52 weeks, otherwise known as, "wow, we've been taking these weekly shots for a whole year???"

Here is the wild woman, a few days after her actual 52 week birthday (um, it was kind of a busy weekend...) and it's a good thing this brings us to the end of our year of photo shoots because, as you can see, its becoming nearly impossible to keep this girl in the chair...



Ivy had her 1 year appointment on Monday.

Official stats:

20.5 pounds(50%)
30.5 inches tall(95% !!!)
17.7 inch head (50%)

Girly is growing well and was pronounced perfect except for having a sinus infection. She is currently on her first ever antibiotics. Sigh.

Here is a little portrait of the lady as a 1 year old:

* She is thinking seriously about walking. Precisely on her birthday she started taking a few steps forward with her hands held. She's very into crawling and previously, she'd just buckle to her knees when we held her hands. But on Sunday, boom, it was time to work on vertical mobility. She now cruises around with her little green walker quite happily, very proud and fearless and rather quick, at least til she runs into a wall...


* She is starting to say a few "words" -- Today Nat reports she clearly said "hi dada!" as she tried to get out of being put down for her nap. She also says and enthusiastic "Dah!" when she sees Corydon or a photo of a dog, so I am pretty sure we can count that as a word, final consonant or no...

* She "sings" along with lullabies. All on the same pitch but with a variety of syllables... very cute. She also sings a little "sleepy song" when she is tired, a humming single-pitch noise that is rather soothing, really...

* She is starting to be interested in books and is very enthusiastic about turning pages. Faster than I can read them, most of the time. And, she likes to close the book up again in between each page. So, reading stories together isn't exactly a relaxing pastime, but she is pretty cute. Oh, and she has favorite books already, and favorite pages within those books. She likes the "touch and feel" farm book, and the dog page is her favorite. And in "Mommy Loves" she gets very excited about the page with the cat. I think she has said "Caa!" a few times in response to that page...

* She loves cats. She is crazy about Coco, Becca's cat who is living with Gram gram. She likes to grab her ears. Luckily Coco is patient.

* She loves to put things into things-- and not just random objects, either. She knows just what to do with straws and forks/spoons and today at the store she knew to hand my credit card right to the clerk. :) It's amazing to watch her, knowing that she's just been observing the world all this time, figuring it all out. And how excited she is to be trying it out on her own...

* She's still the happiest little thing going. (Except for when its time to go to bed, which is another story..) People comment all the time on just how smiley and happy she is, that and her eyelashes and her newly obtained blonde curls. She really is a shameless flirt.

51 weeks

Better late than never.



Updates and photos from the great birthday weekend, coming soon...

46 weeks

That's getting to be a pretty big number, y'all.

I've ordered some prints to make a small scrapbook, a "year in pictures" summary of sorts, for her party. I really ought to get to work planning that party, one of these days...
>Why yes, that is a cashmere sweater she's wearing. I scoffed when we pulled this sweater out of the grand tub of hand-me-downs from Amie and Nola. Who makes cashmere clothing for infants?? Really??? We've been keeping it folded away in the closet for a special occasion but I decided today was as good a day as any. And I have also decided that she may wear this sweater daily til she outgrows it. Turns out a cashmere covered baby is one of the most intoxicatingly huggable things on earth.


Ivy would like for you to know that she is very flexible. And still doesn't like to hold still for pictures.

Ivy "Crazy hair" Morehouse at 46 weeks is:

* Fearless. She throws herself at the world headfirst and consequently bumps her head a lot. Thankfully she's learned to go down the stairs backwards (by shooting her legs out straight and sliding down 2-3 stairs at once on her tummy. Fearlessly, of course) so we can relax on that front. But really, with this one, we can't turn our backs for a moment. She scans her environment and locates any electrical cord, coin, paper scrap, small inedible object, paper to rip or items to dump, then makes a beeline for one of these things the moment we look away.

* Ornery. I say this because of the way she looks at us and giggles, all bunny-nosed, right at us once she gets her hands on one of the aforementioned objects.

* Loving. She's not a snuggly baby, due to the constant kicking and wiggling and all, but she is affectionate. She continues to give hugs by pressing her head or face into us. The newest adorable manifestation of this involves her crawling around on the bed, (envision a lot of bouncing and waving her hands over her head)
then pausing in her glee to come over to us, lay down and snuggle her head into our lap for a sweet, short moment. She also does this "look up reach and turn" thing when she wants our attention while she's crawling. Its hard to describe but its really very sweet. She's really very sweet these days, all told.



They both are, actually.



A little crazy. But sweet.

45 weeks

As I type, one very overtired young lady is being tended by her Daddy, up crying for the third time since she went to sleep at 7:30. May be a long night tonight. This is the price we pay for having a happy, engaged, non-napping baby all day. She has been running, today, on a grand total of 30 minutes of nap, and has been busy playing at Gram's, shopping, and attending a birthday party at Gymboree.

Ivy at 45 weeks is just too excited about the world to bother with sleep.

Other changes this week:

Her play is suddenly much, much more interactive. My favorite new game? "I'm gonna get you!" which is played with both of us on all 4's, Ivy leading the chase and stopping every so often to sit up, turn and look at me (as if to make sure I'm still following her) before booking away from me again. If I reach out and tickle her tummy while she's crawling, saying "Get you!!" as I do it-- oh! the squealing and giggling! It's really almost too cute to handle.

She follows us from room to room and likes to check in visually with us, likes to be sure we're seeing her latest accomplishment-- or what trouble she's getting into!

She wants to pull up to stand, and if possible, climb on any stationary object. I think she may have a bruise or cut on her face at all times for the forseeable future...

She likes to share things with us, holding things out and putting them in our mouths. Apparently we must put things in her mouth a lot, as she things that is what one does when interacting with others. When she is excited about something she's holding, she puts it on her head.

She loves to drink water but has a compulsion about putting her hand in the cup and playing with the water before she drinks.

She is starting to wave back at us if we wave at her.

She likes to hold a big piece of toast, pizza crust, etc and take bites of it all by herself (with those 4 teeth of hers!). She also, we learned, enjoys chewing on raw onion.

Here's the proof-positive that she's a Cobes!! :)


Jack had a fun day himself, with the time at Gram's, the shopping, and the birthday party. Tomorrow, we are excited to visit the Model Train Expo at Lakeland. It's a good weekend for the boy...

This evening while we were hanging out in the playroom with Jack, my charming son walked over to where I sat on the floor and smiled at me. Then, he proceeded to turn around, aim his little bum right at me, and fart, before moving on to the next activity. This was all compounded by the fact that he was not wearing his pants or underwear at the time.

Life with a 3 year old. Priceless.

At least he's cute.



Also today, our yard was infiltrated by snowmen with antennae.


Thankfully the 40 degree weather is taking its toll on them so we should be safe, soon.


In unrelated news, Ivy is 44 weeks old today. Still has that cold. Or more teeth coming in. Or something. And, she's still far too wiggly to get good pictures. Note the sideways-tongue thing, which is a new habit of hers.

I like this picture because it looks like she's actually paying attention to the book. What you don't see here is that she only really wanted to chew on the little fish finger puppet in the middle of the book, and kept wrestling the book away form me so she could get her mouth on it...

Jack and Ivy also spent some time hunting for sharks in their "boat" today.



Finally, some random video from this evening. Just a glimpse into the excitement that is Saturday night around our house.

10 months

Ivy is 10 months old today. Which means I have a number of things to get moving on. Birthday party to plan, photo books to make, some more weight to lose...

In the meantime, here are a few pictures and videos from the weekend. Her 43 week pictures left a bit to be desired as the Great Recurring Head Cold of 2011 is back for another visit. And, Ivy is a fidget butt. At 10 months she is crawling, climbing stairs, and just beginning to cruise on furniture. She dances to music and babbles a lot. We are pretty sure she has said Jack (well, "Dack" anyways) and that she uses Dada and Mama intentionally, sometimes. She hugs by pushing her head into you and I have chosen to interpret her habit of approaching my face with her mouth wide open, as an attempt at a kiss. She never stops moving unless she's asleep. She has 4 teeth now but still shows a lot of gum when she flashes her smile. Her eyelashes can still stop traffic. She's getting more opinions-- about food she likes (strawberries, bread, noodles, cheese) and toys she wants (whatever Jack has) and how she feels when we take away whatever small, random object she's found to play with (not at all happy with us). She's pretty cute, and that coupled with the fact that she's routinely sleeping through the night means we're pretty happy with our investment right now...




This is what we brought home from Sunday's birthday party...

34 weeks

My how they fly.

Girlie was on fire today, I tell ya. Sick again-- we are going to be a snotty house this winter, I can tell-- but that didn't stand in the way of this girl boogeyin' around all day. She can get onto her hands and knees from sitting now, and last night, while we were hanging out at M and W's for New Years Eve dinner, she "hopped" her knees forward a bit. Mobility's a coming...

Thinking of last night... quote of 2010, perhaps?

Jack, about his dinner: "I want REGULAR meat!! I don't like New Year's Meat!!"

Jack, also, is apparently ringing in the New Year by morphing into a boy who talks back, argues, whines, and appears to be unable to hear any question or choice I say to him.

I thought I had a bit more time before his teenage years. Oy.

Oh, and for gemineye-- Red hat. :)


And, a random bit of happiness from last week's trip..

33 weeks

No tag, and you'll notice a slight color difference to the bear. We are shooting on location here at Claire's house with Nat's bear (the bear which, incidentally, inspired the purchase of the bear we pose with Ivy, because I loved this guy so much and my wonderful Nat, he always tries to get me what I love...)


A few things of note about Miss IJ at 33 weeks:

*She is working on learning to wave.
*She is so utterly engaging and adorable, I almost can't handle it. Sat in the far back of the van today and couldn't do a thing but chat with this little baby who was constantly seeking out my attention.
*She makes this adorable clicking sound with her tongue when she is excited.
*She is eating more and more foods-- she has now tried bread, waffles, cheese souffle, and rice. She loves them all.
*She has gone to bed without crying two time this week and today too a nap in her crib. Corner turned on sleep??? We can hope!
*She likes sitting up in a highchair out at restaurants but spends most of the time turning around in the chair. Girl never faces the person talking to her if she can help it. Too busy exploring.
*She grabs anything that is not nailed down. Continues to love to chew on paper.
*Very vocal these days. "Ma ma ba!" was heard today, but "Da!" is more common. Today I swear she yelled "Da!" at Corydon and then "da-da-dy!" at Nat to get their attention. If Ivy is going to say something, it is going to have an exclamation point on the end.
*She bounces so much on her little bum that we can't turn our backs on her when we put her on beds or chairs, anymore. Floorbound, this one. She can push up onto her knees and rock, and move backwards 6 inches at a time... Not calling her mobile, yet. But soon, we think. And oh we will be in trouble when Ivy "Octopus" Morehouse gets mobile because she is going to get into EVERYTHING. Just look at the glint in those eyes...

32 weeks, Stan Hywet, and wrapping paper

So some weeks you just don't get winners. Poor Miss Ivy was running a 102 degree temperature for her 32 week photo day. She also had a brother who actually wanted to have his picture taken. WITH her. Sadly, said brother was suffering from a cold and had a chapped lips and a most pitiful expression in every single shot. Here's the only one worth anything from that shoot, and only because its kind of funny, the way she's investigating the previous week's tag. In later shots, she's chewing on it. Go figure.

From December 2010

Here are the two sickies hanging out in the playroom that same day. A glimpse of everyday life. Jack "ball of chaos" Morehouse and his sister Ivy "I'll be a ball of chaos myself, soon"...



You'll be happy to hear that the sickies are on the mend today, though. Enough so that we headed out to Stan Hywet Hall this afternoon to see the decorations and the lights on the grounds. I simply love that place, love everything about it. The ridiculous decadence of it all, the luscious interior decor, the period details, the expansive views framed by perfectly placed doors and patios and birch tree allees. This year's holiday theme was "A Dickens Christmas" and they had many of the rooms done up to illustrate scenes from "A Christmas Carol". Very clever and kind of neat to see the rooms arranged in different ways. Happily for Jack, they also had a model train and village set up in the great hall, which was the only highlight for him. Apparently 3 is not the ideal age to enjoy the manor house tour. Lots of "I want to go to the train!!" and "Can we go to our home now??" from him. Ivy, at least, seemed to enjoy herself, looking around with interest and charming everyone else we saw in the halls. After touring the house we tromped about in the snow and looked at the lights-- it wasn't full dark yet so we didn't get the full effect but it was still a lovely walk. Jack and I had a continuing snowball fight as we walked around. Ivy gazed beatifically at her surroundings. She simply loves to be outside, that one. Driving past the hall once more, after dinner, we caught a glimpse of the light display as it was meant to be seen and we have vowed to go ahead and mess with schedules next year, and go for the evening show to really wow the kids with the lights. They do it up right at Stan Hywet.


Snowball kid!


It can be hard to get a picture with both of them! Have to corral the big one against his will sometimes!

And, lets just count these shots as her 32 week pics, OK? I think she looks pretty good in red...



\
So the drama preceding this photo was that Jack had found a large chunk of snow which he was carrying over to throw at me, when it dropped to the ground and broke apart. This great tragedy was reason to drop to the ground wailing. We took a picture, which seemed the most appropriate response to his behavior. :)
Here's that birch tree allee. I am torn, I bet it was fabulous in full dark... but, we got the view and that mysterious, dusky light.

I love these two guys.


Attempt at a family picture. The first try got Jack's rear view only. You can see Ivy's hood there if you look hard.

Jack "taking a break" on the sidewalk before we left...

Finally, another Ivy photo shoot. I realized when we got home that I loved her outfit. So we posed her for a bit, in spite of her orange face and boogery nose. I promise, the ragamuffin did get a bath shortly after this...



We are in heavy duty Christmas prep mode around here. Since we got the kids to bed I have been alternately frosting cookies and wrapping. Yet another way in which children create exponentially more work with exponentially less time to do it. The wrapping! Those of you who know me, know I like a well wrapped present. I really do enjoy wrapping, choosing the perfect papers, tying a just-right bow...This year, with presents for 3 new babies in the family added on, I may be wrapping straight on til Christmas morning. I have been pondering wrapping paper choices in a new way this year, with Jack old enough to notice and remember details of Christmas for the first time. We have 4 rolls of paper hidden away in my closet, "Santa paper." One reason they are in the closet is they are too long for our wrapping drawer but it does work out well. A good deal of my limited wrapping time this evening was spent moving presents in and out of the closet, attempting to decide what would be from us, and what would be from Santa. This is much harder than it seems, trust me. I think I have the balance now but I reserve the right to re-wrap a present on Christmas Eve if I change my mind...

Visions of sugar plums to you, and a good night...