Baby of the Year

And the award goes to....drumroll please.... Miss Rachel Leone!!

Rachel not only made the 8 hour drive to IL and back, but did it like the angel that she is. If she fussed, it was minimal and I don't remember it. She handles long trips in the car like I do...she goes to sleep knowing that when she wakes up, she'll almost be there. Of course, this method only works for me these days if I'm not the one driving...

Rachel was the star of the weekend. She made her rounds and did so with a smile on her face for all she met. Some highlights from the trip....(once again, I was not as good with my camera as I wanted to be.)

Nana Frosting Fingers has lots of dogs! And this one would play with me!!

I finally met my Great-Grandma Oshinski.

She has very pretty napkins.

I also went to see my Papa Rich. Thankfully, I didn't catch the flu while I was there.

I impressed everyone with my big girl skills. Not too long and I'll be able to get over to play with Pepper.

As Requested

As requested by her loving Aunt Nikki...

Here is some Rachel cuteness to start the work week.

Rachel has been admiring the remote control for a few weeks now. Mommy and Grandma Nancy aren't ready to relinquish control to a 5 month old. Nana Frosting Fingers, however, was willing to risk subtitles in french and gave Rachel sole possession of the remote. Note the sheer delight on her face. This morning she made a play for the remote and the look she gave me when I moved it said "But Nana lets me."

And so it begins.

My Favorite Things

After watching two episodes of Oprah devoted to her favorite things... I thought I would share a few of my favorite things...but I don't think any of mine are going to make anyone's head explode. As a cute sidebar- the more excited the crowd got on Oprah, the more excited Rachel got. It was actually really cute. You'd think someone had given her the keys to a 2012 VW Bug- a very cute car by the way. I'll get one as a celebration when all my kids are done with college. Yes, I will be the nearing 60 something toodling around town in a VW bug.
Anywhoo...back to my list of favorite things- in no particular order.
1. Sitting at the table with family gathered around telling stories, playing games, and enjoying each other's company.
2. A good book, a sleeping baby, and a few hours to sit on the couch guilt-free to read.
3. A pedicure before a beach vacation. Not sure why, but walking on the beach is just so much better with pretty painted toes.
4. Laughing. Laughing so hard I have tears.
5. Watching Rachel learn new things. As proud of herself as she is when she does something for the first time, I'm even more proud of her!
6. Vacation days when Nick cooks breakfast and we have all morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and read the paper.

I'm going to stop at six. It's the Number Six day on Seaseme Street. Yes, I let my 5 month old watch tv. It's how I get my blogging done!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Let the Festivities Begin!

It was a busy weekend here at the Held House. Dad R. made a whirlwind trip to Santa Claus to deliver some new basement windows and a walk-behind tractor that will come in a lot of handy for the strawberries next spring. He also enjoyed some time with Rachel...

This morning we all got up and headed to church where Rachel proceeded to entertain the 3 pews arounds us with cute sounds, smiles, and and her usual all around cuteness. She has developed a special love for the hymnal these days...perhaps it won't be long before she's ready for some organ lessons from Uncle Nathan.

After church we headed to Newburgh for some turkey with the Williams Family. Because I didn't have it all together, I forgot to bring the camera, missing out on all kinds of family holiday photos. So I leave this one instead of Rachel in her turkey outfit, which would have been even cuter if I'd left her turkey bib on that she wore earlier in the day...

There's always next week! :) Gobble, Gobble!!

Ahhh...at last...sleep!

I just wanted to share with the world that I got 7.5 hours of sleep IN A ROW for the first time in five months. Actually, it may have been longer than 5 months, since middle-of-the-night bathroom runs were the norm the last couple of months before Rachel made her big debut. Rachel has slept for long stretches before, but I wasn't smart enough to go to bed and lost out on some of the hours of zzz's. But last night, Rachel had a marathon sleep which meant that I got a full night sleep too. Oh the wonderful wonderfulness of it. She got up at 6:15am, but I didn't stagger to her crib. Nope... I felt rested. It was a wonderful feeling. Thank you, Rachel. You are the best baby ever!!

Check me out!

Rachel is changing before our eyes every day! She's getting pretty close to sitting on her own, so this evening, I propped her up with her bobby pillow. As you can see from her grin...she thinks she's pretty big stuff!

In other Rachel cuteness...

Nancy sent this GINORMOUS teddy bear home with Rachel. It was Nick's...and now it is Rachel's. In a couple years she might actually be bigger than it is! HA!

And finally, because it is Monday, the new laundry day at the Held House... I share with you this picture from last week.

She's a fabulous laundry assistant. I wonder how much longer it'll be before she can match the socks...I hate matching socks.

Movie Night

Nick and I are the type of customers that Netflix makes a profit off of...we have the subscription and good intentions of watching our 2 movies per month, but it usually doesn't happen that way. Especially in the last few months when we've had other in house entertainment to keep us occupied...
But Friday, after Rachel had gone to bed, we fired up the DVD player and popped in a movie. This time it was Gran Torino. This is definetely not a movie you'll want to watch with any little people in the vicinity. The language is, shall we say, colorful...and the gang violence isn't suitable for young eyes either, but if you are a Clint Eastwood fan, then you'll like this movie. It's the story of two neighbors from different generations and cultures.

Malfunctioning Alarm Clock

In recent months, I have invested in a new alarm clock model. It can, at times, be rather unpredictable with the times that it goes off. I'll set it for the time that I hope it'll go off...but there's no guarantee that it won't instead go off several hours before, or my favorite malfunction- several times just long enough to get me up only to find that it's turned itself off.

Funny thing is though, even with the malfunctions, I don't want to return it....

I don't think I could find a cuter model.

Rachel's Kramer Look

The crazy hair Rachel had after her bath last night....

Did not improve with the morning light....

It looks like she goes to the same stylist as Kramer on Seinfeld.

Bear Hugs!

Rachel has been having LOTS of fun playing with her newest friend.

Nancy and Mel brought her a souvenir from their trip to Tennessee and North Carolina.

Now maybe I can have Jeffery back...

Sometimes you just need a good bear hug!