I look back and try to figure out why I haven't had much down time since then...and the only thing I can think of is that Erica has become a crazy little walker/runner in the house since a week or so before her birthday...and since then she hasn't stopped walking around and exploring the house at nearly every waking minute!!!
Her first bday party was a blast. We had all of Erica's grandparents at our house and by aunt and uncles from my
Mom's side, a few of my cousins and more importantly, Erica even had her great grandparents over to our house, although we did miss Laura's grandparents who were unable to make the trip from North Dakota. We had a big taco bar with 10lbs of beef for nearly 20 of us!!! And while we were eating, Erica had a surprise visit from some real princesses, courtesy of our neighbor, Tim. (He is prime minister for the St Paul winter carnival and he had a few of the princesses at his house before an event and they called to see if we want a visit for some pictures...it was awesome!!!). Erica was showered with gifts...everything from books to blocks, a baby doll to a shopping cart, and of course, lots of clothes. Her biggest gift was a swing set from Laura's parents that is now standing in the back yard. It has a slide, 2 swings and a small platform with a ladder leading to the slide, with a little enclosed place with a small door underneath that serves as a small play house. The highlight of the day was letting the birthday girl dog into her cake!!! Laura made a cake shaped like a cupcake especially for Erica to destroy...and she put a pretty big hole in it before she filled herself up with cake and frosting (everyone else had cupcakes that matched her big cake).
Since her birthday, April and May have gone by in a blink!!! In April, I was gone for 2 weekends in a row at the end of the month to go 4 wheeling at the cabin and turkey hunting (I bagged a nice Tom this spring!!! I pretty much had to shoot it in self defense as it came in for a landing about 20 feet from me after flying away from being shot at by Dan Hopkins on the other side of the field I was sitting on!!!). I brought home one hell of a cold that weekend two...and since the last weekend in April, one of the 3 of us has pretty much been fighting the cold!!! Over Memorial Day weekend last weekend, we were trying to help Erica fight a 102 degree fever and a rash. Not fun...especially when the weather turns warm and hits 80 degrees for the first time since last September!!!
For the sake of time...and, I'm sure your angry at me for not updating this blog at least once in the past 2 months...I'll provide a few snapshots of the things Erica has been up to lately:
- she is a runner! She runs/staggers around the house and babbles the whole time. If she is not pushing or pulling a toy behind her, she is carrying something in a hand!
- she is now eating all normal people food. She loves chicken, strawberries, green beans and cheese.
- she loves tormenting her puppy, Lexi!!! She sits with Lexi in her kennel, picks at her food while she eats and takes her toys. Although they truly love each other, Erica giggles when she bugs her but Lexi is a trooper and let's her get away with a lot of crap. It's cute...if they are apart for a day or 2, both girls get moapy and appear lonely...and then they are so excited when they are back together again...Lexi doesn't eat normal and Erica appears lonesome. Adorable!!!
- Erica's favorite toys are anything mom and dad have with buttons. Whether it's stopping the dishwasher cycle, cell phones, computer, cable tv receiver or her toys, she loves pushing buttons and hearing electronics at work.
- she is developing a great personality and sense of humor. She is a trooper when she is sick because she isn't too crabby but just wants to be held. She still laughs and plays, but gets more clingy. She has recently started noticing that her actions cause us to laugh, so she sees our reaction and giggles herself and tries to keep us smiling at her expense.
- lately she is becoming a climber. She is trying to lift her leg/foot onto anything just to see if she can get on top of it. She tries the couch, her toys, the dishwasher door, chair legs...everything!!
- she loves being outside!!! She loves her swing set and water table (an activity table that holds water for her to stand next to and play in). She would be outside for hours if we let her!!!
- she loves shopping with daddy!!! Of course, we go to cool stores like Gander Mountain, Cabelas and Home Depot...and she loves it! N she sits in the cart and we make faces at each other. She's very helpful at holding things, putting things in the cart and drawing lots of attention from other shoppers with her babbling and cuteness!!!
- lastly, we are getting a nice addition to our yard for our girls...Lexi and Erica are getting a fence!!! We will have a black, chain link fence that will enclose our backyard, hopefully by the end of this month! That way, our girls will both be safe and free to run around in their yard!!!
I'm sure there's a lot more that I've missed, but that will have to do for now. I'm sorry this was so delayed and I'm even more sorry for my lack of pictures. I got a new phone last week and I hardly have any pics on here now, let alone snapshots of the past few months. I'll try to get some on here soon!!! Until then, these few will have to do....but of course, thanks so much for checking in and seeing how Erica's life has gone over the past few months!!! Take care!!!
Real food!!
Bath time with Lexi
Sharing a bed time snack with daddy
Daddy and grandpa building a new fence on the cliff at the lake to help keep Erica a little safer
Erica playing with her water table on the deck
Erica's first bike ride in the carrier...we pretty much got this for free while Laura was pregnant...our goal is to go on bike rides a lot this summer!
Erica's personality at play...take that mommy!!!
Erica's swing set in the yard
Well you know what they say.......Better Late Than Never! This Grandma knows all about good intentions. :)
ReplyDeleteGrandpa Russ and I hope she enjoys the swing set for several years. I know that the water table Uncle Brett and Aunt Carissa gave her was a hit. Lexi I know makes use of it!!! But the backyard fence will be the biggest and best thing of all. Will offer both Erica and Lexi a little independence when outside. Gives parents peace of mind as well. Hope the backyard provides some good times that translate into great memories.
ReplyDeleteCute and informative update-FINALLY!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt'll continue to be lots of fun with that sweet little girl.
Grandma Barb