family 
No Comments We just returned from Texas, where we were able to introduce Willa to her great grandma and great grandpa. (And all the other Texas family!) (Never mind the rash, she had a non-allergic rash as a side effect of some amoxicillin she was on.)
family No Comments We all went to the Christmas Parade this year, even though it was pretty chilly, pretty damp, and pretty long. We saw all those standard Christmas floats, like the Mobile Crime Lab, Mongo (a downtown character who looks like Hulk Hogan and has apparently gotten himself a second dog, and almost certainly just stepped into the parade as an unofficial entry), and our friends the Smiths, who were hauling Snoopy and the Gang around town. (And who were the ONLY entry to be handing out candy! What is up with that, Bangor?)
Then we had a snow day, where Ingrid insisted on wearing her new ski helmet and Willa tolerated a ride in the new baby sled, as Dave has been shamed from repurposing a cat litter box as baby sled ever again. (Hey, it worked, and Ingrid loved it!) family No Comments We spent Thanksgiving in GLS (and I know my mom would want me to let you know ‘pardon the appearance’ of the kitchen, as they are in the middle of remodeling it) where Ingrid got to make cookies with Grammy, a favorite activity. The photos of Dave and WIlla aren’t the best, but they do highlight that they have the same eyebrows, and then there’s a photo of Ingrid as “Rainbowest girl” at the library and a photo of me and Willa, as taken by Ingrid. And Daddy playing guitar.
family No Comments Willa deserves her own post. She is 8 months old on Sunday (!!) and got her 3rd and 4th teeth on Thanksgiving, her top front ones. She was at the doctor this week and was weighed, and was 19.35 pounds! She is a very happy baby, her daycare teachers adore her almost as much as we do. She rarely cries. and is usually made content with a snuggle. She adores her big sister, who, on the long drive home from Grammy and Grampy's was the only consolation Willa would accept after 20 minutes of crying. Ingrid sang her "You are my sunshine" and played Peekaboo with her in the backseat, and that calmed her right down. On the rare occasion I have Willa, but not Ingrid, in the car, Willa looks at the empty seat next to her in confusion.
family No Comments Our new fireplace stove, Willa seeing Daddy come home, Grammy and Willa napping together, Ingrid's keen fashion sense and mad photography skills.
family No Comments Ingrid's friend Shyanne was formally adopted just in time for National Adoption Day, and to celebrate, her family rented a bounce house, actually a castle, and had pony rides, actually horsey rides, for the kids. Ingrid loved it, and after a few nervous attempts, finally rode a horse for the first time! She was very proud, as you can see in her face. Finn had fun, too. I didn't get many photos of Shyanne because (even though) she was the star of the show!
family No Comments Ingrid has always been creepily fine with needles. When she had to have blood drawn for iron levels at 18 months, she sat patiently, watching, while the nurses tried both arms, multiple times (unsucessfully — it was finally an EMMC phlebotomist who found a vein) to draw blood. Nurses, phlebotomists, everyone has commented on how unusual it is. She’s also been noted in her dental records for being “unusually compliant” and had a filling without Novocain, the LCD tv projecting Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 18 inches away from her head and a promise of a trip to the prize box after were enough. When I had bloodwork done while pregnant, she’d come with me, and watch, fascinated, while I always prefer to just look away. When we went for flu shots last week, the nurse tried to get me to hold her arms back so she wouldn’t get hit, but I also had Willa with me, and didn’t know where to put her, and was sort of annoyed because I KNOW she won’t flail (Dave took her to an H1N1 clinic last winter, where he saw what the average kid does when it comes to shots, so we get the concern) so I insisted they just do it without me restraining her, and I happened to have my little camera in my pocket, so I took a video. The rustling is WIlla eating the exam table paper, and I wish I’d kept the camera on because she was next — and also didn’t flinch or cry when she got her shot.
Ingrid aspires to be a “Princess Doctor” (still not clear if she’s doctoring princesses or holding down two jobs) and she’s halfway there with her tolerance for medical procedures most adults barely tolerate.
family No Comments We went to Ingrid's preschool open house and I took pictures of the things she had to say. In the one where they talked about what they do with their friends, it is Ingrid who says "play on my piano with my baby sister." Ingrid loves her "Willa Audrey Willabean!"
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My niece posted this photo this weekend on facebook, and I had to steal it for myself. Willa is a smily bean, that is for sure. I joke that she thinks her name is "Awful Cute," because people keep randomly telling her "awww, you are AWFUL CUTE!"
family No Comments Here are photos from Ingrid's playdate. She and her friend had so much fun, as you can probably tell from the look on Ing's face in all of these! She can't wait to have another playdate.
