It's hard to write an entry...

when you haven't seen Ceci much. This week was the beginning of the term for Oregon State. We are all so tired! Chris has been staying home with Ceci on the mornings he doesn't teach (M, W, F) so I can go to my classes. He then brings the girl into school and I take her until marching band, where he takes over again. She's been very accommodating, but we want to get her onto a more reliable schedule next week.

Tuesdays and Thursdays Cecilia goes to daycare. She continues to do well there, although she would rather play and be active than take a nap. Also, another of her favorite teachers, Deanna, left this week. Ceci must've known, because she wanted to be held by Deanna all day yesterday. Ceci won't be without her for long, though. Deanna might be picking Ceci up from daycare for us and watching her while Chris and I are at SWE (Symphonic Wind Ensemble). If it works, that would be awesome. Cecilia and Deanna still get to see each other, and I don't have to run out of rehearsal 40 minutes early each day.

We had a LONG day today. We drove in together, because Chris was supposed to man a booth at the Union, but as we pulled into Corvallis, he got a call canceling, due to the weather. He would've stayed home with Ceci otherwise. I went to class and came up to say HI on a break. I took Ceci, but couldn't find Chris when it was time to return to class. So, Ceci came along, much to everyone's enjoyment. She even participated. When Tina (my professor) asked if there were any questions, Cecilia said "abidiba ba?" Chris found us, but Tina wouldn't let him take Cecilia away, since the baby was participating.

I took her home for a few hours before marching band. We hit hail on the way home, which she slept through. When we got to the house, I hoped that she would eat and take a nap, but there was no sleep for Ceci! We headed back to Corvallis, stopped at Lancaster Center to take a card to Deanna, picked up Toby's food from the vet, picked up Chris and headed to the stadium. It was cold and wet, but we are ready for tomorrow - beat the Bruins! Cecilia will stay home with Nichole, another teacher from Lancaster whom she adores, while we go to the game.

Here are some pics from Tuesday morning. Enjoy!

I want the visor to be below my head!

No pictures please!

Twisting my tongue to the side.

Cutie!!!

Peek-a-boo...

You'll understand if you watch the video. Sunday we spent the day at Benton Hall (the music building at OSU and the OLDEST building on campus) for Symphonic Wind Ensemble auditions. While I warmed up, Cecilia practiced standing. She soon found that she could push the chair across the tile and practice walking too.
She had a tough time crawling on the tile, however.

We were there from 10am to 9:30 pm, a very long day for all involved. We kept Ceci entertained by taking walks and playing in different parts of the building. She kept us entertained as well:

By the way, her onesie has a treble clef on it with the quote "treble maker". Too cute (Thanks to Amanda and Dan Goertz, yay!)

It turned pretty cold last night (my dad reported 39 degrees), which woke Ceci up at 5:20. She would not go back down, even wrapped in a blanket, so in my extreme tiredness, I brought her in with us. The little munchkin slept until 8:15, way late by her standards. I headed off for my first day of grad school, while Chris stayed home for a couple of hours. The sleep did Cecilia good, for she had a gigglefest watching dad make fun of the girl on Choo Choo Soul and the bluebird song (with Genevieve!!) Then she took a nap from 10-11:30.

Chris brought her to OSU and after a quick lunch, Ceci and I went to her 9-month checkup. She's doing great - 18 lbs, 5 1/2 ozs.; 27 3/4 inches long. No teeth yet, but that can continue up to a year.

She also laughed at me today. I was eating an apple, and I'm not sure if it was the biting or the chewing or what, but she thought it was hysterical. If you make a fool of yourself, she's pretty easily entertained.

We all headed to marching band rehearsal. She seems to enjoy being out there. Chris is such a good daddy - he makes sure to keep her at a safe distance so as not to overwhelm her ears. They headed home a little before rehearsal ended, while I stayed to finish up stuff on the field.

Back to daycare tomorrow for Ceci, and I have one of my toughest classes thus far - Secondary Instrumental Ed with Professor Chapman. Actually, I've benn involved with elementary school for so long, I could definitely use a refresher.

Have a good night and great tomorrow!

Camp is Over!

Before I tell you about the week, this picture is from the Harvest Music Festival on September 9th. Chris is subbing with a local jazz band. You can't see him, but I thought Ceci looked so cute!

I can't really tell you much about Cecilia's week, because I didn't see her much. She and I got about an hour each morning of quality cuddle/breakfast time. During the day, Chris took her to daycare after I left for Oregon State marching band camp (I'm a Grad Asst. with the band program this year, in case you didn't know.) He would pick her up, feed her dinner, bathe her and put her to bed around 7:30. I'd walk in the door sometime after 10 p.m. Thanks for holding down the fort, honey!

Thursday was Grandpa Kent's birthday, so we gave him a call before he went to work. Also, Ceci is now officially 9 months old:

The other big event of the day - Chris is a Great-Uncle! Our niece, Heather, gave birth to Alexis Cole Eversole on Thursday the 20th. I think she was 8 pounds, 11 ozs. and 21 inches long. The family is doing well and they came home from the hospital today. Yay!!!!

Friday was Chapman Family Day at Band Camp. Ceci's daycare had staff development, so Ceci came to camp. She rode on my back while I took attendance, and Chris and I took turns with her so we could do what we needed to do. After a while, Chris took Ceci on an excursion across campus. It has been reported that a croissant was involved and Cecilia enjoyed it very much. They returned at the end of morning rehearsal, where the following pictures were taken:

Her face says it all - get me out of this sousaphone!

Now she's listening for the pitch

We had a long lunch break, so we headed to Baja Fresh. It was Ceci's first time with rice in its un-cereal form. Some made it to her mouth, most made it to the floor. After eating, she and Dad had some tickle time:

We headed back to campus for a final run-through and our preview performance at 4 p.m. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great BBQ meal, while Ceci had green beans and fruit. We headed home, and for the first time in over a week, I bathed Cecilia and put her to bed. It was awesome!

Today, we gave dad the morning to himself and drove to Salem to buy suits for the female OSUMB staff. We met Stacy (also a GA) and Tami (the Dance Team instructor) there. Ceci did well, but was ready to come home and fell asleep almost as soon as the car started. We got home and I took a nap. Ceci went down for another nap around 3:30 and Chris took a nap. Ceci woke up just as I was leaving for the volleyball game (yes the band plays for volleyball too!) She and dad had an up-and-down evening.

Another busy day tomorrow - Symphonic Wind Ensemble auditions are tomorrow and school starts Monday. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Quick Notes on Sleep

Yesterday, Ceci stayed home with Dad. She didn't want to nap for long stretches, but did take three shorter naps. Dad isn't as "well-practiced" in feeding her, so lunch went more places than just her mouth. All in all, they had a good day together.

Today was Cecilia's first Thursday of daycare. She was going Tuesday-Wednesday, but with me going to school, it makes sense to go Tuesday-Thursday this term. She may need to switch it up Winter Term, but we'll cross that bridge later.

I think she's beginning to outgrow her need for a morning nap. Today she went down from 12:25-1:00, and wouldn't go back to sleep until 5. Of course, Chris and I showed up to get her 10 minutes later. We thought she'd go back to sleep in the car - no chance.

I promise to get new pictures in soon. No promises for next week, however, as we have Band Camp starting on Sunday, plus a home game day after tomorrow. I will do my best, maybe Chris will appear as a guest blogger. Tune in to find out!

Ceci's Summer To Do List - Review

Find a new place to live with lots of room to get around - Done and done! Mom will post new pics soon.

Continue to laugh at Toby when he plays - Don't believe me, check out the video of Toby and me playing with a balloon.

Celebrate my 1st Fourth of July - It was a blast.

Go to a Mariners game in Seattle - I didn't make it to a game, but we did make it to Seattle twice.

Meet my family in Ohio - My family in Ohio is awesome (as is my family in Las Vegas and Auburn and Utah and...)

Eat Donato's pizza in Ohio...wait, that's Daddy's goal - mission completion!

Keep Mom and Dad on their toes by learning to crawl - Crawl!? I'm almost walking!

Take lots of naps, 'cause I'll be busy! - You can say that again.

Ceci+Toby+Balloon --- Big Laughs!

A visit to the OSU bookstore with Mom and Aunt Lissa.

What will happen if I let go?

Limes are yummy, too!

I love playing with my Toby, and I think he might like me a little bit.

Ceci got her first balloon at Applebee's tonight. We attached it to her arm, forgetting that Toby likes to play with balloons as well. The result is the following video:

Video Experiment

This is an old video of Ceci first on the move. We wanted to try out Blogger's video upload. The video quality may not be stellar, as this is from my digital camera and not the camcorder. Let us know what you think.

Na na na na na...

...because that is what Cecilia said all day today. Grandma Joani spent 2 1/2 weeks trying to get Ceci to say it, and of course it sank in after she left. Aunt Lissa is working on "ma ma ma ma ma". She works for a speech therapist who says that's the syllable we should focus on. Cecilia has "da da da da da" down pat!

Today was an easy breezy day. Ceci woke up at 7:30, standing in her crib and crying, until I walked in. I love seeing her smile in the morning. Pretty routine after that - breakfast, play, nap, lunch, cuddle with Mom, nap.

Chris made it home around 4:00, so we could watch the Beavers in Cincinnati (eek, by the way, we lost). Cecilia woke up just in time. She played with Dad, then played with Aunt Lissa and me. She can go a few steps pushing her lion, then ends up on her knees, and continues to push. I think she's getting way too mobile for me!

Tomorrow, we all head to the university to take care of some business, then visit the Bookstore - I am going to buy actual books this time. Classes begin Sept. 24th.

Here are some pics from after Ceci's first nap, and playtime. I promise, her hair was like that when I walked in the room. Enjoy!

Get me out of here!

So happy now

Getiing the hang of steering

This is a cool place to play

This is NOT the way I got in!

Lancaster Center Wrap-up

I don't have much to report from Tuesday, since Ceci spent the day at daycare (where she wouldn't nap, but was still a gem apparently). Dad picked her up so I could go to my first grad student meeting. She got cranky about the time I called to say I was on my way home, so Aunt Lissa fed her cereal and green beans. Dad then gave her a bath, which reportedly did not go well, as she just screamed through the bath. She and I had a little playtime when I got home, but she was so tired, we put her down around 7:30.

Yesterday was a hoot! Cecilia woke up at 7:30, raring to go. She and I had breakfast, then practiced walking and playing with her piggy bank. Next, we got her dressed in the cute jumper you see below. And yes, that is Toby's squeaky bone. He's pretty much accepted the fact that she's going to play with it, so doesn't even touch it anymore:
Dad dropped her off at the center, which was another heart-wrenching episode for him. It was also another day of very little sleep. Melissa and I picked her up, and took her to Target to get a special toy at Grandpa Steve's request. She had a short nap on the way there. As we walked back out to the car, she found her feet and started grabbing the visor with her toes:
Grandpa Steve really wanted her to have a toy that she could push or ride. Out of all the choices, we liked the lion best. She kind of gets the idea of what to do, but the lion sometimes keeps going and she ends up on her tummy:

Well, Ceci just woke up from her nap. Gotta go. I'll tell you about today later tonight!

Happy Labor Day

Before I go into the details of Cecilia's day, here are two pictures that I thought I put in the blog last night and missed. This is Ceci and Grandma Joani on Grandma's last night in town:

Too Cute (but I'm biased)!

Cecilia did have a good night last night, I'm guessing she slept pretty comfortably if this picture is accurate:

She woke up at 7am and she and I had a quiet hour of snuggling, playing with her toys and breakfast. Dad woke up, then Aunt Lissa, each taking their turn at playtime with the little one. While Chris headed for the backyard to rake out the rocks (a daunting task, to say the least), Ceci fell asleep in my arms and she and I took a quick snooze.

Sometimes, I think Cecilia is training for a career in extreme sports. She has no problem trying to take a header off of your lap and onto the floor. She managed to wriggle her way off my lap, feet first, and plant herself standing on the floor today. Ceci still loves to crawl under the coffee table. She thinks she has enough room to sit up underneath, and bonks her head instead. Funny thing is, it never phases her. When she does cry after a fall, we clap and say Yay. (But only if she's not hurt - thanks for the tip, Ann and Eric!) She's started to clap before we do!

Melissa, Ceci and I took a quick trip to the store for the usual staples (bread, milk, etc.), while Chris relaxed at home. We enjoyed a "traditional" Labor Day dinner of hamburgers, corn and fries while Cecilia ate sweet potatoes and fruit. She was intrigued by the dill pickle I had and wanted a taste. With her love of sour lemons, it was no surprise that she liked the pickle too. She wouldn't hold it, but she liked touching it with her tongue, then finally gnawing down.

As far as food goes, we want to encourage her curiousity and let her try new things (within reason of course). I definitely don't plan to feed her pickles every day, even if they are home-canned by my Grandma Lemon.

Good luck to everyone starting school tomorrow. We hope you have a great school year. we wish the same for those already in school as well!

Bye, Bye Grandma Joani

So, Grandma Joani drove home today after visiting us for 2 weeks. We had a great time and are sorry to say good-bye, but we know Uncle Rick and Bagel miss her.

I was supposed to update this on Friday, but as you will soon read, Friday got messed up.

Thursday - Today was the home and season opener for the Beavers. Because it was an all-day affair for Chris and me, Ceci got a whole day with Grandma to herself. Before we left, I got this cute pic of her and daddy:

She and Grandma had a full day of playing, eating, and the occasional dirty diaper. Mom and Dad had a LONG day of band and football. We left the house at 9:30 am and got home around midnight. If you want to see pictures of the game, check out the OSUMB website with the link on the side over here ------------------------------------------------------------>>>

BTW, Oregon State won. Go Beavs!!

Friday - Aunt Melissa flew in today. We were supposed to pick her up at 10:30 am, but her flight was delayed for 6 hours! The drag about this - we didn't know how long she would be from minute to minute. By the time her flight arrived, we were caught in traffic coming home. Miss Ceci felt she had been in the car long enough and let her feelings known. Chris pulled over in Wilsonville (south of Portland) and we all got out to stretch and have a Coke:

MMM, yummy!
Aunt Lissa keeps me entertained!

Saturday - We spent a lazy Saturday, mainly because Grandma and Mom had a rough night of sleep. Aunt Melissa brought Cecilia a new toy, a piggy bank that sings and counts. She's getting the hang of tapping in the coins if you slip them in the slot:

She also likes to chew on the pig's nose.

We watched some college football, and put Ceci in her other OSU gear. It's a cute halter dress:

She still loves Toby and he is still unsure about her:




After a morning of football, we loaded the car and headed to Newport to see the ocean. The water was a tad chilly and Ceci wasn't too sure about the water or the sand.

Sandy toes.

Chris, Cecilia, Robyn and Melissa

I guess this isn't so bad
Dad Ceci and Mom at Otter Rock

After Newport Beach, we had lunch Arctic Circle (a hamburger joint favorite which originates in Utah). Then, we headed up the coast to see Otter Rock and the Devil's Punchbowl.

Ceci had a rough ride home, but calmed down after a quick stop and walk. She did not want to go to bed. I think she knew something was up - she spent the time playing with Grandma and Lissa. She also woke up a lot through the night - hopefully, she'll be back to normal tonight - so far, so good.

Sunday - Grandma Joani left for Vegas at 6am. She just called a little bit ago to say she arrived home safely. Ceci woke up at 7am and had a good morning with Dad (thanks for letting Mom sleep in!) After a good breakfast, she took a nap at 9:30 a.m. Chris and I followed suit and everyone woke up 3 hours later!

We went to Home Depot for landscaping tools, then Staples to get a wireless card. Yes, we are now wireless (Thanks for the wireless router, Aunt Lissa!) Chris weeded some of the larger weeds via shovel then raked a portion of the backyard so Toby might actually go out there.

Cecilia went down for the night around 7:30 a.m. I hope she has a peaceful night of sleep. Good night to one and all.