Author: andrew@kesselimaging.com

Adam and company (including Swiss exchange student Enya) visited their cousins and baby Helena for an extended weekend in Atlanta this week. Everybody had a great time with perfect weather and an activity filled week. One of the first stops for the group was nearby ATL zoo. Helena is definitely starting to react more to animals.

Part 1

Who needs toys when you have activities like climbing on the dishwasher?

Grandpa and Grandma didn’t do such a great job of covering their time with Helena over the weekend while mom and dad went skiing. Reports say that the first day was a little rough but the second day she got used to her Vermont home and was all smiles all day and enjoyed playing with some new toys.

After dad missed the flight home, the family connected over FaceTime later in the day

At the airport in Atlanta Helena danced to all the single ladies and made the worker’s night they told us. Did not get a chance to capture it on video sadly

Helena was proud to finally manage feeding herself with the spoon.

a little blurry pride

Helena was a little under the weather but she’s feeling better now.

An update from daycare Feb. 2018 Newsletter

Helena and her neighborhood contemporaries partied hard even though her native New England roots didn’t come through in the game itself.

Can you spot the blue patriot?

Helena enjoyed her first ever ride at the grocery store. She really was in the driver’s seat @ Kroger yesterday

Classic post that parents would find more interesting than probably anyone else

Helena is now cruising, grabbing onto whatever she can and moving from point a to point b. One of her favorite activities is throwing the bath twos into the bath from outside the bath as seen here

Got into the 60’s this past Sunday so the family enjoyed a nice Atlanta January breakfast outside, protected from the sun of course

Dad and mom visited old friend Haig and his Cameroonian friends for a post New Year’s dinner. Helena is starting to take some supported steps

The family road tripped down to Lumpkin, GA for a day hike to the famous “little Grand Canyon” of Georgia. If was a beautiful and warm winter day.

Grandpa Herb shares some favorites from the Florida vacation

Helena was in good spirits last night when she came to dance with Maya’s co-worker friends and rocked out to great live music in Decatur. Maya’s friend and colleague Sonya took over the brunt of the baby sitting work but was one of many “pass-the-baby” participants.

Helena is now cruising as they say and working on her ability to stand up using anything she can including tables, chairs, or stools, beds, or even the leg of your pants!

With Mom busy and nowhere else to turn, Papa took Helena to band practice. She didn’t just tolerate the loud raucous, she joined in on the fun and is now a proud honorary member of Back to Memphis

Andrew and Maya hosted friends for a brisket and games party and Helena got to see her older contemporary Lenlie

Maya’s parents arrived New Years Eve to ensure a seeming less grandparent transition for Helena. Helena loves to see them and practice her Russian

Helena was not to be seen. While grandparents babysat in ATL for a show at Venkman’s, Helena (mostly) slept away the new year. By the way, mom and dad also got away to Miami and the Everglades on their Florida trip! A rare no Helena blog post

Ok just kidding, Helena makes an appearance or two in the Concrete Jungle year-in-review video here! Couldn’t actually do a blog post on Helena’s website with no Helena

Great vacation in 2017 in warm sunny Florida with Grandpa and Grandma

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A little fish in a big pond….

Helena and family visited the pinball museum of Delray yesterday. We may have a future wizard on our hands.

Helena loved playing in the sand but is still a little unsure about the ocean

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Looking at the birds curiously.

Helena’s first non terrible time at the beach (overall 2nd time). She was very interested in sand and after a little fuss took a nice long nap

A much needed family vacation to Delray

the mustache is real and captivating

Three nights in a row Helena has been out past her bedtime…not that she’s complaining.

A bit hard to see but here she’s dancing with Maya’s co-workers:

trying mushrooms for the first time Trying lentils from Dr U. and colleague Georgia standing up in her stroller

Helena continues to make new discoveries including things she can eat (not always edible though), things she can pull (including herself up from time to time), and trying on a new floatie and training potty.

Helena went out this weekend to her first kid’s fun zone. It was a hopping good time

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A fascination with flame begins…

Helena was in rare form this Saturday for a friend’s brunch. Still though, she toughed it and even made some new friends

Helena visited neighborhood friend and peer Jude last week for a play date. Helena was trying to demonstrate how to crawl to Jude.

Good friends Jon and Amy came over to celebrate and light candles for Helena’s first Chanukah

Keeping warm all bundled up here as winter has settled in

Out for a lovely winter stroll yesterday

These past few weeks have been full of leaps and bounds from crawling to standing, to trying new foods, and our favorite, clapping. Still working on waiving and all of the thousands of other things to come in the next several months.

Helena’s first sight of snow. She didn’t seem that thrilled about it but it may just have been that she was disappointed in the quality of this very wet southern snow. Or maybe it was the quality of the picture

 

…or any suspended object

…and dog time

always something new to play with these days now that we crawl

As Helena becomes a little crawling monster she is now about to observe (and play with) a whole new range of things. For example:

A few other highlights from the trip here

Kessel’s, Dines, Alperns, Fayfman’s, and more reunited in Western, MA for the annual festivities and enjoyed a fantastic meal, good company, and big crawling improvements

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Helena with Heady Topper is a throw back a la Abel one year ago)

Thanksgiving break has started and the family returns North to the land of coldVisiting with friends Pam and Sarah before they have their own little one

looking through the window girl and bunny close up – photo credit Havi Kessel

With both papa and Helena being out of school, the dynamic duo took a field trip to visit mom at work. Helena liked trying on the stethoscope and may have a future career as a doctor. Afterwards, they visited the Margaret Mitchell house in mid-town where she wrote “Gone With the Wind”

A few weeks old now but Helena enjoyed her first swinging experience

Circa seven months, 3 weeks

Helena is now regularly drinking water and guzzling it down like a champ. Here was the first time earlier this week.

Helena is always improving her swimming technique

Helena experienced some of life’s greatest pleasures last weekend, although the sale and sushi were indirectly, via mom. She actually started shaking when she tried her first ice cream, should have been filming.

Good teacher friend Ethan and his kids came over after a visit to the zoo. Little Owen did a great job playing with Helena and she seemed to enjoy it too.

Old friend Titus Levy came to visit and check up on the Kessel’s this past weekend. Helena did not miss the opportunity to attend her first Cabbagetown chomp and stomp.

And so is the little pumpkin

daycare trip to the zoo

With Helena’s new found abilities in sitting up and grabbing things with her hands she has found new things to play with as well. 

Learning how to eat and art work at daycare

Helena and family visited an eccentric and unique living art compound on their way back from Southern GA and the Carters. The colors were a trip!

Helena and family traveled down to Plains, GA Sunday to attend Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school. She received a warm welcome and even a little kiss from the former leader of the free world and his wife Rosalynn.

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It was a sad day for the team but a fine night for Helena and her numerous random fans. She never hesitates to please with her smile.

so meta

Helena and her parents recently attended a district 1 city council woman’s meet and greet at a neighbor’s house. Helena did well although got a little fussy when things got heated. Not sure politics is in her blood.

Starting in reverse

Helena is enjoying play time outside in. the ATL fall!

Helena’s first time getting sick wasn’t so bad as she still managed to smile despite not sleeping much and being super congested. She’s on the up and up now!

Helena managed to pick up the rubber ducky, but then it got stuck

Helena stayed in Brooklyn to visit Uncle Jonah and Aunt Maysha and reconnect with her closest cousin Abel. Looks like she is still getting to know him.

trying out Abel’s high chair meeting with old Russian friends and their two daughters in Forest HillsNYC skyline from Forest Hills

Off to NYC for Fall Break, this time Helena is sitting in her own seat for a moment

Technically Helena tried some watermelon and banana a few weeks ago up North in Dahlonega on the labor trip, but this was the first time she definitely swallowed her food!

Old Macalester friend Lisi and company strolled into ATL for one day for a band gig at Ol’ Smith’s Bar. Meanwhile, the two new babies met for a playdate in the actual bandwagon

For Helena’s six month birthday, the family went out for her second pro soccer game in a VIP suite!

baby fast asleep while parents enjoy the game the falcon at Mercedes Benz – Atl’s newest stadium Getting the Beyoncé treatment walking through Mercedes Benz stadium

Maya’s former bridesmaid Kim visited from Boston and as the nights get cooler in Atlanta, she made sure she stayed warm

Some hiking, cabin hang outs, and great times has by all (except during periods of rapid altitude incline and declines

Trip to the great smokies Friday-Sunday for Harvestivus, a reunion for friends and good people

stretching during a quick road side break elk sighting on the road hiking with Helena, a great trouper with 3-4 hour endurance

With Madame Ouanzin in French class

Sleeping in and working on sitting

Click on Goalie

“let’s play!”“what’s going on out there?!”

Some more photos from the two day power outage including hanging out with the Air BnB guests from Florida

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Helena got a taste of the real world when she came with momma and papa to work when the power went out at home after Hurricane Irma swept through town.

Helena helped her parents with some gardening on a beautiful Sunday before hurricane Irma rolled in to town. She loves touching the leaves on the trees

Helena’s not quite there but she’s certainly trying!

Trying everything by eating has begun- or rather has been going on now for a few weeks but with her improved abilities on her stomach it has gone to new levels.

La Routine

It doesn’t matter what you wear,
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy, grab a girl,
Everywhere, around the world
They’ll be dancing, dancing in the street 

The family headed up to Cleveland GA for some Labor Day hiking under beautiful weather and Helena crushed it on the hike

she literally crushed the potato chips at the lunch break on the hike

Youngest picker on record

As Helena becomes more and more alert she has taken note of this strange, furry four-legged creature and roommate.

taking a nap on Helena after a long day of work trying out the new Korg sv1 together