14 Months

Dear Little P,
You are 14 months old today!
I must say, you have grown leaps and bounds in the past month. You went from a fast crawl to suddenly walking all over the place. All by yourself! I couldn't help but note that you didn't want us to coach you or help you in any way...you wanted to try it by yourself. Your independent streak really showed itself during this! You still refuse to hold our hands. But, if you are in a new situation, you will stand right by our side and cling to our clothing until you feel brave enough to wander off on your own again. I hate to break it to you, but once we start venturing out and about with those feet of yours, you will be FORCED to hold our hands for safety. Just sayin'.
Aside from all the walking and scurrying going on, you have learned to throw your arms up in the air (baby is SOOOOOO big!) and you're starting to give high-fives. Last week you lifted the bottom of my shirt up so you could inspect my bellybutton more closely. (I think bellybuttons are gross overall. Mine used to be kind of cute but now it looks all weird ever since my pregnancy demolished my stomach wall which I now have to suck in and squeeze for photos and public outings. Ahem.) I said "That's Mama's bellybutton." You began to periodically lift my shirt to see it ever since. Sheesh. I'm self conscious about it, you know? I can now even say "Where is Mama's bellybutton?" and you will scurry across the room to me just so you can lift my shirt and point it out. I'll forgo my bellybutton issues to know that you actually understand what I'm saying! You still don't get that you have one too...despite my best efforts to show it to you. And finally, aside from "Dadda" and "Mmmmammmma" you can say "Duck" when you see pictures of them and you can say "Quack Quack Quack" (although when you say it, it sounds like "Cack Cack Cack."
I have been having so much fun with you. I know I get tired a lot, but it's because of all the exciting things we are sharing! Swimming at the pond across the street, going for nice morning walks, spending family time with Daddy, going to the park and swinging, visiting with friends, sharing ice cream, splashing at the water table in the yard, visiting Nana and Grampa, going to family birthday parties...our days are full of love and discovery. Seeing your more constant smile and the delight in your eyes each day brings me so much joy and pride...my heart almost bursts. I feel so lucky to be allowed to help and watch you grow. What a gift! You are truly my treasure. I never knew this kind of life could be possible; and it is YOU that makes it so.
Love you always and forever more,
Mama

Tweet

toy

Hi friends!
It is quiet here today. It's very humid and my feet are sticking to the floor. Gross.
I made this fun little oil and water mixture (with blue food coloring too) for Paige to play with. She has been enjoying shaking the bottle and rolling it around. Good thing she doesn't know how to remove caps yet. I read you can use superglue to fasten it on if need be.
It's fun to put the bottle in the tub or water table and watch it roll around too.
I'm so enjoying my time with Little P these days. I always have, but there's just something about her walking that makes it so much more fun. And all the more tiring. I went to bed last night at 8 o'clock! We're up everyday at 5:30 am (not MY choice, mind you!) and I'm someone who loves/needs a lot of sleep. I must admit, there's something comforting about falling asleep during dusk. My eyelids get heavy as I stare at the blue light coming from the window and I am reminded of my childhood bedtime when I used to fall asleep looking at that same light...after busy days of playing outside and making magic of my own for hours on end. I remember feeling so safe and peaceful when I saw that light peeking into my room. There's something about that blue light. And maybe that's why I made my blue bottle of water and oil today?

Tweet

Magic

Hi friends!
I hope you had a lovely weekend and Father's Day! We went to our local Strawberry Festival...a town fair with craft booths and food. It was fun! Paige enjoyed meeting all kinds of new people and her Daddy threw her into the air for some extra fun. She's been working hard at her walking skills and now toddles around the house every chance she gets. She's in serious drunken sailor mode (hoo-ray and up! she rises)...I'm singing that drunken sailor song...as she stumbles and sways all around. She's forever stopping to stoop down and pick something up and get on with her travels. It's more than entertaining for me. I just stay out of the way and watch her work her magic. It's been really hot here, so we are trying to stay cool despite the fact our air conditioning isn't working (thanks to a dead chip in the furnace). It should be fixed within the week or so. I see some time at the pond and at the water table in our future. Although that would be the case regardless! She's a water-lover and cannot get enough of splashing and "swimming." A good excuse to put in a pool in a few years if we play our cards right. In other news I'm anxiously waiting for UPS to come with my new Canon 10-22 lens that my husband got me for my birthday. I'll be 32 in mid-July and he wanted me to have some time to practice with the lens before we go on all our summery adventures. I can't argue with that! So, next you can expect to see some ultra-wide-angle shots and experiments! I'd read one reviewer said that he put the camera within 10 inches of someone's face and he could still get THEIR FEET in the shot. Isn't that neat? That is, if you are looking for shots that have that effect. I'm forever wishing I could get more of the landscape in my scenic shots and this should be the answer I'm looking for.
Be well, friends. I hope you are enjoying your summer (all of one day of it so far) and that you get a chance to slow down and enjoy the littlest things.

Tweet

One small step for Paige...soon a giant leap.

2 days ago Paige randomly would stand up and take several steps at a time; much to our surprise and delight. She does it more and more through the day now and I managed to capture one of those random moments here! This is one of the longest stretches of walking for her yet (not holding anything, that is). She seems so nonchalant about it. I can't get over those little spindly legs.

Tweet

Hope floats

And so does poo. Sometimes. It finally happened! Paige poo'd in the tub the other night. Chris bathes her at night and we have a big tub where you have to put your feet in just to be able to reach the baby. So, we was standing and playing with her in the water and all of a sudden I hear him say "we have floaties! We have FLOATIES!!" I thought he was kidding around in regard to all the tub toys floating around. Then I looked down and saw the nuggets making their way to the surface. EEEK! He pulled her right out of the tub and off they went. Guess who got to clean it up? It wasn't so bad. I caught most of the offending little buggers with little cups and flushed them down the toilet. I had to clean the tub mats and cups but it could have been much worse. I was wondering when all of this would happen. I'm sort of relieved to have it over with now. haha! I sound calm describing it when it reality I was like "Code BLACK! Code RED!! ALERT!! ALERT!! PANIC BUTTON! MISSILES COMING RIGHT FOR US!!!!!" It's like Poo is the equivalent of toxic radiation and the hydrogen bomb. It never fails to freak me out. My new fear list: Clowns, Spiders and Poop.

Tweet