Here Comes Corinne

Little C. has now figured out the big C...crawling! She is officially on the go and quickly perfected her new mode of transportation over the weekend. What fun! The only tricky thing is our hard wood floors--makes for a slippery trek. But one of my favorite things has become seeing Corinne crawling toward me when I return from the kitchen or basement. There she is with a smile, coming to find me (or so I like to think! She could very well be following Lilly, too!) We have also realized (thanks to the power outage a few weeks ago) that the sun room makes a very lively place to play and crawl. Lots of natural light and you can't help but feel that you're sitting outside since two walls are sliding glass doors. The only problem there: slate floors which are not forgiving in an occasional off-balance topple over. But Corinne is fearless and it doesn't seem to hamper her efforts at getting wherever she wants to go.

On a different subject...hair. Corinne's just keeps on growing! I love it, but it's hanging in her eyes more often than not these days. Fortunately I have been able to keep barrettes in her hair to hold it back from her face until just recently. But now she pulls them right out (and eats them--a little scary to me!) I really don't want to give her a haircut. I'm not sure why, it just seems so unnatural to me to cut her hair this young. But I'm definitely open to what our faithful blog readers have to say on the subject. So, any thoughts from out there?

9 Months and Major Milestones

Corinne will not officially be 9 months old until Friday, but I just couldn't wait to share this post!

No, we do not let Corinne watch TV. She does, however, love to play with the remote. What is it about things with buttons? Zippers and tags also seem to pique her curiosity. Oh, and the way the rug in our living room pills up a bit--she is extremely interested in the wool loops that come through the rug. In fact, she tries to eat them. It really is so weird, I think! Corinne also loves to smile at anyone who smiles at her...and even those who don't (like Lilly, our cat). When we sit outside on our patio, Corinne gets excited when people walk past on the nearby sidewalk. You can be sure she is smiling, or squealing to get their attention, or both! She really is such a happy little girl (see photo of extreme happiness in the first picture above) And...I know I say this every month, but I can't believe she is 9 months old! We love you, Little C.

Now for some updates:
Just this past week Corinne has exploded with tons of new skills! She is "cruising" using the coffee table (that's child development language for holding on to something and walking). She has also begun to crawl!! She's not quick at it, and it's not very smooth yet, but we have seen it on a few occasions. In addition, Corinne has figured out how to stand up in her crib (during naps, of course:) We quickly had to lower her bed/mattress and also remove the mobile. (I know, I know, probably should have done both of them a while ago...) And just today Brett and I found two teeth that had literally just broken through her gums. It's amazing to us that we haven't really noticed a change in her demeanor or behavior--still as happy as always while the teeth were making their way! So lots of fun changes at our house recently, and we have enjoyed every one!

New Tricks

Corinne is now into pulling herself up using the edge of the coffee table in our living room. It really is pretty impressive...she starts in a seated position on the floor and has to reach way up above her head to grab the edge, then pulls her body up to a standing position. Once she's up, she balances really well and even moves her feet. Corinne is pretty fearless, she'll hold on with only one hand and still stay standing. The only problem: once she's pushed the desired objects (books, toys, the phone) onto the floor, she stares down at them and isn't really sure how to get back down!

Feels Like Fall

Corinne and I decided that fall is coming. The other day we planned to go downtown to meet my mom for some lunch in the park, but due to an overcast, windy and uncharacteristically cool day the three of us opted to eat inside instead. Not as much fun--yet there is something strangely calming and even refreshing about blue jeans weather. So Corinne sported some new blue jeans and we had a great visit with my mom.

Trying to Crawl

Can't quite get those legs in the right position...but we're on the verge.

Happy Birthday, (Aunt) Laura!

Today is my sister, Laura's, birthday! In honor of her special day, Corinne chose to wear her "I love San Fransisco" t-shirt and asked to read the book, "Good night, San Fransisco". Of course I couldn't turn her down, so we set up this little photo shoot to prove it! Keep in mind, this was first thing this morning, so Corinne had not combed her hair yet and she also forgot to use a barrette to keep it out of her eyes:) Anyway, by the end Corinne just wanted to eat the camera...hence the last photo.

We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday today, Laura, and let you know that we're thinking of you! You really are one of the strongest people I know, and I am so proud of you for all the positive things you've done, focused on, and made for yourself over the last eight very difficult months. You are smart, generous, beautiful, more than capable, and loving. Here's to a great year, better than any previous. A new beginning for you, and one that will be memorable for all of the great things in store. I pray that today you will be surrounded with blessings all day long. We love you!

Betsy, Brett & Corinne

I Spy...

I know these pictures are blurry, and for good reason. Let me explain: at one point during the weekend I woke up from taking a nap, came downstairs, and discovered these sweet moments between Brett and Corinne taking place in our front yard. They were having the best time together and so I had to spy on them through our bay window. I snapped some quick pictures and then, of course, had to join in the fun! Corinne loves her daddy and he is, of course, crazy about her!

Around the Neighborhood

Over the weekend we went out for brunch to this great little place in our neighborhood, Coffee Emporium. Known for their delicious Belgian waffles, we couldn't pass them up and they were, indeed, awesome! It was a beautiful day and Corinne loved watching the passersby and, later, the dogs that came and sat down at the table next to us.

Doin' Great at Eight (months)

Well, Corinne is eight months old today. She is jibber-jabbering away all the time now, smiling at her toys, her family, Lilly, and sometimes nothing at all, and her sweet little voice is beautiful to listen to. She says "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" quite often now, though I haven't been able to convince anyone that she actually does mean me when she says it. Corinne also understands several things that we say to her or in conversation: Lilly, cat, look, books, car, eat, water, and a few more. She has perfected her game of initiating and playing peek-a-boo and she loves to put her hands and feet under any faucet in anticipation of water coming out. Corinne is working on pulling up on whatever she can, and pulling things out of whatever she can, like the bucket of toys in the photo above. She still has no teeth--not even a hint of some coming soon. And she's not crawling but loves to stand up while holding onto furniture. We're wondering if she'll bypass crawling for now? It's hard to believe summer is over and we have an eight month old daughter! She is such a great measuring stick of just how quickly time changes things, people, life and even one's perspective. So many people love you, Corinne! But most of all, Mommy and Daddy do. Happy eight month birthday, little one!

Back to the Big Apple

Aunt Marcey spent most of last week with us before she got on the road to head back to New York City. Her clerkship in Memphis came to a close and now it's back to life as usual in NY--new apartment but same job. We have LOVED having her in this part of the country for the last year, and better yet getting to see her every month or so when she was required to be in Cincinnati with Judge G and the other clerks. But we are also glad that she gets to move back to a city that has become home to her over the last nine or so years. She knows she is welcome anytime (and as often as she can manage)! Corinne and I had an especially nice week with Marce. Corinne took to her right away and the two of them are fun to watch together (next time you see her, ask Marcey about her special song for Corinne). As always Marce and I enjoyed our time hanging out with one another, just being ourselves. Lots of good conversation and lots of fun, too.
One day we went to the zoo with Marcey and my mom (a.k.a. Grammy), who took an afternoon off of work for the occasion. Besides it being extremely hot, we had a great time. Corinne was fascinated with the peacock that wanted to join our family that day--you can see she nearly climbed out of her stroller.We also saw the giraffes up close and heard the lions roar!

We went out for lunch a few times and this photo shows us waiting for our food at Zip's. We love having this little hamburger dive right around the corner from our house, and we were able to walk there for lunch one day. Corinne loved the train that goes around the restaurant way above the floor. The train, along with playing with Aunt Marcey's hands, kept her happy the entire time!