Bubbles in Her Hair

Fragile, delicate sphere.
Gently perched on a blond strand.
She runs, she laughs. Still you cling.
So precious and she doesn't even notice.
Another lands on the next strand.
You touch and cling to each other.
She reaches up. What is that? POP.

All About the Girl

My girl is getting to be so grown up. This week she will be 14 months old. Tonight we had three of her favorite foods for dinner: macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and beans (baked beans). It got me to thinking that I've been meaning to post about my amazing little girl. So, here goes.

Last week she was moved up to the toddler class at her daycare. She started in the infant room when she was only 9 weeks old, on February 9, 2009. The requirements for her to be moved were: walking steady, no pacifier, and no bottle. Well, she gave up the bottle at 11 months (she loves her sippy cup), she only uses the Binky (pacifier) at bedtime, and she started walking (at home) one week before her 1st birthday. The only thing holding her back was that she absolutely refused to walk (without holding on) at school! Well, the 2 boys who are near her age (one is 1 week older, the other 1 week younger) were walking steady by mid-November, so they moved to the toddler class at the beginning of January. I guess my girl missed her friends, because once they left, she stopped walking (even at home) for a full week! After talking it over with her teachers and the daycare director, we decided to give her a try in the toddler class. Well, on the first day she was walking like a pro! Now, she doesn't even want to go in the infant room (at the beginning and end of the day). She's also walking everywhere else--when visiting family, around the stores, to the mailbox, yes she wants to walk everywhere!

She's also a fan of the park. We have a tiny playground in our neighborhood and I try to let her play for a little while when we get home (before dinner). Right away, she climbed up the steps, sat at the top of the slide, flipped onto her belly, and slid right down!

This girl loves animals and doesn't shy away from any animal--no matter the shape or size! She loves to laugh and point when the cats do something funny and gets so excited anytime she sees somebody with a dog. One of our cats is so wonderful with her, letting her pull her tail, poke her hears, and even lay on top of her. The other discreetly walks away anytime she sees the baby coming her way.

It's so incredible to realize that my world revolves around this one tiny little person. This amazing, stubborn, funny, daring, smart, miniature version of ME.

Sick Baby

Came home early to take care of a sick baby... again. The poor girl had a fever of 101.2 at daycare which meant I had to pick her up early AND she can't go into daycare tomorrow, either. I'm so fortunate to have family nearby. My sister is spending the night tonight and will stay home with her tomorrow. I'll still have to come home early, but at least I won't have to take a whole day off. It's not really a big deal to take off a day, except that I only have about 3 days worth of leave and I am essentially a single parent from Monday through Friday.

She had been doing so good and hadn't been sick since early December. Before that, she went back and forth between colds, ear infections, diarrhea, and the flu for 4 months! During those 4 months, we were a tthe doctor's office every 2-3 weeks! Of course, she is a "daycare baby," so it's bound to happen (and probably a good thing for the building of a strong immune system), but I really hate for her to be sick.

Here's to hoping she gets a good night sleep, gets enough vitamin C, and feels better SOON! Goodnight.

Starting Over

Today I will attempt to restart my life as a blogger. Things were so hectic for so long, and nevermind my best intentions, I could never get back in the swing of things with this blog. Now that the baby is on a schedule, work is on track, Richard is out of town all week, and I have a handy new laptop... I have no more excuses.

I already have lots of stories in mind, so hopefully I'll be able to keep you entertained, interested, and coming back for more! I'll try to avoid becoming a "mama blog" and mix it up with a little workplace drama, trials in my new-found kitchen, splash in some real estate, and top it off with all the random thoughts and dreams that I deem fit for publishing.

I hope you'll come back soon. And don't forget to leave a comment; that's the only way I'll know who's hanging around and which topics you enjoy or hate.

For now, I'll leave you with this: