Cat and Mouse

Here is Jane in one of her Halloween costumes! (Yes, one of two... stay tuned.) Don't worry, the little mice are actually kid toys, not cat toys.

Ten Months Old!

Happy Ten Month Birthday to Jane!

We are LOVING the fall weather. It has been so beautiful the past few weeks... sunny and 70's. We are able to take walks anytime of day now, as opposed to trying to beat the heat at 7:30 a.m. And just being outside for any reason (like humoring me with another photo shoot) has been so refreshing. This morning we sat on the porch and watched a storm roll in. Jane especially likes watching the leaves on the trees blowing in the wind.

One of my favorite things right now is watching her inspect objects. She looks so serious as she passes them back and forth between her hands and turns them over and over. And then, of course, there is the inevitable taste test.

Maggie continues to be a wonderful source of entertainment, which keeps everybody happy, especially Maggie.

Meal times are another favorite activity. Last week I tried to branch out from her booster tray, which works perfectly well, and put her at the table with a fancy suction cup place mat, which did not work at all. That will teach me not to fix it if it ain't broke.

This last picture is all about the hairdo. Although I recognize the importance of having hair when she gets older, I am really going to miss the fuzz!

Jane Trivia

Hello again! It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought we would start with a few pictures of our big nine-and-a-half month old! She is waking up to so many new things each day. It's really neat to see her revisit an old toy and learn something new about the way it works or what she can do with it. As you might be able to tell from these pictures, her little arms and hands (and feet) are in constant motion, eager to explore and inspect anything within reach. She also thinks we are really funny and exciting, which is a huge confidence booster when you're doing a silly dance to the silly song you've already sung umpteen times that day.

Ok, now we're going to play some Jane Trivia. Watch the videos below to answer the questions!

1.  Does Jane like cottage cheese?

2.  Is Jane crawling yet?

3.  Does Jane love Maggie?

4.  Can Jane wave, kiss and "gimme five"?

Answers: 1. No; 2. Not quite; 3. Yes; 4.You betcha

Jane likes to eat eat eat apples and bananas

Anyone know that song? It seemed appropriate for this post which is basically just cute pictures of Jane sitting in her little booster seat. It has been so fun to just plop her in and keep her entertained with finger foods. And it's so portable, we can just toss it in the car for outings.

Here is Jane enjoying dinner at the kitchen table.

Do you see how she is bringing her closed fist up to her mouth? It's so funny... she actually grabs a piece of squishy food (pears, squash, etc.) and squeezes it in her fist, then sucks it out through the hole in the top by her thumb. Very resourceful, I must say.

And she is so pleased with herself!

Here we are enjoying the beautiful fall weather out on the porch. Maggie was invited purely for her janitorial services, which I might add is a wonderful reason to own a dog at this phase of life.

I don't remember finishing my lunch already... where could it be?  

And today we had a picnic in Centennial Park during the Dog Day Festival! This time Maggie was an actual guest of honor (although not pictured here... she's still in second place behind Jane... maybe third behind Nickel, although Nickel is neither pictured nor invited, so I guess Maggie trumped her today.)

If you want to see a whole lot of dogs and perhaps a few owners who are a tad bit obsessed, this festival is the place for you! Besides all the silly dog outfits, like tutu's and Titans jerseys, we saw a Rottweiler wearing sunglasses and a little pooch riding in a doggie stroller. Yes, a dog stroller.  Isn't one of a dog's basic needs to be walked?

I don't mean to offend anyone who overaccessorizes their dog, or owns a dog as an accessory...

Playmates

Nickel and Jane have been getting to know each other slowly but surely. At first, Nickel would just sort of wander across a room and Jane would just stare. Now Jane gets really excited when she sees Nickel and is working on petting her gently (sorry, Nickel). I think they were even having a conversation in mews and squeaks the other day. As far as Nickel's initiative goes, she has been caught curled up by Jane's toys, on top of her clothes, and in her rocking chair. In these pictures, you can see how she even likes to be nearby while Jane is playing! The second picture makes me laugh because they seem to have the same expression. Are they giving me the stink eye? I think Nickel may be a bad influence on Jane's happy countenance...

Toast versus Pear

toast:crunchy::pear:squishy

toast:easy::pear:hard

Jane has made a lot of progress with her finger foods since the bananas a few weeks ago. In this first video you can see how easily she picks up and eats a few pieces of toast. Wait for the awesome snort of joy at the end.

In the second video, she has a little more trouble picking up the slippery pear. The snorting seems to be useful for expressing feelings of frustration, as well.

I know it seems cruel to put that pear on her tray, but you have to admit it's pretty entertaining!

At home with family and (furry) friends

"I have a foot! What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Ooo, I love this part!"

"No, Nickel, this is how you roll onto your tummy."

"Um, mom, are these clothes clean or dirty?"