Holy Guacomole, It's October!

I am so sorry that I haven't updated the blog in two months. I guess a new job will do that to you.

Recent highlights:

*Ceci started at a new day care 4 days a week. This morning she woke up, saw Chris was dressed and said "friends, Yacob". She wouldn't let up. Chris finally had to take her to school so she could see her friends (one of them is named Jacob).

*Cecilia has discovered "princess". She wants to watch movies with princesses, listen to the same track on her Backyardigans CD "I Love Being a Princess", and she's going to be a princess for Halloween.

*When she's not listening to the Backyardigans, Ceci asks to listen to "band." It started when she heard the Oregon State fight song on the radio a couple of weeks ago. When it finished, she asked for "band". I guess she thought it was like a live band performance where she would hear more than one song. Anyway, she asks for "band" whenever we get in the car. It can't be wind ensemble or orchestra - it has to be marching band. Right now, her favorites are the OSU fight songs (both Oregon State and Ohio State), marches in general, and "Rock Lobster."

*When she hears the garage door, Ceci yells "Daddy. I coming." and runs for the door. I open the door so she can greet Chris as he comes in from the garage. This was especially cute (and a little scary) a couple of nights ago. Chris came home while Ceci was taking her bath. She heard the door, said, "Daddy! I coming." then tried to get out of the tub to go get him! She was so upset that I wouldn't let her out to meet him.

*She likes to eat her meals at her little table from IKEA, but she will look at you and tell you to "sit" next to her.

*Her favorite book is "There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow."

*She recently acquired a taste for pork. Usually, she won't eat meat, but the last couple of times she gobbled up pork chops and pork roast.

*When she wants to relax, she says "hair". She wants you to comb her hair with your fingers.

*Cecilia will be 22 months old on the 19th of October.

*Ceci just got her first Oregon State football jersey.

*She can buzz on brass mouthpieces.

*She takes very good care of her "Golly" by feeding her, trying to dress her, and wrapping her up in blankets.

Let's make a deal - I will get on here and update the blog once a week. To sweeten the deal, I will throw in new pictures tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in!

The Things Ceci Can Say and Do!

Here are some highlights from Miss Cecilia lately:

* On Sunday at the Benton County Fair, Ceci received a ribbon for having "Longest Eyelashes" at the Baby Celebration.

* She can say "please" when she wants something, both verbally and via sign language. Check out the video at the end of this entry.

* She can point out a band on TV, say "band" and march around the room. When the band finishes, she claps and says "yay!"

* Toby is now "Boy", since she hears us call him that. Also, she will shoo him to the door when he starts grrrr-ing at her, yelling "go, go, go, go" because that's what we do too. Not that she's a mimic or anything...

* Ceci buzzes her lips, and has actually buzzed through brass mouthpieces a couple of times.

* She plays a "gum" which is a drum made to look like a lollipop. She recently played drum set at the McCrackens in Las Vegas and has done some experimenting with making sounds on concert percussion as well.

* She has listened to her Backyardigans CD so many times, that she knows what song is coming next and will shout out a key word from it.

* Ceci can name and point out the following body parts: hair, head, ear, eye, eyebrow, nose,
mouth, teeth, cheek, chin, hand, fingers, chest, belly, elbow, knee, foot, and toes.

* She knows her routine pretty well. If you don't get her dressed when she gets up, she points to the closet and says "coes" (clothes). Also, after dinner, she goes to the door and calls out "awk", meaning, "it's time to take a walk now".

Videos are in the next post below this one. They finally chose to process. Don't forget to check out the photo albums to the right. More news to come!

Videos as Promised

As promised, here are a few videos:

Quinn and Cecilia together. If you listen carefully, you will hear Quinn say "da" for "that" and Ceci repeat it with a "T" at the end for emphasis - "daT"

More silliness from Quinn and Ceci.

Cecilia shows off her mad drumset skills!

Spinning and spinning will make you dizzy.

Saying please.

New Photo Links

Hi all,

Check out the new pictures! Lots going on around here.

I'll write more once the refrigerator is working correctly. Love to all!

Long Time, No See

Hi everyone,

I cannot believe it's been so long since I last updated the blog! I actually don't have too much time, but I did want to give you some new photos and videos.

Cecilia is amazing! Her vocabulary is growing daily, as is her ability to make mental connections for one thing to another. For example, when you take her by certain buildings on campus, she will associate them with Momma or Daddy, and she's right, of course.

Please enjoy the pictures and videos. I cannot promise that I'll be more consistent blog-wise, at least until I finish the degree. Take care!

Ceci playing "peekaboo" with Mom in a new way.

She speaks her own language - Cecilian!

Pom poms? Watch out!

So Much to Catch Up On

Here's the abbreviated list of life in the Chapman household:

March 8th - Grandma Joani shaved her head in support of/to raise money for pediatric cancer. Way to go Mom!

March 9th - Cecilia's first haircut. See the pictures under "March 2008" in the photo albums.

March 14th - Daddy successfully defended his dissertation. He's Dr. Chapman now!

March 16th - Surprise party for Dr. Chapman held at the music building. See the photo album "Daddy is a Doctor Now!"

March 17th - Daddy was the District 7 Honor Band conductor in Coos Bay. Cecilia and mommy went along for the trip. Pics in "March 2008" album.

March 19-22 - Daddy is at CBDNA Western/Northwestern Convention. He's Vice-President for the NW District.

March 21st - Mommy finished the term with straight A's. Yay!

March 22nd - Cecilia and Mommy attended Amanda and Louie's wedding. Ceci ate lots of lemons and basically charmed the pants off of people. (Amanda is one of the drum majors for the marching band; Louie is a cheerleader.) Look at the album "Amanda and Louie are Married!"

March 23rd - Easter! Cecilia had an indoor Easter egg hunt, and helped Daddy pack for NYC. Pics in "March 2008"

That's enough for now. More updates from Seattle later this week.

My Mom is Bald

I'm not kidding - check out the photo album to the right. More Ceci pics tomorrow. Right now, I've got to get to reading. Last week of the term, YAY!!

Teeth!

Holy cow! So, Cecilia has 4 teeth all the way in: 2 on the top and two on the bottom. Two are partially in on either side of the first two bottom teeth. Two are about to erupt on either side of the first two top teeth. And...

I flipped her upside down today and was surprised to find molars, I think. One on each side up top. Poor little muffin - no wonder she's been waking up at night! She has 6 teeth coming in pretty much all at once.

Here are some pictures and video I took this weekend while Chris was guest conducting a 235-piece band in Alaska (yes, I said 235). She found Chris' harmonica, plus lots of bubbles in the tub.

Mommy is in Avoidance Mode

So, I have this book to read by Friday, and so far, ugh! In the meantime, let's get caught up in Ceci's world!

Her "vocabulary" is really expanding - "daddy" is still her favorite word, but I can get her to say "mama" on occasion. And I love watching her talk on the phone, which could be anything she puts in her hand. Of course, she clams up the minute there's another voice on the end.

Over the weekend, she figured out how to climb up on the couch, but she needs someone there to use as a grip. Getting off is still her favorite.

Last week, she figured out how to get up the stairs at Benton Hall. We walked up to the third floor twice, with an elevator ride down in between.

As far as eating, she's doing pretty well with finger foods and her spoon. Sometimes she won't eat unless she gets to use Mommy's big fork..

OK, here's what many of you have been waiting for: new pictures and video. Enjoy!

Cecilia's first ice cream cone

Yummy!

Not on quite right

She put on the Home Depot apron all by herself, with overalls on underneath (those I put on her).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cecilia has been an absolute riot lately. Besides constantly mimicking what you say (shoe=joo, clicking the tongue), she wants to follow you around.

We started the morning by giving Daddy a card and candy from Cecilia. She also got a card, plus a Backyardigans video. Then, she would not let Chris leave. She would go to him, give him a kiss, come back to me, give me a kiss, etc. She did this about 4 times before Chris had to go.

We went to Target after a meeting this morning. Cecilia gave a high five to the fitting room attendant, and waved at everyone else who made eye contact. Such a sweetie! We came home and Ceci took a nap from 11:00-12:50. Meanwhile, I was able to do some reading for my classes.

We headed in to campus for my conducting lesson, plus we had a surprise for Chris. Part of Bella Voce, the OSU women's choir, performed a song for Chris. They were singing "Valegrams" as a fundraiser. The video is below.

We began my lesson by watching video of me conducting. Cecilia entertained herself by playing on the VCR cart. She also liked playing with the balloon Chris got, especially when I had to retrieve it from the ceiling after she let go. What a giggler.

Chris and Ceci headed home, while I went to the basketball game. When I got home, Ceci and Chris had made cards for me. They were very sweet.

Love and kisses to everyone! There are new pictures in the "February 2008" folder to the right. I leave you with this, my new favorite picture of Cecilia. It was taken last night, after we took her hair out of a rubber band.


Sorry for the various font changes. Blogger is acting strangely tonight.

Say what?

Cecilia has been a trip this week. She's trying very hard to say words. "Hot" is a big one right now - we say it, then she says "ha" with no T. I told her Goldilocks and the Three Bears at naptime, and every time I said the porridge was too hot, she replied, "ha". It was too cute! She also tries to say "bye-bye" (bu-bu), "juice" (juh), and my favorite, "ta-da" (Daaah)

Last week, I had to pick up some paperwork at the doctor's office. One of the ladies gave her a lollipop, which I waited to give to her until we were in the car. I took these at the gas station while getting fueled up (and before she stuck it in her hair)!


She's also trying to feed herself at every opportunity. Here she got a hold of her yogurt and attempted to eat it herself. It ended up all over her, the dog, and the coffee table:

I just like this one. She looks so happy!

She still sleeps in the kookiest positions:


Her hair is really starting to grow out, so I'm trying new hairdos with her. Here a picture, although I can't get her to stay still long enough:

Today was the best. She likes to play with my cell phone, although she usually just pushes the buttons. As you can see here, she's figuring things out.

That's all for now. Further bulletins as events warrant!

Cecilia's Point of View (-ish)

Cecilia here, sharing with you what I have learned this week:

1. If you give me a lollipop, it will end up in my hair, then I'll drop it so it can be covered in dog hair. But, I'll still want to eat it.

2. Water fascinates me, especially the water in the dog's bowl. And, it tastes good, too. I know, because I've put my mouth in it.

3. I love playing with water in the bathtub - until you try to put me in it. Then I'll scream through the entire bath. Don't put me in the sink either. I'll just stand there and scream.

4. Now that I can walk, I can get all sorts of new bumps and bruises.

5. Walking is fun, because now I'm taller than Toby.

6. Snow is weird. It's OK to walk in, but not to crawl in. It does taste good, though!

7. I want to feed myself, but only if you put the food on the fork for me. And yes, it's still going in my hair, my nose, my eyes...

8. Playing recorder is great. Now if I can only figure out how to play more than one note.

9. I do not like being in my stroller when a hailstorm hits. I get all wet.

10. Taking a nap while people are building a house outside my window just doesn't work.

Love to everybody. Mom says she'll post some more pictures soon!

Look Who's Walking!

She took her most convincing steps today. It was this morning after her nap, and with a little enticing from her otter puppet. We are so excited! She can't get to her feet on her own yet, but once she's on her feet, she's gone! It's progressing pretty well. She started walking in a straight line. Now she turns, and has even done a circuit from the living room, to the dining room and through the kitchen.

This afternoon we went to the doctor's office to get my left ear irrigated (I can hear again, yay!) She was all over the place - pushing the doctor's stool, climbing onto the step on the examining table. We had a celebratory dinner at Ruby Tuesday, where she proceeded to walk up and down the aisle.

Yesterday was Cecilia's first experience with snow. I don't think she was quite sure about it, but she wanted to walk.

There are more pictures in the "January 2008" photo album to the right. Enjoy!

Also, check out the new link to her cousin's blog. It's her cousin Quinn, who is my brother's little girl.

A Day of Firsts

This morning, Cecilia woke up at 7:30-ish. She had her morning bottle, a big bowl of rice cereal and a big bowl of applesauce. And, her top right tooth poked through today. That brings the grand tooth total to three.

Two days ago, she fed herself with her own fork, right side up and everything. Sorry, just had to add that.

We had a great morning. She took a 90 minute nap, then we headed into school. Lunch was at Qdoba, where she shared some of my burrito and Chris' tacos. She was still pretty full from breakfast, I guess, since she didn't eat much.

Ceci played in the band office compound, going between my office (which I share), Brad's office, and Chris' office. Nichole came at 3:oo to take her home. While we were talking, Cecilia went from Nichole to me - walking!! She took about 5 steps.

We were in shock, then I screamed for Chris. I never saw him move so fast. He thought something terrible had happened - I was just overly excited. She took a few steps for her daddy, then she was DONE! I think my outburst scared her. We tried to get it on video, but no dice.

Chris and I stayed for band rehearsals, while Ceci and Nichole headed to the library, then home. It was such a big day for the little lady that she melted down at dinner and went to bed at 7pm. Just too much to take in.

Once we get video of her walking, we'll post it.

Yay!!!

Table Manners

Well, kinda. The two videos are from Cecilia's lunchtime on Friday. Please do enjoy.

Christmas Pictures!

They are over there------------------------------>

Videos tomorrow, I promise!

Four Statements for 2008

1-I will start posting again. After the initial shock of beginning 4 online classes and 2 other "traditional" classes this week, I think panic mode is over

2-I will get the Christmas pictures up tomorrow. I just keep forgetting.

3-I will tell you that Cecilia almost has more teeth. It's probably going to be the top front teeth, with the two on either side close behind. I'd take a picture, but the little buds probably wouldn't be visible.

4-Love to all of you, and a belated Happy New Year!