The Grahams

So, chicken pox = home all week. Although Callie and I are feeling a bit stir crazy, we have found many new games and toys to keep us entertained. She has had some rough nights but overall is doing MUCH better than you would expect an 8 month old to be doing. I take back my previous statement that Callie's chicken pox are mild - they now are ALL over her body (the only place they aren't is her arms). Much of our days are spent chasing each other around the house and playing peek-a-boo around a corner (which she finds hilarious) but here's some other creative things we got into: It's very difficult to see in this picture, but she does have chicken pox EVERYWHERE! This is by far her favorite place to stand (the bathtub - although she also really likes to let go when she's standing here - which she is totally not ready to do) She has learned how to take ALL her toys out of her toy container....then mom thought it would be fun to put her in it....she loved it!...

As a kid, I spent many of my summers in Pennsylvania. I had many new and first experiences there. I even got the chicken pox there...... It seems that Callie is following in my footsteps! She isn't too bad (bumps are mainly on her back) and she has a super great attitude about it. Only real big changes in her behavior are that she is actually napping more, getting up at night, and she will cuddle now (which I love - selfish, I know). We are keeping our fingers crossed she is the only one that comes down with it....

So, Callie and I spent my spring break in Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful trip and Callie just LOVED being spoiled by all her aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandmas! (she was a bit in shock when we came back home and she was stuck with just mom and dad - she also took a two hour nap the day we got back, which she has never, never (and probably never will again) done, traveling sure is exhausting!). I was a bit nervous about the very long plane ride, but besides not eating at all, Callie did fabulous! Although, she never really did understand why she couldn't grab the people sitting next to us or in front of us. Even though she got sick on the way back, she was still a wonderful traveler. She loved sitting with Grandma and looking out the plane window (yuck!). We met Grandma in Chicago - at that point in time both Grandma and Callie needed a snuggle, so they spent part of our layover cuddling up in the airport. (sorry, I took these with my cell phone) Looking out the ...

Here's some updates on our little bug: She is VERY mobile! She crawls all over the house and is extremely proud of it. One of her favorite things to do, is to chase us around the house (it the most fun when we crawl like her!). Now that she is mobile, she gets to choose what she plays with. No longer does she just have to take what we put in front of her. It is very fun to see what she wants and prefers (and she will stop at nothing to get it). Many of her favorites include her drum, books, daddy's hat, spatulas, paper (especially mail), and the cats! She can now pull herself up to the standing position (although cannot quite figure out how to get back down). She is the most proud of this when she is in the bath tub. She now sleeps on a mat at daycare - which to me is absolutely amazing - in fact, she seems to sleep better now that she is on a mat! Callie can now feed herself food from her tray - I am getting braver and braver with giving her more solid (not pureed food). ...