Dat Iss Baa!

On Wednesday night, while Mr. Mustard and I were reading Paprika her "Olivia Counts" book, Paprika uttered her first sentence! No joke! She pointed to the beach ball on the page and said, "Dat Iss Baa!" Translation: That is ball. I definitely count it as her first sentence. :-)

I bought Paprika her first pair of walking shoes yesterday. I went to the store and the lady measured her feet and said they were a size 2. I was pretty surprised that they would be so small (that is nearly a newborn size), but I didn't have time to argue, since Paprika was being very squirmy and would not sit still long enough for me to let her try on the shoes properly. I bought size 3s, since those were the smallest size they had at the store, brought them home, and let Paprika wear them for a few minutes. Sure enough, they were way too small! So, today I took them back and exchanged them for her actual shoe size-- a size 5!

I really wanted to get the shoes now because she is so close to walking, and we are leaving for Indiana tomorrow. I didn't want to get there and have her cruising around outside without proper footwear, especially at her first birthday party next week!

We have a big week ahead of us. I am really looking forward to it all! My dad has taken the week off work next week, so we will get to spend lots of quality time with him and his girlfriend, Nancy. We are having a big family birthday party at my Aunt Laura's house on the 18th to celebrate Paprika's 1st birthday! Mr. Mustard will be joining us at some point (work permitting), which will be fantastic!

The only thing I'm really dreading is the plane ride tomorrow-- me bringing Paprika (by myself, again) on a cross-country flight. She's sitting on my lap (she can fly for free that way til she's 2), and let me tell you, it's no fun holding a squirmy little toddler on your lap for 5 1/2 hours on a full flight, no matter how well-behaved she is. Thank goodness, Mr. Mustard stopped by an electronics store today on his lunch hour and bought a portable DVD player. I count it as an early birthday present to Paprika. I'm bringing her favorite video (Baby Songs) with us on the plane and hoping that it keeps her happy for most of the flight. We shall see- here's hoping!

New Milestones!

Paprika turns 1 NEXT THURSDAY! I can hardly believe it! She changes so much on a daily basis and is growing up so fast. She's a fast cruiser now and can stand holding onto furniture and move around easily on her feet. Yesterday she stood by herself (without holding onto anything) for a second or two. Pretty soon she'll be standing on her own, and then walking!

She is into everything and our house is slowly, by necessity, becoming very baby-proofed. As she becomes more mobile, she also wants to be held more and I find that every time I try to put her down, she climbs on me to be picked back up.

Paprika has a word for everything now- even if I don't always understand what she's saying. She says "dog" by saying "dee!" and "duck" is "daa!" "Daddy" is "dadadada" and "tree" is "teeee!" "Bath" is "baaa," "tubstopper" is "ttstaa, " and "kitty" is "keee!" She says everything with great enthusiasm. ;-) I don't think I could count how many words she understands. She seems to understand more than I can imagine. For example, if I say, "Paprika, it's bathtime!"- she will go over to the bath and start to climb into the tub (fully dressed, of course!). She's a super-smart baby, and I'm not just saying that because she's mine!

Mr. Mustard just got back last night after three days in Chicago for work. He got some type of food poisoning while he was there and has been sick as a dog since yesterday. Yesterday he told Paprika on the phone that he would see her later that night- and then she would NOT go to bed until he got home. She waited up for him until almost 10:30- nothing I did would get her to go to sleep. Finally she zonked out, thank goodness, because Mr. Mustard's flight got in late and he didn't get home until after midnight.

Tomorrow is Mr. Mustard and my fourth wedding anniversary! Time goes by so fast. The past four years have been incredibly good to us- we have so much to be thankful for and I feel so lucky to be able to live such an amazing life! I don't know what I have done to deserve so much goodness in my life- but I am not taking it for granted. I am exquisitely happy and can't wait to see what great new adventures life has in store for us!

Day At The Park!

Paprika is a BIG fan of the park now. She loves going for big rides in the swing!

It's almost too much fun!

The Feeding Experience!

Here's what happens when you let a little baby feed herself yogurt. A big mess! We have been practicing more with the solid food- and she really has no interest in it, besides smearing it all over the table. Luckily, I put a very large vinyl tablecloth under the table, so that spills and such were no problem and clean-up was quick.

It's Fun Making A Mess!:

Oh, No- Don't Take The Carton Away From Me!:

Hey! Are We Almost Done Here?:

Okay, fine- I'll let you feed me a spoonful:

After that, Paprika got treated to a head-to-toe bath! All in all, a lot of fun!

Groovin'