Do you think she looks ANYTHING like me?

O.K. So, just a bit of a rant. Here's the deal. I am beginning to get a bit frustrated with hearing just how much my baby looks like her Daddy. It is, after all, a bit heartbreaking for a Mom to hear that her baby looks nothing like her. After all the sleepless nights and all the sacrifice, it would be nice to hear that she and I have a connection that even strangers in the grocery store can see. I don't know why this has become such a big deal to me, but it has. Yes, I realize it's true. She DOES look like him and, as Chris' advisor commented, "He's dead meat in a paternity test." But I still think that she looks like me too. For instance, she has my eyes. And she has my nose and cheeks. She obviously has her Daddy's mouth. But she DOES NOT have his eyes. They just look like his eyes when she smiles because she squints. So there. I've said my peace.

Thanksgiving Video Highlights!

It is absolutely amazing how much Felicity is changing and how her vocabulary is growing. While at Nanny and Papa's she began to say "night night." If anyone--or any toy--is lying down, she tells them "night night." She also has developed a sort of maternal side. This is much improved from the previous banging-babies-head-on-floor phase of two months ago. Now babies go "night night" and are given juice ("jish") by Little Mama Felicity. She also has a new affinity for taking off her diaper and going off into a corner to pee-pee. She is obesessed with saying "pee-pee" and points to her diaper. While a part of me wants to get excited that she is beginning the first stages of potty-training, I am more confident that she thinks a diaper is called a "pee-pee." Also while at Nanny and Papa's she slept THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT. It is heaven. I can officially count on 7:30-6:30 nights. Even in a strange place. And even while getting two new molars. She is definitely the best little baby in the world. See for yourself!

Family Photos

Here are some family photos from Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!

We are currently in Ohio for Thanksgiving! Felicity survived the plane flight just fine, but the TWO HOURS it took to get to Ohare were a bit challenging for me in the car (Ohare is normally a 20 minute drive.) There were two screaming children behind us the whole flight, which meant that Felicity couldn't sleep. So, she arrived in Columbus a bit tired and cranky. Since then, though, she's been sleeping fine and playing like crazy. Nanny is quite stocked in the toy department and Felicity has her pick of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's foods. She's definitely in her element. She likes the wide open space in the house and she's been running around. We've been good about keeping her on her schedule, which proves to make for easier nights. She has her own little room and is still sleeping in a Pack'n'Play, although she is barely fitting in it. Hopefully next time we come she'll be in a toddler bed and will be a bit more comfortable. Her crib is quite a luxury in comparison to the Pack'n'Play!

Nanny has been cooking all morning and, because I was chasing after Felicity, I didn't get to help too much. Chef Max has joined in on the cooking now. He's making a fancy apple dessert and is in charge of the mashed potatoes. He has been making creme fraiche for the past few days and it' s making me a bit nervous. He, however, swears by it as the secret ingredient to his potatoes and promises that it can stay out on the counter for at least 24 hours while it cultures...

The cameras are ready and charged and I will definitely post photos tonight. In the meantime I hope my loyal readers are having a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was Halloween, and despite the fact that Felicity had no idea that she was dressed up as a ladybug, she appeared to have fun. When I dropped her off at daycare all of the little kids were in costumes. She laughed at Katy dressed as a duck and insisted on touching her "beak," much to Katy's dismay. We picked her up early from daycare and took her parading around downtown Lake Forest. She wasn' all that interested in the other kids or the candy, but prefered, instead, to watch the trains come and go at the train station.



The other big news is that Felicity can "use" a fork...that is, with a little help from her Mommy. It's a messy process that requires quite a bath, but she's beginning to get the hang of it!

She talks!

Felicity is developing quite a vocabulary. These are a few of her words we've been able to get on tape.

Eating

Couldn't resist this one!

Snowboots

This whole You Tube thing is great! And likely to be one more thing to get addicted to...
I do have to compress the videos for viewing on the internet, but I think her personality shines through, even despite the pixilation... This was taken on October 15, 2006.

Fall Update

It occurred to me to day that I don't "need" to post only when I have photos, but that any little Felicity update would be much appreciated by her adoring fans. So, I'll be posting much more, but the catch is that there will be fewer photos.

I want so much to write about everything that she's up to, but I only have ten minutes before getting back to teaching. So, here's ten minutes worth of what Felicity Mae is up to...

She loves to climb. If there's anything above six inches on the floor, she'll climb on it, try to stand up and, more often than not, topple over and laugh laugh laugh.

She's also become a big fan of perspectives and she loves to look at the world by hunching over and looking between her legs. She thinks it's hysterical. That's our little postmodernist ;) All you have to say is, "Upside-down, Felicity." And she'll stop what she's doing and immediately drop to a downward dog position.

Her unnatural obsession with flags has become my unnatural obsession with buying them. We now have flag decals on our front windows and a huge 3 ft. by 5 ft. American flag on the family room wall. She dances and screams when she sees it. From the street, however, I fear that our house is beginning to look like a scary militant compound and I wonder if the neighbors think I'm stockpiling weapons for the revolution.

Felicity's vocabulary is continuing to soar. She says "bu-bye" to nearly everything when it goes away. This includes turning the television off, throwing away garbage, shutting the car door, closing the refrigerator and turning off the lights. She is also obsessed with eyes. She loves to touch eyes and point to eyes on the characters in her storybooks.

Now that she has seven teeth we've begun brushing them. She's still a little skeptical about the toothbrush, but she thinks it's absolutely hysterical once it's in her mouth.

Eating is still a bit of a challenge. She doesn' t have a very adventurous palate and has some combination of chicken, cheese, tortellini, strawberries, blueberries, green beans, and graham crackers at every meal. At school, however, she apparently eats broccoli and vegetable soup. I don't know how they do it.

Sleep, also, is a challenge. My eagerness to wean her has been met with a stiff resolution to breastfeed at every opportunity. I have, unfortunately, become "that mom." The one whose toddler is old enough and verbal enough to ask for boobie. And whose toddler STILL doesn't sleep through the night.

This time last year...

In an effort to try out this YouTube feature, I give you.......

Felicity's First Laugh. One year ago tomorrow.

Fall Is Here!

Wow. It's been a while since I posted, but I finally have some images to post.
Felicity is doing so well. She had a bit of a cough these past few days, but now that she's feeling better she's been playing non-stop.

Some new things:
1. When Chris is trying to calm her down, he'll say, "It's o.k., Daddy's here." To this, she has been replying, "Mama here?"
2. Her unnatural obsession with flags has gotten out of control. She screaches with delight and dances when she sees them. She walks around with three flags: A big American flag, a little American flag, and a little British flag.
3. She has 7 teeth and a ton on the way.
4. She hit the 20 lb mark and frequently sleeps through the night.
5. She is thriving at daycare and seems to be officially adjusted to one nap a day.

Today we played outside in the front yard.
I snapped these great shots.
Kudos to Elisabeth Witt for talking me into buying a digital camera.
And thanks to Aunt Eula for helping to make the purchase possible.

See for yourself. Doesn't hurt, of course, that we have such a great subject :)

Hanging With Daddy

Felicity is EXTREMELY interested in hats. She had quite a good time playing in the yard this weekend. And, amazingly, the hat stayed on the whole time!

Daycare Update

Well, it's official. I survived Felicity's first week at daycare and we're back for more this week. The daycare sends her home with a daily report. I am beginning to decipher some of their euphemisms.

1. "Had a few cranky moments" (Translation: She cried the whole time, you selfish, selfish momma.)
2. "Ate most of her food." (Translation: Threw anything healthy on the floor.)
3. "Was a bit sassy at naptime." (Translation: Would not lay down on her cot to sleep.)
4. "Likes to be sung to sleep." (Translation: You high, high, maintenance child.)

All in all daycare is going well. The women who run Felicity's room at daycare are fantastic. And they'd have to be saints to deal with me. As Chris assured me the other day, I am "that mom." I just can't help myself sometimes. While daycare was supposed to enable me to work fulltime, I am beginning to find that checking on Felicity at daycare and worrying about Felicity at daycare and shopping for items to bring for Felicity at daycare is it's own fulltime job :)

My favorite time of day is around 4 when we pick her up. By this time the kids are outside playing and we can watch Felicity from afar for a few minutes. At first she'd see us within ten seconds and run into my arms. Today it took a full five minutes for her to notice us. She was, afterall, completing very important business: moving woodchips around.

The other great joy of daycare has been that Felicity gets tired by 7 and is asleep by 7:30. Sweet luxury. On that note, I'm off to watch mindless television.

I give you...

the "Daddy Smile"

Felicity Stats: One Year

According to the doctor on her one-year appointment:
She weighs 19 lbs and 12 oz. (25th percentile)
She is 29 1/2 inches long (50-75th percentile)
She wears 12 month size clothing.

Felicity walks as of July 15. Her Daddy took her to the student center on campus and returned proclaiming that we now have a walking baby. Since then, she hasn't turned back and walks everywhere. Her Grandma bought her some really cool new shoes and she is walking really well in them. (photos forthcoming)

First Birthday Party Highlights

Felicity's First Birthday Party was a smashing success! I have weeded through the 300 photos we took to capture a few highlights.

She arrived in style to her party, driving herself (with a little help from her Daddy.)


She loved the balloons!



She was VERY EXCITED about the Ladybug Cake...but not all too sure about how to eat it...



She prefered to "sculpt" it.

Since her party, she's been walking like crazy, pushing her babies everywhere--

and DEFINITELY seems less like a little baby, and more like a little girl.

Happy First Birthday, Felicity!

To Felicity On Her First Birthday:

Dear Felicity,

It is just before 8 p.m. on the eve of your first birthday and I am sitting next to your Daddy watching the Cubs win (for now) and thinking about what I was doing this time last year. One year ago tonight I went on a very long walk down to the beach—about a mile each way—and down one hundred stairs, and back up one hundred stairs. I was determined to meet you. That night I went to bed early and your Daddy stayed up late. I woke up around 2 a.m. with strong contractions. Although I had been having contractions for weeks, these seemed different. I got up to go the bathroom and Daddy came to bed. I was excited to talk about how I thought that “this was it.” Daddy was tired and told me that he wanted to get some sleep and that he didn’t feel like talking. His words, exactly, were, “This is a sleeping room, not a talking-about-contractions room. Why don’t you go downstairs.” So I did.

I turned on the t.v. and watched CNN. Until 4 a.m. when the contractions were getting pretty regular. I was timing them on the t.v. guide channel because it had a digital clock running with seconds. When they were five minutes apart I got up to go upstairs to tell Daddy. Just as I stood up, my water broke! I was so excited and shocked and unsure of what to do. I ran (literally) upstairs to tell Daddy. We had been hearing forever that labor can be long, and so we weren’t entirely sure what to do. We didn’t want to sit around the hospital for ten hours, so we talked briefly and decided that we would wait a bit. Daddy went back to sleep and I went downstairs. By then it was nearly 5:30 a.m. and so I called your Nanny and Papa. They were going to get in their car in Columbus, Ohio and drive when I went into labor. Nanny answered the phone right away. Later on she told me that she was expecting me to call, that she just “knew” that I was going to be going into labor. When Nanny answered the phone she asked me how far apart the contractions were. I told her 3 minutes. She told me that I needed to get to the hospital right away! Then I called Elisabeth and told her that we were going to the hospital. I went upstairs to tell Daddy and he told me that he just needed to take a shower!! By then I was in actual pain! I hadn’t actually packed anything to take to the hospital because I thought that I would have time once I went into labor! Nope!! So, I pulled the first things that I found out of my drawer. If you look at photos of us coming home from the hospital, you’ll see that I was wearing a green tank top and grey sweatpants—not the nicest combination!

We got to the hospital at 6 a.m. and they checked me right away. I was already 4 cm. Things started to get a bit more uncomfortable. I had back labor because you were facing the wrong way and I was in a ton of pain. I sat on the birth ball and also spent some time in the tub. Daddy put pressure on my back with his hands and that seemed to help. I labored until 1 p.m. when I just couldn’t take it anymore. The nurse checked me and told me that I had gone from 7 cm to 6 cm because your position was making my cervix swell. The nurse told me that it would be another three hours at least until I was 10 cm. I knew I couldn’t take it. So I asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist got there in 5 minutes. It was the longest five minutes of my life, but then I had relief!

Nanny and Papa got there around 2:30 p.m. I was numb and happy and excited. At 4 p.m. they told me that I should begin pushing. I pushed for 2 hours! Then, in one big push, you shot out into Dr. Elvove’s hands. You were perfect. Your Daddy spent the first five minutes of your life with you while I was stitched up. And then, finally, you were placed in my arms. You nursed right away and were the most perfect thing I had ever seen.

Since that day you have grown into quite a beautiful little girl. You are so sweet. You rarely cry—only if you are very tired or hurt yourself. You still like to nurse. A lot. You love ladybugs, your babydoll, your stuffed horse and cow. And you love Baby Einstein. You say “juice,” “mama,” “tree,” “dada,” “cheese,” “keys,” “cat,” “duck,” “all done,” “fish,” “lizard,” “doggie/(you say ghee),” “gentle,” “kiss,” and “bye bye.” You can identify belly buttons, mouths, toes, and hands. You know what each of your toys is called. And, as of Sunday July 16, you walk!!

I never imagined that I could love you so much. I wake up every day grateful that you are mine and that we are such a happy family. I love our mornings together in your room, you look up at me with your huge blue eyes, you smile, you say “mama” and you melt my heart. Every day with you is better than the one before and I savor every single moment with you. I love you, Felicity. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Love,
Mama

We Want What We Can't Have

So, for those of you who know my lifelong battle with eczema, this might be interesting. I finally saw a good allergist, who ran some tests and told me that I am highly allergic to the following:
Wheat
Rye
Soy
Egg Yolks
Broccoli
Strawberries
Bananas
Chocolate

Needless to say, today I have been craving grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate cake, and strawberries. And all of the foods on the "no-no list" are ones that I keep encountering. I made Felicity a pancake for breakfast (no-no number one), watched Chris drink a strawberry smoothie (no-no number two), and am currently sitting in a coffee shop where the only food involves muffins and coffee cake. So I walked over to a sandwich shop to get a salad.

Keeping with the theme of being tempted by what I cannot have, I bumped into a perky young Mom of FOUR with a 5 month old little girl perched on her size 4 lap. We got to talking while in line, the way that moms do, and she told me that with Felicity turning one next week things are going to be so much easier. (I had to laugh to myself: Last night Felicity was up EVERY HOUR crying due to, what I think is teething, and she has yet to sleep a ten hour stretch.) To add insult to injury she told me that her 5 month old has been sleeping through the night 7 to 7 since she was three months old.

Being haunted by that which I cannot have appears to be a theme today.

My Name Is Rachel and I Am An Addict

I am addicted to checking out other blogs. Yes, it's sad. For one thing, right now I have a babysitter and I am supposed to be working on planning my course. But I just can't. Because everytime I log onto the course's webpage I think about something that I need to look up and then I get distracted by just quickly looking to see if any blogs that I read have been updated. And then those blogs have links to other blogs. And then I get sucked into this whole other internet world. Take for instance this blog. It's one of my favorites. The writing is hilarious. And then I just found this one. It actually won an award. Although the woman who writes it also explains that she got fired for her blog. Yikes. I don't think that I am in danger of getting fired for MY blog. I don't really have anything scandalous. But I suppose I could imagine a world in which I got fired because of spending time reading blogs by people who have gotten fired for their blogs instead of prepping my course.

Just got the evil eye from dear husband who is furiously editing his paper to be sent off for publication. I have yet to publish anything. Except for this blog. Wonder if it could count toward tenure...?

"All done"

This is Felicity's sign for "All Done." Imagine her little hands twisting in circles and her little raspy voice saying something to the effect of "Da-don." She uses this sign, primarily, to tell us when mealtime is over. However, the "All done" sign has now crept into other facets of our daily lives. Today, mid-diaper change, she let me know that she was "All done" with the diaper change. This afternoon, upon finishing her nursing session, she sat up in my lap and declared, "Da-don." And, perhaps the most embarassing, is her using the "All done" sign when we are visiting with friends, chatting away, and having some adult time. So much for Mommy and Daddy-time, Felicity was over it.

Major Developments

This morning Felicity walked from one end of the room to the other. She was so pleased with herself, but her excitement seemed to get the better of her and caused her to fall a bit prematurely. She starts shaking her hands and screeching and seems to be running more than walking! I had the video camera out, but I was a bit sloppy in my videography so I don't know that I got it all on camera.

I can see tooth number 2 making its entrance on the bottom right and it looks like it'll be followed quickly by the top two. So, in time for her birthday we should have a walking and toothy baby!

The birthday plans are underway. I ordered a slew of party decorations yesterday and tomorrow I am off to order the cake. I bought a ladybug birthday dress online for her last week to match the theme. I realize that I might be going a bit overboard with this, but it's just too fun.

The start of the school year is unfortunately right around the corner and that means Felicity's daycare starts. It's going to be quite a horrible transition for me,--going from spending every second with her to being without her from 9-3 four days a week. I know that my scholarship will improve (article writing, what's that?!?) and that my students will get a much more focused teacher. But my oh my am I going to be a wreck. :(

Playing til she's Pooped

Amazingly, I have time yet again to update. Felicity is taking her morning nap--a luxury that I know is going to peeter away shortly, but I am enjoying it so very much while it lasts--and I have been playing with the settings on my blog. It's pretty cool how you can give yourself a crash-course on html and make a few key changes. While I am no computer whiz, I am a procrastinator who gets sucked in to aimless artistic projects, so look for changes on the blog as I learn.

Felicity seems to have amazing powers of concentration (I know, I know, like her Daddy...) and she can play by herself for an hour at a time. I do, of course, try to intervene by stacking blocks with her or reading or re-introducing long-lost toys from the bottom of the toy box, but my attempts are usually met with a sort of, "Please, Momma, I am sooo over that activity, can you just let me play by myself?!"

She LOVES Elmo. And continues to clap and bounce as he sings the Hokey Pokey. She hasn't quite mastered squeezing his hand to make him dance, but we know when she wants him to be turned on because she gets on her knees in front of him and claps her hands furiously.



Her other favorite toy is her babydoll, which she carries with her everywhere and gives it kisses. Of course the love is interspersed by some pretty tough body slams, so I am not convinced her maternal instincts have been honed just yet.
She also continues to like listening to her Daddy read to her. It's the cutest thing to watch. Her favorite book, STILL, is Ten Little Ladybugs.

We just got Felicity an early birthday present so that she can be stylish when she is seen out and about town. She hasn't quite figured out how to honk the horn, but her steering is perfect!

Eating is, and continues to be, an adventure. She definitely has a good time with food.
And, when she's motivated, concentrates so very hard at picking up even the tiniest pieces of fruit or cheerios.


By the end of the day, she's definitely, to borrow Elmo's lingo, "pooped." A few days ago she even crashed on her back on our bed.

This time last year...

I was counting the days until Felicity's arrival.
We knew that she would be named Felicity and we talked constantly to my belly.
My feet were swollen like loaves of bread and it seemed to be the hottest summer on record.
We had NO IDEA what we were in for.
Chris was going to bed at 2 am.
I was spending time organizing and washing clothes and worrying about which CDs we might want to listen to in the delivery room. Foolish girl.

But just the other day Chris and I were talking about all the things that we managed to "get right" and as we look at this blossoming 11 month old, I have to say we did good. So, here it is, the advice I would have given to myself this time last year.

On preparing for the birth:
- You really can't.
- But you can sleep. Be well-rested. It truly is the longest day of your life.
- Make sure your husband is rested.
- Let your body take over. It won't let you down.

On the birth:
- Let it happen.
- Labor as long as possible at home.
- Despite the fact that you don't *really* want the drugs, say you do, this will encourage people to tell you over and over again that you *can* do it. You'll need to be reminded of this.
- Make sure to spend a ton of time in the tub. The contractions are less severe.
- Bring Elisabeth Witt. She makes it all better.
- Make sure your husband is rested. It'll be a long day for him, too.
- Listen to your body. If you need the drugs, get the drugs.
- And then refrain from kissing the anesthesiologist even though you really want to.

On the first days home from the hospital:
- Tell husband that he cannot watch SportsCenter.
- Sleep when the baby sleeps. Seriously.
- Sleep with the baby.
- Let everyone do everything for you EXCEPT hold the baby. This is YOUR bonding time.

On breastfeeding:
- Do it.
- The soreness goes away within a week.
- Have Lansinoh ointment next to the bed.
- Learn to side-lie and breastfeed.
- Spend as much time nursing as possible to get your supply up.
- Sleep.

On basic necessities:
- Get a sling.
- Wear the baby constantly.
- Give yourself permission to let all of the hormones take over.
- Eat.

And remember to enjoy every last second. Because one day you will open your eyes and it'll be nearly a year later. And, although, everything is wonderful. And Felicity is wonderful, there's a teeny tiny part of me that really misses that itty bitty baby sleeping next to me in the big bed.

Summertime Excitement!

We are back from our trip to Ohio! And, although it was great to see family (including, of course, the infamous “Great Nanny”),

and "Nanny" )it’s nice to have Felicity back in her environment. She is sleeping as I type this. A blessing. In fact, since we returned from Ohio she has only had one night waking to nurse and has slept in until 6:45, having gone to bed at 7:30. Perhaps we’re not long for the sleep-through-the-night. But I won’t hold my breath.

While I know she doesn’t NEED the eight million toys we have on hand, it is nice to give her the option. That said, at Nanny and Papa’s she was content to play with measuring cups and spoons and to chase the dogs. Fritzi wasn’t all that keen on her—she showed her teeth quite a bit—but I think Felicity thought she was smiling at her! Penny, Auntie Mandy’s dog, on the other hand, was sooo good with Felicity. Penny thought Felicity was her own personal toy and enjoyed her crawling on the floor. Felicity and Penny do have a lot in common, after all. They crawl along the floor, put anything in their mouths, and enjoy squeaky toys.

Being back has also made it clear that we need to spice up our routine. We got our official beach pass a couple of days ago and have been attempting to get to the beach every day. It’s about a mile walk, which would be fine, but in order to take the stroller down to the beach we have to walk another mile out of our way to get to a ramp. So, Felicity was falling asleep in her stroller before we got down to the shoreline! Now, however, she is able to face the sand with wide eyes and an ambitious spirit. Amazingly she doesn’t put it in her mouth. Instead, she likes to watch it fall from her hands and she digs her heals into it and moves her legs back and forth. We have yet to introduce her to the water. It’s still been rather cool here, only climbing into the low 70s. We are, of course, happy about this, as it means that we haven’t had to wrestle with the window air conditioners. Last year at this time it was already in the 90s, so the cooler temps are definitely welcome. We are not looking forward to being hot and sticky. Although, that does mean that we could introduce the baby pool…So there is an up side.

We have been continuing to share in child care, which is rewarding and also a hassle. Our deal is that Chris gets up with Felicity at 6:30 and I get to sleep until 8:30 or 9, at which time I nurse Felicity down for her morning nap. She sleeps until around 10:30 and I shower and get things done around the house. Once she’s up, it’s Mommy time. Today we are going to go to the mall since it’s raining outside. She likes hanging out at Barnes and Noble, playing with the Thomas the Tank Engine train set (birthday present idea, maybe?) and I like getting Starbucks. A caffeinated momma is a happy momma. I usually have Felicity until around 5, when Chris gives her dinner and I take a break. We have family time until 7:30 when she goes to bed. All in all it’s a pretty fine deal.
Oh, I have a new job! I am tutoring a high school student in American History. She is re-taking the course and needs help with writing. She’s a smart girl who is more interested in art than American History and needs some motivating. I think I’m up for it, though, and the hefty North Shore paycheck is definitely making it worth it. This week I have already tutored for 4 hours (at $75/hour, and I’m CHEAP!) Needless to say, my worries about paying for Fall daycare are lessening.

Our calendar is filling up (Yes, Elisabeth, I got a calendar finally!) Every square seems to have multiple entries. I am excited about next Tuesday. We are meeting with a rabbi to organize Felicity’s naming ceremony. I think that we will do it over her birthday weekend so that family can be there for it. This rabbi has quite a few ideas and seems to want to include a lot of rituals in the ceremony. I am very happy about this, as he has suggested doing a lot more of a “bris without the snip.” If Auntie Mandy is willing, I think that we’ll use her talit to wrap Felicity in. I am leaning toward doing it at the house, as a typical Shabbat ceremony won’t leave much room for many rituals.

On a slightly unrelated note, I wanted to post some fantastic photos of Felicity at the zoo. We ventured to Milwaukee last week and went to the zoo with Elisabeth and baby Noah. Despite the fact that they are so close in age, Felicity is very interested in the baby. It reminds me of the way Fritzi thinks she's a big retriever. She just has no idea that she's little. As it turns out, she is exactly the same size as a baby Gorilla!

Felicity really seemed to like the zoo, or at least she seemed to like being outside and being carried. It was funny seeing Elisabeth with Noah strapped to her, me with Felicity wrapped around me, and the baby Spider Monkey hanging on his momma, too. Felicity was able to recognize and name ‘cows,’ ‘ducks,’ ‘fish,’ and, well, upon seeing the Bonobos, she exclaimed, “Dadda.” We are looking forward to exploring the zoo again soon. And, just because I can’t resist, I have to post this photo of Felicity airing out after having her hat on all day! Enjoy :)

Ten Months and Counting...

I cannot believe how time flies and to all my loyal readers (all five of you!) I apologize for my lack of posts. May proved to be busier than we had expected, but now that we are finally well into summer vacation things are slowing to a more enjoyable pace.

We began the month with my graduation, a slightly anti-climatic, yet worthwhile-all-the-same, 4 ½ hour drive to Iowa City. Mom, Dad, Chris, and Felicity all attended.

We rented a minivan for the trip and, having experienced the wealth of space, I have to admit Chris and I are sold on the whole minivan thing. Felicity had the backseat to herself and chatted away and slept the whole way there. No crankiness. No crying. It was amazing.

The hooding ceremony itself was boring and the auditorium was hot hot hot. Wearing the thick polyester robes didn’t help either. (Below is me and my advisor, David Depew)What made it all worth it, though, was looking up into the bleachers to see my little girl, donned head to toe in pink. She stood the nearly two-hour event on her daddy’s lap clapping and screeching and being genuinely excited for her momma. I don’t think anyone acted quite as proud of me as Felicity. Seeing her cheer me on made the entire dissertation experience worth every second. And, as I sat down on the floor amidst my fellow graduates, I had a wave of nostalgia. I graduated with many of the people I came in with, which is a rarity in the land of the Ph.D. Most of us are now married. Some of us have children. And all of us have new jobs. I felt proud and relieved. This summer will be the first summer in eight years that I do not have to do any of the following: get married, move, work on a dissertation, have a baby, or find a job. Needless to say, it feels somewhat more low key.

I was supposed to be teaching summer school beginning the Monday following graduation. But, despite my boldest efforts to design a sexy summer school course on the Intelligent Design controversy, my course did not meet the enrollment requirements. On one hand I am upset about the lack of $4500. We really could have used that money. But, I am finding a silver lining in the whole thing and have made it my mission to spend every second with Felicity as Chris finishes his dissertation.

So, beginning on May 15, I have been full-time mommy and neglected my duties as professor. It is soooo nice! Since Felicity was born on July 20 and I had to begin school on August 16, I hardly had any time with her, just the two of us, all day long. But now we are making up for lost time.

Our days are filled with various activities all designed to tire her out for a nice long nap. We are up at 6:30 and play downstairs for about two hours. Then, she naps for two hours and wakes smiling and standing in her crib ready for another installment of momma. Her longest period of wakefulness is from 11-2:30 or 3. During this time we go for walks, crawl in the grass, play of the floor, run errands, swing, or play in the sandbox. She loves to be outside and fortunately it climbed back down to the 70s after giving us a scare of 92 degrees a few days ago. Having no air-conditioning makes those days tough and I imagine that we’ll clock a lot of hours at indoor malls and libraries during July.

Developmentally Felicity is amazing us! She has a lot of words. She says tree, lizard, ducky, teeth, fish, Dada, Momma, juice, and kiss. However, if you ask her to bring you any of her toys, she’ll retrieve the ladybug, horse, cow, sheep, balloon, ball, phone, Eeyore, Elmo, Big Bird, and, her favorite, my graduation tassel. It’s amazing how quickly she can learn the name of a new object or concept. If you say, “Felicity, do you want some food?” She looks to the kitchen and starts crawling toward her high chair. Although I am biased, I think I have a rather smart little cookie.

She finally has a tooth coming in!! It started to break through yesterday and it looks like more are on their way. It appears that they are arriving just in time, as she has begun to lose interest in baby food and would much rather feed herself. She is very much into Organic Morning-Os and these Organic Wheat-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free teething biscuits that I think taste like wood, although she really likes them. They get everywhere, though, and usually necessitate a bath.

Although at the end of every evening I am tired beyond belief and eager for her to go to bed, it takes about thirty minutes for me to recover and I begin looking forward to the next day. It just doesn’t get old. Her smiling face in the morning and the smell of her sweet little head as we spend the first half hour of the day nursing in her rocker has to be my favorite part of every day. And while I am excited for her to learn more words and begin walking I am a bit sad that she’s not going to be my little baby for very much longer. Perhaps this is why the middle-of-the-night nursing sessions have never bothered me and I continue to endure the awful nursing bras. Because someday soon I’ll actually miss all of it.