Wren will miss her grandparents

As we prepare to leave New Hampshire, Gwendolyn ups the amount of quality time she spends with her grandparents.

She'll miss shucking corn with Grandma Theo.

Her countless great walks with Grandpa Toby.

Snuggling on the couch.

And snoozing through the NY Times.

Bethels in Chocorua

Over the course of our month in Chocorua, several Bethels came to see Gwen Wren. Rob and Julie--now Uncle Rob and Aunt Julie--came up from Carlisle (~Boston) to meet The Wren.

Gwendolyn took an immediate liking to Aunt Julie.

Uncle Rob displayed superlative avuncular skills, particularly in the categories of singing goofy improvised songs and coining goofy improvised nicknames.

Grandpa Bethel also came for a last look at his granddaughter before she joins the jet set. It's still a little weird to call my dad "Grandpa Bethel," because to me, that person is MY grandfather, my dad's dad. But he carries the title, and the role, very well. Though I'm sure he is really looking forward to the time when Wren is old enough to go fishing.

I dragged Rob and my dad out into the rain for a walk. I got the umbrella--to protect Gwendolyn of course. :-) Ah, they are such good sports! Hey guys--perhaps our next walk could be to a Bavarian monastery, for beer and sausages?

A visit from Liz

The week of Sept 24, Liz came to visit from Toronto.

The Wren was very happy to meet her.

And it was perfect timing to celebrate a joint birthday - Rachel turned 35, and Gwendolyn turned 3 months!

Liz entertained us with a theater piece.

And all three called Jacqueline in Sweden.

Great to see old friends again!

Johnnies Reunitas, or Revisiting the Past in the Present

OK, first off, for all you Gwen Wren fans and family out there: Yes, we made it to Germany safely. We are slowly slogging our way through the many details of putting our lives together here. Unfortunately for you our viewers, the blog has taken a back seat to some of these other matters over the past few weeks. (In the typical etymology, "blog" is short for "weblog," but perhaps in our case it is more appropriately short for "backlog.") Worry no more O viewers (if you were indeed worried); we have been taking plenty of pictures along the way, and making many mental notes of blog-worthy material, so you will soon be able to see what Gwen Wren and her parents have been up to during this apparent hiatus.

Before we get to the Germany material, however, we need to acknowledge some important events in Gwen Wren's former life Stateside. I am actually posting this blog on October 17, 2008. But, to preserve pseudo-historical accuracy, the date marked on the blog is Sept 22, the day after the following events took place (i.e., when we SHOULD have posted the blog). The next few blog entries will also be backdated, until we catch up more or less to the present. Thanks for your understanding. Now, on with the blogging...

In the middle of our September in Chocorua, Andrew, Trevor, and Rachel Dowd, three of my dear friends from college--"Johnnies" in the vernacular, derived from "St. John's College" (I guess it sounds better than "St.-Johnsians")--drove from Brooklyn to New Hampshire for a weekend with Gwen Wren.

The main activity was Gwen-Wren-holding.


There was also a fair amount of Gwen-Wren-bouncing.


Trevor couldn't quite figure out how to interact with Wren at first.


Then I tipped him off to one of my tricks of the Dad trade--a hold I call "flying pose". It's hard to believe, but I guess I do know a couple of dad-tricks now!


Rachel brought a ton of super-cute clothes for Gwendolyn, perfect for bundling up for a walk to Heron Pond.


This group photo was taken with the camera propped on a crooked stump, hence the strange cropping. Unfortunately, Photoshop was not able to fix my extreme case of "hat hair."

On the second day of the visit, our friend Tania joined us from Boston. She's not an official Johnnie (she went to Vassar--perhaps she is a Vassie?), but we have taken her into the fold.

Good thing, too, because she has excellent Wren-handling skills.


The outdoor activity for Day 2 was canoeing on Lake Chocorua.


Tulip seemed a little skeptical about the skills of the crew. Perhaps she was remembering that St. John's College is in the desert.

Tania entertained Gwen Wren on the dock…


…which was quite an effective prelude to Gwen Wren's nap.

The whole event had a certain L.L. Bean catalog feeling about it. In a good way.


We asked Andrew to be Gwendolyn's godfather, a role with which he already has some experience. He accepted with grace and a humble pride. We're still waiting for the first gift, however. ;-)


Notably missing from the group was our friend Jillian, who, in a case of supremely unfortunate timing, just moved from New York to Texas. Fortunately, Jillian did have a chance to hang with The Wren briefly in Austin before we left. JC, we thought of you all weekend.

The Rattlesnakes

Gwen Wren is broadening her horizons up here in New Hampshire. Quite literally in this case. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary, and to celebrate Rachel and I decided to go for a nice hike. We went to an area called The Rattlesnakes, which, though it sounds ominous, was actually quite serene. We didn't see any snakes whatsoever, but we did see several woodpeckers, quite a few thrushes, and one warbler.

And of course, one Wren.

Carrying Gwen Wren in the Baby Bjorn is conducive to father-daughter bonding. Standing atop a granite boulder, overlooking Squam Lake, we together contemplated the immensity of life. Or I did, anyway. The Wren might have been contemplating her next meal, or maybe just looking at my shirt. But we bonded nonetheless.

Having expanded our horizons to our satisfaction, Gwendolyn and I rejoined Rachel for a group photo. Immensity is good and all, but so too is the cozy intimacy of our family.

Farmers' Market

Gwendolyn embraced her new status as a resident of New Hampshire by attending the local farmers' market. [Outfit courtesy of Jess, Sam and cousin Maddie - thank you!]

The produce seemed to be a bit much for her, but she may have identified with the sunflowers. Much like the smiley sunflower on her exersaucer.

Reunited

After a long and tiring drive cross country, dodging hurricanes and downing mysterious caffeinated beverages, David and Tulip arrived safe and sound in New Hampshire. They were just in time to see Sam and Jess, and to give Madeline a squeeze, before the Kender-Page clan returned California.

Parallel Play

At 2 1/2 months and 5 1/2 months respectively, Gwendolyn and her cousin Maddie are not exactly playing together. We're not even sure how much they register of each other. But parallel playing in the exersaucers is definitely fun.

Gwen Wren Picks Blueberries

On Sunday afternoon, Gwendolyn had her first exposure to blueberry picking.

The bushes in the pasture above the house were overflowing with ripe blueberries.

Christina, Tom, Clarice, Theo, and even cousin Maddie in her Baby Bjorn were hard at work.

With so much activity, the Wren decided a nap on Grandpa Toby was in order.

Peaceful and serene

The Wren enjoyed a peaceful afternoon snuggle with her Great Aunt Christina on the shore of Lake Chocorua.

Family, family!

Gwen Wren has been basking in family time.

She loved cuddling with her cousin Tom and her great cousin Clarice.

And bonding with her Great Aunt Christina.

And it's lots of fun to play with cousin Maddie.

But the real question is, what is going on here?

Some possibilities:

A. Maddie is whispering a secret in Gwen Wren's ear.
B. Maddie is taking a taste of the Wren's hair.
C. Gwen, overcome with her cousin's presence, is sliding uncontrollably forward.

What do you think?

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Gwen Wren Travels JetBlue

Wednesday the travels east began. David and Tulip set forth in an extremely full Volvo, while Gwen and I went to the airport (thanks for the packing logistics, Kim!).

This was Gwen's first flight ex utero. She seemed altogether unappreciative of the amenities JetBlue had to offer, completely ignoring the satellite TV. But she did seem quite restful and content.

But the best part by far was at the end.

Arriving safe and sound in Chocorua, NH - she finally got to meet her cousin Maddie!

Cleaning

After the packing and moving, inevitably comes the cleaning. Gwen Wren, as usual, was an active participant.

Tulip also played her part.

This finally done - we now leave a very empty (and somewhat clean) house!

Moving

At the tender age of just two months, Gwendolyn undertakes her first major move.

Quite a bit calmer than her exhausted parents, Gwen takes this major event in stride.