Head Held High

The bad news is poor Zoe has been struggling with a cold (mostly nasal congestion) for nearly a week, which led us to visit the pediatric clinic on Thanksgiving Day (apparently, our kids only get sick and/or injured on holidays and weekends). After a thorough check-up, the prognosis was actually pretty good - 100% oxygen intake, no fluid in the lungs, 8 lbs 6 oz. (a pound gained in the last 2 weeks!), etc. So we were given a relatively good bill of health considering, and directed to keep an eye on her ability to breath/wheezing, and watching for signs of fever. With the whooping cough epidemic in the city, it was good to confirm that it was at least not that.

The other good news is the doctor was very impressed with Zoe's strength, and seemed genuinely shocked that she was only 19 days old considering her development, especially her head control and alertness. No surprise considering what a strong kicker she was in utero! Here are a few pics from the day after Thanksgiving, just shy of her 3-week birthday. She actually really likes tummy time I discovered!



Best of all, she has managed to maintain a pretty happy disposition despite all the sneezing and congestion, which Jon says makes her sound like a pug. What a smile!

Horrible Photo of a GREAT Portrait

Yeah, not the best picture of Hannah with that plastered on smile. But we loved her portrait of good pal Josh, with beard and curly hair included...!

Hannah & Her Sister

I wanna do what BOPPA does!

When he's not holding little Zoe, Boppa likes to read the paper on the couch...
When she's not giving her little sister a kiss,
Hannah likes to reclaim baby Zoe's car seat for her own,
and read - just like Boppa reads...

...Hannah settles in with a little light reading,
a takeout menu is just the thing!

"Hey, what dis mean?"

Hannah's Favorite Books to Read (Dad's Too!)

Hannah, one of my FAVORITE things to do with you is to read a book together. You have one of the best libraries of children's' books around, and I love the (easy) challenge of keeping your favorite books fun and exciting to read over and over again as well as the (more difficult) challenge of slipping in a new book which will open your eyes and win you over. Truth be told, the pictures below should really be of Mommy reading to you, because you really love it when Mommy reads stories with you and you ask for her always. But because Mommy knows how much I LOVE reading with you, she took these pictures, and they are extra special to me. Hannah, with Zoe requiring lots of attention from Mommy, you have been very understanding of your little sister's needs and your Mommy's responsibilities, and you have let me help with some of the evening book reading rituals that were once solely (by your decree) Mommy's domain. You still want Mommy to read books to you, but you are warming quite nicely to letting me share that activity with you too. I am grateful.

Here are some of your current favorite books:
The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss)
Fox in Socks (Dr. Seuss)
Wild Boars Cook (Meg Rosoff & Sophie Blackall)
Frank was a Monster who wanted to Dance (Keith Graves)
Maisy's Street (Lucy Cousins)
I'm a Big Sister (Joanna Cole & Maxie Chambliss)
The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z (Steve Martin & Roz Chast)
Wombat Walkabout (Carol Diggory Shields & Sophie Blackall)
Wave (Suzy Lee)
My Dad Has Purple Hands! (Wayne Dutschke & Paul Cassidy)

Thanks for letting me read these great stories with you Hannah! As the Cat in the Hat says, "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." I think the Cat in the Hat is wise! Love, Dad

Introducing Baby Zoe!

We welcome with loads of love our newest family member:

Zoe Wollan Lacey

Born Saturday, November 6th, 2010
at 5:24 p.m.
Weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz.
Measuring 20.5 inches

Here she is resting comfortably at home,
just 4 days old.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
J, K & big sister H

Giants Win the World Series...

"Hannah, what did you make at school today?"

"Look I make a picture of Buster Posey,
yeah, he play baseball.
I paint a baseball Buster Posey!"

Pumpkin Carving with Boppa

This morning, for Halloween, Hannah, Boppa and Daddy went out to the patio to turn a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern. Hannah got right down to business scooping pumpkin seeds and pumpkin "GUTS" out...

Scooping pumpkin stuff is fun! The seeds are really slippery, and they like to run away! OOPS! Hahahaha!





Next, Hannah drew a GREAT BIG PUMPKIN FACE with eyes, a nose, and a BIG SMILE, and some teeth....

We tried another pumpkin, but Daddy couldn't carve the Jackson Pollock Hannah had sketched out... so we went with Hannah's first pumpkin face...

Here is Hannah's first Jack-O-Lantern!!!

Later on, after dark, when the hundreds of trick-or-treaters walked through the haunted patio, they were greeted by Hannah's Jack-O-Lantern, grinning mischieviously in the night!

The lights and the sugar skulls were spoooooooooooooky!

Some trick-or-treaters were too scared to come and get a treat, but for those who mustered up the courage, Hannah and Boppa greeted everyone and handed out candy treats!

Hannah, after a long and wonderful night filled with haunted Halloween happiness, you brushed your teeth (to get rid of the sugarbugs from a tootsie roll) and you went to bed. Outside of your room, your happy Jack-O-Lantern kept a smiley watch over the patio for a few more haunting minutes...

Happy Halloween!