Are you happy?

Friends

Don't you think it's been too long without a video? So do we. These aren't the "best videos ever", but they're new...
We particularly like the Texas accent when Daniel says "Hi" to grandma babe. Rachel has walked with the wagon, but not in the grass. There is really nothing that she wants to do more than walk, and she's making great strides towards it.
The title of today's blog is something Daniel has started to say when he understands that he's done something we don't approve of. "Are you happy?" and "can you smile?" Daniel has been on an independent streak lately. He wants to do everything himself, and that's a good thing. Today he hung up his jacket and pyjamas on his own.

Rachel - well, the big story there is that she's crawling all over the house lately. Not the crawl-fall-crawl version from last week either - she'll go from room to room and today she crawled up a step from the playroom to the kitchen. It makes her so very happy to be able to move around on her own terms. Still, she wants to take it up a notch, and now she wants to walk around while holding someone's fingers. She'll also transition between pieces of furniture.


Oh, and there was an early 9-month visit to the pediatrician for Rachel. At 6 months they were a little worried about her weight, so they wanted to see her early. We're back on track. She clicked in at:

• 17lbs 10.5oz (40th percentile for weight- up from 10th at 6 months)
• 28 3/8" (85% percentile for height)
• 17.25" (50th percentile for head)

So all is good there. Both kids got flu shots and Daniel was a champ - didn't cry at all.

We had the annual gathering of friends for the GABF last weekend, and Sean was in town with his parents. It was good fun to watch the kids play together. Øystein and his father Rolf also stayed with us, and Rolf had a good time playing soccer with Daniel (one of the above pictures)

That's about it for this update. In a few days, Farmor and Grandpa come to visit. Woo-hoo.

Until next time. Love, D.A.R.E.