Not your traditional crawl, but she's certainly mobile

Miniature Golf

We made a weekend outing to the local miniature golf course, which proved to be an excellent adventure for all. Leila enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells and was quiet and content for the 18 holes.

Leila on the course, watching the putters with great interest. She cheered on her daddy's outstanding back 9 and jeered her mommy as she sunk four consecutive balls in the drink.
Daddy steadies himself for another birdie while Popo studies the competition.
Leila takes pride in feeding herself!

SHE'S GOT (drumroll) ...

...TEETH!! Her first tooth cracked the surface of her soft little gums on Tuesday (9/9). It was one of the middle teeth on the lower rack. The thing is so jagged and sharp that it's a wonder she hasn't scratched up her tongue, lips or thumb. On Saturday, the second tooth of the middle lower pair emerged. There's no picture to show for it yet... she's a little shy about flashing her new pearly whites. So, instead of the usual photo update of Leila, here's a pic of David and I on our first solo vacation. We went camping in San Simeon and toured some vineyards in Paso Robles along the way. It was a lovely treat. And thanks to Nana and Popo who made it possible by babysitting!

Eating O's

Leila, being the take-charge kind of girl that she is, loves having control over her meals (and everything else, really). Problem is, she's just not very good at it, so we're constantly cleaning green peas from her nose, sweet potatoes from her ears and bananas from her neck folds. Ah, but along came melt-in-the-mouth baby Cheerios and now we can set her in the highchair with a few of them and keep her very pleasantly occupied (not that we still don't continue to clean peas, potatoes and bananas from all her skin's hiding spots). In fact, as soon as she hears the distinct rattle of the Cheerio canister, she squeals with anticipation.
[And enjoy one of our favorite songs: "Special Shirt" from the Charlie Hunter Trio.]

The Baboon Face

We don't know why. We don't know how. But the baboon face started a few days ago and it's now her expression of choice.

Making Music?

After 3+ weeks in California, we're all doing quite well. Our home here in Visalia is spacious and comfortable, time with Nana, Popo and "Uncle Jake" (the avuncular golden lab) is happy and harmonious, and Leila's growing curiosities and capabilities continue to astound and entertain us. It's amazing to see her transformation from "baby girl" to "little girl." She's also developed what I like to call her "baboon face," which you'll catch in the video below.



We also just enjoyed a lovely family reunion of sorts... Uncle Kris and Aunt Heather came up from San Diego during Labor Day weekend and we enjoyed a casual couple days of pool-lounging and croquet, while Leila indulged in some dog-riding and table-surfing.