Who Dat Baby

This city has an undeniable charm on particular sunny, friendly days. (And people seem extra friendly ever since the Saints won their way to the Superbowl for the first time) It has hugely lifted the spirits of the community as a whole, a sort of rebirth. I joined some of the hotel staff in the bistro for the last playoff game, and it was surprisingly fun, their enthusiasm contagious. I dressed Amaya in gold and black more for everyone else's delight! I made sure to get her out of the crowd before they won and wow am I glad that I did! We watched the scene on the streets from our hotel room window, I have never seen anything quite like it! Even the police were on loudspeakers that you could hear throughout the French quarter, “The Saints are going to the superbowl! Who Dat!” haha I feel happy for them, this city deserves some penetrating joy. And just to think, what the superdome contained and represented just 5 years ago.


We’ve found a special spot to visit, a dock on the Mississippi river, to get away from the commotion of downtown if we do go out, though it’s only a few minutes walk beyond it. She used her (first) new shoes here for the first time, walking up the wooden steps with my help, so proud of herself at the top. We sit next to the waves crashing on the rocks, and there is usually a saxophone player at the top of the steps. A gigantic ferry boat passes every now and then. It’s one of my favorite places, and I’m usually not even that much of a fan of muddy rivers, but you’ve got to take what little bits of nature you can get here.



We’re going to a DOG PARADE today before the game! If you didn’t know doggies are Amaya's like favorite thing ever, well…from what she’s seen in this world so far. I can’t wait to see her reaction!

I'll be back with a video and hopefully a win!



the hotel courtyard (it's really pretty. The hotel is very old, original New Orleans style)










it's just a kombucha bottle...haha

I haven't yet figured out how to put videos on here...so here's the links:
video 1
video 2

some catching up to do

From now on, my hope is I get on here often enough to post pictures/videos as I take them, correlated with posts. But since I've been seriously dragging on sending any lately, there's way too many to post right on here, so here's the links to check out what she's been up to the past few months:

7 - 9 months

9 - 10 months

videos

In my quest to improve staying in touch I've even considered joining Facebook, we'll see... :)

You'll see that the very latest footage is of her very first steps! She's had some attempts the last few days, and she's gotten quite skilled at walking around the room holding onto furniture, but this last night was the first continuous series of steps! She has such balance, doesn't she?? We were incredibly proud. While she walks between us her face is full of awe and pure delight in herself as she nervously giggles and waddles along. She's by far still more interested in crawling or walking holding onto things (or our legs) still, but I'm sure it'll pick up in no time at all. My prediction has been 11 months.

Our baby is getting more and more independent, it's so crazy to see her upright all the way up there in midair by herself!