Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

These days, life is kind of a blur. I had intended to do something of a photo shoot of all of Vita's new clothes today, but instead we ended up spending more time child proofing. When we did have the time, Vita didn't feel like sitting still in front of a camera. Below is a very typical shot of Vita; happy and just about to leap into action. Here's Vita charging ahead. Look out! Since the weather was crisp, I did get one of Vita's fall coats out of the closet. I just love double breasted coats on a baby. Look how much lighter her hair is getting! It's also filling in more, and starting to get curly. We recently re-arranged the furniture in Vita's room, but she was able to locate her toy box right away. Vita loves to take everything out of the toy box. Vita is starting to get ticklish, and she giggles when she gets tickled on the neck or the armpit or the tummy! Vita loves to practice walking. She holds on to our hands, and off she goes. Here's a video of Vita "walking". This is the best part... the look of pride on Vita's face when she pulls up, climbs, or any other new skills. I did it! Good job, Vita!

Up, up and away!

In last week's post I neglected to mention something... Last Sunday, Vita stood up on her own for a few seconds. She's been pulling up to a standing position for a while (since around 8 months I think) but on Sunday, she stood up on her own, without holding on to anything!!! But wait, there's more. In just the past week, Vita has also learned to get from her tummy to a sitting up position, has gotten really good at "walking" while holding on to our hands, pulls up and climbs on absolutely everything (even walls), and crawls "properly" with her tummy up off the ground. That's a whole lot of progress for a single week. These days, Vita isn't happy unless she's moving, climbing, crawling, standing, or "walking". It's SO AMAZING to watch! Although I don't have a video of Vita crawling, this video of Vita with a wooden spoon is kind of fun so here you go. Notice that at the end of the video when she's done with the wooden spoon, she finds another thing to climb on (the cabinet) and she even discovers she can open the cabinet. I also have a bummer to report. Apparently, many parents are reporting that the ink / chemicals in the label inside Carters brand "tagless" clothes are causing chemical burns / rashes in lots of babies.... including our little Vita! Check this out. Luckily, I was able to identify the source of Vita's rash very quickly. After a couple of days of not wearing any tagless clothes, the rash is almost gone. Carters is refunding the money for the tagless clothes (although they are not recalling the items... and I believe they should). So from now on, we're definately staying away from Carters "tagless" clothes. In fact, I had to go out and get some new "non-tagless" clothes for Vita today because she had nothing to wear. Expect new pictures of Vita in some of her new duds probably tomorrow evening.

More Family Fun

Like all great weekends, this weekend started off by sleeping in late. Check out Vita's toe poking through the knit blanket.

But this wasn't just any old weekend. Mema and Grandpappy came from Arizona to celebrate their 25th anniversary with us in Santa Cruz. Happy Anniversary Bob and Joan!

To add to the celebration, Jennifer, Nevil and Dan came from Sacramento and the whole group of us went out dinner.

Action shot with Joan and Vita.

Vita and Dan get along great, and had lots of fun together. Here they are playing "got your nose".

Vita showed Dan how to slither around on the floor.

And Dan showed Vita how to manuever through an obstacle course.

Here's Vita with her Aunt Jennifer.

Group hug!

Finally, here's Vita helping Dad make dinner on Sunday night.

County Fair

This weekend, Vita went to her first county fair. Here's Vita doing her best pumpkin impression. Vita got to see all kinds of animals... goats, pigs, sheep, horses, etc.

Making friends with a rooster.

Naturally, there were tractors. Lots of tractors. Ernie and I thought the people watching was great, but Vita enjoyed watching her own foot.

Family Fun

Vita's LA people (grandma Marianne, grandpa Vito, and aunt Mary) came up for a visit this weekend. First, we all got re-acquainted. Grandma Marianne with Vita... (Proud) Aunt Mary with Vita. Grandpa Vito with Vita. We went for a little walk in the woods. Here's a shot of just the ladies. Then we went to a local aquarium, and Vita got to see some interesting sea life. Here we all are in front of one of the exhibits. The aquarium has a REAL blue whale skeleton. Vita was not intimidated by the worlds largest mammal. Who, us? We're not up to anything... And a good time was had by all. Next weekend, Vita goes to her very first County Fair!!!

Nine Months

Vita is nine months old today! No time for a "real" post tonight, so I'll have to wait until the weekend to put new pictures up. Nevertheless, I just couldn't let the milestone pass without acknowledging it. We're heading into the home stretch now, getting near the end of Vita's first year.

Loss of CTRL

The other day, Vita was lying in my arms resisting a nap, but falling asleep despite her best attempts otherwise. I didn't even realize the computer was open next to me, or that her hand was reaching out towards it... until her nimble little finger plucked out the CTRL key with one swift gesture. It's almost like Vita was trying to tell me something. Perhaps Vita was trying to tell me that I do not have CTRL. Vita has CTRL.

Camp Fire

Last night we set up camp in the backyard. We had some friends over, made smores, and basked in the warm glow. Good times.

Where's Vita?

This is one of our favorite games. Where is Vita? I can't find her anywhere... Is she under the blanket? Here she is!