Off and running - Deva's walking now!

I (Bill) got to see Deva taking 5-6 steps before leaving on two week trip to Asia (work - yuck!). Many times taking the steps going between daddy and papa. When I returned from Asia, she was off and running! So, I didn't miss the first steps, but it sure was hard to be away from my little dumpling for so long. Deva has graduated from o-e-o's (Cheerios) to toast (as you can see below) - she likes to have a whole piece to work on for a while. Deva also like playing in a sea of bubbles. What a sweetie - how did we ever get so lucky?

Deva's birthday trip (comments at the bottom)

We had a great time visiting Kansas and New Jersey - to get help from family and friends to celebrate Deva's first birthday. After opening tons of gifts at the party hosted by Buck's sister's family - Deva had her first piece of cake. She did some careful inspection first and then went head first into the cake - very funny. We also visited Jennifer and her three children - where Deva was introduced to cheese - which she took to immediately (smart girl). Among the other firsts in the food department was frozen custard. After one bite, Deva shot me a look that said "why on earth would anyone eat that?!" The "official" birthday was celebrated in Avalon. Deva had a lot of fun playing with a million red, purple, blue, and green balls - and making friends with Barb's dog Jack. All in - a great first birthday - or as Deva would say ah-DU, ah-DU, ah-DU!

Deva's First Birthday

To celebrate Deva's big day, we decided to take her across the country to meet the entire family - Kansas and New Jersey.

The first stop was Tonganoxie, Kansas.

Month Twelve: Father's Day, First Day of Summer, and preparing for Deva's first birthday!

Celebrated the first day of summer at the beach. With the record heat and broiling sun, we decided to camp out in the shade behind the lifeguard stand. Deva wasn't so sure about the sand and water at first, but she quickly warmed up to it.

Check out those teeth! It's one of the few pictures with a clear shot of the top and bottom teeth. We think they were pushing through this day as Deva was just a little bit cranky and loved biting on something cold (her favorite was the bottom of a soda can, go figure).

Nothing like wind blown hair on a hot summer day!

Favorite past-time, sitting on the kitchen table chewing on papa's keys and wallet.

Had a great day on Father's Day playing with Deva outside. I think she must of known it was father's day since she was in a great mood all day and we had a blast running around in the backyard.

Month Nine - Big Month: Easter, Deva's starting to crawl, and it's finally legal!