Christmas in Memphis

As you might imagine, Jane has had a lot of new and exciting experiences this past week, and we have taken about a zillion pictures, so I am kind of overwhelmed as I begin this Christmas post. But I want to have somewhat of a cohesive reflection on Jane's first Christmas, so here goes...

First of all, Jane LOVED our Christmas tree. She would start panting and doing her signs for "tree" and "light" whenever we walked into the living room.

The ornaments on the bottom foot of the tree were in a constant rotation of on and off. Jane even tried to put them back on sometimes, but that was a tad bit too dexterous for her. She would just set them on the branches and look surprised when they fell off.

One of my favorite memories was when she pulled this teddy bear ornament (pictured above) off the tree and put it up to her ear. At first I thought, "Why is she using the teddy bear as a telephone?" But then I realized that she was giving it a hug! It just looked a little awkward because the teddy bear was only about two inches tall.

Now on to Christmas Day, which we got to spend with Richard's family in Memphis. Jane had a great time being with her extended family, and even got to wear her Aunt Noel's Christmas dress!

Actually, it's kind of funny how that happened... When we were in Memphis a few weeks ago, I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to get something special for Jane to wear on Christmas. At Fancy's house there is this doll about Jane's size, and I noticed for the first time that she was wearing a Christmas dress. I thought to myself, "That is the sweetest little dress. I wonder if it would fit Jane? Is it totally weird to put doll clothes on my child?" But to my relief and delight, I discovered that Richard's mom had smocked it for his sister for her first Christmas! Her cousins were still a bit confused as to why Jane was wearing the doll's dress, but at least I knew it was originally intended for a human.

Although it did not appear under the tree Christmas morning (like Woody and Buzz Lightyear), one of the most fun things Jane did in Memphis was learn how to ride a rocking horse.

Since Jane has been taking her time with the mobility milestones, it never occurred to me that she was coordinated or strong enough to ride a toy horse. But Fancy put her on it just for fun one day, and the next thing we knew Jane was headed for the rodeo! We were equally amused and amazed by her physical feat. Not to mention the interesting vocalization that accompanies her ride...

Another big hit at Fancy's house was these singing and dancing penguins. Whenever Jane saw them she would start wiggling as a sign to "Please make them dance again!" In the video you can see her dancing while the music is on, and then she wiggles at the end as she tries to start them up again. Hilarious.

Although I knew it all along, the reality of Jane's day-after-Christmas birthday really sunk in this year. The poor thing is and probably always will be overshadowed by the holiday craziness. I've gotten a lot of good advice about making sure her birthday presents are wrapped in birthday paper and not under the tree, and baking a separate birthday cake, etc. But the reality is that it's really hard to step away from the commercialization of this holiday season. So, as I attempt to make my daughter feel celebrated in this season of Santas and shopping, I am reminded of one whose birthday has been overshadowed long before Jane's. I challenge myself to remember not one, but two birthdays at Christmas time.

"Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

'Christ is born in Bethlehem'

Hark, the Herald Angels sing, 

'Glory to the newborn King!'"

On that note, amidst the paper and presents, Jane's sweet grandparents got her her very own birthday cake, and we paused the carols to sing Happy Birthday to our big one-year-old. Yay, Jane!

Thank you for a wonderful Christmas vacation, Fancy and Papoo!!!

Don't feed the animals

Maggie and Nickel know where to be when it's meal time for Jane!

Ready for winter

It is amazing how much the weather changes our daily routine. This summer, we had to rush out the door to start our walk by 7:30 a.m. for fear of melting on the sidewalk. Now we rarely think about leaving the house before the sun has been up for several hours, and we've added many layers of clothing.
This sweater made it into the blog because for one thing, it's super cute, but also it's genius! You put it on the baby from the front like a smock, then it zips from the top of the hood all the way down to the waist. It is the only head gear that Jane hasn't been able to take off (yet). Thanks for passing it down, Aunt Noel!

Posing for mom's photo shoot

Hamming it up for mom's photo shoot

Done with mom's photo shoot

And here are a few more fun pics from these chilly days...

Staying cozy with Jane's first fire

Will we ever go outside again?

Ok, mom, I think I'm warm enough

The crawling carrot

We finally found the proverbial carrot Jane needed to get moving! As I was rummaging through her toys trying to find something she wanted badly enough to go get, I remembered that she loves knocking over towers. So, today I put her on her tummy and stacked some blocks a few feet in front of her, and what do you know? She went for it! She's still in the commando phase, as in not picking up her tummy yet, but we tried it again this evening and she is already getting a little faster and more confident. Might we have a crawler soon after all?

Not a Box

Ok, this is a box. But this picture made me think of a great children's book that we learned about recently at story time at the library. It's called Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.

It's about the importance of good old fashioned imagination and simple creativity. The bunny appears to be just sitting in a box, but to him it is a race car. And when he is standing on the box, he is really climbing a mountain. I can't wait to see what Jane comes up with when she is older. I do miss that about teaching art, especially to the fifth graders (my youngest students). They have the best imaginations!

Giraffes!

Last Thursday Jane had her first trip to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day, so just strolling around would have been enough to make it a worthwhile trip, but the giraffes were a definite highlight. Their "savannah" is only separated from the viewing areas by a ditch and a low wooden rail, so it feels like your right there with them. One of them came right up to us and just stood there licking his (her?) lips for about ten minutes. It was so cool! Jane kept reaching out to him and panting/squawking (see previous post) in excitement. She even cried a little when we finally left.

Yes, this being three days before Halloween I decided to put Jane in a costume...again. Dressing up as a pink cat to go to the zoo... why not? Our tour guides, Stephanie and almost five-month-old Lauren, were more appropriately dressed in Halloween colors. Oh well.

Moo, and Happy Halloween!

Jane ended up wearing this costume three times!
On Friday we went to the Halloween Carnival at Harpeth Hall. It was put on by the sixth grade for children of alumnae... cute.
On Saturday we went to the Pumpkinfest in Franklin. It was SUPER crowded, but a fun event nonetheless. If you're wondering about the fashion statement I was making in my (Richard's old) overalls... I was trying to be a farmer for my little cow.

On Sunday we went trick-or-treating with friends in East Nashville. The video shows Jane reacting to some giant blow-up ghosts. It was so funny... we were standing in front of them when all of the sudden Jane started waving at them and doing this panting/squawking thing that she does when she sees something both exciting and strange at the same time (like giant blow-up ghosts).

Had to end with this one...

Cat and Mouse

Here is Jane in one of her Halloween costumes! (Yes, one of two... stay tuned.) Don't worry, the little mice are actually kid toys, not cat toys.

Ten Months Old!

Happy Ten Month Birthday to Jane!

We are LOVING the fall weather. It has been so beautiful the past few weeks... sunny and 70's. We are able to take walks anytime of day now, as opposed to trying to beat the heat at 7:30 a.m. And just being outside for any reason (like humoring me with another photo shoot) has been so refreshing. This morning we sat on the porch and watched a storm roll in. Jane especially likes watching the leaves on the trees blowing in the wind.

One of my favorite things right now is watching her inspect objects. She looks so serious as she passes them back and forth between her hands and turns them over and over. And then, of course, there is the inevitable taste test.

Maggie continues to be a wonderful source of entertainment, which keeps everybody happy, especially Maggie.

Meal times are another favorite activity. Last week I tried to branch out from her booster tray, which works perfectly well, and put her at the table with a fancy suction cup place mat, which did not work at all. That will teach me not to fix it if it ain't broke.

This last picture is all about the hairdo. Although I recognize the importance of having hair when she gets older, I am really going to miss the fuzz!

Jane Trivia

Hello again! It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought we would start with a few pictures of our big nine-and-a-half month old! She is waking up to so many new things each day. It's really neat to see her revisit an old toy and learn something new about the way it works or what she can do with it. As you might be able to tell from these pictures, her little arms and hands (and feet) are in constant motion, eager to explore and inspect anything within reach. She also thinks we are really funny and exciting, which is a huge confidence booster when you're doing a silly dance to the silly song you've already sung umpteen times that day.

Ok, now we're going to play some Jane Trivia. Watch the videos below to answer the questions!

1.  Does Jane like cottage cheese?

2.  Is Jane crawling yet?

3.  Does Jane love Maggie?

4.  Can Jane wave, kiss and "gimme five"?

Answers: 1. No; 2. Not quite; 3. Yes; 4.You betcha

Jane likes to eat eat eat apples and bananas

Anyone know that song? It seemed appropriate for this post which is basically just cute pictures of Jane sitting in her little booster seat. It has been so fun to just plop her in and keep her entertained with finger foods. And it's so portable, we can just toss it in the car for outings.

Here is Jane enjoying dinner at the kitchen table.

Do you see how she is bringing her closed fist up to her mouth? It's so funny... she actually grabs a piece of squishy food (pears, squash, etc.) and squeezes it in her fist, then sucks it out through the hole in the top by her thumb. Very resourceful, I must say.

And she is so pleased with herself!

Here we are enjoying the beautiful fall weather out on the porch. Maggie was invited purely for her janitorial services, which I might add is a wonderful reason to own a dog at this phase of life.

I don't remember finishing my lunch already... where could it be?  

And today we had a picnic in Centennial Park during the Dog Day Festival! This time Maggie was an actual guest of honor (although not pictured here... she's still in second place behind Jane... maybe third behind Nickel, although Nickel is neither pictured nor invited, so I guess Maggie trumped her today.)

If you want to see a whole lot of dogs and perhaps a few owners who are a tad bit obsessed, this festival is the place for you! Besides all the silly dog outfits, like tutu's and Titans jerseys, we saw a Rottweiler wearing sunglasses and a little pooch riding in a doggie stroller. Yes, a dog stroller.  Isn't one of a dog's basic needs to be walked?

I don't mean to offend anyone who overaccessorizes their dog, or owns a dog as an accessory...