July & August

The last two months have been filled with adventures. There were only two weekends in the months of July and August that we were home and didn't have company. Most of the weekends were spent travelling. We made trips to the cabin (near Yellowstone), Denver, Flathead, and the ranch. We are loving every minute with Sloan. She seems to talk non-stop now although we can't understand most of it. She does say mama and dada regularly and gama every once in awhile. Mostly she just makes happy noises. She continues to be a very happy girl and seems to always have a smile on her face. At her 9 month appointment she was 28 inches long and weighed 20 pounds and 6 ounces.

Sloan was baptized on July 11 and we were fortunate to have quite a bit of family come and take part in the festivities. She was very entertaining throughout the service. She squealed and shrieked on cue. She smiled and showered the congregation with spit from her raspberries. When the minister was walking her down the aisle for the congregation to see she played peek-a-boo with her gown. She would hold the gown up to cover her face and then pull it down quickly with a big smile on her face. She was a hit! Everyone loved her show.

We had a great trip to Colorado to visit family and friends. While we were there Sloan took her first dip in the pool. She loved it! While visiting Lisa's aunt, uncle and cousins she showed them one of her favorite tricks. Blowing bubbles. She started it in early June and has since perfected the technique. She gathers some extra saliva and proceeds to make it into bubbles. She spent about five minutes showing them the trick at the dinner table.

We made a trip to Flathead to see some friends, the ranch to visit family, and the cabin for the 4th of July. She was a great traveler and has started to enjoy watching Baby Einstein videos to burn some time in the car.

She continues to amaze us every day. I know all parents feel this way, but it seems like every day brings something new. She will pull herself up now and walk while holding the ledge. She likes to dance to music. Occasionally she forgets to hold on and stands unassisted for 10 seconds or so. Often times we hand her a book while we change her diaper and she now acts like she is reading it. She mumbles along and points at things. That must be what we sound like! She has always enjoyed crawling around with something in her hands. One of her favorite things is to put a large shoe on her hand and crawl around the house. She is now opening drawers and cupboards and emptying the contents onto the floor. She is so pleased with the messes she makes. She also loves to take lids off and put them back on.