what's next?

penny & i went to see the original charlie and the chocolate factory movie with aunt jodi and patrick a few weeks ago, and we decided to read two chapters a night from the book before bedtime.  this went great - even though there weren't many illustrations, she had an idea of the characters and story, and it was a very successful first chapter book endeavor.  at 4, she's not great at listening to a book if she has no idea what's coming next and has no illustrations to focus on.  any recommendations?  i'm thinking maybe "mary poppins"?  she's seen the movie... maybe "peter pan"?  she hasn't seen the movie, but it might be ok?  

two big weekends, one blog post.

i don't know whether the winter of 2014 is going to go down in history as the longest, snowiest, or most irritating, but it certainly feels that way now.  as soon as we found out it was going to be 50 degrees last saturday, we got on the subway

and took ourselves to the bronx zoo.  it was an overcast day, and it was still winter at the zoo, so only about half of the animals were out and attractions open, but it was fantastic being outside, and the animals that were out were more active than we've ever seen them.
we found out that penny is still not tall enough to ride the carousel by herself

but she is super close, and she does love it very much.

this may be my new favorite photo of penny

we found out that this giant snake started laying eggs that morning:

at least seven eggs here

 and this snake next door seemed pretty pleased about it all:

these bears were having the very best time:

these tigers gave everyone quite a show.  there were three of them, and they kept passing by right up on the glass:

not quite as tall as a tiger...yet

now, this was the first time we were outside for any significant amount of time since november, and we did not bring a stroller, so penny had been walking the whole time.  around 3pm, this happened:

overall, it was a really great zoo trip, and we can't wait to go back!

on sunday, we were taken to penny's first broadway show - cinderella!  here we are on the train (look!  it's me!)

and she was seriously so excited:

"I LOVE CINDERELLA ON BROADWAY!"

this weekend was super rainy and windy,but all three of us managed to get haircuts!  penny was very excited that the back of her neck got "razed" and that the hairdresser gave her a clip - we are all so very ready for the spring.

Early morning jokes!

This morning, Penny and I were snuggled in bed while Alex was getting dressed. To the tune of "Impossible", Alex sang something about a cat marrying a horse. I said that was ridiculous - who would be the bride, and who would be the groom? Or would they both be brides? Both grooms? Penny decided that the horse would be the bride. "Of course!" I declared - "every horse needs a groom". (groan)
Then I said that we would need to find a pretty big dress for the horse. And Penny said (because she is funnier than I will ever be) "A horse needs a BRIDAL" and we all fell over laughing and she is the best.

23 weeks!

23 weeks, and the baby is kicking up a storm! We've gotten back the results of lots of tests and everything is great! The baby is now the size of a large mango. It is still way too cold, and hopefully Spring is on the way!

22 weeks!

So here we are at 22 weeks, and it appears that the New Kid has retreated from the Batman book. That seems more reasonable to me. The baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash!  He tends to be most active in the late afternoon, right as I want to take a nap at my desk, so it's all working out great!

Today's outfit has been brought to you by me trying to push Spring into arriving. Wish us luck!

Kicks!

The baby has been especially active today, and Alex just felt him kicking! Or punching! Possibly headbutting!

21 weeks, and, uh....

It seems impossible. Penny was doing a lot of reading over the weekend, but photo comparison SEEMS to show that the books are all in the same place. It may be true, ladies and gents. I may have reached the Batman book a full four weeks earlier than last time (gasp). Still feeling good! I very much enjoyed the two days this week when I got to wear my Spring maternity coat rather than my regular Winter non-maternity coat, but we have been plunged back into the Polar Vortex! Hopefully Spring is on its way. I can now feel kicks and pokes, especially after meals, and the baby is about the size of a carrot!

parent teacher conference!

we had an excellent parent teacher conference last night.  we really like penny's teachers, and it's clear that they like her right back.  besides getting to hear wonderful things about penny, we get to take home some of her art!  she's doing such a great job!

self portrait

mondrian inspired

still life with banana

pollack inspired

20 weeks! Halfway there!

The baby is the size of a banana! Alex had to head into work early today, so once again I relied upon my intrepid assistant Penny, who is more than up for the task. She was born at exactly 39 weeks, so maybe I'm more than halfway there? What? Agh! It's still so cold that it's hard to believe July will ever arrive. Still, with this being my view, I have a very warm heart.