Last Maria update pre-parental voyage

Okay, so some people have been hinting that perhaps we should get a few more pictures up before Aaron and I go AWOL for ten days. Likely when we return there will be a number of new updates on here...and not all just Maria pictures either.

Anyway, the little munchkin, fast approaching 15 months, is getting more impressive by the day. She is getting new words all the time (said gramma for the first time this week...although it sounds an awful lot like Mama...hmmm), and impressed her Grandpa and mother today with her ability to match like colors...well with the exception of blue and green...kept getting those ones mixed up. Thanks Great-grandma for the great learning book...without it she wouldn't have been able to show us this great matching skill. She has also recently taken an interest in "drawing" and is beginning to brighten everyone's homes with her unique artwork. Grandma and Grandpa B...I hope you're prepared, she's a bundle of energy and will have no shortage of ways to entertain you in July.

Enjoy the pictures. Wish us safe travels. We hope to have loads of pictures to share with you all in just a few weeks.


Helping Mom and Dad figure out the new camera...too bad I can't read French



Play Ball!

14 months old

Maria is now 14 months old. She continues to get taller, but not much heavier. She has graduated from unsteady walking to running, and is developing and expressing her independence. This has lead to the development of a bit of a temper...can't imagine where she got that from (said with a hint of sarcasm). She is also beginning to talk a lot more; I can think of at least 6 words she now uses: baby, uh-oh, daddy, momma, hi (occasionally into her phone), bye (with the toy phone today), and no. The "no" is quite cute, as I'm pretty sure she is using it for "yes" too. She may even have a word for "Tucker", Grandma and Grandpa E's dog...but you'd have to ask them, and she has her form of "all-done" for meals. All in all, it's pretty amazing to witness first hand. As for what she understands...that you can see increasing daily. In fact, if you tell her that she "needs her pants changed" she will walk on her own to her change table for you. She's a smartie all right.




She has also finally cut two more teeth! This has changed her look quite a bit...gone is our baby...definitely the parents of a toddler now.

Dancing Queen

The newest video in the collection. Maria has now aquired a taste for music and really shows it. Her current favorites: "Oblah dee, Oblah dah" and "Manamana" - and occasionally her father's heavy metal.