17 Months/December 07

December has included learning words such as "ho ho ho" and "baby Jesus". Rachel enjoyed seeing Santa but definitely from a distance! We went to a few Christmas parades and had fun watching the floats and trying to stay warm!

16 months/November 07

Well, we sure have been busy! This month was filled with a lot of dress up, imaginary play and yes...using the potty! :) In the potty picture I ran to get the camera, by the time I got back she didn't want to sit there anymore. I was so excited that she used the potty I had to capture the memory with a photo! Rachel is signing and talking so much these days. She enjoys coloring, reading books, playing with her babies and of course her play dates with her friends. She is such a social butterfly!

Where has the time gone?

Wow! It seems like only a short time ago Rachel was so dependant on us. Fingerfoods, chasing after her, looking forward to her ONE nap a day and watching her learn to communicate are all subjects of our "oh, so busy" (but fun!) world these days! Rachel is now 15 months old and is using sign language as well as her verbal words to communicate. She recently learned how to say "no" (lucky me!). She is so expressive...I can only imagine how those teenage years will play out! :) Some of her favorite activities include: books, coloring, baby dolls, "little people" playgrounds with lots of kids and of course our cats!!

The photos from the last few months include: summer beach & pool days with friends, play time at home, The SF Zoo and the most current...the pumpkin patch!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY RACHEL!

Our baby girl is turning into a toddler! She is now one and developing into such a fun, sweet girl. She had a lot of fun with friends and family at her birthday party. Rachel enjoyed her first cake, opening gifts and playing with her friends. She is saying "hi" all the time and signing up a storm. She has about six signs and uses them frequently. Pulling up on chairs and coffee tables, playing with shoes, glassses and hats all seem to be favorites these days.

Rachel is 11 months!

Oh what fun we are having these days! We have been traveling a lot for our business and Rachel is learning to be flexible with her schedule. Hotels, airplanes, motorhomes and even Disneyland....Rachel can sleep at any of them. She now says "hi" whenever a new person approaches. She absolutely loves people and the socail interaction. Lately, her favorite toys are boxes that she can put things in an take them out. She also loves the pool and swings. We are getting our workout trying to keep up with her as she is crawling all over the place...chasing the cats seem to be a great motivator~

Rachel is learning to use her different facial expressions to communicate
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What a ham!

10 months!

This month has been great! Rachel not only has six teeth but has learned to crawl, get up on her knees and is beginning to pull herself up to a standing position....my baby is turning into a little girl! She is such a delight. We have moved on from mushy foods to chunks and mostly finger foods. She really enjoys feeding herself. Some of her favorite things this month have been swimming with Daddy, traveling to auctions in Palm Springs and catching up with some extended family. It seems whatever is going on Rachel is there with smile and a good attitude...we are bracing ourselves for the teenage years! :)

9 months already!

Boy how time flies! Rachel is now 9 months...gee, soon she will be leaving for college! This past month she has really found her voice (what a girl!). She loves meeting new people, having little babbling conversations with them, waving and looking at people in books. I think her favorite "toy" is the human face...she spots them in magazines, grocery store shelves, billboards and the news on TV...she just smiles and stares. I have had more conversations with strangers these days because she is going out of her way to get their attention. She also loves books, singing and has recently learned to stick out her tongue. She is currently working on four teeth coming in and has figured out how to get up on all fours....just hasn't figured out how to put one knee in front of the other to "go"; so, she rolls. She is trying new food all the time and still seems to love anything that we serve up. Here she is in her Easter best ~ our little girl is such a joy!

8 Months...

Wow...time is flying! Rachel is a very good sitter now and is working on learning to crawl. She scoots on her tummy (backwards a lot) and will pop her bottom up for a split second. She loves peek-a-boo, can clap as in "yeah" and is working on waving. She also just recently started blowing. I think she is practicing the "p" sound. It is so amazing to watch her develop and learn every little thing. We thank God for her and the blessing she has been in our life~

Almost 8 months in San Diego

Rachel is such a people person these days and it was great to get down to San Diego so she could spend some time with her family. She had fun playing with her Grandpa and Uncle Todd spent some time learning to feed a baby...a first for both of them!

Firsts!

This seventh month has brought a lot of "firsts" Rachel's way. She loves sitting on Daddy's shoulders and we have found that it's much easier to put her there rather than load up the stroller for weekend trips out to the stores and such. Rachel is still working her way through the fruits and veggies. These mesh bags are great as she learns to feed herself.

7 months~

Oh the joys! Rachel is now 7 months old and seems to be learning something new or having a new experience all the time. She has discovered a little bit more of her big bear as you can tell from the photo. Grabbing him, biting him and rolling around her big furry friend seems to bring lots of laughs her way!