(Almost) Christmas Fun

Julia Meets Santa II

2008


2007


What a difference a year makes! She looks like a little larva in the one from 2007, and like people in the 2008 one.

Late November into December

Can I go outside??


Outside in my Adventuring Hat.


You can't tell, but it's snowing and I'm ready for the blizzard!


Getting a late-night bottle from cousin Emily.


Trying on Papi's hat ... but his head's too darn big.

Turducken v2.0

Scientists have been working around the clock to discover ways to improve an already perfect food: the Turducken.

Behold ... the Turbaconducken! As someone posted in the comments, "God would have made this on the seventh day if he had the recipe."



Now, I know what you're thinking. "Rob, why would I eat something that looks like a Predator?" My answer is, "No more talkie-talkie. Pass the turbaconducken."

via Bacon Today. Yes, there really is a Bacon Today and yes, I read it.

Runnin' from the pup before bathtime

Recent Fun

While in the kitchen the other night, Lori and I briefly turned away from Julia while she was walking around her high chair. We turned back a moment later to see her hanging on to her high chair tray with both hands, stretched out as far as possible, while pirouetting on the very tip-top of her right toe.

She kinda twisted there for a few more seconds and then dropped off onto her bum, laughing. Kids.

Other things she's been doing lately:

• Sleeping through the night like a champ. 7:30pm-6:30am, she's automatic now.
• Giving kisses. Granted, her idea of kisses seem to come straight from As the World Turns; she runs towards you with her mouth wide open. Sometimes she'll lick your face, too.
• Climbing down. She getting the hang of "coming down from things" (couches, stairs, etc). It's not always graceful, but the intent is there.
• Opening drawers. We are a mere days away from needing to baby-proof the drawers in the kitchen, as she loves to pull them open at break-neck speed. She can't reach the contents of the drawers yet ... but then again, neither can I. HEY-O!
• Running around the upstairs prior to bathtime "sans pantaloons". When she wears clothing, Julia walks/runs with her arms either at her side or raised up a little. When she's nekkid, the arms flail around wildly when she's walking, as if to proudly say "I'm nekkid!" Since this is really funny to watch, we've incorporated "Pre-Bath Crazy Naked Baby Time" into her routine. In all honesty, she kinda looks like one of those ghosts from a japanese horror film (like The Ring or The Grudge), walking around all herky-jerky while making strange noises. I wonder if this is where the idea for those characters came from ... Japanese Pre-Bath Crazy Naked Baby Time?

All About Julia

This blog has definitely taken a few turns in the last couple of years. First, it was about me and Lori and our adventures (or lack thereof).
Then, it was pretty much a way to update people about Cody (he is alive and well, thanks!).

Now, it's All About Julia. As a family, we recognize and accept this (note: Cody's still kinda pissed about it). Canines aside, Julia-and-Julia-related-activities take up 90% of our day. The remaining 10% is spent sleeping, watching 30 Rock, and attempting to keep the house clean.

For the most part, we post a lot of pictures about Julia but never really get into what she's really DOING. I'm going to attempt to remedy this in future posts ... but let's get caught up.

Vital Stats
Height/weight: Julia is a little over 2 feet tall, and weighs in at 20.5 lbs. She has a very large head, but we still love her.

Quadruped or biped?
Julia is officially a walker. I'd estimate at least 85% of the time, she is on two legs. She kicks it into run-mode when momma comes home from work, but her running needs serious tuning.

What does she eat?
Breakfast: loves fruit and waffles. And then more waffles.
Lunch: sammiches (turkey, cheese, pita, hummus, grilled cheese), mac & cheese, chicken, veggies (especially green beans).
Dinner: (see lunch)

Who does she love?
Cody, aka "DEE DEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" She follows Cody around, pets Cody, hugs Cody's head, shares her meals with Cody, watches Cody play outside, and announces Cody's arrivals and departures with great enthusiasm.

Momma, aka "mommamommamommamomma". To Julia, momma is like The Beatles; seeing her for the first time in a while brings instant tears of happiness. Seeing momma is the only thing that makes Julia get up and run (TO her, mind you). As previously stated, her running needs work, but this is when she does it. Julia really, really loves her momma.

Daddy's nose. I don't know what it is about my nose, but Julia wants to bite it. All the time. If I'm sitting down on the floor, she comes up to me and stands on my legs. Then, she grabs my collar on both sides ... leans in ... closes her eyes ... and gently bites my nose. Then she pulls her head away, laughs and does it again. This can cycle for five minutes at a time. Sometimes instead of biting my nose, she hugs me. She's such a weird, wonderful kid.

What does she play with?
Her big red firetruck, her big cozy chair (which she pushes around, flips over, crawls under, and sometimes sits upon), her shopping cart w/ fake food, her books, her Old McDonald's Farm Playset, and Cody.

So ... how does Cody feel about all this?
Cody might be the best dog ever. He tolerates - and maybe even likes - everything she does to/with him. He lets her crawl all over her, play with his fur, pet him, pull his legs, lift up his jowls, take his toys (we're correcting her about this!), watch him eat, wake him up, and so on. He never tries to avoid her. He lets her lie down with her head on his belly when he's laying down, and sometimes they lay like that for a few minutes at a time just relaxing.

Regardless of his good behavior, he's still an animal and we keep a very close eye on their playtime. I do look forward to the day that he starts sleeping at the end of her bed. I truly believe that someday they will be completely inseparable.

What does she say?

• Dada!
• Momma!
• Dee-deeeeeeeeeeee!
• Good girl!
• Haaaaawawawawawa (she makes a constant noise and pats her hand against her mouth to make the "wawa" effect ... she'll do this on command)
• Ooooooh!
• Go go go!
• No no!
• Random singing

What are her favorite books?

• Goodnight, Moon (and yes, I do on occasion read this to her as Jay Mohr as Christopher Walken)
  
• Bear Snores On
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
• ANYTHING by Mo Willems (Pigeon Books, Knuffle Bunnies 1 & 2)
  

Halloween 2008

Julia and momma ...

So THAT'S what candy is!

Julia the Giraffe with her pumpkin ...

Julia and Sydney ...

The whole fam damily. Try and guess who's who.

Happy Halloween!

Love,
Ghoulia

Happy 1st Birthday, Julia Rose

Julia celebrated her first birthday today with friends and family ... here are some of the highlights!

Halloween Preview

Yep. Welcome to our world.

Note: Based on what the internet has to offer, this probably is NOT the first attempt at someone imagining Yoda leading a giraffe-mounted Darth Vader past a baby playing in a desolate landscape.

Julia Takes Manhattan

We took an overnight trip to New Jersey and New York City to visit Aunt Mary (of "Auntie Mary's Good-Time Slippatorium Water Parks & Deli"), The Mark & Leah Dillons, and Canada's own Kim Humby.
So I guess we didn't take a ton of pictures, but here's the best of the ... five.


Baby's first train ride with Momma and Mary ...


Here's Julia looking about 5 years old. She's getting quite talented walking and doing stairs ...


MOMMA!

OMG - STICK!

Julia spent a good 20 minutes playing with this stick. It was the greatest toy she'd ever seen.

More fall fun at Grandaddy's

Baby's First Montage

Fall Fun

Lori Sings the Classics

Heartland Music is proud to present "Lori Sings Childrens Songs in the Bathroom".
All your favorites are here, including "Itsy Bitsy Spider" ...

Ummm ...

Pictures from the last few weeks!