Christmas!

Here's some video of Julia opening her presents on Christmas morning. Though we weren't originally planning on being in Ithaca for the holiday, it was a lovely, quiet day at home. And Julia had PLENTY of gifts to keep her busy from friends and family. Grandma Cindy and Grandma Judy made sure she had enough packages to make for a magical morning. She understood the concept of opening prettily wrapped packages to find things inside faster than we would have guessed! All in all, we have so much to be thankful for during this Christmas season.

Taking the wagon for a walk

One of Julia's favorite toys is a wagon she received from Aunties Liz and Sper. (Mommy's friends from college.) She loves to push her blocks and books around in the wagon.

Feeding Mommy

Julia's pretty generous with her Cheerios. When she's had enough, she gladly shares with Mommy. It's great fun for everyone. :)

Marvelous mittens

Julia's a very good sport when getting bundled up to go outside. Her mittens are like two new friends!

Getting the hang of walking!

Julia's getting pretty good at walking around the house with Daddy. Pretty soon she'll be moving under her own power. Scary thought...

Pancakes!

Julia had her first pancake today! It was a mushy, smooshy hit. No maple syrup just yet.

Thanksgiving Videos

Here are some videos from Thanksgiving in Rhode Island.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a lot to be thankful for around the dinner table this Thanksgiving. Our biggest blessing is Julia, of course, along with all of our loved ones and their health.

Cousin Zoe stopped by to play with Julia. They had a blast with the plethora of Beanie Babies!

Swimming!

Julia is taking swimming lessons at the YMCA and seems to be tolerating it pretty well! Daddy came with us to the second lesson and took some video.

The quality isn't great due to the size of the video. The upload process takes a long time, though using the YouTube videos seems to be better. So, we'll post another version of this same video soon in hope of getting a better picture!

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

We spent a cozy Sunday at home a few weeks ago, complete with football and bbq ribs. Julia was working on pulling up on the ottoman all morning, and it paid off when the ribs were served in the family room! We soon moved lunch to the kitchen table to avoid temptation. No, she didn't even get a taste.

Visit with Abigael Sophia!

Katie and Abigael came for lunch and playtime earlier this week. It was a riot to see the girls together.

Since they're only a day apart, they're doing so many of the same things- or variations of the same thing. They both love to talk, play, and crawl. And Abigael brought Julia a new toy! The water bottle filled with elbow macaroni was a hit!

And Abby also brought some snacks for Julia. Both babes love their Gerber crunchies. Julia is going through her container of "Maple Cinnamon" faster than she probably ought to!

The girls were also much more aware of one another than in any previous visit.

Swinging!

We've had unusually mild weather this month, so we've been trying to take advantage of it and get outside. We have so many cool places to walk and explore. We recently went to Buttermilk Falls State Park and played on the swings. It was Julia's first time in a "real" swing. It looks like she enjoyed it!

And here's a clip of her in the baby swing. Also looks like a good time!

Halloween!

We spent Halloween in RI, so Grandma Judy got to see Jujubee in the Minnie Mouse costume she picked out for her grandbaby. To Julia's credit, she was a super sport about the whole outfit. She even tolerated the ears better than we could have hoped. We did have to make one minor alteration- At 7 months and 3 weeks, Jujubee's biceps were too big for the arm holes of the dress, size 6-9 months. A quick snip of the elastic and all was well.

Fall Pictures

Here's a sampling of Julia's autumn. It was a FAST season! We're looking forward to JB's first holiday season. :)

FALL 2009

Getting the hang of kneeling...

Julia's getting more and more comfortable kneeling at her LeapFrog table. I propped her up on her feet to start, and she got to her knees pretty gracefully. It's amazing to watch her make such big gains!

Jujubee Crawls

Julia's getting to be a regular motor-buns! Here she is, crawling for a few feet before she gets distracted by the whale mat.

Dancing with Daddy

Julia and Daddy did some dancing a few weeks ago. Jujubee loves her papa! I think she likes the "tall" perspective of the world, too. A bit different from when she's hanging out with Mommy.

PS- There is intentionally no sound on this video! Mommy needs to learn the words before she's allowed to sing on camera. :)

Blah blah blah...

Julia is chatting up a storm these days. She's moved on from repeating single syllables to blabbing on and on about whatever's on her mind. She's not really understanding the give-and-take of a conversation just yet. Hopefully we'll be able to get a word in edgewise one of these days.

Julia's Bathtime!

Julia had a ball in Grandma and Grandpa's bathtub during a recent trip to RI. She flipped onto her belly for the first time in the tub. All the better to "swim" towards the shampoo bottles on the edge of the tub. Perhaps she has a swimming career ahead of her. Thanks for taking video, Auntie Julia!




Here's a link to some pictures Aunt Julia took of Jujubee in the bathtub. Pearl was an excellent lifeguard. She almost jumped into the tub with the baby.

Julia in the Bathtub

Julia's Penguin

One of JB's favorite toys is a wooden flapping penguin from Ginna Hardesty, a Pi Phi friend of Beth's. She will follow the penguin anywhere, even though she hasn't quite mastered the art of crawling. Here she is, spinning like she's on a turntable, following that tricky penguin's every move.

Julia's Fine Dining

Julia's taken a liking to solid food! She's a little bit fussy when Mommy or Daddy or Grandma feed her, but when she gets her hands on the spoon, she does a pretty good job of trying everything in front of her! Of course, most of it ends up everywhere BUT inside her mouth.

Julia Still Jumps

Julia is still a jumping bean. Jumping is, by far, her favorite activity. Here she is with Daddy, jumping on the couch. That won't be allowed for too much longer. :)

Cleaning Julia's Face

So Julia's becoming MUCH more active, which means a lot LESS time to post things to the blog. Clearly! It's been over a month since the last post! So, we have a few backlogged videos to share of Julia.

Here's Julia, getting her face cleaned in early September. What a good time!

Pumpkin Patch!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Ready for the sippy cup?

Julia's getting grabbier and grabbier when Mama's eating or drinking. She'll suck on any piece of fruit- apple, nectarine- within her reach. And she really wants to get the water glass. Perhaps it's time to start the solid foods. :)

Home, Sweet Home!

Bill was ecstatic to have his baby girl home safe and sound after a week at the beach. He couldn't wait to play with her right away!

Julia's pretty happy to be home, too. She's a super traveler, but being out of her element for a while took its toll. She's sleeping like a rock today! (Which is great for getting things done! )

Jumping with Uncle Jamie

Jujubee loves to jump! She had a ball in the backyard with Uncle Jamie during our recent visit to Cape Cod.

Julia's August

Julia's AUGUST 2009 pictures

We've had a super fun August!

Julia and I have been spending Tuesday mornings at the Farmer's Market in DeWitt Park, hanging out with the moms and babies while the older kids enjoy Storytime. We were clued into this hip scene by our neighbor, Karen, who has three little boys. Simon is only 20 days younger than Julia, and you can see from the pictures that Julia's keeping him close. They'll be good buddies for a while, we think.

We also enjoyed a visit from Ken Hunt, one of Bill's best friends from high school. We got to show him the Ithaca sights and hear about his exciting tales from the OR before he relocates to Stanford.

Nick Bayer and Hally Schreiber came to town to get married, and many of the Cornell Baseball and Sigma Chi alums came, too! Julia had a chance to meet Finn Mauro (11.5 months) when we had the group over for a cookout. She also enjoyed taking a picture with Daddy in his fancy tuxedo.

While Bill was getting ready for the players to return to campus, Julia and I took another trip to the beach. We spent some great time with most of her Sullivan family, and she even met a few "Auxiliary Aunties!" Auntie Holly came from CT to spend some beach time with us, and she gave Julia a cool new towel. It's going to get a LOT of wear next year. At the end of the week, Julia met Aunties Cope, Booty, Deaner, and Sper at Kelley's baby shower. She was thrilled to meet everyone, and then she got to spend the day in Boston with Aunt Julia and Pearl.

All in all, Julia's had a fabulous first summer. We're sad to see it end, but we're looking forward to the excitement the school year is sure to bring!

Rocking the Exersaucer!

Here's Julia, LOVING her exersaucer. She can spend a good long while playing with all of the toys on the tray. In this clip, she's playing while we're eating dinner. It's a great place for her to hang out so that we can eat at the same time! Otherwise, we're eating in shifts to keep her occupied. :)

Catching up on our videos!

So much has been happening in the Walkenbach household! We have quite a few videos and pictures to share from the past few weeks.

Julia's most recent developments include bouncing (on someone's lap or in her jumperoo), reaching and grabbing for anything that catches her eye, and (finally!) some happy times in the water at the beach. She's also getting much more interested in what we're eating and drinking, so stay tuned for some solid food fun!

She's just about 6 months, and it's VERY hard to believe that half of a year has gone by since she arrived. It seems like she's been a part of the family forever while at the same time six whole months have positively flown by!

Julia has found her knees...

Exer-saucer!

Julia's a fitness fiend in her exersaucer. Here are a few video clips of her doing her thing! The quality isn't great since we took these with our cell phones, but sometimes it works in a pinch!

Bouncy Bear!

Check out Julia using her newly discovered knees.  Instead of going to bed, she decided to show off her new moves!  Mommy and Daddy did nothing to discourage her - the bouncing baby bear is just too cute!

Pictures from the Cape

Here's a link to the Kodak Gallery pictures from our visit to Cape Cod.



Julia on the Cape

It does NOT come with a "cabana boy..."

Julia spent most of her beach time in her new beach cabana. It kept her out of the sun, but provided a good spot from which she could observe the beach. She played, ate, and slept in it. Her home away from home...

Julia Goes to the Cape!

Julia recently spent a week on Cape Cod! It was great to spend time with the family: Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan, Aunt Julia, Aunt Pammy, Uncle Nick, Uncle Mike, and of course, puppies Pearl and Tucker!

We did a ton of fun things, including many days at the beach. Julia's first experience with the Atlantic was similar to her reaction to the Pacific- not a big fan of the water! But after four days at the beach, she finally came around. A little bit.

Pacific Toes

Julia was not exactly thrilled with her first visit to the beach. Everything was fine until she dipped her toes into the chilly Pacific. Not a big fan, yet. And the warm sand was little consolation after the injustice of the sea! She'll grow into a beach bunny. Mommy hopes. :)

Sorry about the quality of the video. The higher-quality video wouldn't upload to Blogger.

Julia's Trip to California

Julia went on her first plane ride following her baptism to visit all of her California family! She was an EXCEPTIONAL traveler! Despite a 15+ hour day out to the West Coast, she was all smiles and merriment. It was a blessing to have Grandma Cindy and Uncle Chris with us for the flight. The trip back was not quite so long, and she did well then, too.

Our time in Claremont, California was amazing. Julia got to meet all of Bill's family including Great-Grandma (GG) Bobbie, Uncle Scott, Uncle Ray, and Aunt Valerie. We also had a chance to meet many of Grandma Cindy's friends. They had heard all about Julia, and she didn't disappoint! Except for a minor naptime meltdown at Grandma's office, Julia was a super social butterfly.

We did some very fun things including a trip to Balboa Island (where Grandma Cindy spent summers with her grandma!), Crystal Cove beach, Laguna Beach, the Claremont 4th of July celebration, and we even went out to a few restaurants! We also got some good walks in around Grandma's neighborhood and in the Botanical Gardens in Julia's BOB stroller. And perhaps the biggest event of our trip was celebrating GG Bobbie's 93rd birthday!!!

All in all, we had a marvelous time. Julia can't wait to go back!

Julia's CA Trip- Part 1

Julia's CA Trip- Part 2

Playing on Grandma Cindy's Patio

During her trip to California, Jujubee enjoyed her morning playtime on Grandma Cindy's patio.

God Bless Julia!

Julia was baptized at St. Catherine of Sienna on Father's Day, June 21st. It was quite an event! She wore a beautiful Ulster linen family christening gown with gorgeous Celtic embroidery. None of these pictures do the gown justice, so a photo shoot is due soon to showcase the dress!

This will be once the dress is cleaned, however, since Julia made her mark (so to speak) on it in the middle of Father Martin's homily. Advised that we should be ready to continue with the baptismal sacrament as soon as the homily was over, we didn't dare leave the church to try and change her quickly. So, Bill tried his best to ignore the warm, wet, and stinky sensation occurring on his arm through his suit sleeve!

After the ceremony, we saw the full extent of Julia's damage, and we are grateful it doesn't show in any of the pictures!

We had a party at home following the baptism, and Jen Nitkowski made the fabulous cakes.

All in all, it was a GREAT day, and a special first Father's Day for Bill. A foreshadowing of things to come for him, perhaps....?

Julia's Christening Photos

A May/early June retrospective...

It's been a busy, busy couple of months in the Walkenbach household. Julia is growing in leaps and bounds! Here are some pictures of recent outings to Toughannock Falls, the Farmers' Market, and Ithaca Festival, along with pictures from around the house. We can't get enough of this wee one!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.8fyz01l2&x=0&y=-h93mz0&localeid=en_US

That's how she rolls!!!

Julia's been spending more and more time on her tummy, and as a result, her neck is getting SO strong! She's able to lift herself up and look around for minutes on end. What a change from the first few weeks when tummy time meant Julia lying face-down on her mat and turning her head to the side MAYBE one time- and that was to breathe! And now she's rolling from her belly to her back! What an accomplishment! You can see (hear) from the video how excited we are about this new development!

It's amazing how much she's grown. You might be able to tell from the video that she's learning her name, and she's really started to focus in on me and Bill when we speak to her. She even looks for us in the room when we're not right by her side. It's awesome and a little scary, too! I've been VERY conscious of what I do in front of her now! Trying to limit her (and my!) bad habits!

She's three months old today, June 6. What a ride it's been thus far. And so much more to come, but all in good time. We're loving each day with our new family member!

Julia's Workout

I checked out a Mommy-Baby yoga dvd out of the library, and JB really seemed to enjoy the workout. Here we are in the basement, making sure that Julia gets her reps in!

Bumbo!

Julia's hard work with her neck control is paying off! She has a new "Bumbo" chair to sit in while contemplating her feet- one of her favorite things to do!

Julia and her puppy, all Tucker-ed out..

After Julia's hike at Treman Park, she was exhausted. And so was Uncle Tucker, Grandma and Grandpa's puppy. Everyone slept well after such a busy day.

Hiking Treman Park

Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan came to Ithaca for Memorial Day weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to take Julia for her first trip to Robert Treman Park. She was in awe of Lucifer Falls, though you might not be able to tell since she's snuggled in her carrier. Thanks for taking the video, Grandpa!

Chatty Julia!

Julia's really finding her voice. When she gets going, it's hard for her to stop. Once she knows her words, watch out!!!

Dancing with Daddy

Julia and Daddy spent some nice time dancing one Saturday morning.

Totally mastering tummy time...

Julia's getting pretty good at "tummy time!" Since the SIDS police say sleeping on the tummy is a no-no, Julia needs to work on those important upper body skills during designated tummy time. What used to be a horrific ordeal- for everyone- is actually getting easier. :)

Julia undercover...

Julia was nicely wrapped in her blanket, snoozing in her swing. Or so we thought. When we peeked in, she was taking everything in without letting on that she was awake! A spy in the making? We shall see...

Mother's Day cutie...

Julia made Mother's Day a special treat for me! She slept through the night, picked out an adorable card, behaved through brunch and church, and was a peach all day! Here's a long and unedited clip from our lovely day.

An Interview with Julia B

Julia is getting more and more chatty with each day. Here she is, chatting with Daddy. She's got a lot to say! (Not a surprise knowing her Mama.)

Little Piglet!

Julia's neighbors, the Smiths, gave her a Piglet outfit to wear when she goes for a walk. Here's Julia modeling the outfit with her Daddy!

Spring Pictures!

Julia's becoming a big girl! At her 2 month appointment, she was 12 lbs and 24 inches. Growing like a champ! She's becoming more and more expressive and responsive, which has been AWESOME for her mom and dad. She's "talking" up a storm and smiling and cooing lots.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. Cut and paste the link into your browser to view! (And if you know how to post a live link, let me know!!!):
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.8ua9w0z2&x=0&y=wy9knv&localeid=en_US

Abby comes to visit!

Julia hosted her friend Abby for a play date last week. Abby was born the day before Julia, and her mom Katie and I worked together at Alumni Affairs at Cornell.

It was great to see two babies of the exact same age! Abby was much better behaved. Julia was a little touchy about sharing her toys. We'll need to work on that.

Laughing

Julia's "talking" and giggling is perhaps my favorite thing in the world. :)

Jujubee Goes to RI

Sorry for the delay posting new Julia material! Sometimes there isn't enough time in the day to shower, let alone post photos and video of Julia B - though we're taking lots of both. (And I always thought that not having time to shower was a total new-mom cop out. Boy was I mistaken!)

We took our first road trip while Bill was on his own trip to Columbia for a baseball weekend. My mom came up to Ithaca to drive us back to RI, which was a HUGE factor in the trip going so well. When Julia needs to eat, it adds an hour to the trip. And when she needs to eat twice...well, you can see how a road trip can become an epic adventure!

Julia had a chance to meet many of her RI relatives, including Great-grandma Holt and Great-Grandma Sullivan. She was a super baby, allowing herself to be held and snuggled by all who came to see her. She's a loved little lady!

Here are some photos from the trip:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.b96uriku&x=0&y=9xq7rz&localeid=en_US

Daddy's Trick

While playing with Julia, Daddy figured out a little trick to distract her from a fussy-fit.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thank you, Pi Phi!

The fabulous women of NY Delta showered the littlest Pi Phi Angel-to-be with a basket of goodies! Claire and Katherine came by earlier this week bearing an adorable whale-motif basket with several outfits, toys, and their favorite board book "Chicka Chicka ABC," for Baby Julia. We've read the book several times during feeding time, and JB seems to love the rhythms! They also brought a great play mat for Tummy Time! What generous sisters we have!

This video features Julia in one of the outfits they brought by (which Claire insisted upon, I think!) and doing some MAJOR tricks on her new whale mat. I can't believe we actually caught a roll-over on video!

Grandma Cindy comes to visit!

Grandma Cindy made the long trip from California to visit grandbaby Julia Barbara. She's getting her share of snuggles with our Jujubee. And she's even been able to catch a few Cornell baseball games!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.chyh1jme&x=0&y=-lhjpa1&localeid=en_US

Daddy's Baby Bear

Cornell baseball opened up conference play this past weekend. After a split with Brown on Saturday, the Yale game was postponed to Tuesday. Julia B made it to both outings, providing the requisite good luck to the Big Red on Saturday for their win over Brown in game #2. On Tuesday, she was ready for the elements in her mascot suit. She's a Big Red Bear in training!

Here's some video from the post-game with Daddy.

Stats update

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday to make sure that JB was making progress on her quest back to birth weight (8.5 lbs). She was a little bit off at our last visit, so we were encouraged to feed her more. Which she LOVED. She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs yesterday and grew another 1/2 inch, bringing her length to 22 inches, which is pretty long for a baby. Looks like she's going to take after her daddy in the height department.

Julia's also working on her chatting. Here's a clip of her playing on her mat and talking up a storm. If we could just figure out what she's saying...

Catching up on our videos!

Julia's getting more and more accustomed to having her diaper changed. After eating she doesn't seem to mind it at all! We already need to keep a watchful eye on her while she's on the changing table.

New pictures on Kodak Gallery!

Hi everyone! It's been a busy week, but we've got some new photos of Julia Barbara and her adventures.

We've had lots of family visit, and Grandma Judy even stayed for a whole week while Daddy was in CA for spring break with Cornell baseball. Grandma Cindy is going to get her share of snuggles when she comes on Friday!

We don't have any pictures with Grandpa or Aunt Pammy due to a camera malfunction, but I'm hoping to get some from my mom's camera.

Also, to expedite the upload process, the quality of photos is not great. If you'd like a higher quality photo for printing, etc. please let me know and I can send it to you!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.9v6rzbxy&x=0&y=-dr0a84&localeid=en_US

She's not always so perfect...

In the interest of full disclosure, we included this video. She's not always so perfect, but her fussy moments are few and far in between. Here's one of them...

Time to read!

Julia has a book of black and white images that she's really into. She reads it everyday. She's dying to find out how it ends.

Feeding Time!

As cutie as Julia is, she can be pretty funny- and a little gross, too!

Jujubee and Auntie Pammy

Jujubee and Auntie Pammy had a chance to bond this weekend!

Julia Barbara Meets Uncle Tucker

Uncle Jamie Visits

JB and Uncle Jamie bonding. They had some pizza, a beer, and watched Syracuse beat West Virginia in the Big East tourney. Yay 'Cuse!

Wake Up!

Some of my favorite moments with JB are those just as she's waking up. I don't know if she gets cuter than this. We may have reached our limit. :)

Play time on the play mat! Julia's getting some practice batting her hanging toys around. We're pretty sure she has no idea what's going on, but it makes for some entertaining video!

Jujubee goes Big Red

Julia B shows her Big Red devotion by humoring Daddy and Mommy in Daddy's baseball hat. We hope she never grows into it!!!

Stretching!

Sleepy Girl

Julia is a pretty sleepy baby. Here are some photos from today's napping. :)

New pictures on Kodak Gallery!

We've added some pictures on Kodak Gallery!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=o5fq326.1m5msmgu&x=0&y=-rzx4bk&localeid=en_US

Tummy Time!

Julia spent some time on her tummy today, exploring her play mat. It'll be a while until she can fully appreciate all of its bells and whistles! But she's so much fun to watch! :)

Julia's Trip Home from the Hospital!

And here's one more video of her third day of life! Mommy and Baby get ready to go home from the hospital while Daddy catches the event on film. :)

Julia w/Aunt Julia, Narrated by Grandma Judy

More video of Julia Barbara- affectionately known as Jujubee. :)

Her Aunt Julia and Grandma Judy came to visit in the hospital. Here she is being very alert!

Baby Julia Has Arrived!

Weighing in at 8.5 lbs and measuring 21.5 inches, Julia Barbara Walkenbach arrived on Friday, March 6th at 2:34 pm. Mom and Dad are INSANELY excited to have her here after a 41 week wait!

We've already learned some of her favorite things- sucking on Daddy's finger among them. Here's a video of her doing just that!

Waiting for our Walkenbaby!!!

Our first post on our family blog!!!

We've been patiently awaiting Baby W's arrival for many months now. February 27th was the due date, but Baby seems to be especially comfy in the womb and isn't yet making any moves toward the wide world as of March 4th. But we know that Baby will come along at just the right time. Mom and Dad are pretty anxious, though!