Visualize Whirled Peas

(the following was translated verbatim by Les Babble - professional baby whisperer - at the home of Molly Lash MacDonald, January 27, 2008 following her first experience with pureed peas)

"Alright Les, take this down. And don't go changing it to protect your gratuity - I'll know and then you'll never work in this town again. For the record: I do NOT like peas. I abhor them. They are, for want of a better word, revolting. They are an affront to my senses. Their taste, like soured seaweed from a backstreet sushi bar; their odor, like mashed millipedes on a Peruvian patio; their texture, like the sludge trapped between an elephant's toes! And tell my Dad that he's not fooling anyone by mixing those grotesque peas in with my rice cereal. I wasn't born yesterday. Next time he tries that... he'll be wearing peas to work!"

Splish! Splash! I'm Taking a Bath!

As you can well see, Molly has really learned to sit up in the last week and has used her new found vertical mastery to splash up all kinds of trouble in the wonder tub. Mom and Dad, naturally, are over the stars at the newest trick, but are having a hard time staying dry with the new splish and splash Lash in the house. There has even been talk of a move to... the real tub! Can Molly transition? Does she really need a rubber ducky? Turn it next week for more exciting updates!

Project Runway

Baby Molly recently made her first trip to Sears to have her photo "professionally taken". Some of the pictures are better than others and some, well some couldn't even be posted on this blog (think giant smiling heads floating in a misty semi-darkness). I was under the impression that these kinds of photos went the way of the 8-track. I guess it goes to show that when it comes to babies, cheesiness is timeless. Next, time we hope to go with the giant alphabetical blocks...

There were, however, a few shots that made the photo shoot worthwhile. Granted, Molly crawling through a faux lacy curtain still drips with cheddar, but it is pretty damn cute. Moreover, I'd never have the gall to set something like this up in my own house (can you imagine what I would say if caught in the act?). And these are the kind of pictures thirty years from now that will have us all dewy eyed and reminiscing, not the blurry ones I shot of Mom holding Molly in the middle of the night.

Alright, alright. I admit it. I like these pictures :) Even the one of Molly sitting in a pile of flower petals surrounded by a luminous pink mist... (no I'm not kidding).

Moving Up the Food Chain!

January 12, 2008, a day which will live in infamy. On this memorable date, our little Molly took her first small steps towards a larger world of food consumption. After considerable prompting, Ms. Molly delicately sampled the delicious mixture of breast milk and rice cereal that her parents had lovingly concocted for her. True to her fine breeding, and in perfect accord with what she has learned at her finishing school "Baby Debutantes", Molly swished the mixture around in her mouth, grimaced, and promptly gave herself a rice cereal goatee. Mom and Dad, of course, were awestruck by Molly's performance. They couldn't stop telling her how incredibly smart and talented she was despite the fact that, to their knowledge, there has never been a single human baby who didn't learn how to eat. But none, at least in their experience, had done it with the flair and panache that little Lash demonstrated! Just imagine what she'll do with green beans...

Is That the Best Thing Ever or What?

Happy New Year! (same as the old year)

Hi all! Happy 2008! We enjoyed seeing many of you over the holidays and trust the that the rest of you are rested! As we all know, all good things must eventually come to an end. Tonight the party officially ends for the MacDonalds with Dad going back to work tomorrow :(. So sad. He already misses baby Molly. As you can see, Molly and Mom are doing great and getting cuter (both of them) everyday. Molly officially turned five months old on January 3rd. She is talking up a storm and says da-da-da-da (read DAD :), la-la-la-la, ga-ga-ga-ga, and cogito-ergo-sum. She can roll over both ways (when she wants to - which is not often), sit up, and even stand holding onto a chair! But most of the time she likes to lie on her back and laugh and squeal at all the silly things Mom and Dad are doing. Some of these things include: setting New Year's resolutions to exercise more and eat less (annual), buying new bedroom furniture to finally move out of the "college dorm phase", and planning their first family vacation!

As you can probably tell, Molly is also thoroughly enjoying her new "Excersaucer Triple Threat" (it's really called the Triple Action or some other nonsense though for the life of me I can't figure out what actions two and three are). Regardless, Molly loves this vibrant, rollicking, jungle of over- stimulation. Dad also loves it! He loved putting it together (5 hours and a Ph.D. recommended) and he loves seeing it dominate the once tranquil and orderly space that was once the living room. For you new fathers out there: proceed with caution! It starts with a simple bouncy chair and a swing, then before you know it you've got gliders, high chairs, play blankets, and excersaucers dotting the landscape like fluorescent, Dayglo landmines. Of course, it is all worth it when you see your little girl (or boy) break into a smile and laugh - or in Molly's case, squeal like a boiling teakettle :)