Happy 2010!!

We saw in the new year on Casablanca time... or something like that... at a very fun party hosted by Madeline and Jake O'Leary. Sylvie got on her fancy new party outfit (courtesy Aunt Amanda) and had a great time playing with a whole bunch of kids... until she basically conked out on the couch watching - what else? - Frosty the Snowman. Mommy made some Elmo cookies - always a favorite, especially with Jake.

Speaking of Jake, he was officially Sylvie's first New Year's kiss - an emphatic smacker right on the lips, which caused Sylvie to throw her hands up in the air and shout, "BIG KISS!!"

We did our best to get all the kids together in one shot. That worked out, well, as it usually works out.

Here are just a few of the fun photos I got of all the revelry - mostly of the kids, of course. The rest in the New Years Eve - 2009 Gallery.

It was fun to see a bunch of friends, some of whom Melissa and I have not seen for an awfully long time. Many thanks to the O'Learys for a really fun night.

Happy New Year!

Back to school - and happy about it!

Here's a fun excerpt from the "week in pictures" email that one of Sylvie's teachers at day care sends out.
Melissa and I have always felt really good about the Holliston Community Children's Center. The people are incredibly nice and conscientious, and clearly spend a lot of time actually interacting with - not just monitoring - the kids. Sure, she gets more than her share of colds. But Sylvie also learns a whole lot at school - every day she comes out with something that we know did not come from us - and her social interactions are just wonderful. On that topic, Melissa's heart was warmed when she dropped Sylvie at school after her week away in Ohio, on Monday. Melissa worried Syl would be reluctant. Instead, she was downright excited. She ran into the room, yelling to her friends by name and offering each of them individual greetings. At home now we often hear references to Edward or Sophie or Kevin or Maya as Syl chatters away, and she loves taking her class photo and naming each friend - and each teacher - in turn as she points to the faces.

And here's the class photo I mentioned...

Christmas Photos

OK, here are just a few of the several hundred (425, to be exact, before I culled them down!) photos that I took over the last week.

There are a lot more here, in the Christmas 2009 (Ohio) gallery.

Home Safe

We made record time this morning - Syracuse to Holliston in just shy of 4.5 hours. I think we just beat the nasty traffic.

Sylvie hit the sack after a good lunch and is still sleeping now (5:15pm). She's whipped after a wonderful Christmas in Ohio. Sylvie woke up this morning in our hotel and declared "Santa's coming!!" How nice it was to be able to tell her that she's right - because she's been such a good girl, Santa will visit her again at our Florida Christmas in a couple of weeks!

Here's our family shot from Christmas Day, courtesy Aunt Amanda. I'd feel badly about Pax not being in it... but then again, about an hour after this shot was taken he tried to bite off my thumb! I'm working on getting many more photos up later this evening. I took lots.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa, for a really nice time this week.

Options

After bfast, home stretch.

Deja Vu

Ruby Tuesday's. Syracuse. Mac n cheese. Home tomorrow!

Thanks, Pax.

And to all a good night.

Biting the hand that feeds him

Meanwhile, this little ingrate, who I've fed and cared for lo these past ten years, decided to wish me merry Christmas by trying to bite off my thumb. Pretty good puncture wound - lots of blood. Nice to be in the home of a nurse. I should have known something was up when I saw these eyes... Also, the thing about not putting your hand near a dog's mouth when he's eating? It's true.

Presents!

Many, many presents. So many, in fact, that Syl retired temporarily to her brand new sleeping bag for a little rest.

These things are multiplying...

Merry Christmas!

This is Sylvie saying "cheeeeeese!" by the Christmas tree. Santa has come and gone, but there appear to be quite a number of brightly wrapped presents bearing Sylvie's name yet to be cracked...
Merry Christmas and much love to all from Sylvie - especially to her family who aren't with her today: Grammy and Grampy and Aunt Willow in Florida ( she's looking forward to Christmas, part two in a couple of weeks!), Uncle Zach and Aunt Emily in Vermont, and Uncle Ben, Aunt Lia and Cousin Aya, way across the country in Seattle. Merry Christmas!

Syl has a new favorite thing

Tiny squirrels and their tiny furniture. Go figure.

First presents

You have to look close, but this is a shot of Sylvie using a teeny tiny bottle to feed a teeny tiny squirrel... Which her mom got her to serve as toys for her toys that live in her dollhouse.
The head spins. I just wonder how long it will be before I find a teeny tiny bottle in Syl's diaper.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Enjoying a Christmas cookie while watching the Sesame Street Christmas special - what could beat that?

You decorate. I'll deconstruct.

Grandma made a whole bunch of Christmas cookies for Syl to help decorate. She's decided to lick all of the frosting off instead... But she's having a grand time of it.

Look who's here!

Baby Aya, on the scene for one night only.

Bedtime story

A whole new tree!

... Complete with many fun ornaments - so much fun, in fact, that Syl is hard-pressed to hang them on the tree. She'd prefer to incorporate them into her doll house drama.

Mommy is regressing

Back in her childhood home, Mommy is regressing.

Dollhouse!

Some pretty involved scenarios being played out here in Ohio!

Made it

5 hours yesterday plus 6.5 hours today = safe and sound in North Ridgeville. Sylvie was quite pleased to be out of the car (as were the rest of us). She's thrilled to see Grandma Lynne and is looking forward to seeing Grandpa Steve when he gets home from work.

Lunch on the road

One of the few nice things about Sylvie's extraordinarily limited eating is that the items she WILL eat are available most anywhere. Last night, Ruby Tuesdays' mac n cheese. Today: Bob Evans' grilled cheese does the trick. We're off the road trying to wait out a pretty ugly snow squall, then on for the last 2.5 hour push.

On the Road (eating!)

We hit the road for Ohio today at the tail end of the huge east coast snowstorm. Fortunately, by the time we were an hour west of Holliston, we were out of the snow. Soon it was dry roads and clear sailing - we made it to our way station in Syracuse in 5 hours flat.

Dinner was at Ruby Tuesday's - our new favorite family spot. Sylvie has been eating very poorly for the last week or so while she's been sick. Poorly enough that her dad (the worrier) has been... well... worried. No longer. Ruby Tuesdays' mac n cheese, french fries, and grapes/craisins from the salad bar. Syl probably put down more at dinner tonight than she has over the entire past week.

Up in the morning for the second leg of our trip. Grandma & Grandpa's by afternoon!

Syl and Frosty - through the years

Frosty the Snowman, as we all know, has a tendency to appear this time of year for a very limited engagement. In between parades, snowball fights and getting himself to the North Pole, however, he always manages to find a little time to sit on the couch with Sylvie, in sober contemplation of the meaning of it all.

Personally, I find the contrast between last year and this pretty striking!

We're off to Ohio tomorrow (weather permitting!). We're going to take two days for the drive.

Feeling better

Thanks for all the checking in emails re. Syl. She's feeling much better - and is back at "school" today.

Under the Weather (can't you tell?)

Another month, another cold. And this one's a doozy! Sylvie is a runny, snuffly, coughing and sneezing mess this weekend, and as a result has spend much of her time either watching Sesame Street or on our laps, insisting on endless repetitions of her favorite books.

This morning I figured some fresh air might do her some good. As you can see from these photos, I was right - for a few minutes at least. About a third of the way into our walk, though, she asked to be picked up and then started crying softly. I asked, "Sylvie, are you all right?" Her answer was the most complex single communication I've heard from her so far: "I all right, Daddy. I just tired."

An energetic Thanksgiving

I must admit, I'm particularly pleased with this one. Too a while to get it up, but here's some video of all the crazy fun Sylvie had over Thanksgiving, with a house full of Uncles and Aunts who were only too willing to indulge her insatiable appetite for play. Oh, and there was dry ice.

An inexcusable oversight (by Daddy) corrected

It just occurred to me as I (belatedly) went through Thanksgiving footage that we at Sylvie's place committed an inexcusable oversight earlier this year. When Uncle Pat and soon-to-be Aunt Kem got engaged, I initially wrote up a congratulations post, but then deleted without posting for fear of leaking the news to those who might not have heard it yet from the happy couple. Then, later, I neglected to post the intended congratulatory message.

So, Pat and Kem, by no fault of Sylvie's and with all of the enthusiasm felt at the first hearing of the news, here's a much belated and very hearty CONGRATULATIONS!!

(with video).

P.S. For those who might wonder - no. They did not in fact get engaged in our family room.

Get Well, Grandma Lynne!!

Sylvie is sending her love to Ohio, where Grandma Lynne is feeling really under the weather. Take care of yourself and get better soon, Grandma!

Surrogate blogging

I was in DC for work for the first few days of this week, and had the privilege of meeting Serafina, Kay Taylor Winthrop's new little sister, in person - not a week into her little life. Since her dad Dudley is clearly too busy these days to do her arrival justice on their blog, I thought I'd post a few Blackberry photos.

Serafina is a very cute, very pleasant little girl. She napped quietly throughout my visit, but did manage to wake up and give me a couple of little smiles, which were much appreciated. Her mom, Jen, is doing great - you'd never know she gave birth just last week.

Sylvie's buddy Kay Taylor was skeptical of me at first, but warmed right up when it was established that we are both Diego fans. She then was very pleased to show me a bunch of her toys as well as her belly. It was very nice of her to give me my cute little girl fix, as I was missing my Sylvie quite a lot at that point.

We look forward to getting our little one together with both Winthrop girls real soon.

Worthy of its own post

The professional shot of Syl's first Santa sit. An instant classic.

Sylvie is way ahead of us

We had grand plans to get our tree this weekend, but never got around to it. Sylvie, on the other hand, had a great time this evening decorating the little tree of her own that Grandma Lynne and Grandpa Steve brought for her. Once Melissa demonstrated one time how to hang an ornament, Sylvie took it from there - all capped off with her trademark, "I DID IT!"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...