Day 259 - It's been real.

"Later, Yo."

It is quite possible that every photograph from here on out is of the back of Paige's head or her bottom. She's fast.

Day 258 - Leaning Tower of Paige

"So, how exactly do I get down again?"

Paige has successfully pulled herself up on to a few things now. She really wants to be able to stand and walk around. (seeing as she has been crawling for an entire week, it only seems logical to move on to the next thing right?) She hasn't quite figured out how to get herself back down to her butt or knees gracefully yet though. Usually it results in her falling onto her butt quickly and then she cries. I think the crying is more out of frustration than any real pain though. Thankfully our dining room chairs are not very top heavy, so they work well as props.

Day 257 - Just Like Grandpa

"It just takes a little concentration, and I think I'll be able to do anything."

Paige, (just like her Grandpa Roger) sticks her tongue to the side of her mouth when she is concentrating. I would guess that after she actually has teeth that her lip won't go so far down, but you never know. Especially because I can flip my lip completely over, so maybe it will stay that way...

Day 256 - Tickle Fight

"Stop it Mommy, that tickles!"

It's all fun and games until somebody pukes. (Thankfully Paige hasn't yet from being tickled!)

Day 255 - Smile for me

"Kaija, give me a smile!"

Paige loves Kaija, a lot. She will often try and get Kaija to pay attention to her, and thankfully Kaija puts up with all of the grabbing, pulling and other attempts at petting that Paige makes.

Also, note the absence of anything on the lower shelf in the background. This was a direct result of the Paige tornado hitting. Crawling is in full effect. She also managed to pull a plant down, and miraculously did not drop it on her head.

Day 254 - Pieces of Paper

"What time are the Brewers playing, Grandma Denise?"

Paige has developed a fascination with paper, especially smaller pieces of paper that she can grab, crumple and attempt to eat. A perfect example is the small fold-up schedules that teams put out. We were in Wisconsin for the Dusso family brewer game, and I was able to grab this photo before we went to drop off Paige with Grandma Alice.

Day 253 - Beaver Dam Lake

"Make it all bumpy again, that was fun!"

We went for our first boat ride with Paige. She wasn't so sure about the life jacket (is anyone?) but she was a real champ. She especially liked it when the wind picked up on an open part of the lake and it was pretty choppy. She gets that from her mom. NOT from me, that is for sure.

Day 252 - Deer in the Headlights

"Who, Me?"

I can just see her thinking that in her mind. I am sure that I will see this look many more times in my life. heh.

Day 251 - ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Toys

"Finally, this all make sense. Now either hand me that toy, or get out of my way."

Hooray, Paige is crawling. She officially made it four feet. Not to shabby if you ask me. It also means that the large piles of toys that were once reserved to the area in which Paige sat has now expanded to everywhere and anywhere possible. Can't wait to step on something in the middle of the night. That will be awesome.

Day 250 - Hoop Dreams

"So, when do I get to learn to use a stick?"

Valerie thinks Paige is going to play basketball some day. We'll see about that! Also, this is the first time our kitchen has made the blog I think. Well, the kitchen floor anyway.

Day 249 - When Elmos Attack!

"Wait, so if you are Elmo, then WHO is on my lap?"

You don't find Elmo, Elmo finds you.

Day 248 - Cousin Time

"Can I have your shirt? It looks nice."

Paige was able to have some good quality cousin time With Morgan and Max. She needs more cousin time, she probably doesn't get enough.

Day 247 - Just One More Shot

"...but I don't wanna take any more photos Dad."

Decided to take some formal-type portraits of Paige. However, being exceptionally picky, none had turned out quite right yet, so I wanted to take "just one more", despite Valerie insisting we had one that was good enough. She was right...

Day 246 - Hugs

"Can I have a hug Mommy?""

She is getting a lot more clingy and is starting to want to be held a lot more than she used to want to be held. Not sure if it is related to the teething (it looks like a tooth on the top is starting to come through as well) or just the age she is entering (she turned 8 months old already!). Either way, Mom is always happy to step in and provide said hugs and attention. (OK, Dad is too.)

Day 245 - Crawling.

"If I just brace my feet like so, and push my arms like this, I think I just might be able to get that blue elephant."

We are now seconds away from true on crawling. she can get herself upright as noted above when she has something to brace her feet against. She can't hold it for very long, maybe 10 seconds or so, but I am sure those muscles are working over time now.

Day 244 - Infrared Baby Camera

"Long day. I'm pooped."

Interesting what light shows up when you do a really long exposure. I set up the tripod and took a picture with just the light spilling in from the stairway. The shutter was open for 30 seconds. The light must have picked up some browns and red from the wood in the hallway. For some reason she really likes to sleep with her arms tucked up like that, sometimes both of them, sometimes just the one. Seems kind of uncomfortable if you ask me. If I tried to do that, it would cut off all the nerves in my arms and make it fall asleep.

Day 243 - Rock Your Baby.

"I love you baby."

Another accomplishment to note. She is able to sit in a chair and not pitch herself forward out of it. At least for a little bit. I don't think we'd leave her sitting in a chair unattended yet, but it is still a good step forward. The rocking chair was Valerie's when she was a little girl, and is still in great shape.

Day 242 - Spatula City

"This is the coolest toy ever Mommy. Thanks."

Toy manufactures trick you into believing that kids love toys with all kinds of lights, noises, textures, and anything else that they can think up that separates you from your money. The truth is, it is all a load of crap. Paige's favorite toys for the last two days? The spatula you see above, and a Glad plastic container. Bang them together and you get lots of fun noise.

Day 241 - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"Look at me, standing all by myself, well sort of."

Hey, I have a good idea. Let's let our baby try standing all by herself on a giant rock slab. Word. Ok, so it isn't as precarious as the image would suggest, it still is quite the heart racing experience to watch your child as she is starting to try and stabilize herself on different things around you.

Day 240 - Cheerios Nose

"What are you laughing at? I don't know what is so funny, but I guess I'll laugh too."

Cheerios have made their first appearance. Alas, they are a little bit sticky, and the mouth-hand coordination is just not quite there yet.

If you look closely you can see her lower front tooth emerging.

Day 239 - Gratuitous Baby Portrait

"What are we going to do today? I hope it is fun!"

You really don't need a reason to take a portrait of your daughter in the early morning light coming in through a south facing window do you? I didn't think so.

Day 238 - All American Hamster

"How does it do it? It just runs round and round and round! No matter what you do, it keeps on going."

Paige received a pretty interesting toy from Grandpa Roger and Grandma Denise. It is a little mechanical hamster that has little wheels on the bottom of it. When it moves, it pushes the little ball that it is in around in a circle. She loves it. Although she has now figured out how to take the hamster out of the ball. Surprisingly Kaija has not tried to eat it yet.

Day 237 - Baby Got Mac.

"I don't get it, why do you guys stare at this thing?"

Interest in the computer has been growing steadily. Well, either interest in it or disdain for it, since whenever she grabs it she ends up shutting it.

Day 236 - Strawberries and Dragons

"I think I'll just rest my foot here for a bit. Pretty comfortable."

Paige loves this dragon toy. You drop a ball through a hole in the side, it plays music, and then spits the ball out. She also is trying to pull herself up on it quite frequently too.

Day 235 - The emerging tooth.

"Gnaw, Gnaw, Gnaw. Thanks Mr. Lion, that helps."

Full on tooth action has started to occur inside Paige's mouth. It is just a little point, but it is there and going strong. I would imagine it is just a short time before she has a gap-toothed smile to show for all of her hard work. Of course, when that happens you'll be the first to know via the blog! I don't remember if this is the first appearance of Mr. Lion on the blog, but he was acquiredat FAO Schwartz last fall on our trip out to NYC for the Good Housekeeping photo shoot. For some reason she really love chewing on its tail and/or tag. I'm all for it if it keeps her from crying!

Day 234 - I'm just a traveler.

"That was a really long trip. Good thing I had all my things to keep me company, cause it was a B-O-R-I-N-G ride."

Traffic sucks coming home from up north on the weekend. Especially Fourth of July weekend. Every year you accept this fact. Well, until you are stuck in it, then you curse everyone else in the cities who decided it was a good idea to go up north.

Day 233 - Independence Day

"Fireworks do what? Do I have to be awake for that?"

Happy Fourth of July! Paige didn't quite make it to the fireworks. In fact, she slept right through all of the booms and shakes, which is quite surprising given how close we actually were to the launch site. It was a nice display, maybe not quite up to what I've come to expect from an Ely fireworks show, but nice none-the-less.

Day 232 - Shriners and Sirens

"Cool Momma, look at those little cars. Can I have one?"

We went to the Gilbert parade on Friday evening to watch what turned out to be the longest parade in history. I fully expect it to be in the Guinness Book of World Records soon. (It took 2.5 hours...). On a positive note, since it was so long, we were able to spend a long time visiting with some good friends that we had not been able to see for several years. Paige enjoyed the parade for the most part. She loved the Shriners' cars and Motorcycles, but HATED the sirens from the trucks. I don't blame her.

Day 231 - Dunkin' Babies

"Spppfftt."

The dreaded "dunk" day happened at swim class. Paige passed with flying colors. Me not so much...

Programming Note

Heading up to Ely for the annual 4th of July festivities tomorrow (well today, seeing as it is almost 1:00 a.m. Preliminary plans are to hit up the Gilbert parade on Friday, then run the 10K in Tower, possibly stay for the parade, and then head back to the cabin. I am unsure of whether I'll have internet access via my blackberry or not, so I would assume this will be the last post until Monday at the earliest. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Tar and feather and English oppressor if you see one!

Day 230 - American Baby

"Ok, I'll smile for you Daddy, but only because you asked nicely."

July? Seriously? Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that it is already July. We are more than half way through 2009 already. Paige will be 8 months old in just shy of two weeks. That is 2/3 of a year old if anyone is keeping a running tally using fractions.

Thankfully I was able to get a photograph in her Fourth of July outfit for the day. The large number 4 on her toy was a random bonus. It just so happened that when she dropped it and looked up at the camera, the 4 was sitting there perfectly. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Happy Canada Day to the few folks who have checked in on PJ 365 from the our Great White Neighbor to the North, a.k. a. America's Hat. (ok, just kidding about the hat thing...)

Day 229 - Five Minutes of Music

'Thwapp, Thwapp, Thwapp. If I knew playing music was this easy, I would have done it months ago."

Paige, hard at work at her piano. Ok, well it isn't really a piano, and the three buttons that it has don't actually play notes. They just change the sound of the simulated instrument that is being played back. Maybe someday she will like the piano.

No festive outfit today as it was in the washing machine by the time I came home from work. bummer.

Day 228 - There's no place like home

"Hey, what's that coming up right behind you?"

Her dress reminds me of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I guess not an exact replica, but similar. Plus, this is the first photo back at home after the trip to Wisconsin, so it fits just fine if you ask me. It was also the first dress in the "4th of July" line-up that Valerie picked out for Paige.

Day 227 - Beep, Beep!

"This forward motion stuff is great. You get to see where you are going!"

Paige figured out how to roll her walker forward. Next up, driver's license.

Day 226 - Face Kick

"Take that Grandpa Roger!"

Relaxing afternoon hanging out with Grandpa Roger. A couple good swift kicks to the face never hurt anyone, right? Oh, and that is Charlie hanging out next to them, a chocolate lab from down the street (Bailey's best friend).