Tomatoes aka "baaba" (September 2009)

Once she started ambling around the yard and driveway, Ingrid discovered that there is food to be found in the great outdoors. Real food. Not just gravel. The tomatoes were a little sad looking after our three week absence. But Ingrid didn't care. She picked handfuls of green cherry tomatoes every day and gobbled them down. As soon as a door would be opened to her she would head straight to the tomato plants. The wood gate at the end of our enclosed patio is a source of great frustration to her.

Ingrid also discovered crabapples near the end of our driveway. Mike would pick them from the tree for her and more gobbling would ensue. She still looks for those crabapples on the ground now, and still wants to eat them, even though they look more like half rotted raisins. No she doesn't get to eat them anymore.

Note the purple boots. She understands the difference between shoes ("dadas") and boots ("buh") and has definite favorites.















At this point, Ingrid had not quite mastered the downhill stretch between the driveway and the street. Today she was walking downhill backwards.

Walking in the street (late August 2009)

Once we were home, Ingrid took up a new hobby. Strolling in our driveway, and then in the street. In order to get to the rock she is sitting on, she had to walk all the way up our street, and take two left turns.

Ann Arbor (August)

We spent a couple days in Ann Arbor, before heading back. Ingrid played in the backyard, tried on her ladybug costume and enjoyed some very delicious toast prepared by Aunty Alex.

Up North (August)

After our week in San Francisco we flew to Michigan, and after brief stops in A2 and Midland headed up to Glen Arbor. Sadly the only Glen Arbor pics that survived are the series of Mike lying under the car like the Wicked Witch of the East minus the ruby slippers. Ingrid went swimming in Glen Lake, in Lake Michigan and in North Bar Lake. She took to her Aunty Mer like wildfire and enjoyed a lot of wagon rides to the playground in town. From GA we headed east to the cabin to meet up with a gaggle of cousins. Ingrid really enjoyed the mayhem. Next stop, Ann Arbor.

San Francisco (July 2009)

Ingrid's week in San Francisco was full of new things. Dolphins at Baker Beach with Daddy every morning. A picnic lunch with Nate at Mountain Lake Park, where she got to climb a tree, see lots of ducks, pigeons and seagulls and briefly play with Nate's water wheel. Highlights of a trip to the zoo were flamingos, lunch, a giant pine cone (aka "lava"), the insect room (especially the bees "bug bug bug") and bears (she growled at the bears). Highlight for me? A ride on the Little Puffer steam train. Watching thousands of people running the San Francisco marathon (well actually, that is what I did. Ingrid ate a bagel and watched doggies). Afterward, Ingrid had her friends over for playtime, cupcakes and pizza and enjoyed her first tricycle ride thanks to Moira. We also had a great trip to the playground in Golden Gate Park where Ingrid had multiple carousel rides on a horse and a lion, climbed all over the play structures and swung in swings that went MUCH higher that the ones she is used to. Unfortunately those pictures were lost...

Bathing Beauty (July 2009)

Ingrid really enjoyed her pool on the back patio this summer. She like crawling, climbing or walking in and out of it, at least as much as actually playing in it. Renee would put her in the swing and then let her swing back and forth into mist coming out of the hose. One day at lunch we hit the pool with Savannah. There was a three-year girl in the pool who stayed quietly at the edge while Ingrid splashed and stomped around. The girls mother encouraged her to play, but she seemed terrified of Ingrid. She's just a baby, the mother said. I don't know about "just."