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. :)

10 Months

What you've been up to this month:

* Your favorite game to play is chase with your daddy. You think it's so funny when he crawls after you around the house.

* You love to point at everything.

* You've even added pointing to your dancing... you'll start pointing your fingers to the sky while you bounce up and down to music. It's very cute!

* You are crazy! You are the most energetic baby I know. You always have to be on the move.

* You love to yell. Daddy says you're just warming up your vocal cords for your future singing career.

* To mommy and daddy's dismay, you've become more stubborn. You show us you're upset if we don't give you what you want.

* You can sort of say "Uhh Oh", though it sounds more like "Oh Oh."

* You took your first steps!

* You went on your first road trip. We drove through Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, California, Utah, and Wyoming. You were such a trooper in the long car rides!

* You went to Disneyland for the first time and thanks to mommy's friend Alex, you had a private meeting with Belle.

* You visited the Aquarium of the Pacific with Aunt Amy and cousins Fletcher and McKenna. You loved looking at all of the sealife.

* You like to play peak-a-boo while you're in the car seat. You'll hold the blanket over your face and pull it down when mommy says "BOO!"

* Your top two front teeth came in!

* You're getting more hair. It is very light and it has a reddish tint to it.

* Your new favorite thing to do is growl at people. Once again, I think you get this from your father. I may need to have a talk with him about this.

* You are talking more and more.

* You spent your first day in prison. Hopefully it was your last day too! :)

Wyoming Frontier Prison

* We took you to the beach for the first time. Your favorite thing to do was eat the sand. Silly girl!

* You can eat the same meals mommy and daddy eat, plus a few others (see above).

* You are showing more of an interest in cartoons.

* You have a new cousin. Cousin Jack Riley was born on July 21st.

Several people have stopped mommy and daddy to tell us how beautiful you are. We had a guy stop us twice in Vegas to tell us that you needed to be on television. Another person stopped us at the grocery store to tell us that we needed to have more kids since you're so beautiful.

I normally try not to brag, but I've come to realize that it's my job as your mother. If I did not brag about you, there would be something wrong with me! Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you have such a great personality and sweet soul. We could not be more proud!

My Long Overdue 4th of July Post

So here it is. Sorry it took me longer than a week to post these pictures. We've been out of town visiting family. Still trying to get back into the normal swing of things.

This Fourth we decided to stay home for a change. It ended up being a great idea. On Saturday night, John and Jeannie joined us for some music in the park. Each year Coralville offers a free concert at S.T. Morrison Park during the weekend of the Fourth. One year they featured the band "Guess Who"; this band is probably best known for their song "American Woman." This year they featured the "Nitty Gritty Dirt Band." To be honest, I had never heard of them, but when I mentioned it to Jeannie she jumped up in excitement. Being a true Texan, she was very familiar with the "Nitty Gritty Dirt Band." I thought -- if Jeannie knows and likes them, then it must be good!

We were not disappointed. We had a blast at the concert! These guys are probably in their 60's now, but they had so much energy on stage. When Leah wasn't busy greeting everyone around us, she loved bouncing up and down to the music. She's our little social butterfly!

Leah socializing with everyone at the concert

On the night of the Fourth, we had friends from our small group over at our house for a barbecue. That night we were able to grill our food minutes before it started to rain. We were convinced that the fireworks downtown would be cancelled. The rain let off around 9pm so we decided to walk downtown and see if they were still having the show. We stopped a police officer to ask him and he said that the show was still on. He also let us know that we could stand on a pedestrian bridge overlooking the Iowa River for the best views. We went over to the bridge and there was barely anyone there. Everyone either (1) did not know about this amazing spot OR (2) thought the show was cancelled. It was like we had front row seats! This was Leah's first fireworks show and she loved it. At first she was hesitant, did not want to be passed to Daddy, but she just stared at the lights in amazement. Not one cry!

Leah enjoying some 4th of July cupcakes

Of course, right when we walked back into our house we heard a loud sound coming from outside. When we opened the door it was pouring rain. God cleared the sky just for us to pay tribute to our wonderful country!

Leah is walking!

Leah is much more mobile these days... she has started walking around the house. Here is a video of her taking a few steps:

ROADTRIP: part one

The drive out to CA:

Stopping in Vegas:

50 Track

Ryan Dudek is nice enough to let me take one of his well maintained fifties and mess it all up. Here are a couple laps around the 50 track:

New Garage

This post is a bit overdue; but it is better late than never. The big house project this summer was the construction of our new garage. Here are some pictures:

The old garage

The new garage

9 Months

Leah got an A+ from the doctor at her 9 month checkup. Here are her stats:

Height: 27 in - 50th %

Weight: 16 lbs 9 oz - 12th %

What you've been up to this month:

* You have the most contagious laugh.

* You are definitely a mommy's girl. Where ever mommy is, you want to be.

* You are still not the best sleeper... maybe next month you'll sleep through the night? ::crossing fingers::

* You are a morning person. You love to wake up at 6am and scream, just for the heck of it. Then after an hour of doing that you'll go back to bed for two hours.

* You started swim classes with Daddy. The instructors have said that you are the most comfortable baby they've seen in the water. You're also the youngest by a couple of years!

* You can clap! If you hear someone say "Yay!" you will start to clap.

* You love to grunt... is this what daddy teaches you while mommy's at work???

* You are a climber! There have been times when we're not watching and you're half way up the stairs.

* You love to try and help load the dishwasher... though you always seem to make more of a mess!

* You've figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets. You love to grab everything and throw them on the kitchen floor. You've also figured out how to climb in the cabinets.

* You are our social butterfly. You love to wave at everyone you see.

* You still cannot walk on your own, but you love to use your walker or the laundry basket to walk around the house.

* You are no longer the youngest cousin. Cousin McKenna was born on June 17th. Next month your cousin Jack is due. Auntie Mindy is also pregnant with a new baby cousin. He or she will be born in December. So many new friends to play with!

You are such a sweet natured baby; always happy to be around. We could not be more proud to call you our own. We love you!

Fourth of July - Preview

We had such a great time staying close to home this Independence Day. I will try and post more photos later this week.

Photo Shoot

As a surprise for Father's Day, Sarah and I met up at Kent Park to do a mini photo shoot of the girls. Here are some of the images we captured:

Lakers Fan... just like her father

Leah and Norah

Leah with Brett's childhood "Teddy"

Father's Day

Last weekend was Father's Day. Leah and I took Brett to Iowa River Power Company for brunch. The food was awesome and the view was gorgeous. We also spent the evening at the Coralville pool. We had a great time spending the day together.

BRETT...

I love to lay in bed with you at night as you share your favorite stories of Leah from that day. You have been such a great father to her. I can tell from the way she says "dada" that she loves being around you. You always know how to make her laugh. Thanks for being such a natural in this role. Leah and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I love you!

8 Months

What you've been up to this month:

* You said your first word: Dada! You've also started to say mama, but only when you're upset.

* You love to wave goodbye to everyone.

* Your favorite song is the theme song for X-Files. Every time it's on you drop everything you're doing, stare at the TV, and bounce up and down.

* You love to smack your lips and say BAH BAH.

* You are able to walk around furniture.

* You love to watch daddy work in his new garage.

* You are becoming more and more attached to your mommy and daddy.

* We cannot give you any paper. If we do, you'll eat it!

* You are starting to prefer solids. You normally refuse baby food after the first few bites.

* You can drink through a straw.

* You had several other "firsts":

- First camping trip

- First boat ride

- First ride on a ski lift

- First trolley ride

- First meal at a restaurant (though the jr. pancake ended up being larger than your head!)

- First time in a pool

- First trip to Illinois

* According to Baby Center, your eye color should be set by now. That means you have either green, grey, or hazel eyes. They are so beautiful!

* When you are in your stroller you love to spread your legs as far as you can and rest them on the side bars. It makes everyone that we pass giggle.

* You love to look in the mirror at yourself and make funny faces.

* Sometimes, after you've been asleep for a few hours, I like to sneak into your room, pick you up, and rock you back and forth. And while you're in my arms I sing to you.

I love you baby girl. You make mommy and daddy so proud, each and every day, with your new accomplishments.

XOXO

Trip to Galena IL - Part 2

As Brett mentioned in his last post, for Memorial Day weekend we drove to Galena, Il for a short family vacation. We took our pop-up and stayed at a family friendly campground for three nights. (perfect camping for us - Walmart on one side for all those items we forgot and Culver's on the other side for late night ice cream runs.)

During the day we spent our time site-seeing in Galena. We had a blast learning the history of the town; in the 1800's it had a population bigger than Chicago! It was even home to President Ulysses S. Grant for a few years, whose house we were able to tour. We also took a boat ride on the Mississippi river and a ghost trolley ride around the city. Oh, and I can't forget the shopping on main street. Unfortunately for Brett, we were able to fit some shopping in for me each day!

Our Campsite

Leah had such a great time!

Some of the sites...

Trip to Galena IL

Megan, Leah, and I spent Memorial Weekend visiting Galena Illinois. Here are a few photos from the trip:

Ulysses S. Grant, Leah, and Megan:

Grant with his son:

Brett with his daughter:

Riding the Ski Lift up from the bank of the Mississippi River:

Leah playing with Daddy in the pool:

Posing for pictures in front of the oldest house in Illinois: