Thursday, March 29, 2007

Twenty-Two Months Old

This twenty-second month finds Pearl well into toddlerhood. It is getting harder and harder to think of her as a baby.



This month I watched in something akin to awe as she put her shoe on for the very first time, on the correct foot, velcro in place and all. How did she learn to do that? When did all the necessary skills fall into place? I felt close to bursting with elation and pride as she continued on with the other shoe, saying "Leff foot, leff foot" as she tried to put it on, too.

She is learning so much, every day. Her mind is an amazing thing.

Pearl loves our kitties so very much. She spends a good part of the day patting them, whacking them, sitting on them... it is a sort of tough love I guess. She also gives them hugs and will often refuse to leave a room until they come along too, and she gets upset when they jump over the gates and leave her behind. When we let Left Eye outside (or when he lets himself out when we go!) she will trail him around the yard endlessly. Her affection for them is pretty sweet and almost makes up for all the trouble they cause!

Lainie and Left Eye

With Spring's arrival we have been spending a great deal of time out in the yard and outside in general, experiencing all that the new season has to offer and teaching her about it - going beyond the generic 'flower' and saying daffodil, dandelion, tulip... leaning down to sniff them and saying, "Smells good!" Digging in the dirt and planting seeds and using our watering cans.

New Toy


All the fresh air and excercise she's been getting have greatly increased her appetite. She still nurses quite a bit but the balance between milkies and solid food has definitely changed this month.

Pearl has had an awful case of the fake sneezes this month. At random they will seize her and then it's "AhhhCHOO! AhhhCHOO!" over and over in the car, in the shopping cart, while eating dinner. All we can do for the poor dear is say, "Oh my goodness! What big sneezes!"

We are seeing more "terrible two's" behavior... a defiant streak showing up, lots of frustration, a meltdown upon leaving the park... but for the most part Pearl is still a pretty mellow, easy-going child. Getting her to sleep the past few weeks has been difficult, but I blame teething as usual. She sprouted her second canine this month, and her bottom two are on the way.

Even now, over two and a half years since I realized that I was going to have a baby, I have trouble believing my life with her is real sometimes. Moments will catch me and it will just seem impossible - like it's too good to believe, I guess. It is certainly very good.

Labels: , ,

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Little Laundress


Little Laundress

So Strong!

Quite a Heavy Load, Really.


It is so fun to have such a sweet little helper!

Labels: ,

Monday, March 19, 2007

Things I'm Excited About Right Now

  • The garden plans that are underway: seed packets in the kitchen, a space cleared in the yard, wood in the carport waiting to be built into frames, my new compost pile doing its thing!
  • An appointment for a consultation with an orthodontist in a few weeks
  • Setting up Pearl's room - just mentally so far. Gathering up ideas, shopping around.
  • An upcoming day trip to a big aquarium.
  • The fact the Spring is very much here:

Labels: , ,

Monday, March 12, 2007

Just Another Spaghetti Face!

I have been neglecting my camera in favor of the sewing machine and garden plans lately... so I made myself pick it up today. I always have fun taking spaghetti pictures.



Some New Spaghetti Faces, Just for Geoff!



Labels:

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Tiered Dress

A few months ago, my husband consolidated our two desktop PCs into one, which freed up a desk in one of the bedrooms. I was happy because this meant my poor little sewing machine finally had a home and would no longer be forced to camp out on the dinner table whenever I was working on a project! I was able to complete a sewing cover and a few other small projects before my sewing machine up and died and I had to take it to a shop to be repaired.

Thankfully, it just had some thread caught up in a place I couldn't reach and so it didn't cost me an arm and a leg to get it back.

I dug out a pattern (Simplicity 5685)and some fabric that I bought sometime last year and got work on this dress:

I Made This Dress!


Didn't get a very good picture of it, but there it is. I enjoyed making it; the pattern was easy to follow and very forgiving - important when you're a haphazard sort of seamstress like I am.


Labels: ,

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Chocoholic

Some people like to get their day started with a cup of coffee. Other people like to have some freshly brewed tea. Me, I like to wake up with a nice mug of made-from-scratch, stirred-on-the-stove-top hot chocolate.

Hot Cocoa


Sometimes I stir in a few drops of mint extract - very refreshing! Other times I put in a dash of cinnamon. Lately my favorite addition is a tiny sprinkling of ground cardamom seeds.


Labels: ,