Decorating the Tree

My Atkinson family always had buffet style goodies (cheeses, salami, crackers, olives, sparkling cider, etc.) as part of our Christmas tree decorating tradition. This year we decided to carry on the tradition in our new Karlson family. It was yummy and fun.
Khloe got skills-made a hole in one :) right into the sparking grape-apple cider.
Khloe's Swarovski crystal pacifier from her Pappy. (Grandpa Mike)

Little Pink Dress

When we first decided to start trying for a baby I kept browsing through baby stores when I'd pass them in the mall. I saw this dress and fell in love. Then I looked at the price tag and woah. I mean WOAH. I just didn't have the money for it. Periodically I'd check that store's website until finally it went on sale and I ran and bought the set.

It hung in the closet quite a while. And of course, even when that pregnancy test finally came out positive, there was always the chance this Karlson household would be full of only boys and the dress would stay in the closet.

The day we were able to go in and find out the gender of our baby happened to fall on mine and Vendla's birthday. Weren't we pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a girl! (Notice my blue shirt... blue for a boy since I was certain thats what Khloe was.) Here we are after the ultrasound with that dress.
And finally, Khloe was the right size for it! She wore it to church for the first time today!

Happy Baby

Various photo shoots of our always-happy Khloe:
-Everyday fun playing on our carpet. Khloe aka 'Slober Queen' has to strip the shirt off in the evening now. Her mouth is like a faucet. (Maybe some teeth soon?)
-Early morning, waiting in the highchair for mommy to fix breakfast-showing off that wild hair.

Carrot Smiles

I always look forward to adding new foods to the menu :) It's fun to see her reaction. My favorite, though, are the little "mmmm" sounds she makes with each spoonful.

Khloe's New Bear

We took Khloe to a little baby boutique, Magic Beans. They have a big assortment of stuffed animals. She loved them. She laughed at all the different animals-one in particular-Snuffles, the white Gund bear. The extra-large size was a little much for us but when we went home I checked around for a smaller one on the internet. Incidentally, I was using my dad's account and he saw the one I had been checking out. Unbeknownst to Khloe or I, he ordered it. We were so surprised and elated to get the package. She loves that bear!

Roll Over Success

Here's the video of Khloe succeeding at rolling over, instead of just practicing.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Pre-Ward Halloween Party. Khloe in her 'So Cute It's Scary' outfit. Fitting, don't you think? ;)
Khloe looking at her Halloween picture book. Looking at books is one of her favorite things to do during tummy time.
When I saw the bumble bee costume I knew it was the one because Ellie also has a bee costume.
My favorite thing about Khloe's costume are the tights...
Second favorite is the little stinger.
Khloe doesn't mind the cozy little costume. Whereas Ellie, on the other hand, wishes she were dead. Skulking around like it's the end of the world when we drag that costume out.

Khloe Rolls Over!

Yesterday Khloe rolled from back to tummy for the first time! We, of course, are ridiculously proud of this land mark. She rolled over again this morning during play group. What an adorable show-off. She grunts a little and pulls herself over using the blanket. And I guess she figures that if she turns her face far enough, her body will follow.... hehe. (Watch for the face plant) Here are some practice runs we recorded tonight.

Pappy, Grammy and Uncle Ethan visit Boston

What a fun visit! It's fun to show-off Boston. It's a great city, even though the relationship is love-hate. (How could I not feel some loathing when it is so far from most of our loved ones?) We went to do and see. The trip was over too soon. But here are some of the fun things we accomplished:

Getting to know Khloe... It took a little while for her to warm up to everyone. But we've learned that it's a developmental stage. It didn't take her long though which made it fun for everyone.

We also got to make use of the little swimsuit we had for Khloe at the hotel pool. This was her first venture into water other than the obvious womb and bathtime experiences. She didn't seem excited but didn't mind either.

And now she's the right size for her adorable pink dress. Handmade by her Grammy, started when she was pregnant with me and finished while I was pregnant with Khloe. She looked adorable in the dress, paired up with the matching headband, little booties and some lacy-bottomed tights.

Let's be honest... What kind of vacation would it be without shopping?! This is us freezing our booties off at the amazing outlet mall. Khloe was such a trooper and Uncle Ethan was a wonderful helper pushing Khloe in laps around each store while we filled our shopping bags.
We drove down to Plymouth, the most quaint little city, to see the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. Plymouth rock is recognized as the rock the Pilgrims stepped onto as they left the Mayflower for land. Surprisingly small.
The Mayflower II, also in Plymouth, is an exact replica of the Mayflower. It was actually built in England and sailed here like the original Mayflower. On it they have people in costume who can talk to you and answer questions about the Pilgrim trek over.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace... in basic terms it's the grown-up, gourmet cafeteria. Delicious! We had all manner of food. Beef ribs, shrimp tortellini, shrimp cocktail, lobster soup, lobster rolls (a New England delight! Essentially lobster salad with lettuce on a big roll), chicken tikki masala, turkey dinner, bbq turkey, sushi(what a cultured little brother I have!), teriyaki chicken, coconut macaroons, apple strudel, gelati, etc. :) We went there twice...