« December 2004 | Main | February 2005 »
January 30, 2005
Two Drooly Bears and their Turtle
This little turtle (which plays an exceptionally tinny rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star") has become one of the girls favorite toys. They tend to drool when it comes on suggesting to me that some sick toy manufacturer has managed to create subliminal messages that are hidden in the music.
Posted by Matthew at 7:21 PM
6 Months Old Today (part 2)
Posted by Matthew at 5:30 PM
6 Months Old Today!
Posted by Matthew at 5:11 PM
January 29, 2005
Do you like my hats?
The girls have lots of great hats and although they tend to associate hats with being strapped into their carriers, they look very cute in them. Amy decided to get a few pictures of them in some of their hats since they are getting close to outgrowing them.
Posted by Matthew at 5:19 PM
January 28, 2005
Sitting in the Clouds
Maeta is getting better at sitting up and can play happily in a sitting position if she has a cushion to protect her when she flops over. Amy noticed last night that the bouncy seats needed to be retired now that the babies want to sit up (the seats can tip over if the baby is not laying there limply).
Posted by Matthew at 10:18 AM
January 27, 2005
Another View
Posted by Matthew at 3:49 PM
January 25, 2005
The Z baby and her rings
Things have been busy this week and the picture-taker has been fighting a cold. Nonetheless, the constant chewing goes on.
Posted by Matthew at 6:06 PM
January 23, 2005
Amy & Zofie
Amy made pea-cubes for the girls and we introduced them as their second solid food today. To our surprise, both girls gobbled them right down (and wanted more). I do hope that we have produced omnivores like ourselves; this display improves my confidence level.
Posted by Matthew at 8:47 PM
Matthew & Maeta
The girls' first big snow (the one in December that melted so quickly did not count) gave us the chance to bundle the girls up and plod out through the neighborhood. Maeta seemed to really enjoy the walk and her little Gerber-baby cheeks got properly rosy (we also had an excuse to break out the shoes again).
Posted by Matthew at 8:45 PM
January 21, 2005
25 Weeks --- and very, very active
25 Week Update: No one is sitting up yet. Zofie is pretty mobile and seems like she is ready to crawl (her parents are not ready). Maeta woke us up this morning when she finally figured out how to roll over on her own and then was upset when she could not get back onto her back. (I remember these two weeks with Zofie; they were not too fun.) The girls are still sleeping 12+ hours at night and napping twice during the day. The parents are still splitting primary care duties in addition to full-time jobs. (The work/child-care issue continues to be both a burden and a joy--we both love parenting and dislike the times when we have to be away from the girls). I'll write a more extensive update on the 30th (6 months!), but suffice it to say: very sweet, happy girls.
Posted by Matthew at 12:31 PM
Play group
We went to our first play-group this morning. Zofie and Bronwen (about 3 weeks older) are playing together in this picture. As with our play-date last Sunday, I am constantly amazed at how different children are even though their ages are similar. The girls had a great time with new friends and were angels despite missing their 10am nap time.
Posted by Matthew at 10:54 AM
January 20, 2005
Back in School
As warned, I am back in school and the picture frenzy is slowing down again. Classes this term: "New Venture Formation" (aka Business Plan Writing) and Operations Management. The former is exciting, because I am learning skills that I did not have which can be applied to the type of strategic thinking that I enjoy. The latter is teaching me more formal processes for doing many of the things I do at work, which makes me more efficient. MBA anticipated at the end of 2005 (provided these girls continue to let me study).Posted by Matthew at 9:38 PM
January 16, 2005
Winter Babies (Part 2)
Just in from the cold, we snapped a few quick photos of the girls showing off their winter-weather gear.
Posted by Matthew at 7:03 PM
Winter Babies (Part 1)
Closeups of our winter babies
Posted by Matthew at 7:01 PM
What good are shoes on a baby?
I'm I afraid I was more than somewhat unappreciative when Erica unpacked these shoes last month. Since babies do not walk, shoes have always seemed superfluous. In the cold of a Chicago winter, however, they do add that extra bit of protection against the cold. Although I still consider them decadent, I must admit that they are very cute on the girls.
Posted by Matthew at 6:53 PM
At play with Jane
Not a great photo, but sometimes you just cannot get a good one and I still wanted to record the moment visually:
Zofie and Maeta had a nice afternoon playing with their friend Jane (they always like drooling on someone else's toys). We are always struck by how differently babies develop. Zofie lives on her belly and is nearly ready to crawl, but she cannot sit up. Jane (five days older) sits and plays beautifully, but loathes tummy-time. Maeta prefers laying on her back, hoping that the other kids will throw toys her way.
Posted by Matthew at 5:44 PM
January 14, 2005
Zofie with with her mouse
Posted by Matthew at 1:26 PM
Is it Zofie or is it Maisy?
Posted by Matthew at 9:21 AM
Playing together
Posted by Matthew at 9:06 AM
January 12, 2005
Consuming pagan symbols
Amy was a bit embarassed that Zofie insisted on dragging her little pagan symbol up to communion this past Sunday. We should probably avoid reading too deeply into our children's preferences in such matters. I suppose the pumpkin has an al dente quality to it.
Posted by Matthew at 4:30 PM
January 10, 2005
At play with drool
Posted by Matthew at 1:27 PM
January 7, 2005
Nap Time
Posted by Matthew at 2:38 PM
January 6, 2005
Sitting on the Sofa
The girls' first snow storm (coupled with long hours at the store for the parents) meant that we have been stuck inside for a couple days. Zofie is getting stir-crazy (as is her father).
Posted by Matthew at 10:06 AM
Sitting on the Sofa (closer)
As you may have noticed in other photos, Maeta always likes to have put a hand on Zofie if they are close---so that we know they belong together.
Posted by Matthew at 10:05 AM
January 5, 2005
Exer-saucer
Posted by Matthew at 10:37 AM
January 3, 2005
Solid Food Video
This is my first crack at Flash Video (and, for that matter, making an edited movie of any kind). The mini-movie is best with sound if you have it. Most of you probably do not have the most recent Flash video player; your computer will download and install the player in seconds if you click "Yes" when you are asked if you want to accept the download. (Note: the download is safe and your browser needs the plugin to show the video)You will all be sad when I am back in classes and have to do real homework rather than sitting up editing video for your viewing pleasure.
Posted by Matthew at 12:14 AM
January 1, 2005
The year of food
So begins the year of (solid) food. As with so many things, we have not waited to serve solid food based on some specific recommedation by a pediatrician, book, or blogger. Rather, we simply both wanted to be home when the girls had their first "bites" of solid food. The holiday provided us with an all-too-rare afternoon when both of us could be home together---and the girls took their plunge into oatmeal.
Yes, ok, we used store-bought cereal despite weeks of discussions on whether we needed to use warm formula or breast milk on the home-ground variety. Even the best of us get lazy! (And we are hardly the best). Amy and I sometimes like talking about food so much that we run out of time to make it. We can take solace in the fact that we are using "Earth's Best" organic oatmeal without any genetically-engineered oats.
Reality check: It's a wonder any of us made it this far without organic foods, sippy cups, and spoons that change colors when the food is too hot (although I have to admit that I would love an adult version of the latter).
Posted by Matthew at 4:20 PM
The year of food (Zofie)
Posted by Matthew at 4:19 PM
The year of food (Maeta)
Posted by Matthew at 4:10 PM
Bath Time for Zofie
Yes, the well-placed washcloth keeps this a family show.
Posted by Matthew at 4:07 PM
Our little Norse babies
Posted by Matthew at 1:07 PM