9 to 12 months

July 26th: Laura can crawl up the stairs!

Aug 5th: My sister visits for the weekend. We do some outlet shopping and my sis and Laura continue to bond.

Aug 15th: FINALLY: first tooth:top front.

Aug 21st: (where did the summer go!) Friends of mine with their 1 1/2 yo son (Thomas) as Laura calls him "Ahmi" come over for homemade pizza. Then we go to the Franklin Zoo. It is HOT and HUMID. The zoo is pretty dilapidated. The rainforest part with the gorilla smelled so bad that I was getting nauseous but Laura didn't even flinch. She was very observant but I don't know how much she got out of it being so young.

Aug 28th: The family flies down to DC/Baltimore area to visit hubby's friends (they have 3 boys: Jonah, Yisrael, and Noah: ages 2 1/2 to 6).

Aug 29th: Hubby, Laura and I go to Baltimore for an Orioles game. We get very good seats b/c they are currently a terrible team and can't fill the stands. It's a hot muggy day. We end up walking around a lot after the game to find someplace to eat. We end up at ESPN restaurant which is pretty bad but baby friendly. We go back to the hotel exhausted.

Aug 30th: We and hubby's friend's family go to my Aunt's house for dinner in Silver Springs. My parents have also come down. A big Korean feast in an adult house with 4 young kids. It turns out to be pretty low key and a good reunion. Laura is an angel.

Back to Boston on the 31st. I took more vacation days through to Labor day. It's nice to relax and just hang out at home. Laura is able to slide down by herself on the slide. I don't know about other kids but Laura is particularly cautious. She does not leap or dodge like other kids.

Sept 3rd: Friends of mine with their 2yo daughter (Adrian) go to the Children's Museum. We get there late afternoon on Sat. There's a new Clifford exhibit which was perfect for Laura. The rest of the museum seemed more appropriate for older kids. I let her wander around on her own, scooting on her rear. At this stage, she can scoot pretty quickly.

Sept 16th: My sister comes to visit, then my brother the next day for Laura's birthday weekend. We end up doing some shopping and then Bugaboo creek for dinner. Laura passes out during dinner and doesn't even get a birthday cake. My mom sent her a traditional Korean dress for her birthday. She looks so uncomfortable.

Laura eating a block of tofu at a local sushi restaurant in Roslindale.