Battle of the Bellies

And to think, I have four weeks (or more!) to go...

Eager to join in on the fun, Felicity tries to compare.  Perhaps this is the only time Felicity's tummy has looked small!

First Hanukkah with Nanny and Papa!

Although I am embarrassed to say it, this is actually the first time in her three years that Felicity has had Hanukkah with the Avon's. But, this is really the first time that she has really understood what it's all about. She's definitely a fan of latkes, can spin a dreidel, has learned a portion of the blessing over the menorah, and, well, is a pro at opening presents. Here are some shots from last night's Hanukkah celebration.

Making latkes with Auntie Mandy:


Lighting the candles and singing the first line of hebrew in the blessing!


Her absolute favorite gift from Nanny and Papa--a pram for her baby. (On a funny note, she doesn't say "pram," she says "cram."


And, as you can see, she is definitely getting into Hanukkah. Surprisingly, "eat your broccoli or you don't get to light the menorah" is as persuasive as "eat your broccoli or you don't get a present"!!

Cookie Decorating and First Night of Hanukkah

While still talking about Hanukkah as though it is the greatest holiday ever, we took Saturday morning and went to Sue's house to decorate Christmas cookies. Decorating cookies at Sue's is a tradition. Amanda, Max, and I have been doing it since we were kids. In fact, I think Mom has some video footage of us somewhere which would be great to dig out. So, following the tradition, Felicity and I left Daddy at home to grade and drove to Sue's to join Sue's grandkids, Shelby and CaroleAnn in decorating. I've got to say that Felicity caught on quickly and NEVER put her hands in her mouth or asked to eat one until the very end.

With expert precision, Felicity delicately places green sugar on her cookie.

Not realizing that the green sugar comes out fast, Felicity creates a mountain of green sugar...



Finally, Sue declares that it's o.k. if we take a break to eat one...


Having finished her cookie, Felicity was eager to go outside in the snow with the big kids. She bundled up and took off.

This playing-in-the-snow outing has been the last one for a while, as it has been -28 degrees with the windchill for the past two days! It honestly is too cold to run to the car to go to the grocery store, let alone play in the snow.

Felicity seems to be o.k. with staying indoors, though. And really enjoyed the first night of Hanukkah. This is the first time that she really "understands" what's going on and, surprisingly, is just as interested in lighting the menorah (she says b'norah) as she is in opening presents. In fact, during breakfast today she asked if she could light the b'norah. No doubt it's because she is understanding the connection between lighting the menorah and getting presents. But I can pretend it's because she really appreciates the holiday, right?

Felicity Gets a Big Girl Room!

Below is a short clip of Felicity getting her furniture. I taped it on my itty-bitty digital camera, so the quality is not great. But, the gist is that she was thrilled with it! And she slept soundly through the night :)

First Dentist Visit

Chris and I decided it was about time for Felicity to go to the dentist. So, I started talking up going to the dentist with the enthusiasm of an Anthropologie sale.

"GOING TO THE DENTIST IS GREAT!" "IT'S SOOOO FUN!!"

"But I don't wanna go to the dentist, mama."

"BUT THE DENTIST IS FUN!...AND THE DENTIST KNOWS THE TOOTH FAIRY AND CAN TELL THE TOOTH FAIRY TO COME"

"He knows the tooth fairy?"

"YEP! AND HE TELLS HER WHEN TO COME TO GIVE YOU PRESENTS!"

"Does he call her on the phone?"

"OF COURSE HE DOES!"

"He knows her phone number?"

"YEP! AND AFTER THE DENTIST, YOU CAN GO TO EGG HARBOR!!"

"How about we just go to Egg Harbor..."

So, it didn't seem like it was going to be a walk in the park. However, as it turns out the dentist was a hit.

She willingly went off with the dental hygenist and practiced brushing different animals' teeth.



















She played beside the dental chair so she could get comfortable with the experience.



















And she climbed up into the chair and flashed her pearly whites for the camera.





































And, despite her known discomfort with men, somehow Dr. Joe made an impression. She thought the entire experience was fabulous!



The feedback from the doctor:
All of her teeth are in. She is "ahead" in terms of having all of her teeth contacting. She needs to cut back on juice and cut out candy. No more gummies, especially. And we need to brush her teeth after she drinks any juice and then floss everyday. We'll see how well that goes ;)

Gotta love the midwest in December...

The ice path to the car, the frozen-shut car doors, and the -16 below windchill didn't stop us this morning. Let's just hope the 4 inches of snow tomorrow doesn't slow us down either...

P.S. Thanks to those who called with the well-wishes. The baby and I are fine and are taking it easy. It's nice to have an excuse to rest while Nanny cleans closets and organizes :)

Felicity Writes Her Name!!!

School Photo!

This is Felicity's school photo. (Don't worry grandparents and aunts and uncles, you have a copy coming shortly in the mail!) I can't believe she's this grown up!

Thanksgiving 2008

We're back from a fun-filled Thanksgiving. We got home last night just as the first flurries were falling, but managed to avoid traffic. I am not sure how we got such good travel karma, but hey, we'll take it.

Thanksgiving--or as Felicity refers to it, "The Turkey Party" was a blast. It's always the same food and routine, but it never gets old. It's really great to be able to pass on the Thanksgiving tradition to Felicity. And, I've gotta say, that since Nanny became a full-fledged American citizen, the turkey seems to taste better :) (Or maybe that's Chef Max's influence and the knowledge that 18 pound turkeys only need to cook for 3 1/2 hours.)

The whole weekend was a blast. Uncle Max rarely gets any time off, so his days off on Wednesday AND Thursday meant that he was enlisted to play Hungry Hippos and teach Felicity all about mashed potatoes. She really loved peeling potatoes and assisting Uncle Max with spotting the "eyes" on the potatoes. Auntie Mandy had Thursday and Friday off from work, so she was a great make-up assistant and all-around fashionista influence. It's good that I have such hip siblings, or else Felicity certainly would be left behind with only Chris and me to shape her style ;)

It really is amazing that we were inside the entire time from Wednesday through Friday! Nanny and Papa cleared away the coffee table, so she had a great carpeted play area for changing, feeding, and pushing babies. I am happy to report that Felicity is truly into her babies and loves taking care of them. This makes me hopeful that she'll do well with her little sis. It also made us realize a few more things: that Felicity will eat vegetables if they are in front of her and if everyone else is. So, I've made a stiff resolution to go out to eat less (where her choices are chicken nuggets and french fries) and stay in more, offering her a chance to develop her healthy palate. This shouldn't be too hard with the weather being so terrible and me being so huge! We really will be midwest homebodies this winter.

Perhaps influenced by her mother's own affinity for them, as well as her Auntie Mandy's validation that they meet style requirements, Nanny and Papa were manipulated into buying Felicity her first pair of Uggs at Nordstrom on Saturday. She hasn't wanted to take them off! And, remarkably, she understands the difference between "cold weather boots" (Uggs) and "snow boots" (her Stride Rite waterproof ones that light up).

While out and about at Easton's outdoor mall (yes, we were at an outdoor mall in the November in the midwest with temps in the 20s, but hey, you don't expect us midwesterners to stop shopping when it turns cold, do you!?) we ventured into a few stores and Felicity started making requests for what she wants for Hanukkah. And, despite the fact that trees and lights were everywhere, I think we sold her on the lighting of the menorah and the eight presents. She must have remebered a bit of this discussion because on our drive home she got really inquisitive about who has Hanukkah and who has Christmas. Realizing that she is beginning to understand her Jewish identity, and also realizing that my archive of who else celebrates Hanukkah was a bit thin, I think we'll start going to regular Tot Shabbats and trying to get her attending Sunday school.

So, now we're back. And having woken up to 3 inches of snow, we know that winter is officially here. I am a bit uneasy about the driving and the cold, but I suppose it's not a bad time to be pregnant. At least the nesting instinct will coincide with the inability to go outside.

Our tutorees both cancelled for today, so it's out to sled! We are absolutely thrilled at this prospect! Now, if I can just fit into my snowpants...

Yippee! (Breaking News)