Meet Molly

Our beloved Meghan passed away just before Christmas, and she is much missed. We adopted a new dog, a 13-month old that we named Molly. She fits right into the family. She came from a puppy mill and needs a lot of love and attention to get over former neglect, but we know she'll get it from us. The SPCA called her a terrier mix, but we think she might be a schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix). Either way, she is a sweetheart and Caterpillar Girl enjoys having her around.

Working Out

Caterpillar Girl joined a gymnastics class at the YMCA a few weeks ago. Right from the start, she loved the freedom of crawling in the large space, pulling up on the beams, bouncing on the trampoline, and watching the other tiny gymnasts.

Plus, she turned out to be a showoff. At the first class, she was being shown how to get off a high mat on her belly. We had been practicing getting off the couch for a few weeks so she plopped right down impressing all the other mommies.

The past three days, she has been letting go of furniture and taking a few toddling steps, so this past week she zipped all over the gym with their walker, causing more gasps. She laughs and sparkles at all the attention.

Taking a Stroll

Caterpillar Girl's new cart from Mommy and Daddy is a big hit. It is impressive to see her walking along the sidewalk, collecting bits of nature. When Mommy got tired, she wanted to keep going...our little bundle of energy.

First Christmas

In a word "amazing"

We had an early Christmas with Ahma before she went out of town,

and then brunch with the rest of the local family.

Caterpillar Girl ripped at paper and played with the wonderful gifts from our generous family and friends. She truly enjoyed all the new toys to grab and squeeze and shove into her mouth.

A few more images of the day...

Daddy entertains with puppets. She really loves it when the puppets sing to her like the puppy from Aunt Melissa.

Caterpillar Girl tears at wrapping paper.

This one tastes delicious.

It is fun to play with Granddad.

Winter Wonderland

Here in Florida, our white Christmas takes a unique form. At the local Winter Wonderland, "snow" was being pumped into the air. The snow bubbles were pumped through industrial fans over crowds. Caterpillar Girl was utterly fascinated with the floating flakes, reaching out to capture them in her tiny hands.

The evening also brought other firsts: bagpipes, a horse-drawn carriage, a child-sized train, and a helium balloon. . .

These days her delight is apparent by babbling and shrieks, consonants and vowels thrown together in singsong fashion, punctuated by giggles. Then she throws her arms up and out as if she wants to squeeze whatever it is in a big hug. The world through her eyes is brilliant and new, and she can't get enough.

Sweet Mornings

Usually Caterpillar Girl wakes up first. She crawls on top of Mommy (and Daddy when he's not already up for work), shouts and giggles at the cats, pats our faces, and babbles until Mommy gets up and carries her into a brand new day. It is a wonderful way to wake up. This morning, though, she slept on after Mommy woke up. After a few chores and checking on Caterpillar Girl, Mommy settled into some Cheerios and tea. (Caterpillar Girl eats less than 20 Cheerios in a day so the box would get stale if Mommy didn't eat them too!) Soon she heard a low noise, certainly not a cry. Heading back to the bedroom, she find Caterpillar Girl sitting up in bed, waving her arms, swaying, and humming...a particularly sweet start to our day.

Independent Eating

My last food post discussed my decision to hold off on solid food for a while. We have moved into a more interesting relationship with food as Caterpillar Girl has gotten older. I call her an independent eater because--then as now--she hates being spoon fed. So we don't feed her pureed food. She has a pincer grasp and can chew, so we offer finger foods when we are eating. She doesn't eat much, but she seems to enjoy feeding herself. She finds peas and corn yummy. Cheerios are fun to mash and throw on the floor. At lunchtime today, we had avocado. Avocado has been her favorite by far. She ate it right up. Of course, it is a messy, smooshy kind of food. After lunch she had to be stripped of all clothes, and the high chair cover had to be thrown in the wash. But you just have to look at her face to see how much fun we had at lunch today.