I Met Santa!

It was last Sunday - only the second day into December - and The Holidays were in full force. Our whole family was bitten by the Christmas bug, so where better to experience the season than at The Mall. The whole place was decked out in sparkling tinsel, garland, and lights (OK, it's been that way since October), and at the center of it all was Santa! Mommy sat me on his great big, cushy lap, I looked straight into his jolly eyes, and I grabbed a whole fistful of his soft, white beard. It was magical! Daddy explained that he isn't the real Santa, but it was sure neat to meet his likeness.

Today, I'm helping Benji and his moms pick out a Christmas tree for their house. We're going to a u-pick tree farm, and I get to ride on a tractor and everything! It's a pretty day with blue skies and sunshine, so I'm excited to get out there in the fresh, brisk air. Afterwards, Mommy has to do some Christmas shopping, so we'll brave the crowds for awhile.

Since my last post, we got a new camera. We're still mourning the loss of the missing memory cards, which contained pictures of many firsts. For example, my first messy bites of solid food; my first Thanksgiving; my first time sitting up in the big bathtub; the first time I knealed in my crib and peeked out through the slabs while Mommy laughed at how funny I was. Not to mention, there were just lots of great shots of me being 5, 6, 7-months old. Sob. Sniffle. Booooo hoooooooo. :-(

But, I've still got a lot of firsts ahead of me; we're constantly making new memories, and my parents are capturing as much as they can on film. Have I mentioned that I am absolutely itching to crawl? I can bring myself to the crawling position, and I kind of rock back and forth, but I'm just not quite able to move forward yet. It's only a matter of time, though. In the meantime, I scoot and roll all over the place. If I need to get to something, I'll figure out a way.

I'm still talking up a storm. I've increased my vocabulary quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. For example, every time I see Norman the kitty, I delightfully squeal "keeeeeeeeeee!" Mom thinks that's my word for "kitty" but I use it for anything that makes me happy. I am fond of saying "yayayaya" as well as "yiyiyiyiyi" (long i sound, like eye). When I first wake up in the morning, I lay in my crib chattering away.

That's about all I have to report for today. We finally have a few new pictures to share. Aren't I getting big? My hair is almost long enough to put into a barrette. It sticks straight up, all fluffy and chicky-ish. Oh, I'm such a lovable baby girl!