Leaps and Bounds

Now this is just sad. It's been well over a month since my last post. Everyone says that the days, months, and (gulp) years fly by, and sadly, I am starting to see what they mean.

I've tried to cherish the little moments. To take note when we we're snuggling on the couch and Mary Ellen says "I love you" without me having said it first. To stare in awe when she identifies B as the first letter in ball. To laugh when she wants me to gallop and then does her own bouncy version of a trot. And these are just the things that happened today!

But it's still going too fast. Way too fast.

We've been on the road for the last 10 days or so, a visit to Barry and St. Louis and then a quick getaway for Brian and me while Mary Ellen stayed with Nana and Papa. We had a fantastic time, but this trip, more than any before, has rocked Mary Ellen's world. Maybe it's the time change, or the fact that she was sick for a good part of the trip, or maybe it's the fact that neither Brian nor I were around for the last few days, but she has been off. Way off.

Mary Ellen was up until 10:30 last night and used every trick in her very little book to try and convince us to rescue her from the crib. I was determined today to get back in the routine full-force. Good breakfast. Lots and lots of play. Good lunch. After nearly an hour of fussing, she settled herself in for a 3 1/2 hour nap. Good dinner. Lovely long walk after dinner. More play. And then bedtime...

With my new-found conviction, I decided to ramp things up a bit for the bedtime routine. We've not been very good teeth brushers up to this point, so if I'm getting serious about routines, why not improve on this one, right? Since water, or more accurately "juice," was the most popular cry last night, I decided to add a cup of water to the bedtime routine, too, just to cut that one off at the pass. And while we were at it, why not try sitting on that little potty before bath time, right? Maybe start slowly on that little endeavor.

Mary Ellen was all for it. She's sat on the potty before (though usually with diaper and pants on). It's no big thing, right?

She did it. She peed on the potty. First time. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

My little girl is growing up.

Happy Easter!

This year's Easter season was memorable for so many reasons. It was the first holiday where Mary Ellen seemed to "get" what was happening. She hopped out of bed on Sunday saying, "Egg. Egg." We'd put her empty Easter basket out the night before, and after having read "It's Easter Duck and Goose" about 100 times, I think she put two and two together. It was so cute to see her run down the hallway and it gave me just a taste of the excitement that will accompany every holiday from now on.

Also, this was the first super-successful season that I've had with my ETSY shop. I sold more than 175 little guy ties for the holiday, along with several dresses and quite a few baptism stoles. I've been so busy that I was worried things around here would get a little out of hand or that I would not get to focus on making the holiday special for my family. I'm so proud to say that it wasn't the case. I actually finished Mary Ellen's dress (and I did NOT have to do anything to it on Sunday morning, which would be the norm). I made Easter cookies with her. We hosted a neighborhood Egg Hunt. And we made it to church as a family (though not in time to snag a seat). It was what I want all holidays to be (minus the fact that all of my other beloveds were spending the day 1200 miles away).

 Our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was a huge hit. Mary Ellen did her best at hunting but would have been just as happy with the first egg she found.

  The dress! After outfitting many friends and family members for Easter, I just HAD to make a dress for my darling. I started it on Wed and had no trouble getting it done. Shocking, I know!

 The Easter Bunny brought Mary Ellen her first set of golf clubs. Is this the start of something great?

Brian has been working hard to get into better shape over the last few months and he's looking great! His favorite new pastime is to run around Lake Baldwin, and Mary Ellen was dying to join him this time. She didn't quite make it all the way around (3 miles) but she sure got a workout in!

Bubbles, Bubbles

Magic Kingdom - January 2012

Catching Up - Videos from Months Past

A very wise woman reminded me recently that all of Mary Ellen's little milestones are going to pass by so quickly and I need to be vigilant about recording them and sharing them (thanks, Mom). I had been very good about capturing videos of Mary Ellen over the last few months, but I've not been so good about sharing them. So here's to the start of a string of videos. Some of them are a bit outdated, but they so fun to watch! And I'll try (really, I'll try) to keep putting current ones up.

January 2012 - My Little Bean Breaker

It Really Is Magic

Seems like forever ago, but on Christmas Eve, Amy Chris and Jenson met us at the Magic House. For those of you who haven't been (and you must not be from STL), the Magic House is a children's museum in St. Louis that is jam-packed with activities and exhibits for even the littlest of visitors.

Needless to say, the kids had a blast!

Strawberry Time!

It may seem strange to those of you up north, but February is strawberry season down here. Jealous?

On Mom's most recent visit, we took our girl out to pick some berries. She was thrilled, since strawberries (or sta-boos) are her favorites. And she did a great job, though running through the rows proved to be more fun that actually picking the berries.