the Smith family: January 2007

.....butts about it. It's a quick bonus blog post to celebrate today. Yeah! As of 2:52 PM today (1-30-07), Baby sister has passed our record of in-utero gestation. We were born at 30 weeks, 6 days, and today is that day for her. Way to go Mama and baby. Only about 8 weeks to go! Plus we turn 14 months today! Applause all around.

R: "Now that we can both crawl, stand and climb stairs, it was time for the stairgate. I was insistent on helping Daddy. Oooh. Screwgun. I could take apart the DVD player with this."

E: "Question: What should I do next?

a) Steal a toy from Roman

b) Destroy the phone book

c) Unload all toys from the shelves

d) All of the above

e) All of the above, with growling and violence.

ANSWER: e)

R: "I am a big supporter of the arts. This front row seating though, is a little ridiculous"

E: "Raaaaarrrrrrgh! Fear the fountain."

R: "Daddy, this picture will turn out much better if you toggle the F-stop, adjust the aperture and change the scene mode to Action."

E: "Hallelujah! I feel the presence of the baby yogurt and cheerios coming over me."

E: "We love puzzles, but Daddy is making me learn tree identification by taste. Hmm. I'd say white ash, with a hint of mulberry."

R: "Look at these cheeks, look at these curls, plus I'm exceedingly brilliant. Get in line ladies - who wants to spend time with a future astrophysicist?"

Our first full calender year has come and gone. We're washing away the old and ringing in the New Year. 2007 should be full of just as much fun and a new playmate will join us as well. Eden can walk along furniture and behind push toys. Roman can stand on his own. They really interact with each other a lot these days both playing and fighting, but regardless they need to be wherever the other one is. Roman is very noisy but studious, he takes his time and figures things out and his fine motor skills are very strong. Eden is a whirlwind of activity and growling and has a shorter attention span but is always interested in taking away whatever Roman is working on. We can't wait to see what the new baby will be like.

Mama at 28+ shows off our new baby sister. The scheduled C-section is in late March. We just hope to make it that far. Roman won the coin toss and has been given the honor of naming the new baby. Her name will be Da da da duh da dee thbbbt.

Profile (facing up and left) of new baby girl.

Face of new baby girl. Top of head at right, eyes, nose and open mouth at left.

Christmas: We had 217 Christmas parties to attend. We got various things wrapped with paper. We still like the paper best.

Christmas with Livia, the nanny, at home. Eden eagerly reads the card.

Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Wolters house. Roman got the biggest gift (also therefore the most paper too.)
At home Christmas morning. R:"Yeah, a DVD. And another and another. Real creative Daddy."

E: "Paper!"

Christmas Day at G/G Smiths. Eden drools over her new gift. Cousins Mason and Elise look on.

R: "See this tiny corner of paper, Grandpa? My precise little fingers can tear this little imperceptible piece off and then put in it my mouth. And no one will know." Eden and her hair fountain enjoy time with Grandpa Smith.

A few days late, the cornerstone gifts arrived. Roman is upset we can't go directly to the Mastercraft. Roman is a master of snacking - here is his first TV snack - Cheerios in a bowl. Didn't look down even once. A natural. Eden hovers for any scraps.

E: "To answer your questions.... Yes I was painting. Yes there is some on the paper. And yes, there is more on the carpet." The double fountain in all its glory.

E: "You keep setting these boundaries and I keep overcoming them. Daddy get your ladder out of the garage."

E: "I realize there are two handles, but I insist on only using one hand. Potentially, that hand could be used to feed myself, but I prefer to use it as a blocking mechanism for any food trying to enter my airspace." R: "Daddy likes his shoes nice and loose, so I pull the laces out of all the eyelets."