In case you had any doubts that this red-haired, blue-eyed girl takes after her father, just look at how well she wears her ski gear.
big G, little g
March 3rd, 2010lumberjack extraordinaire
March 3rd, 2010
Where there are trees to be felled, Emma Liv will be there.
20 months old…
March 3rd, 2010
and sleeping like a newborn. Sigh.
It’s a good thing she’s so cute.
happy daddy
February 15th, 2010Early last week, I asked Emma what she thought we should give Andrew for his birthday. She answered, without hesitation, “a puppy!” Alas, when the big day came it was marked by another epic snow rather than a new furry friend. We celebrated with a family snow day: no work for the adults, no school for Emma, lots of shoveling for Andrew.
Knowing that the storm was on the way, I had sent Andrew out to stock up on groceries the day before. One of the items on the list was a birthday cake. I know, it’s terribly sad to have to buy your own birthday cake, but we are tremendously pressed for time around here so we do what we can. In an even sadder turn of events, Andrew forgot to buy a cake. I don’t think he would have minded the lack of celebratory carbohydrates but I was feeling awful about the situation. Fortunately, the snow day afforded me some time in the kitchen. Candles were lit, songs were sung, chocolate cake was eaten. It may have been the only dinner that Emma ate that night.
. 
As she was getting ready for bed, I prompted Emma to tell daddy happy birthday. Sleepy, worn out from a day of playing in the snow and with a belly full of cake, she smiled and wished him a “happy… happy.”
Nor’Easter, part I
February 11th, 2010
We’ve done a lot of complaining about the lack of snow in Philadelphia. It turns out that Philly does indeed get snow, it just gets an entire winter’s worth all at once. How were we to know? This picture was taken last Saturday as the snow was still falling. We ended up with 24 inches and a very happy Emma, who finally came to terms with her new snowsuit and loves diving into snowdrifts much taller than her.
sayonara January
February 1st, 2010
We’re kissing January 2010 goodbye and ushering in the era of the 19-month old. Emma’s vocabulary continues to grow at an amazing pace, as does her independence. This is evidenced by her frequent utterings of “I’ll get it” and “I come too.” Her cookie-nabbing skills are as sharp as ever and she was recently introduced to pizza at school, where she has moved up to the toddler room and now participates in such mature activities as yoga and music lessons.
Snow in Clark Park
January 31st, 2010Snow’s an altogether too rare thing in Philadelphia. Veterans of past Philadelphia winters–as distinct from veterans of Valley Forge winters, who were evidently hip deep in snow and revolutionary politics, and are now, according to reliable sources, dead–Veterans of past Philadelphia winters, as I say, talk of snow as if it were a rare astronomical event, as infrequent and as fleeting as the return of Haley’s comet.
This paucity of snowfall in the City of Brotherly Shove is lamentable, especially because Emma loves snow so much. We were lucky then to get a wet couple inches on New Year’s Eve, while Grandma was visiting. Before relaxing with Grandma at one of the seedier Clark Park playground bars (pictured below), Emma helped me throw snowballs at plane trees, trash cans and sign posts. Her technique is unique: a slow careful scoop, a quick crush in her mittened hands, and a wild fling of snow into the faces of any daddies stupid enough to squat nearby.
Rub a dub dub
January 24th, 2010
Emma Liv in the tub.
And who do you think she had there?
Her mommy, her daddy,
rubber ducks in a caddy.
Twas enough to make Muishka cat stare.
My Girl Friday
January 24th, 2010
My cell phone is, by far, the most loathed accoutrement of my fellowship. Being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would take a toll on anyone, regardless of how urgent (or sometimes, very non-urgent) the needs of those trying to reach you. Remarkably, Emma usually takes this distraction in stride and has even volunteered to triage my calls.
Of course, you can never be sure she’s going to show up dressed for the job. Think about that the next time you call your doctor at home on the weekend!
Sauce!
January 10th, 2010
Before our week took a turn for the worse (two looming work deadlines for Andrew, a busy heme consult service with long days for me, and viral gastroenteritis (otherwise known as the night of a thousand bedsheets) for Emma), I had the opportunity to make a large pot of tomato sauce. Here we see Emma learning the joy of dipping good italian bread into a bowl of fresh sauce. Ultimately, the sauce got us through the week.