Nova will be marking her 1/3 year birthday this month, and she continues to grow and change.

One of Nova's regular adventures is going with Mommy to her Mommy group, "My Mom Picked My Friends". The first of these was at her friend Jack's house, where she got to play in a jumping swing. At first Nova didn't seem to know quite what to do in it...

Not sure what you want here, guys.		I gotta jump to make this thing work? You're kidding me!

... but eventually she got the hang of it and had some fun...

... and finally wore herself out.

Not all days are adventures... sometimes Nova and Mommy are just chillin' at home. Now that Mommy is officially a full time Nova employee she can make the most of this growing and learning time. Sometimes Nova plays on her play mat with her toys...

Nova's play mat was a gift from Gigi and Pappa Sheffield, and she loves it!

... sometimes that becomes rolling on the floor practice...

About to try...		... success!

... and sometimes playtime is sitting up.

Nova is playing with her Jack doll. See, Jack, Nova hasn't forgotten about you.		Nova's musical bird was a gift from Kendrick. It's one of her favorites!

After all that playing, and the accompanying spitting up and pooping, Nova needs a bath. She has always been a fan of her shower time, and now that she has transitioned to baths she likes them even more!

Clean baby!

One of Nova's big events recently was the garage sale. She set everything up, priced all the merchandise, and drove hard bargains with all the customers. Just kidding... she mostly just sat around looking cute. Her cousin Amanda stopped by...

.. as did Mommy's friend Lisa and her son, MJ. Daddy thinks MJ was the smiliest baby he has ever seen.

Smiliest baby EVER!

Cousin Amanda loves her Nova. Here she is giving Nova a kiss:

Thanksgiving was a really busy time for everyone! Not only was this Nova's first Thanksgiving, but it was the first year that Mommy and Daddy hosted it. Mimi and Uncle Geezy came by the day before to help Mommy and Daddy get ready...

... and then a lot of Daddy's family came over for Thanksgiving. There was a lot of food..

Grandpa is camoflaged in case he needs to hide from... um... OK, we don't really know what he's hiding from, but he's well hidden.		Daddy is pretending to slice up a spiral cut ham that is already sliced. This makes him look busy and effectively hides his innate laziness from the Thanksgiving guests. Mommy, however, is not fooled.

After the meal the family sat around the table and digested. And had pie.

Grandpa and Aunt Terry enjoy the afterglow.		Aunt Terry, her brother Mike, and Nana reflect on the incredible meal.

Nova had many admirers among the Thanksgiving crowd, but Uncle Mark and Aunt Terry seemed to take especial pleasure in seeing her.

Uncle Mark and Nova plan a sneak attack on the other dinner guests.		Uncle Mark and Nova laugh about how unprepared the others are.

The weekend after Thanksgiving Nova, Mommy, and Daddy went to see Gamma, Uncle Daniel, and Cousin Kendrick. This was the first time Uncle Daniel and Kendrick had gotten to see Nova. Gamma was sporting a new haircut, and looked so sharp she was dangerous. Lock up your sons, America!

Gamma and Nova get reacquainted.		Nova tires of playing and goes to sleep in Gamma's arms.

The first night Nova was pretty much all Gamma's, but the next day she got to interact with some more people. First Daddy played with Kendrick...

Kendrick acts silly while Daddy tries to be adult about things.

... so Uncle Daniel had a chance to play with Nova.

Later Nova spent some more time with Gamma...

... and Kendrick.

		"See, Nova, you have to blast the aliens like this."

After all the visits with family Mommy and Daddy started thinking about who Nova looks more like. Some relatives said Nova looked more like Mommy, and some said she looked more like Daddy. Mommy and Daddy decided the best way to resolve the question was to find a picture so it could be objectively appraised. The results were obvious.

Mommy... totally Mommy.

The weekend was capped off with some Christmas shopping. Since it was a bit chilly Nova had to get bundled up. Luckily Uncle Geezy had forseen such an eventuality and provided for it appropriately.

Thanks, Uncle Geezy!

Finally, when it was all over, it was time for what Nova does best.

Nova is a world-class champion sleeper... when she wants to be.

Coming soon... Christmas pictures, including Nova's visit with Santa. Stay tuned!