Jumpin G. Willikers!

We introduced Veroninca to the the Jump & Go last night. Veronica was so excited that her eyes popped out of her head and rolled onto the floor, but they still never stopped looking at the Jump & Go. Veronica had a great time in the jumper and we didn't even turn the ADHD-inducing-lights-and-sounds until the end.

In other Veronica related news, Momma returned to work last week and Veronica was not happy. Momma got the stink eye from V when she walked in the door at the end of the day. Fortunately for everyone involved, Veronica has adjusted and is all smiles when Momma gets home from work now. Most fortunate of all is Daddy, who is home for another three weeks on paternity leave and enjoying the unseasonably sunny weather.

Yes We Can!

Remember when those "1.20.09" bumper stickers seemed so far off? ... Veronica doesn't either. The three of us watched the inauguration together. Veronica may not have appreciated the magnitude of the moment, but she did appreciate getting to watch tv. Yes We Can!

Things have slowly returned to normal in Seattle after the holidays. The snow melted and family returned home, although for some reason the Eagles are still playing. Veronica has loyally been watching the games sporting her Brian Westbrook jersey to bring the Iggles good luck.


We tried to introduce a night time ritual to help Veronica get to sleep and sleep through the night since Momma goes back to work on Monday. Alas, V still wakes up every 2-3 hours to nurse during the night. The night time ritual of a tubby, a song, and a bottle hasn't changed V's sleep pattern at all, but describing it is an good excuse to post tubby pics.


Veronica had a play date with some big girls this week too. And big girls are the coolest! One of Momma's colleagues, Jennifer, stopped by with her two daughters Olivia and Anna. Veronica laughed harder watching the girls play than she has ever laughed before. Cleary she has been humoring us with courtesy laughs all this time. The girls jumped around and Veronica couldn't keep her eyes off of them.


Daddy started his paternity leave this week with extra week of sick time added to the beginning to recover from getting his knee scoped. Opening a vacation with knee surgery doesn't lend itself to many kodak moments, but at least we can all sleep in a bit later that usual or just hang out and chat.

a very merry white Christmas

Grandmom and Grampa flew in from PA to celebrate Christmas with Veronica. Veronica got lots of clothes, a few tree ornaments to call her own, and an adorable Christmas dress. There were shoes with the outfit too, but they didn't last too long on her feet. And if you liked the ruffled bloomers from her last dress, get a load of these! 19th century retro undergarments are all the rage with newborns this season.

The snow continued to fall in Seattle all week, even as we opened presents around the tree Christmas morning. We spent the homebound days lounging around and catching up with family. We ventured out a few times and luckily Veronica received a hat and glove set from New England just in time (thank you Cheryl).

And Playoffs? We're talking about playoffs? ...well some of us in this house are anyway.

Snow Day!

Eight inches of snow has landed on Seattle in the past few days and cabin fever is starting to set in. One of the drawbacks to living in a mild climate is the dearth of snow plows and lack of salt for the roads. The city "sands" the roads out here and apparently they only budgeted for one day. The roads are in such good shape that a cross country skier slid past our house yesterday. And Daddy would be shoveling the driveway, but he budgeted for snow removal as well as City Hall did. The front walkway is swept clean and the Jetta had to muscle its way out of the driveway on its own. Veronica got her first taste of the snow yesterday. We scoffed when Mimi sent us a snow suit from Bean, but there we were yesterday, all bundled up in a snow suit.

Veronica has been exhibiting a lot more independence recently. A few nights ago she was fussy in Daddy's arms and wasn't any happier in Momma's. We tried all the usual tricks, but all Veronica wanted was some peace and quiet in her swing. Veronica's play mat has also become party central. Veronica likes to smack the hanging toys and she's getting pretty good at it. I think we all know whose hand-eye coordination she inherited.

Christmas celebrations continue. The Heaters stopped by for brunch ahead of this weekend's snow storm (the word blizzard was thrown around). Henry was kind enough to volunteer to open V's present and let Uncle B play with Hot Wheels.

Coo-Coo Ka-Choo

Veronica has been cooing up a storm for the past week. Lots of "ooh's", "wha's" and the occasional "hey". Along with her improved vision, this makes Veronica much more interactive since she can look right at us and talk about what's on her mind. And when the mood strikes her, Veronica will break into a Joni Mitchell sing-a-long. Toys have become more fun for V too. Her dexterity has improved to the point that she can hold a rattle, which will become even more fun to play with when she realizes she is the one controlling it. But her favorite game remains lying on her play mat and laughing at the beautiful girl in the mirror. With all these developments, Alison is now starting to understand why mothers decide to go through labor a second time.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Seattle. Momma and V worked together to get our Christmas cards out. Veronica's penmenship needs work, but she has a knack for knowing zip codes.

Otherwise, Veronica has been her adorable self and getting lots of kisses from Daddy, but she isn't too keen on reciprocating.

Immunization Station and the rest of Staycation

Wednesday was Veronica's first round of immunization shots. It also marked the debut of Veronica's WTF?! face. Poor Veronica had no idea what she was in for and was smiling at everyone when three shots pierced her little thighs in rapid succession. The nurse did a great job of giving the shots as quickly as possible, but that was little consolation for V. Or for Momma. I'm not sure who cried more. But Veronica was quickly soothed by nursing... and Momma needed a chai latte, then everyone was happy.

Thanksgiving week also meant not having to go to work due to a fortuitous collection of off days. That meant a week full of lazy mornings and long naps. Veronica likes to take her time waking up in the morning. It's hard to tell which one of her parents she gets waking up slowly from since we both claim credit. Veronica has also started dreaming recently. What does a 2 month old dream about? What else?

Veronica took her first ferry ride last week. It's not easy to capture the thrill a ferry ride in a picture, but Veronica had fun. However, changing a diaper in the back of a Jetta with the door open on a moving ferry wasn't fun. Once we got to Bainbridge Island, Veronica got to wear her polka dot dress and handmade sweater from her Great Gram Grace. The dress and sweater were cute and all, but were no match for the piece de la resistance: the ruffled bum on her tights.

And the world has another Giants fan, but at least it's a McPartland.