Ingrit and family are home from visiting David's family down in southern WI. A good time was had by all.

Ingrit really seems to like looking at herself in the mirror in her Grandpa Tom biker duds. She looks totally bad ass baby...watch out class of 2026...she doesn't know what she's rebelling against yet, but she'll take whatever you've got.

Getting ready for Christmas

The Watkins and Herfel's have been getting ready for the merriment. This weekend will bring Dave's family and a drive to southern Wisconsin. Ingrit has outgrown her infant car seat and will be riding in style in her new big girl car seat. The infant seat is made for babies up to 30 pounds and Ingers is less than 17, but her head reaches nearly the top of the seat and her legs hang over the edge of the seat. Time for new digs.

Buying a car seat is really hard. There must be a 100 models to choose from and you can easily start to feel like a bad parent for not buying the $300 model--It must be safer, right?? Not so according to my research, but the snack tray and cup holders were much classier, the fabric was much cuter, and the name felt good to say. I so never ever thought I'd have brand affinity for anything related to transporting children...handbags, toothpaste, deodorant, shoes, facial tissue? alright, I get all that, but a car seat? I never woulda dreamt it.

We're spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family at my folks' house. (Super excited to see Auntie Kathy and Cousin Erin in from San Francisco!) Jack always looks forward to hanging out with Buddy and Teddy too.

We've had to set aside our commitment to buy nothing new to buy our Christmas presents. I think we could have done it if we'd planned ahead better, but oh well. At least on a daily basis we've reduced our consumption and waste. Not to brag or anything, but we have like one kitchen-sized bag of trash a week nowadays. Incredible how much packaging goes around EVERYTHING new and how little goes around anything USED.

Ingrit loves animals, so long as they're large. We have a new expression. It's for terror, scream bloody murder terror. "Go weiner dog". Ingrit screamed the realest scream I've ever heard at the sight of my cousin's two mini dachshunds on Thanksgiving.

Ingrit hung out with Grandpa and Grandma Watkins yesterday. We played photo shoot with her in her holiday party dress.

She's got her first cold. Yesterday she was sneezing and runny nose all day. Today she feels much better. Hardly any symptoms left.

David learned about plumbing this week helping Dad W help us with a plugged up issue in our laundry tub and main drain.

Getting ready for Christmas, I took my first trip into Target today since pledging to buy nothing new. That was hard. Really hard. I wanted to buy a couple really cool toys on sale for Ingers. I also wanted to buy pajamas. I resisted. Since that man was killed by wal mart customers trying to buy tv's my resolve to not buy it has really strengthened. It's so sad. I'm hoping that 6 months into this experiment it'll be something I don't have to think about anymore. It'll become second nature.

Right now my biggest challenge is a secret santa at work. They capped the dollar amount to $15, but I'm having serious trouble figuring out what to get for my person! Food, kleenex?? I think I'll be raiding the thrift store tomorrow...good luck to me.

Baby you can drive my car

Ingrit's digging the bath time nowadays. She outgrew her infant tub and has moved into the kitchen sink lined with a towel. Looking at her long legs, we're thinking this isn't going to work for long!

First Thanksgiving went well. I don't think Ingrit's really into other babies though. All she wanted to do with her 8 month old cousin was to take his pacifier away from him. Funny because I couldn't for the life of me get her to take one when I tried! Oh well. Guess it's true, you want what someone else has or the grass is greener. Whatever.

Favorite foods?

sweet potatoes

squash

chicken with applesauce

cherries

banana orange medley (gerber)

She's sitting up pretty and on her own now. Nowhere near crawling, but I think she's realized it's a primitive form of transportation. She's more into driving. She test drove some cars and decided on a scion xb. Daddy and Mommy like it too.

Other favorite mode of travel is a side rider position in the maya wrap.

Favorite pals?

lamb raddle

silly monkey

eyeore

Jack (the real dog)

Two teeth to report! Front center bottom choppers. They're so sharp and straight and white. They're really sharp. Really sharp. Sharp.

Grandma Bonnie, Ingrit, a friend or mine from work, her two kids and I went to the Macy's auditorium Christmas display. The theme was a Day in the Life of the Elves. It was cute. Ingrit sat on Santa's lap.