Mischevious Baby

"When I learned how to stand up, I found the one 'toy' accessible from my crib - the camera to my video monitor. So now, after I wake up from every nap and every morning I mess with it. Thank you, Daddy for being too lazy to mount it on the wall.
P.S. Please notice that this picture was taken on laundry day - as I am wearing two different colored socks. Get it together, would ya, Mom?"

Eleven Months Old!

Peyton bear turned 11 months old today. It's been a pretty eventful month for our little angel. She got more ear infections, which lead to her first surgery (tubes). She got another tooth, which lead to more sleepless nights for Mom and Dad. And she made her first trip to New York City. Peyton is just over 20 pounds and stands about 29 inches tall. She also has enough hair to wear a bow for the majority of the day.

This month's winning portrait:

And this came in a close second place. It's actually Martin's favorite, but we all know that boy votes don't count.

Here are the outtakes:

"I cannot work under these conditions! I demanded warm milk, NOT room temperature. And where the hell are my cheerios?!?!"

"I don't understand why Mom keeps saying I need to attend finishing school."

"Chillaxin'"

"Alright, I'll give you what you want."

"Daddy is funny. He makes goofy noises and faces to get me to smile."

"My contract was only for seven minutes. I am done performing for you fools."

The Belle of the Ball

Peyton attended her first, and then second, Christmas party on Saturday. First, she thrilled my former boss, Congressman Jim Kolbe and all of his Capitol Hill friends at a DC soiree. After she grew tired of that scene, we jetted over to Korenna and Kent's posh pad for some more holiday cheer. Peyton was the life of both parties, thrilling all with her candy cane stripped dress, snowflake tights, and adorable personality. Visions of sugarplums danced in her head all night long -- and apparently caused her to wake up at 5:45 the next morning, much to Mom and Dad's dismay.

Cutest Patient Ever

Poor little Monkey had tubes put in her ears on Friday. She has had four ear infections in as many months, antibiotics don't seem to do jack squat for her, and she was basically miserable. So, we decided to try the tubes. We woke up at 5am, bundled up, and headed to the surgery center in Fairfax. Peyton was exhausted (she does not appreciate being woken up). But she was a trooper while we waited for what seemed like forever.

They finally took her back (she was the first, and youngest, of at least 7 kids having the same procedure done). It looked like an ear tube assembly line. I went back with her while they put her to sleep. She didn't cry - instead she was looking around the operating room at the lights and people. She calmly closed her eyes, and I was immediately ushered out. Within minutes of getting back to the waiting room, the Doctor came back to say everything went well. Peyton was groggy, a little cranky, but overall, she handled everything like a rock star. She spent the rest of the day sleeping (with mommy and daddy), getting spoiled (ice cream for dessert!) and playing in her favorite pj's. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this does the trick, and 2011 will be ear infection free.

Peyton loved looking at the fish tank in the waiting room.

Waiting to go in...

All dressed up in our hospital gear...

This is her right after in the recovery room. Poor little thing...

Peyton was spoiled rotten all day - she took not one, but two naps, outside of her crib, snuggled in our arms.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Richardson for my Get Well flowers and ballon!

It's amazing how quickly these little ones bounce back. She was all smiles by bath time!

Big Apple Thanksgiving

I can't believe two weeks have passed since Thanksgiving! Ours wasn't traditional by any means...but it was a blast.

After a traffic-ridden six hour drive from Virginia to New York, Martin, Peyton and I rushed out of the Omni Berkshire hotel to enjoy a few short hours in the city on Thanksgiving night before Peyton's bedtime. We wandered aimlessly looking for a kid friendly place to grab a quick drink and an appetizer. After seriously considering Applebees (on Thanksgiving? I think not!), we settled on Maxi's Deli on 7th Avenue in the heart of Times Square. Martin had an Amstel Light, I had a crappy glass of house pinot, and Peyton had a bottle of milk. We gobbled down a few aps, ordered turkey sandwiches to go, and paid our $140 tab (?!?). On the way back to our hotel, Peyton was mesmorized by the flashing lights and people. And she giggled uncontrolably everytime we "gobble gobbled" to her.

We snapped this quick picture of our first Thanksgiving together as a family. It's not what you'd expect - there's no big family table and no turkey waiting to be carved. But I think it's pretty great.

On Friday, we hit Macy's for our visit to Santaland. As mentioned, Peyton loved the lights and animated displays. She wasn't too sure about Santa himself, but we had a blast taking her through.

Peyton changed out of her Santa outfit and into her comfy New York City strolling outfit, and we visited Times Square, Toys R Us, and Eloise's tearoom at the Plaza.

Peyton also got her first taste of New York style Pizza at John's pizzeria in the theater district. It was a hit!


We went to Da Nico's in Little Italy for dinner, but alas, we have no pictures of that because Peyton Drama LOST HER MIND at the restaurant. Way too much excitement for a little girl in one day. We again got our food to go, settled the Monkey down, and ate our Italian out of plastic containers in the hotel room.

On Friday we attempted to get our little model to pose perfectly for the Christmas card picture. But Princess Peyton does not deal with the cold very well, and this was the best she could muster up.




In all, it was a great weekend. Staying with a baby in a hotel is not easy (I wish I had taken a picture of the contraption Martin built - complete with hanging sheet to block out light near Peyton's crib). Maybe going to FAO Schwarz and Eloise's Plaza and all of that other kid stuff was really more for Mom and Dad -- afterall, Peyton is probably still too young to understand, much less remember, any of this. But we sure had fun!

Shoes!!

To say that I love shoes is an understatement. That's why I couldn't contain my excitement when it was finally time to take Peyton shoe shopping! She is standing up well (still has to hold on), cruises the furniture, and motors around the house with a little help from her walker.

Peyton, Martin and I ventured to Pentagon City Mall on a Sunday for the very first of many shoe shopping trips. Martin was a grouch because he hates going to the mall. He wasn't initially invited, but I needed someone to take the pictures.

True to her diva personality, Peyton insisted on going to Nordstrom for her first pair. She got measured (barely a size 3, which equals about 6 months - she has tiny feet!) and picked out a classic pair of black patent leather Mary Janes. We also picked up a pair of pink and white Polo sneakers, silver dress shoes, brown Mary Janes and an adorable pair of furry boots for the winter.

It's hard to see, but in the picture below, you'll notice Peyton is holding the black shoe in her left hand. She wouldn't let it go. Like mother, like daughter.

Christmas Card Photo Session

Regular readers of PP2010 know that Peyton is a ham in front of the camera. While that usually is a good thing - we get great pictures of her - it has its downsides. The pressure to have the most adorable Christmas card photo is pretty intense. We made our first attempt while in New York over Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, PK Drama was not thrilled with the frigid temperatures and refused to crack a smile.

Our second attempt was today. Peyton was much more comfortable in her familiar surroundings. I won't publish the winning picture here - you'll have to wait for your Christmas card to see that - but I will give you a little teaser with some of the finalists.

Sleepy Head

Peyton did not want to wake up this morning. Martin sent me these pictures just as I was pulling into my office. She normally gets up between 6:00 and 7:00, but at 8:00 she was still snuggled soundly in her crib. I don't blame her - it's the perfect day to sleep in. It's cold and rainy outside. I only wish I could have joined her.