Roll Out

"What's up? I'm Veronica! In your face, cuteness!"



According to grandma Kathleen, this pic was taken after Baby V was whisked in following a rain storm. What kind of kid enjoys a light sprinkling so much? A kid with superpowers, that's who!



How do you do, precious moments?! Yes, that's Veronica and Chester the wonder dog having a little handholding time. Chester (although still wondering where the attention has gone and taking it out on the diaper pail occasionally) is super sweet and protective of V. So it stands to reason that he kept close in her newest favorite activity: rolling.



The scene: one baby, one puppy, one paper bag. The reason: Amanda read somewhere that having a bag around encourages babies to roll. This theory is undoubtedly fleshed out somewhere else (as it makes no sense), but there's your backstory. The photos will provide the action just fine.



Veronica begins by facing away from Chester. "No, Chester! I don't want to hear it! I know that you're a huge Daniel Day-Lewis fan, but No Country For Old Men deserved Best Picture!"



"What's that? You were encouraged by Diablo Cody's screenwriting win for Juno? So was I. Hm. Maybe we can talk."



"Okay, I'm intrigued. Be honest - girl to pup - is Kidman going a little crazy with the Botox or what?"



Ending on this for obvious reasons... Kathleen's note was, "make sure they know that bag came with adult supervision!".

Drea

Zoo, Toy, Party, Hat, Art

The title today is a summary of the goodness to come. I start with this great picture of V and mama, from their most recent trip to the zoo with friend Catherine and her daughter Nico. Amanda and I agree that Nico is such a fantastic name, it's probably good she didn't think of it pre-Veronica or the babies would then be friends with vying hipster names!



Next on the list: toy. And not just any toy, but some crazy effin' toy that Dave King's mamasan Evil (nickname... I think) sent to Veronica. First it lulls baby into a catatonic state...



And then it attacks! (If I had been there, I would've done the thing where I held the toy and actually pretended it was attacking her face... long past the point of it being funny/comfortable for everyone else.)



As promised, next up is the "party". Amanda said to me that this was Veronica's first birthday party she got to attend...



And this was the first deck chair she got to rock all on her own (I love the crossed ankles!)...



However, I don't know whose party it was. My bad! I do, however, know that they had the good sense to make it a newspaper-hat-wearing-party. Which is probably now my new favorite kind of party. Ever.



Why? you may ask... well, it's not just because I'm a fan of recycling (reduce! reuse! recycle!) or a master of the millinery arts. It's mostly because in this particular instance, a newspaper hat led to the creation of this amazing picture.



Oh my god! Veronica pictures always inspire a certain level of "coo" and "gush" in me, so when they also make me snort milk out of my nose while laughing, I have double appreciation. It's almost as funny as this...



Kids are hilarious. In addition to hats made of the Business section, Veronica's also been showcasing her hoodies recently (a favorite of mine and others, I must say). Her buddy Jay was there to admire her hooded perfection recently.



Wait, that's not Jay (although what a fun rumor to start!)... that's just a shirtless, um, angel. Man, Veronica CLEARLY has a more exciting social life than me. I'll try again.



Yes, that's him for real this time. Giving her a personalized art tour and lesson. Such a lucky girl!



From now on, I'll try to remember that Jay a) often wears shirts and b) rarely shows his wings. Veronica has many fans and champions, it's hard to keep them straight. Speaking of angels...



Look at her! Transcendent, I tell you. And to make up for laughing at her funny hat-wearing face, I leave you with a last shot of absolute gorgeous adorableness.



Kiss kiss kiss the face!

Drea

Valentine's Bonus

I forgot I had these gems saved up, too... they're from the guild yard sale that Amanda and babe went to a few weekends ago! Here's Amanda, Veronica and Nigel looking all sunny and dapper.



Gorgeous day, I wish it was that golden out right now. This one is cute, it's Baby V and Gilda. V has started drooling like a demon (I mean, really, she's a champion spit producer!) so Amanda's favorite new thing is finding cute bibs to compliment her outfits and/or sop up the spittle. Rad.



And here they are all with Erica, who is owning this hat. I keep trying to convince Amanda to let me get Veronica into the pageant circuit as soon as she is able to walk/talk/wear too much make-up. Look at her dancer legs! She would dominate!



Fine, fine. She may have a point in keeping V out of pageants. But I will keep trying, I swear!

Drea

Happy Valentine's Day!

There are sooooo many good pictures coming up, I'm going to get right to them. First off, a little footsie message from Veronica herself.



Because I know that although her feet are precious and edible, you are probably itching to see the whole thing. And I am no tease, so here you go!



So consider that our Valentine to the rest of you! Fear not, little V has been up to other fun in the last week or two. For instance, she got to go on an outing to the zoo and meet up with Team Gore's long time friends Susan, Kim, Ryan and Kyle - Kim and Amanda have known each other their whole lives, so time with them is always good time indeed.



She also got in a little snuggle with grandma Kathleen, who kind of looks like she's on the lookout for a glitch in the Matrix but is still as lovable as ever.



Also feeling the Veronica love is Sugarturkey...



I'm sure we'll see Veronica's embarrassed look here replicated in many photos during her junior high years... don't worry, V. We all feel that way about Sugar's manly tresses. Something to point out, however, just after this picture was taken he went and had them all cut off. High five, Sugar!



Speaking of manly hair and high-fives, here's Ernie holding our girl and rocking a rather fly little goatee. I mean, the man's always been a babe (and way more limber than you'd assume), but this little artist's facial hair bit is smokin'. Less than smokin' is this...



Gore puppy Chester's attack on the diaper genie. Um, ewwww. And, really? Chester! Come on, man! Again: ewwww. To clear your mind of errant diapers, here are a couple great pictures of the ever growing Baby V, artfully lit and everything.



Pretty, right? And kind of timeless?



Look at that little tattoo-styled patch on the knee! I love this pose, you know a baby feels comfortable and safe when they can happily lay in such a vulnerable position. Don't you just want to pick her up and kiss kiss kiss? This is actually the last in a series, the dismount in a Veronica roll! She starts with tummy time...



And then she rolls her whole little body over...



And then she lands on her back - voila! It kind of ruins it when I show the last one first, doesn't it? Oh well, you get the point. Now, for a whole new point... more nakey pictures!



So cute! Dena has this fur (faux?) throw and they did a whole photo shoot with them, I think it's too good for words. Look at her cute little neck here, come on.



Highlighting her little Michelin arms and tiny bum here is just the best! Have you ever seen a cuter little buppa??



This one gives me the giggles. She's all, "and??? You'd be naked too, if you knew how easy it was and how nice it felt on this furry blanket, yo." Speaking of laughs, I can't lie that this whole series of pics made me think of this one.



Bwa ha ha ha! Oh. That hurts. It's too funny. I leave you with another of Veronica's sweetness, though, to cleanse the palate.



She should be on the new Lil' Rascals, right?! Happy Valentine's again to everyone - big love to you, and thanks for loving Veronica!

Drea

Fast Times at Baby High

So my nose/chest is practically free of alien invaders, which means I'm chomping at the bit to have a solid Veronica snuggle. Amanda! Prepare the babe!



She's all, "moi? this ol' thang?"... coy little bubba. Can't wait to see her! Don't you all just want to reach out, pick her up, and kiss her tummy copiously??



Lest you think Baby V is getting too cool for school, please remember that inside hides an unlimited reserve of giggles and coos.



Look at that smiley puss! Is she laughing out loud yet? Enquiring minds want to know, and this mind promises to get to the bottom of it. All those chuckles yet to be shared...



Said good times here provided by Male Influence and general Man About Town, Chet Cort. Look how laid back they are.



"Chillax, Drea! It ain't no thang..."



Veronica's Technicolor Dream Blanket here is courtesy of the knitting wizardry that is Kathy Hendricks. For real; if you had any idea how difficult it is to create something this beautiful, you'd want to curl under it and nap immediately. She's got mad skills.



I love this one because it's sweet sweetness on the cutest baby girl in the world, but also because Amanda says it looks like a dress she had when she was a baby. Double good!

Drea

Back from the Cold

So I'm back from Utah but still recovering... got a terrible cold upon arrival, which means I'm now in the same city as the little bean but STILL don't get to see her at risk of giving her the devil that's living in my nose/chest. How unfair!



Tease! Look at that cute little smile! Can't tell you how much I've missed her, and how I know I'm going to freak out over how ginormous she's gotten in the past three weeks. I can just sense it.



She's all, "girl, you don't even know from picking me up!". With her strong, sassy neck... look how productive tummy time has gotten since I've been gone!



These are the kind of pictures that worry me, as they kind of take my breath away and then I have to do a quick prayer to the gods of seventh grade that just because Veronica is so gorgeous and has these amazing eyes, that she will still remember that she is smart and kind and funny on top of it! No mean girls for Team Gore, that's my chant.



Then I see this picture and realize a) oh my gosh, she's sitting up on her own! and b) such a sweet, adorable little bean could never be a mean girl! Oh, and it also makes me think of a line from Phantom of the Opera ("we may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination!") which makes me think of those big power chords at the beginning of the musical, which makes me think of Amanda's eyes rolling when she reads this which makes me realize that nerdy musical theater girls still better watch their steps around Team Gore.



There have been other developments in my absence... Auntie Amber re-decorated Veronica's room! So crafty, so pretty. Sigh. Such talent. Anyway, can't wait to check it out myself, it looks so colorful and fun. And she can see more than a boobs length away now, so I'm sure she's enjoying it. Veronica; Amber's seen more than boobs for years. Now for some swing time!



How much do I want to wake up and then move to my next activity... napping in the swing? SO MUCH. Ach. I'll feel better soon. But even when I'm better, I still won't have rattle bear slippers to rock. Yeah. You read that right!



Someday we're going to get such a solid, "I won't wear it!" from baby V... but until then: rattle bear slippers. So cute! Also cute: another fun visit with her friend Sara Boscoe!



Look at that little hand she put on Sara's shoulder! I love that you can just tell how happy and safe she feels with certain people... sigh. Since Veronica is a girl who loves her outings, mama took her to Hollywood Forever to play tourist. (And show V her first sampling of the Ramones...)



That girl is so LA! (Which means... constant vigilance.) But I love the V's eye version of these outings best, it's such a funny perspective to think of, and to try and imagine what her little brain is processing at each step.



"Hey! Is that a boob?"



These pictures are from Veronica's first excursion to the food court (a place I hope she doesn't really become too familiar with, if LA food courts are anything like the hotbed of teenage angst and flirtation that Minnesota food courts were like... and yes, I realize I need to stop processing my own high school memories in Veronica's blog! Leave me alone!)



She looks unimpressed so far. I think that's a good sign. One last sweetness to leave you with...



Edible! Sorry again for having been gone so long, it was harder than me than it was on you, believe me. Amanda said that they started doing baby sign language a week ago... Veronica's first word was milk! Milk. Can't wait to see her.

Drea