Rockin' out on the rockin' horse

This went on for almost 10 minutes. Good stuff!

Campin' in Grant Grove

Leila and I just got back from our first camping adventure. We went up to Grant Grove on Friday after work and set up our two-day home at Sunset campground. Our campsite was lovely, though Leila might have wished for more level ground (she oscillated between total triumph and bitter frustration with every encounter of inclined terrain). My worst fear was that she would refuse to sleep in the tent. To my bliss, she embraced the tent. Except for naptime. For naps, she preferred to sleep on my back for the second half of our Saturday and Sunday morning hikes. For the first half of our hikes, however, she was content and wide-eyed, observing the beautiful tall trees, fluttering birds and scurrying chipmunks. We made many excursions with the hiking backpack. As it turned out, the pack was the best form of entertainment I had to offer her. Before embarking on this trip, I was sure that having hours on end to revel and roll in the dirt would have been her dream come true. While she did enjoy the dirt, it had its limits, usually defined by her own inadvertant (or maybe intentional) bucketful into her shoe. I learned many lessons on this excursion -- namely, that it's hard work to take a toddler camping on your own. Ambitious as it was, I'm so glad that we did it (even with puking episodes on the car trip there and back). The weather was lovely (especially considering the 105 degree valley temps that we escaped) and tenting it among the trees was refreshing to the soul. If anyone wants to go camping with us next time, the invitation is wide open!



And here's a better glimpse of a handful of my favorite pics from the trip...

A Couple More Videos

Here's Leila loving her new swing...


Below, Leila delves into her books in her new, fancy reading chair, compliments of Daddy. It took her about a week to realize the comforts and joys of this chair, but now she can't get enough of it. I actually had to pry her from the chair for bedtime tonight.


(Note: This is the 100th post to "Small Hands," but who's counting?)

New Video, Finally -- Ducks!

It astounds me how well Leila responds to an increasing vocabulary of words. And it also astounds me HOW she responds. Here she is, responding to the word, "Duck." Turn up your speakers. Also in this video, Leila shows her appreciation for the shoes that Daddy picked out for her.

Diggin' the Outdoors

Leila seems to be enjoying the outdoors as much as me. One can't help but be cheerful in the spring. The green on the trees is so youthful and optimistic. The bees and birds are happy to be busy, singing sweet songs as they work. The flowers are perky and colorful and inspire frivolity.

Everyday after work, Leila and I spend some time outside checking out the flowers, dirt and rocks. She has developed a rather persistent attraction to rocks and pebbles, and when she finds a special one, she presents it to me with such ebullient pride... that is, unless she puts it in her mouth first (luckily, she only taste tests and promptly spits them out before any damage can be done).

This past weekend, we enjoyed some quality time in the garden, planting the beginning of our summer cornucopia of garden delights (if we can figure out how to keep the pests out).

Below: rocks, rocks, "cool, I found a rock!"
Pretty poppies...Playing around with her watering can.
When I can teach her how to water the plants instead of her feet and the sidewalk, this will really come in handy!A good night's sleep after a hard day's work...

Strolling among the wildflowers

Leila, Nana, Popo and me took a spring "stroll" among the wildflowers yesterday.* We climbed some beautiful green hills (bright and juicy green like the meat of a ripe kiwi) that were speckled with orange, purple, yellow and white wildflowers. The view was lovely. Springtime in the Valley is truly enchanting (note to self: remember that when the heat hits in June).






* Nana and Popo would certainly not have classified our hike as a "stroll." It was definitely a steady climb, and good for all of us. And Leila was a trouper in the Ergo for the duration of our 2 hour tour.

Ain't Nothing Gonna Slow Me Down...

... except maybe a speedbump...





Onward to bigger and better things.

The One Year Update

A full Leila update is long overdue. As you all know, she turned one on the first of February, and in preparation of her first birthday, Leila began walking. Crawling is a totally outdated mode of transportation now that she can walk with such grace and speed. Last week Leila had her one-year check-up and we discovered that she FINALLY cracked the 20 pound mark (barely)! She also received her shots, which was a tragic experience for all of us (including the poor nurse who had to battle Leila's surprising strength). Her developmental process is such a miracle to watch. She's grasping so many concepts and is learning to do things like play peek-a-boo, touch her toes, rub her belly, respond to "no," sort shape objects, blow bubbles in the bath tub and brush her hair. She also loves to brush her teeth, but I'm not sure if it's a love of toothbrushing, or a love of using the toothbrush for her molars to teethe on. Regardless, she just can't get enough of the toothbrush.

The video below was taken by Leila's Nana. Leaves are so much fun!!



Here she is showing off the adorable birthday outfit that her Grandma and Grandpa Vaina got her.
A very good attempt at brushing her hair. She even tries to brush my hair!
Leila and Dolce admire the sunny day and look for cats crossing.

Trick or Treat!

For her first Halloween, Leila was, quite appropriately, a circus monkey. This perfect costume was made by David's mom. Below, she debuts the costume at the weekly playgroup we attend.

Proud of our little monkey...

Despite no bag of sugar goodies, Leila delighted in cruising the streets to scope out the kids, the costumes and the spooky decorations.

Popo tries out his circus act.

Gainfully Employed?

There's no doubt about it... Leila is very good at what she does. And today, during a visit to Nana's office, Leila debuted her secretarial skills and wowed everyone in sight... taking calls, tallying sums on the calculator, and just being her usual charming self.

Too bad she's not on the payroll.

Not your traditional crawl, but she's certainly mobile

Bath Time!

Our Giggling Girl

Here are three new videos from the past ten days. Hope you enjoy! And as usual, make sure your speakers are on... especially with this one!

Leila's Idea of Reading

More of this to come...

That's My Daughter...

The past week has been busy with a doctor's visit (yikes, shots! But we found out that Leila weighs almost 15 1/2 pounds), Father's Day, visits with old college friends, a wedding and job interviews. We also made another visit to the pool with Leila, though she was even less enthusiastic about the water this time... but she'll develop her fins in no time. And on land, she continues to amuse us with her antics. Here's the latest video. 

Leila's First Dip and Dunk

It was another big day for Leila. And though she wasn't exactly thrilled about moving through the chilly water at the University of Georgia pool, she wasn't upset either. She even recovered rather quickly from the full submersion. Next up, the beaches of Florida. And pretty soon, she'll be ready to surf with her Uncle Kris.

(Click on the images to get the full effect of her expressions)

Leila and Uncle Kris Rap

Uncle Kris tries to wake up the sleeping beauty by teaching her to rap.

Leila Doing Her Thang -- Week 6

A compilation of videos taken on March 10 when Leila's Uncle Kris was in town visiting.

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond

by e.e. cummings

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands