Baby Barneschalow

going for a ride with my pals...

2010-09-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

like mama like minya

2010-09-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

hangin' with my cuzins in nc...go blue!

2010-09-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

just doin' a li'l leisure reading...

2010-09-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

minya tickling the ivories...i think we might have a performer here

2010-09-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

where do those curls come from???

2010-09-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

could you say no to her?

2010-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

a snippet of a snip

2010-09-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Babies, babies, babies...

2010-09-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Minya at the US Social Forum 2 in Detroit

2010-09-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Daddy

2010-09-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Showing Sophie how to play

2010-09-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Two girls asleep in the car

2010-09-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Visitors

2010-09-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

We've had a number of visitors, including Jonathan's grandparents and cousin (also Minya's godfather), Steffen. Here we are talking via Skype with family in California. Minya and her great-grandpa, "Fa," are just as curious about video skype.

Our good friends Minna and Ben also stopped by for a visit.

And Minya's Auntie Shawnee...

...and her Nyain-nya Beth and Ti-ti Nyain-nya (also her godmother), Zayan.

Minya and Sydney, up to no good

2010-03-22T18:46:00.001-07:00

Auntie Nad and Minya on bday party weekend

2010-03-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Minya's turns one!

2010-03-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Blowing out her birthday candle! With some help from mama and daddy.

saying goodbye to the fire fairy

2010-03-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

minya and sydney, best of pals

2010-03-10T17:25:00.001-08:00

minya shaking her booty

2010-03-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

Minya turns one year old!

2010-01-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

At 2:08pm on Monday, January 12, 2009, Minya Danzan Dolma Budschalow Barnes was born. And now, Minya is officially one year old! When Jonathan and I think about the past year, we just shake our heads in amazement. It is so hard to believe that our baby is moving on into toddlerhood, although she is not the strongest at toddling just yet, but she's getting there. Each day is something new for Minya and her parents. Her steps become firmer, with more intention. Her words and sounds are also becoming more well-defined. She doesn't miss a beat, which we are finding makes things more difficult. Our own words require more thought before we say them out loud - what a concept! All of this just means being more intentional than before, which is something that we're looking forward to and each new stage brings loads of fun. We are celebrating her birthday on the weekend so that people can come to celebrate with us, but we did sing her Happy Birthday on the official day. Photos of the party will be posted soon after (gulp), we hope. For now, please enjoy the page below, and don't forget to keep clicking on the text that says "Older posts." Thank you to everyone in Minya's life who has helped to make this past year just fabulous.

Sledding is FUN!

2010-01-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry that is video is sideways!!! But, it's definitely worth the watch. Make sure your volume is turned up so you can hear Minya yelling down the hill. And this is not the instance where her dad dumped her out of the sled. That came later, but like the superstar that she is, she just got right back into the sled, the next day, without any problems. We can't wait to go sledding again - soon!

Eskimo kisses with cousin Amira

2010-01-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

Minya is still learning about hugs and kisses - a pretty spectacular thing for us to experience. She mostly enjoys making all of the sounds and motions, like an overexaggerated "MWAH" that she smacks onto the head of her stuffed bunny. She is getting better at applying the right amount of force when leaning in for a kiss, which is great for us since knocking heads with her was not too much fun. In the video below, she is practicing her eskimo kiss with her cousin Amira.

Christmas in the Berkshires

2010-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, we traveled to Jonathan's family's house in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where he grew up. Minya's first Christmas was good, with some other exciting "firsts": the frenzy of ripping open presents - she enjoyed the wrapping paper most; riding in a sled; getting dumped out of a sled (ahem) by her daddy; petting a real bunny; and a 103+ degree fever. Thankfully, the fever came at the tail end of our visit, which was not great, but was better than being sick the whole time that we were there.

delivering presents down to Nonny and Fa's house

listening to Baba Ricky play the guitar on christmas morning

ballerina bugs from grandpa matthew

The BIG snow and Santa's elf

2010-01-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from a "photo shoot" that we had at home before christmas. The photos were supposed to turn into holiday cards, but never made it there. Plus, there's a good one of Minya's first BIG snow when Philly got a record 23 inches around December 20.

she wasn't super excited about the snow suit

one of the cutest elve's from the north pole

Mama turns 30!

2010-01-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

In early December, Allison turned 30 years-old, so we had a little party at our house and invited dear friends and family over for good food and laughs. Of course, as in the past eight years (according to the local news) we had our first snowstorm of the year, which made getting around a bit difficult. But folks still braved the roads and made it out to wish Allison a happy birthday. Some ladies, in particular, traveled a long way - thanks Molly, Leila, and Stephanie! And thanks to Susan for the great mini-concert, which Minya loved.

happy daddies: will, liam, minya, jonathan

some lovely ladies: brie, molly, leila, allison, steph,

and of course, minya

auntie letty and cousin sungi, who made the trek

by train - two trains, actually

Playing with Daddy

2010-01-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

Minya might be following in her Grandfather Matthew's footsteps

as a beautiful pianist. We hope.

Vermont visit

2010-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

In November we took the long-ish drive up to Vermont to visit our friends and the town where Minya was born. Brattleboro, will always hold a special place in our hearts. We had a great time, and owe it all to our hosts, the Davis's, and our good friends, Natalie and Noah, and the Berkfield's. We're trying to figure out when we'll get up there again - springtime, most likely, as it's too cold now. And of course, one of these days Jonathan and Allison will graduate from their grad programs and might as well make it up there to recieve the pieces of paper that they paid for. Paid a lot for. Until then, please enjoy these photos.

chillin with richard in the sandbox

aah, reunited with bethany
"he is my broom, and i am his dustpan"
gettin into it with birch

meet auggie

Fall 2009

2010-01-12T18:41:00.001-08:00

Our BIG news for October (and our entire lives) is that we bought a house! It's located in the Mt. Airy section of Philly, is a row-home, on a street filled with kids (one neighbor called it a 'very fertile street'), a block from the train into downtown philly, near lots of wooded areas - and we could go on and on about why we really like where our house is located. Now, we are enjoying making it into our home. You should come and visit us, if you haven't already.

Also in October, we celebrated with Minya's Nya-nya's (auntie's) as they tied the knot. Zayan and Beth were married on October 18. It was a beautiful ceremony, with good food and drinks, and at one point Jonathan and I both turned around to see Minya tearing it up in her high chair! Aside from the brides (in our humble opinion), she was the cutest one there.

And of course, this was Minya's first Halloween too. As the story goes, Minya and I were at the store shopping for items other than a halloween costume, when we happened to pass the rack with all of the costumes. Jonathan and I had been thinking that she would make the cutest lady bug or bumble bee, but Minya had her own idea - a lion! She saw it hanging there, and immediately reached for it and growled. So, needless to say, she had to be a lion. Hope you enjoy the rest of the photos of her just swinging. These are truly some of my favorite photos that I will cherish. Hope you enjoy them too.

Halloween, Grrrr...!

2010-01-12T18:38:00.001-08:00

checking candy with baba

wittle wion
grrrr!

a lion with chubby cheeks!

Titi Nya-nya & Nya-nya Beth's Wedding

2010-01-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

with auntie janessa

cousins

just married!

wedding minya

Random, cute photos

2010-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

eating

bath time

baby in a laundry basket photo

Swinging last Fall 09

2010-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

2009-09-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Minya's first "kids meal."

2009-09-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

With auntie Roxanne at Katrina and Nabil's wedding. The put us trouble-makers at the same table, yea!

2009-09-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

At Katrina and Nabil's wedding...just before Minya started to get rowdy, around the I-do's. It was a gorgeous wedding.

2009-09-23T19:19:00.002-07:00

Holy cheeks!!!

2009-09-23T19:19:00.001-07:00

Precious girl.

2009-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the views from the Boardwalk.

2009-09-23T19:16:00.002-07:00

Next time we'll go into the water, when it's warmer.

Bathing beauty

2009-09-23T19:16:00.001-07:00

More in the pool

2009-09-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Minya is definitely comfortable in the water, which makes her parents very excited. Yes, we are looking to sign her up for swimming lessons in the future.

2009-09-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Minya's first case of "plumber's crack."

2009-09-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Teething is tough.

2009-09-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Strolling in Queens; looking good in orange.

2009-09-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Daddy's shoulder is the best place to fall asleep. This was after a long day in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY.

Fun times with a hat

2009-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

2009-09-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Even while sleeping, Minya feels the deep need to call for revolution. Since mama can't fit in bed, she takes a photo of sleeping beauties.

2009-09-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Minya having a patriotic moment while her parents aren't looking.

2009-09-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to make of uncle Dagan's beard.

2009-09-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Having lunch with auntie Mica. Pho sure!

a snarl

2009-09-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

2009-09-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, all I ate was carrots...then I learned about bananas and apples, and it's been all over since. (It was all over when it was carrots too.)

2009-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

A family photo.

2009-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Chillin with my Baba by the pool.

2009-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

hi everybody ~ i promise to bug my parents to update this blog more often. see how my hair is growing?

Just a quick note

2009-09-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

So, we've become negligent when it comes to creating new posts on this here blog. You'll be pleased to know, however, that we have not neglected to dote on, worship, feed, clothe, sing (off-key) to, carry, bathe, wipe, burp, rock, throw into the air, and otherwise LOVE our little Minya. She is now just over eight months-old and growing bigger each day. First, let's talk about her mobility. She is not crawling yet like others in her cohort, but she has mastered the guerrilla crawl, which is mostly glorified rolling. But, she uses this preferred method of movement to reach objects of her desire, which right now seem to mostly be cell phones, dogs or cats, mama, and daddy. Her ample baby belly allows her to pivot in different directions in order to better aim her roll. She is getting quite good and can already out-roll her parents. Crawling is something that we have tried to interest her in, but for some reason (see above, "ample baby belly"?) she is not able to balance herself just yet, and does not get far. Standing seems to be the next best thing aside from rolling. She stands leaning on an ottoman, or sometimes the coffee table. We think that walking is next, but not for a little while, which we are thankful for.

Otherwise, Minya has been surprising us each week with something new. About a month ago she woke up one Saturday morning and began clapping, probably from spending time with her baba and aunts who all sing that old Serbian baby song, "tussi, tussi, ta, na, na...". Just a couple of weeks ago she learned to wave - so much fun! Of course, we're still perfecting the timing of the wave, but she's pretty much got the motion down pat. Then there's also the shaking of her head, which started out as dancing and has morphed into saying no to things...uh-oh! We are learning to try and think ahead before teaching her other things that initially look cute but may backfire on us later. Ah well. Most recently, just this past weekend, she started to growl. Yes, growl. This is mostly in response to animals, and now includes responding to humans with a growl. Cutest growl ever! We keep talking about how we are going to record all of these milestones and post them onto the blog, but can't promise you when that will be. Since we are still looking for a house to buy, we are less settled than we would like to be, but once we are we promise to provide everyone with a full update complete with photos, video, and a new play-by-play and commentary about Minya's little life so far. Stay tuned.

Oh, and we do have a few photos below, just to keep you coming back for more.

2009-09-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so mama looks a little crazed, but Minya knows what's going on as she patiently poses for the camera in her daddy's office.

2009-09-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not on Facebook...here is the best photo ever of Minya, taken by our friend Frederick when we were still in Vermont.

Goodbye Vermont! Hello New Jersey!

2009-06-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, we know that it's been a while since we last updated the blog. We promise to try and stay on top of things this time. Since the last time we posted, a lot has happened in little baby Minya's life. She is now 5 Months 1 Week old today, weighs probably about 18 1/2 pounds, and is somewhere around 26-27 inches long. Until last week she had rolled over from her tummy to her back a total of nine times, all of which seemed to surprise her. In the last week, however, it's clear that she knows how to roll over on her own. She goes to put her arms in place when she wants to roll, and ta-da, she rolls! It's so amazing to watch her as she puts it all together. She also just started "solids" this past Saturday, although I wouldn't call the rice cereal that she ate too solid, but she was all about it and gobbled it right up. Now she's wanting more, so we think we might start other foods soon - very soon. We've got some cute video of it (well, we think it's cute) so we'll try to upload that soon. Also, she took her first dip in a pool this past weekend too. See photos of that cute adventure below.

As you might know, we've also recently left the community that we had in Brattleboro, Vermont in early June. We are still sad that we had to leave Vermont so soon, and would have loved to stay for the summer, but since Jonathan finished his on-campus phase of his graduate program, so we needed to get back to working and Philly. We really MISS all of our friends that we made, especially the babies who Minya got to know well. Please come and visit! Jonathan started his job last week and I'll begin my job in early July. Since we needed more room than ever we are staying with our cousin Zayan, her fiancee Beth, and their good friend Janessa, plus Amstel the dog, and Bean the cat who is still getting used to us living here. We plan to move back to Philly in August or September, so if anyone knows of a good place to rent or own in Philly, let us know ASAP! In the meantime, we're grateful to Beth and Zayan, and Minya is excited to be closer to some of her family. Since we'll both be working, we're venturing down the road to childcare. Luckily enough for us now we'll have a combination of family - auntie Letty and Baba Mary - able to watch Minya while we're away during the day. I'm still going to try and continue breast feeding, so it'll be a challenge.

Now we're trying to get through Minya's first cold - rats! She started sniffling and sneezing the other night and last night left us sleepless for a good portion of it. She is still not sleeping well during the day, with naptime being the least favorite activity - any suggestions? There's just so much to see and do that she doesn't want to miss a second. We keep trying to tell her that she'll have more time to investigate it all soon enough, but for some reason she doesn't want to listen. That's all for now.

2009-06-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

First dip in the pool.

2009-06-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

On the road to Philly, er Jersey. This is one of the few moments when I tolerated the long drive.

Brattleboro babes

2009-06-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Connor, Justin, Abigail, Minya, and Birch
These are some of the babies, mamas, and papas who we got to know and love while living in Brattleboro.

2009-06-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends who I will miss - Lotte, Justin, Abigail, and Birch.

2009-06-16T11:29:00.001-07:00

Minya's first destruction of property, and she looked so cute while doing it!

Packing for the move

2009-06-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are getting ready for the move. Can't forget the most important box!

Becoming interested in food...

2009-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

"Hey, what's that?! Give me some!"

2009-06-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sitting pretty at Nyain-nya Lauren's wedding on May 15.

Workers of the World Unite!

2009-06-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

We spent May 1, International Workers Day, by meeting Uncle Sol and Cori in Brattleboro. Then we had a beer and danced with Bethany and Jora.

2009-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Chillin with my friend Birch. A blanket says a thousand words. Clearly, he is a boy since his blanket is blue and I am a girl since my blanket is pink.

Easter, visits, and giggles!

2009-04-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Minya's been very busy since our last blog post. She has started to get stronger and stronger, and is on her way to sitting up soon. When she's laying down, in her car seat or bouncy chair, she constantly tries to pick her head up and into a sitting position. When she first started doing it I was freaked out, but then realized that it's probably all part of the natural progression. She's also started to put most things in her mouth these days, drools like a mad dog, and otherwise sucks on her lips and fists, which makes us think that she's on her way to having teeth in the next couple of months. She's been smiling like crazy for us, at least 10 times a day, but never when we have the camera ready. BUT, we did catch the tail end of a little laughing fit - her FIRST LAUGH - on camera, so you can hear her cute giggle. Our hearts melt at the sound of what is in store. Since Jonathan was the one to make her laugh for the first time (by dropping one of her plush toys on her) we've decided that we're now in competition to make her laugh again. The pressure is on!

We've also had lots of visitors and made some visits ourselves. In mid-March our good friend Kymberlie and her son Elliot visited us all the way from Austin, Texas. They traded the warm sunshine for melting snow to meet Minya for the first time, which was special since Jonathan and I first met Elliot in Austin when he was about the same age. We miss them and can't wait to visit them on their home turf in the future. Next, we visited Boston for a conference on "New Strategies in the Obama Era" where Minya was by far the youngest participant. She was intrigued by much of what was said, and we're still awaiting some of the strategies that she cam up with. Then, just a week ago, we spent some days visiting my mom, Minya's Baba Mary, outside of Philly. We got to see Nyain Nya Sandy, cousin Lauren, and Ava. Since Jonathan's birthday fell while we were there, we got to celebrate with our good friends Brie, Kavi and Adam. We also visited our good friend Stephanie who was super duper excited to meet Minya, especially since that's when Minya gave us her first giggle (see below to hear it!).

Now we're back in Brattleboro where we just had Mark, Meredith, Emma, Phoebe, and Stella Tomlinson Hulbert visit us. Mark is Jonathan's godfather, and Emma is Jonathan's goddaughter, so it was exciting to have them meet Minya. Jonathan's sisters, auntie Nadia and Shawnee, and niece Amira were also visiting on the same day, so we had a week full of family time. Meeting and visiting with both of our families is very important to us, so we are grateful for all of the visitors, and can't wait to see more of other family and friends in the future - come on up for a visit! Finally, while no eggs were dyed this year, Minya was feeling in the Easter mood and decided to put on her bunny coat. She was, by far, the cutest bunny around! Hope you enjoy the photos and video. Keep coming back for more since Spring has sprung and Minya is getting bigger and bigger.

2009-04-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! And a happy birthday to Nana and auntie Allie from the cutest bunny around!

2009-04-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Minya and Mama.

2009-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Silly wabbit!

2009-04-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Loving her aunties, Shawnee and Nadia.

2009-04-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

A visit from the Tomlinson Hulberts. Minya with Stella, Phoebe, and Emma.

2009-04-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Daddy! Minya enjoyed her daddy's hand while we enjoyed some Mexican food with friends.

2009-04-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

On a walk with Baba Mary on Hillthorpe.

2009-04-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Her first, of many, laughs!

2009-04-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Visiting auntie Stephanie. Yes, they are on the ball!

2009-04-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Asleep in the baby bjorn.

2009-04-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Minya is beginning to sit up!

2009-04-12T18:27:00.001-07:00

Minya enjoys the fact that she found her hands - yum! She also enjoys eating other people's hands (see above).

2009-04-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Another bath. She loves her froggie towel!

2009-04-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Talking to her chicken friend. Minya gets frustrated that she never responds.

2009-04-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Minya had such a fun time with auntie Kymberlie and cousin Elliot! We can't wait to see them again - maybe in Austin or Philly.

2009-04-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Swinging in the snow! We went to the playground near our house when Elliot and Kymberlie were here.

2009-04-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is Minya's little buddy Birch, in his jedi outfit, and his mama Angela.

2009-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

We actually updated the blog! Scroll down for a plethora of photos and an update on Minya. When you get to the bottom of the page it doesn't stop there. Click on "Older Posts." More to come...

2009-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

Minya holding onto daddy's fingers.

2009-03-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Bathtime! She wanted to look like a boxing champ on this day.

2009-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Even though she loves her visitors, she prefers to be alone with her deep thoughts.

2009-03-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with my friends the twins - 7 month-old Abigail and Justin. Minya was trying to sit up like them!

2009-03-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Minya's little feet, with her even littlier toes!

2009-03-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Enjoying her favorite pasttime with Bethany - bouncing on the ball!

2009-03-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

She was unsure what to make of the hike.

2009-03-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

On her first hike up Mt. Putney. The snow is deceiving, because it was a warm day.

2009-03-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Minya in the swing - thanks Su and Mike!

2009-03-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

What an eventful past two months we’ve had. Today Minya is 9 weeks and 1 day old! She weighed 13lbs 9oz, and was 25 ¼ inches long at her two month visit to the doctor’s last week. We think that by now, a week later, she might already be 14lbs! She eats like a champ, but is starting new eating patterns that we’re just trying to keep up with and figure out. As some of you may have seen by watching our video below, Minya is also talking a lot these days. She tells us stories about her days and her dreams. And sometimes, we think, she is just telling us some of her frustrations with the world. We are now trying to get her more interested in ‘tummy time’ to help strengthen her neck and the rest of her body so that she isn’t always on her back. This will eventually help her in all of the things that are to come – rolling over, pushing herself up, sitting up, crawling. We’re excited for these events, but are also loving living in the moment of where she is right now.

When she was 5 weeks, Minya, mama and daddy took a trip to visit family and friends in Great Barrington and Philly. See the photos of those visits below. The highlight of the trip was the party to welcome Minya to the world where she met many new people who we hope will be in her life for a long time. She also celebrated her first Tsaghan Sar or Mongolian Lunar New Year. She sat through the nearly two-hour prayers at our Temple, just taking in all of the prayers and sounds – what a superstar! Thanks to the driving skills of Baba Mary, Minya and mama are now back home in Vermont. During the days, mama and Minya play at home and sometimes have visitors like some of the folks in the photos above. After being in many social settings, it’s clear that Minya enjoys being around many people, but likes to kind of do her own thing. Mostly, she likes to sleep, which we think is great! Some other firsts for Minya have been her first: potluck, hike, and study circle on Samir Amin. We think she liked the study circle best:). Hope you enjoy the photos. We’re working on updating the blog more often, so keep an eye out for updates. Now we're awaiting the arrival of Auntie Kymberlie and cousin Elliot all the way from Austin, Texas just to meet Minya! Stay tuned for photos of that next time. Take care. Hugs and love from Brattleboro, Minya, mama and daddy