Samantha is sitting up very steadily now. She is really crawling now, no more laying on the floor in between steps. She pulls herself up onto almost everything and stands for a while. Getting back down is not so easy. I have to rescue her now and then when she starts shrieking for help. I'm sure she'll get there eventually.

The Bjorn Carrier is too small for Samantha now. The limit is 26 inches and Sam is 27 inches now. That and she is quite heavy to carry in the front. I have to find a backpack to carry her instead. I can't figure out how to dress her for hiking in the cold. Her hands are getting cold, so I need mittens for her, but how can I get her to keep her mittens on? I'll figure something out, I'm sure. We are having a lot of fun treking through the woods. Hard to imagine this time last year I was just getting rounded in my pregnancy and about to go on bedrest. It will be nice to be mobile this year. Weehah!

Peekaboo is the new game. She loves it when I hide behind something and come out winking and fluttering my eyelashes at her. Yesterday when I hid for a second, she got scared. Today she giggles. Her mind is growing at an astonishing pace. Her other favorite toys are a wooden spoon (nice noise, good to chew on) a small ball, a rattle (bought a new one after I lost her first one) and her saucer. She isn't so interested in playing with the toys. She just likes bouncing up and down and making loud noises. Scares Ella a bit, but we are adjusting. Ella has a lot of adjusting to look forward to. Samantha's noise making capacity is only going to increase over the next few years. Good thing Ella is such a steady pup.