"It's 2008 already??!"

Christmas 2007

This year was our first Christmas as a new family -- how special it was to be able to finish one year and begin another with our new little girl!

On Christmas morning, we had breakfast with dear friends of our, Jamie and Joan Dunlop (who, BTW, just had their little boy a week ago: Christopher James, 7 lbs., 13 oz.). They also invited two of their neighbors, and we all had a lovely morning together over food, coffee and good conversation.


Then the Peterson clan went home and opened some presents (well, actually, Ellie opened most of them since most of them were for her!). Here she is with her new dolly.

Lastly, we trekked over to some more dear friends of ours, Barbara and Jeff Girdler. Their son Tim, daughter-in-law Bonnie, and new granddaughter Katelyn were also in town, and it was wonderful to meet them. Barb made an amazing dinner (turkey and the works!), and we spent the rest of the evening hanging out and enjoying one another's company. After dinner, Tim and Jeremy played trumpet duets, and Bonnie and I "talked shop" about various aspects of mommy-life. Elinore and Katelyn became fast friends between feeds and diaper changes.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Love,

The Peterson Clan

Playtime

Playtime is more fun with Ellie now that she has discovered her hands, and really the world at large. She loves to grab toys and bring them to her face, and she is also content staring and trying to "pick" off the designs on her clothes or on her boppy pillow. Below are pics of her with her dog (the only dog she will ever get, according to Mom...Dad still wants to negotiate).

E & E

Elinore had a playdate with little Evelyn Rives the other day. Evelyn was kind enough to share her bed with Elinore. Jeremy is convinced that they will grow up to be BFF (For those who have forgotten adolescent abbreviations: Best Friends Forever). We shall see!

Imposter!

Which animal is not part of the baby gym in this picture??

Surprise Visit!

Yesterday, Ellie's Auntie Tara made a surprise visit to see her! Even though here she has a deer-caught-in-headlights look, Ellie had great fun with her Auntie...so much so that she pretty much refused to go to bed!

The Big Baby Club

Because of Elinore, I am now part of the Big Baby Club at our church. There is a small handful of women at CHBC (www.capitolhillbaptist.org) that have had 9 and 10 lb. babies. Here is Ellie with her buddy Jesse Ridlington (8 lbs. 15 oz., 21.5 in.) who was born about a the week before.

"Ellie Smiles"

Our little girl is generally a very happy baby -- Jeremy's nickname for her is "Ellie Smiles." She is particularly happy when we change her diapers, change her into new clothes, give her a bath (are you getting the point that she is a clean-freak like her mom?), or when she is just buck naked (but she didn't get that from her mom! :) ). Here is a taste of what we see every day:

Happy "Dol," NJ!

On Sunday, we trekked out to Potomac, MD to celebrate Nathan Jr.'s first birthday, or "dol" which is a big deal in the Korean culture. Apparently the next birthday that Koreans celebrate (I wouldn't know since I am not *really* Korean) with such a bang is the 60th, and I doubt I will be around to celebrate that one with NJ... But nonetheless it was quite fun, and it was good to see friends. Happy Birthday, Jr.!!

Coming Clean with the Truth...

Okay, by now many of you realize that while we advertised this blog as "The Peterson Family in DC" this site should really be called "Ellie in DC"... If you are a grandparent (of Ellie) or a relative (of Ellie), you probably have not minded that every post is about...Ellie. However, if you are a bored friend or colleague of Jeremy or Aeja, we promise that soon we will begin posting things about other realms of life...other than Ellie. But in the meantime: