My daughter, the fashionista!

Last night my daughter decided to accessorize herself and go to the "beach"-- in 40 degree weather. Note the sunglasses (which had been worn upside down up until right before this picture was taken), tape measure necklace, bunny purse chocked full of small treasures, and knit cap from Nana. Luckily she was wearing an off-white shirt-- it could have looked so much worse. I love her confidence as she points to Daddy with the command "Cheese!" which means take my picture NOW I am beautiful!!!

A war of wills...

These are the clippers that lead to a very unhappy Mommy and daughter pair yesterday....

Once upon a time when Libs was young, Mommy would clip her nails while she slept. This routine worked until about a month or two ago when Libi would wake up and protest the clipping. This would cut her nap short and result in a very frustrated Mommy due to long, scratchy nails.

Yesterday Libi was napping so I decided to try to trim her claws-- she woke up to complain. Mommy gave Libs a choice-- either you let me clip your nails when you are awake or asleep-- to which she replied "No!" Mommy didn't like this turn of events so she gave her another option-- either let me clip your nails or we don't do anything fun until you do. She still wouldn't let me so we spent a quiet day with no TV, no singing, no getting the mail with Daddy, nothing!!!

When Daddy got home both Mommy and Libi were crying-- trapped in this battle of wills. To save everyone from a melt-down, Daddy called Grammy who watched Libi while we went out to dinner. Grammy and Grampy also tried to trim the nails to no avail.

After dinner Mommy relented a bit-- came home and gave lots of hugs and kisses to her not-quite- two-year old daughter whom Mommy sometimes has way too high expectations for and we all went to bed. Daddy did get to trim the nails after she fell asleep, so the house will be much more fun tomorrow!

Event on December 2-- Journaled on December 3

3rd most frightening parenting moment...

OK, I've just spent the last 60+ minutes comforting, cleaning, and panicking! Miss Libs was taking a short evening rest when she woke up screaming. I thought she was upset that we were laughing and that it might have woken her up, but when I looked I saw a child covered in blood. Ron grabbed her and we spent nearly 20 minutes trying to calm her down and apply pressure on her VERY bloody nose. I have never seen gushing like this. Poor Ronald's UCLA alumni shirt is probably toast... she used it as a Kleenex. After it seemed to slow down we took her upstairs to a tubby and the second she saw herself in the mirror looking like a reject from a horror movie she FREAKED even more!!! We got her in the tubby and cleaned off a bit-- that's when I fell apart.

We only have had two other frightening parenting moments:

1. Libs unstoppable crying at Ron's cousins wedding. She was only a few months old and we did everything to find the problem-- we stripped her, tried to feed her, tried to burp her, changed her diaper, nothing worked. We simply had to leave the party-- she wouldn't stop crying. After a few moments in the car she calmed down, but that feeling of helplessness is simply unbearable to the woman who likes to control everything.

2. Libs was playing one evening and she bumped her head on our rocking chair. She cried for a moment and then went along with her day. We thought nothing of it until about 2 in the morning when she awoke screaming. Ron and I both tried to console her but she was just not herself. She was only about 5 or 6 months old then and we knew this was not her regular cry. We called Dr. Vashistha and he suggested we take her to the ER. We packed her in the car where she promptly stopped crying and drove to Henry Mayo. We waited in the waiting room for what felt like forever as our darling daughter slept soundly in her car seat. After a few hours we got into see a doctor who looked at her, said it was probably a clogged sinus, gave her Motrin and sent us home. She never even whimpered when he examined her-- she was over whatever it was.

Being a parent is wonderful, but moments like this remind you of how much responsibility it is and how I wish my nurse of a Mother lived closer.

A really big day!!!

Today Libi sang the entire Alphabet Song by herself for the first time. She has been singing it for a while but she's missed letters or put them in the wrong place. As we were leaving the park from our Mom's Club meeting she began to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in her own special way. As I re-entered the car I noticed that she was changing to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" which then morphed to the "Alphabet song". She did the whole thing in the perfect order and in almost perfect tune. I was so totally excited that I called nearly everyone I know to tell them of my brilliant daughter's feat!



Secondly, Jammy made a perfectly lovely flamingo costume for Libs for Halloween. It is quite full of feathers that she becomes a fluff ball. The real problem is that her head is so beak-heavy that she can't see when she's in the costume. We have been putting the ensemble on her every day this week trying to get her ready for all of the Halloween festivities, but she has been pretty cranky about it.

Today at Nana and Pop's while we were trying to find a solution to the problem so walked right into an entry table because she couldn't see. I was beginning to think that the hat was a lost cause. I trimmed the beak and put a ball-cap inside to make it sit higher on her head-- I also told her that she'd only get candy if she wore the whole costume (shameless I know!)



At Trunk or Treat tonight, she wore the whole thing the entire time and loved it! Such a wonderful day!

What happened to Mickey?

Early last week we were sitting in the family room when Libs turned to Ron and I and said "What happened to Mickey?" We think this response was due to the fact that we had been to Disneyland to see Mickey every weekend for the four previous weekends and we didn't go that weekend. This was super shocking because Libs had never used a complete sentence before. How funny that her first involved Mickey!

On Saturday night (Oct. 18) Jammy was in town and we were watching a Barry Manilow special on PBS. Libs danced, la-la-ed, and greatly enjoyed clapping with the audience. At the end of every song she would clap and say "Yay!" Jammy told her to say "Yay Barry!" so after every subsequent song she repeated that. When the special was over and the credits were running, our darling girl looked at all of us, hands raised at her sides and said "What happened to Barry?" It was the funniest thing because it was so serious and important for her to know what happened to him.

Sunday was a busy day with Bridget's 5th Birthday and Mary's 40th Birthday.




Monday we were at Underwood Family Farms to pick pumpkins with MOPS. A really fun trip that I could never have done without Jammy! Libs was so wonderful, riding in the wagon and talking to the animals.

Date night...

Ron and I went out last night for a real, honest to goodness date night. It began with dinner at ChiChi's which was amazing. Last night they had the most amazing croutons-- I would have eaten a whole plateful of just the croutons. My darling hubby told the server how much I enjoyed them, so she brought me a big container of them. It was so funny!



After our dinner we made a quick stop at the bank where Ron was told by a woman entering the lobby at the same time he was "Don't hold me up." We weren't sure if she was talking about him taking too long to enter as she held the door for him or if his masculine physique intimidated her.

Next up was supposed to be Mops and Pops bowling at Santa Clarita Lanes. Due to some confusion on the part of the girl coordinating-- we didn't reserve a lane so there was a 2 hour wait when we arrived. It was a small group of only 3 couples so we decided to do a movie instead. The group consensus was to see Eagle Eye-- not a flick that I ever intended to see-- so we graciously declined and went off to another adventure.

If you didn't know, Canyon Country is soon to be home to a terrific shopping and dining center. It will have tons of new restaurants including a Chili's (hello chips and salsa) and the Mecca of all stores--- Target. Earlier this month the Kohl's opened and the Lowe's has been opened for well over a month-- sadly we have never made time to go check them out, until tonight!!!

We strolled through the big, gorgeous store and did a bit of Christmas/Birthday shopping. Santa and I are nearly done with all of our shopping, do Daddy is very excited! Then we made a quick stop into Lowe's for some new herbs and cable for the edger.

Our final stop was at Jack-in-the-Box for milkshakes. While we drank we watched a bit of a movie on Ron's iPhone-- is there anything that his phone won't do? Then it was back home to get hugs from Boo Boo Chicken. What a fun night!

Twilight...

OK, so I'm hooked! Yesterday I grabbed Ron's copy of Twilight at about 4:30 and by 11:30 I was done. I read until my eyes were blurry, but I simply couldn't put the darn book down. I had to stop to cook dinner and eat it, but other than that my evening was all about Bella and Edward. I still have so many questions-- I can't wait for Ron to bring home book #2 so I can get lost in that this weekend.

Libs has been really funny lately. She is singing all the time-- her favorites are "C is for Cookie" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She sings or talks non-stop all day-long. She is always telling stories to her dolls, making them dance and singing to them-- so very adorable! Yesterday she looked at me and said "Grampy"-- when I told her that she wouldn't see him until at least Friday night so got all pouty on me. I called Grampy right away and asked him if he could come over-- so he came for some tickling Thursday night. Libs was squealing with delight when he came over-- I could hear from upstairs as I was reading.

Music class was lots of fun, despite my daughter pulling out her new favorite word every other second. "NO, NO, NO!!!!" We hear it a lot now-- even when we know the answer to our questions should be "Yes." Mommy is quite perturbed by this, but Uncle Nick reminded her that this is better than a girl who says "Yes" all the time.

Wow, what a weekend!

Yeah Mickey!!!! That chant that Libs did for almost 40 minutes to fill time in the car sums up the past few days.

Friday was our annual visit to DCA for Halloween Treat. Bob, Renia, Mom, Dad, and the Strassners all made the trek down to Anaheim for the evening event. Emma was Elizabeth-- the pirate princess-- Ben was Jack Sparrow and Libs was Nemo. They all looked really cute! It was kind of a stressful evening having 11 folks to keep track of, but we all had a good time.



Saturday Jammy, Libs and I went to Disneyland for a few hours so Libs could again see her man-- Mickey. We waited back in Toontown to see him for about 20 minutes, but it was totally worth it! We had lots of time to hug, kiss and high-five him. In the evening we went to Nana and Pop's house for pizza and cupcakes which Libs loved getting all over herself!



Sunday we had an early breakfast at IHOP to say goodbye to everyone and then we hung out at home. It was nice to have some down time.

This week should be reasonably calm. Libs is singing much more now-- her favorite song of the moment is "Twinkle, twinkle little star" so funny to hear her sing it!

A Diamond is Forever!!!

Last night Ron and I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Neil Diamond. He still looks and sounds amazing! It was his best concert yet-- another couple who had been to many of his concerts echoed that thought as we were walking out of the bowl.

He played such an amazing mix of old and new-- over 2 hours of music. Of course he did the classics: Holly Holy, Beautiful Noise, Play Me, Love on the Rocks, I Am I Said, Forever in Blue Jeans, Solitary Man and the crowd sing-along favorite, Sweet Caroline! He also did some songs that were obscure to the non-Neil obsessed fans. Of course I was able to sing along, but many folks used this time to rest from dancing.

He did a few songs from his latest album, Home Before Dawn, and his other newest album, 12 Songs. My favorite was seeing "Hell Yeah" live. This song is what I believe he wants his eulogy to be. It talks about his life and if the choices he made were worth it, if he is happy and he responds "Hell Yeah!" I hope when I'm his age-- which is 67 for those who were wondering-- that I'll be as happy with the choices I've made!

The thing I love most about live music is the feeling you get when you and 18,000 of your closest friends all sing to the same song. It is the sense of camaraderie-- regardless of gender, race, religion, politics-- that makes me want to sing even louder than I was before. Love, love, love my Neil!!!

Welcome back!

OK, so I am going to make a renewed effort to blog again on a daily basis. Much has been going on here lately, so there is lots to write about.

Libi, Jammy and I all traveled to Pennsylvania in mid-September. Libs makes a great little traveler, but I get frustrated easily. There is so much to pack/carry when you travel with a 20 month old and Mommy ends up with most of it (no matter where we go-- the zoo, the grocery store, or 3000 miles away!)

We were very lucky to get to spend lots of time with family while we were there. We visited Great-Grandmom almost every day-- Libi loved the bicycle she traveled in (grown-up folks call it a wheel chair.) My mother points out that I too called them bicycles when I was about Libs age.

Elmo also lives in Pennsylvania at a great place called Sesame Place. I went there many, many years ago and loved it almost as much as my Elmo-obsessed daughter did. We spent two days seeing Elmo, Zoey, Big Bird, the Count, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert. Libs completely overcame her character fear here-- now we have to drag her away from them.

My favorite moment of the whole trip came when Mom and I were showing Libs some geese that live near my grandmothers nursing home: We asked Libi what ducks say and she answered "Quack", then what to geese say and she said "Honk, we saw some pigeons fly by and I asked her what they say, expecting to hear something like "Tweet" or "Honk" or "Quack" since we hadn't practiced this one and you know what she said? "Hi Ernie!" I guess we have been watching way too much Sesame Street if all pigeons in the world say "Hi Ernie!"

One day we drove up to Easton to go to the Crayola factory. Mom's cousin Flo joined us for the visit-- I don't believe I had ever met her before, but we had a really nice time. I just saw an episode of John and Kate Plus 8 where they went to the factory and let me tell you I am thrilled that I didn't have 8 kids to worry about there. Libs had a great time coloring, dancing in the shadow room, and playing in the tot area. I kept her far away from the clay, paint and markers-- in that respect I am an up-tight mom like Kate, I don't like LouLou to get dirty!

We got home and had a few days of "rest"-- lunch with Nana and Pop, music class, MOPS, Pioneer Club-- then it was off to San Diego.

Libs and I drove down alone to catch my folks while they were there. We met some of my parents NAHB friends and had dinner with Sonny and Jan. On Saturday we again met up with Elmo and had a special breakfast with him at Sea World. I think Dad enjoyed seeing her reaction to the characters. We spent the morning looking at fish, seeing the Shamu show and exploring the Bay of Play. After they left in the early afternoon Libs took a short nap while I sat in the penguin encounter-- it is air-conditioned and dark, perfect for naptime!!! We spent much of the day in Bay of Play-- I think we saw Elmo 5 times in the photo spot. Ron came in on the train that evening-- thank goodness!

Sunday we visited the San Diego Zoo. Libs amazed us with her stamina as she stayed awake for hours and hours watching the animals. Sadly she fell asleep before the panda bears, but Ron and I enjoyed them for her. Sunday night we went and stood in a terribly long line for an OK BBQ meal. It is supposed to the be the best BBQ in San Diego, but I only gave it a 4 out of 10. Ron seemed to enjoy it much more, but he's usually so easy going with food.

Monday we left San Diego and made a stop at Disneyland. It was a nice half-way stop for us to get out and play. Libs got to ride Nemo again-- it was Ron's first time and despite waiting a half an hour, I think he enjoyed it. We also made the pilgrimage back to Mickey's Movie Barn to visit the man. Libs must see him every time she goes to the park, so we wait in line now. We had dinner at Mrs. Knott's-- I must have my chicken and biscuits every so often.

Tuesday was a lazy day at home-- which we really needed. Ron went back to work today, sadly his Fall Break was only 2 days.

My big little daughter

Libi is doing so many things now-a-days. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds-- she knows artichoke, all Sesame and Disney Characters, she counts along with you (and gets 5 out of 10 numbers correct and in the correct place), and she can recognize several letters.

Yes, this is a chance for this proud Mom to brag-- so let me have a moment. We are hoping that she will find a spot in St. Stephen's preschool so that she can show off to others.

First song

Today my daughter sang her first song-- independently while we were eating dinner. It took me a few minutes to realize that what she was doing was singing. It went a little like this:

na-na-na-na
Elmo worl
na-na-na-na
Elmo worl
Fishie
Elmo worl

She kept perfect time and almost got the notes right-- Mommy is so proud!!!

Trip to Oregon....

Today we set out on the first leg of our trip. We left home about 9 a.m. to drive to Stockton. It was very different not having Tobee in the car this time-- she is home with Grampy and Grandmalito. We stopped in a Del Taco in Santa Nella and let LouLou run through the kids area. There wasn't anything that she could do, but she loved running through the hallway.

We are now at Jammy and Granpa's house waiting for dinner with Aunt Renia and Uncle Bob. Tomorrow we will begin the next leg of our adventure-- off to Medford, OR.

While I'm writing this, Miss Libs climbed up on to the sofa for the first time. Luckily our sofa at home is a little taller so I have a bit more time before she can do the same thing at home.

A hot weekend in the SCV

This week has been getting steadily warmer peaking to about 105 today. Libs and I have been spending our time inside-- reading, singing, and watching Disney stuff on TV.

Libs is becoming more vocal every day. Just this week she looked at Daddy's screen saver and said "Lincoln"-- well it actually comes out "Kinky", but we know what she means. She is getting really good at identifying animals and their sounds. She knows elephants (effie), snakes (sssss), giraffe (affee), cat (ow), please, thank you, and lots of words that only Mommy understands. When she wants to be changed she now says "Elmo"-- we have an Elmo book on her changing table.

She is fiercely independent and when she doesn't get her way, so throws a short but very dramatic tantrum. I think that we are in store for a very interesting terrible two time.

Daddy spent most of the day today helping to celebrate the retirement of several of our teachers from Canyon High School. He was asked to be the MC for the night, so Libs and I stayed home. The entire Ippolito family came over to visit-- Libs loved to see her Aunt Andrea, Grampy and Grammy.

She is also getting really good at naming her relatives. Whenever she sees a picture of Pop she says "Pop-Pop" and whenever she sees her Granpa she says "Pa-Pa". She knows just who to please :)

Speaking up a storm...

Jammy and I ran into a woman in Gymboree who was astonished that Libs was talking at her age (the ripe old age of 14 months). In order to help a woman with Mommy brain-- that's me-- I thought I'd take this chance to write down the words that Libs says now. The list may grow over the next few days as I remember more of her vocabulary.

Bye-bye
cookie
Tobee
Wow!
Please
Thank you
Mommy
Daddy
Pooh
puppy
bunny
Eeyore-- as of today
quack
ruff
ooh, ooh, ooh, aah, aah, aah-- monkey sounds
baa
sss-- a snake sound
what's up? Only when Bunnytown comes on the Disney channel
yummy
Nana
Pop-Pop
NO, NO, NO, NO , NO
Up please
baby
shoe
okie dokie
touchdown
button
baby
choo-choo
happy

Groundhog Day...

Yesterday Libi found her shadow for the first time. We were walking at Rio Norte after a visit to Daddy's classroom and there it was! She pointed, she looked at me, she looked at it. I tried to explain that wherever she went in life it would be there with her-- kinda like her old Mommy!

It is really fun to watch her these days. She does lots of talking, even when nobody is listening. She will sit and read stories to her dolls for quite a long time. If you listen very carefully you will hear lots of big girl words splashed in there (mostly out of context) but what an incredible little girl we have!

Old sickness, new tricks....

Libs and I are down with another cold. She and I have been hacking and dripping the days away. We contracted the cold in Reno and it is still hanging on strong! Today we did very little but rest and snuggle as we try to recuperate.

Libs has been doing lots of new things lately:

-she now says "cookie", "please" but it sounds like "peas", "puppy", "ruff", "'baa", "ssss" for a snake sound-- every day she seems to imitate new sounds. It has been so interesting to watch her develop language.

-she reads to herself-- the vowel / consonant combinations that come out of her mouth are amazing to me!

-she is really playing with her toys. She walks her baby dolls around and pats their back or gives them hugs. She pushes buttons on her toys and makes them sing and dance. She tries to write with crayons and pens.

-she is eating lots more table food-- it is really nice to be able to give her things off our plates at restaurants and family gatherings.

-my daughter is a dancer-- whenever we are out and we hear music she stops to dance. She puts one hand up in the air and shakes her hips (I'm not sure where she got this move from but it's pretty cute!)

-she is so fond of her "puppy" Tobee-- Libs likes nothing better than to share her food, pet and chase after her confused dog. The two of them will be best of friends when they get to understand each other better, now I spend most of my time saying "Libi, Tobee, Libi, Tobee" to try to get their attention.

Sickies in Reno...

We went with Daddy to the CADA convention for the second time in Libi's short life. She was again the hit of the show. She loved walking all around and exploring the hotel room and convention center. Unfortunately, both Mommy and Libi were sick during the trip so our side trips had to be cut down. We only got out to 2 scrapbook stores and the mall (where we lost a shoe). We had a lovely dinner with the Wm. S. Hart folks at Harrah's steakhouse, a nice quick dinner with Russ Peak, and a malt with Tyler Durman. It's always fun to spend time with our motivational speaker friends.

March is going to be busy for our family, but hopefully we'll be posting lots of pictures to keep you updated!

Love,
Heather

LIBI IS ONE!!!

Today at 1:02 a.m. .Libi turned one. Mommy, Daddy and Tobee went into Libi's room at that time to sing to her for the first time. It is a yearly tradition we hope to begin. Daddy and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful young lady in our lives!

To celebrate we are going to take Libi to have her hair cut for the first time, take Jammy to the doctor's office, go visit the hospital to thank them for delivering her last year, and have dinner at the Olive Garden-- so she can have pasta for the first time!

Libi's new things:

-Libi has been to 9 states (California, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire)
-Libi has flown on four airplanes
-Libi has been to Disneyland 12 times
-She is walking-- she has taken 11 steps on her own
-She dances whenever she hears music and claps whenever the music ends
-She loves Playhouse Disney-- especially Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins
-She does really well at MOPS even comforting other kids who aren't happy to be there
-She loves her books, spending lots of time "reading" them out loud to anyone who is listening
-She loves any toy with buttons-- especially ones that play music

East Coast Trip....

Thursday - We flew from Burbank to Las Vegas-- Libs slept for over a half an hour. Next flight from Vegas to Philadelphia she slept 3 of the 4 hours. When she was awake she was happy cuddling, reading and looking around the plane.

Friday - We saw the Liberty Bell, Reading Terminal Market, and Franklin Court. Met up with Grandma (Libi's Great Grandma) and Uncle Bill (Libi's Great Uncle Bill) for dinner.

Saturday-- Family day. Breakfast with the group-- Kent, Ann Marie, Aunt Linda, Uncle Mitch, Grandma and Uncle Bill. Target for some odds and ends then back to the hotel for a nap. Dinner with the whole Harrigan clan at Aunt Linda and Uncle Mitch's house. We really enjoyed getting to show off Libs and getting some neat photos and video.

Sunday-- Travel Day. We drove up to New York City. Once there we walked all over town to see Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, the shops on 5th Ave., and Bryant Park. We ate at a neat diner called Moonstruck.

Monday-- Food Network tour. We woke up, had a neat breakfast at the hotel then headed to Chelsey Market. One of Ron's former students' uncles is the executive chef of Food Network. He arranged a private tour for us. We saw the studio where Guy's Big Bite is filmed along with Iron Chef, 30 minute meals, Tyler's Ultimate, etc. We also saw the small kitchen where the Next Food Network Star is filmed as well as the big kitchens you can see on Throwdown with Bobby Flay and the Next Food Network Star. It was a great hour that Mommy will never forget! Afterwards, we got on the road for Massachusetts. Got in late, ordered pizza in the room.

Tuesday-- Family day. Had lunch at Sue, John and Tina's house. Aunt Barbara came and Nana lives there now. We spent most of the day getting to know all of our Tewksbury family members. We arrived at around 11:00 a.m. and visited with Nana, Tina, and Sue. Tina challenged Ron to a game of Wii bowling (actually five games of bowling total). Around noon, Aunt Barbara showed up, and then around 12:15 John arrived. We had lunch at 12:30, and it was quite a feast! Sue had a spread of steak, chicken, pasta, cole slaw and vegetables, and it was a great meal. After lunch, we went back into the living room so Ron could interview Nana. He used his iRiver digital audio recorder to capture the interview for Libi and for the rest of the Ippolito family. We took a break after almost 30 minutes of questions and answers to have dessert, and again Sue served up some great food! This time it was our choice of chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream or a lemon dessert that was amazing. Way to go, Sue! We went back to our hotel room at about 5:30 p.m. (it's 0.8 miles away), and spent a couple hours giving Libs a chance to get her oogies out before dinner. Later, we went across the street to the Cracker Barrel for dinner (an East Coast treat that we don't have out in California). We spent the rest of the evening back in the hotel room resting up for the big day in Boston tomorrow!

Happy New Year....

Wow, lots has happened since I last posted:

-Libi is now walking along furniture and she has taken 3 steps on her own.
-Libs now has 8 teeth
-We have celebrated Libs first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
-Libs has been to Disneyland 12 times.
-Libi is "reading" her books and she loves to play with all her toys. Her favorites are her new princess tea set, her rose petal cottage, and anything with buttons.
-Libi is a dancer who loves music. After every song she hears she claps to show her appreciation-- this is especially funny in church :)
-Libi says "Wow", "What's that?", "Mama", "Dada", "Ta" for Santa and sometimes "Baby"
-She can find noses and mouths, waves bye-bye, and gives kisses (fish faces)

We are getting ready for Libi's first Birthday on January 17th. If you really have to get her a gift, please consider a book or making a charitable donation in her name (Santa, the Grandparents, and Aunt Andrea went way overboard on toys at Christmas!) Here is a link to amazon.com where we have been picking out some books that Libs would like to own.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3IS377HZS51DZ