Aug 30 2009

Permission

At some point around month 4 or 5, Grace began to really hate having her diaper changed. No matter what we did and no matter how full and/or uncomfortable it had become, she would scream, cry and flop like a fish whenever we laid her down on the changing table. Sometimes we could distract her with a toy or a shoe or a peek-a-boo game but she would inevitably realize what was going on and give us the angry salmon routine.

As I went to pick her up after her nap the other day, without really thinking about it, I asked her “should we change your diaper?”. “Ya,” she said with a nod. To this point, I really thought the Ya’s and No’s came mostly at random and not as an exact response to my questions. Sometimes they matched up but most of the time, it just seemed like she was practicing a word that she knew I recognized. Surely she wouldn’t be thinking through the question I asked, thinking “Hmmm, my diaper is a bit wet and uncomfortable. A change would be quite welcome. Have at it, sir!” and then paring that down to a succinct and easier to pronounce “Ya”. But sure enough, she not only tolerated being put on the changing table, but laughed and played a little game.

Even naptime seems to go a little more smoothly now if I ask in advance. “Do you want a bottle and go night-night?”, I ask. “Ya,” says Grace, while probably thinking how nice it would be if I didn’t talk down to her with this “go night-night” garbage. “A- it’s a ‘nap’, Dad and B- it is not even nighttime, though I really do think I could use one about now. So…Ya! Let’s make it happen!”


Aug 29 2009

Babies have to eat, too

Mealtime is rarely complete until Grace has shared her bounty with Lincoln,, Bla Bla or, in this case Baby. Baby clearly enjoys waffle as you can tell when Grace says “mmm” for her.


Aug 23 2009

Dreams of Flying


MVI_1828.MOV
Originally uploaded by Lincoln Topliff

There is little Grace loves as much as a balloon. I think this one took her out of the car seat and high above the trees to a place that babies rule the world and cows jump over moons.


Aug 23 2009

Pick of the Week

photo[4]

We know for sure that Lincoln didn’t teach Grace this new trick, even though they both spent the night at Grammie and Papa’s house. She probably wasn’t even going after anything, she just noticed that her finger and her nostril seemed like perfect complements.


Aug 18 2009

Hazel Topliff


BABY081809_2, originally uploaded by Lincoln Topliff.

I always thought that Grace would hold the record for fastest naming of a baby but that record may have just been shattered. Jenn was still on the ultrasound table after we found out that Grace would be having a sister, when she threw out the name “Hazel”. I loved it and we locked it in without a battle. We didn’t know it until later, but it turns out that my mom had an aunt Hazel making us 2 for 2 on accidentally picking family names. Hazel can be thankful that we didn’t randomly connect her with Mom’s other aunt…Bertha. Her middle name has not yet been decided but that will give us some thing to battle over for the next 6 months.

We couldn’t be happier to have another Topliff girl on deck. More pics and some videos here.


Aug 13 2009

Grace’s first rave review

The luminescent quality of the piece belies a certain toddler angst that lurks tantalizingly beneath the surface. A remarkable first effort from a talent who has announced herself “brightly” to the world.
Yokota Art Review,
August 12, 2009

OK, She’s a friend of mine and already a fan of Grace, but still…rave!


Aug 12 2009

First Art: A sun from our daughter


Grace White Topliff
United States, 2008-
“Daycare Sun”
2009
Fingerpaint on cutout paper
The Topliff Refrigerator Collection


Aug 6 2009

Welcome Vivienne Marie Schumann

Our very good friends Sara and Joerg welcomed their adorable daughter, Vivienne Marie to the world today. After a short, but significant, stint of bedrest, they were hankering to meet little Kürbis (the German word for “pumpkin” and a better nickname than “bowling ball”). They have both been such loving Godparents to Grace, it is not hard to imagine what amazing parents they will be. The best part is that Grace isn’t losing her Godparents, she’s gaining a sister and we are not losing babysitters, we are gaining…well…another baby.


Aug 4 2009

The Eagle has Landed!

We have ignition…

and lift off!

One small step for babies, one giant leap for Topliff-kind.