Another day, another step

Another week awaiting Miss Leah's first steps...she's so stinkin' close to walking, it's scary!  I have learned that these milestones are wonderful and absolutely amazing, however they lead to added stress, changed schedules, new routines, and most of all, a new level of baby proofing and awareness.  So, forgive me if I'm not testing out Leah's walking skills at every turn, or encouraging her to walk vs crawl...

She'll get there soon enough...in the meantime, she continues to 'furniture-walk' and is growing up way too fast. 

 I found out today that one of her favorite things is to wear hats then look at herself in the mirror with the hat on.  I had to ask her teacher at daycare what it means when she pats her hands on her head...I thought she was just being funny...no, she's actually telling me she wants to put on a hat.  She just learned the sign (as in sign language...yes, she really is that smart...) for Hat and did it all weekend. 



And we're still going to swim lessons every Sunday afternoon.  This girl is a fish.  For the first time, she wiggled underwater when we did 'zooms' and came up smiling!  She blows bubbles in the tub with the best of 'em and is so comfortable in the water - she climbs in on her own now and would jump in if I'd let her. 

Not to mention, she has a collection of swimwear that rivals her mothers (no surprise there...).



Baptism in Muncie

It was important for us to have Leah baptized somewhere that meant something to us - just like it was important to get married somewhere with meaning. 

We choose to baptize Leah in Muncie at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, a church I grew up attending with my Grandpa Peggy (now promoted to GG Peg) and have had some 'memorable' experiences there. 

The service was wonderful - we were practically the only family attending that day so it felt like a private service just for us!  Most of the other members in attendance that day were in their late 70's and 80's, so I'm sure the young faces were a treat. 

It was a special day and Leah, as usual, did an amazing job!

And to wrap things up, we were able to sit down and get a 4 generation photo!  How cool!

Leah's first swim lessons

As expected, we started swim lessons with Leah a few months ago and, not to disappoint, she LOVES it!  We're taking lessons at Foss Swim School out in Chanhassen and, even though it's a little bit of a drive, it's totally worth it! 

The pool water is really warm (so Mom likes to get in too...) and she's learning so quickly!  She might be the smallest kid in the class, but she's certainly the most talented. 

A day late and a $ short...

Sincere apologies for the lack of posting...as you can imagine we've had a very busy last few months with the holidays and all.  Holidays have now taken on new meaning for me (not one to be a big fan of dressing up and opening gifts).  I feel I have an obligation to teach my daughter (as my parents taught me) about all the great and 'fun' things the holidays have to offer - then allow her to make her own decisions about whether or not she actually enjoys them. 

I'm going to try to start from where I left off to tell you about our past 3 months as we lead up to Leah's 1st birthday here in 1 month + 1 day.

Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas!

Our first festivities started with the Johnson crew at our house to kick the Christmas season off right.  The party consisted of me cooking the traditional swedish potato sausage (thankfully, not ruining it...), the white elephant exchange - that I'm pretty sure we just made up these rules:  rolling dice and when you get doubles, you get to steal a present...

Leah refused to let the party go on without her and stayed up until the very last person left that night.  Chrismas can be so much fun!

Then off to Erwin and Joan's for the Christmas Eve celebration with swedish pancakes and opening presents.  Leah's first time to tear into that wrapping paper!  She didn't quite get it, but it's only a matter of time...

Finally, it was off to Charlotte for my family's Christmas with Leah.  Leah, as usual, was a great plane traveler - chatting it up with everyone around us. 

Leah's new baby doll from GG Peg! Yum!

G.G. Peg made the trip as well, which made for a great week in NC! The weather was just what we needed to pep us up for the long haul in Minneapolis - we wore our flip flops and Art was able to work in a few runs outside. 

Such a great holiday season...although I got off pretty easy this year.  I'll be planning for Santa Claus next year along with all the secretive work that surrounds it.  Any advice is always appreciated!