Holidays

Wow, the Holidays are finally a thing of the past. For this year at least! It has been fun...
First, there was C's birthday party. We had a couple of babies and their parents over, it was chaos, it was fun. Many many thanks to Nona who helped a tremendous amount! Everybody loved her cooking! We might not be as fancy as some of the other parents, but we know people who can cook. That compensates! C was not in a great mood unfortunately, but I think she still enjoyed playing with her friends and, later, with her Godmother and our other friends. She received a lot of toys and clothes.
C and I went down to Annapolis to visit the grand-parents for two weeks. P joined us a week later, just in time for Christmas. C is growing up really really fast! Before I forget, she started walking! She took her first steps alone on December 21. They were already well controlled and stable and she made rapid progress. For a couple of days, she enjoyed the challenges we offered her, going from the kitchen to the family room, from the counter to the den, etc. Then, the novelty faded and her lazy self somewhat resorted to holding on to the walls and asking for hands again. Since then she continued to walk from time to time, mostly when encouraged, but sometimes also of her own impetus. She's taking her time.
We had a real snowstorm during our stay there, which meant a lot of shoveling, but also some fun in the snow for C! She went on a couple of sled rides in the driveway while it was still snowing. It took her a little while to realize how to keep her balance, which means that she endured a couple of face-plants in the snow. She seemed to think that it was unnecessarily cold and wet, but did not cry.
One of the gifts she received for her birthday is a shape sorter. She has now completely mastered the cylinder in the circular hole. However, the concept of one hole per shape has not completely sunk in yet. She tries to put the cylinder in the other holes too and tries to put other shapes into the round hole. We'll work on it!
Bonne-Maman and Bon-Papa came to visit us for a couple of days in early January. C came out the door and walked to the elevator to welcome them when she heard the doorbell. That was sweet of her and I think Bonne-Maman was moved to see that little thing walk toward her! C had started imitating the dogs in Annapolis, here she started imitating ducks. No real words yet, just animal sounds... A couple of days later, it was the roaring of the lion that was the sound of predilection. Quite versatile little girl! She even seemed to recognize the word "lion" and roar when I said it. Mind you, she also roared when she saw a picture of a crying baby. She has some insight. During their visit, C learned how to pick up something she dropped by squatting, but without holding on to anything. Then she learned how to get up by herself. She was in a very cuddly mood the whole time. She would run to me or to Bonne-Maman and hug our legs or put her head in our lap. Sweeeet...
We went on an expedition on the Staten Island Ferry, then walked around in Battery Park a little and then went over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was cooooold. We wanted to get Pizza at Grimaldi's, but they won't take strollers inside. By then C was asleep in hers and I was a little reluctant to leave her on the sidewalk :). No dinner for the freezing tired group! The view from the bridge was worth the effort though. Amazing! I bet it would be even more amazing in the Summer. We'll have to try!