Photos Too Wonderful Not To Be Posted

The frequent burping ritual.
Good Morning!
Oops! We all fell back asleep.
This will go in the program of the Mother-Daughter Of The Year award.

Maybe this one, too.

Acony, doing her best Joe Frasier impression, has one thing to say to all those who would mock her hair: Bring it on!

Mom loves these sleepers with the elastic at the bottom and the mits.
She loves and needs lots of naps, as you can imagine. Her dad loves to help her with naps. (check out all that hair!)What else is there to see around here?

Le Berceau

A favorite place for Acony to nap is the family bassinet. This bassinet was made by Acony's Great-Grandfather Ginnings (Wichita Falls, TX Councilman-At-Large) for her Uncle Jonathan (world tae kwon do champion **link**). It is just right for little one's like Acony, and is light enough to be moved from room to room.
Here it is in the sun room.

Here it is in the dining room.
Thanks Great-Grandaddy for your handiwork, and thanks Uncle Jonathan for sharing your bassinet with Acony! She loves it.

Catching Some Rays

There be no bilirubin here! This baby loves to be outside...well, at least her parents do. And for the next fifteen years or so, Acony will just have to humor us and come along. But before telling stories of recent trips, we must first dispel a rumor: Not all babies enjoy riding in cars. Exhibit A -

Well, I'm glad we cleared that up. We try to get out into the great wide world, to show Acony that there is more to life than our row home. Sometimes, though, it's just too much effort to travel...so we take advantage of our modest patio! A couple of camp chairs are all we need!


On Tuesday, we took a trip just over the river to a scenic part of our city. We had a pleasant picnic behind the the Art Museum, and then took a nice walk up along Boathouse Row . Dad, of course, had to get some ice cream. Mom offered to split one, which is one of the most ridiculous ideas Dad has heard in a while. (Just slightly less ridiculous than the time Mom offered to split a churro from a street-side vendor in East LA - crazy.)


On Thursday, we went to the Wissahickon Gorge in Fairmount Park, near the Valley Green Inn. We had another nice picnic, in which Acony communed with a flock of Canadian Geese and some grown-up Ugly Duckling, then took a lovely walk by along the Gorge. Acony, of course succumbed quickly to the post-meal coma and to the engineering of the Baby Bjorn, slept through the lovely walk.

The Birth Of The Belly Button, Part 2

Hanging by a thread.

Many Thanks For The Gifts

We couldn't be parents without the massive outpouring of support and gifts that we have received from our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Acony has benefited greatly from everyone's gifts to her and us, so we'd like to offer one big THANK YOU from all of us. There are too many gifts to document here, but there were a couple of pictures that came out in these sets that we thought we could feature here:

Our friend Jillian gave Acony five onesies that she customized. They are totally awesome. This particular one has two turtles. Not only are they cute, but they are educational, as you can illustrate up and down, left and right, etc with them.

Our friend and Pastor "Aunt" Becca saw some baby clothing in a boutique in Center City: baby Ramones and other punk band T-shirts - awesome! But they were being sold for over $50 - not awesome, nor very punk, if you ask me. But she was so taken with the idea, she went shopping on the great, wide open web and found this: a onesie with The Clash. Acony! Take that train in vain, because London is calling!

(Intrepid readers of this blog may notice another Jilian Hague creation in this picture - a whale on a onesie!)
Grandmom Susan has sent along many cutsie items recently. The one featured here is a hooded towel. Don't worry, Gramma Winna, she does this with every bath and with every towel. It's a great gift!

The Birth Of The Belly Button, Part 1

When will the remnant of the umbilical cord fall off? Nobody knows.

A Visit to Clark Park

On Thursday, we went to Clark Park, near my house.


There happened to be a Farmer's Market going on, so we got some fresh fruits andvegetabes. Also, I met "Uncle" Brad and "Aunt" Becca Zinn for the first time. They were very excited to meet me.

After all that shopping and socializing, I needed a nap.
So did Mom!

Start Your Day with Acony Bell

Good Morning! My name is Acony Bell!
One of my favorite times of day is in the morning, waking up and being drowsy with my parents. My Mom really enjoys this time, as well: dosing on and off with her beautiful and precious one - me!

The Birth Story

We were so excited to finally meet Acony Bell. It was Thanksgiving weekendwhen we learned of her, and we've been thankful ever since. Here is the new family unit soon after her birth.

We arrived at the Birth Center around 1:30 AM on Monday, and Betsy the midwife watched Becky through her early labor. In the morning, Julia took over and in the end helped to deliver Acony at 5:25 PM on Monday. Julia gave us lots of time to get to know Acony immediately after she was born. Grandmom Louise even got some time.A bit later, Julia and Sarah the nurse gave Acony Bell her newborn exam and firstbath. Acony beat the spread and weighed in at an impressive 9 pounds 2 ounces! We really appreciated the Birth Center experience from start to finish. We left at 2:30 AM on Tuesday and came home. Acony was wide awake for a while, so we introduced her to her new home. She was quite impressed with the colors we selected for the living room and the way the hardwood floors came out.

The Birth of Acony Bell

Acony Bell was born on August 7, 2006. She was 9 pounds 2 ounces, 21 3/4 inches long, and had some impressive fingernails, as you can see from her face a few hours after birth!

Her name comes from a wildflower (click here to read more about the flower), that we became aware of through a song by Gillian Welch (click here for Gillian's website {where under the Downloads link you can purchase the song by itself} or here for the lyrics to the song). We wholeheartedly endorse both flowers and Gillian Welch.