November 29, 2009

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I have lots of good pictures to share but I'll have to do it in a few posts...too many to download tonight!

Carmen went to stay at Mema & Pepa's house (without Brian & I). While we missed her & were very excited to see her Thursday morning, it was nice to put up the Christmas decorations & tree w/o the extra "help" from Carmen. :) Just the extra "help" from our other kids, Simon & Lilly. Carmen had fun & charmed Mema & Pepa. Her joyous spirit is pretty hard not to charm even a stranger.

My family. Dad, Mom, Austin, Haley, Lori, me, Brian & our doll, Carmen

Carmen & cousin Samuel who lives in Switzerland.

Carmen loved looking at Annika the dog. Lots of talking to the dog. :)

Anna, Alaina & Carmen

Carmen is walking really good now - though you can't see her full body you can tell she is walking in this video. We had fun playing outside yesterday.

November 18, 2009

Pics & video from tonight - just playin'.







A girl with many expressions.





Uh-oh!

See how good she's walkin' now! Several times over the weekend she'd walk in & out of a room vs. knee walk.

November 14, 2009

Carmen has been walking room to room this weekend. Still holding onto things when she can. It's a little more nerve racking w/ her walking, which I knew it would be.

Here are some pictures from last weekend when Mama & Papa Link visited.

Must have been getting tired - starting to play w/ the hair!

Fun at the school playgroun w/ Mama last weekend!

Lounging w/ Dad.

Here are some videos from yesterday. Would you believe I started this blog updated Saturday a.m. & am just finishing it Sunday a.m.! It got overlooked. :)

Forgive the videographer for movement. :)

This week Carmen got an ear infection in both ears & a sinus infection. We had a few tiring days where it was impacting her sleep -she just couldn't breathe. Her cough seems to be getting less & less. She never did really act like she felt bad. I think we're on the mend!

November 1, 2009

Carmen's second Halloween - we could not have asked for better weather! We didn't go to many houses. Here's our little runner...

Watch out Mema this may make you kinda dizzy! But Carmen's expression at the end is priceless.

Carmen playing - starting to figure out how to put the parts in the snail.

October 26, 2009

Look what we're practicing! She does well at it when she wants to!


Very focused on something she found on the brick.

Ready to be done w/ Mom's photo shoot. :)

Austin helping Carmen get into the little rocking chair.

Carmen loves to look at the "Carmen gallery" at Mema & Pepa's!

This is how I found her before I went to bed last night. :) She slept through the light being on also.

A little video from when I picked Carmen up from daycare last week. It's always fun to be greeted so happily.

October 18, 2009

Some new words for Carmen: boo, perfecting the "uh-oh", ball, deer (which really sounds more like doe), E (for Ali at daycare). I'm sure I'm forgetting some :).

Here's a video from playin' yesterday.



Carmen's first hair cut (we only cut the bangs).

Thanks Alisa for cutting Carmen's hair!

Proof that she does cry.

Crazy hair day.

Her 13 month picture...best I could get! :)

We are working on using the spoon, she is doing pretty good.

October 6, 2009

Carmen is really starting to associate things we say to her & understand simple instructions. She points A LOT to what she wants. She has become addicted to morning smoothies with Mommy (breakfast #1 - fruit & protein smoothie). I drink one on the way to work in the mornings. Normally when I get home in the evening she is in her high chair eating. If she sees the cup I walk in with, she knows what was in it...so she wants smoothie!

Sunday morning she was laying in bed with us. (Last week was tough - her routine was off because of her cold, we had lots of EARLY mornings...as early as 4:45 am!) Lilly was laying on top of me. Carmen was petting very nicely...until she just couldn't stand it anymore. She had to grab a handful of skin & hair. I asked her to use "soft touch". The 2nd time she squeezed on Lilly, I told her if she couldn't be nice to Lilly that she needed to move & not touch her at all. She puckered up, crawled over to Brian (who was sleeping) and said ... "dada, baby babble baby babble - momma - baby babble baby babble." I cracked up & told Brian the story later. She didn't like what I had to say to her I guess!

Still not walking - she could if she wanted to but just hasn't. Ok w/ me! :) She now says "uh-oh" and knows when to use it (most of the time).

Here are pics from a few weeks ago & Mama & Papa's. We went to the barn - only the 2nd time she's been to the barn. She wasn't sure what to think of the calves. She wasn't interested in touching, they are a little bigger than the cats.

Having fun putting the animals in the chair.

Walking w/ Anna & Alaina.

Tomorrow - 13 months old!