Dentistry Loves Company

Roxi's bottom left incisor has been joined by its pal righty. The left one is pushing through more and more every day - actually resembling a tooth - and the right one has just made its way through her gums.

We've been going to swim lessons twice a week, which consist of assisted floating, singing and lots of splashing. Roxi loves being in the water. LOVES it. All the other kids are bobbing around like buoys because we were trying out life preservers that day.

Roxi gets her turn in a life vest.

Roxi (sporting a life preserver) and I with our pals Heather (playgroup hostess) and Josie (her daughter).

One hand is plenty for stability these days. She has also perfected a sideways walk, which she uses when her parents are facing the wrong direction when she's on the move. She looks like a wacky little crab.

Playing peek-a-boo at the coffee shop.

Tonight marked our first foray into the exciting world of macaroni and cheese. Hoo boy, the chow was flying. Roxi did manage to get a few bites in her mouth, in between rubbing cheese sauce in her hair and carefully dropping pasta bits on the floor. We all had plenty of laughs, and a bath followed shortly thereafter.

Roxi and her bud Josie at playgroup this week. They sort of play together now (as opposed to just near each other), and they definitely enjoy each other's company. Their moms feel the same way.

Roxi can't get enough of the kitties. They have either learned to be quick (Reilly, Iscah and Verna) or tolerant (Teton). Because she is after them constantly. Once she learns how to walk, it'll be a whole new ballgame. I predict lots of under-the-bed hiding.

Ain't life grand?

Roxi has always possessed a delightful joie de vivre. But it's getting more pronounced - or perhaps just more noticeable - all the time.

She'll be sitting on the floor. And one of the cats will sit next to her. Or she'll notice a plastic container. Or she'll find a Cheerio that the broom missed. Or she'll make a big splash in the tub.

Then she'll turn to you, wearing a big-as-Texas grin, with an expression that undoubtedly says, "Isn't this the coolest thing EVER!? I can hardly believe my good fortune. Check it out!"

And you can't help but agree that, yes, that IS the coolest thing ever. Her enthusiasm is positively infectious. I have a new appreciation for all sorts of things: bar coasters, window condensation, dirt clumps, my wallet, grout and tissues. Especially tissues.

Man oh man. Give Roxi a tissue and she's happy for a solid 15 minutes. She rips that sucker into tiny pieces, waving all the while, until it looks a like snow on the carpet instead of Kleenex. The trick is to stop her before she tries to eat any of it. Not unlike the park sand.

Pearly White

The excess drool. The runny nose. The constant chewing. It's all here, along with Roxi's first tooth. The tip of one of her bottom incisors pushed its way to the surface on Saturday.

This is excellent timing, since Roxi wants very little to do with mushy baby food these days. She's eating chunks of banana, peeled grapes, tofu, peas, sweet potatoes, cheese, rice cakes and just about any bread product. We're like Hansel and Gretel these days at restaurants ... just follow the trail of little food bits! It is excellent fun.

The teething has been accompanied by some slight fussiness on Roxi's part, but nothing like the 24-hour, feverish, tear-filled experience we were led to expect. She's her usual zesty self, just with a triple helping of slobber.

Again with the park shenanigans. Roxi is technically still a bit too small to ride in the rocking Triceratops pictured above, but that doesn't bother her a lick. Everything at the park is BIG fun to her, from swinging to teeter-tottering to digging in the sand. The trick is to keep her from eating the sand.

A new skill ... clapping.

Standing tall!

This is Roxi's preferred mode of transportation. We do many, many "laps" around the house like this, stopping occasionally for Roxi to inspect a cat, stray Cheerio or toy.

Roxi is sitting in her new, plush play area. Rob bought a carpet remnant for our living room to facilitate crawling, assisted walking and general wackiness. Plus, when Roxi loses her balance and comes crashing down, the fall is ever so much softer.

Playing some Daddy head bongo ...

Giddyup.

As if having her own blog wasn't enough, Roxi also has a roving band of paparazzi that follows her wherever she goes. This particular photo shoot was conducted in Estes Park over Presidents' Day weekend.

Happy .75 Birthday!

Roxi got a clean bill of health at her 9-month checkup (aside from the cold she's sporting - again). Still no teeth, but she got the green light to move on to more advanced food, like citrus fruits and anything moderately chunky in texture.

And here are the latest stats:

• 18 pounds, 4 ounces - in the 50th percentile for her age
• 28 inches long/tall - in the 85th percentile for her age

She's growing. She's happy. And she's got everyone at her doctor's office - from the receptionists to the nurses to Dr. P himself - wrapped around her little finger.

Roxi is all about standing up these days. Playground equipment is starting to get interesting.

More fun at the park. It's hard to make out from the picture, but Roxi and I are in a chair swing.

Because she's such a big girl now, Roxi has graduated from her Snugli front pack to this cushy framed backpack. We're looking forward to lots of hikes this summer.

Guk

Roxi's vocabulary, if you are imaginative and wish to call it as such, is expanding rapidly. Gone are the days of solid ba, ba, ba, ba, bas. Now she will carry on full babbling conversations, an example of which might be, "Ga goo. Bwa bee ya da bee. Oh. Guk." If you stand far enough away, it sort of sounds like English.

But her favorite word this week has been guk. Versatile word, this guk. It's used as an exclamation sometimes. Guk! It's used as a sort of affirmation sometimes. Da dee. Dee guk! Most of the time though, it's used as punctuation. Bwa bwa yo ya ba boh. Guk.

Another observation of ours is that when Roxi is upset, she usually says, "Maaaaa, maa, maaaa!" When she is happy, she usually says, "Da dee da da da!" I'm trying not to take it personally.

A few of Roxi's more impressive accidental "word" utterances include: glucose, abracadabra, kayak, I'm a duck, hi daddy and overnight. We can't get enough of watching her converse with her toys (sometimes at length). And nothing is better than walking into her room and being greeted with what sounds a lot like hi! Love it. Guk.