Maui, Underneath

It's freezing outside, so let's stay in Hawaii, shall we?  While there, Penny went to the aquarium for the first time.  We knew it would be a hit as she loves light, and color, and movement.  She had recently started pointing, and she had much to point to, this day!

This fish was in a display called "Find the Fish".  We called it the Wotsit Fish.

How I love the look of this guy!  Penny did, too:

Polynesian Pantsuit

Before we left for Hawaii, I sewed a pantsuit for Penny.  Usually I do a lot of sewing for vacations, but time was limited.  This outfit, sewn from Simplicity 1813, was finished in about an hour.

I put Penny down in a corner of the hotel, and she was an instant Polynesian Princess!  Why didn't I snap up the three snaps between her legs?  I guess I was distracted.  Can you blame me? ;)

She enjoyed dancing the hula in her outfit:

She gave her signature smile to everyone who passed.

 

I think this sewing was a simple success.  Penelope the Polynesian Princess.  What a doll!

Penny at 9 Months

While we were in Maui, Penelope Jones turned nine months old. This has definitely been my favorite month so far. The milestones have been coming fast and furiously. She's so pround of her own progress, too, her proud smile is so sweet to see.

Penny is 74 percentile in height, 38 percentile in weight, and still has a 90% head! She's 18.5 pounds, which I can feel most on our (usually brief) rocks to sleep.  She's standing, and pulling herself up.  She's crawling everywhere, and getting faster by the day! In month nine, she continued sleeping through the night.

My favorite thing is her talking.  It's so emphatic, as she points and furrows her brow in seriousness.  She does it in the back of the car, and in the living room with her toys, and most sweetly in her bed in the morning or after a long nap.  When Ollie and I talk, she likes to talk too.  I could listen to it all day.  Oh wait, I do! (Penny is wearing her Geek Vest).

She started loving dogs this month.  Just the sight of them make her giggle.  Don't get Penny too close, though, if you're dog doesn't like his hear pulled!

Everything is going into her mouth now. Everything. It seems the need to baby proof our house came in one quick day. Luckily, there's wasn't much on the beach that she couldn't eat. When playing in the sand became boring, she tried snacking on it, too.

The biggest change in month nine is that it's now become easy to meet Penny's needs, and it's getting harder to fill her desires. Feeding her is easier, knowing when to change her is easy (guess how!) and she's sleeping like clockwork every three hours.  

Penny likes to be out, however. She's super social, loves other people and other babies.  When she's at home you better get some games lined up because Penny is not happy when she's bored. She'll settle for a good buzzy electronic, but not for long. And do not pander to her with those toy electronics; she will not be fooled!

She's got such a big personality. I can only imagine how much it will grow as more time passes for Penny Jones. It's been a stellar month, and we are so lucky to have her!

Christmas Day, 2012

Christmas Day 2012 was a sweet one.  We arrived on Maui on Christmas Eve just as the sun was setting, and by the time we drove our rental car out of the parking lot it was dark.  We found our hotel in pitch blackness, and when we woke very early the next day, it was Christmas. We couldn't wait to show Penny the ocean.  

Even though we live not far from the Oregon Coast, we haven't been there since she was born. To see her reactions, her apprehension toward the ocean and then her love for the sand, was wonderful. People stopped on their walks down the beach to smile at her, and she smiled back at each person. This would continue all week.

After some time on the beach we retreated to the grass, where Penny practiced her standing and we phoned family and planned a Christmas dinner. We went to a neighboring hotel for an incredible Hawaiian buffet, eaten outside. Penny ate fruit, blue sweet potatoes, and tried poi (at my prompting, of course).

In the evening, Penny wore her Christmas dress and we returned to the beach for a stroll.  We looked forward to our week in the warm sunshine, and all fell asleep by 8:30 in the evening. To be back in Hawaii (where we vacationed and got married) now with a child, was surreal. It was a unique and Merry Christmas, to be sure.  

Happy New Year

We had such an amazing holiday, and (of course) I took so many photos.  I'm still sorting through them all, but wanted to share one of my favorites right away.

Penelope Jones
Christmas Day, 2012
Maui, Hawaii

One Year

One year ago today, Mr. Jones and I got married. 

It's been a year filled with so much love, and certainly one of the happiest and most exciting of my life.  Happy 1st Anniversary to us!

2011, in Review

I'm a bit late reflecting on 2011, but it was a pretty good year. We lived in Oregon the whole year, worked on a new film, and got married in Hawaii. I also worked on a trailer for Oliver & S., did a lot of sewing and knitting, designed a baby vest and wrote up the pattern, and found out I was pregnant!

Of course that last item makes 2012 a pretty exciting year to come. Thanks for continuing to stop by!

Our Wedding

By far, the most exciting thing we did on our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii was to get married. We told our families beforehand, and had a really romantic ceremony on a cliff near Kona, ironically called "The End of the World". As the tide came in, we found ourselves convincing the photographer that we had to leave. The roar of the ocean had me shaking! Five minutes after the ceremony, the spot where we stood was underwater. We finished the evening with a dinner at the Four Seasons, and a lot of incredible memories. We can't wait to celebrate with all of our friends and family next Summer. Now, after almost ten years together, Mr. Jones and I are married!

(Photos by David O. Baldwin)

A Church on a Hill

Near the black sand beaches of Pahala, Hawaii.