Jenna's Latest Developments

Jenna is growing so quickly! This week, she started speaking in the cadence of sentences. Before, she'd say a word here or there, but now she likes to say a sentence at a time, most of which we can't understand, pausing occasionally and at the end of her "sentence." She's also become quite the climber--she now is tall enough to climb up on my desk chair and can boost herself up on our bed too. She always looks so proud of herself when she makes it to her destination.

This weekend, she also enjoyed sorting through and organizing my rubber bands, rearranging my cabinets, and, of course, climbing some more.


Here are some pictures of Jenna and Daddy playing. She loves jumping, flying, etc!

Playing in the Rain

Just like Daddy did when he was little, Jenna experienced playing in the Louisiana rain last week. In the middle of a hot and humid day, an afternoon thunderstorm brought some welcome relief. Jenna was started out cautiously touching the rain, but as you can tell from the progression of pictures, she ended up completely wet as she got more comfortable playing in it.

Cautiously feeling the raindrops.

She must have thought her pacifier needed rinsing off.

Inching out into the garden.

Walking barefoot through the rocky garden...
she's come a long way since she wouldn't walk on grass a few months ago!

All wet and cooled off.

Baton Rouge Zoo

We visited the Baton Rouge Zoo twice while in Louisiana--one of the perks of having a zoo membership in Knoxville is being able to visit other zoos for free or discounted rates. So we didn't get to finish seeing everything the first day, so we just went back. It was naturally very hot and humid in Baton Rouge, so we could only take limited exposure to the hot weather! Here are some pictures from our visits.

Taking in the sites of the zoo.
She was so excited!

Jenna refused to wear a hat
until she saw Daddy wear one;
then she wanted to put hers on.
What a Daddy's Girl!

Jenna loves trains--she can hear them from
a mile away to which she says "Choo Choo."
We thought a train ride would cool us off and
that she'd really enjoy it. It did cool us off,
but she immediately fell asleep. I don't even
think she knows we rode it!

Jenna really enjoyed seeing the giraffes
up close and personal.

Watching the otters swim by.

Vacation Pictures

Last week, we took a vacation to Florida then to visit family in Louisiana. Here are some Florida pictures; Louisiana pictures will follow.

Daddy's Little Helper

Yesterday, Jenna was able to help Daddy wash his car, and what a great time she had! She already participated in Water Day at school that day, so she was definitely all about getting wet!





After she helped wash the car, we gave her a bath and she was making such sweet smiling faces so of course we had to catch one of those on camera too! Every time I took the picture, she laughed at the flash, so while my camera was resetting, I missed a lot more cute expressions. Oh, well!

18-month Photoshoot

We took Jenna for her 18 month pictures yesterday, and she did great! The photographer was able to take 99 pictures for us to choose from, and we think we chose some great ones. Enjoy!

Sweet Face

Here's a picture of our beautiful growing little girl. She actually stood still, kept a bow in her hair, and wore a bracelet long enough for me to snap this picture! None of those happen very often, let alone all of them at once! Wonders never cease!

Fun in the Tub

Here are some recent pictures of Jenna's bathtime. She loves taking baths and never wants to get out. I think she'd sleep in there if we'd let her!

Peaches & Cream

Here's a few pictures of Jenna eating peachy food this past week. Click on the picture to enlarge and read.

Our Little Chef

Jenna has developed an interest in making "cakes" recently. She adds blocks to the bowl and stirs them around, then she adds spices, then she tests the taste by putting the spoon to her mouth. What a cutie!

Also, she had her 18-month checkup last week. Here are her stats:

• Height: 31.5 inches (46th percentile)
  
• Weight: 24 pounds, 6.5 ounces (53rd percentile)

Pool Play!

Yesterday we took advantage of the warm summery day and gave Jenna the chance to play in her pool. We started with shallow water to let her get used to it, but next time we'll fill it higher, because she loved it! Here are some videos--the first from the beginning of the pooltime and the second from the end--what a difference!

Here are a few more pictures!

Day at the Park

WOW! 4 posts in 1 weekend!

We spent a couple of hours at Frozen Head State Park this afternoon. It was great to relax and spend some time in the great outdoors. Jenna loved an open area near the entrance (we think she's conquered her dislike of the grass), as well as a playground that was there. She did pretty well on the trail, considering it was close to her naptime. Randy also flew our kite for her, which she loved. She kept saying "Whoa!" as she saw Elmo flying in the air. What fun!

(Click on the collage to see it zoomed.)

Here's a video of our big girl; if you get motion sickness, please take a Dramamine before viewing!

The Many Faces of Jenna

Sometimes the best things in life are unplanned. Take, for instance, these pictures that were shot this afternoon right after Jenna ate her lunch. She had only a diaper on, her hair was tangled, she had a runny nose, and she was drooling like crazy. Nonetheless, we thought they really captured the many sides of her personality. Enjoy!

Playing Ball

We've really been enjoying this beautiful spring weather, and have been trying to let Jenna play outside as often as possible. She loves being outside, but doesn't particularly like walking in the grass. However, as you'll see below, she was interested enough in playing ball to endure the discomfort of walking on the grass!

Our Little Shopper

We bought Jenna a shopping cart filled with pretend boxes of food. She loves pushing it around and adding both real and pretend food to it. I'm sure she'll enjoy it for the next couple years!

At the Park

We took Jenna to the park tonight, and she had so much fun swinging, sliding, climbing, etc. Each time she got sand on her hands, she would hold them out and say, "Oh, no!" waiting for someone to help clean them off (see last picture). It was hilarious. She is such a princess, but she really plays hard too. Enjoy the pictures!

Mommy's Little Helper

Last weekend I was taking a break from mopping when Jenna decided to finish the job. What a big girl she is!!!