Ursula at 15 and 16 months- enjoy!
To return to Ursula's current pictures click on the bear.


More fun than a kitty litter box! After calling for help getting out (she's pretty well jammed in there), Ursula climbed right back in. I helped her out again. She climbed back in again. So I confiscated the soup pot and insisted she try the frying pan instead.

Ursula likes to flip through the magazines while listening to her "juke box." She first presses one of the demo buttons for a little mood music - music that would be appropriate for, say, the luridly ecstactic opening of a game show. There are many classical demo options on this keyboard but I guess they just don't go with our selection of magazines.

Kewpie curl.

Update Feb 16 A couple weeks ago Ursula locked herself in the bathroom. With the kitty litter. And the toilet. Both entertainment centers, from her point of view. We were frantic but can now work the lock in a cool 2 seconds with a paperclip.

Eric has launched a campaign to teach Ursula my first name. He thinks its cute. So every now and then instead of a sing-songy sweet Momma, I'm spittley Thewthan. Cute, Eric, very cute. [s]

Update Feb 13 New videos! Ladybug and Animals


The other day Daddy pretended to eat Ursula's baby pig and she started to cry. I'm pretty sure she'd have the same reaction if he pretended to eat her baby doll or baby bear. She doesn't seem to mind if he pretends to eat the adults. Apparently it's babies that are off limits.

Update Feb 7 Every now and then Eric and I sit back and let Ursula read a book to us. If its an alphabet book it sounds like, "Ee, ee, eeeeEEEeeEe, eee!" That's the alphabet. If she's looking at a number book it sounds like, "Two! Two! Two! .... Two!" The substantial difference is in the quality of the sound. The alphabet must always be enunciated with deep internal, gutteral pressure, as if she's working out monstrous intestinal issues. She sings the ABC song with similar emphasis, "AaaAA BeeEEE DEEE DOOOO DeeEEE DEEE DEEeeee!" in sort of a Tom Waits or Screamin' Jay Hawkins kind of way. [s]

She was having so much fun stacking cans of soup that I was letting her play with the groceries ... But then I heard an "mmmmm..." Turns out she was gnawing at the ciabatta bread. Seems impossibly tough for a 1 year old, right? This is how she did it. [s]

We are truly impressed. Although seeing how wide she can open her mouth, disjointing her jaw like a snake gorging on ... another bigger snake, I almost wondered if this could be considered a choking hazard.

Update, Feb 1st., Ursula shouts out a belated congratulations to her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Leigh. They are expecting their first baby next fall. Additionally, we hear dad's cousin Johanna and husband Gregg also have a bun in the oven and mom's cousin Jay is expecting their second with husband Mike - yay! Ursula wants to know where everyone is registering??

There is the quiet introspective Ursula and the run down the hall screaming 'ick ick ick' little terror. She will occasionally be the cutest cuddlebum giving you kisses, hugs and alternatively be the scientist- pointing to every light, car, tree and object- asking 'dat, dat, dat'. We are teaching her the hokie-pokie and she is quite excited by the rotating part...for the rest she just smiles and bounces...

She is learing her animal sounds backward and forward, but just can't seem to master the words beginning with 'sh'. Sheep is always a 'baaa'- she carries this Schleich brand toy and her little bear around together in some type of lifelong friendship. Don't worry- we won't tell her that the sheep ain't ever going to be friends with a grizzly unless its mutton time. We will find these two characters sitting next to each other in random places in the apartment- facing each other and touching. {e}



Since we can't let her on the balcony with a 50' drop- the indoor bench gives her a chance to sit and watch for the sunrise.


Someone has strange habits


Let's see...how many hairdo's do they have in Scandanavia? Well, one...

Update, Jan. 23rd., She likes to dance...here is a video. She will dance to the drying machine and anything rythmic...Ursula has also taken a liking to homemade blueberry muffins and has - finally- gotten past her other food obsessions like toast/yogurt, pasta/carrots and pears/cheese-stick. Even though they are kinda salty, there is a definite reccommendable toodler food with veggie patties. Her ABC song is into the G range!

Update, Jan. 21st., She likes to dance! There is a clock radio at her height that has become her personal DJ station. Her tastes include Seattle Grunge music and almost all of the 80's. She was up early in dad's face and told him it was time to " Ance". Not fun at 6 am.

Ursula's vocabulary used to be securely in the realm of the books and the Signing Time videos we exposed her to. The animalsnames are covered as are most activities related to the bathroom. She has learned all the words for her body parts. If you ask 'where is your belly'- you may have to put her shirt on again. Unfortunately for Grampa Brad (who was exclusively 'Papa'), Ursula will see a gentleman over 50- call them 'Papa' also: T.Jefferson on the 20 dollar bill, the old guy on the Oatmeal container, and more recently some random boating advertisement for J Crew.

There have been a new string of temper tantrums. A good one In her carseat, another in her crib (far past her bedtime though). Have the terrible two's begun a touch early?

We had a good time at the big Farmer's Market yesterday. For those of you on the east coast get ready for a huge increase in citrus products...clementines just tripled in price out here. {e}


"All your base are belong to us." -a serious looking Ursula ala mom's paintbrush


Update, Jan. 13th., It turns out "I want that" isn't a fluke. She's using it to get us to open boxes of flash cards we thought were too mature just yet (not that, shame on you - you know, they have numbers and math on them ... we thought we'd start with fingers which is I guess boring) or cajole us into giving her the day old juice on the table rather than the fresh milk she's supposed to be drinking. I can't figure out where she learned that phrase considering that I'm much more sophisticated like "I think I deserve some ice cream since I wrote down a shopping list and organized my sock drawer today. How about I dish some up for the both of us?"

Speaking of maturity and sophistication, the other day I found Ursula in our bed making out with the naked ken doll I picked up from a thrift store for my class next semester. In her parents bed. Making out. Well, perhaps making out is too strong. She was kind of gnawing on his rubbery head. So now I'm thinking ken may be too mature for her in the choking-hazard kind of way.

Oh and her first fist-shaking, foot-stomping temper tantrum was witnessed upon removal from the Elmo and Big Bird display at Nordstrom's when we saw the price tags. [s]

After her mother tantalizingly played with these for 15 minutes, Ursula acquiesced and played for about 2 minutes with her new fancy blocks. This is what we get for giving her an age inappropriate gift. We'll keep trying ...

Update, Jan. 11th., Ursula is running down the hallway and not avoiding the height of the table. You would think a couple of bonks would slow her down, but showing her this blindspot must be unteachable. She has mastered the art of walking with multiple objects and you never know where your drivers license will end up. We found a few playing cards inside Puku's litter box. The cat must have been a little annoyed by these additions. [e]


"Dad's home!"

Update, Jan. 4th., Susan and Ursula were put through the ringer by the airline today...7 hours waiting with a couple of diapers. Mom will have a detailed story later.


Potty time (she likes to find a quiet standing area for her bathroom)


Big bath with a big duck at the Scheffers


"Don't worry Ginger, I know where they keep the food"--- Ursula escaping from her bath.


Reading with Aunt Sarah and cousin Lauren


The game of asking where our body parts are - gets dangerous - Mimi getting a poke


All the fancy gifts can't compete with a simple cardoard box


Ornaments are rearranged with Lauren on the big Scheffer tree.

Update, Jan. 1st., Happy New Year! We're exhausted. [e]

Climbing the present mountain.

Philip Johnson glasses.

Howdie partner.

Papa (Grampa Brad) lookin' for trouble to get into.

High Fiving in a hand knit sweater and hat from Mimi.

Hot pink ladies.

Ursula wants to draw not read ... she insists.

Ahh, relaxing with a nice big TV.



A little walk to cut down on the calories


Our first ever family Christmas (just the three of us) - note: increeeedible Shitaki Red Wine Reduction Gravy that mom made!

"If you have enough babies or monkeys banging randomly on typewriters, they will eventually type the works of William Shakespeare."... or Ursula is just really thankful and lucky for her 2nd Christmas!

Update, December 25th, Merry Christmas! Ursula "dreamt she was a dinosaur"... that book was her special Christmas Eve present she picked to open last night. It didn't take her long to figure out how awesome it is to rip open paper packages. This morning she must have spent an hour pulling out treats from all of our stockings. Her interest in the trash, the scissors, the CD case and the coffee were as much fun as the treasure trove of beautiful gifts. Thank you to everyone! [e]

Here is a new clip of Ursula walking...


The girls admiring the Wolsborn Calendar.


Sunny warm Christmas in California


All of the new gifts can't dissuade Ursula from investigating the trash...


Crying on Christmas..."I want my breakfast" Yes, Ursula usually wakes us up early enough every morning to "enjoy" the sunrise.


Feeding grampa is more fun than eating.

... and feeding Aunt Erin is even better.

Hokey Pokey at the Young and the Restless playgroup at the library

Shelby spots Ursula!

Michael Jordan tongue moment concentration

Update, December 21st, Ok. She did it! Ursula has now walked...some pretty good eight foot walks between mom and dad. Why couldn't she wait until after the upcoming airplane ride...just imagine a brave little toddler wanting to cruise the aisles of a 747.

We have some cute pics of Ursula feeding Grampa Jerry handfuls of iceberg lettuce...the real bland crisp stuff that tastes like - well, nothing. He was a great sport and then Ursula turned to Aunt Erin who had already been forced to eat handfuls of Ursula's bread all evening ... pics soon- we promise.

Dancing on tables.

Update, December 18th, There was a grim search for daddy's cell phone this morning in the communal dumpster for our building - a little more challenging since it was in vibrate mode. I don't know how early it was, but I clearly had not enough coffee yet. I'll be shopping for a child-proof trashcan today.

At some point last week we passed a threshold. Just when parenthood seemed to be an endless series of toilet paper refoldings, dumpster diving, and catfood disgorgings, it all suddenly made sense. Why we wanted to have a child in the first place. Ursula finally learned how to give a back rub on demand.

She's also started to traverse a few steps free-handed, stack the spices in towers, and locate the proper openings on the shape sorter independently. In fact, don't get between her and the shape sorter. There are likely to be tears if you attempt that.

But more importantly, Ursula can now give back rubs on demand. [s]

Happy Holidays from the Ursula family.

Look at all that hair! We're on our way to go buy a brush - we may be able to style it into a comb-over.

Recycled everything ... and I mean everything. Haven't you always wanted bathroom furniture with some history? And the cutest jewelbox display of ceiling lights ever. This place is called Urban Ore, no "h."

Ursula pauses to examine a Rex Ray between sips of absinthe at an art opening. See that serious look? She is thinking very important thoughts.

Admiring the glitz and an Olafur Eliasson at the Westfield San Francisco Centre (Eye See You, proceeds to 121Ethiopia.org).

We finally figured out how Ursula likes her green beans: fresh, steamed till tender, and left long so as to dangle, slurp, or be used as a telephone.

Caramel macchiato sunrise, whipped. Either that, or there's more aliens coming.

Update, December 6th, Ursula has started saying "Oh! What's that?" and "What's this?" when she points at something, although the enunciation is somewhat worse-for-wear ... "OoooOOOOoo! Wuhss at?" It's was all very cute the first five times but has now developed into a full-blown epidemic and apparently precedes the dreaded "Why?"

Eric had to pull her out of the kitty litter box the other day. I had just changed it, so it was turd-free, but Ursula was unpleasantly "Fresh Scent"ed for an hour despite urgent scrubbing.

We've given up hoping Ursula will walk for Christmas and instead are hoping she won't walk until after we're done travelling. It would just be more convenient. We have some 5 hour plane rides coming up. [s]

She learned how to play croquet last night (video clip) [e]

Tonight was special big girl night...she had her own spoon to feed herself


And here was her special friend that she got to play with! (for those of you curious out there- carrots and mandarin oranges for eyes, apples for lapel, ears and nose, peas for smile, apple sauce shirt, pasta hair, and cottage chees face!)


Someone learned to stack their Nesting Cups (Video of this strange act)


Left: momma cleans up. Right: Ursula prefers it this way . Unfortunately the bookcase doesn't look as tidy after Hurricane Ursula moves through.

Master of the cup (almost)



Did you miss the last couple weeks of pictures?