Sunday, January 27, 2008

Birthday Adventures

On January 4, Nina turned one year old! I was invited to Boulder for a conference so we decided to make a family trip out of it. Here she is just after arriving:

"I got my fuzzy hat and my protein bar - I am ready to climb these mountains!"

Nina got to see snow for the first time. She wasn't sure what to think, and it took a few minutes for her to get her balance figured out.

"What is this stuff?"

We spent lots of time running up and down Pearl St. - the downtown walking street. Lots of adventures to be had there including....

a ride on the rocking pig!

and a beaver! and a frog!

And here is a final just for fun picture!

"Happy Birthday to me!"

Monday, January 14, 2008

1 year and 20 lbs

Among the advantages of no longer being zero years old (as Anya would say) is riding facing forward in the car. Thus, it is time to retire Nina's infant car seat. But first, we couldn't resist a little compare and contrast!

Left: 3 days old. Right: 362 days old

Wow! And that is not just a trick of the light, Nina really was a little orange when we brought her home. Our little Billy Rubin!

Yes, Nina is excited to ride in her new fancy car seat.

Well, maybe not, but it sure looks more comfortable.

Couple of fun recent developments.... First, the shoe fascination has begun in earnest. Nina loves shoes! She wants to put her shoes on, she want to put your shoes on and try to walk in them. Let me tell you, it is all about the shoes. She even seems to recognize the word. Last week, I told her to go get her shoes, and sure enough she went and picked up her new pink bowling shoes. We were dumbfounded!

Also, now that Nina is a civilized one year old, she demands to have a fork or spoon at dinner time. Amazingly, she is not too bad with a spoon. She can successfully manage a spoon or two of something thick like yogurt or oatmeal. But the fork is pretty funny! She knows you are supposed to jab at stuff with the fork, but on the odd occasion that she actually gets something on the end of it, she'll promptly use the other hand to take it off!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Christmas

Well, the lights have been taken down, the tree tossed by the curb, and the last sugar cookie is crumbs. All that is left of Christmas is the tinsel stuck in the carpet. But we still have the memories and even better, ... the pictures!

After a quick flight to Houston, Nina was happy to be reunited with her cousin Lucia.

They pushed each other around on the Elmo car for hours. Great fun!

Best Buddies

Lucia: "Whew, let's take a break. You're wearing me out." Nina: "Whadda ya mean? I'm just getting started!"

Fresh and clean after a bath

Porter joins in the fun.

Christmas Eve. "I sure hope I've been good this year"

"Ta-da!"

Excited for the guests to arrive

"Okay, everybody gather around for the group shot."

The DeLuca Clan (click to enlarge)

Christmas morning

Lucia Claus delivers the presents

On the treadmill: Now that Christmas is over, time to work off the holiday pounds!