Additional cuteness

- She also likes to sing while being bounced on your knee to hear her voice change with each bounce. Other fun games along this line include letting someone pat on her mouth to make "cowboys and indians"-style indian noises, and moving her fist across her mouth for some other kind of sound.
Hundreds Attend 'Illicit' Mass in Mo. - Yahoo! News: "'It was magic,' said JoAnne La Sala of St. Louis, a self-described lapsed Catholic. 'You could feel the spirit of the people.'"

Magic? Something like that, sweetie, but without the pointy hats and froggies.

Merry Christmas!

The day started with 9 am Mass. We went early to get a seat, which was totally unnecessary since everyone either went to another Mass or out of town. Baby V is usually sleeping during this time so she was a wiggly worm at Mass, but not very loud thankfully.

After her nap and Christmas dinner, we tried to show her how to open presents. She did a pretty good job, but is not naturally destructive so did not revel in paper-ripping. She just did it because we asked her.

Today Baby V received, among many other gifts, a giant teddy bear about 3 times her size. She was scared of it, which for her does not mean crying, but quickly scurrying far away from it and refusal to come closer. This resulted in our leaving the bear on the floor for her to "get used to it" as well as passing the bear around so she could see the family's consensus that the bear is an OK guy. Later in the day she did touch the bear a little bit, but she is still not sure.

Other favorite gifts include a chair that counts and sings, a xylophone, a jack-in-the-box, a musical ball, and a glow-in-the-dark Baby Pooh. These toys (and more from her generous grandparents) were all met with approval.

She also did a lot of walking (few steps here and there) and standing today. Minimal familial bickering too. We ended this fun and peaceful day with prayers.

Baby V Update:

At just over 11 months old, she now interacts with her stuffed animals as though they have personalities, instead of just being soft blobs. She also is regularly pointing at things and making a Klingon-like sound we interpret as "what's that?", as well as throwing things out of any enclosure she happens to be in - crib, baby fence, etc. She also can put objects inside baskets as well as taking them out.

Today she did not want to eat her applesauce and spent the whole "meal" pointing intently at the box of baby cookies.

Merry Christmas!
Weezer Singer Celibate, Goes to Harvard. Who would have guessed?

Actually, who would have guessed that ANYONE who goes to Harvard has taken a vow of celibacy?

Why we need not fear the Randians, because they are so hollow.

Capitalism Magazine: Christmas Should be More Commercial by Leonard Peikoff: "It is time to take the Christ out of Christmas, and turn the holiday into a guiltlessly egoistic, pro-reason, this-worldly, commercial celebration. "
Untying the Knot, Celebrity Style: "Attorneys say some recent celebrity prenups include:
- Limiting the wife's weight to 120 pounds or she must relinquish $100,000 of her separate property.
- Allowing a spouse to perform random drug tests, with financial penalties for positive results.
- Requiring a husband to pay $10,000 each time he is rude to his wife's parents.
- No mother-in-law sleepovers.
- Only one football game per Sunday."
More Black Families Home Schooling - New York Times
The Real Reason Liberal Jews Fear Evangelical Christians
You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.

Batman, the Dark Knight

83%

Neo, the "One"

63%

William Wallace

58%

Maximus

54%

Captain Jack Sparrow

50%

The Terminator

46%

El Zorro

38%

Lara Croft

33%

The Amazing Spider-Man

21%

James Bond, Agent 007

13%

Indiana Jones

4%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com
Mansfield Fox has nice photos of snow-covered New Haven.

Baby V took her first step this evening!

She also shook her head "no" today for the first time.

Excellent, excellent column. Really. Nice work.

Townhall.com :: Columns :: Free Advice for Liberals: Duke It Out Among Yourselves by Jonah Goldberg

No surprise

Masculine
You scored 66 masculinity and 26 femininity!
You scored high on masculinity and low on femininity. You have a traditionally masculine personality.
Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test
Crab Nebula. Nifty. Not worth the money taken from me at the point of a gun for the half-a** Hubble telescope, but nifty.
Click here, this is very funny.