Growing up so fast! II

Hey, look. She's drawing! Her artistic sense is coming out already. (Are you ready for a little protege, Nana?) She really loves to have a paper in front of her and something to make marks with. She prefers crayons, but ink pens will do too. My table has the marks to prove it.

And she's eating with a spoon all by herself! Pistachio, of course. Letting BooBoo have the plate is a little messier than feeding her ourselves, but she really enjoys it, and I'm sure that dairy products are good for the skin.

Love to you all.

Jennifer

Heads up, people.

This is a notice on behalf of the persecuted church. Gao Zhisheng, human rights attorney and Nobel peace prize nominee, has spoken up for the disenfranchised in China consistently and in the face of great persecution. Please go to the link and sign the petition on his behalf.

DAY 50: Gao Zhisheng Held Hostage
Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, has now been missing 50 days, and there is increasing concern for his life. He was last seen being hauled away from his home by more than a dozen police officers on February 4. Reports from inside China indicate he is undergoing brutal torture.
The situation is critical, and with each day that passes, Gao Zhisheng's life hangs in the balance.
Because of Gao's work defending house church Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government wants to silence his voice. ChinaAid president, Bob Fu calls Gao's torture "the most severe persecution in China's modern history." Gao's wife and two children, who have also been abused and tormented by the police, escaped to the U.S. less than two weeks ago. His family is afraid that authorities, furious at their escape, are taking revenge on Gao.
ChinaAid and The Voice of the Martyrs, together with Gao Zhisheng's wife and children, call on all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice to speak out on Gao Zhisheng's behalf by signing a petition to free Gao.
» Sign the petition at www.FreeGao.com

First day of Spring, 2009?

Well, not really. We've actually had some of the craziest weather that I've ever seen for this time of year. This past week (since Sunday) we've had snow, sleet, rain, hail, sunshine, and plain old cloudy skies. But last week, there was sunshine, and since BooBoo is just about walking, we decided to take her outside with us while we did a little yard work.

It took her a little while to figure things out. For instance, this is dirt, . . .

and those are weeds, . . .

but she enjoyed herself none the less.

And then she decided she was done. And I really can't make a baby post without posting a food picture. It's been so long that I don't remember what she was eating in this picture, but the smile is precious. Most recently, she's been learning to use a fork and a spoon, but I don't have pictures of that yet. Maybe when life gets a little less crazy, I'll have time to pounce on her every move with a camera again, but lately, we've been very quiet and slow at the dinner table. It's like the days really do get longer in the spring.

For Nanna and the Aunties.

Niki says thanks.

Happy Birthday, part 2

My parents came over this weekend to celebrate Niki's "birthday," even though she doesn't really turn one until later this week. We had a glorious time watching Niki experience all the traditional joys of turning one. For instance, she got her own little cake, and Daddy helped her blow out the candle. Niki then took the cake and smeared it all over her baby doll. I guess she was sharing. I got a great video of her attempts to figure out what she was supposed to do with the cake, but it's nearly four minutes long, and I don't even want to think about how long that would take to upload, so you're just going to have to come over and watch it yourself. But she insisted on sharing it with her baby, which made for a very sticky baby. She then crawled all over Mommy, but we don't have pictures of that. Suffice it to say that the room was much stickidified, and the dog was disappointed that we wiped it up before he got at it.

Then we moved on to presents. Like all babies, she doesn't quite get the unwrapping bit, but she was ecstatic to get new toys. She's been wanting her own cell phone ever since she figured out that Mommy and Daddy's cell phones made noise. (She still tries to steal our cell phones, but now we have a way to distract her.) She also got cds, clothes, blocks, and dishes, but the cell phone took the cake because it made noise.

Not even the ribbons intentionally chose to entertain her (as part of that "the wrapping is more interesting than the present" tradition) could compete with it for long. Note that in all these pictures, the cell phone remains firmly in her hands.

She did, however, take a moment to read her cards and say thanks to everyone who sent presents.

And finally, a picture of my little activist. This picture was taken about six months ago (see how much she's grown), but I finally got a copy today. Choose life, that you may live. Amen.