Playing Stitch

There is a funny scene in Lilo and Stitch when the alien monster (Stitch), consumed by his genetic programming to destroy a city, builds a minutature city on Lilo's floor and proceeds to wreck havoc upon it. Playing the part of Stitch is one of my favorite games. Daddy will try to build a tower out of counting blocks or stacking cups and I will swoop in and knock it over before he can finish it! I think it's really funny.

But yesterday daddy took the time to build a whole city (while I was out of the room and unable to interrupt the construction process). When I saw it, I left it alone. I suppose I suddenly felt a sense of respect for daddy's asthetic. Or the destructive thought never occured to me becuase I didn't see the building phase. Who knows. Daddy was just hoping I would wade in and start knocking stuff about like in the movie.

Also, he finally caught me on film pulling up!

Pulling Up

I have been working on pulling up to standing this week and I'm getting better at it. Daddy has been trying to get a video of my performance, but I've manage to elude him for now. I did relent to posing for these stills. I will allow a movie of me pulling up only when I have mastered the technique and won't be embarassed later!

Mommy and daddy changed the sheets in my crib to a more spring-like theme (although the snow outside shows no hint of warmer weather!) and took the opportunity to lower the mattress to the lowest position. Good thing, too: the next morning I pulled up to standing in crib on my own, surprising daddy when he walked in to get me up for the day!

Thank you, Ada and Unca Mike for the wonderful Angelina Ballerina book for Valentine's Day! Daddy read it to me on Thursday and I put it with my growing Angelina collection!

VOOM!

Last night daddy took me to the art museum to see an exhibit of video portraits by an artist named Robert Wilson. It was a perfect winter evening: after the massive snows we had ealier this week, everything was white. As we walked to the museum, a gentle flurry of snowflakes cascaded from heaven and alighted on my "nose and eyelashes". I kept trying to catch them on my tongue, but the little crystal sprites proved elusive.

Remarkably, they had emptied the entire museum and coverted all to these video portraits. Holding onto daddy as we moved through the museum felt like swimming through the mind of a someone who was dreaming. It was a bit overwhelming, but I was fascinated more than frightened. There were dogs, porcupines, and even owls! But mostly there were celebrities doing odd things. Like Wynona Ryder buried in sand (above). Or like this one of Brad Pitt standing in the rain:

Here a link to the video version of Brad Pitt:

http://www.voom.tv/robert_wilson/brad_pitt/

If you are in Iowa City in the next two months, you have to see this show! Here's the link to the museum show:

http://www.uiowa.edu/uima/voom/

Snow Day!

On the day after super Tuesday, when daddy stayed up really late eagerly awaiting news of Obama's every victory, an impressive winter storm descended on Iowa. This "Mardi Gras" storm also set a line of severe weather from Arkansas through Tennessee and all of the Ohio River Valley. Spawning dozens of tornadoes, destruction was scattered throughout the region. But Iowa lay on the north edge of the cold front, so we got snow. Lots of it.

A surprise snowfall resulted in 8 inches on Super Bowl Sunday, but the storm today was expected. We awoke to about 4 inches that had fallen overnight, but the flakes were getting bigger and faster every minute. By the time we got to day care at 9am, it was coming down at an inch per hour. As expected, a snow day was called and we all had to go home.

Check that- we all got to home to play with the puppies and enjoy the fresh snow!

Even better, mommy got to come home with us and we all played! I practiced crawling and Skye chased her toys and Denali . . . well, Denali just followed us around and tried to snuggle with us at every moment. That's her usual M.O.- and we love her for it.

Finally, we went out in the back yard to enjoy the majesty of winter. The snow around the house was the deepest mommy and daddy have ever seen. This is the snowiest winter that Iowa has had in many years. And it's my first- lucky me!


Here's a video of me giggling at 'Nali- she is so funny!

I Can Crawl!

Ok- maybe crawling isn't so hard after all! Although I had given up on crawling and just planned to go straight to walking, a funny thing happened over the weekend. I was showing off to mommy by getting up to a sitting position over and over again. Then I noticed that I was moving forward! I've been able to move backwards for a few months now, but that's not very exciting- just frustrating. But by repeating my move to sitting and pushing with my legs, I finally got to go forward. Encouraged by my success, I put out a hand and then another and then another. My moves are deliberate and measured. And I can actually move forward! It is so exciting! I am so proud of myself I grin from ear to ear as I move down the hall. I was able to crawl all the way from my room to the bathroom for bath time!

A Big Milestone

I surpised daddy the other day when he came into my room in the morning to get me up for school. I was sitting up in my crib, grinning like the chesire cat. I had pulled myself up to sitting position on my for the very first time!

Then, I showed mommy how I do it. With her watching, I rolled over, bent my legs, and rocked myself into a sitting position.

And tonight, just to prove that I have the trick down, I did it on demand with the whole family watching and the camera rolling. Here's the sequence:

I am so proud of myself I clapped when I finished! YAY!