Sara Update Week Ending August 25, 2001

Hello Friends and Family!

Well, we finally put some new pictures on our web site www.alanandvictoria.com so take a look. I won't spoil the surprise, but you can see Sara's new shoes.

Last week Grandma came to visit and noticed all sorts of cognitive function in Sara. When Sara got brand new shoes from Grandma (a pretty red check with a flower on the side -- much different from her standard white boot) Sara tried to put them on her feet. She even tried to take her shoes off to put the new ones on. So smart!

Sara pushed a chair until it hit an object, then pulled the chair sideways so she could push the chair in another direction. So inventive!

Sara likes playing with the front door (in sunny California we can leave the front door open for air and sunshine). She opens and closes the door over and over. Well, last week Cleo the dog was on the other side of the door and wanted to get out. Sara opened the door for Cleo, let her out and then closed the door after Cleo got through. So clever!

We went shopping with Grandma and had a huge grocery cart filled with food. Well, Grandma put Sara on the floor and Sara pushed that cart all by herself! People were surprised to see the cart moving by itself only to realize that Sara was pushing it from the floor, then they were really surprised. So strong!

Sara likes going for walks with Cleo. She holds Cleo's leash and we walk around the block. Sara is great at holding Cleo's leash (so responsible!) until, wait, was that a gate? Wow. Oh yeah, where's Cleo's leash? Yup, I got it, I'm very responsible. Until...wait...is that a flower bed? No, no, I have the leash. Until...wait...is that a driveway? Well, you get the idea. Can you believe it takes an hour to walk around the block? Believe it, it's true! So active!

Sara often goes into the other room and then comes back to check in. While Grandma was here, Sara would go into the other room and then come in just to get a hug from Momma. Sara did this about 10 times, always coming in to get a Mommy hug. Grandma thought this was terrific. So sweet!

O.K. for the real stuff, Sara is talking! Sara says bye-bye, da-da, and Momma is pretty sure she heard Sara say Calla lily.

We would tell you one more event about hot dogs and what happens when you over-feed a baby, but you'all may not be ready for that one. Suffice it to say, it's probably something you want to avoid.

Love to all, Alan and Victoria

Sara Update Week Ending Saturday August 4, 2001

Hello Everyone!

Sara's walking... Well, the big news is that Sara is really walking. Not just a couple of steps, but walking a lot of steps at a time. Not just walking ten steps at a time, but walking from one room to another. It is amazing to watch. So, what does the baby book tell us to do? Time for Sara's first pair of shoes.

Sara's new shoes... So we go to the store for a cute little pair of sandals, or maybe some cute little sneakers and put them on Sara. Lead balloons! With shoes on Sara cannot stand, she cannot walk, she can do nothing but touch her feet and look up at us helplessly. What happened Mama and Papa? I can't move.

So we go to the Stride Right store. They brag about their shoes. Of course, you have to brag about how good your shoes are if you want to charge $41 for a pair of infant shoes that will only last for three months. Otherwise, people will think you are kidding about the price and will laugh as they walk out of the Stride Rite store.

O.K. so we tried on the expensive shoes and Sara can stand. She can't walk in them, but she can stand. So we bought them. No surprise. Call us first time parents and call it a day.

And no, we will not continue to buy shoes from Stride Rite at the mall, even though they have a "Buy six pairs get the seventh pair free" card. It's like buying your engagement ring at the mall -- 200% above retail. Once Sara has got the hang of the shoe thing, we will follow the advice of Victoria's mom's pediatrician -- buy cheap or you won't want to throw the shoes away and the kid will grow up wearing shoes two sizes too small. :)

Standing Tall... Now that Sara is walking, she is reaching milestones to help her walk. The best one by far is standing from a sitting or crawling position. What we mean is, Sara can stand without having to pull up on another object. She can just stand up. This is a big deal. This means she can start walking from anywhere in the room. She doesn't have to waste the time to crawl to an object, use it to stand and go from there.

Sara is getting faster! Walking is rapidly becoming faster than crawling. Sara can really cover some ground. She can get to Cleo's food and water dish in the time it takes mommy to go to the bathroom and think, where's Sara? Splash, splash, splash, there's Sara! And Sara thinks, wow, how did she know I was here? That woman is good! Eyes in the back of her head and she can even see around a couch! Cleo's days of food and water anytime are numbered. Sorry Cleo. Life is rough for Cleo since the hairless wonder came to town.

Sara's talking?... We told Sara to waive bye-bye to someone and they swore that Sara actually said ba-ba as she was waiving. Could it be that Sara has a full vocabulary that other moms can understand, but that Alan and Victoria are missing completely? It's possible, but unlikely. Although, when Alan came home Sara did say da-da and crawled to the front door...hmmm...

In conclusion... Although we usually report milestones, it is also important to note that Sara just seems older. She is beginning to understand words, her expressions are more complicated, and she looks older (when she's sleeping, she kind of looks like a little kid, instead of an infant). It's hard to explain, but she's not just getting bigger, she's getting older.

We hope to have some pictures on the web site soon...hopefully some of her walking and standing.

So much love to all, Alan and Victoria