First and foremost - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUIE!!!! I'll admit that we didn't get much celebrating in yesterday, but this weekend in Rhode Island (actually we leave in a couple of hours) will undoubtedly bring lots of good times!

Here is Josie enjoying the "Thomas the Tank Engine" card that she hand-picked for her daddy:

And, I'll leave you with this video of our smart little cookie, who is now quite adept at following directions. Thanks to Carissa who has been working on this with her. :)

Oh, in other Josie news:

• She has just gotten her 8th tooth (which means she is now even with four on the top and four on the bottom).


• She has pretty much weaned herself from nursing and is down to just one mama-milk-meal a day (breakfast).


• She now knows the sign language for "help" & uses it frequently and in the proper context.


• She says "uh-oh" and "hi".


• She is positively obsessed with shoes! (Case in point - the fact that I had to literally pry her little fingers off of a pair of pink sparkly Mary Janes that she helped herself to at Children's Place. At one point she had at least 6 pairs of them in her stroller. I took me no less than a half-hour to distract her enough with other diversions sufficient enough for her to give them up.) Hilarious!

We'll be back Sunday night so I'll be sure to check in early next week! :)