Heading to 3

Closing in on Jadyn's 3rd birthday, here are a few shots of what's been keeping her busy these days.  Puzzles are still a big hit and very engaging.

We had a week of crazy weather (snow, freezing rain, wind) with 3 days of no school.  Jadyn liked being out in the snow until she got too cold, so it took us several ventures out in the weather to get this snow person together.

 
As soon as the temperatures climbed enough to make the roads passable again, Jadyn tagged along on Jenny's hair cut appointment and decided she needed a hair cut of her own.

 

Not at all afraid of the hair dryer!

Here is Jadyn with one of her playdoh pizza creations.  She also likes to come up with interesting ways to lounge around the living room.

 She plays well with new friends, here, at a restaurant.  Sophie is 5, and the two of them drew for the better part of an hour!

We've been blessed with some lovely, sunny days in early February, and so we made another trip to the zoo with friends.  We didn't see very many animals on this trip -- the play areas were too much fun.

 
And finally, a baby update.  Jenny is about 31 weeks along now, and everything is "tracking normally" for babyj#2 at this time.  Jadyn has been attending some of the OB appointments, and she has gotten very good at finding her brother's heartbeat with the help of some of the doctor's instruments.  She gives Jenny's bump a hug and a kiss most nights these days.  Super sweet!

Christmas Trip 2011, Part 2

So on Christmas Day, we left Cleveland for 5 days in Baltimore with Jeff's family.  Jadyn was an exquisite airplane passenger with many new toys and play things to occupy her time.  And she adores being showered with attention, which began all over again with MomMom, Granddaddy, Uncle Steve, and Lori.

Here she is opening a sleeping bag that was her bed for this half of the visit.  She really liked it and slept well in it, which Mommy and Daddy really appreciated, since we were all sleeping in the same room, and we were still recovering from our various viruses and sleep deficits.

 

Here you can see Jadyn enjoying watching herself in videos and pictures that we've taken in Seattle on Daddy's phone.  She's quite a navigator on this piece of technology!

Gearing up for more Christmas gifts!

Not surprising, there were more gifts exchanged in Baltimore.  Jadyn was really good at this routine now!

Go Terps!

Tops and Tights has been a huge hit

Helping MomMom and Lori
open a few presents

Getting squished behind Daddy
(What flexibility!)

We were also very lucky to spend some time with Great Grandmom Vera, who is now 98.  Jadyn began the visit fast asleep on Mommy's shoulder, but woke just in time for some family pictures.

4 generations in 1 photo

Super curious about that necklace!

Occasionally, Jadyn spends a lot of time and effort carefully tucking in a slew of babies and stuffed animals for a nap.  In the absence of her usual subordinates, she put Granddaddy down for a nap instead.

Naptime for Granddaddy!

This leg of the trip was a little sunnier and a little warmer with less scheduled events, so we got a chance to relax a little.  Before we knew it, it was time again to board more planes and head back to the NW corner of the US.  Jadyn sure misses her family, but it's so nice to have Skype at our service, to stay in touch and help her see and know all her loved ones far away.

Once back in Seattle, on New Year's Eve Day, Jadyn and Mommy walked up to the zoo, and coincidentally was able to overlap zoo visits with several young friends she knows from school and the coffeeshop.  It was the longest time we've spent at the zoo yet, with plenty of stimulation from friends and parents as well as the animals.  It was a little chilly, but at least it was dry.

With Reuben in a boat near the penguins

With Zoe on the carousel -- Jadyn's
first carousel ride!  She had a blast.

Climbing on rocks and animal
sculptures with Zoe

And that's the end to our holiday season and 2011!  Happy 2012!!!  Hope you, like us, are looking forward to all the new challenges and fun this year will bring.

Christmas Trip 2011, Part 1

The first half of our Christmas trip was 5 days in Cleveland to visit Jenny's side of Jadyn's extended family.  It began with a red-eye flight that Jadyn slept through, which was a fantastic start to it all.  Because of the all the Skype calls with Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Frank, crashing there first was super comfortable for Jadyn.

watching a video with Grandma Jeanne

In fact, Jadyn warms up to people pretty quickly, which was so, so nice for everyone.  We love that our little girl is such a enjoyable traveler!

This holiday season, she really engaged with holiday culture in America: classic Christmas videos of Rudolph and Frosty, Christmas carols, Santa Claus, and opening oodles of presents.  With 3 separate gift exchange "parties" with family, Jadyn's clothing and toy options expanded greatly.  And she was very enthusiastic about opening presents for herself and helping others with theirs, too!  Thanks to everyone for all the nice and thoughtful gifts.

First present!

Remote control truck = big hit!

We also got to spend a few nights with Auntie Julie, who loved showering Jadyn with attention.

And here is Jadyn enjoying gifts from Grandpa Jim and Granny Pat.

Notice how quick she is to try on new clothes!

Ready for swimming this summer

The next day was back to Grandma Jeanne's for another gift exchange and family dinner.

 

Admiring Great Grandma Hall's gift of a portrait to cherish!

Helping Aunt Julie open a present

Dessert!!!

Unfortunately, this half of our travels included several unplanned viral afflictions (we'll spare you the details), and Jadyn's pre-trip cold generated an ear infection that required antibiotics.  We realize how grown up our little girl has become, because this was the first ear infection she's gotten where we were alerted to its need for treatment by her telling us that her ear hurt.  Communication skills -- we love them!

On our last night in Cleveland, Christmas Eve, Jadyn joined her extended family at a large gathering at Grandma Hall's.

More presents!

Playing with her third cousin, Noelle, and Noelle's new doll

A last photo with Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Frank, and documentation of her fascination with digital images!

After a late night and not nearly enough sleep, we packed much love and gifts into our suitcases and headed off to Baltimore.  More photos are forthcoming....

Catching Up Yet Again

This holiday season has really kept us busy!  Updates as to Jadyn's escapades over the last month and a half will come in short posts here, so check back over the next few weeks as we catch up on the blog.

Just before we left on our Thanksgiving trip, Jadyn got her second hair cut of her life.  She had been asking for one, because her hair was really hanging in her face at times (and barrettes, headbands, and ponytails don't seem to last long in her hair).  We went back to the same salon and stylist as last year, and Jadyn was absolutely great at her appointment.

 

We jetted off to Denver to visit friends for Thanksgiving.  The weather there was unseasonably warm and Jadyn spent time running around outside minimally clothed at times.  She had so much fun playing with Enzo and Maxine and succumbed to naps only when it was absolutely physically necessary.

 

 

 

Denver was a huge hit; thanks so much to our hosts, the Montalbanos!  Upon our return to Seattle, Jadyn couldn't wait to try out the scooter we have here -- so much so that we scooted around the neighborhood one evening in the dark.

 

And then December was upon us....  Stay tuned for more photos!