Dear Edie,

You are 8 months old today. We are just digging ourselves out from the trenches of your first real cold this week so my letter may be a little shorter than usual, my apologies. I thought you had a cold last month, but I now realize that last month's "illness" was in fact just a runny nose symptomatic of your bottom two teeth coming in. This, my girl is a cold. It started last week with a wet cough and has continued well into this week with nose bubbles and massive sleep disruption. Your Dad and I have fallen prey as well so the whole family is simultaneously stuffed up and dripping. It's been so hard to watch you feel crummy, but I suppose we should feel lucky that we made it 8 months.

In more upbeat news, you started crawling this month! It was so exciting. Maybe one of the most exciting moments we've had together and I was so happy to be there to witness it. In the short two weeks since you wobbled around on all fours at Darrah's house for the first time, you can now plow from one end of the room to the other, pausing if you wish to twist into a sit for a few minutes and play with a toy, then twisting right back to a crawl pose. This sitting skill is posing new challenges when it comes to bedtime. We put you down in your crib, but when I peek at you through the door crack I can see you pulling yourself up to sit and cry for us to return.

You are most definitely a fearless baby. You try to climb the walls while in your Johnny Jump Up and you RUN from room to room in your walker, stopping for no one and no thing. The other day I watched you pull your high chair over on to the floor, then appreciate your work and immediately pull the kitchen chair over in the same manner. I turn around for a second in your room and you've crawled to the far corner and are under your crib trying to grab a cord you see sparkling against the far wall. I know for a fact that we will be chasing you around the house the second you learn to run because I have a scary feeling that you will skip walking and shift right into running. We've also had to move the art hanging over the changing table because you tried to pull it all off to nibble on one too many times. I was singled out in my moms group last month so that Ann could suggest that we purchase a "crib tent" - a mesh devise that zips up around your crib so that you can't climb out. Apparently your adventurous spirit is obvious to outsiders as well.

You are becoming more verbal than usual this week, making shouting -like noises that are very intentional (and funny). It sounds almost like you are singing but there is also a conversational element to the noises because if I do it back you look charmed and then "talk" right back to me. You also seem to have entered what we call the "pots and pans phase". Where you used to just pick up a toy and wave it around (or eat it), you now like to hold two items and bang them together, relishing in the racket they make.

We brought you to Orcas last week. We hadn't been to the island since Thanksgiving over 5 months ago and this trip was definitely more exciting for you. You LOVED the beach. Dad plopped you down on the beach our first night there (it was exceptionally warm and windless) and you spent forever just picking up handfuls of gravel and letting it fall back to the beach. Dad also let you feel the waterfall at the end of the beach, and he even dipped your toes in the wet sand while the tide came in.

Just before your cold hit, you were finally taking an interest in eating solid foods. You've now tried many tastes of my various soups when we're out and about - avgolemono, tortilla, chicken noodle, and mexican bean, and you've also enjoyed pureed butternut squash, applesauce, pears, carrots, oatmeal,Greek yogurt, and a few other assorted flavors. We'll probably start back up with foods this weekend now that you're on the mend with this cold; hopefully you'll pick back up where you left off.

You continue to be a source of endless entertainment for your Dad and me. You are sassy, filled with wonder, quirky, energetic and extremely affectionate.
Smell you later Shorts,

Mom

Happier Times

The Culvers are sick. No one is feeling well and no one is sleeping well. Remember last week? Last week when everyone felt well and we were having fun on the beach at Orcas? I do.

Flip Sunday?

I guess I should just admit defeat and come out and say that Flip Friday is no more. I can't seem to get my act together in a scheduled type fashion. So while I can promise to continue uploading videos, I maybe can't promise that they will always fall on a Friday. Without further ado, here is a video taken last week of Edie's ever increasing crawling skills. She's really taken to my Clinique blush compact which you will see me using as bait.

Just in the last few days her love affair with my make-up has been replaced with an even more passionate love for the magazines stored in our coffee table. If you turn your back for more than 3 seconds, she's grabbing for a 2008 issue of Domino. Or perhaps a 2004 copy of Martha Stewart. Aaah, the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree - already she's obsessed with house magazines like her Father...

Island

Our trip to Orcas was wonderful.

In line for the ferry

Flying baby


Ferry boat ride

Arriving on Monday afternoon
More to come... stay tuned.

Carrots

We took some time off from solids (at our doctor's suggestion) and reintroduced them a week or two ago. The doctor suggested we strip her down and let her go to town the first time. He said some kids really need to "experience" their food before eating it. Edie definitely experienced these carrots.



She happily ate the entire jar.

Orcas Island

It would appear that we are headed out for an impromptu trip to Orcas. Like, right now. We expect to return on Wednesday, probably in the pm. Until then!

Baby Boy

Baby on the inside:

Baby on the outside:


Reinhardt "Reid" Mitchell Hals was born today, April 18th at 3:45am. He weighs 8 pounds and 4 ounces and is a tall order at 21 and a quarter inches long. We got to visit him (and the proud parents) this afternoon at the hospital. He's a keeper. Congratulations Darrah and Matt!

I've been remiss

You guys! I'm so sorry for the recent blog-neglect. I hope someone doesn't call the BPS* on me. Here's the deal:

Darrah's due date was exactly one week ago. Our friend Katherine flew in from LA to be here for the baby's arrival.
But the baby was all, "Being born sucks, I think I'll just hang out in here." (D, this week)
Darrah started her leave a week or two ago, so we spent this last week walking, walking and walking. All to no avail! But. BUT. You guys Darrah went into labor yesterday and she might very well be pushing the baby out RIGHT NOW. Last we heard she was 6 centimeters dilated and that was a few hours ago. I'm sort of flipping out with a combination of excitement to meet this baby boy, nostalgia for that moment of the last push and meeting your baby for the first time, anxiety that everything will go as she wants it to (although I'm pretty sure the whole 24+ hours of labor isn't exactly what she had in mind, but you know what I mean) and did I mention excitement? Because dude, I's excited.

So instead of blogging, we've been busy strolling in the Bumbleride with Darrah and Katherine.
Taking rainy trips to Seward Park with the family:Eating sushi at Blue C in Fremont (she loved chewing on her chopsticks and watching the plates go round).
Eating oranges
I'm not actually kidding. Citrus isn't recommended for babies (apparently it's considered high on the allergy list) but Jeff tested that theory out when Edie grabbed a slice out of his hand and went to town on it. She also likes chewing on the peel. There is very little that's "standard" about this baby when it comes to eating. She will gnaw and suck on an orange section like it's going out of style. She also likes chewing on raw apple slices (but she totally dissed homemade, cooked applesauce).
Oddly neither the orange or apple have bothered her stomach in the least.

We've also spent some time this week prancing around in our tutus:
Mowing the lawn:
Tromping around the tulip festival in the pouring down rain with Katherine and Darrah. Don't mind the cranky look on E's face - I'd just taken her into the port a potty so I could pee. With her on my back. You'd be making that face too if you were her.
And just generally being awesome:
You guys. I love this photo almost as much as I love Edie. Which is A LOT. Because seriously. Sometimes I feel like my heart could literally explode from being so in love with this kid.

Stay tuned for a photo essay on Edie eating carrots. It's worth the wait.


*Blog Protective Services

Clarification

So - it was recently pointed out to me that the link in my post below isn't the link I meant to post. Which actually makes it way funnier, because while the link I meant to post (now fixed) is sort of hilarious, the fact that everyone thought Jeff wanted to show me a clip of Glee is even funnier.

Very Important

Tonight Jeff said, "I have something important to show you."

This is what he showed me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZy2I8csVQU

Baby gate here we come

Edie crawled for the first time today!!! It was SO EXCITING. I was hanging around with Darrah (4 days past due now) and Katherine this afternoon at D's house and Edie was gnawing on her tube of Boudreaux Butt Paste. I took it away from her and she got furious. I threw it a few feet away and told that if she really wanted it, she could crawl to it. I was sort of kidding, but she did it! She's been getting up on all fours for the last 2 or 3 weeks, but all she does once there is rock front to back like she's revving her engines. After a few seconds of that, she'll just lay back down. But this! This was real on-all-fours-crawling! I wouldn't describe it using the word "fast" or anything, but still. I squealed with glee, which totally threw her off her game, but I couldn't stop myself. Katherine was quick on her feet and filmed the second time using her camera, so stay tuned.

Have you seen this already?

I just saw this. And died laughing.

all the single ladies

Flip Thursday

Finally! Blogger is letting me add videos again. Flip Thursday doesn't have quite the ring of Flip Friday and I suppose I could just wait until tomorrow to post, but who knows if Blogger will be cooperating tomorrow or not? Not worth the risk.

First we have a video of Edie babbling with consonants. It starts a bit boring, but stick with it and the last 6 seconds will make it worth your 30 second commitment. I promise.

Edie LOVES her walker. She can now successfully walk to and from the kitchen and dining room without help; requiring the navigation of a tight doorway and corner. She can also make a u-turn and retrace her steps. While I make lunch or do dishes she runs back and forth from room to room. When the cat walks by she goes crazy. Here is a video of her chasing him through the kitchen. You can't see the cat, but at the very last second you can hear his cat door slam close as he runs out of the house to get away from Edie.

Swingers

At playgroup a few weeks ago we walked from Alison's house to a nearby park and put the kids in swings. SO FUNNY. Danny's a big boy so needed his own, but Mae and Edie shared. All of them LOVED it. Edie didn't stop kicking her legs the entire time. Not that that's so different from any other time.

Alison sent these pictures she took of the event and I kept meaning to post them, but forgot until now.

A few new pictures

Edie with Dad after my birthday party

Trying to remove Grandpa C's mustache

MUST EAT DANNY'S FACE OFF

I don't know what "be gentle" means. Does it mean I can't eat Danny's face off anymore?

Flip Friday

Boy do I have some good ones for you today folks. Except Blogger won't let me upload any of them. STUPID Blogger.

New Header

So.... you may have noticed that I have a new header. I asked Jeff for something new and this is what he came up with. I'm still experimenting with background colors and the like... In the meantime, I hope you like the new look.