Delia's 1 Year Pictures

We had a professional photographer come to the house last weekend to take pictures of the kids. Even though Delia wasn't in the best of moods, the pictures turned out GREAT!! Here are some of our favorites:

Birthday Party Extravaganza

Delia had three separate birthday parties this year---one for family and one for each of our two playgroups. Needless to say, she quickly became a pro at eating cupcakes. John created a video montage of the events. Also, I've attached some of the cutest pictures from the parties. Enjoy!

1 Year Check-Up

I took Delia to the doctor this afternoon and it's no surprise to us that she's perfect! Growing like a weed, walking like a pro and talking constantly. She got a few shots (3 to be exact), but she was brave and didn't cry too much.

Here are Delia's 12 month statistics:
Height - 30.25 inches (75th percentile)
Weight - 22lb 9oz (75th percentile)

Delia's been in the 75th percentile for height and weight since her 6 month check up, so she's consistent! We've been given the go ahead to start whole milk, which should be fun. I've enjoyed only having one type of milk in the house for the last 2 years. Hopefully we can find room in the fridge!

Happy 1st Birthday Delia!

Delia turned 1 today! A few words come to mind. Incredible. Amazing. Beautiful. Funny. Challenging. Rewarding. Adorable. Special. It's been a year since we welcomed our beautiful little girl into the world, and what a year it's been. From acid reflux, spitting up and sleep deprivation to smiles, laughter, and a girl on the move. Delia has brought such joy into our lives and continues to amaze us everyday.

Instead of just listing all of the things that Delia can do, I thought I would make a list of all the things that Delia loves (since there are quite a few). Our little lady loves to:

• Go, go, go! Delia started really walking a few weeks ago and she is officially a girl on the move. Her steps are getting a lot better, although John still thinks she looks like a drunk sailor. The weather has been nice this week so she's gotten to play outside twice. She loves walking in the grass and falling in the leaves.
  
• Talk - Delia has lots of words (Mom, Da, Ba, Hi, Bye Bye, All Done). She has also started making a funny sound with her tongue that sounds like la la la. She's definitely going to be a chatterbox.
  
• Play with her brother (even though he doesn't always want to play with her) - Delia adores her big brother, and now that she's walking, John Grayson seems a little more interested in her. She loves to laugh at him and we definitely see that she tries to imitate what he's doing.
  
• Be silly and laugh - Delia is a silly, silly girl. She loves to laugh and be tickled. She loves to smile. She wakes up with a smile on her face, even if I've had to wake her up from a nap.
  
• Read - Just like her big brother, Delia loves books. She'll walk over to the books and pull them out one at a time, opening the pages and looking at them intently. Then she gets a huge grin on her face like she couldn't be prouder of herself.
  
• Carry her stuffed animals and baby dolls - Delia loves her lovies. She has several stuffed animals and now some baby dolls that she lovingly carries around the house. She gives them kisses too!
  
• Play in the water - Delia loves to take baths and she loves to splash! Sometimes I come out of the bathroom looking like I took a bath in my clothes because she splashes so much. I have to close the shower curtain and let her go at it to keep the water in the tub. Delia just started swim lessons at the YMCA and the girl is a fish! She kicks her arms and legs and even tries to jump off the side into the water. I think we're going to have to keep an extra eye on her this summer at the pool.
  
• Dance and listen to music - The family dance party is still a regular event in the Schmitt household, and Delia is an active participant. She's still trying to master dancing without holding onto something, but she gets better every time.
  
• Climb the stairs - I try to keep a gate at the bottom of the stairs, but occasionally I forgot (or a certain preschooler takes it down without telling me). Delia always makes a bee line for the stairs to check on the gate. If it's not there, then she's climbing, and she's really fast.
  
• Sneak into the bathroom and play in the toilet - Like the stairs, Delia always checks the bathroom. Since she loves water, the toilet seems like a logical place to play. Mischief maker!
  
• Play dress up - I kid you not, Delia is already interested in shoes and bags. Her new favorite thing is to put a scarf around her neck, to try to put a hat on her head, and to carry her new purse. I have a feeling that boas and jewelry and high heels are right around the corner...
• Give kisses - If you ask her to give you a kiss, then Delia immediately leans forward to plants a wet one on you. She thinks it's hysterical and we think it's precious, just like her.

Delia had a busy birthday weekend with 3 separate parties. One with family on Saturday and two with different playgroups on Monday. She now knows that the song "Happy Birthday" means cake and was a lot neater with her birthday cake than John Grayson was. We got lots of great pictures and video, and John is in the process of creating a video montage of the festivities.

Happy Birthday Delia! You are such a special little lady and we cannot wait to continue on this amazing journey with you. We love you!!

Here are just a few pictures of our adorable toddler:

Mastering the English Language

I'd have to say one of my favorite things about my son over the past couple months has been his exploration and interpretation of words. It all kind of started once he gave his sister her first nickname to 'mock' her. JGray started giggling to himself during dinner at El Paso, next thing we knew our daughter had the moniker, Quesa-Delia.

Pre-school has brought a couple new interpretations as well. When they were learning about their senses JGray informed us about the taste-butts that he had in his mouth. We asked him if he meant 'taste-buds'...but no, he informed us they are taste-butts, like the one on his bottom. We kind of let that one go.

We started letting JGray give the same prayer before dinner that he gives before snack at school. I guess I wasn't paying attention the first couple times, but I finally realized he was ending his prayers with Oh Man, instead of Amen. When I asked him about it he said, of course it is Oh Man Daddy, I am talking to Jesus and God aren't I? Hard to argue with that one.

While we are in the midst of the terrible 3's (whoever came up with terrible 2's never let their child age another year), these are the little things that make us smile.

A Date with Dinosaurs

Last Wednesday, John Grayson and I had a date with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs of the robotic variety. JGray's big Christmas gift was two tickets to see "Walking With Dinosaurs," an arena show with 15 life-size robotic dinosaurs. We thought it might be nice for him to have some quality time with his Mommy (and for me to have some quality time with JGray). The show was in Hampton, so we left right after school. JGray napped in the car and we had an uneventful drive. We got there about an hour early----just in time to buy some souvenirs. After buying a $25 t-shirt and $20 program, we were on our way to our seats. Fourth row, at the end of the arena. Perfect for dinosaur viewing. Lots of kids were wearing headphone or earplugs, but I reminded JGray that if the "paleontologist" in the arena (i.e., the actor who talked about the dinosaurs) could be in the ring next to the dinosaurs, then we were safe. Lucky for me, this logic seemed to hold. John Grayson was very brave and seemed to love seeing the big dinosaurs. He sampled a variety of expensive snacks---$3 snow cone, $4 popcorn, $3 lemonade---and had a wonderful time. It was a special day for me because I don't get to spend much alone time with my sweet (most of the time) boy. He got a little scared when the Mommy T-Rex came out and roared not once, but four times. Compared to the boy sitting next to us who left crying shortly after intermission, John Grayson did a fantastic job! After the show, we had dinner at Five Guys and drove home. JGray was so worn out from his fun day with Mommy that he slept in the car. I had a great time and loved spending special time with my special boy.

Here are some pictures from our date:

Waiting patiently for the dinosaurs

Enjoying dinner at Five Guys

New Shoes for a Girl on the Move

That's right, Delia finally made the big transition from crawler to walker. She is a girl on the move! Although she's been taking steps for months now, she finally decided on Sunday to start walking and hasn't looked back since. MaMa and I took her to Saxon on Wednesday morning to buy her first pair of shoes. Shoe shopping for a girl is SO much harder than for a boy. Boys need a pair of tennis shoes and then a nicer pair of shoes (usually in brown). The girls' section is enormous and there are shoes in multiple styles and colors. I decided to stick with some simple---brown mary janes---but they do have little flowers on top and some sparkle. Delia's initial response wasn't what I expected. She started crying and wouldn't walk. Of course, the shoe salewoman was a little weird, so maybe Delia was picking up on that.

Here are some pictures of Delia in her new shoes and some video of our new toddler:

Christmas 2009

This Christmas was very special for us because we were able to spend it with our entire family! Grandma and Grandpa Schmitt flew out from Naperville and Uncle Andy, Aunt Emily and Cousin Jacob drove down from New Jersey for the holiday. MaMa and Pop and Uncle Stephen also came over to our house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. John Grayson was totally into Christmas this year (both Santa and Baby Jesus), and Delia just seemed excited to have new people to play with her. And in what is becoming a new tradition, the boys made the oh-so yummy Schmitt family sugar cookies. Since it was the first Christmas for both Delia and Cousin Jacob, we are thrilled that we were able to spend it with so many of our loved ones. Here are a few of the wonderful memories from Christmas 2009: