NEWSFLASH!!

My daughter is tall! I'm going to make a big deal out of this because this will probably be the only time I ever can. At her almost-eight-month-old checkup, the nurse weighed and measured little Squeak, and it turns out that she's 28 inches tall (95th percentile, caramba!!) She's a bit on the thin side--15 lbs 5 oz (25th percentile), skinnier than her weight at 4 1/2 months, which was 16 lbs 3 oz. Well, what can I say, she's crawling all over the place and constantly waving her arms and legs around. She also loves to sport that big, cheesy grin. She's just busy, busy, busy. If that doesn't make you lose weight, what does? I'm dropping weight just trying to keep up with her. What a fun baby! Another newsworthy tidbit--she has two teeth.

More belated Thanksgiving fun

We also enjoyed storytime with Aunt Julissa and Michael Anne (check out those lips!!) and cuddling with Louise. Squeak was especially grateful that her cousins loaned her the Peter Rabbit suit, which made those frigid nights much more bearable. She's still using it in Arizona on those morning runs with Mom.

Thanksgiving Vacation in Utah

We had a lovely drive up north, during which Squeak was the most amazing traveler she's ever been. Yippeee! We stopped in Kanab, where she got to practice standing on D's hands. A few days after our arrival, we were able to have a meeting with the founders of the D & T Fan Club. S was serenaded by Uncle Tom (Guadalajara!) and spent some snuggle time with Aunt Stacey.

Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple

D took a few hours off over Christmas break (which wasn't much of a break for the poor students because it was in the middle of the quarter) and we went to see the lights. I especially enjoyed the special palm fronds which I initially thought were real but later discovered were plastic thingys with lights attached and the whole thing was fastened to the palm tree. The flaming camels were pretty cool too. Squeak loved being in the backpack hanging out with the folks. The folks had fun trying to figure out the digital camera. Ah, I almost forgot to mention D's favorite part (besides this stunning photo he took of me)--the mariachi band singing Christmas tunes.

more baby photos

When she was just a little baby...

Squeak was photographed by her auntie Karen when she was just two weeks old.

a tribute to my favorite toothless grin

D has new clothes!

The school has a "white coat" ceremony after students complete their first term. They make it into a big deal, but we think the real accomplishment is after students pass the two years of classes. Anyway, here we are with D's new white coat.

Postpartum fallout--when will it ever end??

So I had a baby six months ago and I'm still losing hair. What's up? Am I going to go bald? I get handfuls of hair in my comb every time I shower. It's all over my pillow and sheets. It's all over the carpet. It's wrapped around my kid's hands every time she scoots across the floor. YUCK!! I wish I had chopped off ten inches and donated it to Locks of Love back in June, when my hair was long and thick and healthy. If anyone has a word of advice on how to make this "phase" end, I welcome your comments!

I'm very adamant about not allowing Squeak to watch any TV or movies (for at least a few years). After reading this article, I'm glad, even though it would be so easy to stick her in front of a screen so I could get more done. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15499211/