the camping trip...that wasn't...

we just had the 'perfect storm' of a camping trip this weekend. everything that COULD go wrong, DID. and yet, we still ended up having a great time!

we planned to go camping at mt. diablo state park on friday night with the katzs and the harmans. ryan and david got off work a little later than we had all hoped for, but we sped off just as soon as they got home. we got to the site first, just before 8:00. the lady at the gate informed us that there would be no wood fires allowed (even though the website we checked earlier that day said we could!). ALL of our food was to be cooked on a wood fire! So, the others came just a few minutes after 8:00 and we stood there trying to decide who should go into town to buy a propane or coal stove so we could actually eat. well, apparently the campsite's gate closes at 8:20 and you can't get in or out! no one knew what to do until finally kristen suggested we just go home and camp out in their living room. thanks for great decision making, kristen!! (this is leah on a rock waiting patiently while all the adults tried to make a decision...)

so, tin foil dinners #1 = in and out burger. yum. we went back to the katzs and played games...balderdash...i don't want to talk about it. and then we went home.

in the morning, lindsey and i ran our 10 miler and then we were STARVING. so, we made our tin foil breakfast x10 at her house. waffles, french toast, biscuits, eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, fruit, juice...yum! and guilt-free for me! (picture to come...)

then, someone had the great idea of taking our real tin foil dinners and going down to santa cruz to cook them over a fire on the beach. yay! so, we headed down around 3:00. of course, all of the pits were taken AND no one thought to bring a propane/coal stove AGAIN, and they were patrolling the beach so we couldn't just dig our own pit. AND i was packed for camping, not the beach. so, leah and i were wearing pants, everyone forgot their sunscreen and we still had no dinner.

tin foil dinner #2 = little caesar's pizza and crazy bread. yum. we stripped leah down to her onesie to play in the water for awhile, then headed home around 8:00 after a poorly-planned-yet-still-fun-day-at-the-beach....i'm pretty sure she still has sand in her bum.

sunday, ryan and i decided to just cook our tin foil dinners in the oven. not nearly as good as the campfire, but it'll suffice. better luck next time, guys???

the leah-tard

three cheers for grandma hauley!! my mom found this little leah-tard (as we like to call it) at wright costumes in slc. it was the smallest they had! then, talented seamstress that she is (a trait i did NOT inherit), she made this little turqoise ballet slip. oh my word. love it! i used to be a ballerina a long time ago, so it's fun to dress her up in these sorts of things!and, lest you think everything is candy and sunshine here at the layton household, here is a small glimpse into what my life has been like for the last week or so. yah, i'm not kidding. poor leah is getting...i'm not sure how many...teeth, but it's a mouthful. At least 3 molars, maybe four, and one or two other teeth. Wow! the middle picture is a perfect picture to recap my point of view. (teething is also the reason she is only chewing on the ballet slippers above...)

so, i apologize for the lack of posting (kim), but this was the reason. she's a little happier today (hence the ability to even attempt this photo shoot), so hopefully we're on the upswing.

beach bummin' it...

ryan's family is in town for the fourth, so we took them to the 'locals only beach' (credit still goes to julia and jona). leah found out the hard way...more than once...that sand doesn't taste that great. this little fish screamed each time we took her away from the rushing waves...until she found out throwing sand could be just as entertaining. we had a great time!

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a mother's instinct is always right

yup, that's right folks. I was right. YOU were wrong. This post is for all of you out there who said to me, "Oh, don't worry, Leah will walk when she wants to. She'll crawl when she's ready. My cousin's baby, blah, blah, blah...My sister's son, blah, blah, blah." Okay, i'm not really that rude. But...at 16 months, i think it was past the time that leah would be moving when she was ready. I wasn't glad that I didn't have to chase her around like everyone thought I should be...I was worried that I would have to carry her to kindergarten!! She wasn't crawling or cruising or anything, so, my pediatrician wanted me to put her in physical therapy right away.

So, to physical therapy we went. We have been three times now...we go about every two weeks. Each time, we get a few assignments to work on. The therapist shows me what to do and I'm supposed to help her exercise as much as I can at home. Sounds great, right? WRONG. It is so hard! I never would have believed it if I weren't doing it, but most of the time she just fights it and it's like this battle to see who will outlast who...and Leah usually wins. It's emotionally and physically draining for me...but, we are starting to see some improvements.

When we started, Leah was 15 1/2 months old. She was sitting just fine, steamrolling like a champ and spinning on her bum (but only using her hands to push her in circles). She hated being on her knees, hated standing (or if she did stand, she would lock her knees and rest her chest against whatever she was standing against) and wouldn't walk along with me as i held her hands.

Now, 4 weeks later, she is:

• going from lying down to sitting up all on her own (i cannot tell you how many times we worked on this! - we went to get her from her crib a few days ago and she was sitting up playing with her dolly, just giggling...she was so proud of what she had done!),
• spinning in circles using her legs,
• standing like a champ (and unlocking her knees sometimes),
• using her feet a little bit for balance,
• using her trunk and arms for balance A LOT more,
• walking along with me as i hold her hands,
• kneeling pretty well,
• and...drumroll, please...SCOOTING FORWARD ON HER TUMMY. Yes, i said it. It can go down in the record books. Just this week she started scooting forward all on her own.

i know i sound like an idiot being so excited about this when she is 16 months old, but it's so nice to finally see some sort of improvement. It makes me feel like we're finally moving in the right direction and all the time and effort I have put into it in the last few weeks are paying off.

Today was a not-so-good day at the therapist's office because leah was a MEAN baby all day. But, then you see this...

...and you just melt. The rest of the picture that you don't see is Leah kneeling against her chair reading a book...and i saw her little toes sticking out behind her and just about lost it. She is so dang cute. And we are soooo proud of her!

So, yes, I would like some congratulatory and apologetic comments. hehehe. just kidding. yay for leah!