Swimming Lessons

Sophie started swimming lessons today at the Sunshine Swim School. There was only one other baby in her class so we got lots of individual attention from the instructor. In the first class Sophie learned how to blow bubbles, glide on her belly, roll onto her back, froggy jump in from the side, and she even went all the way under the water and didn't cry when she came up! We also sang lots of songs like the Hokey Pokey and the Wheels on the Bus, and we did fun little hand motions and made lots of splashing while we sang. We can't wait for our next lesson!

11 months old

We've almost finished our first year of Pooh Bear pictures. It's been getting harder the past couple of months to get Sophie to sit still long enough to capture a good picture! Today she wanted to stand next to Pooh while on the rocking chair, but I managed to capture this one first. So what is Sophie up to these days? She loves to fake sneeze. She throws her head forward and blows a raspberry at the same time. Then she looks up to see the reaction, which of course encourages her to do it again. She's not walking on her own yet, but she is talking a lot more. She says duck, dog, ball, hot, "nunnin" (Pumpkin), and of course mama and dada. She also snaps her fingers, but she can't make the sound yet. It's been fun watching her snap her fingers at the cats when she knows they're being naughty, which happens a lot more now that they are both indoors all the time. As much as Sophie has been growing and changing, we're very happy that her affectionate nature has remained. She continues to shower us with hugs and kisses, and she's learning baby sign language and quickly picked up the sign for love!

Bangs

My hairdresser told me that barrettes hurt babies and that I shouldn't put them in Sophie's hair, but what was I to do about it always hanging in her eyes? The answer turned out to be a new do! Sophie went to the salon and got a trim, and now she has real baby bangs! We don't count this as her first real haircut since there wasn't even enough to save, but it sure does make her look older and different. She's still a cutie pie to me, even if she doesn't get to wear the adorable barrettes anymore.

The Best Bottle

Sophie discovered the best bottle ever today in the fridge. She wondered why mommy and daddy had been holding out on her and giving her those boring formula bottles. This bottle was much tastier and made neat sounds. It was a little more difficult to get the "milk" out, but every little taste was pure delight!

First Real Boo-boo

This morning Sophie was playing by the front door. This door is unique because you can see out of it, but to a person on the outside you can't see in. So when Andy came in from the front yard, he didn't see that Sophie was standing up against the door watching him. Well, the door flew open and out went Sophie - head first onto the welcome mat. She got a nice rug burn on the side of her face, and her screams told us she was not happy about it! After washing it and putting some Neosporin on the mark, she's back to her old self. We're just glad she got her picture with the Easter Bunny on Thursday and that we didn't wait until the weekend to do it!!

Tucson Moms Easter Egg Hunt

Sophie and I joined the Tucson Moms - a group of moms with kids born in 2005 and 2006. We meet every Wednesday for group playdates, one evening a month for moms night out, and one weekend day a month for family day. Today we had an Easter egg hunt at the park. Sophie had her very own Easter basket, and she even found an egg. Of course, once she had that egg she wasn't too interested in finding any others. In fact, she was quite content to sit and hold that egg, examining it and shaking it, wondering just what it was!

Passover

Sophie got to enjoy her first Passover seder this week! She was very well behaved and enjoyed being passed around the table while we read the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. She also had her first taste of matzoh ball soup, which I am proud to say she gobbled right up! She's not quite ready to read the four questions or search for the Affikomen, but before we know it, she and Zoe will be racing each other to get to it first, and get the reward!

Teeth

Sophie is what I consider a slow teether. She's had just 2 teeth for more than 2 months now, and it looks like it will still be awhile before any others come through. That doesn't mean we don't take care of the two that she has now! Every morning mommy brushes Sophie's teeth with yummy berry flavored toothpaste. Then Sophie finishes the job herself while mommy brushes her own teeth. Sophie knows that you're supposed to spit when you brush, but she hasn't quite figured out that you spit in the sink, not on the mirror, counter, or mommy!