Acting Like a Little Adult

Paige looked like a mini-adult this morning as she sat on her Dora couch. She was watching Jack's Big Music show on Noggin and eating blueberries out of her very own bowl...so cute!!

Hide and Seek / Chasing Game

Paige had a lot of fun playing with her daddy tonight. Before dinner they were playing hide and seek. Neil would hide from Paige (in another room or around a corner) and then she would go find him. However, once she found him she would start running toward me like she didn't want him to get her. She loved it and it was hilarious to watch. She would crack up while she was "running" from her daddy.

I took lots of pictures to share and save the moment! Just look at her face in the pics...sheer enjoyment.

Learning, Learning!

Paige did two amazing things today that made it quite evident that she is always paying attention and that she is learning a lot! What a proud momma I am!

First of all, when I was finishing making breakfast this morning, I needed to get Paige's cup from the living room. I was going to go get it, but then I figured I would just ask Paige to do it. I didn't know if she would, but I thought I would give it a try. So I said, "Paige go get your drink." Then, she just stopped what she was doing, (which was clinging on to my legs and whining because she wanted me to pick her up) walked in to the living, took a drink from her cup, and brought it into the kitchen. I just watched her in amazement. My baby actually knew what I had asked her to do, and she did it!! Wow!!

Later on in the day, she was playing with her diaper bag. She was putting things in and taking things out, when she pulled out one of her hairbrushes. I asked, "Paige are you going to brush your hair?" Then, she looked at me, looked at her brush, and stood up. She proceeded to walk over to the stairs, climbed to the top, and walked into her bedroom. She then put the hairbrush in the cabinet...where it is supposed to go! I watched in amazement again!! (It was like she found the brush in the bag and said, "Hey, this doesn't belong in here!"

It is so fun to watch your children learn and grow!!! God is so amazing!! Thank you, thank you for blessing us with Paige!

Riding on the Golf Cart

Paige's great aunt and uncle have a golf cart at their house to ride around on for fun. Paige loves to ride it. I think she enjoys the wind on her face.

Riding with mommy and daddy. Riding with mommy and Aunt Jill.We tried to take a pic by these flowers, but Paige grabbed the flowers and rubbed them on Neil's head!

Duck!!

This morning Paige walked into me and Neil's bedroom and saw her rubber ducky on the night stand. Then, she just picked it up and said "duck"...it was as plain as day. Although, I still looked at Neil and said, "did she just say duck?" I couldn't believe it! She is amazing!

Phone and Teeth

Paige loves the phone. She can't get enough of it! Every time someone calls, she wants to talk. Inevitably, she always pushes the end button and accidentally hangs up on them. Like in this picture, her fingers are in the exact spot as the end button.

"Hello, Grandma, are you there?" (Nope, you just hung up on her!)Can you see my five teeth...the top one on my left is barely there!

Musikgarten

I enrolled Paige in a music class, and today was her first day. She appeared to really love it. She was very interested in the other kids in the class, too. She kept walking over to them and just looking at them while the adults were singing. She also went over to the teacher and examined her too!

Then, when the teacher played some music on the CD player, Paige showed everyone how she can dance by rocking her shoulders back and forth, and she was a real hit! Later, when the teacher turned the music off, Paige pointed at the CD player and insisted that she turn it back on...but then we got some instruments out, so she was happy! We can't wait till next Thursday!

Frog Boots!!

Paige's Aunt Abby got her some frog rainboots and Paige just loves them. She has been toting them around the house a lot lately. They are super cute, but one reason I think she likes them so much is because of one of her favorite songs. It is titled Boots and it is by Laurie Berkner (on Noggin). The song talks about all kinds of boots...even frog boots!

Canine Crooner

Paige likes to dance with this little singing dog over at her grandma and grandpa's house. It is called a canine crooner and it sings My Girl. Actually, Paige normally dances with her grandpa, but she has started to pick it up and dance with it on her own. It is so cute because she picks it up and hugs him, and then she starts turning in circles with him. Today was my lucky day because she actually wanted to dance with me...I was so honored.

Snakes Alive

We went back to the Runge nature center in Jefferson City today to learn more about animals. Today the focus was snakes!! Yay! It was so fun! Paige and I got to touch the snakes while Neil stayed way back! Ha, ha!

Anyway, Paige seemed to like it as much as me...it was actually hard to keep her away from the snakes. She kept walking up to the box that the teacher kept them in and tried to open it!!! I may be creating a monster...nah, just an animal lover!!

Here are some pics of the reptiles we got to touch! ENJOY!!!

Here is Paige, walking up to the teacher (and the box of snakes) while she is teaching the kiddos about the senses of the snakes.

Here she is touching a Midland Brown Snake.
Here is a better pic to see what the snake looks like!

Here she is petting a Red Milk Snake.

Here she is petting a Speckled King Snake.

Paige also got to see a Rough Green Snake, but we didn't get any pictures of that one. It was a very active snake...not as calm as the rest we saw!

12 Month Doctor Visit

Paige had her 12 month check-up today. The doctor says that she is doing great. She is petite, but he believes that she is a healthy little girl. Everything in her exam checked out well!

Paige weighs 17lbs and 3oz (3%tile). She is 28.5 inches (25%tile), and her head circumference is 17.5 inches (35%tile).

Paige is drinking whole milk out of a cup now, so that makes things a little bit easier. Although, she hasn't totally given up nursing yet. She nurses for a lot less time at eat session, but still about 4-5 times a day. (That is okay though...I don't know if I am totally ready for her to give that up anyway. It is some nice quiet time that we get together...since she is so active and all over the place all other waking moments of the day!!)

Paige also loves to eat, especially fruits and green vegetables. Anything green, she loves!! She is beginning to like more meat, too...but not as much as her fruits and veggies!

I am amazed at how much Paige has grown in just one short (but quick) year! Children are truly amazing...excited to see what the next year has in store with our growing little angel...lots of joy, I am sure. Neil and I are truly blessed. Thank you so much Lord, you are an awesome God!

Fifth Tooth

Paige got another tooth yesterday. (One day after her birthday...how cool!) It is the one to the left of her front teeth on top! Yay!

Paige's Birthday Weekend

Paige turned one year old on Saturday. We had lots of friends come visit from Kansas City and a few even stayed the weekend with us. We had a really fun time.

Paige had a party on Saturday and she had a great time. Paige loved opening her presents and playing with the wrapping paper, so at times it was hard to get her to move on to the next one. She also had a great time digging into her cake...and everyone else enjoyed watching. She played with it a lot more than she actually ate.

After her party some of us went to the Osage county fair. Paige participated in the baby contest and she won CUTEST INFANT! I was so proud. She was pretty proud of her trophy and kept holding on to it! So cute!

We went to ride a couple of rides afterwards, but it was about to start storming. So, we only got to go on the carousel. I think that was enough, though...Paige was afraid to sit on the horse, so I had to hold her the whole time.

Our first night at the fair. Paige got a dog balloon from the clown. She liked putting the tail in her mouth...imagine that!On our way to the fair (the second night) with our friends Susan and Oliver from KC.
Here's the birthday girl with mommy!Paige's cake! All for her!Cupcakes for the guests! Opening her presents!

Singing Happy Birthday Digging into the cake...kinda squishy!Really making a mess now...what fun!!
Before the beach party baby contest...Paige is practicing holding her shovel.Here we are with the 2nd and 3rd place winners.Proudly displaying her trophy.I like this toy, Mom!On the carousel!

Cute Paigey Moments

Paige did two really cute things today...well, she always does cute things! However, these are two that Neil and I don't ever want to forget, so we are blogging about them and sharing them with you!

First of all, Paige is learning sign language. I have been teaching her since she was about 6-7 months old, and finally she started doing the signs at about 10.5 months. (I am keeping a list on the side of the blog to let you know which ones she knows.) Anyway, when we made dinner tonight, I made Paige some asparagus (which she just LOVES) and gave her three pieces before realizing that it wasn't soft enough for her. So, I took the rest back to cook a little more and when I turned around from the stove, Paige was silently doing the sign for "more." It was so cute because she wasn't making a peek, and she just kept repeating the sign. When I told her that it would be just a minute and I would give her some more asparagus, she continued to sign and then began to whine a bit... it was so cute!!!

The second thing she did was at bedtime. Each night, Neil gives Paige her bath and helps me get her dressed for bed. Then, he kisses her goodnight and leaves me to nurse her and put her to bed. Tonight, Paige was a bit eager to nurse, so Neil gave her a kiss once she had already started. So, he gave her a kiss on her forehead and, without stopping what she was doing, she lifted her right arm and began waving to her daddy (as if to say goodbye and goodnight)...it was so amazingly sweet!

Fourth of July

We went to Neil's Aunt Mary's house to celebrate Independence Day. It was really fun to see everyone on his mom's side of the family, and they had some really great food too. Paige wasn't very interested in eating, though. There was just too much going on that she was interested in. Plus, lots of people...she is a real people watcher!!

This is the only picture we got, but I think it is pretty cute! You can't see the front of Paige's shirt, though. It was really adorable...it said "Daddy's Little Firecracker" in red, white, and blue! ...and man is she turning into a firecracker...a very active one!!!!!