Our Little Chatter Box

Leah continues to change right before our eyes. She is communicating with us more and more (or at least trying to communicate more and more).

Signs you know:

-eat

-milk

-more

-all done

-tired

Words you know:

- Mama

- Dada

- Baba (bottle)

- Wawa (water)

- Book (but without the "k")

- Paci (but it sounds more like "Pa" without the "ci")

- Baby

- Chip

- Cookie

- Cracker

- Hi

- Bye

- Yes (whenever we tell you no)

- Uh Oh

- Nana (banana)

- Night Night

- Hat

- Shoes

- Car

- All done

Sounds you know:

-Woof Woof for dog

-Meow for cat

-Moo for cow

-Baa for sheep

-Grrr for lion, bear

-Naah for horse

-Quack for duck

-Beep Beep for car

Merry Christmas

Wishing your family a Blessed Christmas.

With love,

The Coppenger's

Happy Birthday Leah!

Height: 29.5 in (59%)

Weight: 17 lb 8 oz (5%: you are Daddy's petite little girl!)

Dr. Loeb told us that even though you are small, developmentally you are very advanced. You have already reached the physical and mental benchmarks of a 15-18 month old. Being 6 months ahead when you are only 12 months old is very impressive!

What you've been up to this month:

* You started gymnastics. You are a pro at crawling through the tunnels, but you're still unsure about jumping on the trampoline and into the foam pit.

* You love to say hi to everyone... one, two, even three times until you get their attention.

* You love climbing the stairs, even when mom and dad tell you no. When we say no, it always sounds like you are saying yes back.

* You love to play with mommy's makeup.

* You're attention span seems to be getting better. You can sit down to read a few pages from a book (before you start trying to eat the book).

* You know what sounds a doggy makes. If you hear a dog barking, you will start barking along with it.

* You still get confused for a boy (but probably only because daddy dresses you).

* You prefer your bottle over your sippie cup.

* There was a recall on your formula so we transitioned you over to whole milk a few weeks early.

* You love to try and climb up the slides at the park.

* You named your doll 'baby' and will go find her when we ask "where is baby?"

* You love to play your piano; with one hand, two hands, two hands and a foot, or even your butt!

* You can walk all the way to the park without having to be carried at all!

I can't believe you are already a year old. You are such a big girl now. Your father and I have been blessed beyond words these last 12 months. Thank you for being a wonderful daughter. We can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the years to come.

11 Months

What you've been up to this month:

* You’re dancing skills have improved! You’ve added some hip action to your dance repertoire.

* Your new favorite song is "Baby Leah" (aka "Silly Willy").

* You are a pro at walking now.

* Your favorite places to explore are the refrigerator, pantry, and bathroom... of course, all of the places you’re not allowed!

* You're sleeping through the night 90% of the time.

* You learned a new word: BABA = bottle.

* We can finally have peaceful dinners together. We purchased a new booster seat for you. This one actually keeps you in! No more standing on the high chair or climbing out.

* You’ve learned how to sign “all done.”

* You love to play with your BFF Norah. You always have a big smile on your face when daddy drops you off at Sarah's on Tuesday's.

* You love your fruits and vegetables. A few of your favorites are bananas, grapes, and peas.

* You know how to turn off the lights.

* You went to the Iowa State Fair for the first time.

* You are such a social butterfly. You love saying hi and good bye to complete strangers, e.g., the lady behind us at the check-out register and the man walking his dog across the street.

* You love love LOVE music.

* You have learned to climb onto the couch.

* You're even a pro at getting off the couch, bed, or anything high up. You've figured out that you must go down with your feet first.

* You hate loud noises, especially the vacuum and blender.

* You got four new teeth this month!

* You love when mommy brushes your teeth. You think it’s so silly!

* You love giving kisses. Actually, I just overheard your dad lecturing you on this. This is what he said: "You know someday, Leah, you'll learn that giving open mouth kisses is not always appropriate." :)

WOW... just one more month till you turn one! Where has the time gone?! We love you!

ROADTRIP: part two

We made it!

We had so much fun in California visiting with all of our family and friends. To add even more excitement to our trip, we were able to take Leah to the Aquarium of the Pacific and Disneyland. Here are some photos from our visit:

Leah with her Cousin Fletcher

Leah with her favorite princess.... BELLE!
Mickey's House

Unfortunately our plan to take Leah on some rides at Disneyland was cut short. During the four hours we were there, we only went on two rides. The first ride was The Pirates of the Caribbean. The second ride was The Scary Adventures of Snow White. As you can see in the first picture below, I made the mistake of feeding Leah some crackers on the ride. Within minutes of stepping off the ride Leah threw-up. After that, we decided that we would spend the rest of our time walking around the shops. We still had a great time and we can't wait to go back next year when Leah can appreciate it a little more. :)