Two Dog Night

Well, not really - this evening was one of the mildest Halloweens in recent memory so no need for extra body heat, and we don't allow dogs in our bed anyway, but we did have two good dogs tonight!






And, once she figured out that the lollipops were more fun unwrapped, Celia enjoyed spending part of the evening on the front porch, sucking on candy and watching trick or treaters and visiting with neighbors.






And then it was time to put the dogs to bed...

Wild, Wonderful

We went to visit Poppy John and Grandma Sandy in West Virginia for a couple days. Poppy John put in new playground equipment for me to play on -- this is "Sharkie." He also built a tree swing, but I preferred swinging with him by the pond.

After playing outside, I needed to take a bath, and Poppy John and Grandma Sandy have a big red bathtub; I love the water.
I could even watch the cows from the bathtub.
I had fun in West Virginia, playing outside and in the big red tub. I watched "Porch Cat" the kitty through the glass, and Grandma Sandy got me princess cookies, and let me play with her fancy doll. I can't wait to go back to visit again soon.

CEB

Resisting Temptation

Of course, Andy and I find Celia endlessly lovable and fascinating. The temptation, the instinct, is to talk about her, and write about her... What happens to this singularity of focus when the new baby arrives?

We had an ultrasound appointment yesterday; this baby put on a good show. The sole of a foot flashed by, with five tiny toes, a diminutive profile emerged, allowing us to see the baby's sweet face, the heart beat wildly, the mouth opened and closed (Andy's pretty sure he was saying "O-H") The only thing we didn't explore were the baby's gender "parts." We resisted the temptation to learn this baby's sex - what a fun surprise that will be in March!

And the temptation to share photos of Celia --- irresistible!

JEB

Here is how I imagined our Metropolitan Mishap...

I think the best part about digital cameras is that there's no reason to only take a few pictures. In the process of learning about photography I have learned that taking a BUNCH of pictures is really the secret to getting a great photo, assuming you have a willing subject. Sometimes it's only 1 in 100 photos that turn out, but sometimes we do better. Experimenting with different angles and colors, along with my "very willing subject," turned up this gem that I couldn't resist embellishing.

Celzilla

This post and this photo by this guy:

Metropolitan mishap, or not

Sleeping in till nine, pretty weather, and nothing pressing on the agenda combined to result in an impromptu trip to COSI... which is apparently closed on Mondays... and so turned into an impromptu walk around downtown (when we visit COSI, we park at Grant - for free - and walk the 8 or so blocks anyway). So, we just kept walking (after some light refreshments, including grape juice, Kix cereal and raisins), enjoying each others' company, the people watching and the weather.

As mentioned before, Celia is a big fan of water, and these fountains near COSI caught her attention. If it'd been a tad warmer, she'd have been soaking wet.
Ever since Celia joined us, we're full of sopping devotion (to her, and to each other)... She makes our eyes glisten and our lives sparkle.

JEB

The next

little Gills-Betz hybrid is moving - a lot. You've heard the sayings, "the next big soccer player" or "flopping like a fish," and I'll try to avoid those... at some point, most analogies fail, and these are no different. You can't really describe what it feels like to have a baby moving inside you to someone unless she has, you know, had a baby moving inside her... And most babies don't grow up to be famous soccer players, nor do they typically seem much like fish once they're here. But for several weeks now I've been enjoying this little one's reminders that he/she is thriving, and last night Andy finally got to feel some kicks. Celia doesn't really have the patience, or the interest, to stand around with her hand on my belly. Anyway, all these little fetal flutters have the tendency to set my heart a flutter :)

JEB

Little Miss Sunshine

Lately, sun has been flooding through our windows, reflecting off our white breakfast plates, enhancing the rich red of Celia's hair, illuminating all the dust in the air (ugh), and lightening moods. Ohio's recent fall weather has been unseasonably warm, but the sunshine and the breezes blowing in through open windows have been a treat. It is October afterall though, mid-October in fact, which means some consideration must be given to what type of candy we'll distribute, and whether Celia will wear a costume, and which pumpkin will look perfect on our front porch... Although we did find some good pumpkins, in the greater scheme of things these fall-induced decisions are minor, so for now we're just enjoying the pumpkins and the sunlight and the shiny red hair...

JEB

What a Rebel

Celia is napping now. On Saturday, after tailgating and a big show of "I'm so tired" we brought her home for a nap, at which point she determined that watching the Buckeye game with Daddy would be far more fun. It was fun, except she was so tired... On Sunday, she skipped her nap again, which made for a fairly cranky little girl. It's Monday now, and her nap strike is over (for today, anyway).
Thank. Goodness.JEB

Number Two

Andy didn't have to work today, so we went apple picking. And, we focused a little attention on the next baby - with photos as proof! We want this baby to know how excited we are to meet him/her, and we figured we'd better appease Aunt Kate and others who are far away with an answer to the "How's your belly?" questions...

A *Full* 19 Months

Like green peas on a silver spoon at suppertime, our hearts are overflowing.

Precious Pigtails

Although it took longer to fix Celia's hair than she allowed it to stay fixed, the first time we tried pigtails convinced us that we'll need to keep trying and hope that someday she won't pull them out - it was pretty cute!

JEB

The Best Kind of High

We've been running a couple miles, a couple times a week. Today we discovered a park in Marble Cliff that we hadn't noticed before. Celia seemed to appreciate a chance to get out of the jogging stroller and play; she went down the slide - on her bottom, on her back, on her belly - and giggled the whole way down each time. She watched village employees plant lots of fall mums. She made friends with another little girl who was there with her grandma. And, she "flew" from Daddy's arms over and over! (Notice she was dressed for bedtime, and bundled for warmth - it was not our intention to stop and play... but we couldn't resist.)
So, for us this evening a little "runner's high" and for Celia a little "flying high" - endorphins were released and natural euphoria abounds.

JEB