A Few More Firsts

First in cuteness!  First time allowed close enough to inspect the tomatos.First time picking a tomato. (She went on a brief picking frenzy, until I put the camera down and stopped her. I can see she'd be quite good in the fields, but sadly these tomatos were not ready. It will be her last time for a while.) Reading with Daddy in the kitchen. The list of firsts is slowing down, but to me, it's getting funnier.  We've now had Adessa's first dirty look (on Monday, August 18th for the baby book, after I asked her if she wanted more chicken.)  We loved her "first talking with her mouth full"  experience, (Wednesday, August 20th) as she was so adamant about talking and eating at the same time, and so suprised that food kept leaving her mouth as she lectured in gibberish.  She's pulled her first all-dayer (not so funny), where she resisted all sleep for an entire day, (well, all the way to 4:00, that's a longggg time to be awake for our bunny.) Her first molar has three of it's vicious barbs through her gum, ouch. She's started hurrying, which isn't quite running, but can no longer be classified as walking-- its an unsteady scurry.  She's started making faces to be funny that we've never seen before, her first show of creativity?  One is her with her lips pulled back into a small "O" over her teeth, I'll try to get it on film. Very funny.                                                                                                                                                                  Also funny are her words.  She's talking up a storm, some words appropriate for subject and time, some not.  It often sounds like Cantonese to me (Really! Like Joy Luck Club on video) with harsh r's and lots of zzz sounds. I've ruined her for thank you, though. She can say it, but since I say it when I'm taking something contraband away from her, she now says: "thank ooo" whenever she gives me something.  Whoops.  She's also become a weilder of the word "no". I guess it was bound to happen, but it sure is shocking to hear it amid her crying, "No no nononono no no."  Calvin was trying to use "Please refrain" but sadly, it didn't catch on.   

Summer Fun

Sharing a banana with Sadie.

Adessa's first pig-tails!

Posing with cousins in front of Mt. Hermon's waterfall.

Creek walking fun.

Like all teachers, as soon as the first day of August arrives, I start mourning the end of summer. School starts early this year, which makes it seem worse. I've really loved (as always) my summer, but especially with Adessa. It's been great to do things on her schedule and be a stay at home mom. I'm only working part time, again this year, which is great. Calvin will be able to do part of her childcare starting in October as his schedule changes and he moves out of the office and back onto the road, which is also great.

Adessa has had quite the parade of friends and family around this summer.  This week, her cousins from Riverside have been staying in Mt. Hermon, and they adore Adessa.  She adores them, too, but sometimes gets overwhelmed with their attentions.  She is trying to talk, still lots of mumbo-jumbo, that I respond to in Spanish, and more words: shoe, bubble, tree, cheese, more, wa-wa (for water), bah (for bath).