Spring Outfits and Hairstyles!

Spring time finally feels like it has arrived in the DC area. And Rory selected a cute ensemble for the occasion!

Being a fashion princess doesn't stop Rory from getting in some good practice with her soccer ball.
We enjoyed a nice surprise visit from our friends the Peakes (seen in this posting), who pointed out that the "tripod" stance (pictured on the left) is a potential prelude to crawling ("uh oh", said Mommy).

Rory has also insisted that we do something with her hair now that it's spring time. The results of her Daddy's handiwork is pictured below ("Stop that!", cried Mommy).

The Cardboard Cudgel

If you read the previous posting, The Straw Showdown, you know that Rory shows an affinity for the strangest of toys.
In these pictures, Rory shows her excitement (and tongue-tickling affection) for a cardboard paper roll.
Fortunately, Rory also gets excited when more traditional gifts are presented to her!... such as this little toy that her Daddy won in a work-related trivia contest.

Rory's Daddy has started his daughter early on sports, from equestrain training (pictured) to soccer practice (as this video demonstrates).

Rory & Pippin: The Straw Showdown

Who could have predicted that the toy over which Rory and Pippin would wage their first power struggle would be a (used) Starbucks straw?...

Act 1: The Clash of Titans
Rory: (In Her Princess Voice) "It is mine! I command the mystical magic of the mighty green wiggle wand!"
Pippin: (To Himself, Darkly) "Ah, I see you wield the wiggle wand with abundant ability my friend. But that power belongs to me, Le Pippion de Panther!"
Pippin: (Faux Innocently) "Oh, my princess, I was simply going to return the wiggle wand to you when I saw that you had dropped it."
Rory: "I don't believe you Le Pippion, you covet my wiggle wand. Bow to me as proof of your feline faithfulness."
Pippin: (Rising Suddenly) "I can no longer live this charade. Fear me, princess, for I shall return when you least expect it!"
Rory: (Chuckling Slyly to Herself) "I shall fortify my defenses by retiring to my castle."




Act 2: The War of the Wiggle Wand
Rory: (Haughtly) "See, Le Pippion, from my castle, I can tease you with the wiggle wand, and you are powerless to take it from me."
Rory: "Clever, my former friend, to have used the rear guard attack, but I am not so easily fooled ..."
Rory: "... oooh, what's that, the music-making machine, I want to play with that!" Pippin: "Silly princess, now I shall make my move!"
Pippin: "It is mine! The wiggle wand is mine!..."
Pippin: "... mine, mine, mine. I can play with the wiggle wand all day."
Rory: "Silly cat, he forgot that I command La Momma, who saw my frown and retrieved the wiggle wand from your feline paws."



End Note
Sarah captured these photos and documented this amazing story. She called me on my way home from work, and she insisted that I "retrieve" more straws from Starbucks. When I arrived, I comforted Le Pippion, before giving him his own straw. With much delight, he batted it around the house for hours.

The Avocado of Doom

Rory's mommy doesn't blog. Instead, she participates in an active community of new moms who e-mail each other (constantly) for advice, comfort, and companionship. For a humorous glimpse into our life, I offer you the following exchange from this evening:



Sarah's Posting to the 4NoVaMommies.com list serve

From: Sarah Katz O'Hara
Subject: Dramatic Reaction to New Food
Date: March 10, 2007, 5:06 p.m.

So, we tried giving Rory avocado this evening for the first time. It
did not go over well. When I put it in her mouth, she immediately spit
it out and then a split second later, threw up. Everywhere. To see
whether the two things (avocado and throwing up) were indeed related,
I waited a little while and then tried again. Same reaction,
instantaneous vomit and all. Suffice it to say, we will not be trying
avocado again anytime soon, but I'm just curious -- has this happened
to anyone else? Because she threw up before she could even swallow it,
I don't think it's any sort of allergy, but I don't know what else
would cause that reaction.

Thanks as always,
Sarah

Response to Sarah's Posting

From: Sara Ford
Subject: Dramatic Reaction to New Food
Date: March 10, 2007, 5:54 p.m.

Interesting. Although this is not an answer to your question, I thought I'd share if only to let you know that you are not alone cleaning up after your little one tonight. This evening, I also introduced Carly to avocado for the first time, which she loved. Fast-forward to bathtime....after her lovely bath, I realized that I didn't have her towel with me and, since I didn't want to leave her alone in the tub while I fetched it, I just wrapped her in my towel. As I sat in the bathroom drying her off, her poop face took ahold of her fast & furiously and she let loose in my towel. Bigtime. Totally grossed out, I waited until she was done and headed into her bedroom to clean her off and cautiously affix a diaper on her tender behind. As I put her down on her changing table naked, she exploded again....e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. I just finished 40 minutes worth of cleaning poop off the walls, disinfecting her changing table area, scraping off my towel, starting a load of laundry and getting her into bed. Why does this always happen when Greg isn't around?

I do not think Carly's incident was directly related to the avocado, however, because she's had gas all day long. It's probably the formula that I introduced to her Thursday night for the very first time (convenient going in, not so convenient coming out). I agree that it doesn't sound like Rory is allergic, but perhaps it was sour to her and the gag reflex triggered her throwing up? She probably associated the taste of it with that horrendous throw-up feeling and rejected it the second round. I guess if you really want to test whether or not she is allergic, you could mix a tiny bit of avocado in with sweet potatoes or something she really likes and test her reaction.

I'm off to find a glass of wine...

Family Wrestle Time

Perhaps the best part of my day is the half hour before Rory goes down for the night. During this window of time, after she's had her dinner and her bath, she is her most affectionate. She likes to snuggle with her mommy and dance with her daddy. More recently, we have discovered wrestle time, as this video demostrates. The giggles are precious.

Center of Attention?

Rory enjoyed an eventful weekend, and she put on quite a display of smiles, tongue wagging, hand waving, giggles, and growls for her family.

And the reward for her efforts was that Rory was the center of attention, capitivating her many fans.
The weekend also included Rory's first St. Patrick's Day parade!
Alexandria celebrates a whole month of St. Patrick's Day fesitivities, launched by a St. Patrick's Day parade that is the first in the nation and attended by Ireland's ambassador. Rory enjoyed waving her rattle at the bagpipe bands and Irish dancers.

You can see that Rory is dressed in green for the occasion. She is also wearing a t-shirt that reads: Everyone loves an Irish girl!
And Rory displayed her I-can-sleep-anywhere super powers when she took a catnap as the Alexandria motorcycle honor guard blasted their engines just a few feet away!
Rory's grandma paid us a special visit this weekend, and Rory put on quite a show (rattle still in her clutches, you might note). Grandma and Aunt Chelle babysat Rory on Saturday night, allowing Rory's parents a night on the Irish town ... a candlelight dinner at 100 King and s'mores at Cosi.