Milestones

Before we get to milestones, though, a little fun.  Wednesday my office and the daycare were both closed for snow.  So we stayed home.

The kiddos didn't mind being cooped up most of the day.


But Madeline was also keen to play in the snow, and Oliver was a sport about it.

We went sledding ...

... ate snow ...

... and played with snowballs, one of which still resides in a plastic bag in our freezer.

Meanwhile, Oliver has decided it's time to crawl.

More on that later.

For her part, Madeline decided on Friday that we should all wear headbands.

And Oliver managed to look tiny next to the pizza we got this week.

Oliver has been really insistent about crawling.  He tried for most of the week, including Saturday morning ...

... and then finally managed to advance when we were over at Ilan's house later Saturday!

He's not consistently able to get where he wants to go, but he's always working on it.


He's very proud of his newfound abilities.

(Which also now include sitting up for extended periods.)

Meanwhile, though we did not document this event in photos, Madeline used her potty for the first time today!  There was much celebration at casa Allgreene.

Second Christmas

On January 17, Oliver turned five months old.

You know what that means!

He continues to be happy ...

... even though he isn't yet ready to eat enormous pizzas like this one.

Over the weekend, Grandma Susy and Grandpa John visited.  There was lots of playing.

And we had second Christmas!

Here Oliver's sporting a hand-knit sweater from an old family friend that just happened to arrive right in time for second Christmas, while Madeline plays with a toy he received.

After the gift exchange, it was determined that the children should wear astronaut costumes they received at first Christmas from their great Uncle Marc and Aunt Lucy.

This made Oliver happy (as, of course, does almost everything).

Later that morning, we paid our first-ever visit to Rocky Point.

Despite the cold, Oliver was -- you guessed it -- happy.

And Madeline enjoyed stretching her legs a little (and being carried a lot).

Later, she played with her now very considerable collection of Duplos.

Meanwhile, Oliver was happy.

Here's astronaut Madeline in zero-g.

Oliver is doing so well sitting up that he joined us at the table for breakfast one morning.

In fact, not only is he sitting up well, but he's also pushing up, rocking, scooting, and alllllllllmost-but-not-quite crawling.  Wow!

Monday morning, Grandma and Grandpa had to head home.

We spent the rest of the day at Ikea, picking out a big girl bed for Madeline!  She liked this one:

Last night, she needed some company to make sure it was safe from monsters and such ("I thought my projects [hanging on the wall] were scary monsters, but they're just nice monsters.").  But right now, she's sleeping peacefully in her brand new bed.

January in Rhode Island

Last time I posted, the Eagles were still in the playoff hunt.  Alas, no more.

Next season, Madeline's DeSean Jackson jersey might be too small -- whatever shall we do?

At least Oliver should be able to wear it.

The kiddos have continued to be happy, and life has been largely uneventful.

Ilan came over back on January 5 and the kids played very well together for hours -- it was great.

Oliver is very proud of himself whenever he manipulates a toy to his mouth.

And he's just beamingly happy most of the rest of the time.

Sometimes we are silly, like when Madeline and I wear onesies on our heads.

And sometimes we are serious, like when wearing a knit viking hat and eating granola from a baggie.

Last weekend we visited Lauren and Dan and baby Emily in Connecticut.  Oliver and Emily hung out ...

... while Maddie played with her dear friend Maggie the dog.

Oliver also tried to steal my coffee.

This is what weekday mornings look like:

Oliver has been playing with his feet a lot more lately.

And just a couple days ago, Madeline turned 35 months old!

The kiddos continue to enjoy one another.

And this weekend, there'll be even more excitement, as Grandma and Grandpa Greene come to town.

[Disclaimer: I wrote this earlier in the week but neglected to post it.  Don't worry, I won't deprive you of Oliver's five-month chair pictures.  You'll just have to wait a little longer...]