The eyes have it
Happy Monday! Today, a "creation"... Many apologies for my sloppy first attempts at Photoshop processing... I just kind of liked the way this one came out.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Ten Months Today!
Dear Fern,
Some 10-month faces
You're ten months old today, closing in on a whole year! The biggest development is how capable you are of really, thoroughly enjoying people and places. We went to Pier 39 a couple of days ago to see some old friends and the sea lions that crowd the docks there. You loved them. Didn't want to leave. You kept clapping at the animals, and waving, and chortling. Sea lions hold their flippers in the air to cool off (and warm up), so you waved back.
Then you started flirting with tourists. You would chortle, and smile, and wave, and chortle again, until most of the people around you were paying more attention to you than the smelly sea lions. One younger guy (from Japan, dyed blonde) wanted to take a picture next to you. Some Russians from Pennsylvania on their way to a Mexican cruise seemed to think that you'd be the highlight of their entire trip. An older guy (Greek?) said you looked just like his granddaughters except that you were a lot happier. Then you charmed a French couple even though they had their own cute 3-year old. You were like a little United Nations.
You had your first cold this month. It didn't last too long (I think it was worse for us when we caught it from you), and luckily it didn't seem to bother your sleep too much. Most days, you've started falling asleep on our laps in the rocking chair, instead of needing to be "bounced" every time. Most of the time you only need a bottle or to nurse right before you sleep, and the rest of the time you eat baby food or cereal. You are sleeping a little less — a little over 13 hours on average now — and we think it might be your teeth coming in, or just a growth spurt thing.
Everyone notices how solid you are. Your year-old friend Emma came over yesterday; she's a fair bit taller than you but I think you weigh the same. It seems to be all muscle... you are a strong little thing. And your hair is uncannily long and beautiful. And you have an incredible attention span, too. (I know, you're probably thinking that I'll always describe everything about you as perfect, but in this case it's been noticed by other people, too.)
A year ago, when we were thinking about what it would be like to have a near-toddler, we pictured all of the milestones as distinct. One day, we thought, you would say a clear word and we would know exactly what you were talking about. The next day, you would pull up to a standing position and from then on be able to do it anywhere. In reality, your learning is a lot fuzzier. Some days you seem to have a few words that we clearly understand, other days you seem to just be making sounds. One day, you'll stand really well; the next, you're still hesitant and prefer to crawl. There are days when we can play "catch" back and forth for ten minutes, and other days you'll go from toy to toy quickly.
Mostly, though, overwhelmingly, we're gratified to see how happy you are all the time. You are fascinated and pleased that the world is so well stocked with interesting things to climb over, grab, taste, squeeze, drum, and look at upside down through daddy's legs. Everything meets your approval unless you hit your head on it, and sometimes even then. It's an infectious attitude, and we can credit you with spreading a little of it to us!
So, thank you for that, and we love you very much, and we can't wait to see what the eleventh month brings!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy
File Under:
Dear Fern
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Saturday, December 02, 2006
Separated at birth? (and by 30 years...)
Still catching up on some older pictures... These are from a couple of weeks ago, when our friends Jo Anne and Alex came over for brunch and baby fun! You'll notice that Jo Anne and Fern called each other up the night before so they could dress alike and look like twins. There are a few more photos of them here.
Friday, December 01, 2006
The other T-day: tryptophan!
So finally here are some last photos from Thanksgiving weekend: the aftermath! Here's the link to the entire set.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Portrait with mom
Hey, all! Sorry it's taking me a while to get the rest of the Thanksgiving photos out, but here's a nice portrait with mom to keep you going in the meantime!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thanksgiving!
I've posted a bunch of Fern's first Thanksgiving pictures, featuring Grandma Linda, Uncle Greg, Uncle Ken, and Aunt Jewel, here: click the link!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving arrival
Uncle Greg and Grandma Linda arrived today to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with us. More photos likely soon as we feast with them and Fern's local aunt and uncle, too!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Mommy and daddy toys are more fun
Despite loads of educational, parent-tested, 100%-safe toys, it seems like Fern's favorites are always the ones she sees us "playing" with: cell phones, cameras, guitars, and, of course, the remote control. And going somewhere new, she makes a beeline (of course) for the least safe thing in the room...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Learning to clap!
We have contact! Note the extreme concentration as Fern brings those hands together to the beat, adding one more musical instrument to her repertoire! (If you're keeping score, that means virtuosa Fern now plays the: piano, thigh, wood blocks, cat, hands, guitar, wooden spoon, bells, belly, file cabinet, cardboard box, and, of course, oboe.)
(OK, just kidding about that last one.)
File Under:
milestones
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Sunday, November 19, 2006
flying
Ferno loves to fly! My version of being a "helicopter parent" is to put her on my head and spin around. Wheeeeee! (If you've never heard the term "helicopter parent," click here.)
Saturday, November 18, 2006
What was daddy thinking?
OK, to be fair to myself, she really actually truly had a good time under there. It was practically her idea!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Still chasing the cat
Fern is still infatuated with our cat, Carson, and loves to sneak up on her to grab a tail or clump of hair. We coax her to "be gentle," of course, but she lives through a very limited number of filters, and "gentle" is not yet one of them.
For her part, Carson actually seems to like the attention, most of the time. She'd be perfectly capable of finding an inaccessible perch, but so far she doesn't seem to mind when Fern accosts her. She'll walk away a few paces, maybe, if the petting gets really violent, but then she plops down and waits for more. Carson does throw us a long-suffering look at that point, but after all, she's a cat: she always looks like that.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Can you see me out there? I'm awake!
We don't know how, exactly, but we think she's figured out we can see her through the camera.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Spelunk!
In case you hadn't noticed from the other photos, Fern is a fluent crawler now. Here, she manages to climb through the coffee table in search of further adventure... on the other side!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Hangin' with Marisa
Just because we could, Fern and I went up to hang with Marisa who'd just come home from school. She's a freshman at the art magnet high school now... Unbelievable... remember this picture? Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Marisa made us chocolate chip cookies (her first batch ever, she claims!) and sent some home to mommy, too!
First time voter
Voting in California -- in San Francisco, no less -- is no small matter this time around; the ballot was five pages, front and back. (And yes, to those of you who think the Bay Area is all tech-savvy, we do, indeed, vote on paper ballots.)
So Fern's now a voter! She even got a little sticker saying ¡Ya Voté!, but promptly ate it.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Playing catch!
One exciting recent development is that Fern has learned (discovered?) how to play "catch" with us or with other children on the playground. She sort of bounces the ball away from her, occasionally aiming at her teammate, and then waits expectantly for you to retrieve it and throw it back. Next stop: the big leagues!
File Under:
playground
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Saturday, October 28, 2006
The godmother
Another post by Kristin...
Beth made a trip out to San Francisco this weekend to drop in on her goddaughter and found her ready to play! It's been years since Beth & I have had such leisurely time together --- what a treat it was!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Grandma Joanie in San Francisco!
Grandma Joan paid a visit this weekend. The weather was beautiful, typical of San Francisco in early autumn, so we frequented the playground. The first photo shows Fern in "the tunnel," a sloped cylinder that was her favorite place to crawl when she was still learning. Strange, really, because it's slippery and sloped, and so probably the very worst place to learn. I guess she likes a challenge!
Upon hearing that our cell phones have become Fern's favorite toys, Joan hunted down a baby-friendly cell phone with chewable buttons and various recorded sounds ("Hello?", "¡Hola!", and a cool ringtone that goes off when you shake it).
Joan also did another babysitting stint (you'll remember she was here for our anniversary) so Kristin and I could have our second postpartum date and both came through with flying colors!
I may be disowned for having taken a photo showing Joan's glasses... wait, are those glasses? I think it's just a trick of the light!
File Under:
Joan Gary,
playground
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Sunday, October 15, 2006
northward bound
Continuing the weekend trip, Uncle Greg drove us up to L.A. to visit with Grandma Lola & Grandpa Alan (aka "Grumpy"). They gave Graham a brand new fancy camera for his birthday, so count on lots of fun shots in the weeks to come -- once he figures out how to use it!
I got a few more nice shots there; here's the link to the whole bunch.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
On the beach in San Diego
We took a family trip to see Grandma Linda and Uncle Greg in San Diego, and Fern got her first look at the beach! Strange, I know, since we live so close to it ourselves, but San Diego's beaches are just nicer -- and warmer, even in October! Here are a few shots of the outing, but the unfortunate (and not surprising) truth is that Fern would not look at the camera. The sand, seaweed, and surf was just too interesting. You'll have to just take our word for it: she loved it! The proof's in the sandy feet...
Fern got some good quality time with grandma & uncle, too... check out the mango-smeared lips in the first photo below! There are quite a few more San Diego pictures. Click here for the show, or here are some thumbnails:
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
visiting mommy at work!
Fern and I got to go visit Kristin at work today thanks to a confluence of things (too loud in the house, need to move the car, etc., etc.). Fern loved it, of course, although she was so amazed by everything around that she sort of forgot to eat much, so the afternoon was just a touch cranky! That soon smoothed out, though... we'll just have to visit work more often so she gets used to it!
Fern on Flickr : outingMonday, October 02, 2006
playing along with the music
born musician: looking a little intense!
Another entry by Kristin...
As you may recall from an earlier entry by Graham, Fern has been very responsive to music of late, particularly Music Together songs. At times, it has almost seemed as though she's requesting music---on her changing table one night, I had forgotten to play her bedtime songs (part of our nightly routine), and she started moving her hands up and down as if to remind me, and was delighted when I turned on the CD. She's even started transferring this response to other music; her favorite of late is "Little Shoemaker" which is a song my mom used to sing while rocking me to sleep. We've even started playing piano together; she sits on my lap and pounds on the keys, clearly enjoying the noise she produces!
File Under:
music
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