Welcome Home!

My parents and Libby and I headed out to Elmhurst today to officially welcome home Joanna and her son Alejandro. I can now say that I am madly in love with Ale and once again head over heels for my beloved Jo, who's been fostering down in Guatemala since March.

Congratulations to the whole family on being reunited. I go to bed tonight a happy woman.

On the eve of Libby's first birthday, I sat and watched her learn to climb the stairs for 10 minutes. She climbed/fell down one side, walked a big circle around the deck, and then climbed/fell up the other side. I could see the wheels churning in her head and she did it over and over again. I managed to capture a little video near the end with our digital camera. If I did this right, it's below. If not, it's also in the videos to the left.

The Face

Libby makes this face sometimes, and it just puts me in stitches. Seriously, I sometimes laugh myself into an asthma attack. Of course, my lack of control just makes her do the face more and more until we're both in a pure giggle fit.

I can't quite capture it on film, but it involves her scrunching up her nose and drawing deep breaths in through her nostrils. I know, I know -- it doesn't sound that funny. You'll just have to trust me that it's hilarious.

Temporary Buckeye

Libby's 1 in three more days. My baby's almost 1! Zoinks!

We just got back from a weeklong visit to Ohio to celebrate Diana's birthday, Ian's birthday (18!), and Libby's birthday.

Libby acquired several new experiences in our visits to small town (Grandma and Grandpa) and suburbia (Aunts Kim and Kandi). She loved playing in the grass and dirt out in front of the houses and thought sidewalk chalk was positively delicious.

Alas, Martin accidentally took the camera back with him to Chicago, so we don't have any photos in Westerville. Oh, well. We have lots of good memories. Thanks for being such good hosts (and babysitters), Ohio aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins!

A beautiful sun-dappled almost-autumn day with leaves to crunch ...

... and rocks to taste. (See how the pebble shines in the sunlight? Yeah, that's spit.)

She doesn't look a day over 11.75 months.

Reader Rabbit

These pictures are from the beginning of August, but I'm too lazy to upload the new pictures from our camera, and Aunt Kimmy has demanded new photos.

Lib's so serious here, isn't she? It's like she's got some big work to do, and Mom is really putting a crimp in her style with all of this photo nonsense. In reality, she was none too pleased to be put into the Exersaucer. In fact, this might the last time I was successful in forcing her into the Mommy-beloved thing. Sigh.

Libby has been quite the little reader for the last couple of months. She loves to turn the pages as well as to look at the pictures on her own.

Current favorites are Pat the Bunny (thanks, Rachel); Ten, Nine, Eight and Dinosaur's Binket (thanks, Julie Kay); That's Not My Bear and Is Your Mama a Llama (thanks, Maryann) as well as many more. Alas, Pat the Bunny has been nearly destroyed since these pictures were taken. RIP, PTB.