Another exciting two weeks!!!

When I was working on this web update it occurred to me that I might be taking an excessive number of pictures =) They are all so cute though I have to share a bunch of them anyway! Serenity is truly independently mobile now! She started crawling just a few days after she took her first steps, and now she can zoom across a room! Usually she crawls right to me and climbs up my legs into a standing position. She cruises between the couch and all around the jumperoo. And if she wants she can crawl across the room to the chairs. So nothing is safe. She’s taken up to 8 steps walking between people. That was the 20th. She was getting steadier, but now I think she’s beginning to prefer to have something to hold onto. She chooses to sit and crawl if you try to get her to walk between people sometimes now. We’ll see if that continues or if she was just tired. She is SO happy that she can get around as she chooses. She used to get so frustrated when she was on the verge of being able to crawl, and now that she can do it, she’s happy and content to play and cruise on her own for much longer periods of time. She is so happy walking around, it’s always a surprise when she chooses to sit on her own. Sometimes she’ll sit by a book and look up at me. She obviously wants me to read it to her, and I’m happy to oblige =) She also often sits in the kitchen to play with Tupperware, measuring spoons and cups. The other place she walks to is the bathroom. She cruises along the tub and plays with her bathtub toys. Sometimes she even tries to climb in. The girl loves her baths! We’ve had a few fun outings with Ann the last two weeks too! We went to the park while Eric and Ann played tennis. Serenity enjoyed cruising along the net and the chain link fence, and she chewed on tennis ball cans and balls =) She was wearing her new little top that I got her and a hat Ann gave her for Valentine’s Day. She looks like Sunbonnet Sue! =) (that’s a classic quilt design in case you weren’t aware.) The other outing was back to the Deer Hollow Farm. This time we got to see even more animals. Chickens were definitely Serenity’s favorite. Ann thinks it’s because they are her size so she can relate better to them. She also got to take a creek walk! She loved looking at the water, but she didn’t like putting her feet in it. I discovered why when I joined Serenity, Eric and Ann in the water. I was wearing flip flops and it was COLD! And rocky. No wonder she complained. She loved walking next to the water and she stared at it like she stares at our fountain. Wonderful fun! I bought Serenity several new things from babyGap.com. I just couldn’t resist the adorable dresses any longer. So I used some of the Christmas money from Mimi and got them. I think she would have approved wholeheartedly. I got them for summer in a 12 month size, but when they arrived just before St. Patrick's Day I couldn't resist trying on the green dress, and it fits already! I love it =) We have gotten to go to the park a few times lately with Aidan, and once with Henry! It was such a blast to get them all together. I think they are getting more interested in each other every day =) Aidan sometimes pats Serenity, which is so sweet. And they all enjoy Eric, who loves it when he gets to entertain all three. His barnyard dance is very popular, and lately he’s been dancing to the hamster song card that Andrea gave me for my last birthday. Sometimes his yee-haws are too scary for Serenity though! Henry came over to play last weekend, and we tried to get tummy time pictures of him with Serenity. She was not cooperating though! She kept crawling away or sitting up =) She's fascinated by Henry though, she tried to reach for him several times. I'm not convinced that she doesn't know he's not another toy she can chew on though so I say be gentle a lot. 3/22 Serenity said Mama!!! Actually she said ma ma ma ma ma. So probably she’s still babbling, but it’s the first time she’s been able to make that sound, and it’s sooo sweet. Eric thinks she could have meant Mama, as she started saying it when he was walking her and she was running towards me. We’ll see I suppose. It’s so cute regardless =) We've started being more adventurous in the foods we give Serenity, giving her food straight from the table! Ann made potatoes so we mashed one up and gave it to her. Messy, but delicious was the verdict. She also got an edamame, and munched on a piece of celery (I tried not to make icky faces at the celery since she enjoyed it.) She's also tried yogurt now, and she loves toast.