Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?!

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We’ve doped her with myriad cartoon shorts along with occasional full-length animated features for months now. She invites us to do the “Mee-key Gonald?” round and round the nursery (see video below). She’s got her princess dresses ready and has been asking to wear her Minnie polka dots to school. Minnie herself has been lovingly smeared with yogurt, milk, cookie crumbs, and various other toddler foods. Yep. At long last, we are going to meet the Mouse and the rest of the Gang.

M gathered Mom and Dad in her room for a jam session to the Mickey Mouse Club March. She added in her favorite electronica beats.

Kate Schuessler, Blair LaHay Daniels, Ellen Ridyard, Allison Carilli, Anna Oppenheimer Jesus, Andrea Goldstein, Duy Truong liked this post

Madeline’s interpretation of Let It Go

02.13.2015 by anh

Each night at bedtime, Madeline gets a song. This routine has become unwieldy given her penchant for repetition, but evidently she has been paying attention, at least. Who knew kids had such good memory at this age?

“Weh ee go, weh ee go”

02.08.2015 by anh

It’s challenging to catch Madeline on digital media because she often wants to grab the recording device. Here, she is absorbed in singing her song to Mookey and Boo.

Madeline requests “Weh ee go” daily. She listens to the soundtrack, and every now and then you can hear [“Finally they’re opening up the”] “GATES!” or [“The past is in the”] “PAST!” ringing from the nursery. You’ll have to turn up the volume on this one quite a bit; don’t forget to turn it back down 🙂

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Madeline’s first visit to the Poconos

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What a visit to the Poconos! Although Madeline first became acquaintanced with snow in Philly, she was delighted to play in fresh, deep fluff for the very first time. She also, for the very first time, identified “Gama” and “Gampapa.” By the end of the weekend, she added to her vocabulary “Eemee” (Amy), “No-wah” (Laura), and “Mee-am” or “Ee-am” (Liam).

First came story time with Gama and Gampapa on the evening we arrived. M loves her board book collections, perfectly sized for her hands. She especially loves her Mother Goose rhymes, including “Dumpy Dumpy,” “Fuffin Man,” “Kinko Shar,” “Pah Cake,” and “Diddo Diddo.”

The next morning, we headed out for the grownups to ski while baby and puppy explored the snow:

: step carefully

: hmmmm

: what happens if I...

: ...pickthisstuffupandthrowitintheair?

: just a nice shot

: After Daddy left, Madeline asked, "Daddy? Bebe gir?"

: still learning to wade through knee-high snow

: maybe i'll go down this bank

: oops. How do I get up?

Back home for lunch and a little playtime with Dad:

: yummy buttered toast

: here I come!

: mmmmwah sloppy kiss

Heading out for the afternoon, we were much more about our wits and ready to play.

Fortuitously, we discovered a neighborhood friend!

Madeline found a little friend, about four years older, whom she calls “Bibbeh.” Bibbeh was wonderfully (and amazingly!) kind and patient with Madeline, repeatedly making snowballs for Madeline to smoosh. Madeline loved their new game of falling back in the snow, sitting up to dig, and repeating. Now and then Madeline would look up to peek if Bibbeh was still lying down.

: Do you wanna build a snowman?

: It's okay, I'll show you how.

: Wow! A snowball!

: Thank you for making me a new snowball every time I destroy it.

: How amazing is Bibbeh?

: New game: brush the snow off the bushes!

: Only when Bibbeh stands up straight is it apparent how much older and taller she is than M

: New game twist: brush snow off the rock!

: Mommy this is so much fun!!

: Okay, now we have a NEW game...

: ...First you dig,...

: ...and then you lie down!

: how awesome is this picture

: a little fourth position for balance

: Wanna try holding this giant snowball? It's okay if you smash it.

: I'll show you how to make a new one!

Winding down after a full day. Let’s do some rock n reading.

Out to play the next morning. Say goodbye to the adults! We’ve got business with a toboggan.

: Henry knows what's up

: my first wipeout

: I know you said don't eat it.

: I am ignoring your advice about germs and proceeding with snow tasting.

: This is fun. Really.

: Again Mommy! Again!

Afternoon ski time. Go away Dad, I’ve got a toboggan to ride.

: Hmm, the snow isn't fluffy like yesterday.

: It's kinda slippery.

: Wheeeee!

Finally, some scenic shots over the weekend:

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Madeline’s first snow

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The first real snowfall of the season occurred a few days after New Year’s. Until then, Madeline had never truly experienced snow; she was only a bundled-up baby in a carrier the previous winter. I am thankful to be able to capture this moment in photo and film. Thank you, smartphone.

On the way to school, Madeline experienced snowfall for the first time (as a walking, talking person rather than a carry-dependent baby). She took it in slowly, shuffling through, surprised to find her tracks behind her, and occasionally dusting off the snow from her boots. We took a slow walk so she could play, and by the end she was all giggles, running through the snow.

: What is all this, Mama?

: It makes crunchy noises

: Footprints! How'd those get there?

: THIS STUFF IS AWESOME!!!

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“Peek boo!”

11.03.2014 by anh

With Madeline strapped in her booster seat (so as to stay out of my way), I began to assemble her teepee. She kept squealing “Wow! Eeeee!” as it took shape. Then Daddy inadvertently set her loose and she started playing in it before I was finished with assembly (note the ouch-waiting-to-happen slippage on the wood floor). For our small apartment, I suppose this teepee is an acceptable use of 9 sq ft.

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Dancing baby

10.26.2014 by anh

She doesn’t really care for children’s tunes, but put on some pop/hip hop/any dance track and she’ll have a party.

She’ll bounce to any hint of a bass rhythm. This includes washing machines.

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Karla and Rob’s wedding

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My dear friend Karla married her longtime beau Rob in a beautiful ceremony and reception that reflected their cozy laid-back vibe perfectly. They were wonderfully accommodating to us with regard to Madeline, even welcoming her with a bucket of toys! They are going to be wonderful parents 🙂 Congratulations, newlyweds!

On another note, we discovered the following:

A wedding full of pediatricians makes the best baby entertainment/childcare ever. Period. For your tot’s next birthday, forget the magician, the balloon artist, and the live appearance by Elmo. Just hire a cohort of pediatricians.
Madeline LOVES to dance. We thought she might be overstimulated with the party and loud dance music, so we took her off to the side toward the trees and pond. She shrieked to be put down and toddled a beeline straight back on to the dance floor, where said pediatricians had previously been twirling around with her. We tried reigning her in at least twice, and each time she toddled back to the party. On the dance floor, she would bounce and sway and clap. Here’s hoping she has more rhythm than either Chris or me.

Toddling, exploring, and meeting Danielle, who would become Madeline’s best friend for the evening:

Roaming amongst the pants and skirts:

Playing with Danielle and meeting the rest of the pediatricians:

The bride and groom during their toasts:

By 7:30pm we thought Madeline might have been tired, but she protested leaving the party and headed straight back to the dance floor:

She ran back to the dance floor whenever we tried to carry her away.

We realized after several attempts to head home that we have a party girl, and she had several dance partners to bounce-twirl her around:

The next morning, she slept in:

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Babymoon at Disney World: Magic Kingdom

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Babymoon part 2 of 6. The first park we visited was Magic Kingdom, and we were pleasantly surprised to find the holiday decorations were still in place. Holiday hours were also still in effect, and with the drop in attendance that comes after the new year, we had an easy time navigating the mild crowds. One cool thing that is probably really hard to find anywhere else is the mutoscope — and the Main Street Station has several. Here’s a video of one called “Rodeo Time” in action:

: Moseying around Frontierland, we stopped to play checkers. We had to figure out how again.

: The five-minute line at Pirates of the Caribbean.

: The two-hour line at Journey of the Little Mermaid. We're never doing that again.

: Eating a turkey leg while riding the Liberty Belle steamboat.

: A nostalgic favorite!

: Main Street train station

: Inside the train station are old-fashioned mutoscopes!

: If not for this picture, I would not otherwise know that these are called mutoscopes.

: The mutoscope has a series of prints on a rolodex-like device that turns as you crank the handle, and you see the animation as if it were a flip book.

: Country Bear Jamboree

: Tom Sawyer Island. This attraction is the type that I would never have spent time on before, but since I was pregnant and not waiting in line for roller coasters, we had time.

: Is this a real top-quality cast-iron skillet? Does it pass Butz requirements?

: He decided to bounce on this while I crossed.

: Inside Harper's Mill

: Treasure in Injun Joe's cave!

: The raft used to transport to and from Tom Sawyer Island

: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, my favorite ride as a kid

: Captain Jack Sparrow demonstrates

: Watching Lady and the Tramp at Tony's

: Inside Tony's, Lady and Tramp have on their santa hats!

: Dinner time

: My first manicotti

: Main Street, looking toward Cinderella Castle

: The chess game in Pirates of the Caribbean is rumored to be in stalemate, as if the pirates died playing the game because neither side could move.

: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin -- I win!

: One of us schooled the other.

Ingrid and Sol are married! Part 1

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Our dear friends Ingrid and Sol had a beautiful wedding in perfect California weather at Aptos Village Park. True to form, they planned their day around food and friends.

A quick stroll down the aisle:

20120630 IngridSolWedding 035 from Christopher Butz on Vimeo.

Then on to the celebration:

: a college reunion of sorts

: pretty colors!

: Ingrid and Sol were blessed with a healthy splash of water, which I hope someone caught on camera

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Seacliff State Beach

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The morning of their wedding, Ingrid and Sol were relaxed. We asked if we could help with anything, but they had no chores to assign to us. They suggested we go exploring, so we did!

The morning was foggy. We headed north along the bay and saw a cement ship, the Palo Alto.

: balcony breakfast on a foggy morning

: the Palo Alto, a cement ship

: somehow these succulent-looking greens and purple flowers thrive in the sand

: misty morning on Monterey bay

: giant starfish!

: once a cement ship, now a ecosystem scaffold and bird toilet

Then we came across the Seacliff State Beach Visitor Center and poked around a bit there. Among other things, they had a nice tide pool exhibit!

: fossil layers in this habitat

: how the Palo Alto once was

: a whale rib, vertebra, and jawbone

: a baby swell shark

I took a video of a mollusk doing its filter feeding thing:

20120630 Mollusk from Christopher Butz on Vimeo.

Then we headed back to our room to get ready for the wedding.

: my salt-pepper shaker, now clearly seen as an airplane

Miniature railroad at the Arboretum

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The Morris Arboretum miniature train display opened last weekend, and we went to see it and play with the new camera. This year’s display theme is “Storytime Rail,” with fairy tale-themed structures: Sleeping Beauty Castle, a Hobbit house, Baba Yaga‘s house, the Old Woman’s Shoe house, and more!

Here comes the Lehigh Valley train: