More on the brilliance of Joanna

Here is a current list of words/phrases Joanna can say:

• Hello
• Dadda
• Bye-bye (which sounds a lot like Dadda, but it has a hand motion)
• What's that?
• Uh-oh

We've been working on the signing thing, too, although I've discovered that Joanna would really rather talk. So far, she can sign "more."

Words/phrases I know she understands (and I'm sure there are more):

• Hello
• Where's Daddy? or Where's Gran, Mamma, etc.
• Bye-bye
• Names: Joanna, Mommy, Daddy, Gran, Mamma, Pop, etc.
• Night-night

Today Joanna was eating lunch in her high chair. She tooted and said "uh-oh." It was hilarious!

We go to a Mommy and Me music class at the church on Mondays called Song Play. Joanna's not the youngest, but she's close, and she's definitely the tiniest. It is really interesting to watch her in the class. Most of the time she's on my lap or in my arms, but when the instructor gets the instruments out, the babies just crawl or walk over and pick some out. Joanna usually watches for a while, then after she has studied the situation, she'll go and pick out a shaker or two. It's so interesting to think about what might be going on behind those big blue eyes.

I was thinking the other day about how different our lives are now from a year ago or even half a year.

Today is Ash Wednesday. I was thinking a lot today about Ash Wednesday last year. Last year it was on February 21st. I was really really pregnant, very very sore, and desperately wanting to make it until after my shower on Feb. 25th to have the baby. So, February 21st last year Matt and I both had bad colds, but we really wanted to go to the 6:30am service at the church. We made it, and I was then able to go to work early. I worked through lunch and came home early so I could crash. Matt took off a little early, too, and we were able to rest. This was a really good thing because Joanna showed up the next morning at 3:38am. We haven't rested since! Ha! Just kidding.

Me at about 37 weeks.

Just a little over half a year ago, I was working full-time and taking care of Joanna full-time. Talk about crazy! I was exhausted, grumpy, and not feeling particularly fulfilled. What a change from now. I am so happy these days. Sure, I get a little grumpy when I'm behind on dishes or laundry or cooking or everything, but I'm sure that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I've never had a job I loved more!

Joanna at 4 or 5 months outside the copy room. Working hard!

Here we are in 2008!

Are you ready for some...

...Friends?

This past Friday we had an all-girls playday because our friends Aidan and Caleb were sick. Here are Anna, Joanna, and Abby playing in Anna's crib. Anna and Joanna liked to jump and chew on the rail and move around. I think it made Abby a little worried. Won't be long Abby!

...Food?

This weekend my side of the family had a mini family reunion at my grandmother's house. Luckily she lives very close so it was easy for us to come and go. Joanna's a pretty easy traveler these days. We pack up the portable highchair, the portable crib, and plenty of food, toys, and diapers, and we're ready for anything (or almost). Here she is enjoying some lunch on Saturday. You can spot a few family members in the background. We had people from Houston, Austin, Dallas, Illinois, California, and England. (Where was my mother during all of this? Canada. Go figure.)

...Family?

We got to meet Joanna's new cousin Jade on Saturday. She is only 2 1/2 weeks old! Her mommy let me hold her a lot. She is soooo precious! From left to right: Aunt Mary, Ann, Christiana, Aunt Gail, baby Jade, and Aunt Pat. ...Fun?

Joanna got a new riding/pushing toy this weekend that we had with us. She actually does pretty good riding it -- she can go backwards. When it's in the push position, she usually pushes it on her knees; it goes a bit fast for her feet yet, but she gets the idea.

My aunt Gail has this scarf-thing that is made of rabbit fur and is bright green. She was showing Joanna how soft it is.

...Football?

Of course I'm sure you all know that this was Superbowl Sunday (whoo hoo) so in the midst of all the family at my grandmother's house, we headed over to Matt's brother's for a little pre-game fun and also to celebrate his birthday which was this week. Uncle Mark shared his birthday bows with Joanna because he knows how much she loves them. At this point she was getting pretty tired, but I think she wanted to enjoy the bow I stuck to her head! Joanna knows all about footballs now: what they taste like, how to pick them up, and what a touch-down looks like: Finally, I will leave you with this sweet shot. That girl just melts my heart!

There are no pictures in this post

because I am lazy!
A few things:

• I'm wondering why sippy cups are the exact perfect size to get stuck in the garbage disposal side of the sink. Luckily, I have a trained sippy cup remover (my mom) living in the house.
• I mailed our completed tax return to the IRS today!!!!!!! I don't have to think about taxes again (hopefully, anyway) until next year!!
• Joanna has either grown just recently or gotten really good at stretching. There are new things all around the house that she can reach now. A new stage of baby-proofing has begun!
• I have Joanna's birthday invitations ready to mail out next week. I'm so excited!
• Baby Daze (huge baby/child resale extraveganza) is at our church this week. I volunteered Tuesday night just organizing and labeling stuff as it came in. About every 5 seconds I saw something that Joanna must have! I get to shop tomorrow; I'm excited, and I'm going to try to be very good. :)
• A few friends of mine are expecting, and I'm excited thinking of the new tiny babies on their way!
• Poor Matt has a wisdom tooth poking through, and it has caused pain and an infection. He will go downtown on Friday to the fancy oral surgeon to have it looked at. His regular oral surgeon won't touch it because it's got a nerve too close. The last thing we need is a Matt with facial paralysis. Although I'm sure he'd still be cute. :)
• Joanna actually has a pair of jeans with a snap and zipper. It has elastic, too, but if I really want to, I can unsnap and zip her jeans for a diaper change. How cute!

More 11 months pictures, eating, good friends, and a dog

I always like to have a bit of a "photo shoot" when Joanna gets another month older. Here she is outside. At 8 months I put her in this chair, and she was barely sitting. Now she is pulling up and standing!

Look at those eyes!

Sweet face

This is what a wave looks like on the still camera:

Later that day, Joanna decided she would like to feed herself her veggies and cereal for dinner. I let her try. It was quite messy, but I think she actually consumed some of it. In addition to this, I've also seen her do a couple of other things that seem almost like pretend, where she's mimicking us. She holds the phone up to her ear and says hello, and she pretends to drink out of an empty cup. It is soooooo cute.

On a totally random note, I saw this on my way to work on Thursday and couldn't resist taking a picture while I was at the stoplight. I know it's not that unusual, but it just seemed so funny to me -- look closely at this guys backpack.

Yesterday Joanna's friend Anna and her mom came over for play day. The girls had a great time! They ate lunch, played with toys, and Anna showed Joanna how much fun it is to play in the crib! Anna is giving Joanna a hug here -- such good friends! Here is a video of their fun in the bed:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

11 Months Old Today!!

Joanna is 11 months old, and this seems so huge to me. For a couple of weeks I'll say, "she's 11 months" when people ask. Then for about a week I'll say, "she's 11 and a half months." Then I will say "She's almost 1!" Oh my goodness!! I can't believe it. (Okay, I can, but wow!!) Here is a picture I shot this morning -- does she look older? So, because I'm the type that likes to obsess over things for a long time, longer than is really necessary, we are preparing for the big 1st birthday. It still seems kind of far off, but with Valentine's Day and Matt and my anniversary in between now and then, I know it will go very quickly. I'm not going to tell you what we're planning; you have to come and see for yourself. We're going to try to keep things small and simple, but Joanna is soooo popular..... :)

Anyway, I'm sure I will be posting more on the party prep as it comes along.

Here are some recent pictures that I haven't posted. They're kind of random. I think it is very amazing that this rose can grown in MY yard in January.

A new development: Joanna is now a meat eater. She's had chicken (shown above) which she really likes, and hamburger, which I'm not sure she really likes.

Here are the surfers we saw in Galveston when it was like 40 something degrees outside. Brrrrrr.

Last night we had home group and Joanna and her friend Bella had the same PJs on. I couldn't resist taking a picture! So cute!Yes, I know it looks like Joanna is pulling hair here, and actually she probably is seeing as how Bella starting crying about 5 seconds after this. Sorry, Bella! Joanna just thinks you have beautiful hair!

Joanna has six teeth...

...and so much more.
I decided I would devote a post to things about Joanna. Some are unique, some are interesting, some are normal, they are all Joanna.

• We call her "Noodle." I really don't know why, exactly.
• She is really petite. I think she's about 15 pounds. She wears size 2 diapers and size 9 month clothes. Although pretty much all of her 6 month stuff still fits fine, too. :)
• She actually really likes rice cereal, even plain.
• She doesn't sit; she sort of squats with her knees in front of her and her bottom on or between her feet. Apparently her Gran sat this way as a child, too.
• I think her favorite food these days is shredded cheese. Although Cheerios and bananas are quite high on the list, too.
• Joanna LOVES the bathtub. She lays on her tummy and crawls up and down it. It's like a water park or something.
• She goes to bed pretty early -- 7pm.
• She loves the cold weather and the wind blowing in her face.
• Her favorite toys are not toys. They are magazines and wallets and Christmas bows and flashlights and coasters and socks.
• Her favorite animal is a giraffe. She has giraffe lovies and toys and clothes.
• Her favorite colors are yellow and bright orange.
• She is a very good listener and studier.
• Her first word was "Hello," and she says it all the time.
• She is brilliant. An example: This morning I handed her a clean diaper to play with while I changed her. I told her it was a diaper. She said "di..pu." Then I said "That's right, a diaper!" And she looked at me and said, "diaper." Plain as day. I swear.
• When she falls, she falls straight back, like a board, no crumpling involved. Ouch.
• She will be 11 months old tomorrow!! Oh my goodness!

I hope you enjoyed these tidbits about Joanna. She is so fabulous, and I love her!!

Are we crazy?

Well, maybe, but we sure had fun. My mom, Joanna, and I headed to Galveston for the day on Friday. The idea behind this weird plan was to have "Christmas" with Gran since she wasn't around on December 25th. Mom and I have enjoyed going to Galveston in the winter before; it's less crowded, and there's still fun things to do. Friday happened to be a particularly cold, rainy, and windy day, but none of us suffered any lasting harm. Before you take a look at the pictures, please understand that I brought two hats for Joanna, but she wouldn't keep either on. And, we really weren't outside that long. And she didn't get sick or too cold or anything. So don't anybody gripe at me, okay?

First up, a ferry ride:

Waiting in the carseat with Giraffe lovey.

The front seat is much more fun!

So chilly outside, but Joanna loved it!

Gran loves to feed the seagulls.

Back inside the car and ready to drive.

If you look closely, you can see two tiny dark spots that are dolphin fins. Apparantly dolphins don't understand the delay on the digital camera. They jumped, but not long enough for my camera.

Next some yummy seafood!!!

Joanna mostly got her same old fare brought from home, but Gran did keep slipping her french fries.

The Beach!

We actually saw surfers in the water. They looked so cold. We just stepped out of the car long enough for a few pictures.

And of course, Gran fed a few more seagulls.

We also did a little shopping before heading home. I got Joanna a Galveston onesie to commemorate the occasion. Mom and I got chocolate. Yum.