Blondie

 



This weekend I made Blondies. I'm not eating sweets through the week, so we had some left over and we gave it to Maria. She really, really liked it. It's sad to hear her say "More cookie" or "More candy" if we don't have any. She is really into the two word phrases lately.

I think this outfit is from Anthony's teacher last year, isn't it cute? We are having fun, getting out fall clothes.

Dress

This dress is one of Colleen's and I think it might be home made? It doesn't have any tags, anyway. It's a dress and leggings and it's SO cute. It's chilly here today, so we are digging out the warmer weather clothes. Maria was up at the crack of dawn this morning, screaming and screaming and kicking her crib. It is a very unpleasant way to wake up, but it dawns on one later that it's more pleasant for her to be screaming in crib at 5:30 than screaming in your face at 8:00, because she is so tired she can't see. She just got up from a 90 minute nap and is NOW screaming and kicking on the floor, because, I guess, she is still tired? Hungry? Teething? Who the hell knows. It's a very, very, VERY unpleasant way to live your life, with this nitwit screaming in your face the whole time. Still, cute dress, right?  

Overalls

 
 
Aren't these cute? These are all hand me down baby Gap, from Colleen. She looks like me and Laura more and more, I think, but in this picture she looks like Hillary too.

Gap

So I entered Maria in one of these Baby Gap contests. I think there are Gap clothes involved as prizes and since I can't ever afford them on my own, I figure maybe this way Maria can *earn* them. Here's where you can vote (I think) if you're so inclined. You can vote every day! Click HERE

Dress

I don't have anything nice to say about this child, so I'm not going to say anything.  

Bubbles

 
 
 

Helpful

 




Showing Veronica where here nose is. Sheesh.

At the Canal

 



We went for a long walk this week ... on Thursday, I think, on the Canal Walk downtown. Maria was good for the first half, meaning that she didn't really cry or get mad or anything. It goes without saying that if we go for a walk, she reaches out of the stroller the ENTIRE time, trying desperately to grab air or flowers or trees or bushes or WHATEVER she can reach. I took her out of the stroller when we were about half way done, in front of the State Museum and here's where it all went South. She wanted to climb in the Canal and was not going to stop unless I jammed her back in the stroller and strapped her back in, which I did. Man, she can be unpleasant, and for what, I ask her? So she can climb in the dirty old Canal? Ugh.

Determination...

 
 




...thy name is Maria. She really is determined. She was out there for a bit by herself this morning, and I looked out after like two minutes and she was toodling up the sidewalk on the tricycle. Later we were in the kitchen and my Dad was out back, mowing the lawn. We hadn't seen him but I could hear the lawnmower and I guess so could Maria because she said "Pa?" to me. It's so funny, I was just telling Mike, I have never had this experience before, where a child of mine recognizes a loved one from a sound and then wants to SHARE with me that they know what's going on. It's something we ... we didn't exactly miss it, with Anthony, because we didn't know what to miss, but it makes me hope for it from Anthony some day, all the more.

In the tub

 
 
 

Socks

 
Oh, this girl. She is the worst girl ever. She got up at 3:30 this morning, screaming and SCREAMING her head off. Mike went in, I went in, and then we just stayed in our room, listening to her howl. So we have been up since then. It's really, really, REALLY hard to do this job on so little sleep. I had to take Maria with me to Veronica's 4 month appointment today, because Mike had to be at work. She was terrible - horrible - she screamed bloody murder and cried and sobbed every time someone came in. That's four - the nurse, the student, the doctor, and then the nurse again. I couldn't tend to Veronica the way I wanted to, because I had to try and shut Maria up so she wouldn't make Veronica cry. Ugh. She is hard to like sometimes. Here she is this morning, in Mike's socks that she forced him to put on her.

Ready for her Closeup

 

So Contemplative

 

All Finished

 

Sunday

 
 
Swinging.

20 Months

 
 
I feel like she has been one forever, I can't belive she'll be two in just four months.

I have to admit, I told a friend of mine today, the time is actually going pretty fast with three. NOTHING seems to be able to move along the minutes between 3:00 and When Mike Gets Home, but the weeks are flying by.

Maria and Veronica and I went to a park playdate today, which was 'fun'. :) It's hard - she is not quite big enough to really enjoy a playground, but she seems happy to be there. At 20 months, she is still mostly taking a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and sleeping around 11 hours a night. If we don't put her to bed by 6:45, she is up in the night, but she is usually up before 6:00 the next morning, which is EARLY.

She still isn't putting two words together, but her vocabulary is crazy. She loves Signing Time and loves the animals and colors and numbers to identify. She is getting a teensy bit better about having books read to her. She is still very sweet with Veronica, although she is a little rough. She is a JOY to take out in the car, and go anywhere, really. She loves to be out and about. She loves when Mike comes home and races to the door when he arrives. She loves to put things around her neck, rope, clothes, just everything. She gets FURIOUS when things don't bend the way she wants them. I have no idea where she gets that! Ha!

This Makes My Heart SING

 

Mike took it.

...Yes?

 





Maria, on the table.

This Right Here

 
is my favorite picture of her, ever.

Beautiful

 
Isn't she? Good thing.

Eating

 
She did eat well, chicken and fries. This adorable shirt is from Colleen, it's SO cute. I just found a bunch of summer clothes to try and get her in before it gets too cold.

See? Wouldn't you think this would be entertaining?

 
...not if you're Maria. Mike and I were making perfect *idiots* of ourselves, blaring like elephants, and nothing.