The first picture shows Callie holding her very own sippie cup. She doesn't use it very often. But on hot summer days like the ones we are experiencing now, she likes to hydrate with some cool water. No need for Gatorade yet, but it's only a matter of time. Just yesterday we went to the store to buy a puzzle and came away with a ball. She showed no interest in the puzzles and went right after the rubber balls. It is not a soccer ball, but that will come eventually.
The second picture is of Callie clapping. She started "putting her hands together" at about 7 months. Although we are pretty proud of this skill, she lets us know who's boss by refusing to do it on demand. At this time it is also safe to say that she is not what one would call a loud clapper. She's more of a "good golf shot" clapper.
We should also point out that in this picture she is sitting in John's old chair that is still in Madison, CT. At one point John could sit in that. Hmmm. Not pictured here are all the folks we saw on a quick visit to Madtown that included water fights, wiffle ball, and quality time with Nana Taffy and Grandpa Jay. Much to her parents delight, Callie also traveled like a champ, sleeping soundly on 3 out of 4 flights. Now for the third installment of Callie cam. Here we see our hero learning how to travel from one spot in the room to another without the assistance of her parents. This is the most recent skill of note.
As you can see from the video, she has not completely mastered crawling. Like some cars in need of a wheel alignment, she tends to veer right. As everyone told us, our life is increasingly changing. We now find ourselves sticking covers over electric sockets and worrying constantly about the cleanliness of the floors. Unfortunately, despite the constant use of the Swiffer, Callie manages to find the one dust ball that escaped.
True to our goal this summer, we have conquered another hike. This time our feet took us to Raven Run, a small nature preserve on the outskirts of Lexington. We were better equipped in a number of ways. No flip-flops this time, and Callie rode in style in our Ebay-acquired backpack. We are proud of our bargain hunting abilities on this one - got it at less than half price! 
Callie definitely appeared to enjoy her time in the backpack. She was able to observe all the wonderful greenery and listen to the cicadas who were in fine form. The three of us also shared the experience with our friend Karen Ross who was too busy hiking to pose for pictures. All in all, the exploring Kentucky summer is going well. Hopefully the temperatures will cool down so we can keep up the momentum. As we write this, Callie does not have a smile like the one below. She has just finished a bath and is a bit...how do I say...cranky? Fatigue must be the cause, because only minutes ago she had bottle and wolfed down some peas and carrots. Although she is trying to eat the TV remote at the moment. Of course, the crankiness may also be related to the appearance of the first tooth. Don't get too excited, it's only just coming through the gum. And like the elusive Yeti of old, it is rarely seen. But if she sucks on your finger there is definitely something sharp in her mouth.
That covers most of what is new. However, the months to come will surely provide more and more firsts. Hope all is well with you and yours. Callie and her giraffe hope to see you soon.
