A-swingin' and a-signin'

More introductions

Louisa is very calm as her brother learns to hold her properly







Meeting Auntie Eva


and Grandpa Larry


and Grandma again




Early October can be warm enough for smoothies


or cold enough for mittens




We went to the zoo (who's that monkey?)






Obama came to our neighborhood! We couldn't get close enough to hear him, but we saw him drive by




Louisa's got a range of expressions:
Bemused surprise


Angry incredulity


Wistful contemplation


"What's he going to do to me now?"


"I don't think so."


Devious plotting


and--I finally caught one!--the smile.

Summer's end

ETS employee picnic






Leo learning to use the camera



Louisa learning to hold her head up




Mimi and Grandpa came to visit
(bearing gifts)

Dutch Wonderland

We've been taking it easy on the outings, but we did have a nice day at the Franklin Institute




Check out the Philly boy eatin' a pretzel, shirtless, on the Parkway




We spent the whole day yesterday at Dutch Wonderland, an Amish themed amusement park in Lancaster County.




'Cause nothing says "fun" like "Amish." Am I right people?
But seriously, I thought it was great. Not a lot of commercial branding crap, no "squeeze every dollar we can out of you" vibe, and perfect for little kids









Louisa wasn't too impressed though.

Settling in

Look what Dad rigged up



First walk in the woods



Everyone gets a chair






Owen and Sammy came to visit



Buzz Lightyear loves his baby

Louisa

Daddy is tending the blog today, so please forgive the poor quality of the post. Of course, the big news is that Louisa Okrent Higgins was born yesterday morning at 5:03. She's 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and to judge only by my personal experience so far, has a sweet disposition. (Arika tells me she was pretty fussy overnight, but I can only guess that was because she missed her daddy and brother so much.

Arika is spent last night in the hospital, and will be coming home tomorrow. There are no problems--mom and baby are happy and healthy. The doctors are keeping them as a matter of policy to make sure that Louisa does not develop a bacterial infection.








Leo is taking surprisingly well to the role of big brother...so far. He is very interested in his little sister, and talks a lot about her. Here he is showing off his gentle demeanor as he holds Louisa in his lap.



More soon -- Leo is waking up from his nap. Sarah and Inez Okrent have been a HUGE help to us the last couple of days, but sometimes a boy needs his dad.

D