Meredith is growing up.

Over the past few weeks Meredith has made it very clear that she sees and hears EVERYTHING we do and say. And not only that, but after she sees and hears it she is going to try to do it and say it. It is an amazing education for Ryan and myself. We have to be hyper-aware of what we do and what we say, because she will want to try to do it and say. So, it is a constant riddle for me- I HAVE to ask - "Will Meredith be able to do this without hurting herself?" or "Do I want her to know how to say this?"

In this video you see Miss Meredith, pulling a 'chair' to where she wants it, clean it and sit down on it.

Meredith Loves the Camera

Lately whenever I try to take a picture or a video, she comes after me DEMANDING the camera. Take a look.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

Meredith’s Daily, Hourly, Minutely, Secondly, Constant Hijinks!

You know, when Meredith was younger I used to think I was SO busy. My naïve self REALLY used to think, “Oh, it will be so nice when she can play by herself, that way I will have some time during the day to get other things done around the house.” WRONG! Boy was I ever wrong. Now that Meredith can play by herself I have to keep an eye on her like a hawk. She is a constant, furious, unforgiving ball of energy. The girl is on the move from the moment she opens her eyes in the morning to the moment she drops from sheer exhaustion.

Some of her favorite exploits include:

Pulling all of the storage bowls from the drawer and distributing them evenly around the house.

Pulling all of the toilet paper from the roll and then tearing it into pieces.

Trying to pick up the kitty.

Finding rocks and acorns outside and trying to clean them with her tongue.

Picking my nose.

Emptying her food bowls onto the floor and then eating from the floor – it is like a much bigger plate.

Pulling ALL of the DVDs out of the entertainment center and then trying to open them and take the DVDs out.

Taking the ornaments off the Christmas tree and them putting them back on the tree.

Pulling the clean laundry out of the dryer and replacing it with anything else she can find on the floor or around the house.

Figuring out what in the trashcans she can eat, play with or wear.

At the end of the day the list of Meredith’s activities that fall under the label of exploration is endless. Isn’t she great.

Laugh of the Day: Snot Discovery

There is no denying that Meredith is growing up. Everyday she does something that not only reinforces that fact, but cracks me up in the process. Today's moment was hilarious.

We are standing in the living room talking about going to the library. Suddenly she sneezes a nice loud sneeze. For a second she stands there thinking and then she walks over grabs my shirt and wipes her nose and mouth.

Can you believe that? I mean really, what is a little snot for some major laughs.

Go Gators!

Sucker for a Happy Face!

And this is a Very Happy Face.

Meredith's First Family Vacation.

Blood Mountain, Georgia during Halloween - yep that is where we went for our family vacation. Of course, Ryan kept talking about the Blair Witch and if I had thought it through I would have, probably chosen another mountain. However, no witch came to visit and the place was just beautiful.
We got there on Saturday night and after 8 1/2 hours of traveling (with a very tired baby), not being able to see anything (pitch dark), we were just ready to go to sleep. The next morning we woke up to one of the most beautiful sites we could have ever expected.


Our cabin was surrounded by trees and mountains. Everywhere you looked there was a breath stealing view. Driving through those roads was like driving through a postcard - it was just amazing. Everything was just yellow and orange and red - from the distance the mountains could have been on fire.








There are a ton of state parks in the area with great hiking trails. And with the weather in the high 60's and nothing but clear skies - we could not have asked for any better.

We took 5 different hiking trails - the shortest 1/4 mile one way, we saw three waterfalls, a German town in the middle of no where, lots of bees (nice bees) and wild kitty cats - among other things.




Meredith's favorite things: the waterfalls, the streams, the hundreds of thousands of leaves to play with, giant-mutant acorns, rocks everywhere, trying to slide down the mountains (and giving me a heart attack);


Our favorite things - the views, the weather, the hiking trails, the funnel cake and the fudge, the quiet, the darkness, the friendly bees, the weird biker vibes in the friendly German town.




At the end of the week we were rested and exhausted. We were in awe and in amazement; and while we waved goodbye to the mountains of Georgia, we look forward to our future adventure, while we fondly remember our first.

Happy Halloween to Lady Bugs Everywhere.

Check out our pumpkin ghosts.

Instead of carving - which Meredith could not do - we painted out pumpkins this year.

We made pumpkin ghosts - and they are quite cute in my opinion.







Meredith had a great time painting and so did we,

Search for the perfect pumpkin.

Which one will it be?

What will we do to it?

Stay tuned for more details.

Practicing her pitching.

Start them young.

And yes, if she was a he, I would still put her to work.

Meredith likes to dance.

She dances to any kind of music with a clear beat or melody. Here she is dacing to some random country music. She has graduated to moving her entire body. I will get a better video soon.

Frosting as finger paints.

During her first birthday cake experience, Meredith played with the frosting like she plays with her finger paints.

She never dug into the cake and only took a little taste of the frosting - who knows maybe she won't like sugar -HA.

Our Family.

We look good together.

She is just TOOOOOO cute!

I mean . . . really.

Heart Attacks?

Can a 29 year old woman be frightened into a heart attack?

Well, just take a look at this picture . . . what do you think? It might help to know that this picture was only the beginning.

The answer is YES!

Going Wild at the Zoo !

For Meredith's 1st birthday we took a family trip to the Zoo.

Oooh . . . would it be hot? Would it be stinky? Would it be hairy? We didn't know . . .







The first thing we noticed as we walked in, was thousand of tiny red ants all over the place. Of course we picked up Meredith and the stroller trying to make sure that they could not get to her - in fear that she would be bitten. Well, thankfully the zoo had signs up telling us about the ants. It turns out that they are Crazy Caribbean Ants. They are very active (like on speed), they are red, but they are completely harmless. On we go...






The elephants were a big hit. There were two visible when we got to their habitat. One of them was eating and the other was throwing mud on itself. They made Meredith happy.







After the elephants we stopped at the bat habitat. They had just gotten fed and all I can really say is "YIKES". They are this interesting mix of creepy and cool. Oh, man. I would not want to run into one on a dark night.







This guy was just toooooo cute. Was he sad? Tired? Was he just looking at the weird people on the other side and wondering what we were doing. We will never know.






After this dude we got to see a very docile gorilla. He was even cuter. He sat down and looked cool and calm. But he was sitting where he could keep an eye on both display areas and he would look from side to side - keeping an eye all of us. Personally I think that he would have been ready to strike at any danger. Amazing.







Strolling through the Zoo with Daddy was lots of fun. Whenever, she had a chance to run or stroll around the zoo she took it. The different floor textures, the different sites kept her going all day.





One thing I realized, which I don't think I have ever really noticed before is how many UGLY animals there are. We saw some ugly birds - many ugly birds. Then there was this enormous toad, bigger then my head, with warts and yucky looking skin. And from everything I read the uglier they were the better it was for them during mating season. Go figure.





Brushing the goats was a very good and different experience, but man was it stiky.











Our family trip to the ZOO was a great success. It was not too hot. It did not rain. Mostly, it did not stink. Meredith was involved and interested all day. By two O'clock she was done and fell asleep in her stroller in the middle of the ZOO - which is unusual for Meredith. We got to see some great animals and be together. TWO THUMBS UP!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Meredith Narelis Fuller was born on September 19, 2006. She weighed 7lbs11oz and was 20" tall.








Today, Septermber 19, 2007, Meredith is 1 year old. She weighs 24lbs and is 31" tall.
Happy Birthday Baby Girl Fuller.

Love, Mom and Dad

Pretty in . . . brown?!?

11 Months Old Today

Sure is pretty . . .

And smart. Man is she smart. I sure hope we can keep up.

Meredith is up to something . . . ALL THE TIME!

You can just tell she is planning her next scheme. How does she figure these things out? She is not even a year old.

Ahh . . . She loves Gators.

From Cruisin' to Cruise Control

A few small steps for Meredith . . . one giant panic attack for her parents! At ten and a half months, it is with great excitement (and some apprehension) that we present to you: MEREDITH'S FIRST STEPS!

Meredith's Stroll

Meredith and Tunnels.

Meredith has been a happy member of Gymboree since early June.

She is adventurous and exploratory - just like in her every day life. She goes for it and then deals with the consequences (Yes more white hairs are just popping up by the day!).

However, there is one thing that Meredith will not tackle and that is the tunnels - long, short, soft, hard, multi-colored or single colored - she will not willingly go in or through.

Thanks to Titi Zachi, she now has one at home to practice with. However, the best I have been able to coax her to do is go half way through - then she turns back to where she started and crawls around the tunnel to me.

However, this past Wednesday she did it. For the first time in Gymboree Meredith crawled through the longest tunnel all on her own. Go Meredith!

Broccoli ? ! ? ! ? How did that happen?

If I had not been in the delivery room . . . and well if Meredith did not look SO much like my baby pictures - I would be certain that our baby was really switched at birth. I mean broccoli?

Meredith eats broccoli faster than I eat Doritos or Ryan eats chocolate. How did this happen?

Isn't she great?

Pool Time!

That fish is SO Funny!

One of Meredith's toys is a fish that swins (flaps its tail) when you pull the string.

She thinks it is great fun in the tub and out.

Go Daddy Go!

See Meredith, as she cheers on her Daddy during her first softball game!

Go Daddy GO!

A little bit of Meredith . . .

Meredith changes daily. Things that she liked last week, she does not like this week. She is learning at amazing rates and I am constantly hoping that we will be smart enough to keep up with her.

Here is some of Meredith.

1. Meredith started crawling the last week of her seventh month, on Saturday. Then Sunday she started pulling up on her crib and by Monday she was standing in her crib and waiting for us to pick her up. And, honestly, she has not stopped since. Over the past few weeks she has become an expert crawler. She likes to talk (babble) a lot when she is crawling and she is quite expressive even without words. Her favorite past times are to 1) Chase after the cat and pounce, poor Mable has not gotten a break since Meredith started crawling and 2) Crawling away from us as fast as she can when we say, “ Meredith” and giggling uproariously about it. She is hilarious. She seems to prefer standing to any other position, so she will pull herself up on anything and everything; furniture, appliances, walls, the cat, my hair - whatever is at arms reach – she will try to pull up on it or with it.

2. Meredith is also becoming a great eater. When we started Meredith on solids in March she did great with the vegetables, but was not all that thrilled with the fruits. Now, she is doing great with veggies and fruits and every three days we introduce something new and so far (knock on wood) everything has agreed with Meredith. Some of the new foods that she has tried and seems to enjoy – oatmeal with apples and bananas, plain yogurt with some fruit mixed in, chunks of - mango, banana, pear, really ripe peach, mozzarella cheese, crackers and cheerios.

3. Likes: Meredith is definitely aware of what she likes and what she does not like. Meredith likes water – taking a shower, a bath, sitting in her baby pool, the beach – loves it; she likes the swings in the playground, playing with anything that makes noise (which is really anything), sand, the cat, dogs, her books.

4. Dislikes: Meredith does not like having her face touched, her diaper changed, MaMa’s homemade food (I have tried twice, but she keeps gagging), the feel of concreted on her feet or having her clothes changed.

5. One thing which I find really funny right now, but I am sure I might not later on, is her attempts at expressing her temper. Right now when she gets mad and I am holding her she starts to jump up and down, which is just hilarious because when she is not in her jumper, her jumps are not as smooth, which frustrates her.

There you have some of Meredith.

She gives laughs, learning opportunities and unconditional love, even when she is mad. So far having Meredith in our lives is more and better then I ever expected.

A little BIG Girl!

I don't know exactly when it happened. But it seems to me that almost over night our sweet little baby has become our sweet little, almost toddler.


Check this out:

Here is Meredith on 11/27/2006, at about 2 1/2 months.



Now Check Meredith out on 6/5/2007, at about 8 1/2 months old.




Now, my only question is, how soon will it be before she is taller then me? Hmmm . . . another question to ponder.

Meredith's First Trip to the Beach

The best gift ever!

Riding along on MaMa's bike.

On her Dora bike.

Trying out her new bike helmet.

Meredith's first somersault.

Cousin Alondra comes to Visit.

Happy Spring...

Meredith's first drive.

Communing with Nature.

Cute Outfit.