Happy Easter

Molly in her "just hatched" onesie -- perfect for Easter Sunday, don't you think? 

We're back in Chicago now -- flew back Friday night and then jumped straight into a busy weekend. We had  an NU brunch at Jon and Sarah's on Saturday, dinner with my sisters and Sean that night at The Girl and the Goat (yum!), after dinner drinks with Lindsay for her birthday, and then tonight we're having an early Easter dinner with my sisters and going to see Arcade Fire/National at the UIC Pavilion. Whew!

I wish I could say we were getting back into our normal routine next week, but Molly has a Dr appt on Monday, I've got a trip to Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jason is starting tennis lessons on Wednesday, we have a daycare party on Friday, and then 2 birthday parties next weekend.

Except for the appointment and business trip, it's all fun stuff, so I can't/shouldn't complain. And, because Molly still takes 2 naps a day, we have plenty of down time between activities. Molly and Jason are both taking a midmorning nap right now, so I'm enjoying my computer time. Hopefully I will even have a few minutes to start reading the paper before I hear Molly singing (or crying) from her crib!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Family photos

Thank goodness for digital cameras. With a squirmy, curious 9-month-old baby, getting a good posed photo can be difficult. Molly will look at the camera and smile, but then by the time you snap the picture, you get the side of her face as she tries to wriggle out of your grasp. We've learned that the best approach is just to keep taking pictures one after the other and hope that you get a few decent shots out of the bunch. Here are some of my favorite family photos from our Florida trip:

So happy to be with her daddy

Looking cute with Grandma

Trying to grab her mama's earring

The best we could do

Molly and her grandparents

Independent woman

If Molly could talk, here's what I think she might say:



"Gimme that spoon."

"I can do it myself."

"Mine."

"How dare you take that from me."

"Dad, you're so funny."

And finally, if she's really really tired:

"Hold me, Mom."

Fun in the sun

Greetings from sunny Florida! We're visiting my parents in Palm Coast this week and Molly is absolutely loving the beach, pool, and attention from Grandma and Grandpa. Jason and I are also enjoying the free babysitting so we can play tennis and go out to dinner :)

Here's a little video clip of Molly's first taste of sand:

And also a photo montage of the trip so far.

Easy flight! Molly was such a trooper -- we woke her up at 4am, dragged her through security, and made her sit on our laps for 2 hours and she never once complained!

On our way to the beach. Yes, we put SPF 100 on this kid.

Check out those eyelashes

Going to put our toes in the water

Sandy legs

Molly doesn't know she's about to get hosed off

Chillaxin in her new inner tube

Prune feet

Hanging at a beach bar with Grandpa

New shades

So Hollywood!

Back to the beach

Still getting used to the sand

Swim time with Dad!

I can't believe we only have 2 days left. Time sure does fly when you're having fun :)

We don't need no stinking napkins

Tonight's menu: avocado slices and cheese.

Making friends

Molly is a lucky girl -- so many of our friends have kids around her age, she's got a nice little crowd to pal around with:

Parallel playtime with McCall

Justin and Molly watch as Chloe moves by in a flash

Whistler and Molly share a moment

Olivia and Molly share a book

Mia and Molly take a break from the toy explosion

Molly seems to be getting over some of her sensitivity issues at daycare too. She's starting to play with some of the more aggressive kids...and is even starting to steal a few pacifiers herself!! Go Molly! Not that I'm encouraging that kind of behavior. I do want Molly to play nice and share, but I think it's a sign that she's getting more confident :)

Anyway, I promised 9-month stats. Molls is now 17 lbs and 27 and a half inches. 25th percentile for weight and 50th for height. About where she was last time. Her head is now in the 50th to 75th percentile -- a nice round melon. No flat spot!

Hey hey mama said the way you move

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy--as you can see from this photo, we had very good seats!!

Susie and Sean were kind enough to watch Molly on Saturday night so Jason and I could see Robert Plant and the very talented Band of Joy at the Auditorium Theater. Awesome show! I've always wanted to see Plant in concert and am SO glad I did. He did a few Zeppelin songs (with a twist), the latest from the Band of Joy, a few from his solo albums, one from his record with Alison Krauss, and even threw in a Bob Dylan cover to close it out. Not bad. Not bad at all.

As great as it was to hear "Angel Dance" and "Please Read the Letter," I must admit, the highlight of the night was when he did "Houses of the Holy" and then "Ramble On." If you get a chance to see Plant with the Band of Joy, I would highly recommend it! Here's the set list (courtesy of Greg Kot, who also gives the show a fantastic review).


Robert Plant’s set Saturday at the Auditorium Theatre:

1. Black Dog
2. Down to the Sea
3. Angel Dance
4. Black Country Woman
5. House of Cards
6. Monkey
7. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go (Buddy Miller vocal)
8. Silver Rider
9. A Satisfied Mind (Darrell Scott vocal)
10. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
11. Twelve Gates to the City/Wade in the Water/In My Time of Dying
12. Ocean of Tears (Patty Griffin vocal)
13. Please Read the Letter
14. Houses of the Holy
15. Ramble On

Encore:
16. Tangerine
17. Harm’s Swift Way
18. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

9 months...and she's off!

Someone started cruising today:

She also started climbing and pulling herself up:

This week has been a BIG one. We spent all of last weekend trying to encourage Molly to crawl. We knew she had the skills, but after making a few moves, she always wanted to settle back into her sitting position. Of course when I dropped her off at daycare Monday morning, the first thing she did was crawl across the carpet to grab a toy. Hurrah! She spent the next few days practicing and then today, she was just all over the place. Go Molly go!

With this new mobility has also come new independence. Molly seems to be having so much more FUN at daycare. She's "talking" to the other kids, laughing, bouncing, resisting naps, standing up in her crib...it's just so amazing to watch.

Her 9-month appointment is tomorrow, so I will post stats soon. Until then, enjoy the videos!