11 Months Old!

Bridget is ALMOST one! She is very active and playful, and has even started flexing her vocabulary a bit. She can say Dog, uh-oh, Bye-bye, and she even throws a few mama's, dada's, and papa's in the mix. She is not walking yet, but she cruises along furniture and has become a very speedy crawler.

She is also quite the literary. Here is a picture of Bridget reading TWO books.

Bridget Goes Green

We took Bridget to Portland this past week for a visit with her Grandma and Papa at their new home, as well as other family, friends, kids, and even pets. It was quite the trip – from Mom’s first solo flight with a mobile baby, to Bridget’s first multi-day road trip. Bridget battled a cold in the days leading up to the trip, and she unfortunately had to endure some lingering stuffiness and congestion throughout the rest of the week. But Bridget remained a true champ even with the health troubles and extensive travel. We are already looking forward to our next trip up to Oregon for the holidays.

Bridget's first play date of the week was with Kate and Jill, pictured here. We hope Bridget grows up to be as fun and energetic as these two girls.

Here is a picture of Bridget and her new friend Sofia. Sofia is 4 months younger and about 10 pounds lighter (but she can definitely hold her own against Bridget).

Here Bridget helps unpack (and re-pack) a box at her grandparent's new house.

Bridget had a great time meeting and playing with her cousin Juliette.

Can't Win 'em All

Bridget was not feeling too well this weekend. She started with a mild fever on Friday which progressed from a moderate 38 degrees Celsius all the way to a high of 39.3 at 2am Sunday morning. To give you an idea of how nerve racking it was -- we are supposed to go to the Dr./ER if it ever hits 39.4. Through it all Bridget remained a champ. She was in good spirits all day Saturday and never lost her appetite (no surprise there). She even managed to get a little play time in during one of our cool-rag-on-the-head sessions. We suspect the illness culprit to be teething...Bridget now sports 8 pearly whites when she smiles, which is quite often.

Bridget Strikes Silver

The Foley’s packed up and headed east to Reno this weekend to visit our good friends Sara and Brett McGinness. This was Bridget’s first real road trip…and she did great. She slept most of the trip, which meant she was well rested and ready for some serious fun when we got to Sara and Brett’s house. Some of the highlights of the trip included:

• Meeting (and kissing) their dogs, Sammy and Maggie
• Showing off her people skills and restaurant manners at 3 Reno restaurants and 1 Lake Tahoe eatery
• Dipping her toes into Lake Tahoe
• Getting her first tastes of lemon, pickle, and 7-11 Slurpee (not all together, of course)
• Running (well, crawling) laps around Brett and Sara’s living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, and den
• Discovering magnets – how they stick AND how they taste
• Accumulating multiple bruises and red spots on her face from bumps and falls – and laughing about them

Here are a few nice shots from the trip (thanks for being the designated photographer, Sara!):

Bridget's first taste of lemon. She asked for it, we weren't trying to be mean parents. OK, maybe we are a little mean.

Bridget got her toes wet in Lake Tahoe. The water was a little cold, but she didn't seem to mind.

Bridget had fun playing with Brett's baseball magnet collection.

Bridget shush-ed us while we took her picture with Uncle Brett and Aunt Sara.

Honeyrock Ranch

Bridget continued her Independence Day celebration on the 5th when we went up to Healdsburg for a BBQ at her Great Uncles' place (Honeyrock Ranch, as it was dubbed by Kara's siblings years ago). She got to meet plenty of friends and extended family and met Uncle Pete and Uncle Brian's new Pet Llama, appropriately named Dolly and pet horse, er Great Dane, named Kaiser.

Bridget and Dad hanging out in the shade. Perhaps it was because Nathan was wearing a long sleeve T-Shirt in the 100 degree heat???

Bridget, Nathan, Nana (Bridget's Great Grandmother), and Danielle (Uncle Brian's niece/which I think makes her and Bridget second-cousins-in-law?)

Bridget ponders whether to choose her bottle or Mommy's beer. Which one did she choose?

My Fair Lady

Bridget's Aunts, Diana and Krissy, were visiting us in San Rafael today. The five of us packed up and went down the street to the Marin County Fair. Bridget had a great time people watching and charming anyone who would pay attention to her. It really wore her out and she slept the whole walk home. It was a great way to spend Bridget's first Forth of July!

The Marin fair grounds spanned the whole Civic Center area, and wrapped around a lake (where they launch fireworks at night). This shot was taken near the entrance to the fair and you can see some of the Fair attractions in the background.

We took this picture on our way out of the Fairgrounds. Bridget fell asleep in typical "going..going...GONE!" fashion. This is not our car by the way. We are not mini-van people.

Hand Jive

Bridget has learned all kinds of new things with her hands recently. She can clap, blow kisses, and she can do an adorable little hand motion that Nonna (her day care provider) taught her.

For those who don't know, Nonna is Russian and speaks to Bridget in Russian while she's there. Nonna taught her a rhyme that translates to "Little Bird" and involves holding one hand flat and making a circle using the pointer finger of the other hand. I think it is similar to the way we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" with our hands. Here are a few pictures of Bridget demonstrating her new skill.

Could Bridget be ANY cuter in this picture? She is almost cartoon-like.

And check out her little BELLY!

She even does her tricks first thing in the morning...sleepy face and all.

And check out her RED hair!