Playing Around

Tori loved riding around in her giant diaper box the other day.  Bella also really wanted to jump in there with her, but there wasn't THAT much room!  After all, Tori is a big girl- almost 19 lbs.

At first she wasn't so sure about the "box-car".

Here she is playing with a cloth shopping bag.  I've noticed that the older she gets, the less interested she is in her own toys and will play with anything else....dog toys and paper are 2 items she will try her hardest to get.  She liked this bag too.
A little Easter Duckie!  This one would quack when you squeeze it.  She liked it, but not as much as her Peter Cottontail book:-) (Thanks Grammy Z!)

One Sunny Day

Yesterday was the first sunny and warm day we've had in a while.  So we played on our front yard a bit with Tori.  The lawn is still kind of prickly "winter" grass, so she didn't really sit there too long, but she loves to be outside when it's warm and loves to look at all the trees and budding flowers when we take her on walks.  And she even has a new sun hat to grow into this summer!

Nothing like grass between the toes- just wait till Spring, Toribug!

A little snooze in her snuggle sleep sack.  Now that she doesn't insist on being swaddled for sleeping, we love using this blanket that she can be zipped into.  What a little angel- no one would guess from that picture that she hates going down for naps!

Grammy Sue's Wedding

Tori had a big day on March 7th.  She was a guest at her Grammy Sue's (Kris's mom) wedding!

 

Here are Mama and Tori with the wide mouth smile- I'm sure we were laughing at something funny Daddy was doing when taking the picture!

Tori wore her little barrette for the first time in her tiny tuft of hair.  It's my feeble attempt to calm her mohawk.  She does like to pull it out of her hair- but it looks sooooo CUTE!

Tori and Daddy get ready for family pictures- Daddy looked good all dressed up and so did Tori.
This is the 2nd time Tori has met her Great Grandpa Oscar and Joan (Sue's parents)  She got to meet lots of family that day and did an amazing job with so many new faces, sitting still and not getting her naps in.  In fact, she knew all the best times during the service to raise her little voice!  She especially loved the singing and music in the service. 

Story Time with Daddy

Tori is lots of fun to play with now that she is so pro at sitting up.  Her favorite toy right now are the jingle blocks that Carla Sargent made for her.  Daddy will stack them up high and she will knock them down as fast as she can!
She also loves to shake them and listen to the jingle, or even throw them!  Watch out- those blocks can get some distance!
Daddy reads to Tori before she goes to bed at night or before her afternoon nap.  Here he is reading her "Snuggle Puppy" , one of our favorite board books.  Although you wouldn't think it, judging from Tori's expression....lately, all she really wants to do is chew on the books.
And this is Daddy reading to Tori back in August, when she was still brand-new.  But she still liked listening to her Daddy read to her.  In fact, Kris would read to Tori in the NICU on most of his visits.  The nurses thought it was funny that the book he read to her was "Great Gatsby".  But I think what she really loved was the sound of his voice.  There is nothing like the comfortable sound of your Daddy's voice:-)

Love is patient, love is kind...

Happy Valentines!  The day may have passed a few weeks ago, but the theme was celebrated all month long in our house.  Tori sent out Valentines to her Grammy, and 2 of her Great-Grandmas, her auntie Jenn and Maddie, her Godmother and Uncle Jon.  The cute picture of her in the red dress was the cover for each Valentine.  And for Valentines Day, Mama got Tori a pink heart balloon, which she loves to play with, usually at the changing table.  In these pictures taken today, you can see the balloon isn't quite as full as it used to be, so Tori can grab it and pull it and swing it around.  It makes a neat noise too! 

 

Here she is peeking over the balloon...  what a joy it is watching her discover our world a little bit more each day.

Hooded Bath Towels are Best

When Tori was born, I couldn't wait to swaddle my sweet smelling baby girl in a  fluffy hooded towel after a nice bath.  Instead ,baths turned into quite an ordeal for the first few months, because we had to unhook the oxygen, take the stickies off her face, bathe her quickly so she didn't get chilled....it wasn't exactly what I imagined bathtime would be like.  

Eventually though, she got bigger, and stronger, able to breathe on her own and now enjoys her nightly bath quite a lot.  The first picture is from early August '08, shortly after she came home from the hospital.   The doggy towel is about 2 months later, and the two  pictures after that are Tori and I just after tonight's bath!  So you can see how far she has come- it is really amazing how well she has grown.  That last picture is also an early one, and notice she is barely filling out the hood- now it fits her head almost perfectly.  The doggy hooded towel is almost too small now- but it's still so cute!  One thing hasn't changed in these 8 1/2 months: check out that terrified expression on her face- she is not a fan of the camera flash or the red eye reduction light..... the smiles you see on film are ones not easily caught, so enjoy!  Of course, she is much more relinquishing of her smiles with actual people, as opposed to the camera. Thank Goodness- her smiles are the highlight of my day!

A Snowy Day at Mt. Ashland

We decided to go to Mt. Ashland at the end of January, figuring this would be a fun adventure for Tori.  Well, the snow that was there was pretty old and icy, but we managed to find a little path to walk along where Tori could see some  snow and grab a few handfuls.  Still hoping to have some snow in the Valley that will stick this year, but we'll have to wait and see.  One thing is for sure: much more of this snow play and Tori will need some little mittens!  She seems to really love being outside and experiencing new temperatures, seeing new scenery, and didn't even mind the drive too much.