Just a couple of cute pics to post...

We took these pictures over the weekend. Jetta found her sunglasses, and decided she wanted to wear them. The funny part is.....since her nose is so tiny, if she turns her head, the sunglasses turn too...it's pretty funny. However, she doesn't seem mind wearing them. I'm hoping to get her to wear them a little more before we head to CA next month, as I think she'll want them while we're there.

Also, check out her shirt.....one of my friends gave me this shirt and she knows how much Jetta loves Elmo and she is finally big enough to wear it. She was pretty darn excited when we put it on.

Then the last pictures are her in her jacket, her had and shades. Now all we need is snow. We haven't really had much to speak of, but we're just getting her ready for her first time out on the slopes.....just kidding. However, in the picutre, all she needs are some ski poles and I think she is an ad in the making.

She is just getting so darn big. She is finally starting to wear some 18 month clothes, which I guess is about time, since she's nearly 23 months old. Her final two teeth (other than her final molars that won't come in for a bit) have finally poked through. They were tough....I truly think it took nearly a month for them to pop thru. So, she almost has a full set of teeth. Not only does she have a full mouth of teeth, but she has a pretty full vocabulary. A week or two ago I did a list of words that she knows and came up with over 170. I had been thinking she was around 100, so it was with pleasant surprise that I discovered she knew more. She's starting to put some of the words together into short sentences, so I think we're getting pretty close to her actually talking and then I think I'm in for it. Other than that, she is just growing like crazy and is quickly approaching that two year mark.

We will be taking a trip to Peoria this coming weekend to go to a Chinese New Years celebration and then the next weekend to Chicago to meet up with some of our travel mates. I'll have more to post after that. Then we're almost to our one year anniversary of getting Jetta....hard to believe and then just a few short weeks later she'll turn two......where has the time gone.

Well, I'm gonna close for now, as we're home today, she has been running a fever and is wanting some snuggle time. I feel very lucky, this is the first time she's been sick since we got her and already seems to be perking up a bit.....So, hope you enjoy the pictures.

Oh to have that much energy....

The video that is attached is Jetta and all her energy. She makes me tired just watching her. As you'll see, I try to get her to stop, but she just keeps going....kind of like the energizer bunny. She seems to enjoy running around the kitchen island and being silly. I wish I had half her energy....after you watch the video you'll understand what I'm saying.

Uncle Matt Visits.....

We traveled to Peoria last weekend to see Uncle Matt. Uncle Matt is Shannon's brother who lives in Florida. We haven't seen him for some time, so it was very nice to see him. He came home to visit and just hang out. We were very excited for him to finally meet Jetta. We send him pictures and he calls often and has talked to her, but hasn't had the chance to meet her in person. They seemed to enjoy meeting each other. We got a few good pictures of them together and just wanted to post them. I'm glad we got to see Uncle Matt, but also very glad he got to meet Jetta.

Little Gym....

When we came home from China I wanted to get Jetta into some sort of program that incorporated tumbling, gymnastics and other activities, in order to get her use to being in a group, as well as active.

After talking with a friend, I decided that the Little Gym might just be the place to go. We went for our first visit back in April or May and have not stopped going since. We go once a week and each week the kids learn new activities, explore all the gym equipment, and just get to run around and be kids. Jetta absolutely loves it. She has learned many great things since starting and some not so great things. The not so great thing is the ability to hang from a bar and not be afraid.

You might be wondering why that is not such a great thing. Well, long story short, it has given Jetta the confidence to climb out of her crib! Since she knows how to hang on the uneven bars at Little Gym, and once her arms tire that you just drop down. Well, that provided a great platform for her to crawl out of her crib. She doesn't take the easy route, by that I mean, climbing over the front rail....nope, not my little dare devil. She opts to climb over the end that isn't against the wall. Since the end rails are taller and rounded (kind of like a sleigh bed), she is able to get up over it, grab the rounded edge, hold on and drop to the floor without a problem. I'm surprised when she lands she does say "ta da"....as you'll see in one of the pictures I'll attach, she loves to say "ta da" when she finishes up something and it should be a "ta da" moment.

So, now, she has figured out how to climb out and makes her way across the house and knocks on my bedroom door at 3:30 in the morning, saying "mommy". Fortunately she has only done this twice, but none the less, not something I was hoping she'd figure out.

So, long story short, Little Gym has been great for building confidence and the ability to climb out of the crib. All joking aside, the Little Gym is great, we love it and as you'll see in the pictures, she just finished her last session, got her medal and has already started her next class. I look forward to her continuing to grow and developing more skills, which by the way, she walks across the balance beam on her own and will jump off the end (of course only when Shannon or I are there to catch her). I think I might have a little gymnast on my hands. She's still a little young to put her in an official program, but if she continues to show interest in another year or so, I will get her into an actual gymnastic program.

Here are a few pics from her last session, such a big girl.... however, notice the ribbon holding up her pants.....yep, my almost 22 month baby needs something to hold up her 12 to 18 month pants. She can still wear some 12 month pants, but they are starting to get a bit short, but 18 month pants are perfect for length, but definitely require a belt (wrapped around her twice). She's is finally almost 24 lbs and 32 inches tall. So, she has gained nearly 10 lbs since we came home 10 months ago (today) and 3 or so inches. I guess that would explain why the 12 month pants are to short. Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

1 to 13 in 21 months....

Well, Jetta finally got it figured out and is now able to count to 11 without missing a number, she finally decided that she knew 6 & 7. She can count to 13, but still misses 12. Despite missing 12, I think she is doing really well, being able to count to 13 in 21 months. Really, in 1o months, since that is how long she has been hearing English. I'm so proud of her and how well she is doing. I'm gonna post a video of her counting.....as I think it's very cute to listen to her and her adorable little voice. I hope you enjoy it too.