Day 67: Casing Costco

Michal loves to watch people.  She's definitely an observer, looking around, taking it all in. She cautiously makes friends wherever we go - apparently she's a cute baby or something - so when approached by an admirer, she watches them for a bit before choosing whether or not the person has garnered the favor of a smile.


Of course Costco is a great place for people watching, although I am more frequently wanting to avoid the collective insanity of the people who shop at Costco (I try not to fall into that category).  There is much to see, and Michal, newly acclimated to the seat in the front of the shopping cart, grasps the handlebar quite firmly and checks out the clientele.  


Today we met Josh there for lunch, and as he went to pick up our kosher hot dogs (to be replaced by non-kosher hot dogs next week - boo), she and I hung out in the dining area.  Once a table near the glass doors opened up, we relocated so she could watch the people in the parking lot.  I like to think I'm starting her driver education on the early side, as the parking lot at our Costco is a lesson in what not to do when searching for a parking spot.

Looking around, seeing what she sees.

These people sure are funny, mama!

Lunch was good, the company better.  Michal spent the last part of our brief meal on my lap, trying to grab my churro.  The kid has good taste.  

Day 66: Goofy Girl

Michal has a ton of nicknames, and while some are "normal" (Cutie, Sweetie, Honey Bun, Goober, Love) some are random and come out of nowhere.  Sometimes instead of Baby, which is what we call her about half the time, I even call her Bailey .  We'll be lucky if this kid knows her name when she gets to kindergarten.


Lately, it's been a lot of Goofy Girl.  She thinks she's hilarious (evidence: sticking her tongue out at the camera all the time), sometimes in less than ideal situations, like while I'm changing her diaper or when she uses Daddy's face as a springboard for turning over.  I swear she purposefully waits for me to get the camera out to capture something adorable and then stops doing it, or sticks her tongue out, or starts to jump in her jumper like a baby maniac, which always results in BabyBlur pictures.  


Today was a good day at work for us.  We showed off her funny YouTube video to some of the ladies in the office, and then we headed upstairs so she could visit with Miss Helen, who had been out of the office for a month.  She had some playtime (read: I had some work time) and then she did the most amazing thing.  She slept for two hours.  I turned off the lights in my office (I have windows, so luckily I was still able to be productive), turned on the Beethoven channel on Pandora, and put her into her stroller, the seat of which was reclined all the way back so she would be nearly flat.  After a few minutes of talking/fussing, I peaked over, and saw this:

Totally passed out baby.

Even better - she got home and wanted to go to bed.  We were able to push bedtime back a little bit, but in no way did her long afternoon nap work against us.

Day 65: Generations

With my family across the country in California, I feel so fortunate for the family we have nearby.  Cousin Louise came for dinner Friday night (her brother was in town, so it was a great opportunity to have a nice Shabbat dinner together - the Yemenite Roast Chicken and homemade challah seemed to be a hit).  All of Josh's immediate family lives nearby, so we often share holiday meals or get together for the occasional visit.  One of Michal's great-grandmothers lives nearby, so while I was at work today, Josh met his mother and grandmother for a late morning visit.


She is the first grandchild and great-grandchild on both sides, so she definitely gets her fair share of attention.  Not only did she have time with her Great-Grandma Emma (the picture above is courtesy of Josh and his iPhone), but they also went on a visiting tour, meeting all of her great-grandma's friends.  Then it was lunch with Grandma Judy, where Michal fell asleep in her carseat.  All that cuteness is tiring!

Day 64: Going Retro

Three years ago we signed up for a Shabbat cluster, in which we agreed to meet with other couples for six months, meeting once a month for a Friday night Shabbat dinner.  Three years and three kids later (with one on the way), we still get together, grabbing a meal, sharing stories, and celebrating with each other.


Today we got together with these friends, first hitting up a local kid sale before grabbing lunch (Indian buffet - yum!).  We agreed to meet about an hour into the sale, which apparently is QUITE the mistake when trying to scope out great deals on toys, clothes, and gear.  All of the prime items were long gone by the time we arrived.  At least the line was not too long when time came to check out, but there certainly was not much left that we desired.  We did find one jewel in the rough - we had hoped to find another exersaucer for the basement, but I'm not sure it would have garnered more excitement than what we did find.


Retro toys are awesome - especially since they rarely require an endless supply of batteries.  Michal has a few throwback toys that were Chanukah gifts from her grandmother, but today, we found one that we immediately knew we absolutely needed to buy.

The Fisher Price Chatter Telephone.  Sure, its appearance in Toy Story 3 certainly increased the awesome factor, but it certainly brings forth a strong sense of nostalgia.  She's still a little young for it, but I enjoyed watching her try to figure it out.  I just imagine her here, thinking, "Really, Mom?  A rotary phone? Really?"

BTW - because I can mention it - the rotary dial goes the wrong way.  Not that any kid would know any different.  But I do.  And it almost bugs me, except it's so awesome.

Day 63: Jumpin' Fool

Michal really loves to jump.  When she goes into her jumperoo, she can easily go half an hour without even blinking.  She loves to check in with her friends.  She'll see how the duckies are doing as they "swim" round and round.  She flips through the "book" to see if there are any changes, or if it is still rooster, cow, and the lamb (who is white and fluffy... I've heard it a time or two).  She leans back (she still hasn't gotten the hang of turning herself around) to see the rooster, horse, and three little pigs.  And she tries to eat the tomato - apparently the carrot and corn cob aren't as interesting.


It is tricky snapping a picture of her in full blown jump love.  She just moves too fast, so the vast majority of the pictures end up being baby blur.  I tried taking a video of her jumping, but there was something missing.  It just lacked a certain... pizazz.  Fortunately, Michal's daddy is a budding YouTube-ographer and has taken the skills he started to hone while making fantasy football smack videos and used them for good instead of evil.  Here is his rendition of Michal jumping - I hope you find it as amusing as I do.

Day 62: The better to see you with...

My plan for tonight's blog post was to talk about  Michal's changing nap schedule.  And while I was snapping shots of a baby who managed to be super happy without taking her afternoon nap today, I caught the photo above.  I'm not sure why I love it so much, but it is the shot I kept coming back to.


I love many things about our daughter, but her eyes are definitely one of them.  When someone meets Michal for the first time, the thing that is always commented on first, after her cheeks, are her eyes - how aware she is; how big they are; how she just looks around and takes everything in.  Even her celebrity crush (okay, MY celebrity crush) commented on them.


We always wondered what color they would turn out.  Both Josh and I have brown eyes with some green in them (Josh's with more), and more than a few members of my family have blue eyes.  More than likely she will end up with brown eyes, but for now, they still change  depending upon the light.  In some rooms they look blueish, in others the green is clearer, although she does have a bit of brown right around the iris.  


Just as is the case with everything else, it is just fun watching her grow and develop in so many ways.  I love watching her watch the world, just observing and absorbing it all.  She just seems so wise with her quiet observations.

Day 61: Daddy's Girl

Michal loves her daddy.  It is so cute to watch her get super excited when she spies him, kicking her legs, waving her arms, and smiling so wide.  She gets excited to see me, too, but she is definitely a daddy's girl.


Sometimes she gets a little too excited...

We were all sitting on the couch together, and I was taking pictures of the two of them together, just snapping away.  And then I heard Josh exclaim, "Ouch!" and realized just how much she'd dug her fingers in.  I'm glad she's having such a fantastic time!