Giggles and Sunshine

We bought Cora a baby pool about a week ago to try to beat the summer heat. All 4 days of the heat. This summer has been pretty mild. Our little fishy loves the water.

Her new pool with a whole new assortment of toys.

Trying the sunglasses again. They lasted 30 seconds. She is starting to pull hats off her head as well.

Cutest butt in the family.

Hey Mom.

Cora has also become extremely mobile this last week. We need to start babyproofing. It is amazing how fast it happens. Here are some of her first pictures. She went straight for the outlet. At least these ones already had plugs in them. What a rascal.




We also bought Cora a little ball. She has a bunch of these at daycare, and I have noticed how excited she gets when she sees them. Lee and I saw one at Toys "R" Us, and figured it would be a good addition to her toy collection. Success!! I also thought she looked incredibly cute in her Nike zip up. The cloth birds are ones I made for her mobile. I obviously haven't put the mobile together yet. She really likes those as well. My friend Eva, who made her quilt, helped me pick out the fabric to coordinate with her quilt. I really like how they turned out.



My Dad came up to visit for a little over a week. The primary point of the trip was to see his grandbaby. We also planned the trip for this time because we are attending the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. I LOVE this festival. I have a feeling, my mom and dad will be back next year for it. My dad is a bit of a music buff, and this is his kind of music. We are all excited. The folk fest is kicked off on Wednesday night with SARAH MCLACHLAN and TRACY CHAPMAN! We then have 4 straight days of music with the likes of Boz Scaggs, Bela Fleck, The Wailers, Chumbawumba, the Northern Cree Singers, Rodney Crowell, and so much more. Here are a couple photos from Dad's first day with Cora as well as bath time. It was a bit humid so her hair was extra curly.

And finally, a video to put a smile on any one's face. Lee can always get her laughing.

It's Getting Hot in Here!

So I took off ALL of Cora's clothes! For bedtime that is. :) The poor little stinker is such a heater and our house is so incredibly hot right now. Hopefully she'll like sleeping nearly naked. We'll see. For now, enjoy a sweet picture of my tired baby in one of her cute diapers. :)

So, yet again, I have let my blog slip to the wayside. So much, yet so little has happened these last couple of weeks. Lets start with yesterday and work from there. Yesterday, Cora turned 7 MONTHS OLD! EEEK!!!!! She is really starting to look like a little girl and not a baby. Of course, she has TONS of baby left in her. No need to worry about that. :)

Our Husker baby with her ponytail.

Grrr. I am going to get you! Actually, this was the beginning of a big yawn.

Daddy and Cora dancing. So stinking sweet.

Official 7 months photos!

Chewing on her tongue and playing with her toes.

Pretty baby.

She has started teething again. This time, she is working on her top right tooth. Cross your fingers it pops through quick! She has the worst time with teething.

Puffy eyes from crying a few minutes before the picture. Poor baby hates teething.

Happier now that she has her teething raspberry.

"Hey Mom, this feels pretty good on my gums. Thanks!"

Let me try to recap on a few things she does now.

• She sits up for extended periods of time (but can't get herself into a sitting position yet).
• She can get from sitting to her belly (on purpose) to get to an object.
• She is starting to try to crawl. She mostly tries to pull herself towards something. She digs her toes into the floor but is a ways from putting all the pieces together to make her move efficiently.

• She waves, particularly to strangers who smile at her. I can't even begin to tell you how many people come up to her. Her smile is infectious and it thrills Lee and me that she can brighten so many people's days.
• She babbles a ton! These are her consonants: D, B, M, L, G, N followed in sound by "uh (as in cup), awe (as in mom), or a (as in cat)"
• She holds her arms out to be picked up. So sweet!
• She loves loves loves daycare. Especially all the other kiddos.
• She giggles. It is a deep belly laugh. She doesn't giggle often, so it is very special when she does. She prefers to breath very heavy. She smiles ALL THE TIME though.
• She is starting to eat cut up table food. I gave her a banana and she enjoyed it. She doesn't have the coordination yet to get food from the table to her hand to her mouth. She tries, but doesn't let go of the food once it is in her mouth. It is pretty funny to watch. She chews like a champ.

Cora and I spent last weekend in Laramie, Wyoming for the wedding of Brian and Savannah! What a fantastic wedding it was. The ceremony was at Diamond Tail Ranch. The backdrop was snow capped mountains and bison. Talk about BEAUTIFUL! We then headed to the Hilton Garden Inn for the reception. My dear mother offered to come up and watch Cora so I could hang out with all my old buds who I had not seen for years! Mom, Cora, and I had a great time hiking around Vedauwoo together on Sunday before she had to make the 8 hour trek home. It was really great. I was also able to see Maddi whom I hadn't seen since I graduated. I am hoping for another wedding sometime soon...wink wink! I am sure Lee is thinking a fishing trip for a bachelor party for Brian. :) Thanks to Caitlin for giving me a bed to sleep in and a ride to and from the airport! So greatly appreciated. :)The Babe and Me before the wedding.

Savannah and her DadBrian and Savannah at the alter.

Cora was lying across my lap playing. Here are her legs.

And here is her head. She is so funny. She was on her best behaviour for the wedding!

Just pronounced Husband and Wife. Yay!!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Strauch

The wedding party getting ready for the receiving line.

Cora and the Bride and Groom just before she headed upstairs for bed.

The old Wyoming Crew.

Brian and Savannah. Stupid camera made it blurry.

Brian's pick up. It was completely encased in saran wrap. :)

Cora and Grandma Brandis in the morning after our slumber party.

"I am going to eat you, Grandma!"

Funny face!

Vedauwoo! Oh, how we miss you!!
Mom and Cora ready for our hike. No bouldering this trip.

On the trail.

Me posing in an Aspen grove.

The rocks we use to boulder on. This place is AWESOME!

Cora was tuckered after the hiking. I love how she sleeps.

Getting ready to board the plane which ended up being our one and only AWFUL flight! We were both crying by the end. But, 1 bad time out of 6 flights isn't doing so bad. :)

August is gearing up to be a pretty busy but incredibly fun month! My Daddio arrives on the 1st and stays for a long week. He is coming up for the Edmonton Folk Fest! I can't wait. He will also be here for Heritage Days, so we will attend the Heritage Festival as well. Shortly after he departs, we'll be heading to spend a few days in the mountains with Uncle Larry and Aunt Carol!! I am sure Cora is going to be excited because she was just mesmerized by Carol a few months back. It was amazing. I am not sure if it was Carol's soothing voice or incredibly good looks or both, but it worked for Cora. Lee then leaves for a "conference" at Lake Tahoe. I always put Lee's conferences in quotation marks because they are usually at some fancy resort with a lot of cool events and downtime. So unlike my conferences which are held at universities with only one banquet night out. However, the last banquet was pretty cool because it was held at the Vancouver Aquarium after hours and we got to roam around eating cake and drinking wine. Well, I just ate a TON of cake because I was 2 months pregnant. I literally stopped at every cake station. I had 8 pieces that night. Oy vey. LOL!