A Few More Firsts...

I love this picture of Corinne sitting (read leaning) in her newly assembled high chair while hanging onto her sippy cup! Corinne is reaching out for the tree in our living room (see post entitled "Corinne's Tree" from way back when Corinne was a "baby")
Trips to the store have been lots more fun lately (for both of us) since Corinne can sit in the grocery cart. She very thoughtfully studies the people and places on our errands. Here is Corinne trying some zwieback toast while I cooked dinner the other night. (BTW I think I found crumbs in every roll, wrinkle, crease, and orifice on Corinne's body later that evening)

So Much Fun

Corinne loves her pac'n play that sits under the window in our living room. She loves to play in it, and lately loves to sit up holding on to the sides. We're waiting for her to pull herself all the way up...it won't be long.Did I mention that she also loves to "eat" the sides?
And Lilly loves the pac'n play too! Corinne laughs and squeals when Lilly comes up and paws at the sides. (Lilly loves it for other reasons, too, like taking naps there and basking in the sun when Corinne is playing elsewhere) Such a sense of power...Corinne is safely above Lilly.
But don't be mistaken--this is a tiring game! And when Corinne is tired she goes for her thumb.

Seven Months

Corinne is into sitting on the couch with us, as shown here! Lately she is reaching for things way out in front of her, but not yet crawling. She does do a funny rocking motion while sitting up, though. It's pretty cute! And she loves to suck her thumb. It is so darn adorable when she does...I'll see if I can dig up a picture for our faithful readers out there:) Happy seven months, my precious girl!

Corinne's Road Trip

This past weekend we took Corinne to visit her Aunt Marcey who is clerking for a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge in Memphis, TN. We actually had a pretty full car since both of Corinne's Grandmas made the trip, too! Grandma Schatz spent time in nearby Jackson, TN with her other grand daughters and my mom traveled on with Brett, Corinne, and I to Marcey's temporary home for the past year. In just a few weeks Marce will be headed back to work at her law firm in New York City, so we couldn't let a year go by without checking out her life down south. And we're glad we went! All of us had a terrific time. From trolley rides through downtown, to walking along the banks of the Mississippi River, to eating authentic southern barbeque, it was a fun weekend. And Corinne did amazing--though she doesn't travel lightly:) She napped and slept just like she was at home, and she even took a bath in Marcey's kitchen sink like in the old days when she was first born. Kids are so resilient! I never cease to be amazed at how well Corinne does with big changes in her routines. It definitely gives me confidence to do more roadtrips like these...any takers?


So here is Corinne, just as happy as can be at Aunt Marcey's


Taking in a bit of Graceland, home of Elvis Presley

We went to the famous Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis for the 5 o'clock Duck March. Here we are waiting for the start, along with a few other hundred people. The Peabody Hotel is gorgeous, by the way. In the early 1900's the budget for this hotel was $5 million!

Brett did well as a human high chair for Corinne's meals:)

This is a glimpse of bath time with Grammy in the sink. Corinne has discovered that water comes out of a faucet and regularly strives to turn the water on any chance she gets.

Friends

Just the other day we hung out with my teacher friends and their kids! For this picture my teaching partner, Cara, suggested that her son, Zach, hold Corinne since the concrete was a little intimidating! And Corinne decided to take the opportunity to show off her tummy:)
Once upon a time there were three girls from different places in Ohio who enrolled at Miami University, Oxford. They got randomly placed together freshman year in a 'triple' dorm room. And look, 12 years later each of them have a daughter and live in Cincinnati! Here are my freshman year roomates, Meredith and Emily, and their daughters, Lauren and Rachel, with Corinne. Brett and I spent a hot Sunday afternoon at the Cincinnati Zoo recently, but the highlight was running into our good friends, Kris and Cliff, and their two girls, Chloe and Lizzie, pictured here with Corinne! How fun!

Neat Band-aids

There are actually *four* neat sparkly band-aids in this photo. (See last post for explanation)

Corinne's Stats

We went to the doc today for Corinne's 6 month -- make that 6 1/2 month -- appointment. She was delightful as the nurse, and then the doctor, checked her out! (Nothing like some good crinkly sounding paper to sit and lay on up on the examining table. Not only does it sound cool, but it tears so easily that one can put it in the mouth, too!) But then came the shots...same result as always on that. Tears, crying, and more tears and crying...and 4 neat bandaids when it was all over. Anyway, here are Corinne's latest stats for those who find it half as interesting as I do:

Length: 27 in. -- 90th percentile
Weight: 16.2 lbs -- 50th percentile
Head circumference: 41.7 -- 25th percentile

Books

This is a picture of our couch after Corinne and I got done doing some reading together the other day! So this pile of books inspired me to share my amazement with you over Corinne's keen interest and enjoyment of reading -- even at this young age. (And, no, I am not exagerrating!) We began reading to her when she was just a few weeks old and it seemingly had no effect at the time, though we continued to do it anyway. But by the time Corinne was just two or three months old she was noticing the pictures and showing interest in the books we were reading to her. And now...it's like magic! Corinne sees the words and tracks with us from left to right and she knows how to turn the pages of the book (when she's not busy trying to eat them). Books completely calm her down and quiet her, totally captivating her attention. It really is just the neatest thing! Plus, I just loving having her in my lap and sharing that time together. I had no idea that she could or would be so into books this early on, but I am so glad that she loves to "read" with us. Lately we definitely have a strong preference for Sandra Boynton books because they're silly, bright, colorful, and entertaining. Although Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? is a more recent addition to our library and it's quickly becoming a new favorite (thanks, Aunt Marcey)! Anyway, I guess I share this because it's all so fascinating to me. And I hope it encourages all of us to read more with our kids, and to appreciate the power of reading. Such a simple thing, but such a tremendous gift. I must admit, even as a teacher I never knew just how early books could have an impact!

Fourth of July

To celebrate the fourth of July we had some friends over...even though the weather was so crummy that it kept us mostly indoors. But Corinne got to hang out with her buddies, Luke and Adam! Here they all are sitting together on the couch...(L to R: Luke, Corinne, Adam) Aren't they sweet?

Corinne's Half Birthday Celebration

These pictures read like a comic strip, don't they? My mom came over to give Corinne her half birthday present on Thursday and you can see that Corinne was way more interested in the wrapping paper and ribbon than the actual present...and thank goodness!! It's a noisy ball, which happens to sing, light up, and move all on its own.