Annabel Lynn

	Annabel Lynn


*Welcome to the world!*

Annabel Lynn is finally here!

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce Annabel to all her new family and friends. Please visit the site often, as we will update it regularly with new pictures and stories of her adventures.

Vital Statistics

Date of Birth: December 18, 2003
Time of Birth: 7:14 p.m.
Place: St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, NY
Weight: 6 lbs. 2 oz.
Length: 19 inches

Latest Update

It's spring, and with it come some wonderful changes. Annabel's web site is turning over a new leaf. Kind of. While this site will remain active -- and might add a picture once a month to continue the record of growth -- please join us at www.ittybit.blogspot.com for her new Web log. You may also check out flickr.com and search under my name for albums of pictures.

Annabel's new WEB LOG

Annabel's PHOTO SHARE

27 March, 2005 -- Annabel's first Easter egg hunt was a rousing success. Once she got the rules down there was no stopping her. She loved getting dressed up, too. We had planned to take her to church with grandma and papa, but she was feeling a bit punky on Saturday, exhibiting a low-grade fever and general clinginess, so we thought better of it and decided to keep her home. She was bright-eyed Easter morning, though, playing with the new doll gramma and papa bought her in Chatham during lunch on Saturday and eating anything not nailed down. What fun.

19 March, 2005 -- Happy birth month, Annabel! Yesterday she turned 15 months old. She celebrated with cup cake crumbs from her auntie Maureen's breakfast. Yum. Today we got to the taconic diner again. She had some yumm milk and egg products. Her dad got a breakfast wrap ... like a burrito, only they tricked him ... it had eggs in it. Ha ha.

Well folks, it had to come to a end sometime. The web site will be slowing down considerably from here on in. The FREE space is running low, and, as luck would have it, Jed accidentally spilled a margarita into my laptop. So I am having to write this from the old desktop downstairs.
Hope you've enjoyed this ittle window into Annabel's life, and, if we get lucky and the laptop can be repaired there will be more soon.

Annabel is partial to Ernie (Burt is an interloper). Mom helped a little with this picture.

12 March, 2005 -- Jed bought Annabel her first sled today. We got a nice layer of snow this morning so we all went sledding on the growing mountain in the yard. She liked whooshing down the hill alright, but she was much more interested in walking in the snow with her almost new hikers (Thanks to Kathleen and Peter) and eating it. Yum.

7 March, 2005 -- How big? We don't really know but we've made her first mark on the wall. It's not a terribly accurate measure of height, but it is one of two time-honored traditions that every parent is obligated to make. The other one comes ten years from now when we have to make a painful decision to repaint.

5 March, 2005 -- We all went skiing today. The weather was beautiful and the snow buttery. Afterward we went to the Taconic Diner (It's named O's Place for some strange reason.) Annabel LOVED twirling the stools at the counter.

1 March, 2005 -- Lori Risley marvels that almost a year has passed since little miss Annabel has been gracing her house with giggles and smiles and nice little piles of toys and clutter. How time flies. I had to take this picture as I was leaving the house on this fine snowy morning. Aren't our girls beautiful?

28 February, 2005 -- It's finally, almost really and truely finished. Annabel seems to love the Family Treehouse her mom made. It is a photo composite of many family photographs spanning decades right up to Christmas-time 2004 when she visited her baby cousin, Elliott, in Colorado. Her father wants a BIG one for the hallway, but this little one is for her very own bedroom.

27 February, 2005 -- Annabels has picked up a few new chores. In addition to getting the dog dishes, she also collects shoes (mainly to put inside her chair) and this morning she took it upon herself to find a dish towel and clean up dog slobber. So smart.

20 February, 2005 -- Annabel has been sitting in everything. ... the dog bowls, the toy basket, even the ledge on the inside of the refrigerator have been perches for our petunia. So yesterday I got her a "big chair" just her size. She loves eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and just "relaxing."

18 February, 2005 -- Annabel turned 14 months old today and is working on getting things just right. She's stacking everything from nesting cups to orange peels, and she's determined to get it done her way. She is also experimenting with opening and closing doors. One of her favorite games of late has been toddling into the bathroom and closing the door, leaving enough of a gap so she can peer out to see our reaction.

She is playing ring around the rosey, taking my hands and looking ap at me with pure glee as we make circles in the dining room. She's not always consistant about "all fall down," but every so often she squats or sits when I say "all fall BOOM."

On the physical front, more of her teeth are coming through her gums. Two incisors on the top have come down, although you still can't really see her front teeth unless you are changing her diaper or her smile is a BIG one.

I love how she wakes up every morning, and greets me by saying a sweet sounding "hi" when I walk in her room. As every day goes by, her hugs are also getting stronger and stronger. Every once and a while she gives me a kiss.

14 February, 2004 -- Happy Valentine's Day! Our internet has been down, but our spirits have been up. Annabel is busy learning all kinds of new things. She signs milk, more and done. She also signs I love you at all the appropriate moments. She is saying mama, dada, doggies, papa, please, up, hi, done, ayah, Hmmm. She knows where her shoes and socks go, she knows her feet, her nose, ears, mouth and eyes. She can show you her hands and she pretends to rub handcream into them. She has also been given her very first CHORE. We asked her to get the dog bowls one night (jokingly) and she went and got them. Now it's a nightly ritual at mealtime.

29 January, 2005 -- Skiing with the folks at OMI and then off to the pub to eat fried food, drink beer and watch slugs race across the bar. This is the life. We had a jam-packed weekend, with a trip to Gt. Barrington for yoga on Sunday finishing up the festivities. Grandma and Grandpop Connally went with us on that excursion. After class, we visited a coffee shop that had TOYS and even went grocery shopping and Guido's, where grandpops went hog wild filling me with orange samples from the produce aisle. He says they won't allow us back.

Annabel's a star

Annabel's little face is selling her favorite cereal on the Internet. She's quite a fan ... check it out.

Annabel's a spokesmodel

20 January, 2005 -- Annabel is having lots of fun feeding herself breakfast. It's a messy prospect, but she's enjoying her yogurt much more now that we are handing over control of the spoon from time to time. Needless to say it make bath time afterward a necessity!

13 January, 2005 -- Annabel is closing in on her 13th month. She is starting to sing with the car radio and repeat words and actions when we least expect it. She is starting to say B sounds. It's always a surprise when we're sitting at breakfast, pop something hot into our mouths and start waving our hands on either sides of face before reaching for water and just as we look up see Annabel reacting with a perfect hot-hands wave. But try to get her to repeat the action is fruitless.

She knows where her ears are, pulling them out when asked to show us her ears. If you ask for one and then the other she obliges happily. She looks at her feet (and sometimes offers you one) when you ask her where her shoes go. She also knows where her nose and eyes are, even if she can't quiet get their exact locations by pointing.

27 December, 2004 - 2 January, 2005 -- Happy New Year! Annabel officially welcomed her cousin, Elliott (born Dec 3), to the family after her first plane ride to Colorado and before her first bout with gastrointeritis.

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood, a slimy, body fluid-smeared place where every sneer you've ever directed toward a screaming child and his should-have-known-better mother from your cramped seat on that 747 comes back to haunt you ten-fold. And justly so.

Suffice it to say the nagging thought that I should have sprung for the extra seat like all the travel books advise evaporated as soon as we reached the check-in counter; a dozen other babes-in-arms waiting in line ahead of us. Comfort in numbers. It reappeared as soon as the airplane eased its way back from the jetway. The cause? A single, ear-piercing shreak, eminating from the 16 3/4 pound being sitting in my lap. The painful cry lasted until the plane leveled off 13 minutes later. All bets were off.

This was a bad sign.

A worse sign came a few days after our arrival, when our happy but overtired teeter toddler exhibted meltdown after meltdown until eventually waking one night and vomiting all over me and three changes of clothes.

Of course when the illness spread we were mortified to be assumed the most obvious origin.

As bad as it sounds, the surprising lesson we took away from the experience is how amazing parenthood can be, especially when things aren't easy. It seems inconceivable, but a vomiting, screaming, tantruming baby isn't the end of the world. Learning that you can handle it with a modicum of grace, even if you can't solve the problem right away, is quite empowering thing.

25 December, 2004 -- MERRY CHRISTMAS! I had a GREAT TIME. I opened presents until I had to take a nap from sheer exhaustion. I got a bearskin rug (made out of real unstuffed Teddy bear) from my great Uncle Murphy, and I got lots of toys and clothes from my Auntie Maureen and Grand pops Pat and Grandma Lynn. The best toy, however, is the playhouse my Dad and Mom made for me out of carboard boxes and poster paint. I really like it.

18 December, 2004 -- Surprise Party? I'll kill ya! Annabel turned one year old today, and had many friends and family over to celebrate. It's hard to believe she's ONE YEAR OLD. Time sure flies.

11 December, 2004 -- Annabel made quite a connection with Santa Claus. Mommy interviewed him for the paper and Annabel got to have a little chat of her own with the big guy. Just a week away from her birthday, Annabel got all dolled up and went to visit Santa and attend the annual cookie party at Erin and Andy's house in Voorheesville for the first time.

27 November, 2004 -- Annabel spent a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family at home Thursday, and traveling to Concord Saturday to visit Grandma Linda and Great Grandparents Ralph and Peggy Miller. We had a ball. Annabel is learning new tricks, too, including putting her plastic balls into bags and taking them out again. We think she is even saying DAD! (Of course she could be calling the dogs.)

19 November 2004 -- She's eleven months old and a cult of personality. We are all following her lead. Clicking our tongues, sounding out words and giggling like fools. As you can see by this picture, Annabel is taking great pleasure in some of her favorite toys. This particular gem -- a pooh pull toy -- was given to her last year as a Christmas present by her second cousin, Maggie Galloway. Although Annabel has been hugging and kissing her toys for a while now, she has not gotten the hang of hugging and kissing her ol' parents just yet. Hugs first, we think, then kisses. Can't wait.

14 November, 2004 -- Have we mentioned Annabel is walking? She's still a teeter toddler but she's getting more stable every day.
Siobhan took this past week off and spent it doing nothing with Annabel. They took walks during the day, started their Christmas shopping and even visited some local art galleries and cafes. It was a lovely week that ended with a two-hour trip to the Boston area to visit friends who recently welcomed their new baby Noah. It was a great trip.

7 November, 2004 -- Annabel still won't drink water from a bottle or from a sippy cup, but she is drinking water with the help of a straw. Sometimes I have to remind her what to do by audibly sucking in air. She doesn't understand the difference between that sound and blowing out air, so invariably she ends up blowing bubbles in the water before she tries the other method. Another first today: Annabel took five unassisted steps across the carpet and then turned and walked back. She never once tried to grab onto furnature for support. She is now, officially, a TEETER TODDLER!

31 October, 2004 -- Annabel and Jed, and members of the Risley clan, ventured out in somewhat inclement weather to fineggle candy from unsuspecting suburbanites. At her very first house -- the Casey's -- Annabel even stole a heart.

27 October, 2004 -- Annabel met Tinkerbell, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig fostered by Lori's friend, Heather. She was quite impressed with this charming little creature, who, reportedly, takes a Kitty (a pet Pug dog) for walks around the kitchen by grabing Kitty's collar in its mouth and trotting around the room.

If any one wants to adopt this little porcine pal, let me know. I'll arrange a meeting.

17 October, 2004 -- Annabel and some of her yoga buddies got together for a little hike this weekend. We went to Bartholomew's Cobble and had a picnic. Annabel and Maya got to ride in backpacks while the moms did all the tough work. It was quite spectacular. Everyone really enjoyed their day out.

Annabel recently visited her new friend Abigail in Ganesvoort. Abigail is five weeks old.

10 October, 2004 -- Annabel is learning all sorts of new things. She is delighting in participating in games like peek-a-boo now, and she has started to wave goodbye. She is balancing on her own two feet for longer periods of time and she's getting more skilled and steady at trolling the furniture.

3 October, 2004 -- Annabel got all dressed up for her Aunt Maureen's birthday tonight. She had a wonderful time at Cavalerie's Restaurant where she ate applesauce and oatios while the rest of us had mega portions of eggplant, chicken, veal and pasta. Although she was wide awake for the dinner, she nodded off during dessert.

The dinner was an exciting end to an exciting weekend. She spent most of Saturday with her daddy while mom and Lori spent the day at the SPA using of our mother's day gift certificates! Note: We learned a valuable lesson: Four hours at a spa is like Seven Years (too long) in Tibet.

26 Sept., 2004 -- Uh, when they say wearing the baby I'm pretty sure they don't mean as a hat! Annabel had a nice weekend. We went to the park at the end of the street for the first time. We all had fun. She recently visited the doctor for her 9 month well-baby visit. She weighs 16 1/2 pounds and measures 27 3/4 inches.

18 September, 2004 -- Annabel is nine months old today. I bought her a charming hat for the upcoming Halloween season. (You can never start too early on your costume, that's our philosophy, anyway.) As you can see, she is really getting into the cat burglar mode. As she enters her ninth month, Annabel is trying to stand up without support and is even taking some steps. Although her balance is still shaky, she seems confident and not too upset when she falls on her bum.

13 September, 2004 -- Peek-a-boo. ... I see you. That's what Annabel is into now ... That and the dogs' dishes, the draws of my side table, the basket of toys in the living room. She may never need to walk on her own, seeing as how she is skilled at getting anywhere she likes just by holding onto the couches and scaling along sidewise. ... It may be time to rearrange the furniture for maximum space!

10 Sept., 2004 -- Annabel got to visit with Smudge today while she played at Lori's. Smudge is a Boston Bull Terrier owned by Lori's friend Heather, and is just the right size for babies. Annabel had fun with him, trying to share his snacks and pull his ears.

8 Sept., 2004 -- Climbing is serious business these days. Pant legs, tables, chairs ... Just about anything will do. Busy, busy, busy.

30 August, 2004 -- Annabel is pretty sneeky these days. She's a silent creeper, quietly venturing further and further away from mommy (as long as she can see her, anyway). She has been trying to balance on her own and has been using furniture to pull herself up from and along the floor. She is also practicing arias and testing gravity -- an artist AND a scientist.

22 August, 2004 -- Notice the sneeky way Annabel has lifted her grandma Lynn's reading glasses? She couldn't be distracted from them at all. Annabel also got a taste of Mexican food today. After yoga, we went to Xicoh Tencatl in Great Barrington. She LOVES black beans and rice. Yum.

18 August, 2004 -- Annabel is eight months old today. She is such a wiggle worm. Standing, sitting, twisting, testing gravity and the limits of her voice. She actively seeks out the attentions of strangers and charms her way through most every event she attends. Although sleeping comes even more difficult these days as she wakes herself often by her constant motion, she's an infinitely fun child.

8 August, 2004 -- Bathing beauty ... and doesn't Annabel look cute, too? We spent a lovely week in Maine, visiting grandma, the beach and even doing a bit of canoeing and shopping. Mom bought me a stuffed fish and a bucked-tooth binky. (So embarassing). She burned her feet in the sub while my pigment remained remarkably unchanged.

25 July, 2004 -- Annabel feels pretty wearing the pink check dress and white pantiloons her auntie Sarah once wore. Happy news: We just found out Annabel's first cousin -- due in December -- is going to be a boy.

18 July 2004 -- Annabel is seven months old today. She is growing in leaps and bounds. The introduction to solid food last month had a rocky start but now she is eating like a pro. She loves bananas and carrots, and will eat both rice and oatmeal cereals with delight. She is consistently getting herself to a seated position, sitting up with strength and fewer episodes of falling over. She has begun the crawling process by inching backward on all fours, but she really only wants to stand.

17 July 2004 -- Happy Birthday grandma Lynn! Tomorrow we will celebrate with cake, but today Auntie Maureen and Mommy went to Manchester, Vt. to see a horse show. I don't know whether I like these big, smelly beasts yet, but I sure to like to chew on my hat. Hey, I wonder if Heather and Chloe are here?

11 July, 2004 -- Sheriff Windy McCay sings a little ditty to Annabel during Media Day at Great Escape. This year the former Storytown U.S.A. celebrates its 50th anniversary. Sheriff McCay has chased down the "Bad Guys" in Ghost Town since the park opened in 1954. Annabel and her parents, and the Risleys all spent the day riding the rides and having lots of fun.

10 July 2004 -- We took Annabel swimming at Jeff and Lori's pool party tonight. She wore a lovely swimsuit given to her by Sue and Bill Garratt (and swim diapers). Annabel was happy to be in the water for all of five minutes then -- BAM -- was she MAD and probably cold. Mom and Dad were wet and the only comfort she could find was in the arms of a warm - and dry - Lori. mmmm.
Afterward, when all the chaos had settled, she had a fine time eating dinner, having Tierney and Brianna hold her and read her stories, and swing on the swings. She even fell asleep rocking poolside.

5 July, 2004 -- Annabel spent her Independence Day with grandma Lynn and mommy at yoga and her Independence Night with daddy at ART OMI. She slept through the fireworks display. On Saturday we took a trip out to Salem, NY so mommy could take pictures of a theatre company that uses PUPPETS! She says she spent many, many summers up that way with her friends Lori and Teri Carpenter. We stopped at the Burger Den in Jackson and had burgers, fries and shakes (she said for old-timesake) and we also visited Wilma and Grandpa Rogers at Lauderdale. We even stopped at the Co-op in Cambridge, where mommy said she used to get trail mix when she was little. She said she had all she could DO not to buy me a toy in the shop. She said the store was mostly the same even though they've made many nice changes.

2 July, 2004 (evening) -- The bet is on that Annabel will be walking at 8 months. She got little over a month and 17 days to perform this feat. She's already pulling herself to standing and taking steps putting one foot in front of the other. When she attemps to crawl, she usually does so from downward dog pose. She keeps her heels down!

1 July, 2004 -- What a day for firsts. Annabel had her first real dip in a pool, where she reeled in her first raft. Lori let her chew on the moorings as a reward for all her hard work. It has also been discovered that she has learned to pull herself up in the bassinet. ... And so it is with a little sadness that her beloved cradle ... the place that saw her, her father and her aunt Sarah safely through their first months ... will be replaced by a crib (thanks to the generosity of Kathleen and Peter). A new milestone.
To keep you updated on the food front. Annabel likes carrots, rice cereal, applesauce and bananas. At the moment she will take a pass on oatmeal and peas, although she liked a few bites of each several days ago.

29 June, 2004 -- I just FEEL pretty in this dress that Grandma Linda's friends Prathibha and Vivek gave me. Grandma spent a few days last weekend with me, and we had a lovely time practicing yoga and weeding mom's flower patch together. Mommy tried to get a picture of us, but she couldn't snap the picture and remain hidden. ... These days, I have a tendancy to cry when I see her and I realize I'm not WITH her.

26 June, 2004 -- I am a fashion plate. I promise not to let it go to my head even though EVERYONE I meet tells me how sweet I look.

June 24, 2004 -- Guess what I'm doing? Yum!
Teething biscuits are SO good. The only problem is that mommy keeps taking them away when I break them and giving the pieces to the dogs. I don't like that at ALL. I don't understand why they give me things they're just going to take away!

22 June, 2004 -- Annabel had her six-month well baby doctor's appointment today. She weighs 14 lbs. 9 ounces and is 26 inches tall. (Again, grandpa Pat wins the pool for guessing closest to correct). As usual, our itty-bit delighted the office staff and doctor alike with her charms. Lori attended the event with us and can attest to Annabel's quick and remarkable recovery from her vaccination. She let out just a little howl and that was that. By the time mom lifted her up from the examination table she was SMILING at the nurse who administered the shot.

20 July, 2004 -- Annabel kept her eye on the ball this Father's Day, helping her dad get a little workout before his big game.

19 June, 2004 -- Annabel visits with mommy's friend Martha, who is awaiting the arrival of a new friend in August. Martha said mommy's tummy when I was in it gave her "the bug."

18 June, 2004 -- HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY! Today we had a birthday breakfast of rice cereal to celebrate my sixth month ... MMMM it's, well. ... I suppose it was OK. For a first-timer, food doesn't seem as good as the GIANTS make it out to be.

13 June, 2004 -- Annabel has a new trick ... she's starting to crawl. She's also sitting up with more stability (although she still pitches herself forward and backward at will).

6 June 2004 -- See what yoga can do for one's flexibility? We had a lovely time this weekend finding our feet while Mommy and Lori were busy finding garage sale gems (like the stroller mommy bought for eight dollars!) This week I have two teeth coming in and I am scooching across the floor on my stomach. I've only moved a couple of centemeters but soon, ZOOM.

30 May, 2004 -- We spent the day at Frank and Helen Connally's in Cornwall, Vt. to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday. There were so many fun things to see -- all of them CHILDREN. Check out the special Memorial Day page for more pictures.

22 May, 2004 -- Today was Halley and Bill's wedding along the beautiful Shenendoah River. I visited with Mr. Bob McIlwain, Bill's dad. I am working on getting people's noses. So far I've successfully grabbed about a dozen schnozes.

17 May, 2004 -- We went to Washington D.C. this week in anticipation of Halley Porter's and Bill McIlwain's wedding in Virginia on the weekend. We did lots of visiting while we stayed in the nation's capitol. We visited Great Aunt Dody and Great Uncle Joe Goldberg and their dog Khan. We also visited with Great Aunt Maureen Murphy. I learned there's a reason why aunts and uncles are so GREAT! We also did some siteseeing. We visited the National Gallery, the Freer Gallery, some other art museums and The Holocaust Museum. We also went to the National Zoo where we saw a bunch of animals. Then we went to the Smithsonian where we saw the very same animals only they were stuffed!

Want to see Mommy's new do?

12 May, 2004 -- Mom got her hair cut off and donated it to the Locks of Love organization. We think it looks great. Mom says she's going to grow it all back and maybe donate it again. To see the new hairdo, look on the photo album page.

9 May, 2004 -- It's Siobhan's first Mother's Day. Jed, although he doesn't look it, was not caught off guard. He conspired with Lori's husband to give us both spa gift certificates we can use together. NIce job guys. Seeing as how we both feel uncomfortable getting massages, at least we will be together in our discomfort!

2 May, 2004 -- It looked like rain, but that didn't stop us from taking a stroll through the neighborhood. I think this backpack we got second-hand from Kathleen and Peter is a keeper!

1 May, 2004 -- I may not have known what to do with this play saucer last week, but oh what a difference a few days make. I can now sit and spin in this thing. I like to sit here and talk to all of my friends. (I especially like giraffe).

29 April, 2004 -- Annabel has learned that her hands make things happen. She has also learned her feet can help her hands out quite a bit. Recently she's been reaching out to her mommy, getting toys with her toes and poping her Nuk in and out of her mouth at will. Such cuteness and talent.

25 April, 2004 -- Jed went with us to yoga on Sunday, and indulged me by practicing with Annabel. He did so well. Afterward we went to Target and bought an Evenflow mega saucer -- $59. It took us about 45 minutes to assemble the saucer of joy, but boy was it worth the time and money. She LOVED it. She quickly went for the soft plastic monkey and the letter "E." She happily squealed her way to each of the toys, all the while craning her head to check in with either Jed or me and smile her wide toothless smile.

20 April, 2004 -- Annabel had her four-month "well baby" check up today. She weighed in at 12 lbs. 3 oz. and measured 24 3/4 inches. Still long and lean. She also got four more vaccinations. OWWIE. She recovered quickly, though, and suffered only mild discomfort later in the day.
She is such a brave little girl.

15 April, 2004 -- Lori was on vacation this week, which meant Annabel had to go to work with daddy (when she wasn't visiting happily with grandpa Pat and grandma Lynn). As soon as Mommy drove away this morning, daddy had me working on the floor. Gee whiz, I hate this work stuff! It got better, though, and no sooner was it fun than we got to quit for the day and head to the PUB!

10 April, 2004 -- While she wasn't exactly the belle of this ball, our Annabel made quite an impression at her cousin Halley's engagement party in Concord, Mass. She was greeted by her great grandmother Peggy and her grandma Linda at the shin dig, who were both so happy to see her. Grandma Linda keep her busy, too, while mommy took pictures.

4 April, 2004 -- Essential yoga gear. Annabel! Today we got to lead our first baby yoga class. One person attended with their charming 9-month-old daughter. Teaching was a bit stiff for me, but it is my hope practice will improve my skills as an instructor.

We found out this week our "girlpie" LOVES "Homemade Love," a book by Bell Hooks. She never gets tired of it even when we read it over and over ... and when her grandparents read it over and over.

28 March, 2004 -- What a beautiful weekend. The weather looked cold and rainy at first, but turned lovely each day. By Sunday, the new sunporch was so warm little miss Annabel got to wear a sundress.

Derek and Patricia came for a visit this weekend (March 20-21). Annabel was very impressed with them. After our gourmet breakfast of German pancakes, ginger pear upside down cake and one hand sandwich, we took a leisurely cross-country ski through The Fields at Art Omi.

17 March, 2004 -- Happy St. Patrick's Day! We're playing for the Fightin' Irish today. Snow is everywhere, so we're thinking our little shindig for the baby 'bel will be pretty tiny. We're still planning to have stew, so if you're in the neighborhood stop by.

13 March, 2004 -- We took a trip to Dia Beacon today. Annabel was intrigued by the artwork, perhaps not as much as her dad but intrigued nontheless. Mostly, she like the ceilings and the bathroom's changing table.

10 March, 2004 -- Grandpa Pat brought Annabel a funny little surprise -- clown noses -- a gift from her Great Uncle Art's brother Bumper T Clown (a.k.a George Edwards).

9 March, 2004 -- This is Siobhan's last week of maternity leave and the Connally-Clearys are taking advantage of every minute. Siobhan has already returned to freelancing on Monday, and Jed and Annabel came along for the ride. The adventure started in Gt. Barrington with Siobhan taking a portrait for The Artful Mind and Jed and the baby taking a little tour of the town. (Pictured here). We next went on an adventure that included a visit to Albany to process film and get breakfast; and then a jaunt to Schenectady to look at cars, visit a Lowes and get help daddy get lost at The Tool Shed. We later headed into Saratoga to visit our friend Clark at the Tang museam at Skidmore College. Clark took us on a tour of the backstage area "where all the magic happens." We also visited some of the folks who made an impression on Jed while he attended school there, back in the day. They OOOHed and AHHed impressively. Quite an odd thing to go back to your alma mater with a child in a backpack!

6 March 2004 -- Annabel visited her first museum today. We all went to the New York State Museum on this gray and dismal day. There was a minimalist exhibit from the Guggenheim (she was not terribly impressed) and an exhibit of the patients suitcase contents from a cashe discovered in a storage room at the Willard Mental Hospital long after the facility had closed. (Again, not terribly impressed, and voiced her concern when mom lingered). But an exhibit of American quilts was TERRIBLY impressive to our little bean. Although she was wide-eyed for all of the quilts, she seemed quite taken with one that was mostly black and white, with patches of red and brown. She spun her head around to see it as we were leaving and kept her eyes fixed on it as we proceeded to the next exhibit.

2 March 2004 -- Jed and Siobhan have been adapting to Annabel's schedule, which has gotten surprisingly steady ... several brief naps during the day and longer sleeping jags overnight. Feedings at night have gone from every two hours to every three to four hours -- Yay, baby. Annabel is also discovering her hands and finding them to be a great comfort in the absence of one of her thousands of 'binkies" (pacifiers, chuppas etc.) We call this her Hand Sandwich!

24 February, 2004 -- Annabel spent her first Fat Tuesday in Conway, Mass. visiting with her grandparents John and Sally, who hosted their second annual Mardi Gras party and first wedding anniversary celebration. We danced the evening away to the foot-stompin' sounds of a great zydeco band, and Sally and John delighted the crowds with their colorful performance as members of "Krewe de Glue." Check out the photo album for more pictures of our little girl all gussied up.

19 February, 2004 -- Annabel had her two-month check-up today. She weighs 9 lbs. 10 oz. and measured 23 1/8 inches. Her height has her in the 75th percentile and her weight is in the 25th percentile. Long and lean. She gained 2 lbs. 5 oz. since her last visit a month ago. She also got her first series of vaccinations. Boy did she scream. After the shots, I nursed her for a while until she calmed down a bit and then my mom walked her around the waiting room while I scheduled the next "well baby" torture. Annabel was enthralled by the aquarium in the doctors' office. By the time we left she was even smiling again.

14 February 2004 -- Happy Valentine's Day! We've added a few sweet pictures to the photo album. Annabel has been a very busy girl lately. Yoga, entertaining, cooking. ... She's so talented.

12 Feb. 04 -- Yoga baby ... She's eight weeks old today. We celebrated with chaturanga dandasana on the new sun porch. This picture is a little later, perhaps in March or April.

You have a baby!
... In a BAR?

11 February 2004 -- Yes, folks, Annabel has visited her first pub. Even though she only got second-hand pineapple juice she had a grand time. See more photos in the gallery ...

3 Feb 2004 -- The bedroom "wing" of the house is coming along nicely. The sheetrock is finished and Jed has been busy painting it a bright white. Annabel has even delighted in meeting this new guy with the racoon eyes. She thought he was a riot.

30 Jan 2004 -- Annabel is six weeks old now, and while her schedule would be none too convenient if it were forecasting the arrival of a bus, she is sleeping for longer periods of time during the night. Her most delightful trick to date is a responsive smile that melts our hearts. So far she responds to certain words said in a high-pitched voice. We call them magic words, and they change from day to day. For instance, today's magic word was "Peapod."