Breakfast, Bananas and Brushing Teeth

Favorite morning rituals include cereal with milk in a big girl cup, a banana (still with the peel since that's how Daddy eats his) and brushing teeth.

You are obsessed with brushing your teeth. You love to do this. I think you just like the tasty paste that comes with toddler toothbrushes. To get you to finish brushing you teeth, we rinse (you really just play in the running water) and then place the toothbrush back into its "home" and then we wave goodbye to the toothbrush. By having this ritual, we have avoided many meltdowns.

In fact, most of the time we have avoided a spaz situation by waving goodbye to inanimate objects. Wave goodbye to the slide, the pool, the swing, the bag of cookies. Waving goodbye works like a charm with you. Sometimes it seems silly to do, but I could careless what others think as we wave like maniacs at the candy stand in the grocery checkout. You are generally very well behaved in public spaces and any tricks to keep it that way are valued.

One morning, I was too tired to do this wave goodbye ritual with you and just "forced" you to leave the house. The screaming ensued for the entire walk to the car, the drive to Ms. Patti's, and the walk up to Ms. Patti's door. You didn't stop screaming until we were inside and ready for the next ritual of shoes and hands (taking off shoes and sanitizing hands). I learned my lesson. I take the extra time to let you process and officially "close" a situation before moving onto the next. Closure is important to all of us and I promise to always let you take time to wave goodbye.

Catching Fireflies

Summer is really here. All 90 degrees of it. Hot, sticky, sweltering heat. We have decided against turning on the AC to save on our electric bill. I have broken down more than once and said to your father, "You must put on the AC!!!" But then I find a cool spot with some ice water and I retract my declaration. Last night, Daddy almost caved, not for himself, but you became suddenly hysterical around 10:30pm and we don't know why. Daddy thought it was too hot for you... but you, like Mommy, found a cool spot and drink and were fine. I think you were crying because you hit your head rolling around in your sleep. BUT! Not important now. We still have yet to break down and turn on the AC. Hooray for us.

Summer days just look and smell different. For one, you are constantly doused in sunscreen and second, the humidity makes your hair curl!

I love this time with you. You are so enthralled with playing, discovering, touching, picking at, splashing, generally just curious about the world. You wander around the stores or mall with such gusto and people smile when they see this tiny person laughing and running just for the simple pleasure of it. (We love stores with AC and frequent restaurants for the AC.)
We started off today with breakfast. Daddy used the stove to cook eggs even though it heats our house to like 100 degrees.

We watched Wonder Pets (your favorite) and then we played with MARKERS!. Oh markers how you love the smooth wet application. Mommy loves all those stray marks on your face and legs come off with just water.

We went to lunch with Grandma and Grandpa. Daddy bought you a play pool. This isn't just any play pool. This is the Rainbow Ring Playcenter. It is glorious. Sprinkles, ring toss, slide, two pools connected. Although you needed a moment to get used to the cold water, the afternoon was spent in your pool, splashing around and cooling off.

We went on a walk with our neighbors and stopped at the local snowball stand. We strolled around town and ate snowballs. We had an orange flavor with marshmallow toppings. Yum!

Snowball Stink Face!

A summer evening wouldn't be complete without catching fireflies. So as Daddy ran your bath (which you needed desperately after spilling the rest of our snowball all over your shorts), we caught fireflies in the backyard. These magical insects love to crawl on our hands and arms and their butts light up! You should see yourself, Nora, your curious little mind is contemplating such weird creatures. You giggle when they crawl on you, you love to put your eye up to my cupped hand watching the light go on and off. The next three weeks are rather busy for me, I am working full time until July 1st. I hope we get to catch fireflies together again soon.

Although nothing "remarkable" happened today, I want to remember this day forever. Nothing to do, nowhere to go, no agenda; just a lazy summer day... the kind that make summer worth the wait.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Your stink face...
I love it. I request it from you and most of the time you obliged me. I think it's just adorable.

Lately when dealing with middle schoolers, who have a week of school left (not fun), and teachers who also have a week left before summer vacation (twice as not fun), I keep thinking about you. Ok, truth be told I think about you alot. Call it an obsession if you will. But I love you... every fiber, every stink face, every last morsel of you. This weird obsessive love has actually brought me more patience and understanding in my job and generally in my life.

Everyone is someone's baby. Someone loves that annoying colleague who won't leave your office, that jerk who cut you off in traffic, that student who refuses to listen. Everyone is loved unconditionally by someone, the way I love you. Every mom has the most brilliant, alert, beautiful baby. Every student is gifted. Every person is just incredible.... to someone. Appreciate this love and you will find yourself more able to listen, smile, live more fully.

Believe me, I don't love my students right now or the faculty as I try to pry their technology away for the summer. But now when I look at people I see them from a different point of view... maybe a mother's? I know the love I feel for you is not unique. I am so proud of you, everything you accomplish and learn. This will not change as you grow; even when you are that ornery middle schooler, sassy teen and know-it-all college student. I will love you and be proud of the person you are. This love and pride is not something special to us, Nora. Always keep in mind that all those kids in your class, heck even your teachers are someone's baby and are loved like you are. It gives you a different perspective on people. Try it sometime.

Stink Face!!!

Bedtime with Daddy

Every night around 7pm you get a bath and afterwards you snuggle into your pjs and 3 books are read before going to sleep. This month's favorites? "A is for Apple", "Where's Spot?" and "Peekaboo I Love You."

First Swim of Summer 2010

Ahhhhhhhh
Our pool opened Memorial Day weekend but we couldn't get there until this past Friday. Daddy took his lunch hour and met us at the pool. I was too nervous to take you down the "big blue slide" so Daddy did. We ate a Panera lunch and enjoyed being a family on a hot sticky day, poolside. It was glorious.

And then reality struck and Daddy had to go back to work for a meeting and you had to go home to take a nap!!! Until our next trip to the pool...

Strawberry Picking

Today we went strawberry picking. I have been really sick with a sinus infection that exploded yesterday. I never got off the couch (once I got back from picking up my drugs from the pharmacy). You took a 4 hours nap!!! I don't think you felt 100% either. We missed Art in the Park and Jessica's birthday party. I felt bad, but my body screamed for rest. Today, I am still sick and you slept almost until 10am!!!

Trying to make up for a being a sick mommy, we took you strawberry picking at our local farm: Baughers.

We got to go on a tractor ride out to the field. You grabbed on tight when it started to get bumpy.

When we made it out to the field, you were somewhat confused, until I picked a berry and gave it to you. You instinctively popped it into your mouth and you were hooked. Berry eating ensued more than picking but it was quite fun.

After you had your fill of strawberries, you figured out how to pick and put them into our basket. Although Daddy had to throw back alot of your "picks" because of rot, you understood what to do and participated successfully.

The farm even has a petting zoo with pigs and bunnies and kittens and goats and sheep and a cow and a donkey. You had a good time, even though the donkey nipped your fingers looking for more corn. Sometimes all the animals milling around was a little overwhelming, you would reach out for one of us to hold onto.

What was surprising was the other moms who were nagging at their kids not to walk in the mud or get dirty. Some other moms wouldn't even put their children down (this one boy was 17 months) out of fear of dirt / animals / insects. You came back covered in strawberry juice and sticky. Then after the petting zoo, those sticky spots were covered in animal fur and you had stepped in some type of animal poop. Somehow none of this bothered me. You were filthy when we stopped at the grocery store, maybe some of the sideways glances should have bothered me. But they didn't. I just can't worry about dirt and stickiness if it gets in the way of experience. You had quite the experience today and I would never prevent you from participating in an activity out of fear of dirt or mud. It might be a difference in parenting or philosophy of parenting, but the teacher in me wants you to touch, manipulate, squeeze, pet, taste, experiment to your heart's content. Experiences make up our lives and I want you to have as many as possible dirt or not.

Carnival Season

We moved to a small town last summer when you were a tiny bean, I had no idea the joy that summer months of June-July-August would bring. Within 15 miles of our home, there will be over 20 carnivals this summer! 20!!!! All the fire houses have them, all the churches, all the towns, including Westminster. Fun. Fun. FUN! It is June 3rd and we have already been to two! And tomorrow, Ashley might come up to go with us to another carnival!!!
I love carnivals, the rides, the food, the carni folk. All of it.

Nora, you have not disappointed. You also seem to love carnivals, especially the carousel (your favorite). While waiting to go on the rides you cling onto the gate and shake the lock in anticipation.

You squeal and giggle when its your turn to get on a ride and when its time to get off... well you don't want to get off. When we had to leave the carousel, you proceeded to pet and say goodbye to all the horses on the ride. The operator became somewhat annoyed, but more amused!

We had dinner at our church carnival tonight. You ate a hotdog and fries with vinegar and old bay in typical Baltimore style.

I was somewhat skeptical moving to a small town but carnival season reassures the decision to move out here. Any place that offers a carnival almost every week in the summer is the place for me!

Oh Nora, what fun we have had and will have. Nothing could replace these summer nights at the carnival.