Christmas in Rockville

What a nice Christmas we had in Rockville. Little Walnut is getting bigger every day, and the doctors have been very happy so far with her progress:



Ida Jane loved dressing up:



Dressing up is particularly fun when Olivia joins in the fun. And who can resist a freshly stocked toy chest?



This pony was pretty "rocking" (groan!):



Hopefully, she'll be ready to share next Christmas:

A Christmas Rooster

Before we get to our feathered friend, we've been absent for a little bit. Time to catch up!

First, after the Macy's Day Parade, there was, in fact, a little Thanksgiving feast, complete with Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, stuffing, sparkling cider, a delicious apple pie, and, of course, the piece d'resistance, a wonderful tofurkey (a non-feathered friend):



Then Nana and Papa came to visit. Here's a picture of Ida Jane teaching Papa what "laptop" means:



Then, as a bit of a shock, a tree sprouted in our living room. Ida Jane thought there might be some sort of mistake:



But even Mama and Dada were a bit surprised when, yes, we were visited by the Christmas Rooster:



Ida Jane was very fond of him, even though we didn't know where he came from.



Eventually he was taken away by the animal folks, who will make sure he has a nice home at a farm sanctuary. He was a friendly chap who enjoyed eating oatmeal and icicles. We'll miss him!

T-Day quickie

We're busy making pies, sweet potatoes, cranberries, stuffing, and of course the majestic Tofurkey. And Ida Jane has discovered the most wonderful holiday treat of all: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

So here's a movie of our marching baby. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

O-H ... I-O!

Ida Jane had a great time watching the Buckeyes send the Wolverines packing. "Go!" is a new part of her vocabulary now, as in "Go Go Go Go!"

She got dressed for the part, thanks to Nana and Papa:



Here she is, cheering on the Scarlet and Gray.



Ida Jane also enjoys playing with sounds. She makes a pretty mean explosion sound, and her raspberries are still a solid A. But lately, we've added a new tool to the repetoire. The echo chamber:

Fish face

Ida Jane has been learning lots of new tricks and games. One of her favorite is fish face, which can make a yoghurt snack particularly messy:



She's also been getting a lot better about following directions. Her latest favorite toy is a basketball, which she likes to "dribble" (aka "pound on"). Here's Ida Jane showing off her comprehension and slapping skills.



And, really, who doesn't enjoy a good game of hide 'n seek?



All of this playing can lead to "sour hour", the time when the usually sweet Ida Jane is ready to hit the hay.

Teddy bear, teddy bear

Ida Jane had a great Halloween. She got to dress up as a teddy bear, which kept her warm for trick or treats.



Earlier this weekend she got to go to a Spooktacular at Amy's school. Here she is on the dancefloor, giving Yoda the eye.



And here she is, "bare-headed", after working up a sweat doing some great dance moves:



Then tonight she went out trick or treating. Here she is in the front yard, ready to go!



After she got a little tired, we came home. She greeted other trick or treaters with some scary window raspberries.



After she got dressed up in some beautiful Halloween pajamas, she wanted to stay up late watching for more kids. What a great night!

Of bellies, art, and the klapperfisk

As you know, Ida Jane is expecting her little brother or sister in the spring. In the meantime, she's learning that Mom's lap isn't as big as it used to be:



(Yes, her shirt says "Not a Big Gagne Fan." I got it for her as a joke, and it's unfortunately turned into a good-luck charm. Not only do the Red Sox win when she wears it, but Francona doesn't put in Gagne, either).

Ida Jane loves to go for walks with Olivia. Here she is, giving us a not-so-subtle hint about what she'd like to do:



And here we are, enjoying the wonderful fall weather:



Ida Jane is picking up some new skills. Here we are, working with crayons. The end result was a bit abstract, but we're on our way to making beautiful art:



This weekend we took a trip to IKEA for a few essentials. IKEA has lots of wooden toys and other fun things with strange Swedish names. Here's Ida Jane walking down the hall with her new favorite toy: the Klapperfisk!