Fleet Week in SF

Zack and I took Mary Ann up on her offer to take Beatrice for the day and went on a cruise of SF Bay, enjoying the Blue Angel's airshow with food and wine.  The show was part of the festivities for Fleet Week in SF.  I forgot to take any pictures of the sailors in their dress whites on the streets, but there were quite a few!  

The show itself was impressive and very very LOUD.  Even more amazing we caught sight of our neighbor Bob, out on his Coast Guard duties!

Beatrice, meanwhile, had a blast with Grandma Nanna / Nanny.  

It was the Columbus Day Street Fair/Parade in North Beach, so they toured the festivities, ate meatball sandwiches, and (Beatrice) took a nap in her special crib.  I knew they had fun when we got back and Beatrice had on a completely new outfit.

Finally, before we left in the morning, I found Beatrice reading about airplanes to her baby doll.  Just like we do for her...holding the book and all.

Not sitting

I realized recently that by looking at the blog it looks as if Beatrice is always sitting/standing still for photos.  Oh not so, not so.  So I've decided to post some of the ones (which aren't entirely blurry) of her in action.  And not sitting still.

Why she plays harmonica and eats with toothpicks...I don't know, such is life with Beatrice, who, if you ask her, is "almost two"

On Saturday we shopped ("shop!") for food and had Karen and Ted over for a nice (if late) dinner.  

Favorite Things

I haven't taken photos of Beatrice's favorite "things" in a while, so I started snapping away this morning. Bunny still tops the list, of course. As does Baby "Jake" (the pink doll in the photo). This also marks the first doll she has ever named. After the little boy Jacob across the street. We think.

Beatrice has also actually started to sit through books and request/demand them daily. Her ni-night book is still the short and sweet "I am a bunny" book. She and Daddy love reading about "Huckle" in Richard Scarry's book ("Daddy, Huckle. Huckle, Daddy, Huckle. Weed.") And I highly recommend "please, baby, please" - Beatrice has basically memorized the whole thing. "Momma, peas babe"!

And of course, "Princess Baby" is a favorite morning read. Along with this strange book, "This is the way". "Momma, pince babe. Momma, dis. Weed."
Here's my favorite - Beatrice reading them on her own!

By the way, don't ask about her outfit. I dressed her and then she insisted on putting on my bathing suit on over her outfit.

Other favorites: Making pictures with stickers and crayons, Mommy's & Daddy's blackberrys, the picture of her beaches (St Simons Island "Ghawguh" = Georgia and Santa Barbara "SanBarBar"), her map of the US, and her fancy new playroom


And let's not forget Sarah B ("Sahwah") and Colby!

Cleaning, Balancing & Dancing

"BeBe clean" - there is very little in this world that Beatrice enjoys more than a good cleaning session. And when she gets to do it in green frog boots, all the better. She helped Mommy & Daddy, mostly Daddy (somebody has to take photos!), clean up the back and side yard. We've still got a long way to go, but luckily the amount of work is limited by green can space!

We cleaned up in time for Kelsey to come over and hang out with us. Bea was in heaven and got her to read all her favorite books (and force fed her cheese and bread for "nack" - snack)
Beatrice and Sarah B also went to the zoo again this week, and as best I can tell from the photos, Beatrice spent her time there either climbing or balancing on things.


The highlight of the past few days though was definitely a visit from Eleanor and Anna. Beatrice was so happy to have them in her playroom! Dancing. And doing stickers. She's talked of little else.


Finally...we still enjoy dressing her funny

"Bea a big girl"

Friday is my day at home with Beatrice.  She woke up this morning a bit scared, so we cuddled in my bed for a bit before getting up for the day.  After a few minutes cuddling, I asked her how she was doing and she said, "Gub."  And I asked her how Baby Jake was doing (she recently named her pink doll Jake, after Jacob across the street who is 6.5 years old), and she said "Gub."  Then I asked after Bunny.  "Gub" again.  Silence for a minute.  Then she sat up and leaned into my face so that our noses were almost touching and yelled "Helwo!"  She thought it was so hilarious we must have done it 10 more times.  Then we called Grandma Elizabeth and Granddaddy Bill and did it to them 10 more times.  

Later I tried to capture it on film, with limited success.

I'm not 100% sure where these pictures with Sarah B are from, possibly the Oakland Zoo or a park.  It's been a crazy, busy week.  I'm supposed to work 24 hours a week, but by Thursday at 12:30 I'd already clocked 38 hours.  I'm not sure if that's accurate, but I know I was tired enough that perhaps my math skills might have failed me (in excel, no less!).  And yes, I realized too late that I turned the camera the wrong way (AGAIN) for videos.

But today was a charmer.  Especially when Beatrice said FOUR WORDS IN A ROW!  "Bea a big girl"

Not actually on tape of course, but I still heard them.  This was after me saying for the 100th time in a row, "No Beatrice, those are baby clothes (for Ellie's baby), those aren't for a big girl like you"  Obviously, BeBe agrees with me.  I like the reverting to whining at the end.  Have I mentioned she's almost two?