Adah Turns Eleven Months Old

Greetings from the Rozells and our new home in Atlanta!
(and from our shrubs, which need a good trimming!)

We moved the weekend after Labor Day (with some help from my Mom and Step-Dad) and are starting to feel at home. Though we still have boxes to unpack and pictures to hang, having a place of our own is helping to make Atlanta a more comfortable place for us.

Now onto what you all are really here for ....

Adah is as gregarious and playful as ever. Day by day she learns new things and interacts with us in new ways. Kisses abound right now, which is wonderful for us. She will blow kisses from across the room and occasionally come over to you to slobber all over your face. We love her laugh and can't get enough of it.

This last month, she has started to walk. She's not there yet, but will take several steps on her own, or walk across the room holding our hands. Her face lights up and she starts to giggle with pride when she ventures out on her own. Check out the video below...

Adah has also started to really enjoy and play with other kids her size. When the neighbor girl Samantha comes over to play with Adah, Adah giggles and kicks with excitement. And when we leave her in child care at church, she practically jumps out of my arms when she sees the other kids and all the new toys. She is definitely an extrovert.

This last month has also brought new teeth. Right now she is working on cutting 4 new teeth ... 2 on top and 2 on the bottom (to accompany her other 2 on the bottom). What's funny is that her 2 top teeth coming in aren't the front ones, but the ones right next to those, so she will have a bit of a front tooth gap for the meantime.

Here are just a few pictures of the month...

A Study of Bark

Adah Turns Ten Months Old

I know we say it every month ... but 10 months already!?! It's hard to believe. Our little one continues to grow up before our eyes.

The last month has had it's share of struggles (mainly with bottle feeding and sleeping), but Adah still manages to charm us (and herself, actually). She finds much joy in life ... even if it's just a Tupperware lid!

This last month, she has been exploring new sounds and will sometimes let out a big lip smack or squeal. On occasion (when she feels like it) she will repeat a sound we make to her. She has become quite expressive ... from a furrowed brow to a coy grin to a beaming smile.

Adah's curiosity of all things has made exploring new solid foods and textures an adventure. Added to the list now are chicken, fish, cheese, yogurt, watermelon, nectarine, zucchini, avocado, mashed potatoes, pasta, toast, and more.

Adah continues to explore the boundaries of her mobility. She has no fear to simply let go of whatever she is holding onto while standing, even though this mostly results in her falling down. The other day she let go and took one or two steps before falling into another supporting object. Her independence is growing each day. While this can be a struggle for us, we love to see her gaining confidence and acquiring new skills.

In other (big) news, we have just bought a house! We feel incredibly blessed to finally have a place of our own to put down some roots. The housing search has occupied much of our time since getting to Atlanta, and we are grateful to have this process almost over. We love the house and are especially excited to think about Adah remembering this as the house she grew up in. We will move in about two weeks, hopefully for the last time in a while!