she's a keeper

does anyone else think babies at this age are amazing?? i feel like everyday greta is demonstrating some new word, trick, or talent that she has learned. like when we were in the grocery on tuesday and an old lady walked by us and was talking to greta. i said, "say hi" to invite greta to wave. and then she literally opened her mouth and said, "hi". it sounded more like "iiiiiieeee" but she was waving as she said it. and she keeps saying it and saying it. this morning when joe got her out of bed, she waved and said, "hi baby" to the doll that sits on her windowsill. what??!!! she put two words together??!! genius.


or on wednesday when she pulled a baby wipe out of the wipes container. and, because she has a runny nose (and i didn't feel like getting up), i said, "wipe your nose please". and she did.


or monday when she pointed to the stroller and then to the door to indicate to joe that she wanted to go for a walk. so they did.


the best (in my opinion) this week was thursday. greta and i went to a store down on mainstrasse to continue our desperate search for a dirndl dress for greta to wear on halloween. wow, was this store PACKED with stuff. i mean, to the gills. think antique store but way more crowded and much much smaller. every inch of the store (which was an old row house) was packed with trinkets, knick knacks, and whathaveyou. i could barely breathe, i felt so clausterphobic. and i definitely could not put greta down to explore on her own, and there was no chance of the stroller fitting anywhere in this store. so i'm holding her, and she's reaching out for anything and everything (oh, yes i see that porcelain birdy statue. oh wow, that is a neat little glass figurine......). and all of the sudden she practically jumps out of my arms. she's grunting, she's screaming, she's pointing. and i look.....and there on the shelf of this store sits this tiny angel figurine. EXACTLY like the one i have on my nightstand (don't ask) that greta grabs EVERY morning. how in the world she spotted this one thing in this room full of STUFF, i have no idea. it was pretty amazing.

i always thought that 3 year olds were my "favorite" as far as ages of children goes. but so far, 11 and a half months is a pretty fun stage too.....

Old Posts

Lots of new posts, including all vacation... so be sure to check out the older posts on the next page. 

Oktoberfest Cincinnati 2008

Pre-Party - 

Time to Go home... 

Greta's New Trick

She calls it 'lean back'.... say it next time you see her, but make sure she's got something behind her.  

   

Learning to Rock Out

This is from a while ago, but here's Cousin Roman learning to rock out... he'll be ready to teach Greta in no time, and put that with her dance moves and you'll really have something.

on vacation

greta wanted everyone to see how relaxing her vacation was. here she is, kickin' back at katie and mark's house in the UP of michigan. more vacation pics to come.....

Day 7 - Milwaukee

We got up early, and drove down the coast of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee.  There is an amazing lakefront park, with a great walking/biking path.  We spent the morning walking along the lake, and then we went to lunch at the Water Street Brewpub... 

  

Next we visited the motherland.... The Planck Road Brewery, where they make America's best light beer - Miller High Life.  Greta was very, very excited about this!  

Then began a LONG ride home.  First there is construction pretty much from Milwaukee all the way to Chicago.  But Chicago also got about a million inches of rain, so the highway from Chicago to Indiana was flooded and closed.  So we had to drive around nowhere Illinois trying to find our way over to I-65, and then many of the hotels were full, so we had to drive an extra hour to find an vacancy... greta didn't think this was all that fun!  But we made it.  

Vacation Day 6 - Marquette to Milwuakee

We hit the road again the next morning. On the way home we headed through Milwuakee and Chicago and then back home... so if you check out a map, we drove ALL the way around Lake Michigan... and I'll tell you that's not a day trip.  

On the way out of Marquette we stopped along the way and ate a UP tradition called a pastie.  It's kind of like a pot pie in a pocket. 

   

On the way to Milwuakee we stopped in Green Bay and we did the only thing there is to do in Green Bay... we went to Lambeau Field.  What a great place.  Not only is it historic and gritty, but they also server Miller High Life... seriously, how could a football stadium be any better?  

Vacation Day 5 - Last Day in Marquette

Last day was a bit of a lazy day.  We did make it out to grab some dinner at the brew pub, which was awesome - it's another one of Greta's favorite things to search out on her trips - but I wasn't feeling the greatest, so dinner and beer didn't sound too great.

I lounged around and watched some football, while Melanie and Katie went in to town and Greta napped.  After nap, Greta did get her first music lesson... I mean, she likes Grandma and Grandpa's piano, but it's not quite as cool as this big one.  

Vacation Day 4 - Bagel Shop and Presque Pointe

No matter how far away Greta gets from home, she's always on the lookout for a trip to her local bagel shop.  Marquette did not disappoint.  The Third Street Bagel Co. was calling her name, and we made not one, but two trips to check it out.  She said it was close, but Steamboat is still her favorite.  

After the Bagel shop, we walked around a bit downtown, and then went to the harbor for a quick walk.  In the picture you can see one of two Iron Ore Docks.  This one is no longer in commission, the other is one of the only gravity fed Ore Docks still in operation.  You'll have to go to wikipedia if you wan to know anymore about it though, because Greta says it's too boring for her blog.  

We rounded out the day with a drive over to Presque Point, and a hike around the pointe.  It was another great hike, and this one is stoller friendly to boot.  A few great lookout spots and more of the beautiful Lake Superior.

And then Greta had to get home to watch USC whip up on OSU.  

Vacation Day 3 - Marquette Sugarloaf and the Beach

This was our first full day in Marquette.  We got Greta going and let her nap, and then headed out for a hike and a trip to the beach.  

Sugarloaf Mountain was the first stop, which is a great 15-20 minute hike with an amazing few of the lake and the town.  Was a great suggestion from Katie, as the hike was very easy to do with Greta in a bjorn.  

  

After the hike, we drove over to the beach for a quick stop and then went and grabed some lunch.  

to our 11 month old talker

again mommy is late with your letter. you turned 11 months old while we were vacationing in the UP with mark and katie. which is also where you said your first definitive word..."nana". we thought we had heard words before, but this was a definite. we were cutting a banana for breakfast and you saw it. and then starting shouting, "na NUH. na NUH. NA NUH!!" it was hilarious. your saying it was so intense that it made us all laugh. nice work having a two syllable word for your first word, though. you have also been saying "mama" and "dada" to us. your papa gets you out of bed each morning, and you have started saying "da. da. da. da." in the morning as if you were calling to him. so much talking.....you babble all the time and i can tell that you know exactly what you are saying. you also have picked up the signs that we have been teaching you. you know the sign for "more" and use it ALL THE TIME. you have also done the signs for "eat" and "all done".
you continue to take several steps at a time, often as you are lunging towards the nearest piece of furniture. you have also discovered that you like to lean backwards, and have figured out how to turn around so that your back is leaning on the couch and then you lean your head back on it. it looks like you are lounging...you also like to lean back when we are holding you and will do this again and again.
it is completely amazing to me (and a little terrifying when i think about it) how much you UNDERSTAND. things like "brush your hair", "take a bath", "brush your teeth", "take a drink" are all things you know the meaning of. you will point to trees, babies, girls, boys, doggies, and various body parts (hair, toes, eyes, noses, teeth, etc). there are so many things that we say that you respond to....i wish i could remember them all so i could write about them here. you have also learned to shake your head "no" which makes me wonder when that word will appear in your vocabulary.
you are eating more and more food and are now down to three bottles a day. you love LOVE oatmeal and are pretty much fine with us feeding you from a spoon now. sometimes you even point to the spoon or the bowl to indicate to us that you want another bite.
you look at books so much during the day, and sometimes you let us read them to you but most often you like to look at them yourself and turn the pages. sometimes you will "read" them outloud to yourself and you point at the things on the pages like mommy and papa do. you love to carry things around while you cruise.....it seems that most often you like to carry TWO things in ONE hand. you like to carry around your drumsticks and now you like to carry your mittens around. your latest fascination is to put things IN containers (another phrase you understand). you will take things out and then put them back in. you have also started really inspecting things and noticing the littlest detail. you will point at a small decal or a tiny screw hole on a toy that you have had for months, and whenever we hand you something you turn it over to check it out from all angles before playing with it.
you are so friendly when we are out and about and love to wave to and flirt with anyone who will pay attention to you. whenever we pass someone on a walk, you ALWAYS lean of the stroller to watch them as they walk away.
and the dancing continues. you have new moves....still the booty shake, but you've added a head bob, a head twist and an arm wiggle. your papa will say, "alright alright, let's dance!" and you go to town, even if there's no music playing.
you smile so easily and laugh so often, you are a real character. i feel like you are blossoming and soon you will be one year old. i can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

Vacation Day 2 - Mackinac and Arrival in Marquette

We got an earlier start on day 2.  We drove up to Mackinac and took the ferry over to Macinac Island to go for a bike ride and eat lunch.  Greta had fun on the 5 mile ride around the island.  Only problem was the 5 mile ride was almost 9  miles, so she didn't have as much fun on the last mile or so :)  But it was her first time in a bike trailer, and while I don't think she loved it, I think she had some fun... It was also her first time on a boat, in this case a passenger ferry.    

Mackinac is a great spot.  The entire island is car-free, but there are lots of roads, so it's amazingly bike friendly.  Well worth a trip if you ever get the chance... even with the $25/person roundtrip ferry ride.  

The drive across the bridge and up into the UP was amazing as well.  It's just hard to believe just how big those Great Lakes are.  

Vacation Day 1 - Ann Arbor and Frankenmuth

So we took a trip to the UP to visit Mark and Katie.  Seeing as it's a bit of a drive (not as bad or as long as I thought), and we have our little lady with us, we made a couple stops along the way.  

Our first day we didn't leave until after Greta's first nap, so we took a pit stop in Ann Arbor and went to the Arboretum on the campus of Michigan for a little hike and lunch.

  

Then made our way to Frankenmuth and some Fried Chicken at Zehnder's (quite possibly the best fried chicken I've ever had)... We missed out on the world's largest christmas store unfortunately.  

fridge magnets

i bought these magnets for greta so that maybe she could play with them while i am busy in the kitchen instead of standing behind me constantly, pulling on my legs and shorts. she does love them, but i think when i am cooking she senses that i am busy, and that it would be the perfect time to hold onto my calves. anyway, here she is looking cute and posed with her magnets.

l