A conversation with Lydia

What? You don't believe that Lydia and I can hold entire conversations... I disagree.

Me: Lydia, I have my camera out... why don't you give me a smile?


Lydia: Oy Vey Mom. Can't you just get that thing out of my face?

Me: But Lydia, it is my job to document your life and I have yet to take as many photos of you as I did of your sister at (almost) 10 months old. So be a dear and just smile for Mommy.


Lydia: I just don't know. What is in it for me?

Me: I'll let you finish my Cheerios.


Lydia: You're going to have to do better than that.

Me: I'll let you play with the TV remote.


Me: That's my girl!


Lydia: Where's my remote?

mg

"in and out" day

Today is a celebratory day in our household. Today we celebrate "in and out" day. Lydia was born 40 weeks and one day ago. This marks the day that she has been in our arms longer than she was in my belly.

I think Lydia is happy about that too.


Oh this girl. She is all smiles and a laugh a minute at only 9 months old. I can't wait to see what the next 40 weeks brings for her!

That smile will be getting a post all its own very, very soon.

Read about our first "in and out" day here.

mg

Just when I start to think she can't get any cuter

July 13

mg

Somebody loves her big sister

And the feeling is mutual.
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*I have been making an effort to shoot with my camera in manual. I am learning... slowly... I kinda like how dark these turned out however. Girlies in silhouette.

mg

Comments enter grade school

So on my last post I got a comment that was totally wacky. It wasn't anyone I knew, nor did they have anything to do with my post. I'd say it was clearly spam. This being said, I am turning on word verification and moderation for the time being so that I can control my comments.

Although I hate that, it is like grade school: One person has ruined it for all.

At least for now.

mg

Lydia is 9 months old

9 months.


Wow.

Lydia is 9 months old.

I mean really? Really.

She was given a clean bill of health yesterday at the doctor's office. 70th percentile for height. 30th for weight. (she is shorter by an inch and lighter by 10 oz. than her sister at the same age.) Perfect in every way he knows to assess her.

She is a total love. She loves to give hugs and kisses.


She is a momma's girl. She clings to me whenever we are out in public, like she is afraid I'm going to trade her in. (never going to happen) Even though her love for me is apparent she is totally enamored with her daddy and big sister. She loves them with all her heart and now that she can crawl she follows her sister from room to room. For the longest time Kevin was the only person she'd give kisses to. I was totally jealous.

Her *smile* is hilarious.


See, I told you so. She just started making this face this weekend and hasn't let up a bit. Total cheese ball but how can you not love that face?!? It kept Aunt Beth and Uncle Bryan laughing for a very long time.

Finally, nothing makes me happier than seeing my girls love each other.

Now that Lydia is mobile Madeline is finally seeing Lydia as a potential playmate. I am often telling Lydia not to grow up so fast. And although right now Lydia is a threat to Madeline's games and toys M has also quick to correct me and make sure I know Lydia must grow up so she can play and so that Madeline can teach her everything she knows. Now that is love.

Lydia is crawling with abandon. She pulls up on most everything and has gotten into anything within her reach. She loves playing with the play whisk in the playroom kitchen and the Dora the Explorer microphone. I prefer the quiet whisk to the grating microphone but that is motherhood.

She has two teeth, the second popping through just this morning.

She has the bluest eyes in our family.

Most days I think her hair will be stick straight like mine, but every once in a while it looks like it might want to curl like Madeline's did.

She naps twice a day without fuss.

She hates going to bed at night. (In fact tonight we cried it out for the first time and it sucked and I don't want to talk about it because I don't even know where to begin so I won't because she is asleep now anyway. Sigh.)

Her lovies are her kiki (blanket) and a stuffed manatee. Although it seems she prefers the stuffy to the kiki for now.

She loves chicken. She doesn't like yogurt.

She is still nursing three times a day. I love that time with her but wonder how much longer it will last. (if you remember I nursed Madeline for 366 days... I wonder if Lydia will wean then too. Half of me wants my body back, half of me doesn't want to loose that bond.)

She is happy almost all of the time.

She loves the pool and the bathtub.

I call her my little punk-a-poo.

I can't believe she is 9 months old.
__________
*All photos were taken with my phone so I apologize for the poor quality.


mg

Where did Lydia go?

There she is!

mg

Memphis

Three weeks ago Kevin and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. For the first time since Madeline was born we left our children and took a few days to ourselves.

It was awesome.

We headed to Memphis, Tennessee and

We ate BBQ in the basement of a building you can only get to through an alley.

We took a nap in our totally awesome hotel room. I never thought I wanted a king size bed... I might be changing my mind.

We spent the evening at the ball game.

There was a bit of rain, but the night was saved by the rainbow afterward.

It was a very low key and amazing weekend. The girls spent the time with Kevin's parents and I am almost positive they had as good a time as we did.

When we got home I expected Lydia to be a little clingy, but was totally unprepared for her reaction. At first she was surprised and then she was confused. I took her into a quite room to nurse, figuring we both would need that moment together, and she nursed well. Then we headed back to play with dad, Madeline and the grandparents. She then spent the next 30 minutes eyeballing me nervously. She would crawl away and once she realized she was more than an arm's reach away from me she would cry like I had abandoned her all over again. She wanted nothing more than to be with me, but she wanted to play with toys too. She recovered very quickly and by dinner time (about an hour later) she was doing much better and even let me go to the bathroom without her.

Madeline was not phased and probably could have spent two more days before she knew we were gone...

mg

A taste of summer

I could eat this salad everyday and never get sick of it.


Paired with a ice cold sun tea and a slice or two of watermelon, it is exactly what summer tastes like to me.

Maureen's favorite summer salad:
red leaf lettuce- torn into small pieces
feta cheese
walnut halves
fresh blueberries
sliced strawberries
about a tablespoon of Briannas french vinaigrette

mg

Madelisms

While grocery shopping:

Madeline: Lydia, you can't have a cookie. But you can have a hug!!

Then I melted into a puddle on the floor.

I love my girl.

mg

July 4th

So the holiday, part 2.

After the festivities of Saturday here and here we spend Sunday the 4th even busier.

We stared the day by getting Lydia all girlie.

I could just melt into those eyes.

Then it was lunch with Kevin's family and dinner with mine. It was really nice to spend time both sides of the family. Even if I revealed myself as an emotional whack-a-do.

Then the real holiday excitement began.

A town close by does a huge carnival for the 4th including rides and fireworks. Madeline had a blast at the carnival!

The carousel was a hit which comes as no surprise.

And the cars that go around in a circle were a smash too. OMG I love this photo!

She was in carni heaven.

Glow necklaces and a juice box. What more does a girl need?

After her first trip to a port-a-john (which we both survived, thankfully) we settled in to watch the fireworks. I love fireworks. Probably more than the average spectator. I find them mesmerizing and the closer I am the better. This year we opted for much further away for obvious reasons.

Now here is where I'd like to say that she loved them as much as I do and it was magical. I'd like to. But I can't. She kinda freaked out and a huge thank you goes to my father in law who was sitting with us because he took Madeline back home and let Kevin and I stay to watch the fireworks.

I don't know what exactly bothered her about the fireworks. I just know that I really didn't expect her to have such a negative reaction. I guess three is still a little to young to enjoy all of the 4th of July festivities.

mg

Madeline and the Sarcophagus

Earlier this week we spent the morning at the Missouri Botanical Garden. (Thank you Anna, Madeline and Cullen!) While there one of the volunteers gave each of the big girls a scrap book featuring some of St. Louis' museums. (MoBot, the Science Center, Missouri History Museum, etc)

One of the locations was the Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) and the art featured in the book was the Egyptian mummys. Madeline has been talking about the sarcophagus all week long.

About four months ago we borrowed this book from our library and part of the story line involves "the bad guy" being locked in a sarcophagus. What amazes me, is that she remembered the story with more detail than I did. I am pretty sure she is going to ace reading comprehension in school... much like her momma.

Any who we are lucky enough to have a world class art museum that has a decent collection of Egyptian artifacts at SLAM so Granny and Poppy set off with Madeline on an adventure to find the sarcophagus.

I've been told she was impressed that this railing was just her size. :)

After the quick rest, they headed to find the sarcophagus.

We found it!

Posing with the "mumma". For some reason Madeline can say sarcophagus without much trouble but she has been calling the mummy a mumma. Who knows what goes on in her silly head some times.

She also found the blue hippo!

After the Egyptian art they visited some of the other pieces of art.

A Monet.

A Degas.

Then they headed back out into the heat and played around Art Hill.


And the Grand Basin.


St. Louis joined in the fun.


Taking the long walk down the hill back to the car.

Thank you Granny and Poppy. What a wonderful adventure for Miss Madeline!

mg

July 3rd

So this holiday was weird. Not only was I missing my friends, but because it was on Sunday the festivities were spread out over two days. This is one case where I am going to say two is not better than one.

So the 4th of July parade was on the 3rd of July. We still had fun. The weather was perfect.


Although blurry I feel it necessary to post this photo of Lydia before we left for the parade all decked in her red, white and blue because she has been sadly absent from my posts in the last month. I am going to have to make it up to her. How can you not fall in love with that face? I mean come on!

Waiting for the start of the parade with Maw Maw.

The fire engine started off the parade and Madeline was not too keen on the noise.

She did however love chilling between Uncle Bryan and daddy in the back of the car.

I feel like I must have just told her she couldn't have a pony. Look at that face. And the posture... if I didn't know any better I'd say she is 8 months going on 13 years.



Madeline was most looking forward to the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales, but not for the horses, but for the puppy that rides on top. Totally her favorite part.

My favorite part is usually the marching band. That's about all I have to say about that. (Except that the drummer right in the middle of the frame is one of my dad's drum students and I've known him since he was 11 and he all grown up and I loved seeing him!)

Madeline took her turn on Maw Maw's lap taking in the sights with Jane.

Before I knew it, the parade was over and Lydia was sleeping in the sling.

mg

Tonight, I proved myself to be completely emotionally unstable

Happy 4th of July.

Today was kinda crappy but for totally boring reasons except for one.

Tonight I proved myself to be completely emotionally unstable.

Let me back up. The 4th is generally my favorite holiday. This year it just hasn't felt right. I thought it might be because it was on a Sunday so the festivities were unnaturally spread over the course of three days. This is one case where three days is not better than one. Tonight I proved that there was way more to it than that.

After finishing dinner I sat at the table with Kevin and Kathy (my SIL) conversing. Kathy, very innocently asked if our friends Scott and Becky were in town for the holiday and I BURST into tears immediately and without warning. Not just little tears, like a full out sob. Immediately. So it turns out I really do have emotional problems.

Kevin had to answer her because I couldn't. As it turns out I miss them more than I was letting myself feel and although I couldn't put my finger on why I was so unbalanced this 4th of July at that moment I knew that it didn't feel right because they weren't there. I was missing them in a way that I totally hadn't expected.

Where were they? Well Scott is a member of the US Army and is currently deployed to Iraq. Becky, is living in Hawaii where he is stationed until the end of this year sometime. This is the first 4th of July in at least 6 years that we have spent without them.

It sucked.

To top it off we went to see fireworks tonight and stopped by 'our usual spot' to say hello to Scott's mother and upon telling her this story I began crying all over again.

It's official. I need serious psychiatric intervention.

Now.

mg

July 2010

We all knew she was growing up, but she is actually a giant.

Actually.

Reader? Read here.

Photo credit: My parents.

mg

It really is a shame

It really is a shame that Madeline is such a wall flower.


And she is just so very serious all the time.


I worry that she just won't let loose.


I worry that her shyness might hinder her.


I mean what am I going to with her?


It is a shame that she seems to have no personality at all.

__________
Sorry to be missing in action. All is well, just really busy.

And don't worry that Madeline hurt herself again. These photos were taken the day she hit her eye on the coffee table back in June. I am just now getting around to posting the "out takes" from that mini photo shoot.


mg