I’ve been meaning to write these down as they happen, but of course, time flies when you are having fun…
Bella’s started saying a few words…I think her first ones were DaDa and Home. She also says Hi, Up, Down, MaMa and this morning I got a Bye-Bye 🙂 She loves making animal sounds, especially quacking like a duck (although it is more like CLACK, CLACK when she says it…), for a fish she smacks her lips together and for a cow, she blows (or more like spits through her lips with a BBBB sound (not really sure why? we always say moo – but this is the sound she has decided a cow makes…) She also recently tried to oink and cheep to a book we have with Daddy, but these sounds are few and far between at the moment.
She is definitely getting into “toddlerhood” – and gets very frustrated and angry when she doesn’t get her way. She will point and scream when she wants something, and continue doing so until you either give it to her or distract her with something else. She is also learning to test our boundaries. She knows that certain areas of the house are off-limits, but will go up to the stairs and climb the first step, look at you and shake her head “no”…but we still have to go get her and bring her down. I guess after the millionth time it might sink in. 🙂
She is still trying very hard to walk. She will stand up, so proud, and take about 7 steps and then crash to her knees. She loves walking all over holding onto an adult finger, but is still pretty iffy about going more than a few steps on her own.
Her first Birthday is coming up this week (I can’t believe it!!! This year has gone by SO fast!) I think we are going to either go to the beach or make a trip to the zoo for a small family celebration.
Since Jeremy had a conference in Austin this summer, we decided to take advantage and go and visit Aunt Sissy, Uncle Charlton and the kids for a week. We had SO much fun!! Bella really enjoys “playing” with her cousins – they even taught her how to play peek-a-boo with her hands. 
We went to the pool, and to a indoor play area (it is 100 degrees here, so water or A/C are pretty key…) but I think everyone’s favorite was hanging out on Chrissie and Charlton’s boat on Lake Travis. We spent two glorious afternoons on the water. The boys tubed and Connor skied and we swam in a cove with the kids and friends (Lie Hao, Lisa and Mandy joined on Sunday!). The Lake is sooooo relaxing, and Bella LOVES the water. She didn’t even mind it when I dunked her a couple of times on Monday. (Of course, I counted with her to warn her…it was hot, I was trying to cool her off, not be mean 🙂 The breeze and whirring of the boat motor along with the 
gentle vibrations of the boat skipping over the water put her to sleep for a nice long nap both afternoons. She has really taken to the bath tub during this trip as well (we still bathe her in the sink at home…but I think that is going to have to change…) Every time we go into Chandler’s bathroom, she crawls to the tub and points and grunts. It is so funny – one day we took two baths, and she was thrilled. On Tuesday, Grammy and Go-Go came in from Houston to visit as well. We all went to Going Bananas (an indoor playground), and the kids loved it. Chrissie was so kind to open up her house and we cooked a big family dinner on Wednesday night with everyone, even Paul & Taruko joined. All in all, it was a great trip, despite the crazy July Texas heat (I think I have been totally Californified to weather – I had forgotten how insanely hot it can be in TX in the summer :).