Manger Management

Tua recently visited Nonna and Grandpa and assisted in the annual re-creation of the manger, a treat for any two year old, but especially for Tua with her capacity for arranging and re-arranging in a strangely obsessive compulsive style.

Below, she is set for departure with (as is the norm) a gaggle of animals.

On Tour

This coming Christmas will find the extended Shaw family spread all over the globe. While we're back here awaiting the new arrival, my brother James and his wife Lauren will be in Chicago. Brother Justin and wife Nadine are back in Germany with Tua's cousin Pascal for the month. They are spending the holiday with Nadine's family in Kandern. For your viewing pleasure, I have embedded a clip of Justin and his friend William playing in Cologne this past week. Justin is moonlighting with William as he tours France, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in support of his new album.

Drinks Like a Meal

For all you parents of two-somethings wondering if your children will ever look at vegetables, the answer (or at least a pretty good clue) might be V8. Tua discovered its rich flavors recently and has taken to downing an eight oz. can of the drink before bed. I caught her in mid consumption tonight as she concentrated on something else, possibly anticipating a sodium high.

No Warren Miller

Today was a down day here at the house. We made chocolate brioches for breakfast...except they didn't rise to their maximum until 10:30- so we made a brunch out of the proceeds. The chocolate brioche is one of Tua's favorite breads and she loved helping us out on this. Her job is kneading, which she's a pro at. She's got to work a bit harder on keeping the dough out of her mouth--- but then again- so do I.

Did I say today was a down day? ... I should have said a down morning... the afternoon was chock full of activity.

Tua was napping and Bug had some paperwork to catch up on so I took a few hours and went out into the snow. Detlef and I put in a good three hours of hike and ski. The lifts aren't open yet at Pico, but that doesn't mean the snow isn't any good. Below are some shots of the days events.

breakfast

There is nothing routine about Tua's morning schedule. She wakes up in the best of spirits and usually requests juice (cranberry, please) and toast and depending upon her disposition, will either eat sitting cross-legged on the floor, at the table with us, or at her own office desk. Today, I was allowed an audience with her in her own little breakfast cubicle. She feasted on cheerios and raisins while playing with a candlestick. The starved figure that she took me to be, I was offered one of her blocks, to eat, I can only assume.

More From Here

Into the life of every child, there must come an ear infection. What fun! Pictures really wouldn't do it justice. Tua was up most of each night for much of the last week with what must have been a numbing pain. We can only assume as much- after all, she has not reached the age of verbage and was trying her best to get across adjectives like 'excruciating' and 'horrible' by acting them out in gestured frustrations. My favorite one was having a bowl of cereal dumped down my shirt.

So we're all recovering...she is much better today- back to her old self- running circles around the room, demanding rides for herself (and her animals) on the braided rugs, and partaking of more than her recommened daily allowance of her favorite food groups- Spanish Olives and pitted prunes, in that order.

Below is a picture from a few weeks back of Tua and I with a bunch of Tua's Bridgewater pals...the baby population up here is on the uptick. Between my unkempt hair and a shirt that clearly doesn;t fly with the color scheme, I'm the odd man out here. From l-r Schuyler, Jane, Tua, Seth and our friend Nicola holding her newest- Harriet and Edie. An all female trend.....hmmmm.

Crazy Cousins

Tua and Pascal made a game of out-pacing each other this morning. Our second floor is set up in somewhat of a circuit, which doubles as a track on which two year olds can run round and round. In the end, both were more tired than victorious.