Anson: 2 months!

Hard to believe this little guy is 2 months old! He is still a sweet and calm baby. He started smiling about a month ago, at 5 weeks. He continues to smile and coo and I feel like he wants to laugh sometimes. Anson is extremely curious and is always looking up and around. His new favorite thing to do is sit on the activity mat and stare at the lion and penguin. He rarely cries, but when he does, he gets worked up pretty quickly and goes beet-red.

At his 2 month check up he was 14lb 7oz (96%), 24.1" (88%), head 40.2cm (55%). He was a pretty good boy despite the nasty tasting rotovirus and 3 shots he got.

He eats well and sleeps pretty well. The longest he's slept is just over 8 hrs and he sometimes does 7.5 hr stretches at night--not consistently, yet. This little guy also likes to save up his poop for one big one a day. I always hope it will happen at home because when he does it you have to change him pretty immediately. One day I know it'll happen while I'm carrying him the baby carrier and though I have a change of clothes for him, I won't have one for me...

June helped me with the photos and asked me to take the picture.

Sweet big sister helping out.

More Winter Fun

Some of Curt's family visited us after Christmas. Here is a fun photo with Aunt Marie!

June was reading stories to Anson while we got ready for church

June was walking around the room singing, "Sing, sweet nightingale....." while playing her 'flute.'

One day June wouldn't take a nap. I held her on my lap while I did things at the desk and she looked at photo albums. This didn't take too long....

Christmas Day

Christmas morning (our lovely Christmas tree I made out of branches from the nice tree guy)..

Only photo of Curt from the day

Ansonator (what June lovingly calls him, learned it from Daddy)

  

Yummy raclette for dinner (only photo of me from the day)

June's new [$2] princess shoes. Priceless.

This was the outfit Curt wore when they brought him home from the hospital (he weighed a whopping 10lbs 9 oz). Meridee saved it and brought it to us for Anson to wear.

June LOVES her princesses from Grandpa and Nana.

Long winter's nap...

It was so fun to have Grandma Nita celebrate the holidays with us.

Christmas in NYC

We had a lot of fun walking around the city Monday and Tuesday before Christmas.

 DECEMBER 23RD:

Nativity tree at the Met

June's favorite part of the Natural History museum that day (hopping on the lights)

Origami tree at Natural History Museum

Lunch at Serafina with Grandma 'Nita

After lunch we walked down Madison, Park, Lexington, etc. towards Curt's work enjoying the windows, lighted trees, etc. As luck would have it, Curt finished work a little early and we met him at a building by his where there is a giant display of mechanical toys. We stayed there a long time (June was in heaven and could have stayed even longer).

Walking home with Daddy, detouring to see the tree at Rockefeller Center

CHRISTMAS EVE:

Washington Square Park (with Grandma, Anette, Paige and Kali)

Playing at the park with Paige (this day, Christmas Eve, was actually really cold. We had 60 degree weather the weekend before)

  

For the evening, we had a great dinner with some friends then went to the Prelude at the Trinity Church (about 45 minutes of beautiful choir singing). Then it was home for a late bedtime.

Random December Things

After church one day in our building lobby. I LOVE June's 'cheese' smiles.

Made up a recipe for a chocolate-peppermint cheesecake and it was actually a major hit. I will write it down and make it again.

We went through all of June's old baby clothes because we decided: 1. We probably had too many 2. It's not worth storing so many in a little NY apartment when we're not even sure when/if we will use them in the future (we hope we will, of course). I went through the clothes and gave away some...then Curt helped me and we quadrupled what I had set aside to give away. It usually takes someone else to get you to get rid of things you should get rid of, right?

June 'helped.' She likes to [un]fold things and dress herself. She found this hat, made by my Grandpa Durfee, and put it on while we weren't watching. She squealed with excitement until we looked at her. It was adorable.

Little Anson bundled up for a walk

June likes to take care of Anson. Here, she has shared 2 of her most prized possessions with her little brother--so sweet. The photo below she is standing next to the swing right after sharing.

Our little penguin (thanks Chelsea and Tiff!) 

Gingerbread Houses

Every year growing up we made gingerbread houses. I still like to make them...but this year we made a 'gingerbread' (aka graham cracker) train with June

June ate WAY too much candy--but that's half the fun, right?

Final product. Just before we took the photo she RAN to get "Buttons," her gingerbread doll from Grandpa Calder because Buttons had to ride in the train. Smart girl.

And the cheese smile she has apparently mastered.

Comet Comes to Visit

Grandpa and Nana Calder gave June a special gift for Christmas this year: Comet the Reindeer. 

Comet came to visit June each day in December and brought her a very special gift. The second day he visited he brought a Hershey's Kiss. June found Comet and the kiss before I remembered Comet was hiding in her toy kitchen. When I remembered, I went to check on the status of the gift and it was gone. I worried June ate the foil (I don't think she'd ever seen/had a kiss before), so I asked her what Comet brought: 

J:"Chocolate"

A: "Where is the candy?"

J: "In my throat"

A "Where is the wrapper?"

J: "On the ground." 

Sure enough she found it, opened it and ate it within seconds.

Comet bringing an ornament for Anson

Comet brought an Angel ornament for June

On other days Comet brought things like candy canes with snowmen, apple sauce pouch, a couple of M&Ms, kiss, etc.

June still asks about Comet on random mornings and I have to tell her that Comet won't come back until next year. It sure made every morning exciting. She got really good at finding Comet by the end so we could put him in less-obvious places.

Thanks Grandpa & Nana!