Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Robobebe! Ida's first Xmas was great. She got to see (either in person or over the internet) all of her grandparents and almost all of her many aunts and uncles. And she got to spend lots of time with her cousin P-lo, which was great.

Getting ready to go see Grandpa Ed and have Christmas Eve Pad Thai! And then off to see the James family at their annual Christmas Eve open house.


Watching her mama get ready.

Ready!

With Grandpa Michael and Aunt Molly.

Aunt Casey and Uncle Cadien

Marveling at the miracle of crackers.

A present from Aunt Molly!


Christmas Day and IRX has presents to open. Kind of. This was a box with an old blanket in it. Yes, for Christmas, Ida got the joy of unwrapping. Don't worry, we're not scrooges. Ida got lots of presents from her family this year.



After presents IRX had her first Skype experience with her Grandmere and Uncle T.

And then off again to the James' house to retrieve a lost boot and to hang out with her aunts and uncles.

IRX gets her hair braided by Molly while eating a cracker and playing guitar with Uncle Cadien. That's multi-tasking.


And then later, Jewish-Buddhist Christmas Chinatown dinner with her Zadie and her aunts, uncles, and P-lo.


Wiping P-lo's face.


Out in the snow.


Boxing day and reading the book her Pawpaw and Grammy bought her.


Time for Jewish Boxing Day Salad Bar Buffet (creating new traditions all the time) and Ida caps off her huge lunch of pasta, peas, potatoes, and beans with a fro yo.



Ida really likes fro yo.



Relaxing at home and a lady always crosses her legs when checking her iphone, pantless.

11 Months, 2 Weeks

Another mini update about our little Mini.

Two weeks from her first birthday and here are a few highlight:

-She LOVES Beyonce. She starts dancing when she hears "Single Ladies" and can sing along to the "oh oh oh oh oh oh" part.

-Her first word might be "Ida", "huh?!?" or that part of "Single Ladies". Or "uh-oh". She is a chatterbox, but those are the only words she uses in the right context.

-Her mullet goes down to about mid-back, still no hair on the sides, but the back is growing in more.

-She loves to eat. French fries are her favorite, followed by guacamole, rice, cheese, and beans. Oh, and ice cream. She doesn't get a lot of it and doesn't get it often, but you should see the look on her face when she does.

-She's really good a crawling, she's a very fast crawler, but still doesn't show any signs of wanting to walk.

-In the past few weeks, she's learned to share, always offering part of her dinner to people, sometimes she's nice enough to start chewing on the food before offering.

-Our little mini is getting bigger. She's finally outgrown about 95% of her 3-6 month clothes and now wears mostly 6-12 and 12-18.

-She has eight teeth.

-She understands simple commands, like "give me..." and "kiss the baby". She also understands "no" but chooses to pretend that she doesn't understand.

-Her nickname is Ida the Destroyer or Godzilla. She is much more interested in tearing things apart than putting them together.

-She is a joy. A happy baby with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Almost a year

Why do I find this video endless amusing? There's nothing cuter than a baby eating.

Ida, CP and I were recently guests at a Big Ten university where CP was an artist in residence. This video was taken in our glorified dorm room.

eating cheese from on Vimeo.

Password: rocket

I realize we haven't posted here in a while, but updates to come. I promise! There's so much to tell!

Summer's Almost Over...if it was ever here

Poor Ida has been sick the past few days with a runny nose. We interviewed a bunch of nannies and families for a nanny share, so we're thinking that some how, somewhere, she picked up a little bug.

She's been keeping busy though, moving around on her belly (strong legs, not arm strength whatsoever), she heads straight for anything and everything she can't have (wires, shoes, newspapers) and doesn't seem interested in her many toys. And if it does interest her, it's usually the tag that she likes best.

Remember these pants? They are a size 0-3 and I remember when I had to fold the legs because they were so big on her. They still fit, but they are way short.


Ida is very glad for summer to be almost over and very grateful for this unseasonably cool winter. Our baby, born during a blizzard that lasted 4 months, did not like hot weather. Especially with all that hair.

We've been going to the farmer's market on Sundays every chance we get. We spread out a blanket, listen to music and buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Ida is a big fan of peaches. And all the other babies that hang out on the grass.



We've also gone to the park a few times, now that Ida is big enough to go on the swings. She has a great time flying through the air, legs pumping like she is running. Of course, she's more interested in what other people are doing.

Exciting new, IRX will be making her film and print modeling debut this month! She will be playing the part of "baby" in a master thesis film that our friend Jessica is starring in and my friend Leigh, who makes t-shirts and baby onesies on Etsy asked her to model the designs. We're big fans of Leigh's, so we're excited. We'll post pictures once they are live.

Ida looking serious (and model-like) after brunch.

The Summer is Almost Over!

These calendar photos are getting challenging!

Ready...














Set...















Go!














She finding all kinds of ways to get around. Crawling. Scooting along a table:















Riding on NX's shoulders:



















Swinging:



















But not quite ready to walk:




















Riding out the summer in style:



















In her "pool":



















Nice chair!















Tuckered out:


















And now for your viewing pleasure, an assortment of funny IRX faces:












This one wasn't very funny at the time:



















Vacation photos coming soon!

July

IRX is getting so big...












...but she's still so little.
















Check out the vacation photos below.

Summertime, And the Living is Easy...

IRX was born during a snowstorm, and is a little confounded by summer. Heat? Sun? Blue skies?What are these things? We've been having lots of summertime adventures, far (this photo was taken in Vermont) and near.

Hanging out in the wading pool with PLO.

Going to the "Bean" statue downtown.

Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI.

"I love you, man...!"

Enjoying the open road...















"Brake! Brake!"














Boating with Captain...














Hanging with her Zadie...



















We're MOOSE!!!!