C'mon...How Cute IS she?

Well, you know how we feel. There couldn't be a cuter baby in the world! (except of course all our friends babies who are equally cute). Alright, we're biased - but so are YOU. Anyhow, we took this picture on our way to the beach yesterday morning. We like to take Lash down to the dolphin park so she can run around and point at the trees, birds, dogs, kids, etc. She calls pretty much everything "Baby" but has now taken to calling herself "Big Baby" so at least she is differentiating a bit. Other favorite words include "Light", "Kite", "Mama", "DaDa", "Eat", "Gookie" (Cookie), "Goomba" (I think it means - "I want that" as she frequently says this and points at objects), "Ga-Boo" (no idea), "Diga-Diga-Diga-Doo" (I'm happy about something). So she's getting quite a little vocabulary - kinda. Anyhow, we love her more than words can say. She is SO much fun to be around that we have trouble putting her to bed at night.

Garden of Eden?

Hardly, Dad and Lash visited the South Coast Botanical Gardens in Palos Verdes last weekend and were much disappointed. If you've ever been to a Botanical Garden I'm sure you have seen the nice little signs they put next to exotic plants giving their Latin names and such. So imagine those neat little signs in front of completely DRIED UP and DEAD plant specimins! Look carefully at this picture to your right... see how even the grass is dying? What kind of botanical garden are these people running? Botanticus Crapticus? Anyhow, between the dead plants and the dust blowing everywhere - Molly and I felt like we characters in The Grapes of Wrath - we managed to snap a few cute pictures of Lash running around. I also got lots of hugs from the baby (maybe because she was frightened by the harsh environment?). That, at least, was worth the entrance fee.

That's My Girl!

Yes, Molly has discovered... potty humor. Let's face it, you're never too young or too old to get a kick out of the ol' finger in the nose gag. Lash loves this new joke - especially when Mama chides her "No, no, no, no!" (joking of course). Molly laughs and laughs and then... does it again...and again...and again. This is only a meal time joke mind you so my question is: how do we get her finger out of her nose and get her to eat something? THAT, of course, isn't in any of the dozens of baby instruction books we own.

Molly Finds Jesus! (At her Baptism of course!)

Last Sunday, little Lash finally got to meet the Big Kahuna, the Reason for the Season, that's right - Jesus Christo. And just in time! Her little soul was in desperate need of a bath! The good news is she's in - heaven that is - as long as she lives a fairly decent life. So at least that's one less thing to worry about...

The ceremony was held at Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes and was truly wonderful. It was a beautiful day and Molly looked stunning (as you can see). She happened to find a mirror in the vestibule that reflected her THREE ways - imagine her excitement.

Thank you family and friends for attending. We are, honestly, truly blessed.

Mama and the baby tackle the altar. Lash can go up steps but down... not so much.

Molly's adorable outfit was made possible by GB (Grandma Baltau to those of you just joining us). Check out the patent leather shoes! Thank you! Thank you! Lash was the perfect little angel on her big day!

Reverend Brown, Dad, Lash, Mama, The Godfather (aka Matthew), and GodMama Kristen at Wayfarer's Chapel.

Lash, for her part, did well. Although she squawked and chattered through most of the Rev's speech (not to mention trying to pull the leaves off the large plant upper right), she came through in the clutch. When Rev. Brown moved in for the anointment, Molly looked him right in the eyes and gave him a big smile. Then, when he pulled his hand away, she gave him a high five and laughed! Amen to that little sister!

The Many Faces of the Great and Powerful Mol!

We learned an important parenting lesson here: babies are only allowed to eat ravioli and cheese RIGHT BEFORE bath time.

On this particular day, Ms. Lash had TWO baths as this situation quickly deteriorated into ravs in the hair, eyelashes, ears, Dad's hair, Mom's nose, etc. etc. Molly, of course, had a wonderful time smiling and chuckling and eating and smearing her way right through this tasty meal.

"Thanks Auntie Mernie for the cute outfit!"

Much to our entertainment, Molly has taken to wearing hats and headbands. She pulls them out of her drawer, slaps them on her head, and then runs over to the mirror and laughs hysterically at her own reflection! In this particular instance, she also used Aunt Jane's cool electronic microphone to sing "Love is a Battlefield."

A synthetic yellow plastic coin for your thoughts?

Dad, still upset that his Olympic idol Misty May-Treanor sold out to do "Dancing with the Stars", decides that if you can't beat 'em join 'em and signs himself and Lash up for the new Fox hit "Dancing With Your Baby!". How will they fare against the likes of Nicole and baby Harlow or Tom and Suri? Tune it to find out.

Molly's First Birthday (at long last...)

Molly's first birthday was a smash! Thanks to all you friends and family who attended. I'm sure she will reflect fondly on that wonderful day in the many years to come...

We especially appreciate GB who helped with many of the planning details and set up as well as Nana and Jim who pulled a Kerouac-esque road trip from Seattle to Los Angeles to be present.

As for the baby? She dug the food, friends, and gifts - particularly the duck driver that little Lief Kious brought for her. Towards the end of the afternoon, she had a little breakdown - but hey, it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to (especially if her Dad didn't strap her in the stroller and she fell out... Oops).

Molly and Mama take a break during Molly's first birthday extravaganza! All Lash's favs were there except the Jolie-Pitt twins who said they would be in Zimbabwe or some other nonsense.