Hoo Boy

 
 
Watching Yo Gabba Gabba. Please don't comment and ask me why she is in that floppy sun hat and her jacket and diaper and nothing else. If I knew, I'd tell you.

We went to check out her new preschool today - I guess it will be all of our preschools, since it's a co op and I'll work there a few days a month. It's an incredibly good deal for someone like me, especially as I have a friend whose kids go there and we both have babies that need to be babysat while we are co-oping so we are going to trade babysitting. Maria really liked it there, but what's not to like? It's a great place, with little chairs and tables and markers and paper. They have a science room wiht a turtle and bugs and birds. Maria did NOT want to leave, which I guess is a good sign.

One Year Ago Today

Here's the post from one year ago today. It's my dear grandfather's birthday, today, he was born in 1902. I am jealous sometimes of my cousins whose kids knew my grandparents. I guess that's not true of my grandfather Finnegan, he died in 1986, but my grandmother Kehoe didn't die until 1999, so she met and knew about my nephews and my niece. Anyways, I am happy to say that even though bedtime is still my favorite time of day, Maria is a much happier person than I could have predicted one year ago.

Demon

 
She knocked over the toy shelves yesterday and I tried to get a picture but it was too dark in that damned livingroom.

Plotting...

 
...her next move. We were supposed to go to a bounce place today but Maria had to nap from 9:15 - 11:00. I am trying to get her started in a 2 year old girl playgroup but so far we haven't made any of them!

Innocent

 
Ha, not even close. She is a hard person to like. She is downstairs right now with Anthony, watching Bugsy Bugsy Kitty Cat (a Sylvester/Tweety DVD) which should make her happy and yet? She is screaming and screaming and shouting and shouting. I hope someday she gets a little bit nicer.

black eye

 
...now she has a black eye, too. It's been a long day, as I said. No, I didn't do it. :)

Note the bruise

 

Caught Dancing

 
She woke up at 6:00 this morning, went down for her nap at 10:00 and was up by 11:00. Long day.

Oh, Maria

 
Note her hand in her pocket, her belly sticking out, her nuk and her big egg between her eyes. She fell downstairs but I don't know on what.

Tough Guy

 
The hell with Anthony and Daddy for going to school and work! Who needs 'em?

Parting is such sweet sorrow

 
She always watches Mike and Anthony leave in the morning, even though it is FREEZING.

Thank you SO much

 
Yesterday Mike had jury duty and couldn't take Anthony to school. I called his teacher in the morning and asked if she could come out and get Anthony and she said yes, and I said "thank you SO much, I really appreciate it". Maria has said "Thank you SO much" about 1,000,000 times since then. She is reaching out her hand here, for the camera, and she says "thank you SO much, Mommy", with good faith that I will hand her whatever she wants. She turns from a polite thing in to a screaming banchee when I say no, though.

Hiding

 
She is a nut, she is never dressed, she is always up on the countertop. She only naps for an hour or an hour and a half every day and the rest of the time she is grinding, grinding away at my psyche. She sings here lately - Barney songs, or the Itsy Bitsy Spider, or Twinkle Twinkle, it's super cute. I put her back in her cloth diapers, I'm trying to get her ready to the idea of potty training. I honestly can't imagine it, she's such a pain already, I can't believe she's going to be LESS of a pain when she is peeing all over my house! But we'll see.

Pretty Baby

 
25 months, yesterday.

Up Heaaaaahhhh?

 
In her heart shirt for a Valentine's Day playgroup we went to today.

Family Portrait

 
Ha!

Hand

 
I suppose this is appropriate, as she totally has the hand in our relationship.* Maria slept until 8:00 this morning, which has of course never happened. She has been just as pissy as ever, but it was nice anyway, because I could wait until 12:30 to put her down for a nap. We went to Open Gym, which wasn't very fun because there weren't many people there, but it was nice and Maria played for a while with a little girl just her age. It's fun to see her play with someone who sort of wants to play with her!* Seinfeld reference

Wednesday

 
Some of my friends do a "Wordless Wednesday" but I always want to say stuff. If I don't, it's because I'm so disgusted I have nothing nice to say! This week we have gone for walks on two days, even though it's been wicked cold, because Maria has wanted to. She says WALK 2,000 times and eventually, even if Veronica and I both catch pneumonia from going outside in the cold, it would be better than listening to Maria say WALK anymore.

Tuesday

 
Pretty picture, but man. She could drive a person crazy.