Irresistible

She thinks if she smiles real big mommy will think its so

cute that she'll let Nakiah stand in the tub.

This really only works on daddy and Meega.

She likes to eat the food But touching it is a whole different story.... Again, if she smiles real cute, maybe mommy will let her play on the stairs

Meega thinks its cute Mommy was interrupting sprout time Another something to get in to!

Picnic in the Park

Corey and I took Nakiah to the park tonight for a picnic dinner. We enjoyed family time very much, but I think Nakiah's favorite part of the whole night was watching the other kids play on the toys. She explored a little but was really good about staying close to us.

And off she goes Soaking up the last rays of the day She figured out how to put the camera strap around her neck, but couldn't figure out how to get it off. After a few minutes of tugging at it, she got a little frustrated. I think mommy will stick to carrying the camera from now on. Corey called this the miniature Merry-Go-Round Exploring new territory She was a little tired of posing for the camera and really just wanted to play with it. Nakiah climbing on mommy to get the camera Showing us how she stands up with no hands like a big girl!! First time in a swing

She loved it!! She would reach like she wanted out, but when I took her out, she reached to get back in. Mommy's pride and joy Beautiful evening at the park

10 Months Already

Nakiah is changing so much every day. It seems so crazy that we have a 10 month old baby crawling around every where. Not to mention cruising, getting into EVERYTHING and exploring all over the place. I do believe her favorite things to do, see, touch, put in her mouth, etc... are all the things she knows shes not supposed to do, see, touch, put in her mouth, etc. She'll be playing peacefully in the living room and the minute you turn your back she's on the stairs heading up...unless the light is off! She's busy that's for sure.

She is one tooth away from her last molar, at least for the time being. She's up to 12 teeth and has been such a trooper. I'm surprised she hasn't been dehydrated with the amount of drooling shes been doing, but at least she isn't screaming and crying at all hours of the night.

She's pretty much given up the baby food in favor of "real" food, although she still does like her prunes and sweet potatoes. (Yuck!!) She has inherited her father's need for a 'crunch factor' in foods. She likes pretty much anything that crunches in her mouth and is becoming such a great self feeder. Mommy lets her make messes at dinner time and she does love to play in her food.

She says momma now and while I'd like to think its solely because of me, I think it has more to do with telling us that she wants something. If she sees something she wants she says "momma" while she reaches for it. Still, she says momma and that's whats in the baby book!! She tries to say baby and bye-bye, and she knows what she's saying, but for now, it all pretty much comes out the same.

I feel like the last month has been a whirlwind of achievements for her. :) She's been waving for a while now, but is really getting the hang of knowing when to wave without being told to. She's still working on blowing kisses, but she knows Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses. She plays peekaboo, even though sometimes the hands end up covering more of her ears than her eyes...shes a much better peek-a-boo-er with a blanket.

She's even getting much braver. She will stand up, get her balance and raise her hands in the air. She gets very proud of herself and really likes us to cheer for her. She just recently started doing little squats as she's standing on her own. She likes for us to hold her shirt really tight and let her walk "by herself".

We are now working on where mommy's eyes, ears, nose and mouth are. I think we have a few dozen more pokes in the eye to go before we get that down, but in the mean time we're having fun learning.

If it isn't obvious, Nakiah has a pretty proud momma! I just can't believe my baby is getting so close to a year old. If I could freeze time, the biggest problem I would have would be deciding which moment to freeze. Being Nakiah's mom really is the greatest privilege ever bestowed upon me. I could not ask for more!!

Missionary Rejekt In Training In Disguise Oh the places she will go.... This one wants to do whatever you do!! Posing with Auntie Bath time outside mom? Are you sure? Searching for the elusive 4 leaf clover.... Found it! Snoozin' on Auntie Fave

Someone got into the tape....

Okay, maybe mommy was playing again. :)

I just can't help myself!

She's just so much fun to play with!

Friends

Nakiah and I visited with the Friedrichs' a few evenings ago.

I really did try to get a picture of all three kids together, but Nakiah kept crawling toward me wanting the camera, and I'm not so sure Anna ever really sits still. James was a trooper though. He held out till the end!!

My Monster Man!!

How handsome is he!

Mommy and her angel (with devil horns) :) Aaawwwww! What a gorgeous fam!! I love you guys!

Sleepy Girl!

Nakiah has started fighting sleep like no other. She will do whatever she can to keep herself awake. Everything from grunting/growling to racing around the house touching every surface imaginable. She will do this for so long that when I do get her to sit still for a moment, she just passes out....even if its in the middle of dinner. :)

I was feeding her some vegetable soup when I noticed her eyes getting heavy. She started shaking her head like she was done and then turned her head to avoid the spoon. Next thing I know, her eyes are closed and she is dead to the world. I had to move her head for her so she wouldn't get a kink.

She didn't budge when I cleaned off her face.

If only she understood the concept of nap time! :)

Poor Baby

Last week while I was at work, my parents were taking Nakiah for a walk when my mom noticed that Nakiah's face was swollen and blotchy. Her eyes and nose were watering and her whole face was red. They brought her straight home and washed her down in the bath. These pictures were taken after the bath and my parents say she looks 100% better in these photos than she did when they first noticed something was wrong.

Poor things eyes were almost swollen shut and her little lips were all puffy and red. She had blotches all over her face and her eyes and nose just kept running. The redness in the pictures were actually swollen patches. We think she had a reaction to the sunscreen my mom put on her. The only thing is, we've used that same sunscreen several times before without any problems. My mom also put it on Nakiah's arms that day too with out a reaction. My parents didn't see any bugs around her so we ruled out a bite/sting and she hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary. So far that has been the only incident and hopefully it stays that way.

Bird Bath

During one of the sunny days we've actually had this summer Corey, myself, Nakiah, my parents and my brother went for "jalapeno burgers" at the Birdsview Brewery. They have a birdbath out in the beer garden that my dad made the mistake of letting Nakiah play in. Every time someone walked away from this thing she would cry until someone else took back to it. Gross, I know, but just consider it immunity build up. I was fine with it until Michael SAT her on the bottom pool so she could splash in the top. I have a feeling Boog is going to be the root of all my child's evil!

After this photo, she was actually sitting on the bottom ledge.

Thanks Uncle Michael

Oh The Hair....!!!

So, Nakiah still has the crazy whacked out hair that she was born with. I'm not really sure if it will ever go away. In the mean time, we continue to embrace the uniqueness that is my daughters hair.

While the last two pictures are compliments of Grandpa (who thoroughly enjoyed himself by the way), the first three photos, I swear, are totally natural.

Oh the Russell hair line.... :)