Thanksgiving with the Family

Sabine's visit with her godmother Ann Mathews and husband John Driscoll.

Cole, Sabine, and her Oma Christina

Sabine with her dad and grandparents, Christina and Mike. Her Oma is a pro at feeding her.

Sitting warm and happy in the hat and blanket her Grandmother Schele had ready for stroller ride through her grandparents' neighborhood in Norfolk.

Sabine enjoying the Bumbo chair after sitting in the car for the long trip home. If she could talk, she would probably share her frustration with the Virginia Department of Transportation for not opening up the HOV lanes for the holiday traffic.

Early Christmas Gifts

Sabine will soon enjoy the company of her new friend Will when Mom goes back to work. Will (along with Alina, his mom) gave Sabine this holiday outfit for Thanksgiving.

Alina and her son Will gave Sabine this cute outfit. She is a smarty pants. Sabine also goes through many sets of pants in a day, so we were really appreciative of the outfit.

Our Little Elf

After her yoga class and tour through Old Town, Sabine was wiped out. We gave her a bath and dressed her in holiday pajammas. Thomas told her she looked just like a red-headed elf. She smiled and went to sleep.

Sabine is not quite feeling the hat

I was getting Sabine ready for her baby yoga class today, and she needed a hat. We are thinking she wasn't sure that this was the best choice.

She can't talk yet, but in her little head, she is thinking, "Don't you think the flower is a bit much?"

Holiday Season

This weekend we kicked off the holiday season with a visit to Sarah and Dan's housewarming party. Above is Sabine with Caulder, her friend from Wintergreen last month. Debbie, Caulder's grandmother (shown above) told us that Missy and Joe are taking him to Hawaii in February when he is one year old.

Sabine looks jealous. Or maybe surprised that this little boy always wants to hold her hand.

After the Housewarming party, we went to Tonia and Al's for their friends Thanksgiving party. Above is Al preparing the turkey.

We get ready to sit down to dinner, excited to enjoy Beth's first course. Sabine decided to do the blessing. Her comments were a bit high pitched and somewhat loud. So much so, that we thought it best to have Sabine finish her blessing in the next room.

So the vacant chairs at the table were later enjoyed by Thomas and Cole, after Sabine had given her thanks as only an infant can. Effie, our friend standing in the above picture, filled our plates, and we ate. Quickly. As only parents of an infant can. :-)

We returned home, put Sabine in her pajamas, and told her all about the great food at Tonia and Al's annual "Friend's Thanksgiving." We really hope it continues to be an annual event, as we promised Shortie pureed vegetables and turkey mash next year.

Sabine watches BC play Florida State

Sabine's expression when Dad was explaining football. She is happy about the first half. . .

Bringin' it Back 80's Style

At a mom's night out gathering, Cole picked up a pair of "Baby Legs" which look suspiciously like leg warmers Cole wore when she was a kid in the 80's. Sabine loves them.

What she didn't love was posing for this picture right after nursing, very ready for her afternoon nap. She did a little "Flashdance" for us in her baby gym when she woke up, with legs and arms flying about. Perhaps she was inspired by her new threads. :-)

Sabine Goes to Mom's Office, Spends Time with Aunt Terry

Today Sabine went to work with Mom and Dad. She visited with more people than she has met in her entire life. (A pretty accurate statement.) Above is Ronnette with Sabine.

Mom explained to Sabine in the elevator that Ronnette is an important lady. She made sure that her Mom had all of her materials, flight reservations, and anything else needed before road trips. But more importantly, she is a great friend with sage advice. After all, she told Cole to marry Thomas. Cole tends to check in with Ronnette before making big decisions.

The hightlight of Sabine's day was spending time with one of Mom's favorite people, Terry Edwards. Terry fed Sabine her bottle, burped her, surely destroyed Terry's pretty blouse, and then swiftly went to sleep in her arms.

Sabine has great taste in caretakers. She already knows that Terry is going to help raise her and is part of her family. :-)

What Dad Does When Mom is in the Shower

No comment.

The Girls

Last night we went over to Lauren's house for an in-house spa treatment and down home southern cooking. Cole, Ann, and Lauren feasted on fried chicken and mac and cheese while Sabine and Thomas watched the Boston College game.

Lunch at the Vaughan's

Today Cole and Sabine had lunch at Natalie Vaughan's house with Laura, little Jules, and Natalie's boys Luke and Aiden. Sabine had a huge smile on her face when I told her she was going to meet the cutest twins in Arlington.

Ahh, what has now become the obligatory shot when we put the little ones on the sofa. Jules is to the right. What a gorgeous baby. (With Laura as her mom, this was a given.) Twin boys Luke and Aiden are to Sabine's left and right.

Oh. And it appears we have a red head. This is a little more evident when her hair is clean. :-)

Check Up and First Round of Shots

Sabine had her first round of shots today. She handled it like a real trooper. (A lot better than her mom!) She let out one huge wail, turned red as a beet, and then proceeded to give us a smile and stick her whole fist in her mouth.

The doctor declared her to be in "spetacular health" with strong muscle strength and a great growth arc. Thomas wanted the doctor to weigh in on the possibility of her winning a golf scholarship. She and I told him that speculation is a little premature at this point.

Now Sabine is sporting band aids on both legs that almost cover her plump little thighs. I would give her a big fat lolly pop if I could.

(This picture is actually from last week, but it reveals whose chin she inherited.)

Relaxing after her trip to the polls

Needless to say, Shortstacks didn't make it past 10 pm after her exciting trip to the polls. She woke me up at 3 am though. I swear she gave me a look that read, "So? Who is in charge of my country during my toddler years?" We talked about the historic day. Well, she ate, and I talked.

Mom and Baby Rock the Vote

Sabine and I took the jogging stroller up to vote this morning. We think that she will be excited to learn she participated in this historic election. Of course, she became slightly perturbed by the many Obama folks that knocked on our doors incessently. She wailed one time, which I think is baby talk for, "You have our vote! Now leave me to my nap!"