Our little bear is 4 months old

Four months old - and what a fun, cheerful little boy he is! Lately he is:

• acquiring very chubby cheeks and a serious potbelly 
• rolling over from tummy to back, and back to side
• holding head up and sitting well in the Bumbo seat 
• learning to grab and hold onto toys, and to intentionally kick at his hanging toys to make them swing around 
• sleeping through the night (7 PM - 6 AM; nurse; back to sleep for 1-2 hours)
• 'learning' to nap more consistently - some days - and to 'self-soothe' to sleep (i.e. still a lot of crying...)
• very easy-going in his car seat and on errands. Stays happy when we are out.
• standing, standing, standing!
• laughing when we tickle his chest!
• and best of all - he loves to watch & listen to his sister. When he hears Gemma, he will turn his head until he finds her, then study her & grin at her & coo

For fun - here is Gemma in that same dinosaur outfit at the same age exactly! (and funny enough, this picture was taken when we were in Durham in Jan '11; and now here we are again)

A few scenes at the new place

Our little girl loves to wear necklaces! And usually 3 or 4 or 5 at the same time...

an attempt at a family self-portrait - how to fit everyone in?

Morning wake-up time: and can we all fit on Mommy's lap?

Here are some pics of our basement apartment; Jim took these a few days after we moved in. It's an interesting space - large kitchen and living room; one bedroom; large hallway; large bathroom. So Gemma's "room" is in the hallway and Timo's "room" is the pantry closet off the dining area. We are really enjoying having more room to play and wrestle and cook. Gemma likes being able to have her play tent out in the living room! There's even some outdoor area that we can use, but haven't done so very much yet since it's still cold or rainy most days.

our bedroom

one end of the living room (on the other end is a futon, TV, fireplace and more toys)

Gemma's room (behind the curtains); also has a closet off to the side. It's a work in progress. She now has a rug and some hooks on the wall for her necklaces and coats. I'd like to put a reading nook in the closet for her - still in search of a beanbag chair.

The bathroom is huge! (only issue is that the entrance is in the hallway, so if Gemma is sleeping, we have to sneak into the hallway and into the bathroom without waking her or turning on any lights)

one view of the bathroom (with a shower - so Gemma is learning to shower!)

Hurrah! We can play outside!! To the left you can see the deck and shed of the owner's house. "Let's go outside, Mommy, and throw the beach ball up high!" says Gemma.

 And a view towards the back of the house, and our "front" doors. 

Doesn't get much better than this

All the way from Cape Town to British Columbia to Durham!! Our good friend Fritz has been in BC the last 10 months to work on his dissertation, and we were SO excited to host him for a brief 44 hours while he was en route from BC to a conference in Philadelphia, before returning back to Cape Town this past week.

It has been nearly 4 years (!!) since we left Cape Town in May 2009. So of course we had a great time together, re-connecting without missing a beat. How to "catch up" on all that has transpired in four years? ...We did a lot of talking and laughing and sharing about dissertation work (Jim and Fritz, that is) and dreams for the future.

not sure what was so hilarious...but the Apple Crisp was delicious

Fritz was an extremely gracious and easy-going guest, who didn't mind putting up with the craziness of our two little ones (and the rough night-time sleeping, as we were all still adjusting at this point to the new apartment). Gemma took to "Uncle Fritz" without a problem and was frequently climbing in to his lap and right at home singing and dancing and walking around in her dress-up shoes.

We only had one full day together, but we did get out briefly in the morning for a cup of coffee at one of 9th Street's coffeeshops. Of course, with two car seats in our Rav 4, there's only room for 2 adults up front, so guess who snapped this photo from his "seat" in the rear trunk area...

Timo loves to stand up and take in everything around him (with one eyebrow raised)

Thank you for making time to see us, Uncle Fritz! And see you again soon, DV!!!

Jolly jumper time has started!

Gotta get this little boy in a jolly jumper - he loves to work those leg muscles!

And here's a pic from my birthday dinner made by Jim - it was an caramelised onion & bacon tart (with a creme fraiche and feta base) with salad, followed by mini lemon cakes with lemon frosting (a Nigella Lawson recipe). As our tradition goes, it was a surprise meal and the menu was new recipes. Yummy!!!!

Note to Nonna: notice that Gemma is wearing her pink swimsuit over her shirt (we make her take the tutu off during mealtimes) - this is by far her favorite outfit!!

First sink bath at 808 W Knox

We are now officially moved into our new basement apartment at 808 W Knox! We've been here one week exactly, and are slowly adjusting to the new rhythms and noises and feel of this house. It is a one bedroom apartment, but with a large back hallway (Gemma's "room") and large pantry closet (Timo's "room") plus a big kitchen and living room. We are loving the extra space compared to our condo in B-town. In addition, it is just under 2 miles from Grandpa and Jaja's house, and a half-mile to the Freys - which we can walk to on the Ellerbee Creek trail. It's been fun to have some mild weather this week and explore the trail and friendly neighborhood and a nearby park (in between naps and wiping noises and grocery shopping to stock up the kitchen).

Will try to get some more pictures of the place up soon - but in the meantime, here are a few of Timo having a bath in the sink. The apartment only has a large shower, so Gemma is learning to take showers and Timo is managing to squeeze into the sink for bath-time for a while longer.

Timo loves to look at his sister

He likes it! Our cheerful boy!

A Century Birthday!

100 Years Old!

If you combine our birthdays, that is. A celebration like this doesn't come along very often. 

Dad and I have been celebrating our joint birthday for 34 (yikes) years now, and this year it was special to be together for it once again, like the old days. Or wait, are the old days now? We are 100 years old, after all. Anyway, this year - February 8th - we went out together just the two of us for Birthday Breakfast. We ate at Foster's Market, and while they have lots of yummy menu options, we couldn't resist the humongous scones and coffeecake. Sugar high. Wow.

In the evening we had Birthday Dinner (birthdays tend to be centered around food...) with all of the family in town! Eight adults and 4 grandkids/cousins.

Gemma is really coming into her 'own' with outfit selections these days. Here is what she chose for the occasion. Impressive.

Auntie Rita with Timo

Uncle Craig and Asher entertaining Timo

Oh my heart! Gorgeous 13 month old Adah Joy!

We weren't able to fit 100 candles on Jim's homemade vanilla cake - but Dad still wowed us by blowing all of the candles out in one quick blow. And yes, that is a glowing necklace I am wearing. What a birthday party, indeed.

Four weeks

Exactly four weeks: that's how long we stayed with Grandpa and Jaja at 1406! We have now (as of this past weekend) moved into our "new" basement apartment nearby, but here are a few pics to catch up from the last couple of weeks.

And while we were at 1406, someone got big enough to start sitting in the Bumbo! He loves to be in on the action, especially if it means he can watch (and listen to) his big sister, who is usually chatting away or singing. Lately she has been learning how to make up songs too.

Lunchtime - sandwiches, fruit and veggies

He may be only 3 months old, but this little guy thinks he is older when he's sporting shoes and a cute vest. Another thing he loves is to stand! He makes all these cute, excited noises when he is on his feet, and it's hard to get him to sit back down - you have to kind-of force his legs to bend because he just wants to stand and stand and look around and coo. (I think that's a sign that the Jolly Jumper is going to make an appearance very soon...)

We are absolutely loving this NC winter weather!!! Even on cold or wet days (like below) we can still get outside and walk. (Thanks to the Freys for loaning us the backpack.)

Wow, all 4 of us in the pic.

Happy birthday, Mom!

On Wednesday, January 30th we celebrated Mom's birthday! (64th, it was...shh...)

Jaja and Timo in their matching sweatshirts!

Here's to you, Mom: a kind, generous, hard-working, gentle and godly woman! With a great sense of humor, too. (Oh and who can forget, she is the creator of many delicious meals!!)

For dinner we had pork tenderloin; au gratin potatoes, sauteed spinach and mushrooms; tofu salad; and croissants; plus ice cream, hot fudge sauce, strawberries and blueberries for dessert. 

Even more special this year was having 3 siblings and our families all together to celebrate and sing a raucous "Happy birthday"! Afterwards - at Mom's insistence - we participated in a birthday tradition: the balloon game. Race down the room, grab a balloon from the bag, and sit on it (on a chair) until it pops. Go, go, go! Here's Mom directing traffic and giving a pre-game pep talk.

Asher and Gemma sat quietly to listen to the rules and observe all the crazy adults in action. Unfortunately Gemma burst into tears when the balloons started popping. (We are still discussing the experience three days later and helping her get over the trauma..."And Gemma was crying a lot. What was that game, Mommy?")

Ready, set...

But that's as good as it got for the men - because the women were victorious in the game this year!!

Here are a couple of random shots from life this week. 

Tummy time for Timo. Just after I took this photo, he rolled over onto his back. Hurrah!

Bathtime for the siblings. Gemma was helping wash/brush Timo's hair with an old, very soft toothbrush.