Actually, it's two days as I post this, but you get the idea. I'm sure we'll have a jillion pictures of the three-toothed wonder (two on top, one on the bottom; she loves to grind them together in my ear on our walks. Wonderful!) eating mashed potatoes and turkey very soon.
You ever intend to do something and then as time goes by you make it more and more ornate or large or generous in your mind in order to mitigate the shame of procrastination? And then the sheer size or complexity of that act stymies you further?*** No? Well, it happens to me all the time. Case in point: Zora's had a busy, busy couple of months, and I fully intended to post about them here complete with illustration, but...
So, sorry for the wait. Here's some of what we've been up to.
Z's been a traveler these last couple of months. In October she (and her parents) went to: Newport (not such a stretch, as she's got family there) for
Violet Von Doom's first birthday. Hostilities were kept to a minimum. Z was a little overwhelmed by all the babies there, and since she was the only one without teeth (the shame!) could not partake in the goldfish crackers. Good time, though. Great cupcakes.
Z also has been to Vermont (Roberts Fam, Maya), Virginia (Freed Fam), Boston (Driscoll-Brooks Fam-- twice!) and Northampton (Newman-Bernstein Fam) over the last couple months. Though we took the train to Virginia (without major meltdowns, somehow. Having grandparents across the aisle was a major plus. Everyone should travel with 'em!), Zora has been a real trooper with the car seat lately. She rarely screams in the car any more-- which is nice, as you can imagine-- and often sleeps for a good stretch of any drive we take. Hooray! Embrace your American-sized carbon imprint, child!
Anyhoo, the pictures...
A mild day in autumn. Perfect for an afternoon swing!
Z has
almost mastered THE CUP. We tried a sippy cup, but honestly, it seemed like more work than figuring out how to hold an actual one. That's not to say we can give her a pint glass of Pepsi and walk away. More like a tablespoon of water with constant attention. More often than not she'll pick it up and put it down correctly, but sometimes she just tires of the whole process and drops it like it's hot (Holla!).
Loves lemons, lemon juice, lemon pulp. Here she's enjoying one of her favorite toys: the lemon reamer just after use. This last weekend she actually got a little lemon in her eye, but it slowed her only a little. She still loves them.
Zora really enjoys eating, but she really, really enjoys sitting down with lots of people and eating. Shabbat, when she sits down, candles are lit AND she gets to hear her mother sing? AWESOME. Here she is being changed after dinner. Can you make her out way in the distance on her changing table? She's very excited about the candles and being naked. Don't worry-- her mom is just out of the frame spotting her.
Here are mom's hands. Z is always happy to be naked.
Z in Virginia, wearing her traveling best, putting together her supplies for the day.
Making the long crawl to the kitchen at Dave and Mary's in Virgina. Due to our tiny apartment, Z rarely gets up to top speed with her crawl. This house in Virginia was as close to a baby autobahn as there is. The straight shot from the front door to the kitchen allowed her to hit top speeds. Note the rumpled rug in her wake.
Here she is admiring pots AND pans. And their respective lids.
Who doesn't love a green chair?
Obligatory Halloween photo. Short story long: We had several possible costume ideas, including
Tintin (my favorite),
Kuato (warning: kind of gross), and
Master Blaster, and as is so often the case with us, spent so much time laughing at our ideas that we didn't come up with anything good. So we literally went with something our neighbor found on the sidewalk. Really. If you can't tell, it's some sort of polyester pumpkin hat (washed).
Later we whistled away our sadness at losing ALL the good candy bars. Little monsters around here reaching into the bowl with TWO HANDS. ALL THE SNICKERS WERE CONSUMED. She really can whistle, by the way; a funny, airy little thing, but it's a whistle. I don't know how she picked it up, as I'm not a very good whistler-- she just started one day. She also mimics coughing for any unfortunate soul who happens to be sick nearby. It's quite annoying if you're really sick, as I was a few weeks ago. NOT FUNNY.
LOVES being naked.
Enjoying the crinkly part of decorative corn. She's wicked smaht.
We went to Boston last weekend for a museum trip with Onkle Manny, Titi Stefanie, Tom and Heather (who are like family, but I can't bring myself to write "Uncle Tom"). They're dear friends, though, who fed us a five (six?) course meal after our museum trip. We had a lovely time, I got my first and probably only 'Nog of the season (*sob*), and Zora was awesome. She ate with us, traveled with us, was completely down for whatever. Give this kid enough lemon wedges and she'll even sit in a bar while her parents have a hot whiskey. This was actually a lot less depressing than it reads.
Zora and Stefanie enjoying the third course: pumpkin soup with corn and lemongrass.
That's it, thanks for reading! Sorry it's been so long since we last posted. Love to all and happy Thankstaking, as Uncle Legacy says.
***This is the story of my life. I owe myself about a billion sit-ups when I finally get around to it.
Late morning preparations for the day. Phone and scarf, check; jam-jams, check.
Lila did the crab. Reader, you've probably never seen any artwork Lila's done other than this, but let me tell you-- it's in her style. I'll post a close-up of it later. He's resting on a grotto with a starfish inside.
See the tiny disc jellyfish and drifting sea anemones? Those are the quilt's ties. It's all very sturdy and pickable for Zora, too! She inspects it quite thoroughly upon waking.
Thank you, Aunts and Grandma! This belongs in a museum!
Adios, friends!
