraordinary that her listening vocabulary is so extensive at this young age. Even though she can't communicate to us, she can communicate with us by understanding what we say. Her little brain is working hard!

Bookworm

I love that Corinne loves her books! She has a basket full by the couch and lately has just been content to sit and "read" them for fairly long periods of time. She also received the adorable book Corduroy in the mail from my sister, Laura, the other day and it is now her new favorite!! I wasn't sure how she would do with it since it's definitely longer than any of the books we've regularly read to her. But to everyone's amazement, she sits still through the entire book and points out the little bear, Corduroy, on each page. She likes to touch him, pat him, and rub him on the pages:) It's very sweet! In the first 48 hours we had the book Corinne read it with me 3 times, Grandma Schatz once, and my mom once. Amazing. I guess she's ready for some longer reading material. Just as long as she's reading! Touch and Feel Pets is the book above. She loves to feel the dog's fur, pull on the cat's whiskers, and tickle the baby bunny.

Today after church and before Brett left to work on some house projects with his brother Corinne read Corduroy yet again.

Another book Corinne has really taken a liking to lately is pictured here, I Love You Through and Through.

Responsible Citizens

Corinne and I did our part as proud citizens of the USA and voted together last Tuesday...Little C. was even given her own sticker! And here is where we got to cast our ballot. Finally -- no more recorded phone calls from candidates soliciting our vote. And no more negative TV ads to watch.

Corinne's New Ride

Looks like fun, doesn't it?! We recently went on a family shopping trip to get some new toys for Corinne and this lion riding toy is what we found! It also converts to a walking toy when she is ready for that:) Until then, I think Corinne has found a new mode of transportation. She LOVES it! We even took it outside, but the only problem is there is no way to steer it so we have to stay on the straight and narrow. It's fun that she has entered a whole new phase of development, having outgrown and become bored with her "baby" toys a while ago. Along those same lines Corinne no longer likes to be in her activity center...but she has fun playing with the gadgets on it from the outside where she can walk around it at her leisure. Little C. is growing up!