Story Time with Daddy

Tori is lots of fun to play with now that she is so pro at sitting up.  Her favorite toy right now are the jingle blocks that Carla Sargent made for her.  Daddy will stack them up high and she will knock them down as fast as she can!
She also loves to shake them and listen to the jingle, or even throw them!  Watch out- those blocks can get some distance!
Daddy reads to Tori before she goes to bed at night or before her afternoon nap.  Here he is reading her "Snuggle Puppy" , one of our favorite board books.  Although you wouldn't think it, judging from Tori's expression....lately, all she really wants to do is chew on the books.
And this is Daddy reading to Tori back in August, when she was still brand-new.  But she still liked listening to her Daddy read to her.  In fact, Kris would read to Tori in the NICU on most of his visits.  The nurses thought it was funny that the book he read to her was "Great Gatsby".  But I think what she really loved was the sound of his voice.  There is nothing like the comfortable sound of your Daddy's voice:-)

Love is patient, love is kind...

Happy Valentines!  The day may have passed a few weeks ago, but the theme was celebrated all month long in our house.  Tori sent out Valentines to her Grammy, and 2 of her Great-Grandmas, her auntie Jenn and Maddie, her Godmother and Uncle Jon.  The cute picture of her in the red dress was the cover for each Valentine.  And for Valentines Day, Mama got Tori a pink heart balloon, which she loves to play with, usually at the changing table.  In these pictures taken today, you can see the balloon isn't quite as full as it used to be, so Tori can grab it and pull it and swing it around.  It makes a neat noise too! 

 

Here she is peeking over the balloon...  what a joy it is watching her discover our world a little bit more each day.

Hooded Bath Towels are Best

When Tori was born, I couldn't wait to swaddle my sweet smelling baby girl in a  fluffy hooded towel after a nice bath.  Instead ,baths turned into quite an ordeal for the first few months, because we had to unhook the oxygen, take the stickies off her face, bathe her quickly so she didn't get chilled....it wasn't exactly what I imagined bathtime would be like.  

Eventually though, she got bigger, and stronger, able to breathe on her own and now enjoys her nightly bath quite a lot.  The first picture is from early August '08, shortly after she came home from the hospital.   The doggy towel is about 2 months later, and the two  pictures after that are Tori and I just after tonight's bath!  So you can see how far she has come- it is really amazing how well she has grown.  That last picture is also an early one, and notice she is barely filling out the hood- now it fits her head almost perfectly.  The doggy hooded towel is almost too small now- but it's still so cute!  One thing hasn't changed in these 8 1/2 months: check out that terrified expression on her face- she is not a fan of the camera flash or the red eye reduction light..... the smiles you see on film are ones not easily caught, so enjoy!  Of course, she is much more relinquishing of her smiles with actual people, as opposed to the camera. Thank Goodness- her smiles are the highlight of my day!

A Snowy Day at Mt. Ashland

We decided to go to Mt. Ashland at the end of January, figuring this would be a fun adventure for Tori.  Well, the snow that was there was pretty old and icy, but we managed to find a little path to walk along where Tori could see some  snow and grab a few handfuls.  Still hoping to have some snow in the Valley that will stick this year, but we'll have to wait and see.  One thing is for sure: much more of this snow play and Tori will need some little mittens!  She seems to really love being outside and experiencing new temperatures, seeing new scenery, and didn't even mind the drive too much.