Week 47 - Tis The Season

"If I had known that Christmas kicks ass this much,
I would have come out sooner last year!"

Christmas isn't for us anymore...Nope!  It's for the Nanner!  Gma and Gpa sent two huuuge boxes full of presents.  A book (yep, we could tell) for Aimee, a little something for me, and gift after gift after gift after (what's that, another box just arrived?) gift for the Nanner.  

Just imagine how many presents she would get if she actually slept.

"What's that thing around dada's neck?"

Aimee and Nanner went downtown to see Santa at the Christkindlmarket (I dunno, sumthin German) last Friday.  But Nanner was adamant about having a beer with her pops first.

Week 46 - Nannerism or Baroque?

Nanner is an urban baby for sure.  And a hip one at that.  She went downtown to the art museum today - just because.  She bypassed the suburbanites standing in line at Macy's to see Santa, jaywalked across Wabash, ignored the homeless man selling Streetwise and shook her head at the tourists that skipped with him across Michigan Avenue, rolled her eyes at the musicians banging sticks on buckets in the shadow of the Art Institute lions, and then made a beeline to the Modern Wing.  She had no time for Monet, Manet, Mannerism or Baroque.  "Give me Modern!" she said, and plopped herself down in front of Rothko.

"...child art transforms itself into primitivism,
which is only the child producing a mimicry of himself"

And there she sat until closing time when security asked her to vacate the gallery - at which time a huge smile appeared on her face.  "I get it!" she exclaimed.  And went home.

Week 45 - Home in the Land of Nanner

"Hello?  Over here...pay attention to me!"

Two exciting things to report this week.  
1. We returned the Zack Morris era baby monitor in exchange for a small, sleek portable one that you don't have to carry over your shoulder like a boom box to move from room to room.
2. We have used that monitor to watch Nanner sleep long enough to watch a full episode (or three) of Homeland, our latest obsession.  If you have not watched it, you should.  I hear there is a pirated copy on a flash drive out there.  

She was awake fifteen minutes later.

Cute does not guarantee sleep.

Week 44 - Merry Thanxmas, Nanner

Christmas came early at the grandparents' house this year, as we combined the two holidays into one get together.

Our little troll

We took advantage of warm weather - Nanner and mama took a walk with grandpa and Sydney while Audrey and Grandma and Paul and I separately got lost in the Tuckahoe woods.

"You never know when the "reflex game" will come in handy
in real-life situations.  Thanks, Dad!" - Amanda

2012 grandkid Christmas photo - 

Nanner: Chillin'

Sydney: I've got my baby (she's chillin')

Liam: Is that a Cheerio?

Lillian: $%*#! 

Amanda: (see caption above)

Week 43 - Naked Nanner

Picking out clothes that match is one of the hardest parts of Daddy Duty.  But Naked Nanner solves two problems: there is no danger of mismatched socks and when she gets blueberry all over, there is no laundry to do - we just hose her off.
  

"oh goodness my guinness"

Friday was NBYNTBF Day at VDT.  That's National Bring Your Nanner To Beer-Friday Day for all of you Balderdash-ers.  Aimee brought the Nanner downtown to drink beers with the VDT crew at happy hour.

Week 42 - Say Goodbye To Fun

That's right - fun time is over.  Pops installed child proof locks to the kitchen cabinets.  That means no more cookie sheets, no more cans of stewed tomatoes, and no more pinched fingers.  

So it's back to terrorizing the bookshelves, though if her vice in life is going to be books, sign me up.

We also said goodbye to Gramma Rabidoux today, after two weeks of tender loving care of the Nanner.  Thanks Gramma.

Week 41 - Nanner Pie

Suggested serving size

Nanner Pie - /ˈnanər pī/ - (Noun): the quality of being irresistibly sweet and precious, especially when others deem it to be sleepy time.

ex:  Even though it was 5:03am and mama wanted and needed twelve to fourteen more hours of sleep, when she saw the Nanner Pie of her baby's bright smile and giggles, all was forgiven.  

Dessert

Gramma Rabidoux is staying with us for a few weeks to help take care of the Nanner.  I wish this post could show how excited and smiley Anna was when we picked Grandma up from the train.