New Year's Visit from the Blocks

My parents come down to L.A. about every other month or so and Beatrice and Arthur always love their visits. Unfortunately, because we see them relatively often I sometimes forget to take many photos or write blog entries like I do when other friends and relatives visit. On their last trip, though, I did capture a few good photos of our trips to the zoo, the park, and Travel Town.

Beatrice hugging the Snoopy she got from my parents for Christmas

Arthur at the pirate park

I think they are starting to look alike

Two Dolphins: A Study in Crayon

Beatrice's first semi-representational drawing, which she identifed to me and Marie as a big dolphin and a small dolphin. And they really look like dolphins! leaping through some waves.

Arthur, Month Eight

Looking thoughtful

And classy

Arthur's eighth month was mostly spent on Christmas activities, a trip to Texas, and then a New Year's visit from my parents (photos to follow). But he also made some big strides in both standing and speaking.

He has been trying to stand without holding on to anything and a few times he's succeeded—for a few seconds, at least. He is also working on walking while pushing a wheeled cart—though he emphatically refuses to do so on video.

Meanwhile, he is constantly squealing, laughing, and babbling. He spends all day saying "dada," a meaningless phoneme that Dev nonetheless swears refers to him. Whatever Arthur means by "dada," he enjoys saying it, and just today when I said "bye" to Marie as she was leaving I swear Arthur said "bye" too. He is also fond of waving—but also not on video.

Arthur refusing to say "mama"

As Arthur gets older he is also starting to play more with Beatrice.

Marie took this picture of them having a tea party outside

Unfortunately Arthur spent much of the past few weeks with a cold and/or an ear infection and so he wasn't always in the best mood. However, if there's one thing that always cheers him up, it's Bagels and Beyoncé.

A few more highlights, including Baby's First Lightsaber and Baby's First Shoes.

NERD!

Marie managed to capture Arthur's halo

Introducing Marie

I've been late to introduce this on the blog, but back in September I returned to work part-time (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) doing technical writing at an office in Sherman Oaks. The contract job will end in two weeks, hopefully to be replaced by another contract shortly after.

The job has been a mixed blessing at best, but one unequivocally good thing that came out of it was the chance to start working with Marie, an absolutely wonderful nanny who used to watch Rosemary when the Spindlers were living in Pasadena. Mina still raves about what a treasure Marie was (and is) and she's absolutely right.

Arthur adores Marie - you should see his face light up when she enters the room - and despite a mild bout of separation anxiety caused by me going back to work, Beatrice loves her, too. In fact, the other day as we were driving to preschool, Beatrice said excitedly, "Maybe Marie will be at school today to pick me up."

Marie also earned Beatrice's undying gratitude (and mine) by packing Beatrice this adorable tiny suitcase full of toys and snacks to keep her occupied on the plane to and from Dallas.

Christmas Gifts: Silhouette Magnets

This year we made sets of silhouette magnets for two groups of friends: my old school friends Amy, Amy, Summer, and Stephanie; and our Caltech/college friends Dev, Travis, Michael, Laura, Sam, Lilli, Travis, Aubrey, Melissa, and Monty.

I started by gathering up digital photos, used hand drawing to create the images, re-scanned them back into the computer, and converted them into vector files. Then Dev used a laser cutter to cut them out of plastic and we mounted them onto small wooden disks with magnets on the back.

Clockwise from top left: Amy Robb, Summer, Stephanie, me, and Amy Turner

Clockwise from top left: Dev, me, Melissa, Lilli, Laura, Monty, Travis, Michael, Sam, Aubrey

It's also a good band name.

We were up and in the car at 7am on the way to the airport and there was dew on our windshield. Beatrice asked why there was water on our car and I did my best to give her a toddler-sized explanation of condensation.

Beatrice replied, "No, it's people, people put the water on our car. People who live in the trees. A sparkle army that lives in the trees."

Though her comment took me by surprise, my mother commented that it is just the sort of thing I would have said if someone had put the question to me when I was two and a half.

She's not wrong.

My mother was helping Beatrice get ready for preschool.

Marilyn: What shoes do you usually wear to school?

Beatrice: Tiny ones.

Christmas Gifts: Doorway Puppet Theater

This year I sewed (and serged! thanks to the serger Dev got me for an early Christmas present) these doorway puppet theaters for the all the children in my life.

I got the original idea from the excellent blog Skip to my Lou, though I made a few modifications that I think made it a little faster and easier to sew, important when you're making so many of them.

Thank you to my mother for modeling the chicken puppet.

Winter in Austin

After Christmas in Dallas, our whole (slowly recovering) group headed to Mina and James' beautifully remodeled house in Austin.

In the car on the way from Dallas to Austin

Some of the highlights of the trip included two hikes, a canoe ride, the Nature Center, a trip to Lockhart for some barbecue, Tex Mex at Matt's El Rancho, and a New Year's Eve spent toasting marshmallows with the kids.

Travis helps Beatrice pick a leaf

Stopping on a hike for a snack break

Beatrice enjoys some ribs at Smitty's Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas

Getting ready to go canoeing, perhaps B's favorite activity all week

And of course just enjoying drinking, eating, and relaxing at home.