Crawling About

First Tooth

There's not a lot to see, but it certainly makes the cutest clanking sound I have ever heard.

Also, I have been trying to encourage a more traditional use of the bottle, but she continues to prefer her more unorthodox approach.

New Book

So this is the new sound she is fond of.  She makes it in line at the grocery store, she makes it while being wheeled about town and I hear it coming from her crib in the morning when she wakes up.  When she wants to produce truly spectacular results she does it while eating her lunch.

Quilt or Toy?

Picking at the yo-yos and pearls on Aunt Talise's quilt is more entertaining than any toy she has got.

Delicious Rolls

Distractions

I wanted to film Julia trying her first bite of yogurt so her dad could see her reaction when he got home from work. We never tire of her vast repertoire of disgusted expressions. She barely noticed the yogurt - she was more interested in taking the camera away from me.

Then, enter a distraction much bigger than a camera in her face...

Clapping

Happy Birthday Pixie!

Eight months old today!

After the After-Lunch-Hose-Down

Hide and Seek

Just because she can crawl forward doesn't mean there aren't other options.  This morning I found her backed under a chair.

A Gift from Nonno and Nonna

Who Knows Why?

I can't begin to explain the reason behind it, but this tape measure is by far her favorite object.  I don't care how dire the situation is - how hard she is crying...throw the tape measure at her, and she is fine.

I have even been reduced to carrying it in my purse and using it in public.  I can only imagine what people must think.

Happy Birthday Grandpa - Wish I Was There

Feeling homesick and wishing she was with her grandpa on his birthday, she is nostalgic for her American home.

Miss you!

She Usually Gets a Toy to Play With

So, truth be told, I am rather accustomed to passersby smiling and cooing at the contents of my stroller.  But, today was different - people were actually giggling. 

I looked down to see:

And went around front to see:

My Little Soccer Fan

The boys received a special gift - a signed jersey from a player they like on the Milan Soccer Team.  It got  an even better reception as it was delivered by Julia.

More Pictures Taken by Aunt Lara

Yipes! She Crawls!

Her father predicted weeks ago that she would crawl before Aunt Lara left Rome.  And she almost made it.  Lara left in the morning and by that evening she was crawling.  She took her first few steps with a smile big enough to break her face in two.  She knew she was on to something big.

Silent Contemplation

Aunt Lara Comes to Roma

Diving in Head First

She isn't crawling yet, but she managed to get to her toy box, tip it over and rumage through its contents.  When she was finally extracted, she had managed to grab the only thing in the entire container that we never let her play with. In fact, it is an object that she always tries to get - only to have us continually yank it away from her.  Believe me when I say that a seven-month-old really can have a guilty expression.

New Trick

Today she was able to stay standing - unassisted - while holding onto her crib.  It doesn't last very long, I will spare you the "head bonk" video, but it is certainly a milestone worthy of that proud look on her face.



Starting line at the track meet



In Launching Position

Little Pixie spends most of her time stretching out her legs and rocking back and forth on her hands and knees.  She is about ten minutes away from crawling and I am already losing sleep about it.  And on the subject of sleep, every time she wakes up during the night I find her in this position with her eyes still closed, crying, doing her little dance.  Poor thing practices even in her sleep.