We've Got a Climber!

Baby loves to climb the steps.  We practice several times during the day - she's closely monitored, and has never really taken a tumble *knock on wood!*

Sweet Baby

Harlem Globetrotters

Greta Brielle ~ Eleven Months Old

This can't be...is our baby girl almost a year old already?  

Greta is a happy baby, crawling all over the place, standing up whenever she can find something to pull herself up and lean against (the couch, the TV - to mess with the buttons, her changing table, the sides of her play pen & crib, our glass doors - to peer outside, etc....)  Gary predicts she'll be walking by her 1st birthday.  Greta loves to play Peek-a-Boo with her blankie, loves playing "How big is baby...?  Soooo... BIG!" and enjoys responding to the song, "If You're Happy & You Know It...Clap Your Hands."  Not for lack of attention from her adoring fan club, she gives herself much applause - and she deserves it.    She has an acute awareness of what she's not supposed to get into...and gives us a coy smile as she crawls speedily toward these things.  Meals have become much easier as Baby eats many of the same things we do, cut up into tiny bite sizes.  She is still especially fond of peas and cheese.  Macaroni & cheese is a new favorite as well, just recently introduced into her diet.  Muffins were also a big hit for Baby.  She finally admitted that she's capable of holding her own bottle too, which has freed up my hands greatly during our busy days.  ☺  I still insist on our evening ritual of rocking Greta with her bottle, after her bath and before bedtime.  Before that, she loves being included in story time with her brothers, most often read by Daddy.  Greta also has an interest in singing along to music, even my attempts at lullabye tunes at bedtime.  Her sweet little humming accompanies me.

These adorable froggy pajamas pictured below are among my favorite pair to put on Greta -- they were picked out by Papa Schueler on one of Grammy Schueler's many shopping sprees for the grandkids.  I'm just going to take this opportunity to mention how much I appreciate pajamas with zippers for babies!  From the early, newborn days of frequent diaper changes in the wee hours, to our current challenge of trying to hurriedly dress a very active baby, writhing to escape diaper time to get on to her busy life -- Zippers are the way to go - as opposed to the snaps on jammies.  Yet most baby pajamas we have are of the snap variety.  It's nothing short of frustration, trying to align those snaps in the middle of the night, while trying to wrestle a baby, who wants to lay on her tummy, back into her pajamas in low light while fighting exhaustion.  There.  I said my part.  Zippers rule.

 Mr. Bear is shrinking!  Or maybe I'll have to admit that our baby girl is growing up, and all too quickly leaving babyhood for toddler land.  *sigh* 

 It has become more challenging to get a photo of Greta that is not blurry.  She's always on the go....  Here are some of the attempts to take her 11-month picture.  They were just too cute to ignore.  She's a happy and wiggly little girl.  ☺

 So much love....

 Come on, Mom - let's wrap up this photo shoot so I can play!

 This is fun, but I've got things to do....

 Watching the movie "Up" with her brothers....

With all our children, we are so blessed.

This blog appears to have become a monthly blurb announcing only Greta's latest monthly landmark.  Somehow, someday...I hope to "catch up" and post some of the many other things going on in our busy lives.  Greta is not a very consistent napper, and our drop-off/pick-up school schedule with the boys keeps me on the run.  But I have not stopped taking photos or noting special events for the boys and the rest of us.  It's on my list of things to do to update more fully someday soon....

Greta Brielle ~ Ten Months Old

Baby's 1st Christmas!  What an absolute joy to have our baby Greta here this Christmas!  The boys have loved sharing this special time of year with their new baby sister - we all have, of course.  

Greta is growing and blossoming each day - such a dear baby.  The other morning, she woke up before dawn and was sitting in bed with Gary and me when out of nowhere, she said, "What."  With the tone of "what are you looking at?"  She enjoyed our reaction, and joined in our laughter.  She has also started taking delight in making loud noises.  We were in Barnes & Noble just before Christmas and (as my Dad watched the kids in the play center while I finished up some Christmas shopping), I mistook the coffee grinder for Greta's squawking/growling sounds.  She wants to be heard.  ☺  She is a happy little soul.  She adores her lovable big brothers and still loves to kick and play like a little kangaroo.  Her crawling skills are coming along nicely.  She can cover ground quickly, which keeps us all on our toes.  She loves to eat all kinds of foods, and unfortunately mistook puppy poop for a tasty treat just yesterday.  As embarrassed as I am to admit it, it's true.  Our new pup had an undiscovered accident in the house, and Greta was the first to find it.  Ugh.  The combination of her speedy crawling, along with her willingness to try new foods, was a bad mix in this situation.  But there seems to be no harm done.  After eating dog poop, she can never claim any vegetable as "gross," so we have some leverage now in getting her to eat her greens.  Greta has also started clicking her tongue and loves to clap her hands, which she does often - after responding to "How big is Greta?  ....So....BIG!"  She'll keep doing her new trick, as long as she keeps getting the resounding applause we're all prone to give her.  We are having such fun!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Greta Meets Our New Puppy, Lucy

Introducing....

 LUCY!  Our new black lab puppy!

 We've been missing our yellow lab, Abi - who passed away in September at the age of 12.  We thought it would take us awhile to feel ready for a new dog, but on December 4th, we brought home this six-week old pup.  Our newest baby.

 I love this photo above.  Greta is clearly not used to me using the flash on my cell/camera, but I had to use it so Lucy would show up.

Greta was thoroughly amused when she met Lucy, face-to-face.

I'll try to post a video clip of this moment next....

Lucy is a sweet girl.

She appears to be right at home here.

These photos are of when we introduced Lucy to the little boy I watch on weekday mornings.

Gordon had listed "a dog" on all of letters to Santa.

Lucy was an early Christmas present...for us all.

We love our little Lucy.