Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Many Faces of Rachel




I've been a busy girl this week, and I'm getting more comfortable making different faces in front of the camera. So you may be asking what I've been doing in my spare time this week...well, in no particular order, I've:

a) imitated (perfectly) Daddy's infamous "blank stare."
b) learned how to stand without Mommy or Daddy's hands supporting me.
c) sucked my toes (often!) while having my diaper changed.
d) served as Mommy's personal assistant for her riveting games of computerized Hearts (in fact, Daddy thinks I should get a special T-shirt to commemorate my first "shoot the moon" hand).


I'm also starting to roll over more frequently, though I'm still fairly selective about when I show off this particular trick.

Mommy and Daddy can't believe I'm already five months old. Well, I have news for them: they ain't seen nothin' yet!

Week 22 Growth Photo


Yet again, Mommy and Daddy are slacking with their blog updating duties this week...but as you can tell from my facial expression, I'm not stressing about it.

Since I've been a bundle of squirming energy lately, Mommy and Daddy told me to sit still for this week's growth picture...in that case, I thought this was a good time to perfect my "mannequin" look.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Week 21 Growth Photo


A return to normalcy this week - no long trips since last Sunday...just a few trips around the snowy, cold Milwaukee metro area.

Mommy and Daddy told me winter was going to be different from summer. Judging by my cold little fingers and nose, I'm starting to believe them!

This week, I thought I'd go for a psychological edge and wear red. Think warm...think warm...think warm...nope, still cold!

One of Rachel's goals for 2010...


...is apparently to become CPR certified. Word from the bear is that she's well on her way!

Week 20 Growth Photo


Mommy and Daddy want everyone to know this picture WAS taken on the appropriate day (Sunday, January 3rd)...what Mommy and Daddy DON'T want everyone to know is that they somehow forgot to upload this picture to the website.

Ah, such fond memories of last week - a glorious week when Green Bay actually left Arizona with a win....what a difference a week makes.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Christmas in Escanaba






On Sunday, December 27th, we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Handrich and headed to Grandma Van Ermen's house in Escanaba, MI.

Interestingly, Daddy and I dropped Mommy off in Green Bay so she and Uncle Matthew could go to the Packer-Seahawk game that afternoon. Meanwhile, as Mommy and Uncle Matthew froze themselves at Lambeau Field, Daddy and I continued our trek north to Escanaba. Since Daddy had the Christmas music playing on his iPod, the trip wasn't too bad, although I got a bit cranky with him on the last hour of the trip since I didn't nap very much earlier that morning.

Nonetheless, we all arrived safely in Escanaba, and I spent five wonderful days playing with a lot of my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Of course, I got even more practice opening Christmas presents. I'm really starting to get the hang of this paper-ripping process! And I let Mommy have some fun with the bow, which somehow ended up on top of my head.

I also got to spend more time in Grandma's "jumperoo," which is a toy I absolutely love. It lets me stand up and play with all sorts of fun toys and gadgets - one of which is a fuzzy green dragon puppet. And since I'm currently knee-deep in the teething process, I LOVE chomping on the fuzzy green dragon. Let's just say the dragon knows who's boss. :-)

Overall, the three of us had an absolutely wonderful, relaxing holiday season. We're all very thankful for our smooth, safe travels, and the blessing of being able to spend the holidays with our loved ones.

Happy New Year!

Christmas in Waupaca






Our first holiday trip this year was to Waupaca, WI to see Grandma and Grandpa Handrich. I especially impressed Grandma and Grandpa by how quiet I was during Christmas Eve mass - 90 minutes of church time, and I was as quiet as could be. It must have been the nice holiday music that put me in such a peaceful mood!

And of course, I also got to wear my first Christmas dress. I'll try to be modest, but I was VERY cute in my outfit. Mommy did a great job putting my ensemble together.

I also got to open more Christmas presents in Waupaca. One of my gifts from Grandpa and Grandpa was my very first Green Bay Packer hat. In the past week, I've already worn this hat a number of times. Since I still don't have a lot of hair, I really love how this hat keeps my head warm and toasty when Mommy and Daddy take me around town in this brutally cold weather.

The three of us had a wonderful time in Waupaca, as Grandpa and Grandma took great care of us. I heard they fed Mommy and Daddy really well, too...I thought I heard Daddy say something to Mommy about his pants not fitting anymore, but maybe that was a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear...

'Twas the night before Christmas Eve...



Before we embarked on our 2009 holiday travels, Mommy and Daddy and I celebrated our first Christmas together at home.

I loved staring at the ornaments on the tree, and one of the ornaments was also MY first ornament - very special!

And I really enjoyed learning how to open presents...I definitely got some good practice for next year. I even helped Daddy open one of his gifts, which was a movie ("The Hangover") that I won't be allowed to see for another 17 years or so.

All in all, I think I'll be OK with celebrating Christmas again in the future...

Week 19 Growth Photo


I celebrated my 19-week birthday in Escanaba, MI at Grandma Van Ermen's house. Mom and Dad helped Grandma get ready for Christmas. I heard they made hundreds of Christmas cookies and set up Grandma's Christmas tree, but I was too busy playing with my toys to notice. But when it came time for my weekly growth picture, I couldn't resist giving my bear some holiday love...