Oden Adventures

It seems like it was just her first birthday party, where she was opening this gift, an adorable salmon-colored mod dress and back then it felt like forever before she'd be wearing 18 month-sized clothes.  But somehow it's been another six months and she's now not only wearing 18 month-sized clothes, but she's 18 months old herself!

Vianne is precocious as ever - and as much the light of our lives as ever.  I've long since lost track of her word count; some of my favorites of late are "pup" = cup, "pown" = pumpkin, "What's this?" and "What's that?", "sauce" = applesauce (a current obsession), and when you ask her what a bear says, she says, in a high pitched voice, "beeeeeaaaarrrrrrrr". She's just begun to learn the possessive, placing (usually) "Daddy's" directly before an object noun.  Also, her first French word came recently: "Oui" which she says in the most adorable fashion to anything I say to her in French. 

She's currently weighing in at 23 lbs, 13 oz, and is 33 inches tall.  Still has five teeth, although she seems to be perpetually teething.  She has more hair than ever, but still not very much :-).

It took me three separate "sessions" in one day and lots more energy than I had to get these photos.  She is a very happy, smiley girl in real life, but rarely so for the camera.  But in the end, there are still many cute ones - especially this first one, which goes down as one of my favorites of her ever!

Classic Vianne Expression #1

Smiling up at Daddy

In retrospect, I shouldn't have told her it was an orange...

"Ummmmm...Mama?"

"Something's wrong with this orange..."

Classic Vianne Expression #2

She did this with her hands all on her own and walked around for several minutes like this!  Such a funny little girl!

Vianne & I made another trip to Oregon for about 10 days, beginning the last day of September.  It was a lovely fall visit with rain & sun & colored leaves & mostly just hanging out at Mom's house & soaking up the joy of faraway family & friends. Vianne continues to be a great traveler and seems to remember people & houses more and more with each new trip.  

We had to leave very early Monday morning so Vianne enjoyed the flight in her pajamas!  She stayed awake the entire time (with a brief stay-on-the-plane layover) until we landed in Portland; as we were taxiing to the gate, looking out the window, she laid her head on my chest and fell fast asleep.  The kind flight attendant helped me strap on the baby carrier and we walked off the plane, through the airport, met up with Mom, got the bags, and walked out to the car before she woke up being put into the car seat!

 She was delighted to see her beloved Grandma again!

 Miriam, Vianne, Bea & Margot

She spent a great deal of the trip going up & down Grandma's stairs.  I mean, really, like 60% of the waking hours.  When you live in a one story house, stairs are an exciting novelty!

 Grandma introduced her to Playdoh!  Not sure what to do at first, but only took a second...

 ...of course, before it was headed mouthward.

 "Are you sure I'm not supposed to eat it, Grandma?"

 "Well, okay, I guess it's kind of fun to squish and poke with toothpicks..."

 We introduced the Blair girls to Peppa Pig (one of Vianne's favorites) and turned them into fans instantly.  Watching on my laptop...

 Did a little reading

Vianne & Rachael

 We went to Mill City with Aunt Jenny to visit the new Storey vacation house (very cool place!).

 Back at Grandma's, Vianne loved this new funny pink ball

She & David were the cutest little playmates!

 She loved sitting in these chairs (one of her newer words).  Not surprising, she also learned the proper context for the word "rain" on this trip :-).

 She is not one to smile for the camera, but this day I said, "Do you have a smile for Mama?" and sure enough! She did! :-)

 Peek-a-boo with Jaime

 I think she's hitting on Kirstin's fiance...

 Soaking up the fall colors (severely lacking in our neck of California)

 A very flexible Miriam

 Vianne now does name signs for all the cousins & says almost all of their names, too!

 Cooking with Aunt Jenny

 We did a little shopping, too - saving on the sales tax and reveling in Mom's help so I could try things on.  Vianne's a pro at the racks.

 And, of course, more piano duets with Grandma!

The trip home was a bit of an adventure: Vianne threw up in the car on the way to the airport, then when we got to the airport we found out that our flight was cancelled.  We got on a flight leaving two hours later, but with a three hour layover in Sacramento (with a sick baby?!) that wasn't going to get us to Ontario until 8pm.  However, when we landed in Sacramento (Vianne having puked all over both of us half way there from Portland), they announced that this plane was no longer going to Burbank but to Ontario - so I got off and immediately went up to the desk - and the very harried Southwest employee, who was obviously hating her job that day and said little other than that my bags should make it there with us but she had no control over that, handed me a new boarding pass.  The new flight was already boarding so we got right on & got back to Patrick/Daddy (even more vomit-covered than before :/ - though she did sleep through the second flight when she wasn't throwing up) only an hour later than originally planned, very relieved to see him!!