A Fairy Visit

Recovering from a flu and respiratory infection, Saraphina has requested multiple visits (via the big screen TV) to Pixie Hollow where Dinkabeau lives (Tinkerbell). This morning, as a surprise, the fairies left a present at our front gate.

A web filled with diamonds!

Here they are up close.
We suspect that the spider is out shopping for a wand and a tiara while the sun is shining.

Baby Smurf

These small footprints are not difficult to track to the drawer where I keep (used to keep) my powdered concentrated food coloring. Saraphina asked her mama to scramble her an egg for dinner. After a few seconds at the stove, Kris turned to see Saraphina fingerpainting in food coloring on the floor. She had blue feet, blue hands, blue legs, etc.

Worried that the color blue would spread throughout the house, I began cleaning before I grabbed my camera. The trail of baby footprints was followed by a trail of mama footprints when Kris chased Saraphina across the kitchen towards the footwashing sink.

By the time this event was over, we all had blue feet, blue hands, and smudges of blue on our clothing.

She's Here!

Lillian Anna Quimby

Lillian Anna Quimby made her entrance on 1:29 am on Thursday, February 25th. She weighed in at 6 lb. 10 oz.

Mom, dad, and baby are doing well and expect to go home from the hospital tomorrow.

Link to more photos!

The Doll Hug

Fifty-five years ago my mother-in-law Muriel, made two dolls and an octopus for her niece Cathy. Mom was the kind of woman who would make square dance skirts for her daughters out of her bedroom curtains if she couldn't afford fabric (yeah, square dancing was pretty cool 50 years ago.)

Anyhow a box arrived this week containing two handmade dolls and an octopus. Cathy wanted Muriel's great granddaughters to have these dolls. Once the box was opened, the hug fest began. Saraphina also sings to them. It's a really loud song that includes words like "mommy, daddy, bug" (bug is the generic name for our dogs) and "wawa," which means water in the currently decipherable Saraphina lexicon. It also includes some dance steps before the dolls fly through the air in the grand finale. After the applause they are quickly gathered up in preparation for the next song.

I'd never seen these dolls before. Mom had made clownies for her kids and a Snoopy version for my kids, all made out of Dad's socks.

Aunt Selene's Version of Clownie (Ballerina Clownie)

Most likely Dad never knew why he had so many mismatched socks. Back when Mom was making the Snoopy dolls, she would steal the stuffing out of Dad's pillow and then sew it shut. It was our secret. Since Dad never replaced anything that still had a potential use, I suspect he chalked it up to normal pillow compaction and just folded it over to sleep. But I was always curious just how many stuffed animals mom could extract before he decided it was time to head to K-mart for a new pillow.

Mom made everything on these dolls, the bodies, the faces, the hair, the dresses, and even the underwear. I can see her sewing late at night, combining bits of fabric and lace to create a doll that would last 55 five years to enchant three generations of her family.

Update on Tiny Miss Quimby
Soon to appear on the scene, Saraphina's cousin Miss Quimby is queuing up for her birth day, possibly in the next few weeks. Michelann has the nursery prepared and ready for the transfer from womb to room. Watch the blog for updates.

Learning to Speak Saraphina

In Saraphina's World everything is a drum. "See that box grandma?" It sounds like a drum when you hit it with a drum stick.

Saraphina is teaching us to talk as well as drum. She patiently points to things and tells us the words for them. She shakes her head no if I choose the wrong object, such as the stuffed dog instead of the stuffed monkey.

Here, she tries out a few dance steps in preparation for the Saraphina Show. You can see that our dog has grown accustomed to these practice sessions. Amber's job today is to guard the exit that leads to the eternal bliss of walking up and down the very dangerous stairs. Amber acts as the doorstop reminder that one must not run toward stairs.


On occasion, Amber will agree to have her photo taken with superstar Saraphina.

Grandma Nan News Alert!

Saraphina is expecting a baby cousin in early March. This is the latest photo of Tiny Miss Quimby, currently weighing in at about 12 ounces. Her parents Michelann and David Quimby will be here for Thanksgiving. I understand that Miss Quimby is already practicing her dance steps in anticipation of the Baby Quimby Show. By Thanksgiving we may be able to see some of her rhythm kicks. We'll keep you posted.

Exploring Grandma's Room

Hey Grandma we really need to clean this place up!

Saraphina has been crawling for a couple of months. She moves fast but crawling is only a means to getting to someplace where she can stand up. Standing usually involves taking some risks like holding onto wobbly objects... and then letting go with both hands. So she has been practicing falling.

When she comes upstairs to visit, she goes first to the toys, visits the fish (pronounced "ssshh"), and then heads off to search the files. I'm glad she is getting familiar with the file system. I'm hoping this means something.

Nana, I want that book!

This could be the world's cutest baby.

At 7 months, Saraphina knows her name, recognizes her grandmas, holds her hand out for Grandpa Dave to kiss, and drinks water out of a glass. She's also waves hello whenever someone enters the room.

She almost has a tooth and looks at our food hungrily when we eat. Her favorite snack right now is avocado. Banana ranks up there pretty high too. She has tried out some pureed fruits and eats creamy cereal for breakfast.

She has figured out how to make her toys make sounds, so her playroom is a filled with toy sounds and squeals of delight. It's pretty hard not to smile when she is around.