Panda

The single sailor that I "sponsor" on the boat has the call sign "Panda," so I thought it only appropriate to take pictures for her of Ashlyn donning some panda gear. They turned out pretty cute so I thought I'd share them with you as well.

Naked Baby on the Loose

Right after her bath, I laid her down on the floor to towel off, went 6 feet to get a diaper, turned around, and this is what I saw - sitting up, naked, off her towel. She's a quick one!

Stuck!

Along with her new mobility and exploration of surroundings comes the discovery of those places that might be better left unexplored, like under the computer, where mom has to rescue.

Pool Time

Ashlyn has now completed her first swimming lesson session. This was how it went the first 2 days (cold water and missing the second half of nap time):

But on the third day, she was a happy little lark to be in the pool, kicking her legs the whole time! We even spent some time in the baby pool afterwards just to relax and enjoy the sun.

Well, Good Morning!

When I went in to get Ashlyn this morning, I found her sitting up waiting for me! This is the first time she has gotten to the sitting position on her own - pulling herself up to standing will be next!

A Patriotic 10 Month Celebration

Look at that - I'm 10 months old!And now I will slowly destroy my little sign:

Shape Sorter

Trying to figure out the shape sorter, but just enjoying the blocks themselves.

On the Train Again

I just can't wait to get on the train again . . . .

Dada

Even though I only caught a few short "dadas" in the video, I have been hearing it pretty often recently. She is experimenting with her sounds and I think repeats this one because I make a big deal out of it and repeat it back to her and it makes her smile.

Inside the Box

Since she did such a good job of emptying the toy box, I thought I'd let her play inside it.

Wild hair

Nursing has always been serious business to Ashlyn and she gets all sweaty, mostly on her head where it's resting on my arm. Her hair is so long now that once it gets all wet I can mess it up and it sticks up everywhere! She thought this was hysterical.

I had to include this one because it's a great shot of her budding teeth! Hope you'll be able to enlarge the picture to see it better.

Day trip to South Korea

"Welcome to Osan AB (airbase)" is what the sign is really saying, but it was just starting to change to a new screen, so it's hard to make out.

It poured down rain the entire time, so Ashlyn had to go "undercover" during the quick shopping expedition.At the airfield
Fabulous shot of Mt. Fuji!

Having the ability to take a free military flight to another country is an opportunity too great to pass up. Have to take advantage of all the opportunities out here. Maybe if we do it again it won't be raining and Hunter can go with us.

Adding to the Menu

Blueberries!Also added were papaya, carrots, purple sweet potatoes, and coming soon: quinoa (a small grain)

"Mama"

I have been repeatedly saying "mama" and pointing to myself the last few days, trying to get Ashlyn to say it back and today, totally out of the blue, I distinctly heard "mama", more than once! I don't think she has made that connection between the word and me, but just saying it is a start! Melts your heart when you hear it. Like her first smile, it makes all the hard work worth it.

Making Music

Here is her new "stage" where she can make her own music. Apparently she can now decide when she's had enough play time.

My Newest Toys and Interests

I can make my own music and sing along

emptying out the toy basket
looking under the rug to see if there's anything interesting to discover

challenging myself to free the little blue man inside the container

using my very own Japanese cell phone

She has teeth!

The elusive teeth are well guarded:

almost . . . .

. . . finally - we found them!! 2, right in the bottom center. They're not much to look at at the moment, but make no mistake that they are real and on the move upwards.

Swim Lessons

Today was the first day of 2 weeks of swim lessons. Ashlyn's buddy Jack joined her in the pool. She had a rough first day, due to the COLD water and the fact that she had to be woken up from her nap only 30 minutes into it in order to attend. Of course right at the conclusion of the 25 minute class, she started to enjoy it, so moved over to the baby pool for a little more water time. I will work on getting pictures of us actually in the pool later this week.

Admiring the Handiwork

My aunt Sandy made this cute doggie quilt for Ashlyn who is now at the age where she is intrigued by its design and details. Thanks Sandy!!

(I can't figure out why it keeps uploading my pictures sideways - so frustrating!)

Dinner with the neighbors

Our sweet neighbors, the Takahashis, came over for dinner before Hunter left. They never come empty-handed and this night they brought onions, zucchini, squash and potatoes from his garden and homemade pickles with cucumbers from the garden as well. They also brought Ashlyn a "peek-a-boo" book and "summertime" sodas that have a marble in the bottle. They are teaching us about Japanese culture and we are teaching them about ours (and they are expanding their palattes to enjoy some American cuisine, which we've discovered is very sweet compared to theirs).

Oh, and sorry about the picture quality - he takes pictures while we are together then prints them out for us so I scanned a few in, which seems to have affected the quality of them.

Showing off the new hairdo

Pigtails!

Ashlyn's hair is getting so long that I am having to pull it away from her face daily, either with a clip or in a "sprout." Today, I thought I'd see if it was long enough for 2 sprouts, and it was! She can now be the proud wearer of pigtails.

Where Did You Go?

I set her up over at the play mat, sitting up, and this is where she ended up, with her head on the puppy for a pillow.

Daddy and Me Time

Matching the green of the growing rice

Playing on the floor