History in the Making

The baby tractor beam was in full effect for the holiday seasons. Nana Linda and Ted flew in for a few days to hang out with the noodle. Sylvia has been eating more solid food, mashed peas, apples, avocado and rice puff, and feeding her is now an enjoyable if slightly messy affair.














Dancing is one of Sylvia' s favorite activities, often accompanied by her trademark laugh/wheeze. Nana Linda and Ted joined in the fun with papa snapping away for posterity (and future blackmail).















Sylvia and Ted spent some quality time, perhaps discussing the '04 Sox.







No story is complete with a villain. This episodes baddy was the historic snowfall that hit Portland. Described hysterically by the local news as an "Arctic Blast!!!" the city was blanketed by five days of snow and an accumulated 20 inches. This was more snow that has fallen in Portland since the big one in 1950. Most of the public transportation shut down and the underfunded snow removal fleet was strained beyond its limits.










Unfortunately Linda and Ted were supposed to head to San Fran for her brother's 70th birthday party. We were unable to get them to the airport and my mother had to settle for a video chat view of the party: better than nothing but not as good as hugging your brother in person.



Much of the Linda and Ted's luggage appears to have been made up of gifts for Sylvia. Sylvia quickly discovered the pile and set in to tearing.

She hopped from lap to lap as the paper flew.

In fact the paper was, to the Noodle, one of the best parts.

Now if only her parent weren't such buzz kills.

Finally, Aurelia and I experienced one of the holiday rights of passage: following assembly instructions. I only broke a sweat when tab C didn't fit into slot G and the 6mm hex head screw was nowhere to be found.

Why it pays to be good to your momma

it pays to be good to your momma

'cause she'll make you a sweater that's so cute
and cover you with smooches
and knit a stocking for your loot.

mom's rock!

(any buttering up of mommas just
prior to the holiday giving season
should be considered entirely coincidental).

Baby Triptyche

A distinctive nibble/scrape technique

Sylvia finally got a taste of the good life when her papa handed over her first apple. It turns out all you need to enjoy an apple is two teeth and a firm grip. Using a distinctive nibble/scrape technique she managed to remove approximately 3% of the apple in less than half an hour. Numbers that will certainly improve with time and.

If you turn up the volume you can hear the scraping.

Small Antendees and Big Notes

Everything is small this year. Sylvia is small enough that hanging out in the laundry hamper is an entirely viable alternative to her other haunts: her casual demeanor in contrast to the busy weekend ahead.







Our holiday tree is also small. No need to strap this baby to the roof of the car. This rosemary came home in an organic cotton sack ready to be covered in our smallest ornaments. No need to stand on ceremony for this tree. We decorated it in our bathrobes.

planning

construction

occupancy

With the festivities officially underway, Sylvia found herself among the smallest attendees at her papa's office party. She spent some time charming Saint Nick and then managed to chew on is his beard while her parents were busy drinking wine and taking pictures.















The weekend ended on a decidedly big note when the first big snow storm of the year hit Portland. About 6 inches have fallen so far and the wind is blowing chilly spears through our hundred year windows. Sylvia paid the cold no mind, bundled in about 128 layers, and took her first walk in the snow.

Many fingers were made very
chilly to bring you this picture.
Just wanted you to know.

Austin Portraits II

A few more pictures from the capitol of Texas.

Big Daddy gets the big smile.

I promise disc with these images will be on its way...eventually.

Dinner and Dancing

Eating continues to be one of the big events around the house. We like to feed Sylvia whenever we sit down to eat. This makes for a lively affair where spoons, fingers, mashed vegetables and clothing get involved.

The pea goatee is very hip with the under 30" crowd.

Before and after eating we like to cut a rug. Sylvia will have to forgive her old man for his "thumbs up" dance moves. We can't be on fire every night.

Double Dent

Those of you who looked carefully at the pictures of Chris' visit might have noticed that Sylvia now has two teeth. She grew them about a month ago but it has taken this long to get a good picture. Her new teeth are tiny and sharp, like a piranha, and we recommend keeping your hands out of her mouth. We now await two more teeth up top, laying the foundation for real chewing.

National day of digestion

With the family spread among the four corners of the country (and the world), thanksgiving was a simple affair. Aurelia, Sylvia, Ian, and I sat down to our feast of turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes and pecan (pronounced p'cahn, not pee-can) pie. Instead of baking the turkey we decided to grill the bird. This actually turned out easier than expected and had the added benefit of placing the turkey at an easy height for basting and inspection. Below, Aurelia prepared the bird for action.






Then the chef de la cuisine prepared the onions of the stuffing. Dried cherries and more pecans joined the party soon after.










As every internet article insists, we waited 15-25 minutes before slicing the bird. This allows the scent to fill the room and heightens the appetite. Whether it has the purposed benefit of the letting the juices within the turkey to come to rest is debatable. I believe this custom was invented by puritans who believe waiting is good for you. Sylvia and Papa pick at the resting bird in non-puritanical anticipation.











Aurelia and Ian have suggested that the image below shows Sylvia looking on dubiously as her father mangles the golden carcass. I disagree and see a doting child looking with awe upon her papa as he carves the holiday beast. (And as blogmaster I get the last word).








The day after thanksgiving is a national day of digestion. We worked off the pecan pie by walking through the Oregon Zoo. Sylvia enjoyed watching the dangerous critters that ran through the zoo, clutching plastic dinosaurs and coloring books. And she liked watching the caged animals too. Below we find my ladies gazing at the Oregon coast exhibit.






The Oregon Zoo, built in the 1950's on a former golf course, is the home of Packy, the first elephant born in captivity. He's now 66 and the father of two. It is also the home of numerous bears who are much larger than yours truly and the noodle.





Not everything was larger than Sylvia. Here we find her making friends with a tolerant bronze squirrel.





Due to Sylvia's ability to maintain her composure for about an hour and a half, we only managed to see a small part of the zoo. That means we will be enjoying our membership for a long time to come.

Avuncular Adventures

Sylvia can place another stamp in her family book this week with the visit of her uncle Chris.






Continuing his longstanding tradition of providing crustaceans with the opportunity to hit the skies, Chris brought along a box of beautiful blue crabs from New Orleans. After a refreshing swim in our cooler the crabs made for an aromatic and enjoyable evening.

To the bipedal and warmblooded go the spoils.

The next day uncle and niece enjoyed the early morning sun.

As mentioned before, Aurelia and I find our many guests draw us into new and interesting Portland adventures. This time the gang, including the noodle, attended a tour of a local brewery.

Beer well protected from thirsty Portlanders. (Probably empty kegs but just imagine all that beer).

Sylvia found her uncle more interesting than the tour.

A very clean brewery.

Vast conditioning tanks ready to launch if the President needs to initiate a world party.

Dos Locos

Come back soon uncle Chris!