Last Week of Summer Vacation

Sophie 10.0

Sophie is 10 months old TODAY!! We love her so incredibly much. This past month, her development has been amazing.

Her first official word: MEOW. Although she has been saying "dadda" and "momma" for months, she does not consistently or exclusively associate those words with us. She calls the grass "dadda" and confuses "momma" with yummy food. But, this month, she progressed from calling the cat with the click of her tongue to saying "meow" whenever she sees him. When I point to a cat in a book, she also says that word and points. Sophie and I recently traveled to Walla Walla to spend time with both of my grandmothers; when she saw my grandmother's cat behind the curtain, Sophie rapidly crawled toward her, screeching, "meow, meow, meow."

We have had quite a bee problem in our backyard, so Doug set up a yellow jacket trap. We ask her, "What does a bee say, Sophie?" She responds, "Bbbbbbbfffff." She can't say "zzz", but she has memorized the bee's sounds. She also says "uh-oh." She will be playing with a stuffed animal, saying "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh." She hasn't quite grasped the meaning of this yet. She also discovered the word "yeah" and will respond to any question or statement with "yeah."

She loves to imitate us as we dance, stick our tongues out, wave our arms, or make funny sounds. The most adorable imitation just started this week. She now copies us talking on our cell phones. She holds her hand up to her ear and smiles a huge grin. She's always loved remotes and cell phones. Now, she'll grab the phone and stick it to her ear. The three of us were sitting around the dining table one night, each with a phone to our ears. We had a mock conversation. She just squeals and blabbers in high pitches.

Sophie still drops everything to watch planes fly. She smiles and points at them...in fact, she points at everything these days. Somebody needs to tell her that it's rude to point....

She loves to smear banana and avocado all over her face and head. She enjoys blowing food out of her mouth and onto her mommy's face. I'm convinced that she only does this because bath time after a meal is so much fun.





Sophie 10.0 continues to dance to music, scoot on her butt to the beat, and move all around the house. (Most of our current photos are of her sitting in her high chair, because that's the only time she stays still enough to be photographed.) She stood up unassisted on one occasion for 30 seconds. We were at the park watching the ducks, and Sophie was so captivated by these ducks that she didn't notice when Doug let go of her hands. As she was standing there all by herself, Doug and I both teared up behind our sunglasses! She also pushes "Roar-y", the lion walker, around the house with increased ease. Walking is not far away....

She is very expressive with her face and those big, brown eyes. We've been stopped three different times in public by strangers who have noted that she has great eyebrows that "will never need to be waxed." Thanks...??


Biggest update of all: HER HAIR IS GROWING! She actually has some longer strands.

I have absolutely loved my summer home with her. We laugh, read, play, snuggle, learn, and love each other. My baby girl is growing up so fast. It sounds cliche, but time is flying by with her. She is the joy of our lives.


(PS. On a side note, our camera is being repaired, so all of these photos came from D's cell phone...good quality photos will return ASAP!)

What a girl!