Countdown to crawling

This weekend, I noticed that Josephine has slightly rough patches on her otherwise super soft, super fat knees. Michael also pointed out that she likes to roll to her tummy, and then push herself up onto her hands and knees for brief periods. Both the knee calluses and the crawler's pose point to imminent crawling. It seemed liked Madeleine crawled within a week or two of mastering these skills. Michael and I wouldn't mind delaying this next big step for a few extra weeks, but we'll see what Josephine has in mind.

Both girls attended Boo at the Zoo this weekend which we braved with Nana despite freezing temperatures and 50 mile per hour winds. Only forty eight hours later, it's hard to remember what we were thinking - I guess we were just glad the pouring rains had ceased. In any case, we all had a good time. Madeleine was a 'pink ballerina' though she begrudgingly topped her fancy satin leotard and pouffy tutu with a pink sweatshirt and pink wool cape. Josephine was somewhat more appropriately dressed as a bear - appropriate in terms of warmth and because J's preferred sounds these days is the growl. Madeleine was thrilled to be there - at one point she ran back to hug Nana's leg and shout 'I LOVE BOO AT THE ZOO!' and she was completely on board with tracking down the booth giving away black licorice. She's our girl!

Yesterday, the girls and I stayed home in the morning which was a welcome break in activity. I worked on unpacking and packing up out-of-season and outgrown clothes for all of us, and M & J played. Madeleine wore her new ballet outfit from her cousin Adrianne, and we suited Josephine up in her own tutu so Madeleine could teach ballet class. Madeleine does a great job entertaining Josephine, but her standards as a ballet teacher were a bit high - Josephine's not quite ready for the high speed kicks and turns that Madeleine was demanding.

Sports and whine

Ah, those fleeting, more innocent days of September have passed and we've all come to realize the desperate times that lay ahead for all of us. I'm of course referring to the tragic state of the Redskins. It wasn't too long ago we huddled together in anticipation for what was surely the return to greatness for our beloved D.C. team. But a mere seven weeks into the season and we're left with nothing more than a 2-win, five-loses record and shattered dreams. But with a week off to regroup and then a home game against the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, hope springs eternal.

To take our minds off of what's truly important, we've taken to other weekend endeavors. Josie and her mom headed to California to visit family and otherwise has been perfecting launching herself face down onto the ground in an act we can only interpret as some sort of loose attempt at crawling.

Madeleine, meanwhile, hit the party circuit, attending birthday fetes for friends Timothy, Drew and Ben. We've also decided on a theme for Madeleine's upcoming fifth birthday party, set for early December: ballet class. Madeleine asked originally for the party to be a full on production of a ballet with her friends and her training vigorously and then performing for the parents. We're expecting to scale back those plans a bit though since most five-year olds are closer to being mini-Butkus' instead of mini-Barishnikovs.



While mom and Josie were away, Maddie and her dad decided to take the opportunity to take in a play at the Kennedy Center. A mystery musical called "Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major," the play was exciting and funny. Madeleine liked the girl character (Teddy's daughter Ethel). Dad liked the kid who played Archie and also liked the way T.R. always said "Bully!" Madeleine's favorite scene was when the Ethel, Kermit and Archie were up in the White House attic looking for the next clue to the location of the treasure, and Archie found it in the backside of a stuffed grizzly bear. That scene was particularly amusing to most of the children (and many adults) in the audience.

This was the first play Madeleine had seen and she handled herself wonderfully. She was entranced with the performance and rarely spoke or asked questions. She and her dad also had a chance to dress up in fancy clothes and walk around the Kennedy Center grounds before the show which made it all the more special. We hope to have the chance to attend more performances soon.