Uncle Steve Visits

Calla has been busy growing and enjoying a visit from her uncle Steve. We had a great time despite the weather. Steve had the luck of visiting during Corvallis' hottest days in history. We had 3 days in a row of temperatures over 100, with no AC. It was crazy, but we all survived. Calla has 5 teeth now and two more on the way. She walks everywhere and has an eight word vocabulary. 1) Dada 2) Didi 3) Mama 4) Kity 5) woof 6) meow 7) Tree 8) hi. We love every minute of everyday and she never stops amazing us. Enjoy the pictures!

Calla and Uncle Steve in matching hats.

Uncle Steve brought Calla this bear last year, now she loves to play with it.

Calla and Uncle Steve at the aquarium.

Calla loves to laugh at people. She is always full of smiles.

Calla and Daddy playing in the fountain on the Corvallis waterfront.

So many pictures, so little time

Scott, Calla, and I have been very busy since returning from Austin. So there is not much text below but lots of great pictures from our trip. Enjoy!!

Calla walking.

Calla and great grandpa.

Calla and her cousins.

Hiking Cone Peak

Calla, Aspen, and I had an exciting day today. We hiked Cone Peak with our friends Joy and Jay and their two dogs Niko and Kaya. We had a great time, Calla told us all stories the entire trip. She loves to talk, point at things, and laugh at the dogs. Jay was even kind enough to carry Calla back down the hill for me.

Calla and I enjoying the wildflowers.

Calla in the wildflowers.

Joy and Jay with Calla.

Father's Day Weekend!!

It has been a good one. It started off that my work plans changed and I do not have to go out of town until Monday now instead of today. So we went to Calla's first baseball game Friday night. Calla did not know what to make of the mascot for the Corvallis Knights, but we had a lot of fun with some co-workers. Calla even stayed up until 8:30. Today, Calla and Courtney took me to breakfast at Zia's for a great breakfast burrito. Then the whole family (Calla, Mom, Dad, and Aspen) went to the coast for a walk on the beach and to take Calla to the aquarium to see fish, sharks, sea otters, sea birds, and much more. I believe she was truely fascinated by all the amazing sea life she saw. Her pointing finger never stopped the entire time we were there.


Calla has made some big leaps and bounds lately. On a trip out to eastern Oregon last weekend, Courtney and I both got to see Calla take her first two steps in a Best Western hotel on Prineville, OR. That same morning she said her first two word sentence, "Hi Da". We had tried to do our first camping trip that weekend, but it was a little too rainy and a little too muddy for Calla's first camping trip. It would have been no fun to be stuck in a tent the whole time.


As you know from all the past blogs, Aspen, or "didi" is very important to Calla. She is the first thing Calla want to see every morning. We had a scare with her a few weeks ago and thought we were going to lose her. But it turns out she has a treatable disease called, Addison's Disease. Basically, her adrenal glad has stopped working so her patasium and sodium levels where almost at lethal levels. We cought it just in time and now all Aspen needs is a shot once a month to give her what her adrenal glad is not producing to regulate everything. Within a few days of getting her first shot she was back to her old self. It has been good to see and she had a great time running on the beach today. Well enough talk and on to the picures, enjoy!

Calla laughing at Aspen on the beach.

Riding the sea turtle with mama.

Checking out the Puffins at the aquarium.

Calla's famous pointing finger!

No I do not ride the short bus! I am just trying to get use to my bike helmet, so I can go on a ride with mama and dada in my new bike trailer Uncle John and Aunt Charlotte got me.

YEAH!!!! Yes, the lion goes everywhere with us now.

You sure are funny dada!

Stop poking me with that stick dada.

Calla chillin' in her new camping chair with drink holder!

Oh, and Calla has graduated to the next room and daycare with the other wobblers! She also waves at everyone she sees and loves to "high-five" now.

Communication

Calla has start communcating with us using her fingers and her own words. Today she learned the sign for "More". So now she can tell us when she wants more water or more food or more whatever she wants more of. As you can tell by some of these photos she is not needing more of much. It was quite amazing though tonight when she was drinking her water and after her first sip, she signed to us that she wanted more water.
As you can see from these photos also, that she is quite enamoured with her big sis, Aspen. So she now calls Aspen and all doggies of the world, Didi. Didi is the first thing she ask for in the morning and is not happy until didi walks down the hallway to greet her in the morning. Someimes we have to walk around the house until we find Didi. Her other favorite thing in the world is bananas, and they are called , babas. Of course her other favorite thing in the world is her parents. Fortunely for me, dada is the first one she has learn. So both mom and dad are dada to Calla right now. She can not get the mama out as of yet. We are working on it though. While I am traveling I call every morning and when the phone rings, Calla says, :"dada". So that is the limit of the words of Calla we have deciphered so far. I am sure she is telling us a lot more though.

Hanging out with didi, showing off her "Daisy Dukes"

Playing in the grass is one of Calla's favorite activities.

Taking a ride on the big purple dinosaur.

Group ride with Ella and Renee while celebrating Ella's 4th birthday!

Birthday picnic with Ella.

What's up Doc?

Tell me and Didi another story mama?

Calla being her cute self.

Playing tug-o-war with didi.

Showing off another one of her cute sun hats.

Calla Feeding Daddy

Grandma Cindy's Visit

Calla and I just enjoyed a wonderful week with my mom. She flew in on Mother's Day and left Sunday morning. She came just in time as Calla had a very bad cold last week and Grandma nursed her back to health. We all had fun. Calla is little miss active. She loves to walk behind her lion and explore everything.

Calla loves getting in and out of her musical chair!

Calla really likes puzzles. She loves to take them apart and leave them all over the house for us to step on.

Calla and Aspen continue to enjoy each other. Calla now tries to throw balls for Aspen.

and to take her toys. Aspen is patient through it all.

We had great weather here last Friday - Sunday and we all enjoyed being outside in the sun.

My mom loved the Corvallis Farmers Market and so did Calla. Calla loves to people watch, so anywhere with lots of people is really fun for her.

Mom and Calla at the market.

We also went to the Oregon Garden. It was beautiful!! What a Silverton treasure!!

Calla loves flowers, we just have to teach her that she can't pick them all.

Calla and mom walking. Yes great-grandpa, grandma did lots of practicing with Calla.