Our yoga class holiday party was lots of fun! What a way to get Mom & I out of our 12 week growth spurt funk. I let Mommy get a lot of her yoga poses in before I interrupted her for a snack. I snacked while she continued to work some poses in (man, she really is talented & strong to pose & breath while nursing me). She & I finished the class out with a joint shivasana. After class we joined up with the mamas & the babes for yummy treats that our teacher Randi prepared. Here I am with our yoga instructor Randi:
Here are my yoga buddies Daniel & Mia with their moms:
Here is Jeffrey with his Mommy Christina:
Here is Macy - She's the girl I mentioned in a previous blog post - I enjoy checking her out during class:She made delicious egg salad sandwiches from the eggs her chickens hatched (we learned that she has 6 chickens at home - cool). Dad told Mommy not to get any ideas - we are NOT getting chickens (I don't think Mom really wants to get chickens but it would be pretty cool to get fresh eggs daily). We also started solid foods - Mom made me carrots in our BabyCook. I didn't hate them, but I didn't necessarily love them. I smushed it around in my mouth a bit & then pushed it out of my mouth the first bite. On the second try, I actually swallowed a bit. Every day we're trying just one spoonful of carrots & every day I'm getting used to the spoon & the texture on my tongue. Mom told me it's not about actually eating right now, but about getting used to sitting in my highchair & getting ready for food. Here's my first bite:
Check out how I'm progressing:
On Wednesday, we worked out on the 3rd floor & then headed to mommy coffee at Cosmic Cafe on Kelly Drive. Boy - what a chilly day!! The walk from the car to the cafe had Mom & I sprinting. We intended to go for a walk on Kelly Drive afterwards, but decided it was too cold after we warmed up with our hot apple cider. Today Mommy & I started our 26 Acts of Kindness. Mom & I saw a special that NBC anchor, Ann Curry, started in the wake of the Newtown elementary shooting. Basically, you do 26 acts of kindness to honor each of the victims of the shooting. We started at Cosmic Cafe. Mom paid for the next 5 patrons coffee purchase (or other @$2 drink). We left little index cards asking those five patrons to "pay it forward" & commit to 26 acts of kindness on their own. The barista was really inspired by our gesture & said it was a great idea that she'd consider doing. When she brought us our hot apple cider, she even brought an extra to our mommy group. On our way home from coffee, we did our next act of kindness & gave our neighborhood flower man (he's a little old man that sits on the corner of Bethlehem Pike & Stenton Ave selling $6 roses to drivers) six dollars & told him to keep the flowers & sell them to someone else this holiday season. We gave him another index card asking him to "pay it forward." Mom said he was grateful & wished us a "Happy Holidays" - we don't think he generally sells a lot of flowers. We stopped at Target & picked up ingredients to make Dad's work group cookies for the drive up to NYC on Thursday - they were going up for a work outing & Mom thought they'd enjoy the treat (Dad said they were very appreciative & loved the cookies). On Thursday, we journeyed out to King of Prussia mall to pick up a few last minute holiday items, but otherwise hung inside all day. We're finally over the twelve week growth spurt & beginning to enjoy just hanging out again. Mom's noticed that I'm much more attentive to my surroundings, working on grasping things with fluid arm movements & beginning to try to turn my hips in attempts at rolling over. We're both grateful that we came across the book "Wonder Weeks" - it's really helped Mom understand the developmental leaps I made and how they've been affecting my mood. Here I am working in my office reading my book:
Here I am checking out the book attached to my jumperoo:
Our Baby Signs instructor package arrived & we did a lot of reading about how to start our new business. Mom started studying at night & doing some background research on where we should offer our services and classes. We have a good idea on which establishments we'll look into first. Mom's beefed up her signing - even though she knows I'm just taking it all in at this point & won't respond back for a few months. Friday was pretty uneventful, as we continued to get back into our routines. I turned 3 months old on Friday & we survived the Mayan prediction that the world would end on 12/21/12. Here are some cute photos from my 3 month old photo shoot (Mom just loves dressing me up & taking pictures - this time she's using her new Sony RX 100 camera **Dad said Santa came early & she's enjoying taking pictures of me with it):
I'm pretty much back to my normal eating & sleeping schedule - Thank Goodness!! I helped Mommy fold the laundry. I got to touch all the different fabrics - what a sensory experience. I love all my velour outfits best. Check me out helping Mom - exhausting job folding clothes:
Saturday was the big Assemblies Ball that Mom & Dad were going to. Aunt Shana & Jessie were coming over for a sleep over, while Mom & Dad got to enjoy the night out & get dressed up. I got all dressed up in hopes that I could join them at the Assemblies, but Mom said I'll have to wait until I'm older. Here I am in my version of "white tie":
By 6PM, Mommy & Daddy were dressed in their white tie attire & heading out the door. They both looked stunning & I knew they'd have a great night out - first at the Philadelphia Club dinner followed by dancing and the midnight buffet at the Assemblies Ball (fun fact - the Assemblies is the oldest ball in the United States & has been an annual tradition in Philly for over 200 years). I had a great night with Aunt Shana & Jessie. They gave me a bath, got me ready for bed & gave me my bedtime bottle. I went to sleep without any problems. Jessie invented a very special way of rocking me to sleep - very different from what Mom & Dad typically do, but hey it worked. While the girls were putting me to sleep, bad boy Bolt stole my pacifier off the kitchen table and ate it!! Aunt Shana googled what to do & even called Grandma. They decided they would just keep an eye on him. Mom & Dad got home around 2AM (just in time to give me a late night bottle *still getting used to my normal routines plus I heard the cab pull up & shine it's headlights in my room). Here are some photos from the Assemblies:
Mommy was really nervous that Bolt was going to die in the middle of the night so she let him sleep upstairs (lucky for us all he survived the night & is doing fine). Sunday we were busy preparing some sides & all the dessert for Christmas). Dad worked on the potato gratin & butternut squash soup, while Mommy baked Santa brownies, red velvet cake cups & creme brulee. I helped Mommy prepare all the yummy desserts from my Ergo carrier. We had so much fun in the kitchen. Sunday, Mommy said a little prayer for Daniel Moyers. One year ago Daniel passed away. Daniel was the little boy to Dad's good friend Peter & Christine. Mom sent Christine an email letting her know that Daniel & the entire Moyers family was in our thoughts. I can't wait until I get to meet Peter, Christine & Eleanor in the future - Mom's told me so much about how amazing they are & Uncle Danny told me last week that Eleanor uses baby sign language (sweet - a friend to practice with soon). On Christmas Eve, we cleaned the house before heading to New Jersey for dinner. Mommy had to call the pediatrician because my stuffy nose & cough were getting worse (they started up on Sunday). The nurse told Mom to give me saline drops in my nose, elevate my mattress & turn the humidifier up. I wasn't feeling 100% & Mom was hoping that with enough rest & following doctors orders I'd be ready for Christmas day. We stopped at Great-Nanny & Great-Pop's house before dinner. I love getting to see Great-Pop. He's 91 & makes me laugh. They can't believe how big I've gotten since my last visit. We headed to Andrea & Warren's for Christmas Eve dinner. By the time we got there it was almost my bed time, so I said a quick hello & then headed to bed in Matthias' bedroom. Mom & Dad had a lot of fun & we got home quite late. Mommy put me in my Christmas PJ's & told me Santa was coming after midnight - I was so excited that I went right to bed so that I wouldn't go on the naughty list at the last second (even if I did stay awake - I know I'm always on the nice list according to Mommy). Here are some photos from Christmas Eve:
Christmas morning I let Mom & Dad get right to work preparing for our guests. We were hosting 14 people for Christmas dinner & they would all be here by noon. Mom's job was to finish cleaning & take care of me (feedings & naps), while Dad was hard at work prepping the brisket, pork loin, carrots & brussel sprouts. Once the house was full, we all had a blast & Christmas dinner was a smashing success. I got to sit at the dining room table & was a perfect angel during dinner. I was happily playing with Mom's napkin & checking out all the adults eating their dinner. After dessert, I finally got to open my Christmas presents & boy were there lots of presents. I finished with my cool new arm chair. While everyone took pictures of me lounging in my new chair, I decided it was about time to let out a massive explosion. Unfortunately, it went all over my Christmas outfit & all over my new armchair (thank goodness the slipcover is machine washable). After getting all cleaned up, our guests departed & it was off to bed for me after a very stimulating day. Here are some pictures of Christmas Day:
The day after Christmas we spent the day in our pajamas in front of the fire & Dad put together all my new toys. Here I am playing with my new toys: