I am thankful for one tiny girl.

I am happy to report that Adelaide is getting over her (very healthy and normal, but still annoying) fear of strangers. For her first Thanksgiving day, we went to her Great Uncle Ken's house, along with about 30 other family members, and Adelaide did just great - she even sat with "strangers" (to her) during dinner and smiled at everyone. Hurray!!

Of course, the highlight of her day was the three dogs - a pug and two wieners - and we got a lot of laughs watching her try to chase them around. She crawls pretty fast these days, squealing and giggling and navigating obstacles in a desperate attempt to catch some fur. Fortunately for the dogs, she was unsuccessful, but a good time was had by all. :)

standing

Adelaide's great-grandparents from Idaho visited a few weeks ago and brought her this new favorite object: a wooden toy chest engraved with cowboys and Indians! It used to belong to my dad when he was little - such a treasure. She loves to stand at the edge, then squat down, moving toys from the floor and back. As you can see, she's so pleased with the toy chest, she doesn't even want to take a bath.

my little Care bear

Can you think of anything more appropriate for Adelaide to be for her first Halloween than a little pink Care bear?? Well here she is: adorable and happy as ever, dressed up as Cheer Bear, showering us with smiles. (Interestingly, my mom bought that outfit several years before I was pregnant, and the stars aligned perfectly such that it was just the right size!! Coincidence? Or divine intervention? ...) Disgustingly cliche, but you have to admit it's pretty darn cute too!

We took her trick-or-treating to two houses, and she generously shared 'the loot' with Joe!

flower baby

Last weekend we were in Wisconsin for Joe's sister's wedding (congrats Katie & Rob!!) and Adelaide had the privilege of being the flower baby. She carried her flowers (silk, in case she ate them!) through the entire ceremony, "escorted" by her godfather Danny. I have to say, she was just adorable (and thankfully very quiet).

It was also her first chance to meet lots of her aunts and uncles - they were all really excited to see her. For Adelaide, the new environment and all the new people were pretty overwhelming, and she wasn't exactly on her best behavior ... but over time we're sure she'll get comfortable there and soon enough she will love visiting her cheese-head family :)

my little pumpkin

Although she's been increasingly wary of new people, Adelaide is all the more expressive and outgoing at home. She's learning to communicate and to reciprocate affection. She kisses us when she's happy, and crawls over to pull my pant leg when she wants to be lifted up. If I've left her in her room too long, she'll come scooting around the corner, looking for me, and then raise her hand in the air with a smile, as if she's saying "hey! I found you". She makes it clear how much she loves us - not just through smiles and laughs but now with gestures too. She's also figuring out that she can control the things we offer her - she'll gesture towards her water glass when she's thirsty or push at my hand when I give her strange food. She may not use sentences but she surely does converse!

first game

Adelaide is learning about 'object permanence' - and here she is working hard at her favorite task: taking things OUT. She has several bowls, baskets, boxes and she loves to take anything out of them. She will sit and take her rags or blocks or small toys piece by piece out of a bowl, then she yells when it's empty so that we fill it up again. Joe hopes that one day she is as diligent about putting things back IN (so that I don't have to clean up after both of them!!). But for now, it's great watching her discover the difference between full and empty.

mobility

Adelaide turned 7 months this week, and I have a confession to make. She has been crawling for nearly a month, but I've been in denial! To be honest, I was hoping she'd be stationary for a bit longer! When she first started crawling, I would pick her up quickly so that she wouldn't practice ... we didn't have the house ready ... but now we are all "baby-proofed," and it's pretty fun watching her tear across the floor in pursuit of a something new to explore. She is so excited with her new ability to move around that she's actually easier to watch because she entertains herself so well.