activity... and inactivity

These are from the very start of June.

First is a clip of Josephine pushing around the cart her Uncle Jason gave her for her birthday in April (this was taken just shortly before she started walking on her own). She used the cart to practice her walking a LOT. And the first time I saw her carry a "purse" (a small sack of toys), she donned it just prior to walking away with the cart, stopping to wave goodbye first. I had to laugh. From what I can tell, it's a moment every parent has repeatedly-- there's just something funny about realizing your kid "gets" something that you didn't previously think she had noticed or understood.
So anyway, this isn't a great clip, but I just needed to get a little footage of something I'd been watching her do endlessly.

[Unfortunately, I can't get blogger to upload this video,

and I've wasted entirely too much time trying.

I put it on youtube-- click here to see it.]

And second, a couple napping shots. These are hard to get with Josephine-- normally she's ready to pop awake the minute you open her door. But every now and then she's so out of it you can use your camera's flash, speak entire sentences to her in a normal voice, open her window blinds, and she won't twitch a muscle.

The moments she's out like this while I'm in the room probably total 5 minutes, in her lifetime. (Okay, I think when she was a newborn this was common-- but since being in her own room on a two nap schedule... 5 minutes.) I take and post these photos because those 5 minutes have been some of the most rejuvinating minutes of my entire last year! There's just something so peaceful about watching her sleep-- like her own rest is contagious.

Third Third

Consider this post the Swimsuit Edition. :-)

With her June swimming lessons rapidly approaching, we had to do a test run of her swimsuits. And yes, I realize she'll kill me for this later, but I don't know WHY because I'm only broadcasting how undeniably CUTE she is!

Sure enough, her two-piece from last summer still fit her (though maybe not her expanded midsection) :-)

Next up is the swimsuit from Mama Jo. Like a ruffly, polka-dotted glove...

And then the one I found at Savers (a little big and saggy in places, but should be grand by late summer, when Mama Jo's might be too small).

After some superb modeling, we needed to give the water a test run, so we went to Deep Eddy on the 28th.

Had a grand time. And the resulting exhaustion from all the swimming and heat...
...wasn't anything a container of wet wipes couldn't fix. (Naturally.)

(Again, I'm just trying to get these pictures uploaded, so I'm not being particular about how they're uploading. If grandmas are wanting to print one that won't enlarge, please let me know. It won't be any trouble to e-mail you the full-sized file.)

Second Third

All of this post is from the 11th-13th of May.

Various faces (and feet) from a swinging session in the more junglesque part of our backyard:

Can't believe how big those feet are getting!

Her new ride (an iBert bike seat). So far we've just used it in little neighborhood rides. We're not exactly serious bikers.

A random clip of her playing with a toy in her room:

First Third

A Mother's Day hike (and the strangest place you'll ever see a fire hydrant!):



Morning blanket-time:

A short saunter with Dad (they are delighted about the squeak that came from the giraffe's head as she stepped on it):

Playing peek-a-boo from behind the bed:

Angry about the new line. This was Sean's genius idea for how to only have to baby-proof half our bedroom. Since we'd taught her to stay on the blanket and to not leave the living room, it made sense that she could learn to "watch the line," or not cross over the piece of masking tape. This picture is from the first day of the lesson, though-- clearly she wasn't happy with this line!!! She even tried to peel it up a couple times. :-) But she caught on fast, and it's come in handy in a couple different places.

Just some cute crib shots from May 3rd (the day after she turned 13 months):


A note to grandmothers: I don't know that these can all be enlarged for printing. Tell me if there are any you specifically want.

Dear Mosquito,

I know you are attracted to shallow pools of water for your prolific breeding purposes... but really, what were you thinking?
The fluid deep in my ear canal does NOT count.
And as I listened to your vibrant whirring slow to an occasional earwax-hindered thump, I am afraid all the head-banging, rain-dancing, ear-clawing efforts I could muster failed to save your life and my sanity. Now, with only half of your bloody body successfully extracted, and the other half no doubt shoved even further into my ear, I feel quite helpless-- in a paralyzingly disgusted kind of way.
You have ruined every last ounce of productive focus and stamina to which I had been clinging this evening. Are you satisfied, you wretched insect?
May you rest in the most unpeaceful state possible.
Quite sincerely,
Jenny

(More on Seattle coming later-- sometime after regaining my composure...)