My Green Girls

My ladies were color coordinated yesterday,

making for a great photo.

Rory's Friends

Rory and Pippin have started to form a bond. Okay, they at least acknowledge each other's existence.
Fortunately, Rory has a growing list of other babies whom she gets to play with. In this picture, Rory and Sam put their heads together.
Rory and Juliana get caught up on their gossip.
Gabriel is getting up the nerve to ask Rory for another one of her toys to feast upon.
Last weekend, Rory spent a few days hanging with Renny and Carly (pictured here) and Ian in Deek Creek, Maryland. The kids' parents took turns skiing!

Rory Reads the Economist

Rory had her sixth-month check-up today with our pediatrician, Dr. Lungren. She is in great health, developing well, and surviving the latest battery of vaccination shots. Our little girl is still showcasing her mommy's profile, weighing 14 lbs. 2oz (25% percentile) and 25.5 inches (75% percentile). In unrelated news, Rory has become a big fan of hats (pictured left) and world affairs (pictured below).
"Oh, this looks interesting. The Economist. Daddy is so well read."
"Hey, mom, do you mind if I take a break from the tummy time to catch up on Iranian diplomacy?"
"Wow, what fasinating coverage of the geopolicital climate. It kind of makes me want to ..."
"TEAR THIS PRETTY PICTURE INTO LITTLE PIECES and ROLL ON MY BACK LIKE THE BABY THAT I AM!"

Rory Crashes Eric's Wedding

On Friday, Rory made her 7th flight of her young life in order to crash Eric and Julia's wedding in Tarrytown, NY. Rory and Julia (pictured here) became fast friends!

Before the big event, Rory got nice and clean with her first bath in a "real" bath tub.
Rory's favorite part of her bath-time ritual is the after-bath rub down.







The event itself was intimate, beautiful, and filled with many special touches.













Half-way through the evening, Eric and Julia changed into their Chinese wedding outfits and conducted a traditional tea ceremony for Eric's parents.

Meanwhile, Rory popped into as many pictures as she could manage, including this one with several of her daddy's college friends.
Rory enjoyed herself at the party, but eventually she snuggled into her daddy's arms and fell asleep ...
... and she remained asleep even as the band rocked the night away ...
... this made Rory's parents very happy indeed. Sarah and Rory stayed at the wedding reception for most of the evening before retiring to their hotel room. Rory's daddy stayed a little longer to celebrate the marriage of his friend Eric. Eric and Tim were roommates in college. Eric lives in Shanghai, where he met Julia. Eric and Julia had a wedding ceremony in August with Julia's family. Their state-side wedding was planned to coincide with the New York Toy Fair, where Eric and Matt (pictured several photos above with the red tie, second from the left in the picture with Tim)showcased products from their one-year-old toy company, Top Shelf Toys.

Rory at 6 Months

Yesterday, Rory turned six months, and I am astounded that time has flown so quickly. Rory is sitting up, largely unassisted. Her favorite sound is a hard "g", as in "gah gah" and "guh guh" and "grrr" (that last one sounds like the "roar" we expect from a girl named Rory). She loves balloons, dancing with her mommy, and eating sweet potatoes. She grins from ear to ear when I rub her down with a towel after her bath.
Our little girl is getting bigger with each day. Compare her with this picture taken in October.
Yes, we spoil her with toys. She favors those with smooth surfaces (like her plastic car) that are more easily grasped than plush toys.
Rory has started to notice Pippin, watching him as he streaks across the floor and reaching out to grab him when he comes near. Hence, Pippin enjoys moments like this one when he can just enjoy our bed unmolested.

Cool Cat

On Saturday, Rory will celebrate six months of coolness as a member of the Katz & O'Hara prides. Appropriately, last weekend, she donned her "cool cat" outfit, a chic gift from her Aunt Sydney.

I had no idea my daughter looked this good in black!
Rory's sophisticated new look was a hit with the infant hipsters, but it did make Pippin a little jealous to see someone else prancing around the house with such cute ears.

In other baby news, Rory has been weathering her first cold ... runny nose, hoarse throat, but no other ill effects.
Also, Rory has branched out beyond rice cereal and is now chowing down on mushy peas. As you can see, they also make a nice fashion statement.
On Sunday, Rory had the pleasure of meeting Caleb and Nathanael Peake, the sons of my college friends, Matt and Tonia ...
... And Tim has the pleasure of holding a three-week-old baby, which was a reminder of how quickly time flies in the lives of our children.

The Bath Man Cometh

Rory has become a good little cereal eater this past week. And she has really begun to enjoy her time at daycare. But the combined effect of these daytime experiences is the need for a long, warm bath at the end of each day. And as you can see from these pictures, Rory enjoys her daily soaks.
"I can't think of any sorrow in the world that a hot bath wouldn't help, just a little bit." Susan Glasee