Happy New Year!

It has been a busy month but very enjoyable. We have also run out of space on the computer for pics and videos and are awaiting new storage to arrive in the mail. Jeremy had two weeks off work as did I so we had a lovely family stay-cation. Grandma Liz came out from NY and Uncle Jared from Boston for Christmas week. Ansel and I saw a lot of lights – Mormon Temple, Thomson Street in Alameda and Oakland Zoo Lights. We met Santa who gave Ansel a candy cane. Our tree survived a toddler’s hands and Ansel just helped me take all the decorations off successfully. We had a family trip to the California Academy of Sciences for the first time since renovations and another to San Francisco by BART to see lights and decorations.
Ansel speaks in 5 or more word sentences now. He has trouble with consonant blends still so words like Christmas come out as “kissmus”, please as “peas”, and his ‘s’ is a little mushy sounding so it is all very cute to hear and sometimes hard to decipher. I am the official in-house interpreter. One of his favorite things to say is “What are you doing, mommy?”
His imagination play is so fun now. He always wants us to play trains and assigns a train to us. Sometimes I hear him in another room talking, acting out talking to characters such a Bob the Builder or Thomas the train.
I am 6 months pregnant and getting more uncomfortable. Luckily I get to prenatal yoga class once a week and do some at home. I can only pick up Ansel for a couple of minutes at a time. Poor kid. He is very gentle touching my belly and trying to feel the baby.

Here are pictures of the past month.



Opening gifts with Grandma Liz.


Ansel prefers to tune daddy's ukulele than play with daddy and Uncle Jared.


Tree in Union Square, SF.


Christmas morning.


Playing with new toys Christmas morning.


Playing with Thomas the tank engine.



Ansel's new grin when the camera turns on. With Uncle Jared.


Post nap coziness - still waking up.


California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, SF.
Roof garden, aquarium, and turtle ride.