First Birthday Party

Thank you to everyone who helped make India's first birthday special - through your presence, cards, thoughts, phone calls, and all the wonderful gifts!!!! The party was a blast. There was dancing, music, family time, toys, cake, and lots of love and fun. We'll let the pictures do the talking.

Miss you and love you so much!!!!

Linwood, Sara, and India

Climbing the Stairs

Easter/Spring Break

Hello All! Hope that you had a great Easter. India had fun playing with plastic eggs and digging in her Easter basket. Of course she doesn't understand what it's all for yet, but we're working on it:) Having this week off for spring break is such a gift!! We are enjoying every second with India singing, dancing, laughing, and playing. She took half a step this week, so she's working on walking....all at her own pace. A lady we spoke with in Target said "Don't worry, she won't go to kindergarten crawling." It kind of puts everything in perspective. We are anxiously getting ready for India's first birthday party.

We love you and miss you!

Linwood, Sara, and India

Birthday Countdown

India is coming more into her own personality everyday. She pushes you away when she doesn't want to be bothered, sucks on your face when she wants to show love, and squeals and plays all full of joy. She has developed a few quirks...drinking bath water, sucking the cheese off of grilled cheese sandwiches and spitting out the bread, saying "Wasssdat?" She is so full of life it makes us full of life!!! We are looking forward to our Spring Break next week, Easter, and India's first birthday.

Take care!

Thanks for coming to visit Uncle ONeal!!

We Love You All!!

Linwood, Sara, and India

Walking my Walker

11 months, 1 week

Hello Everyone! It is only 3 weeks until my first birthday. I don't know what to expect but it sounds like a pretty big deal. I have been sick for the past week...just the sniffles until last night. I threw up everywhere! Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy were there to take good care of me. Daddy says that I'm a really good cuddler when I'm sick. Today I feel a little better. I don't want to eat or drink a lot but I'm not throwing up anymore.

Last weekend Mommy and Daddy took me for my first ride in the bike trailer. I cried the whole time. It's kind of scary. I overheard them saying that they were going to keep trying until I like it. Guess I better get over it pretty quick!

Mommy and Daddy are trying to get me to stop sucking on my fingers. They put socks or gloves on my hands for a few hours a day. I hate it! It makes me so mad when I can't get my fingers in my mouth! Of course after I start playing for a little while I forget about it.

I am not taking steps yet. I wish everyone would stop rushing me. I stand up not holding onto anything for a few seconds. I'm going at my own pace! If you talk to my Mommy and Daddy please tell them that.

I love you and miss you all very much!

India

Watch Me Play!

What's happening now?

I know the anticipation is killing you....I have been crawling for the past 4 months, have been pulling myself up for the past 2 months, am taking steps holding on to Mommy and Daddy and with my walker,.....however I am not walking yet:) Mommy and Daddy try everyday to get me to walk to them. I appease them by letting go and showing them that I can stand for a few seconds. Crawling is so much faster...I just don't understand why anyone would risk the pain of falling over from a standing position when they can just crawl.

I got my first bloody lip this week. I hit my mouth on my toy box. I think it hurt Mommy and Daddy more than me...I'm pretty tough.

I continue to be healthy and am growing bigger and stronger everyday. Hopefully you are all doing the same.

I love you,

India

10 months old

Look at me laughing! I love you all! India

One Smart Cookie

Things have been busy in the Washington household since returning from Christmas Break. India is standing every chance she gets and "cruising" around all our furniture. We expect her first steps any day now. She is waving hello and goodbye. Daddy is still her favorite person. India's current favorite food is crackers....any kind of crackers, she just loves them and will eat them for every meal and snack if you let her. We went to a check-up at the doctor's today and she is perfectly healthy and normal. She is now 18 lb 4 oz and has grown a few inches. She is in the 90th percentile for her height. No shots today! It's nice to go to the doctor's and not leave with bandaids.

Hope that everyone has a great week! Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Love you,

Linwood, Sara, and India

Christmas Video

Christmas Vacation

We had a great time visiting family and friends over the holidays. Thank you for your time, hospitality, and the many gifts....India is spoiled and she doesn't even know it yet! All of the warm clothes are really coming in handy with the cold front that's been moving through Colorado. It seems to be snowing every other day. India and Mommy love it. However, Daddy has had enough snow from the last 2 winters to last a life time. Even though we enjoy the view from our windows of the snow-capped Rockies, we are looking forward to spring.

Here are some pictures from our trip. Even though we didn't take a lot of pictures, India had a great time hanging out with her grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

We Love you!

Linwood, Sara, and India

Christmas/New Year's Pictures

We have been quite delayed in getting out our Happy New Year's cards. Some of you have yours already if we saw you while we were home and remembered to give them to you..everyone else, yours are in the mail soon:)

Here are some of the snapshots we took.

Christmas Day

India's 1st Christmas was a fun and joyous event at our house. Of course she didn't know what was going on, but she had a great time eating bows and tearing paper, which she also tried to put in her mouth. Luckily I don't believe she was successful. When all the opening was done she went from toy to toy not knowing what to play with first.

I don't know what Linwood would say, but for me the day was complete when we received a gift of 8 inches of snow. There's nothing like a white Christmas!

Love,

Linwood, Sara, and India

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is drawing near and we are so, so excited to see you all!!!! India is loving her first Christmas tree....although she did look at her Daddy a little funny for bringing a tree into the house. Whenever we're not looking she finds her way over to pull the needles, grab a ball, or just sit underneath.

As the big girl she is she has started to demand more solid foods that she can feed herself. She doesn't want help anymore....Ms.Independent. This is a messy, but fun, experience for us all. She is cutting more teeth and has again been cranky and in a little bit of pain. Strangly we saw the teeth before the crankiness this time. I guess they are all different.

Thank you again to everyone who is sending adorable outfits for India. She is the best dressed baby I've seen!

We hope you're enjoying the Christmas season as much as we are.

See you soon!

Love,

Linwood, Sara, and India

8 months old - what a big girl!

India is becoming quite the big girl! This past week she has graduated from the baby bathtub into a bath ring. She just loves it..kicking and splashing whoever is close by! She has a harder time reaching her toys but does a good job of splashing them towards her.

We lowered her crib mattress to the lowest setting so that she doesn't jump out. She is pulling herself up on her knees and to standing whenever possible. We put her in her new lower crib to see how she liked the new view and she just played and played in there! It is such a blessing to have a baby who can entertain herself.

Shopping is so much easier now that India can sit in the cart. She loves being able to look around at everything and everyone around her. When we were picking out her Christmas tree she entertained all the other customers by squealing and screaming with delight! We even gave in and got her one of those singing toys. She is so spoiled:)

We are so so excited for the upcoming holidays and our trip east to see everyone!!!!

Until then, Love you all,

Linwood, Sara, and India

Laughing and Screaming

Crawling Video

I'm Gonna Bite You....Soon

India is officially teething. She has 4 teeth on the top and 4 on the bottom, waiting to break through. In the meantime no one in the Washington household is sleeping much. Poor thing is pretty uncomfortable this week.

Another first for the week is being able to hold herself up in the standing position by herself. She hasn't figured out how to get up or down but while she's there she has a great time!

We think that we have a little gymnist on our hands...that is before she begins her basketball career. We don't have a photo yet but she can make a front bridge pushing up on her hands and feet. It is sooooo cute!

We cannot wait to see you all at the holidays! It won't be long now!

Love,

Linwood,Sara, and India