'Fess Up Fridays - Week 5

Here we are, our final Friday of 2009! (Wow, I had to think about that before I typed it! Can you believe it?!)

You will all be relieved to know that I finished Mookie's pajamas. Yes, it was the morning of Christmas Eve, but I finished them! :o) Yay me!

I don't have a good front-view picture of her wearing the pjs, but here are a couple so you can see that I made them. I. Made. Them. It might be another 5 years before I actually make another piece of clothing for her, but I. Made. Them.

If you were to say "Melissa, what will you remember most about 2009?" (Because it's been a pretty big year all around). I will probably say that I remember making Mookie's Christmas pjs.

And now that you are on your way to a sugar-coma because these pictures are just so doggone sweet...I have to admit that there was a failure in manufacturing. The top is like a kimono-top, and it crosses in front and ties under each arm.  After about 3 hours of wear, one of the ties in the front tore off, and I had to do a bit of creative tying to keep the top on! It's an easy fix, and I will definitely fix it when we get home.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas Day!  Blessings to all!

Merry Christmas from Mookie and Mommy!

Mookie and I worked together to create this special greeting for you:

We hope you have a wonderful day, celebrating one VERY special gift from God, enjoying it with many gifts from God.

And may He bless you richly today, and always.

Merry Christmas!

~M

'Fess Up Fridays - Week 4

(I know it's Saturday. I'm 'fessing up about what got done up to, and including, Friday)

Last Friday, I pretty much told you I had nothing to tell you. :o) Then later that evening, I got all kinds of busy, and got the fabric all cut and ready to begin. Ready, already! Whew! And the sewing machine was out, so I was all set.

And then on Saturday I finally got a halfway decent photo of Mookie for the Christmas cards. It's not the best, but it's cute, I think. :o) It kinda shows her bigness and a bit of an outreach to her new baby sister. Sorta.

And then on Sunday or Monday (I can't remember), I got in-SPIREd to make my Christmas cards. I've known about the basic components for a while, I just didn't quite know how I was going to put them all together. (Those lucky 17 of you that actually got them will understand.) So, I started cutting and stamping and coloring and glittering and gluing and addressing and got the pictures printed. And that all took me THREE WHOLE DAYS!! Ugh. Double Ugh.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, and I finally got to actually start to sewing on the pajamas. And I was rocking. I was rolling. I was sure I was gonna get finished with the top that night. And then I got stuck. On Step 2. (yes, really). Stucker than stuck. Stuck so bad that I decided to hang it up for the night, and call the pattern-makers the next morning. They didn't answer. And didn't answer, again. (sigh). Thankfully, oliver+s has a forum for their patterns, so I went on the forum boards, and asked (in a high-pitched, desperate way) for clarification and help. And then I had to go to my ultrasound appointment, and a party, and it became Thursday night before I knew it. 

But fresh eyes, and a bit of confidence from the forum board, helped me to see that I AM A DOPE! I am a sewing idiot! Idiot, I tell you!! Seriously. This hobby makes me feel like such an imbicile! I hang my head in shame at the lack of brain cells I have that can understand patterns and sewing and stuff. (Hmmm...maybe I should actually take a lesson??  I mean, what's the point in having a Rolls Royce if you don't know how to drive it out of the garage, right?)

Where was I? Oh, yes. Progress was about to be made. And I needed to make a lot of it, quite frankly!  I got going, and was feeling good. I had the front parts and the back parts together, and was moving up to the sleeves. And I got stuck. Again. (sigh). It's not the pattern's fault, really. I just need to read, re-read, re-read, re-read, and re-read the instructions to actually understand them. :o)  But I got the sleeves in the right spot, and commenced to finishing the top. That night.

Or, not.

I can't remember what happened (it got late?), but I stopped working on it, and vowed to finish it on Friday. And with a few minor errors, and a few modifications I will make to the pattern if I ever make it again...

I FINISHED THE TOP!!!!

Woo Hoo!!

Too bad I get on a plane Sunday morning and kinda need to have the pants made. Tonight. No getting stuck allowed!  (it'll be okay if I don't finish, though, because there's a 40 year-old sewing machine at my in-law's house I can use...) (I'd just rather finish with a Rolls Royce than a horse-and-buggy)

And as I re-read this post about the passing of my week, I'm feeling pretty good. I had parties, I saw my baby girl play peek-a-boo in utero, I made the Christmas cards (the rest of my list will get Happy New Year cards), I got the pajama top made, and I did other stuff. Feeling pretty good about what got done.

Now, off to get more done! (like pack!)  How about you? Are you last-minute crafting? Or have you given up?? :o)

He's Sure Of It...

So, we had our 18 week ultrasound today, and found out that Sprout is...healthy, and happy, and active.  And also whether Sprout is a pink or a blue.

The answer I was waiting for didn't come easily for me, though. Nor quickly. There were some agonizing, confusing, concerned moments up until Doc said what I was waiting to hear.

The thing is, he asked me when we first got started if we were going to find out today. I, of course, said "Heck, yeah!"  So, me being me, I was thinking he'd go right for the Zone of Recognition, so as to put me out of my misery.  But...no. He started with the face. (Sprout was playing peek-a-boo. It's very cute.)

 

At least it's not the freaky alien-like image!

And then he went on to look at the brain...and then the spinal cord...and then measure the stomach...and then measure the arm bones...and then he looked at the kidneys...and then measured the leg bones...

La-di-da-di-dah.

Get on with it, Mister!!

It was when he was first looking upwards at the kidneys that I saw a, you know, roundish-kinda-cylindrical-like-possible-protrusion-thing...but I didn't ask. I waited.

And waited.

And waited. (sigh)

And then he was measuring the leg bones, and there it was again! Only bigger! And more protrudey!!

Do you see what I see?

I couldn't hold out any longer. I had to ask. I said something very professional and educated. Something one might expect from a former biology and anatomy/physiology teacher.  Something like, "So, umm...what angle are we looking here? Are we looking up, kinda through the pubic bones? What all am I seeing there?"

And he went on to explain (ever so slowly) that here is the left kidney, and the right kidney, and here is the femur, here is the knee, here is the blah-blah-blah... 

So I broke down and said "So, ummm...can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"  (All the while thinking to myself that it was clearly a little boy. I mean, I knew it seemed early for things to descend and all, but I thought maybe I misread that part in What to Expect When You're Expecting.)

And it was at that point that Doc pointed the little arrow to the bulge and said "And this? This is the umbilical cord. And right over here is where we'd see something if there was something to be seen. You have a happy, healthy, active little girl in there." 

 

At which point I breathed a sigh of relief.  Because now I KNEW that Sprout is a pink watermelon baby, not a blue one. :o).  (Yes, I understand they're wrong sometimes. But my doctor isn't wrong. He's GOOD. Real good.)

I'm sure she's going to hate me for showing her nether regions to the world, but I had to do it!

And then he went on to check her heart rate (good) and my heart rate (much better now, thankyouverymuch)

He said she was perfect, weighs approximately 9 ounces, and is measuring right on target. And we'll go back in 10 weeks if there aren't any problems.

TEN WHOLE WEEKS without seeing my little baby play peek-a-boo.  Well, I guess I can wait knowing that Dave will be back, and can go with me this time. :o)

I Can't Really Blame It All On The Weather

Just a quick post with a few recent photos.

Because if I don't do it now, it'll never get done.

And, well, you shouldn't miss out on this kind of fun. :o)

First one isn't too much fun, more of a documentary photo, if you will. We had some heavy-duty winds around here last night, and I was sitting in our living room when I heard a loud crash from the back yard. I suspected our stack of cheap plastic chairs had blown over and left it at that. Imagine my surprise when this is what I saw this morning...

That's no small swing, my friends! (And, yet, the cheap plastic chairs still stand. Hmph.)

Second, here's a little non-tree decorating we did. Rather festive, doncha think?

The decorations are those plastic-y/spiral-y keychain thingys that fitting room attendants keep on their elbows, you know? Well, hers just seem to fit best on her ears. :o) Or her knees. Or her feet. Or her wrists. :o) She actually calls them her bracelets.

And what about that Squiggy-spike she's got going on her forehead, eh? Nice. Mama needs to work harder on the comb-over.

And, speaking of hair. This is how she looked post-nap the other day. Now do you see why I wasn't rushing to get her a full head of hair? Check out that alfalfa sprout! With more hair comes more crazy hair days! :o)

I suppose I could say we were having an electrical storm, and her hair was just extra staticky. :o)

Here's a late addition from Monday morning...good thing she wasn't on a video phone!

 
I'm going to try to enjoy the next 13 years before she realizes what I've done and turns on me...

 

Hope you have a great day!

'Fess Up Fridays - Week 3

I have nothing to confess.

Because I have done nothing this week on Mookie's Christmas pajamas.

Nada.

Shame on me!

But, in my defense, this has been one HECK of a busy week.  I've had somewhere to be (and something to take!) nearly every day this past week...to include a really fun little party here at my house last night. :o)

My excuses are lame, though. I know. I'm hoping I can get something SOMETHING done before midnight tonight so I don't feel like a complete failure! :o)

How are your Christmas Crafts coming along?

Sprout in Pictures - Week 17

Lest my second child feel slighted about his or her lack of Internet exposure compared to Big Sister, I figure it's time to start exposing myself to the Internet again. I know some people enjoyed seeing my expansion over the course of pregnancy with Mookie, so maybe those same sickos will enjoy it again. :o)

Here we are today, Week 17...measuring my girth:

32.5 inches at belly button

Frontal view:

I can still wear regular trousers, but maternity jeans feel best on my belly when I'm sitting.

And, a profile shot:

When you look at it that way, I sure look pregnant! :o)

I don't have photos of me at Wk 17 with Mookie to compare, butI am just a bit smaller than I was at Wk 19 before...which I'm fine with.)

And for posterity...

Here's a profile shot at Week 15:

Holy Smokes! That's a big jump in just 2 weeks' time! Can anyone say "POP!!"

And a profile from Week 10:

Either I'd just eaten something big, or I was sticking out my tummy. 

I think I look bigger at Week 10 than I did at Week 15! Weird.

So there you have it! Melissa's Sprout Expansion. Have a great week! :o)

Meeting Santa, V.1

Friday night Mookie and I went to a tree lighting and got to see Santa. I was afraid for the tears and fit that might happen, so I started talking to Mookie about how nice Santa is, and how the big kids aren't crying, promising her some cookies if she is good...you know, pulling out all the stops!

She was great standing in line. Fabulous walking up the steps. Fine when I took off her coat. But the instant I moved her off my hip to put her on Santa's lap, the hysterics started.

You'd think his red velvet pants were made of shards of glass!

So, we tried again...

I guess it's a rite of passage.

Unfortunately, my dreams of a beautiful Christmas photo are shattered into a million pieces like Santa's glass velvet pants. sigh

'Fess Up Fridays - Week 2

So I got my fancy-pants pattern last Friday afternoon, and once Mookie was in bed and the house was quiet and the kitties were fed, I pulled out the instructions. I must admit, though, that I was (and still am) hesitant to make any marks on the pattern or instructions! I hate to destroy beautiful things. Or instructional things. :o) So, I tried to make notes in a conservative manner. Especially if I want to (and can?) use this pattern again some day.

First, I looked at the measurements. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to make the pjs a size 12-18 months in girth, and 2T in length because Mookie is such a Long Tall Sally! At least I think I can modify the pattern that way?? 

Second, I would like to publically praise the makers of this oliver+s pattern for the way the instructions are written. Last summer (and the past summer, ahem) when I was making the little outfit for Mookie from the Simplicity pattern, the instructions were NOT written for a novice. Ahhh-Tall.  These, however, are practically written for a kindergartner! :o) Yay me! Plus, their blog has a few tutorials that might come in handy, too. These folks are good!

Next, I scanned the rest of the instructions, and folded them up and put them away. Enough intimidation for one day! Plus, really, the next step was to lay the fabric and the pattern pieces out on an open stretch of land and commence to cutting.  And I needed to create that open stretch of land. By clearing off the dining room table. Which would happen later.

Later kinda never happened. Here it is, Thursday night, and the same stuff is still on top of the dining room table. With nary a scrap of fabric in sight. (shame on me!) I did, however, cut the pattern pieces out of the paper. That is one step I had to do, and I did it. :o)  There's just SO much going on! And SO much stuff to do that doesn't involve pink Christmas flannel. But, frankly, that is precisely why I wanted to start "'Fess Up Fridays!"  I knew if at least one person was expecting me to post about what I'd gotten done, I might actually get something done!  And, no, I didn't get much done, but at least I feel guilty about what I didn't get done. And guilt goes a long way around here! :o)


Honestly, though. Looking at the instructions gives me hope and confidence that once I sit down in front of my sewing machine, I will be able to complete the project before Christmas. Really. It's a one-scissor pattern. And there are no buttons. Or ruffles. Or lining like that other outfit had!

So, how are you holiday crafts shaping up? Got anything to 'fess up to? :o)

And I say "Jooko, Lord."

As you may know, we've been using sign language with Mookie since she was about a year old. After reading another mom's blog about how well her daughter was picking up the signs, I followed her lead and bought the Baby Signing Time DVDs. And they ROCK!! Rock, rock, rock.

Mookie has been signing fabulously since we started (a bit slow to start, but sped up like crazy after a short time). She babbles her baby babble all the time, and she has her discernable words, too, of course (and picking up more and more and more and more every day!). But, seriously, I love that she learned sign language. It's been really great for both of us. One good reason is that it has allowed her to communicate with me when she wanted something, or when she saw something (bird, bus, dog, etc.). Another good reason is that I think she has learned words that I might not have thought to teach her yet. Like potty, and wash hands, and please and thank you. Teaching her sign language has forced me to communicate more actively with her rather than simply let her absorb her surroundings, which might have been my tendancy had we not bought the Signing Time DVDs.

It has also forced me to start teaching her manners before I probably would have naturally, too. Somewhere I read that babies don't get the concepts of please, thank you, and share until they are over 2 years old. So, if we didn't have these DVDs, I wouldn't even think to start it for another 6 months.

But...

She knows to say (speak and/or sign) "please" when she wants something, and she will sign "thank you" when I prompt her to thank someone (or me) for giving her something she wants. Now, I'll admit, her "thank you" looks a lot like she's blowing kisses, but, seriously, aren't they about the same thing? I mean, heck, we're talking about a really cute 18-month old baby here! You take all the "thank yous" and blown kisses you can get! :o)

And this morning, she absolutely WOWed me. Out of the blue. WOW!!

In the mornings, after she wakes up, she usually has milk and we sit and read books for a little while. Well, this morning, she saw an apple in the fridge, and asked for "apple, please."  To which I quickly replied, "Of course I'll give you fresh fruit, my child. Please wait here while I cut some for you." (or...something close to that!).  And after I handed her the first sliver, here is an account of our conversation.

Mookie:  "Jooko."
Me: "Jooko?? What does jooko mean??"
Mookie: "Jooko!"  (as she signed "thank you")
Me: "Oh, you're welcome. I love you, Doll!"  (as I hugged her and simultaneously melted)

I can't even begin to imagine how much God must love me to bless me with this child. She is beyond amazing to me. I didn't grow up around many babies, and I didn't grow up hearing many good things about babies, so I didn't really have a ton of great expectations when I had Mookie. Not that I expected her to be awful and wretched and annoying and spoiled and stuff, but I guess I just didn't know that it was possible to have a child as wonderful as I do. Honestly, I always felt like it was a bit of a lottery - good parents get good kids, good parents get bad kids, bad parents get good kids, bad parents get bad kids. And while I know that we've got a lot of years ahead of us, and it's not always going to be easy, I really believe that God has blessed Dave and me with an amazing gift.

And every night as I put Mookie into her bed, I thank God for her, and I pray that He will help me to raise this gift and blessing to be the woman that He wants her to be.

I know to the very core of my being that I could not do this without Him.

She's Got the Concept Down, Now to Change the Venue...

Being pregnant and changing diapers is not very fun, and the idea of having two kids in diapers is even more unfun. So, I'm not expecting much, but I'm trying to prepare Mookie for the idea of potty training sooner rather than later. Therefore, she and I have been talking a lot about going potty, and where we do it, and all that stuff.

Sometimes she'll walk towards the bathroom and say "potty," so I ask her if she needs to go potty, and she says (her sweet, angelic) "Yes," and so in we go. I usually just place her (fully dressed) on top of the toilet lid for a couple of seconds, say "tinkle tinkle" and then she hops off. I give her a square of toilet paper, and she wipes her nose and says "yucky," then throws it away. :o)

This last week or two, we've been talking about what else we do on the potty, if you know what I mean. :o) When I can tell she's going poo in her diaper, I say "poopy." And then when I change her dirty diaper, I talk about poopy, and stinky, and tell her that soon, she'll be doing this in the potty. Two or three days ago, during my monologue, she started saying "pooky," so I knew she was cluing in. :o)

Cut to this morning...

Mookie likes to carry around baskets. It's terribly cute, of course. And she often puts stuff in them. This morning, however, she was carrying her empty basket, and then all of a sudden, she put it on the floor, sat down on it, looked up at me, and said "Pooky?" Luckily for you and me, she repeated her performance for the camera. :o)


So, as you can see, she's got the concept down, but I'm really hoping she never goes "pooky" in the basket.

'Fess Up Fridays

I'm going to start a new tradition over here, and I'm calling it "'Fess Up Fridays" wherein I 'fess up to you (Do I need that little apostrophe before 'fess? Is it like till? Help! I hate to offend the apostrophiles out there!)...

....wherein I 'fess  fess  confess to you, my bloggie accountability partners, how I'm doing on a certain Christmas project.

I've got 4 Fridays (five, if you include Christmas Day, which I might just have to do...) left before I have to be done with this dream I've been cooking up since last Christmas!

See, last Christmas I had my eye on a pair of festive Christmas pajamas at Target, but I didn't want to pay full price for them (a whopping $25), and I was never able to catch them on sale. :-(  Woe is me, right?  I did, however, score big time during the after-Christmas sales when Target put their Christmas stuff on deep clearance! I found said pjs on their website for $8.24. SCORE!!  So, as I was buying up one pair for me, I had a wild hair of an idea, and decided to buy a second pair. For Mookie.  Except since they didn't have her size, or any toddler sizes, in this fabric, I decided to go about matching Mama/Baby jammies a little different way.

A little teaser

I got mad sewing-up skillz, I do. And if you follow my blog much, you'll know that it takes me a sweet  forever to complete a "simple" sewing project. A simple clothing project, I should say. Something about reading those patterns in that foreign language (seamstressian) give me the heebie-jeebies and scares me away.  (Has anyone else noticed that the title given for someone who sews includes the word stress in it?? A coincidence? I think not.)

And yet...that one wild hair convinced me that I had a year, A WHOLE YEAR to fashion up a pair of matching Mama/Baby jammies so Mookie and I could look alike on Christmas morn. (Note: I'm not a match-my-husband, or match-my-children kind of person, so this is idea is really out of my ordinary).

So, anyway, in this past 11 months, I have moved the box housing the two sets of pjs from the garage to the dining room, and then, about 3 months later, moved the pjs to a pile with other fabric on the bookshelf. Oh, and I thought about looking for a toddler pajama pattern a few times, too. So, yup. I've been busy, slaving away on this here project of mine! :o)

And then, about a week ago, I decided it's time to fish or cut bait, as they say. So, fish, I did. Fished for a cute, easy toddler pajama pattern.  And I believe I have found one that might just fit both criteria. It's by oliver+s, and it has one scissor icon (out of four) on the cover, so I'm thinking that means "for the pattern-petrified".

However, I've got only a few short weeks in order to do turn a grown-up's pjs into toddler pjs. Now, most people could probably whip this up in an afternoon, but not me.

And that's where you come in!  I'm hoping that I've created some anticipation for you, my faithful readers, and that anticipation will make me feel guilty enough to actually complete this little project of mine! :o)  I'm not expecting you to call me up and ask me how it's coming, I'm just planning on writing about my progress each Friday. Thus, 'Fess Up Fridays will be a regular occurrance here. Play along on your own blog, if you wish! You can NOT convince me that I'm the only one with some crazy Christmas projects underway!! :o)

So, now, to the 'fessing up part... What have I done so far?

1.  I have ordered (though not received) the pattern.
2.  I have deconstructed the size 3XL pjs that I bought for this project.
3.  I have washed and ironed the pieces in preparation for receipt of the pattern.
4.  I have told all of you about it so maybe I'll actually get it done and wrapped in time for Mookie and Mama to wear on Christmas Day.

And, so, hopefully, by next Friday, I'll have some more news to report to you on my little project here. 

I hope you have a great weekend!

I Say It Was The Watermelon...

Remember back in August when watermelon was cheap, and GOOD, and sweet, and juicy? Mmmmm, I do. I think Dave and Mookie and I ate quite a bit of it. And, it seems, that somewhere along the way, I must have swallowed a seed or two, and they have now taken root and are growing.

Which is the only explanation I can think of that my pants don't fit so well, and why I'm so tired, and why I need to drink lots and lots of water (because it takes a lot of water to grow a watermelon, ya know).

However, some lady with the letters O and B behind her name think it's because I'm 15 weeks pregnant, due mid-May.

I'm going with the watermelon theory, though. That's much more plausible, donchathink? :o)

P.S. Does anyone know if baby watermelons kick? Because I totally felt some kicking last night.

All's Quiet, Except for the Talking

Hugging a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. :o)

Things around here are pretty normal...in a busy way. There is quite a bit going on, and I'm likely going to be away from the blog for most of November, but know that all is well.

Mookie, who is almost 18 months old, (can you believe it?) is doing very well. She is always talking, and saying more and more discernable words each day. :o) She still has quite a few that make no sense to me, but I just smile and say "Really? I can't believe that!"

Some of her words just this last week or two include piggy, milk, cookie, Jesus (which sounds like Chee-sah!), yellow, yucky, mama (which I don't understand because she's been saying mommy for a while now), buckle, pickle, bottle, stuck!, dolly (which sounds like Daw-dee?), meow (which sounds like mahw), and probably 16 others I just can't think of right now.

Oh, almost forgot. She's counting!! Only it's two, two, two, two, two!! She has the inflection and the process down, just not the next word. :o)

She is so independent, and social, and funny, and friendly, and curious, and, well, just a huge blessing. If I could change anything about her, it would be her eating habits (she eats less than a hummingbird, it seems), and her sleeping habits (she sleeps about 12 hours at night, but naps less than one hour in the day). She loves playing with her little friends in the neighborhood, and I'm really blessed to live where we do, to be surrounded by so many wonderful kids, and moms. :o)

Dave is doing well over yonder, settled in and making friends. In fact, he knows a few people from the past (Mike -- Heidi S, and Kerrin D...), and we're almost to the halfway point. So that's good. We Skype with him pretty much every day, and Mookie understands that Papa lives inside the computer now, which is really cute. :o)

So with that, I bid you a dieu, and hope that you have a wonderful November. :o)

Gross Anatomy

We live in an awesome neighborhood that celebrates Halloween safely and respectfully and with tummies full of real food.

We have a neighborhood potluck dinner before trick-or-treating starts, and this year I am very excited about the contribution I'll be making.

Severed fingertips and zombie eyeballs.

I know they'll be popular. :o)

Severed fingertips

(found at ourbestbites.com)

(I'll be adding blood to mine, though.)

Zombie eyeballs

(found at gone-ta-pott.com)

Are you making anything fun and unique this weekend?

Hope you enjoy your festivites...whatever they may be!

Holy Quack Quack, Batman!

(this is my 400th blog post! Crazy, right? 400 posts of meaningless drivel! All 9 of you readers are so sweet to come back here. I know you're just looking for pictures of Mookie, but it still makes me feel loved. :o) )

So, Saturday, there was a Fall Festival...and do you think I would pass up this great opportunity to show off my favorite little duckling?? Heck, No! What kind of a mother do you think I am?

And she got all ducked out, and she had fun. We were only there for about 45 minutes, but she. had. fun.

First, I have evidence that she knows how to be a true duckling. I apologize that I'm a video-idiot...a vidiot. I tried to edit the video, but then it was distorted, and just not as cute...so, I'm sorry, but to get the full effect, you'll have to cock your head to the left for 12 seconds.  Oh, and be sure to turn the volume up. :o)



She got to pet a goat. (the others seemed a bit frightened by this huge duck approaching them.)

She got to ride the train. (and held on very very very tightly to Mama's hand the entire time)

She played in the toddler-friendly bouncy area...for about 2 seconds, then wanted out.

Then she tackled me. (and got up first)

(but isn't that the cutest duckie rumpus ever to be had?) (No need to answer that, I know it already!)

She spied some friends from up the street.

As we were leaving (read: Mama took off the costume), we noticed more animals at the petting cages, so we went back.

She got to pet the super-soft bunny rabbit.

And she got to pet the donkey (again, with the death-grip on Mama's finger...)

And, then she got confident, and had to let go of Mama's hand to offer the donkey a blade of grass. Which, thank you Miss Donkey, she ate.

And, she fell asleep in the 4 minute ride home. Duckered out, she was.

Happy Costume-wearing Week!

The Trump "Beach"

I'll be honest. If I were Donald Trump, and I built a gazillion dollar golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, where the land value is about $1000 per square inch, I wouldn't spend any money on a "public" beach, either!

See, there's the Trump Golf Course near us. And the developers were kind enough to leave access to the ocean for public use. They were less-than-kind, however, in the accessibility of the access. See, in order to get to the public "beach", one must hold onto a runaway stroller walk down a long, windy, narrow, rocky path. And when you get to the "beach", you see there isn't much sand. But rather, large rocks.

And tiny, little tide pools filled with various forms of miniature sea life.

Mookie was less interested in the sea life than in the sea "wotts". Oh, how she loved the rocks. Picking them up, dropping them in the knee-high water, picking more up, eating them, showing them to Mama, etc.

Something tells me I've created more of a geologist than a biologist. Dangit.

It really is beautiful down there, and I'm ashamed that this is the first time we've been. I will say, however, that we'll be going back. And maybe next time, we'll pay attention to the tides, and have a bit more luck finding starfish and other sea life in the tide pools like Grant and Kelly seem to find.

And one, sweet rock that I found for my honey...♥...

And, next time, I'll be taking a stroller-pusher with me! The hill coming back up is BRUTAL!!

I Love This Picture!

It just cracks me up. I hope you're laughing, too!

I think I'm going to print it out and put it in a frame on our wall, just for fun. :o)

With Enthusiasm and Authority

Mookie cracks me up. A hundred times a day I'm giggling at my sweet child. God is so good to have blessed me with this child.

Below you will find a video. I don't quite know how to explain this video. :o)

First, you'll see a 16-month-old baby wearing Mama's coat. She loves to wear my coat. She'll walk around the house with the sleeves around her neck till I roll them up and put the coat on her. She does this all the time. 16-months seems a bit young to be wearing Mama's clothes, but, hey, I can share. :o) A neighbor said she looked like a Harry Potter character. Hee hee.

Second, as you listen to the dialogue, you'll hear me ask her a question, and she says something that I love love love. It is, without a doubt, the absolutely, positively CUTEST thing any child in the history of the world has ever said. And I'm not exaggerating. Not one bit.

So, sit back, call your friends over, turn the volume up, and enjoy!





See, last week, out of the blue, Mookie started to answer my questions. Some questions. They had to be worded right, and have an affirmative answer.

And she would answer.

With enthusiasm and authority.

Mama: Do you want more grapes?
Mookie: YES!

Mama: Would you like to go up the street to see your friend?
Mookie: YES!

Mama: Are you ready to go home and eat dinner?
Mookie: YES! (waving bye-bye as she walks away)

Mama: Are you the cutest thing ever?
Mookie: YES!

I Promise, She's Mine!

I look at my child a million times a day, and see myself. Other people look at her (that know Dave) and say how much she looks like him.

I don't see it.

Also, I don't have any baby pictures of him.

But neither do the people who say she looks like him, so, I guess we're even.

But in my defense, I would like to prove to the world that my little sweet munchkin really IS the spitting image of me.

Behold, On your left, you will find a photo taken sometime in late 1972, which contains a young Rob and a 10-month old Melissa.  And on your right, a photo taken in 2009, with Uncle Rob, and a 10-month old Mookie.

See the resemblance? See it? Right there? Yup, she's my child. :o)

(Uncle Rob still has that boyish grin, and, dare I say, a bit more hair back when he was 4??)

Hope you have a great day!

Hello October!

Towards the end of every month, I start looking at my Google feedreader to show me whether or not The Shabby Princess has posted the next month's free digital scrapbooking desktop background for the computer.

She does all the designing, and all I have to do is put in pictures of a cute baby girl. :o)

I always make sure to send it to the grandparents, and this month I'm sending it to Dave as well, so he doesn't feel left out or forget what a cutie his girl is.

If you haven't tried it, you should. It's really easy and SO much more interesting than the flying toasters, or the blue sky/green hills background your computer probably came with. :o)

Hope you have a great, and creative October!

Happy Anniversibirthdarerry!!

Or maybe it should be Happy Biranniversethday!!

It needs to have a long name, whatever it is, because I need it to spread long and wide and thick, like a big slab of frosting over a LARGE Happy Annibirthdaversary cake.

Because there's alot of them floating around and one blog post just may have to cover them all.  Sorry loved ones.

Today, Friday, September 25, 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the day that Dave and I got married on that plantation in Georgia. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect in every way after a week of rain and gloom. My dress fit, you could hear the music, we didn't stumble over our vows. The guests all made friends with each other and had a great time. There was plenty of food and drink and dancing.  All good. Except my maid of honor was icky sick that day. And the horse drawing the carriage had terrible gas. And then we ran off and spent our secret honeymoon in Ecuador. It was tremendously exhilerating having a secret as huge as where we were going on our honeymoon. And even more so because even I did not know where we were going. A grand total of five people knew where we were going, and not a one of them was gonna spill the beans. Oh, how it chapped some hides, let me tell you. People wanted to know!! Felt they had a right to know. Having that secret was huge. And fun. And empowering. And private. And perfect.

So, Happy Anniversary Honey, from over here to over there. I love you.

(our neighbor watched Mookie so we could go to The Melting Pot for dinner before Dave left)

(notice the strategic use of stretchy, large print fabric on my dress...)

(so as to cover up the large-marge sized belly I would have before the end of the night)

Aaaannnddd...this day also marks the anniversary of the day my sweet dad was born to my sweet grandma. (Yes, we got married on my dad's birthday). I love you, Dad! I wish Mookie and I could be there to celebrate with you. I hope you eat some good food, and dance your silly dance to some fun music, and just have a grand olde time. You deserve it.

I'll dance silly with you, Grandpa!

AAAAAAaannnnnddddd...tomorrow, Saturday, marks the anniversary of the day that Dave's mom was born! She's a good loving mother, a caring mother-in-law, and a spoiling grandma. :o)  We all love you and hope YOU get to be a bit spoiled on your birthday!

Make sure you tell Grandma Happy Birthday, Mama!

And because we can't celebrate a Happy Bannirthdaversary without a video, here you go! Man, how I wish I coulda gotten just a few more seconds of her be-ducked self! But there's still time, yet.