I'm embarrassed by how long it has been since I've posted about the little miss. Since my last post, she's started walking, has a pretty full and ever expanding repertoire of words/signs, and has even peed on the potty! She's been on a plane and travelled across the country, and pretty much is a gal on the move! We've been having fun exploring the world together. She's enjoyed making lots of new friends and being dangerous, tis the season I suppose.

I love this picture of Dahlia. She is sitting what I like to believe is my old rocker from when I was a baby, although my mom insists that it was Matt's. I'm sure everything was Matt's as I was the second, but regardless, I remember it as my own, and Dahlia sitting in it with her baby feels very special to me. My mom was wanting to donate it to goodwill, but I insisted on disassembling it and stuffing it in my suitcase to take home. I hope it lasts until my kids have their own little squirts. I'm sentimental in that way.

Below, Dahlia is playing one of her favorite games with Grandma Margaret (peekaboo around the corner). She is a real charmer. She started really walking just before we travelled to Ohio for cousin Shaun's birthday. Dahlia got lots of practice trucking around the airport as we waited for our flights. She was an angel, slept alot of the air trips, both there and back and was very charming and friendly with all
of our neighbors. It was just her and I and it was fun to have such uninterrupted one on one time with each other. She really enjoyed Nana and Shaun quite a bit, too. Although she wasn't saying Nana while we were in Ohio, shortly after our return and while looking at a picture of her, Dahlia pointed to the picture and did say "Nana." She has also been saying "night night" and basically calls all birds, dogs, ducks and cats "dog dog."

Toward the end of our trip in Ohio, Shaun and Dahlia were really getting along just like brother and sister, complete with Dahlia stealing away his toys with a very stealth, inconspicuous nature of the little sister and Shaun running after her trying to rescue his stolen and prized possessing before being broken my little, careless and clumsy hands. Overall, I think a wonderful time was had by all.














So, in four days, that little stink, who thinks she can traverse stairs both up and down (and can't), will turn one year old. We are gearing up for a big party, with nice weather, to take place outside. Balloons and bugs, that's the plan. First birthday's are weird because they really don't get it. That's okay, though. Should be a fun time for the kids. And, as a special treat, Dahlia gets to spend her first birthday with Grandpa Ed and Grandma Lynn! I just can't believe that she is one. It does seem like yesterday that she was just born and I don't want her baby-ness to end!

Here's the thing about Dahlia, she's a real walker. She started walking a little two weeks ago. Last week, she really started moving. And this week, my little squirt is a walker. She walks down the hall, she walks in the yard, she walks up and down the sidewalk pushing her little cart. She's super cute, sometimes I can hardly stand from squeezing the be-jesuses right out of her!

She's playing with Grandpa Ron's watch in this picture. Always has been a real favorite with the little munchkins (with Elias up to mischief in the background).

Dahlia is really starting to try to talk and sign. She knows where her tongue and her ears are and she is fascinated by my nose. She likes to cuddle up to me and gives me kisses when I am very lucky... I can't believe in less than a month, we'll be celebrating her one year birthday!

Dahlia took several of her first steps today! Walking to her daddy, her biggest fan! So much has been happening with her these days, and I've had no time to document her amzing feats. I'll do the best I can to remember all that little miss incredible has figured out.

1. She can clap her hands. I think she started this maybe two weeks ago. She's so proud of herself.

2. When asked where her tongue is, Dahlia can stick her tongue out. She likes trying to stick her fingers into my eyeballs and pulling my hair, too. She's pretty rough.

3. Dahlia can make the first sounds for dog, cat, and Elias and she can pretty much say her own name (Brad disagrees).

4. Dahlia can free stand. I think she could before, but now she can stand and play with a toy, and bend down and stand back up.

5. Dahlia's love of musical instruments has spread to the harp, which she is drawn to like nobody's business. She has become one of those music class kids who has to be peeled off all of the things that she shouldn't get into, including the harp and at times, other children. Dahlia's very fond of hair as a pull-up/hoisting device. Ouch! I caught her just this evening holding Elias's hair with the grip of a vice while Elias lay utterly defensely to her almost-11-month old fingers.

6. Dahlia love love loves to play outside and eat rocks, grass and dirt. She has to be monitored very closely. One minute, she's very innocently playing with the tricycle handle bar tassle, and the next, her mouth is full of dirt. Last week was such nice week, we played at the sandbox and of coursem Dahlia was eating sand, old leaves, and who knows what else. She's sneaky, too. She turns her back to you just when you think she being all sweet and innocently playing out of doors, you catch a glimpse of her profile, a lovely sand ring all around her mouth with sand in her eyes and trapped in the snot dripping down her face. What a sight!

I'm sure there's much more.

10 down, 2 to go.

This month has been such a blur of so many different things. I hardly even know where the time has gone let alone where to begin.

Well, both of Dahlia's last remaining two of four teeth on the bottom are through as of this week, giving her a total of eight! So far, it's been a pretty painless process for everyone. We still have the pointy ones and then the molars, so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch.

Dahlia climbed the stairs yesterday, from the bottom all the way up! Boy was she pleased with herself. She had her brother egging her on from a few steps ahead of her all along the way, and was a little sidetracked by some blue tape on one of the upper stairs left behind to protect a rough spot on the stair. All in all, she was a real pro. Now, I'll have to monitor that area very carefully!

Dahlia has the most infectious laugh and jovial disposition. She likes to play hide and seek and loves to flash her grin and captivate whatever audience is seduced by her smile. Dahlia does the head slant and grin these days. Sometimes she rests her head on whoever is holding her and smiles at passersby. Other times, she will be cruising the table and will rest her head down and smile to capture my attention. She's doing a couple of signs, too. All done and milk and so big. She can also wave bye bye. She makes some funny fake laughing sounds and sqeauls of joy that are just too funny.

Dahlia has been pretty flirty with the boys lately. Last weekend, she and Oscar had a big makeout session, as Dahlia is a pretty good kisser and enjoys leaning in, open-mouthed, to the right kind of guy. At music class this week, she and a little boy named Redding were really loving all over each other, giving hugs and kissing and patting each other. Sure, it's cute now, but look out!

Dahlia has been quite taken by books over this past months. She will flip through the pages of her box of books for quite a long time. She will also eat the books and seems to have some sort of inborn sensor for any paper product that might be lying around within her reach. I've dug quite a few bit of paper from that girls mouth! She kind of has this love of everything, though. She seems to have a very strong natural independent curiosity about her.

She is, of course, saying momma and dadda quite regualrly and with correct assignment. She really lights up when her dad comes in the door after a long day at work, which is a nice way to be greeted for daddy, too.

Dahlia has been eating like crazy! More than Elias ever has. She seems to be interested in a wide variety of flavors, too. I have been holding back giving her all of what we eat, trying to follow the rules but it is hard to stay creative with the offerings. Anyway, she is defintely growing and changing into a little girl. Almost 10 months now!

Dahlia is always lurking over her brother's shoulder. He used to embrace her involvement in activities with him, even encourage it, but as of late, one gets the feeling that Elias believes Dahlia is ruining everything. I'm sure Brad and I don't help this situation much, as he witnesses us constantly extracting Dahlia from places she shouldn't be...the wood stove, the stairs, eating paper, etc. She's just plain naughty (tee hee) and we tell her so (as sweetly as we can cuz' she's so cute). I'm afraid Dahlia may always be looming largely (and loudly, as she has begun to protest some of Elias's antics that used to go over quite easily, like hand-holding, and ear tugging) behind her brother, as he's pretty neat and she's pretty curious. It's a win/win, lose/lose kinda set-up.


On a more historical front, we went to the zoo today, and though Dahlia has been to the zoo before, this was her first true zoo-scapade, and she loved it! She loved being let out of the cozy confines of mommy's sling to stand up next to the turtles and the fish. When the big sturgeon swam passed, she reached out to grab it through the glass, and she watched the waterfall by the ducks, who all looked as though one leg had been amputated (but it hadn't, whew! What an awful thought, that not only were zoo animals tortured by being imprisoned in some artificial, obviously sub par existence, but also mutilated? Brad and I really struggled to see the other leg on the number of ducks in the exhibit, because they all were paddling with just one webbed foot. Upon further inspection, the other leg, tucked away without leaving even the slightest bump of a trace, did come out for a little paddle...what a relief!). She liked the turtles and also liked the birds outside, standing proudly next to the little fence until she started to chew on the exhibit description plaque and had to be extracted. What a sight to see! Such a lovely little mind absorbing (and enjoying) the whole world!


It won't be long before my post begins with news about Dahlia's first steps. She dangerously close, standing up unassisted regularly and cruising about everything and anything. Pushing chairs about the house, lapping the coffee table, etc.

Dahlia's fourth top tooth has emerged!

Last Wednesday, while playing out in the snow, I flipped Dahlia upside and took a sneak peek into her mouth. I saw two more teeth making there way through her top gums, right center and next to that one. I also could see some action on the one left of center side, totally four teeth on top.

On Saturday, the right most two broke through. We are still waiting for the one on the left of center side.

Dahlia went to her first birthday party on Sunday for baby Harry who is really no longer such a baby. She and Harry were the only two little guys there and it was fun to watch them get a good game of ball going. Harry gave Dahlia quite the look when she tried to snatch the ball away from him, like, "Back off, I've got a big brother and I know how to fend for myself." Dahlia was completely unaffected, because little does Harry understand that Dahlia too has this same situation and skill.

In a crowd of jumping and crazed toddlers, Dahlia does seem alarmingly at home. But she does has sharp instincts. She can sense an impending attack and scurry away as fast as she can, crying out as she flees from the scene. An example is in the bathtub. Elias is relentless in the tub, pouring water over her arms, at first, very innocently, and then, in a nonchalant manner, announces that he will now be pouring water over Dahlia's head. She does not like this, so much that she really no longer will sit in the bath with Elias and now is reluctant to have a bath at all. I tested this theory last night by having a bath with her. She was fine and loved splashing in the water. I guess it is a big ole bath tub couple with the fear of being engulfed in water by her brother's hands. I'll jump in with her for awhile until she feels better.

Dahlia's becoming a real kid, eating lots of food and having opinions about everything. I think Elias is going to be surprised in the upcoming months, as will we all.

Here is Dahlia crusing at the kitchen table. She's quite an explorer and remarkably steady and stable. Dahlia has sprung tooth # 3! (as of Thursday) We went to play in the snow today and toward the end, we put Dahlia down in the snow. She seemed to really enjoy herself, all bundled like a bug rolling around in white!

Dahlia is so joyful! I have no idea where she gets it from. She is always laughing and smiling, from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed at night. She seems to find excitement in any old thing, from her pumpkin that she has been playing with since she started moving her hands and fingers to a magazine, she treats all equally, as if it were the most exciting, fascinating thing she's ever seen. I love to watch her move around and explore the world. It's a contagious kind of joy that makes one want to squeeze her until she pops! I must be careful to resist this natural inclination.

I believe Dahlia made her first sign yesterday, for milk, squeezing and releasing each of her little hands, open and close, and crawling up into my lap, tugging at my shirt. These changes are just miraculous to see in your own little self-extensions. Even though they mark the beginning of the end of babyhood, they also signal the beginnings of another exciting phase, as we have certainly experienced with Elias. I must try to really appreciate this time, as this will be my last hooray in baby land.

Monster Baby Squashes Toddler

CIMG1378
Originally uploaded by amykwelias.

Carrot face

CIMG1308, originally uploaded by amykwelias.

Dahlia moves all about the house these days. She's been doing this special slide-crawl combo. It gets her around pretty quickly. One knee crawls, the other walks and slides the knee along. She clims onto everything with little success at diverting attention. She gets quite a temper when she realizes that you are trying to thwart her goals. She's a hazard to her own health!

Dahlia does some very cute things. She likes to play with my hair while she nurses. Sometimes she pulls it. Ouch! She likes to pull my glasses off. When I'm holding her, she likes to push her little finger into my side. Dahlia does not like to have her nose wiped. She does not like to get dressed or have her diaper changed, ever! She's cute and all, but can be very grumpy!

Dahlia really did not like Santa. His big fuzzy beard was just too weird for her, but she did like opening presents. Among her favorites were a new xylophone, a baby from nana, and, of course, anything Elias is playing with that he is not ready to share with Dahlia.

Dahlia likes quite a bit to play with her big brother's new basketball! She squeals with excitement and actually is a pretty good catch!

Dahlia had her first "Dahlia only" playdate today with a new friend, Astrid. The two are about a week apart in age and seemed to really hit it off smashingly! Dahlia broke the ice with an eye poke and Astrid started conversation with a few loud-pitched squeals! Fun was had by all, so much so that Dahlia passed out near the end of the rendevous while reading Fuzzy Bee and Friends. :-) We're going to make a thing of it and meet again next Thursday.

I just can't keep up with all this little one is doing! Today, she actually stood during Elias's music class for about 5 seconds completely free-standing! I as well as other onlookers were shocked!

So, she's crawling, no problem, and about a day after she started that, she started pulling herself up on anything. She has also been spotted heading for the up-stairs. NOT GOOD

Yesterday, I could have sworn Dahlia made the "more" sign when I was feeding her some cheerios. All day long today, she is putting her little hands together like that whenever I talk to her. And, I think she understands the "milk" sign and when I ask her if she would like some milk, she climbs up into my lap and grabs at my shirt.

On Thanksgiving, Dahlia was saying lots of "momma's" Sometimes, it sounds like she is saying her name, too. I don't know. Seems a little early for talking.

I was feeding Dahlia this evening. It was the third night of rice cereal. She didn't like it last night and after the second bite tonight, she was literally howling at me about it! So, I went back to the bananas. She liked them a few nights earlier, and what do you know? She liked it! So, lesson learned here, it's not too early for Dahlia to have food preferences. She is so funny at expressing herself, yelling at me like a banshee until I get it.

  

Dahlia has two cute little teeth now. Her second tooth popped out just five days after the first. She's crawling like a champ these days. AND, today, she showed me that she can sit up from crawling position. WOW!

On Monday, Dahlia started eating some cream-o-wheat and bananas. She definitely seemed interested, but kept her cool. She insisted on holding the spoon and putting it into her mouth.

Her main concerns to date are trying to avoid getting squished by her big bro.

Baby Dahlia is growing up! Today, while tooling around on the futon before bed, I believe she took what qualified as her first crawls! She was really so proud of herself!

Dahlia is very sweet. We seem to make a pretty good match. I don't know how, but I really seem to know what gets her going. She likes to play peek-a-boo and LOVES it when I pretend to eat her, as any human being does.