Me and My Monkey

Sometimes when Virginia is attempting to soothe herself and fall asleep, she looks like she is engaged in deep concentration. Or perhaps that she is exceedingly frustrated with some colleague at work. Here's what we see:

(Photo from July.)

At moments like these, it is generally a good idea for us to give her something soft to hug close to her. Mallory the Monkey (a gift from Vik and Whitney) has often helped out.

Scooter McGavin

This week, Virginia learned how to scoot! She gets her knees up under her body, sticks her behind up in the air, and then propels herself forward. We suspected that she could move a lot more than we gave her credit for because we would always find her in the morning in her crib miles away from where we put her down. She is finally showing off those skills during the daytime hours now.

Little Surfer Girl

Yesterday was a spectacular day in San Francisco, mid-80s and sunshine everywhere. On rare days like this, we have to take advantage and go to the beach. While most people around here like to go to Baker Beach, we find that it's generally a hassle - no parking, tons of people, weird San Francisco behavior, etc. So we usually opt for the lesser-known Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. Pacifica is a small town on the coast of the peninsula, about 20 minutes out of town. It's overlooked because 80% of the time it is shrouded in Northern California fog. But on a spectacular San Francisco day, it can be a hidden gem: crashing Pacific waves, a beautiful coastline, limited crowds, small-town vibe, and easy access.



So we took Virginia on her first beach trip! Here are some photos from the fun.

Give 'Em the Raspberries

Virginia recently learned how to stick out her tongue. She also realized that people seem to enjoy it when she does. She's been doing it every chance she gets now.

Top o' the Morning

Virginia is pretty happy when she wakes up. Especially when she's hanging out with Mommy and Daddy!

The Big Three-Oh!

The day after we returned from Baby Harvey's World Tour was my 30th birthday. The Harveys took us out to Trader Vic's to celebrate, Hawaiian-style. We got a special side room where Virginia could make all the noise she wanted, but she surprised us by being very well-behaved. I had my first Mai-Tai in over a year... it was fantastic!

Virginia spent her waking hours gnawing on the Menehune man that came with our drinks.

Lake Martin Livin'

A few of the days we had in Alabama we spent up at Lake Martin. It was a blast and Virginia took her first dip in the pool!

More Christening Photos

Four generations were in attendance - on both sides of the family!

The extended Webb family:

The extended Neeland family:

Four "Virginia" Girls:

What a trooper! Virginia was worn out from the big day and took a super-long nap:

Virginia's Christening

While we were in Alabama, Virginia was baptized at First United Methodist Church. We were so thrilled that the baptism was done by Dr. Stegall - the minister who married us more than 5 years ago! He retired a few years ago, but had recently returned as "Pastor Emeritus," so he was able to do us the great honor of baptizing Virginia. Virginia behaved very well throughout the big event, with the sole exception of during the opening hymn. The music was very loud and it scared her! Apparently, one of the ministers turned to Dr. Stegall at the time and whispered: "I think we have a screamer." Luckily, Virginia settled down before anyone noticed.

Virginia wore the family heirloom christening gown that was hand sewn by my grandmother, Fran Webb. I was baptized in it and so were all of my cousins. Now, the next generation is getting to wear it.

Lots of friends and family came to town for the event, including Virginia's godparents - my law school roommate, Amy Parker, and Thomas's brother, Biggie. Also joining us for the fun was my other law school roommate, Meredith Crowell, and Thomas's cousin, Beau Mack.

We spent the Saturday before the christening at Lake Martin. It turned out to be a great final hurrah for the lake house, as Dad and Ed sold it about two weeks later. We celebrated my 30th birthday and Thomas's 31st birthday a few days early as well. Cake and BBQ - it was fantastic!