Happy Halloween!

Bailey's first "real" Halloween this year. Last year she wore a pumpkin t-shirt; this year she was a lion. We headed to Scott and Jenn's for a little bit of football (Vandals won!), a little bit of chilli and cornbread, and a little bit of trick or treating. Lots of kids were there at Max and Magnus' house: Max and Milo, Lucy and Mina, Josephine, Olive and Henry. It was crazy! We didn't bother with a candy bucket for Bailey, but she loved walking around in the dark. She did a good job of holding someone's hand while in the street. With so many people in our group - about 20 - she would look up and see who she was next to before she grabbed their hand. Next year I think we will let her get some candy! But mostly for Mom and Dad.

15-month doctor visit

Today we went to see Bailey's pediatrician for her 15-month well-baby visit. Many other kids were sick in the waiting room, as the flu and (H1N1) has come early this year, so we waited in another room.

Bailey was 31 inches long (75th percentile) and weighed 20 lbs 6 0z (15th percentile). She grew 2 inches and gained only one pound in 3 months! Which, apparently, is normal on the growth curve. Bailey checked out well in all area's!

Bailey got her flu shot today. Since this is the first year she is eligible to have the seasonal flu shot, she will have to get a second dose in 3 weeks. Hopefully she can stay healthy this flu season.

Big shoes, little girl

Bailey is 15 months old this week. She is so fun and we just love seeing what she'll come up with next. She has been into putting our shoes on her feet and-trying to-walk around. She can get a few steps before she comes out of them.

Bailey has been saying a few words. Besides the usual Mama and Dada, some others are:

"ball" (baaa)

"book" (booo)

"uh-oh"

"up"

"hot" (haaa) - while touching food cautiously with fingers spread

And her favorite noise to make is a quick, high pitched "mmhhh" with an inflection that makes it sound like she is saying "ok?" or "yes?" or "more?" Will try to post some video of that later.

First Owie

Bailey and Daddy were walking outside behind the condo a couple of weeks ago and Bailey fell and scraped up her knee. It was her first owie. Daddy cleaned it out and put a band-aid on it, but she took the band-aid right off. That night, she kept pulling up her pajama pants to look at her knee. And if you asked her where her owie was, she would gladly show you.

Bailey the Daredevil!

Look at the look on her face! She looks like she is up to no good! She has been climbing up on anything since Sept. 20th, after she took a spill at the zoo, which is kind of ironic. Climbing on the sit and spin, the couch, the first stair (to the gate), the bed, her Elmo car...anything!

Fun in the Water

Another warm day in Boise in September. Mid-80's on Daddy's birthday! Definitely above normal temperatures this week. Bailey went to the Market with Nana and played in the fountain at the Grove. Then back to Nana and Papa's to run through the sprinkler this morning. Bailey would run through, turn around, and go right back through. She stuck her finger in the hose and sprayed her face, only to smile and do it again. She is our water baby! We need to get her in some swim lessons!

Bailey at the Computer

Bailey has been wanting to get up in our desk chair and work on the computer. We put her up there last week and she was hard at work, reading her Google reader and listening to Tony Kornheiser's podcast. She is a Geek-in-Training!

Mom and Dad Camping Trip

We decided to get at least one camping trip in this season, even if it was just overnight. We drove north to Silver Creek and camped at the Silver CreektPlunge, where they also have a pool filled with hot springs water. We found a nice, shady, quiet campsite and set up before taking off for a hike. Boy was it hot for mid-September! We were hiking in 90 degrees AND we forgot our trekking poles at camp. We decided to turn around earlier than we expected...TJ just wasn't feeling the best after a heavy lunch and the heat was taking its toll.

We went back to camp and headed for the pool to cool off...well, kind of. The pool was like swimming in a hot tub. But it still felt great, especially when we got out, with the water evaporating from our skin, cooling us right down.

Back to camp to change and start a fire. We had two different fire starters, and it took about a half and hour to light the fire! After cursing Bear Grylls (who lights a fire with a flint and steel in 2-3 tries) and getting some "bear hair" in the mix, TJ finally got a flame and kept it lit. Just threw a couple of logs on, as we wanted to get some red hot coals for hot dog and marshmellow cooking.

For a 90 degree day, it sure cooled off once the sun went down. I was pretty cold with 3 layers on and TJ only had on a long sleeve shirt, but was fine. We watched the sun go down and Jupiter rise. With binoculars, we could see 3 of Jupiter's moons. We also saw the International Space Station and another satellite cross the sky. The number of stars seen with the unaided eye was just incredible. It has been a long time since we had seen stars like that; there is no chance to see that in Connecticut.

Slept toasty all bundled up in our mummy bags and enjoyed our new 4-person tent which allowed us to bring an air mattress. (Hey, we were car camping.) We didn't want to get up too early, as it would still be cold, so we slipped in and out of consciousness as the sun came up and warmed our tent. It was 9:30 before we got up! We made bacon and fried eggs on our camping stove, packed up and headed south. One short hike toward Rattlesnake Point before we headed back to Boise. This time we remembered our poles and we sure enjoyed them. It was a steep hike.

Hats, Hats, Hats

Bailey has a thing for hats. She finds them all around the house. Mom's hats, dad's hats, her hats. She even puts things that aren't hats onto her head....like underwear! Everything is a hat to her. She puts them on her head and walks around in circles looking at everyone in the room, strutting her stuff. It is really funny when she puts on a hat, and grabs her purse, then walks around.

Running Through the Fountain

We took Bailey to Ann Morison Park one evening this week for a dinner picnic and play time on the playground. While we were there, we stopped by the fountain. TJ decided to have a little fun and run Bailey through the fountain's spray. She loved it! She giggled and squealed as the cool water sprinkled her face.