Jayne - 11 months

I cannot believe we have an 11 month old! We have loved every second with her, seeing her learn, seeing her personality develop and giving her lots and lots of kisses! :)  With a cute face like hers, how could you resist!?

Jayne's 11 month stats

• Pulling herself up to a standing position on anyone/anything. She's determined to get up and works hard at it!
• Said her first (recognizable) words. She says "Dada", "Mumumumum (mom)", "shhhh" and "bye bye" while waving
• Went on her first plane ride  
• Crawling on all fours with ease, but still sometimes opts for the belly crawl
• Eats just about everything now and says please (signing) to ask for it
• When we tell her no-no, or she knows she's not supposed to do something, she'll shake her head no
• Loves playing with her buddy Koda. We ask where he is and she'll look around for him. She'll do the same when we ask where Mommy/Daddy is.

Wearing her NYC souvenir

I asked her to smile for the camera and she gave me these cheesy smiles. She knows what the camera is!

In NYC, we walked into FAO Schwartz and I handed her this dog to keep her occupied. It was love at first sight and we left the store with the dog still in her arms. She loves him!

Happy 11 months baby girl! We love you!!

Hogle Zoo 2014

We took Jayne on her first trip to the zoo on Saturday. My cousin Candace, David & Aria were kind enough to invite us to go with them. We all had a lot of fun together. Candace was smart and suggested we get there early to beat the heat and the crowds.

Good morning sunshiiiiiine!

There is so much to do at the zoo. I haven't been since I was in Jr. High probably and they've really upgraded things since (only been a million years, I know, but still). A lot of things are really new and its impressive what they've done!

Jayne loved this giant water globe near the entrance. She just stood there and played with it for a long time. That grin never left her face!

Aria showing Jayne how to play

Jayne was pointing at the animals all day and would give us big smiles when she saw them.

We visited the sea lions, otters and polar bears (my favorite!)... 

...saw a cute baby elephant...

...chilled with the lions...

...and rode the carousel a few times. 

Jayne has learned to wave and loved saying hello while on her wild kangaroo ride. 

Even though it was an early morning, Jayne was in such a happy mood. When I'd get out the camera and she'd see it, she'd give me these cheesers...

 -She's happy in these pictures, believe it or not :) -

Jayne has a thing for water, no matter what form- giant water globes, pools, fountains, you name it! She had so much fun at the zoo's splash pad. 

This fountain kept getting her in the face but Jayne just kept swatting at it and bouncing up and down while reaching for more.

We ended our visit with the classic train ride. 

And no trip to the zoo is complete without a drink/picture with the lion's mouth drinking fountain. I have one of these gems of my own in my baby photo album. 

That's a wrap!

Jayne loved it, we loved it, and we loved spending time with Candace, David and Aria. Thanks guys!

Jayne - 10 months

This little mini is not so mini anymore! She's growing so quickly and learning new things every day. We love having her around, seeing her personality more and more, and just spending time with her.

Jayne's 10 month stats

• Such a ham. She gets people's attention and knows it. Her favorite audience is the grocery store baggers-she'll give them a smile and then turn around, then peek back and start over again. She's mastered the cheesy grin.
• Can sit herself up from a laying down/crawling position
• Plays with her toys with her feet. Without fail, she'll get to a toy, roll over gently and then hold it with her feet. Even reads books that way too. She's a little monkey.
• Often shakes her head to dance or to say no, or to be silly (hard to interpret which one she's going for)
• Four teeth total-top middle and bottom middle
• Pulls up onto her knees and straightens her arms mid-crawl but likes her belly for moving
• Loves to make a kissing noise. Sometimes she'll suck in her puckered lips for a long time, really concentrating on getting a good "smacking" noise. Its funny to watch!
• Wants to eat anything and everything including mom and dad's food. She does great with baby cups with straws
• Growing long and tall-94th percentile
• Love textures-she falls asleep continually pinching the tiny fibers on the back of her blankets. She's always brushing her fingers on everything 
• Great at mimicking any sounds we make now-giggling, coughing, clearing our throats. She thinks she's so clever every time and gives us big grins

Happy 10 months Miss Jayne!

 

July 4th, 2014

I love the 4th of July (said every American ever). But really-its such a fun holiday with traditions, fireworks, BBQ's, parades and a whole lotta family fun. This year Phil was in charge of the scout/youth breakfast for our ward. It was a big task and he was up before the sun working hard. My parents came over with my grandma to support Phil and enjoy breakfast.

(I think Jayne was confused that we were up and out of bed so early...she usually likes to sleep until about 10!)

Still all smiles though!

After breakfast/cleanup we headed out for some fun on the boat. It was a perfect tubing day and we've figured out how to get some awesome air on the tube! I didn't snap any pics because we were too busy having fun! We headed back from the lake for a BBQ at my parents. Nothing like a traditional BBQ on the 4th!

I made our shirts, my skirt and Jayne's headband. Jayne's dress is from my mom. Phil tells me we're the typical patriotic American family who dress up in stars and stripes. Yesir we are! 

Koda partied with the family too!

Me and my girl :)

After eating we headed to the park to set up our spot for the fireworks in Pleasant Grove. We love just hanging out as a family, waiting for it to get dark so the fireworks can begin.

Jayne really loved the glow sticks! She did not let them go! 

By the time it was finally getting dark, Jayne was relaxed and a bit sleepy. So was Phil after a long week/early morning prepping for the breakfast.

When fireworks started, Jayne was mesmerized and watched intently in my lap for a long time. Then I laid her down on the blanket and she put herself to sleep...while the fireworks were still going. The fireworks were awesome! I just love fireworks and this show never disappoints!

By the end, we were all tuckered out and ready to head home. (she's still clinging to her glow stick!)

That wrapped up another Independence Day for the Bennallacks.