Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Beach Babe Gwen




Early in the day we went with Grammie and Uncle Jonathan to Fort Desoto and spent a lovely day on North Beach. (This was the place where we got engaged about three years ago.) Gwen got to put her new sunhat to use during her first true beach day. She enjoyed herself by feeling (and eating) the sand, kicking a bit in the water, and relaxing in the shade with Grammie. It was warm enough for Jared, Ashley, and Jonathan to enjoy a swim. We love the beach!

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Fish in Florida

Today we visited The Florida Aquarium, "home to over 20000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and all over the world." We went with Grammie, Jacob, Rachel, Katie, Jonathan, and Josh. Gwen was on the tired side and wasn't as excited about the "fishies" as we had hoped, but we enjoyed ourselves all the same.


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Thursday, December 25, 2008

Gwen's 1st Christmas


And it's time to open presents!

Jacob, Katie, and Rachel open presents with Jonathan looking on.

Gwen had quite the pile of presents! She received many nice gifts from all the people who love her most. She got quite a few toys that make noise (a ball popper, a telephone, a monkey on a ball, a cat/dog block toy), and we appreciate those with an on/off switch! She got some bath toys, books, bibs, and clothes.

In Florida you don't get a winter hat for Christmas, you get a sun hat!


But all Gwen really wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth! Her front, top, right tooth had come in on Monday (12/21) and her front, top, left tooth was ready to appear at any moment. This gave her extra incentive to chew on everything!


The Crosby Boys - Josh, Jonathan, Jared, & Jacob


Christmas dinner with Grandpa & Grandma King

Merry Christmas to all!

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve

2008 is a Crosby Christmas, so this morning we said goodbye to the freezing rain of New York and hello to the 80 degree sunshine of Florida.

Gwen did well on the flight, but only got a few cat naps in throughout the day. This didn't prevent her from enjoying her first swing ride in Grammie and Poppa Crosby's backyard. She held tightly to the rope the whole time! By Christmas Eve, Gwen was a very tired baby!


Gwen, Grammie Crosby, & Cousin Katie Belle


Jared, Gwen, & Ashley

Gwen is ready for her first Christmas... and bed!

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Getting What She Wants

With Gwen's new mobility, she has now redefined "out of reach." This afternoon she spied her books on the table, quickly crawled over, and positioned herself just right to pull them off the table and onto the ground. She was quite pleased with herself for accomplishing this feat and squealed repeatedly as she looked through the books on the floor. As usual, it all ended with a small taste of book.




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Let It Snow!

Last weekend our house was without electricity (and thus heat) for three days due to Ice Storm 2008. We stayed warm, cozy, and very happy thanks to the generosity and hospitality of some friends. This weekend we're snowed in, but still warm, cozy, and very happy.

Jared got the snow blower working just in time and is keeping the driveway in tip top condition.

Gwen dislikes her winter coat, so we thought this snowsuit would probably be her worst nightmare.

But instead of putting up a fuss, she just became sullen Gwen and stayed that way throughout her excursion into the winter wonderland.


Our little snow angel

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Gwen is NINE Months Old!

Another month has passed and Gwen is changing so quickly. Just yesterday Jared found Gwen holding on to the side of her crib and standing up after her nap! She loves "climbing" all over you if you lay down on the ground. She is so strong!

Just this past week Gwen has gotten pretty good at crawling. She still seems to prefer the army crawl on carpet, but on the hardwood floors she crawls on hands and knees. She has started following Mom into the kitchen. Gwen sits at Mom's feet and tries to chew on Mom's slippers.

Gwen still loves bath time. She got too big for her baby bathtub and now takes a bath in the big bathtub while sitting or lying on a large, yellow, bear-shaped sponge called a "Tub Cub." Her preferred bathing position is lying on her back as she loves to chew on her rubber ducky and kick, kick, kick her legs making lots of splashes.

Gwen gives kisses to people, toys, and books. She opens her mouth and leans in gently for the kiss. She is also really good at clapping. She claps her hands together and smiles. She likes to play patty cake and to clap when she hears, "If You're Happy and You Know It" or "Do as I'm Doing." She also likes to make noise by banging a toy on the ground, on her highchair tray, or on another toy.

Gwen continues to try new foods and is generally accepting of whatever she is given. She has some strange habits when is comes to eating. For example, she almost always sucks on her hand after she gets a spoonful of food in her mouth. A lot of the food gets slobbered out of her mouth and onto her hand or arm. She'll continue to suck this food off of her hand and arm, making an even bigger mess. She has also recently started sucking on her bib. These weird habits make feeding Gwen baby food a time consuming and messy ordeal!

Gwen is letting us know that she understands more words. She had a book from the library about loud things and quiet things. Fish were an example of something quiet. Whenever that page was read and someone said fish, Gwen looked immediately at the fish tank. If she's in the right mood, she'll also kiss or clap on command. It's so amazing to see her learn new things!

We can't believe how fast Gwen is growing and how cute she is getting!

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