Lura has had more hair than a lot of babies since day one, and on 12 June 2004 Cheryl for the first time gathered her ever-lengthening locks into a pair of ponytails.
That evening we took her to our local Islands restaurant and sat her in a high chair for the first time; up to this point, we've simply detached her carrier from its car seat base and brought her in that, but she's outgrown it now. Here she is almost engulfed in her Floppy Seat, which pads a high chair and also gives her something washable to chew on instead of the chair's wooden seat rails.
Here's Lura (with her ponytails) under what we call her "toy arch." Its canopy is designed to attach flat to the bottom rails so she could lie on her back on it and reach for the toys attached to the arches by Velcro, but now that she's sitting up we reconfigured it into a little play house (complete with window on one side for games of peekaboo).
Lura, we have noticed, has the ability to concentrate on small things like a button, or a pea, or even a hair, for long periods of time. Tags are a particular favorite; she'll seek them out on clothing, toys, towels, you name it. Since the tags attached to her toy arch are at the bottom of the canopy, she often grabs them and upends the whole structure on top of herself!
She is always happy when Cricket comes by; Cricket will even let Lura pet her, as long as Cheryl or Mark is there to ensure that Lura is gentle. Cricket likes to investigate Lura's toys, as well, and here Lura shows that she's willing to share.
Here Cricket appears to be praying that Lura won't mistake her tail for a tag!
20 June 2004 was Mark's first Fathers' Day! The choir had the day off, since the children in the Sunday School classes presented most of the service to mark the end of the church-school year, so we sat up in the empty choir loft together. (Mark's hair is more than usually unkempt because he likes to carry Lura on his shoulder, and she always takes a firm handhold there.)
After the service, the older youth hosted a pancake breakfast in the Community Hall, so we went there for brunch. Lura always seems to eat particulary well (from jars of baby food we carry in her diaper bag) in public, for some reason; perhaps she's practicing her "company manners." Here she and Cheryl are sitting with Aya, the granddaughter of our good friends the Stoltenbergs.
Here's Lura a few days short of ten months old. Cheryl gave her a large Tupperware bowl to put things into and take things out of (and to drum on!). It's so much fun to watch (and help) her discover new things she can do, nearly every day! We're very grateful that she came into our lives and gave us our first Mothers' and Fathers' Days.
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