Asheville - Christmas 2009

Before I forget about our adventures, I wanted to put down some of the places we visited in Asheville. We met up with Grandma Janet and Grandpa Dean right after Christmas (Dec. 26) since they were out this way visiting other family (we have no good pictures with them - boo).

We stayed at a Holiday Inn that had a suite with two rooms so that we could put Ripley to bed while we played games and talked with Mom and Dean. It also had an indoor pool. I had forgotten what joy Ripley takes in swimming. She squealed and splashed, and loved the "humpty dumpty" game where she sits on the wall, reaches for our hands and then jumps (or rather steps) into the pool.

After an adventure at the Biltmore Estate, we had a late vegetarian lunch at the Laughing Seed Cafe. It is so exciting to eat somewhere that I have to read every item on the menu because I can eat them all. Asheville was overall one of the most veggie places I've been.

On our final morning, we ate at The Early Girl Eatery. Scrumptious. And a fun pail of toys for Ripley. As usual, she enjoyed pancakes!

Christmas 2009 - New Jersey

This is out of order, but we were in Cedar Brook for Christmas Day. Ripley got to wear her Christmas sweater and enjoyed wearing her cracker crown and playing in the snow with Uncle Culann. She finally started calling grammy Vivienne, "Mi Mi", and while "Pop Pop/Paw Paw" is still quite high in her esteem, he's officially got competition.

Among the many things she got, she ended up with some stylish sunglasses and a plain old Elmo. She's a bit obsessed and we wanted to indulge her slightly, but without all of the bells and whistles.

The BIG Snow 2009 - preChristmas

The Saturday before Christmas, Baltimore got about 20 inches of snow. School was cancelled for all three days it had been scheduled that week, so there was lots of time to play. Aunt "Nona" came over and Daddy shoveled snow. I stuffed Ripley into a snow suit that was about a year too small, but we made it work.

Vist to Santa 2009

Photos of the Snow of December 2009 in a subsequent post, but I have the CD with the Santa picture, so I wanted to upload it while I had the chance.

We ventured out this afternoon to the Inner Harbor where Santa has a house. Still tons of snow and ice and slush on the ground. Ripley was a bit scared to sit on her own, so Chad and I jumped in the photo with her.

Because we had issues with the CD we bought last year, they gave us the super package for the cheap package price. We went with the purple theme like we did last year. And exactly the same Santa. I think it's officially a tradition.

34th Street Year 2 and Decorating the Tree

The holidays are in full swing here in Baltimore. On Friday night, we made our second annual trip up to 34th Street (see pictures from last year). This year Ripley could actually walk and wanted to climb the stairs up to the houses!

I think she is truly beginning to appreciate Christmas. We bought a full-sized 7 1/2 foot tall tree with the lights already attached. For the first week, we had it up with just the lights and every morning when we come downstairs, she says "tree" and we turn on the lights. Saturday, we finally got around to putting the rest of the decorations on the tree. Little big girl Ripley was incredibly helpful, as can be seen in the video below!

Thanksgiving 2009

I know it has been a month since I last wrote. I am not entirely sure where the month of November went, but we just finished up a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in New Jersey. It's taken until today (Wednesday) for Ripley to stop trying to find her Pop Pop.

We deviated from our normal tradition and stayed the full weekend. We'll head to Cape May for New Years. Chad's 20th high school reunion was Saturday and despite wanting to attend, Ripley stayed home with her grandparents.

While we tried to give her all of the Thanksgiving fare, Ripley only seemed to want to eat the cranberry sauce from Whole Foods and the rolls. Maybe next year...

Halloween, Chad's Birthday, and a Visit from James and Mare

Ripley had a series of Halloween events, starting with Boo at the Zoo in Cleveland (penguin - see previous post), the Halloween Lantern Parade in Patterson Park (ladybug - thank you Grammy!), Ghoul at the School, and Fells Point Kids Halloween.

We were also happy to see James and Mare this weekend. They

joined us on our Fells Point Halloween adventure, ate yummy food with us at DiPasquales, and wrapped up a visit to the American Visionary Arts museum. We seem to have a bit of a jinx when it comes to our visits with James and Mare, as James slipped and banged himself up in the wooden tree house at the museum as we were leaving, but we are hoping for a quick recovery.

Despite the busy week, we also had time to celebrate Chad's birthday. We went to the B&O Brasserie where Chad got the mixed grill, which to our surprise came out in a ceramic pig. A memorable evening all around.

Visit to Cleveland - October 2009

Last weekend, we made a very overdue visit to Cleveland to see Uncle Culann and Aunt Carolyn. It was part of a birthday celebration for Chad. We were pleasantly surprised by the city. I am not sure what we expected, but we had a really nice time.

We at yummy middle eastern food at Aladdin (I think this was the name), comfort food grilled cheese at Melt, and take-away pirogies and mexican food from the Westside Market. Oh, how I wish we had a market like it!

We stayed at the Intercontinental Suites, which allowed us some much overdue time to play poker while Ripley slept in the bedroom.

On Friday, we went to Boo at the Zoo, and despite a bit of rain, we had such a fun time. Ripley wore the first of her costumes - a penguin. We ended the weekend with a trip to Turtle Park, where Ripley had fun climbing and playing in the sand.

Things I Can Do - Eat at My Table

We finally got Ripley her own little table and chairs. She eats at a little table at day care, so we thought she's like one at home. So far, it has been a pretty big success, and she looks like such a big girl.

And despite the Tiger's bib, they did not make it to post-season. Maybe one of these years, they will?

More Fun in October

Our October weekends are shaping up to be full full full. This weekend, we had an impromptu visit from Matt, Christine and Deirdre which involved a trip to the Science Center and dinner out. Somehow, I think we ended up with no photos from this visit, which is quite odd, but a good time was had by all.

And then today (Sunday), we took our first trip to the Aquarium. We couldn't quite tell how much she enjoyed the fish, but she loved it each time we put her down and she was able to dash off into the crowd. She especially loved it when we took a break in the snack bar area, and she was able to move chairs.

Fells Point Festival Weekend

Fells Point Festival weekend holds a dear place in our hearts (our first kiss). While this was not Ripley's first festival, I think she enjoyed this one much more than last year when she was only 4 month old.

Her Grammy and Pop Pop came down to visit and accompanied us on our Saturday Fells Point Adventure. She was the only one of us to end up with any sort of purchase. Note her owl bag in the photo of her on her Pop Pop's shoulders.

We went back on Sunday, met up with the Martins, played on the playground in the Lancaster Street park, and then our final adventure was walking back up Broadway and stopping for her first ride on a carousel. She was a bit tired, but each time she came around, she gave me a big grin.

New Orleans - September 2009

We just got home from a wonderful trip to New Orleans. It was the first time in a very long time that both Jen and I and Jon and Emily were in the same place. And cousin Eric was there too. Last, but not least, Grandma Janet and Grandpa Dean were there too.

There are many adventures to describe, but a list seems just as appropriate:

Friday -
Checking into the Iberville Suites
Dinner at Angeli on Decatur (wonderful pizza and calzone)

Saturday -
Letterbox in Lafayette Cemetary
Dante's Kitchen for lunch/brunch (took the street car)
Deanie's for dinner

Sunday -
Wandering around Jackson Square
Court of Two Sisters for Brunch

Monday -
Beignets at Cafe du Monde
Lunch at The Gumbo Shop

And the whole crew (minus Nicole who was taking the photos):

Things I Can Do - Dip

Ripley will be 16 months later this week (right about the time we are in New Orleans!) and she is learning a ton every day. Her most recent food obsession is "dipping". It was not anything we actually taught her. She just sort of watched us and starting doing it. And now she wants to do it all the time. This is a video I captured of her in action. She has been pretty meticulous up to this point, but as you will see, she couldn't contain her love of ketchup. There is a quick cut away, as I have to grab some sticky little fingers.

She also likes to mop up the syrup on her plate when she is eating her mini-waffles. Again, not anything we taught her to do. And I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of the things she does that we haven't taught her.

Labor Day Weekend 2009 - Fair, Fountain and Storyville

It's been a busy Labor Day weekend so far. A few updates.

First, on Saturday, we went to the Maryland State Fair 2009. If you are interested in comparing them to 2008, you can find that post here. She did not get to sample funnel cake (none of us ordered it), but Aunt Fiona did share her peach sundae, which was a big hit.

Ripley also seemed to love the chicks the most, although all of the animals captured her attention. Note how different she looks with the tractor this year. And that she has slight more hair.

Also on Saturday, we checked out the new fountain down at the inner harbor. While she didn't go full on into the water, she had a great time just running around. Every hour, it is choreographed, just like the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas. Well, except this is Baltimore.

And finally, today (Sunday), we went to Storyville. It is an amazing place for kids at one of the local libraries. It is hard to describe, but it is basically an indoor play area with different areas - store, post office, house, construction zone. She had a fabulous time, and I think we'll be going back. My favorite part was when she took one of the blankets and put it into the play washing machine. She'll be helping with laundry before we know it. Chad liked when she decided to mix it up with the bay noises (video). He believes she has a future as a DJ.

Things I Can Do - Open Doors

A way-too-short trip to DC to see Grandma Janet

Grandma Janet and Grandpa Dean were in DC this week for a conference so Ripley and I went down on Monday (8/31) to visit. We decided it was time to go to the National Zoo. We had an excellent time, although I think the children's zoo area in Baltimore might have been more fun. In Baltimore, she got to pet (and chase) a goat; there may have been more animals in the DC children's area, but they were not set up to pet when we were there.

I think our favorite animals might have been the prairie dogs, the sea lions (who we go to see getting fed) and the cow.

The First (of many?) Weekends with Grammy and Pa Pa

I wish I could tell you that I had pictures, but there was an error with our memory card, and I think I might have lost several photos from the past weekend (most from the wedding - sigh). So this will just be a wordy update on Ripley's first weekend away from her parents and with her Jersey grandparents.

This past weekend (8/28-8/30), I had the privilege of marrying two of my good friend, James and Mare. The wedding was in NYC - Battery Garden, and there was a weekend full of events. As much as I think Ripley would have enjoyed herself, we decided this was the time for a weekend with Grammy and Pa Pa in Jersey. From what we can tell, she had a fabulous time, despite a pretty rainy weekend. And Vivienne and Chuck, while looking a bit tired when we arrived back on Sunday (we left her on Friday at noon), seemed to also have had a good time. We hope this is the start of many weekend with her grandparents. And if there is any other family out there who wants to give an overnight a shot, just let us know.

This little girl of ours is already such a personality and presence. I don't think I've written about this before because I am usually busy sharing things we've done and places we've gone, but if you haven't figured it out, Ripley is pretty darn fearless. While I worry sometimes about how far she is willing to wander off before _I_ can't stand it anymore and follow her, I would much rather have this extrovert of a child than a shrinking violet. And I don't think we have to worry about her being a shrinking violet.

She started her new daycare about 3 weeks ago, and she is already the rock star of the place. Everyone knows who she is (and this daycare is bigger than the last). She has an infectious smile and blows kisses at everyone and will stare you down with her big blue eyes with the long long eyelashes. There are mornings when she does get upset when I leave, but most of the time, she wanders off to her friends and looks back at me and smiles and then gets back to her playing and babbling.

I wish I knew how she had become the little person she is, and I have no doubt that Chad and I have something to do with it, but she is well on her way to being an independent Wilson woman, which is a tough road sometimes, but I don't think her Aunt Jenny or I would have it any other way. We've known from the start that she was a tough girl; not every child could come out of NICU having been poked in her foot to draw blood every 3 hours for 6 days with such a sunny personality, but she did. Not every child could get hit in the head with a door (as she did tonight when we were out to dinner) and just say "uh-oh" and continue on her merry way. But Miss Ripley Annabel Wilson can and does. She is a force to be reckoned with; she is my daughter; and she is the ultimate joy.

Detroit - August 2009

Last weekend, we were in Dearborn, Ferndale, and St. Clair, MI to see our wonderful midwest family and friends. We stayed the night Friday with The Brissons - Kate and Gerry hosted us for a late dinner (our plane was over 2 hours late) where we were joined by Sarah Jacobson to reminesce about Baltimore in our younger years. The next morning, we had breakfast and went to the park with Jimmy and Ruthie. Much fun was had by all.

On Saturday, we drove up to St. Clair to see the McCartan crew. Aunt Helen and Uncle Mike hosted us at their house because there was a big boat race extravaganza in town. Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Culann drove over from Cleveland. Aunt Maura and Uncle Lee flew over from Ireland. Cousins Thomas and Maura joined the party. And of course, the matriarch herself was in attendance - Granny Maura. Much fun was had by all. There was a birthday celebration for Grammy Vivienne, games of ladder ball and late-night poker, open mike night with folks from all over town. Chad even got to have a Daly burger and Daly dog!

North Carolina - July 2009

On a whim, and because Chad had an all day retreat, Ripley and I decided to go visit Aunt Jen and Cousin Dexter a few weeks ago (July 24-26). We love Southwest Airlines and got a great rate on Thursday and flew down the next day.

It had only been a few month since we saw Cousin Dexter, but he has grown A LOT. And when Ripley was last in Aunt Jen's house, she was only crawling, not walking, so there was much to do and explore. We had a pretty casual weekend. More pool time, spooking Cousin Dexter, and smiling at the airport (one of my new favorite toothy grin pictures!).

Things I Can Do - Sign for More

Yes, it has been over a month, so here I am tonight trying to do some catch up. And things are going to be out of order because I want to link this video first. Aunt Jenny gave us a Baby Sign Language book way back when Ripley was just a wee fetus. We've been pretty good about one of the first signs babies are supposed to learn - MORE. You basically touch your fingers and thumbs on each hand and move them together. When Ripley was in NC, she did it once when we were eating breakfast with Aunt Jenny, but hasn't done it again since. Until tonight. When she very clearly had one hand with its fingers and thumb together and would hit it against the palm of her other hand. All to get the little cat cookies (like animal crackers) from Trader Joe 's.

She was a bit shy at first about doing it on video, but she finally did it.

Things I Can Do - WALK

I almost forgot. We have a child who is mobile on two legs. She had been taking steps since her first birthday and the wedding, but I hesitated to call it walking. Then on Father's Day weekend - Saturday - she realized she could go more than 2-3 steps, and it was the beginning of the end. I think Uncle Culann has some of the first video, but here's another video of the WALKING (from our RI visit)! We even got her fitted for official walking shoes this afternoon. 4 extra wide, for anyone interested. Yes, she has muffin-top feet (her father's term of endearment) - the extra wide gives her feet room so they don't spill out over the top of the straps.

Rhode Island - July 4th, 2009

For her second fourth of July, Ripley made the trip north to our friend Tree's house in the woods. While it was a bit chilly, this did not stop Ripley from enjoying her first time in the surf at the ocean. While she's been to the beach before (Cape May and Virginia Beach), this was her first time in the water. She loved the first go-around despite taking in a mouthful of salt water.

In addition to the ocean, she got to swim in Miss Tree's pool. I thought it would be fun to capture an action shot of Chad tossing her in the air. Little did I know he was going to do so with such vigor. She's almost off the top of the shot. But in true fearless Ripley form, she was unfazed. No fireworks, but lots of fun!

Visit to Texas - June 2009

Chad had a conference in Chicago and a bachelor party in Philadelphia, so Ripley and I decided to make a trip to Texas. While it was a quick trip, we got to (1) see MiMi (Flossie) in Round Rock and made a visit to Hilltop Lakes where we (2) got to swim in the Texas pool and visit with cousins Emily Marie, Jamie and Austin; and (3) got to ride in the golf cart with Grandma Janet.

There was much much more, but those are the highlights!

Ripley's First Birthday: Part III AKA Culann and Carolyn's Wedding (5/30/09)

I would like to say that we've been out of the country or something similarly exciting, but I have no excuse for not updating the blog. My goal tonight is to catch up. We'll see if it happens.

When we last left our heroine, she was celebrating her first birthday. Over a month later, I can no longer say that she "just turned one." Ripley Annabel is now 13+ months old. We rounded out her first birthday week with her Uncle Culann and Aunt Carolyn's wedding. Ripley was part of the wedding party - and I was her accessory. She was the ring girl and I pulled her down the aisle in a fun blue wagon. She loved being in the wagon. Was not as happy out of the wagon.

We tried to get her to go to sleep early (see her in her PJs and getting a bottle), but there was a lot going on. A sampling of photos is below. Include one of her new official aunt and uncle.