29 - For the First Time - Honest!

It's official. I'm in my last year of being a 20-something. Daddy left 20-something behind several years ago, so I've "held down the fort" as the 'young' person in the house. One more year. At least if I'm honest! My birthday started early - 6:15 a.m. Apparently Miss Mouse was excited and wanted to start the celebrating early. Actually, I think she had gas, but we'll put it in the best light possible, eh? Daddy took the first hour up with her (being that it was my birthday and all), so that was a treat. The morning really turned out to be fun with a trip down to the yarn store and lots of puzzle-playing (Miss Mouse is incredibly "into" wooden puzzles right now). As I was rocking her to sleep for her nap, I began thinking (not as rare an activity as might be imagined!) and pondering about where, ten years ago, I would have thought I would be at 29. Most definitely it was not at home rocking a toddler to sleep everyday, rejoicing over independent bathroom behavior. My vision was to be a professor by now, perhaps holed up in a library somewhere in Europe doing research requiring much sifting through musty books, hundreds of years old; aahhh, the smell of musty books is like none other. Then, I planned to be a counseling psychologist, certainly helping dozens of people a week by now. But try as I might, as I sat there looking at my sweet, sleeping girl, I couldn't imagine anywhere else I would actually want to be now, other than here at home with her and her Daddy. It was odd to realize, for this super-competitive, Type A, achievement-focused person, that somehow life has changed me to the point that the glory of competition and achievement for myself is in this moment far outshone by the day-to-day light of raising our daughter. And I think I like that change in myself. Funny. Anyway, she didn't take a very long nap in the afternoon, but it was long enough for me to work out and try my hand at mitten-making. I estimated much too small for the mitten, but I've whipped out a couple more now that did fit. Daddy was home early, avec fleurs - what a gentleman. Or, as Great Grammy said, I have a "thoughtful husband". Yes, indeed! We went out to eat so that I could get my free birthday meal. We also picked out my birthday present which is a fake Christmas tree. Glamorous, yes, I know. Quite the present, though! I just couldn't see creating more work for myself vacuuming up needles before they would get imbedded in small feet for the next several years. Daddy agreed, so even though we are sad to lose the "real tree" smell and look for a time, this is going to be a much more practical option for us. I also bought some "shatterproof" decorations for it. Truly, we have a very well-behaved child who doesn't really ever bother our decorations or anything; I have not totally "baby-proofed" the house (other than things that are dangerous); I expect her to respect what is "Mommy's and Daddy's" and not to touch it (she gets to wave at things that are identified as "Mommy's and Daddy's"). On the other hand, I'm not naive enough to think that, on a cold, windy day, when we've been cooped up inside for hours, when she hasn't napped well, when she perhaps isn't feeling up-to-snuff, that she is not capable of pulling over a Christmas tree. Certainly, the capability is there, and it just seems like tempting fate to put on Daddy's and my precious ornaments from 1976 or 1979, etc. No point in playing with fire until we get burned! Anyway, we finished off my birthday evening with pieces of French silk pie from Perkins after Miss Mouse retired for the night. It was a great day!

November Rain

Even though the day started out with a downpour and has continued with such, it is really a treat to see it raining in November. Miss Mouse, who started her day much too early at 7 a.m., and I took a walk earlier, in the downpour, with an umbrella. It was great fun for her. Not only did she constantly look up at the umbrella and say "dee, dee!" (i.e., "pretty, pretty!"), but we also had the good fortune to see upwards of ten worms crossing the sidewalks and driveways! Being that I have a snake phobia (that I have no intention of curing - I know what that process would be, thank you very much!), it probably seems quite odd that I absolutely love, love worms. Well, Miss Mouse does, too. We stood and watched the worms work their way across the pavement, discussing (okay, I did most of the talking) their sizes and directions and wondering if the small ones were babies (she did get in on that word numerous times). Jolly good fun! It was extremely unpopular to move inside again, but our umbrella was nearly soaked through. So was I, for that matter, since I had been focusing so hard on covering the Mouse that I forgot to cover myself most of the time. Anyway, after the fit about moving back inside, we worked on making playdough worms (and a cat, of course, too - we always have to make a playdough cat). Then we colored for 15 minutes and subsequently spent another 15 minutes practicing taking the crayons out of the box and putting them back into the box. More jolly good fun! I'm hoping the afternoon and evening go as well today. There is no sign of let-up in the rain, and this is a super-long day for Daddy (hence, also for the two of us hanging out at home). As a sidenote, Daddy has been greeted, for the past two weeks or so, by Miss Mouse running full speed at him with her shirt pulled up, making kissing sounds at him each lunch and evening. This is to indicate to him, in no uncertain terms, that she wants her belly kissed. I try to oblige, but she really prefers Daddy to do the belly-kissing. Not really sure where that came from, but it's pretty funny! And it has to be an adorable way to be welcomed home after a long day!

Election Day

First of all, can you believe my mums look like this on November 4? Have no fear, the 7th is coming, and there is always snow by the 7th!!! :)

Miss Mouse takes her civic duties very seriously. Check out the all-important sticker. It needed to be transferred to her t-shirt before her nap.

This was Miss Mouse's first "big" election day. She was a sweetheart. This is actually her second time to the polls, but the first was back in June for the local and state primaries and local initiatives. As we walked out of the polling area (a local church), an older lady caught me and said that she had always brought her children with her to vote and that now, as they are adults themselves, they can't imagine not voting - it was just something they always saw their mom do, and so they do it. I thought that was neat to hear. I hadn't given much thought to it other than that I take the Mouse with because, well, what else would she do while I voted? And, of course, because she gets a cool "I Voted" sticker that she insists on wearing around the rest of the day. It was neat, though, to have it pointed out that I'm, perhaps, actually teaching her some core values just in something as simple as taking her along to vote with me. Interesting, too, to remember back and realize that perhaps I vote because I always saw my parents doing so; it wouldn't really cross my mind to just skip it because I'm busy or something, even though I don't necessarily always vote in the same way as they do. I have a feeling Daddy had the same experience growing up. We were little sponges, after all, and so is our very own Mouse, I suppose.

Miss Mouse after the election in June. Apparently she did not feel quite as serious about that election.

The ever-popular "I Voted" sticker.

Picture-Update

Daddy's Masterpiece
She's kissing the pumpkin. She's so proud of Daddy's work; she points at the pumpkin, saying "Dada, Dada" to remind me that Daddy carved it!

The uncarved pumpkin was discovered to be rotten inside. She's making the face for "ick" and pointing at the "icky" pumpkin.

Happy Halloween!

Our little butterfly.

Halloween Fun

I'm not sure how many more cute photos of adorable children in costume I can stand! They are just so cuddly and cute-looking that I'd like to just cuddle them all up!!! What a fun time of year! We, too, had a great time on Halloween. Miss Mouse and I drove down to a family friend's house in (what used to be) the south part of town (now, mid-town). We had fun visiting him, and Miss Mouse dressed up in her costume and had her picture taken on his porch. We stopped at the church on the way back north to show off the costume again. Then, we dressed once again (the costume isn't too conducive to carseat-riding) to show off the costume to the neighbors. She was a beautiful butterfly, though, as you'll see when I get around to posting some photos, she will have repeat appearances as the butterfly for the next year or two (the costume turned out to be huge - who cares? it was $3 at a rummage sale!). Daddy and I trained her well, practicing the "rule" that when kids say "trick or treat", Miss Mouse gives them a piece of candy. I was able to get an entire supper cooked while she loaded and unloaded her pumpkin bucket with the candy we were to hand out. She loved the kids' costumes (most of them - a few of them made her lift her hands frantically to me to be picked up....however, she usually laughed as they walked away, so the freaky looking people must not have damaged her too much!) and had so much fun handing out candy. When we were fairly sure no one else was coming, we headed down to one of Daddy's co-workers houses to give them some of our leftover candy. The Mouse was just desperate to keep handing it out. I suppose she is one of the few children who started Halloween off with a full bucket and ended it with an empty one! Regardless, she had a blast, and so did we! I'll post pictures as soon as possible.

Recent Goings-On

Daddy and Miss Mouse picking out the perfect pumpkins - Oct. 19

Miss Mouse and Mommy ready for the hayride to the pumpkin patch

Miss Mouse - "Mommy has me in a dress on a hayride! I'm really not so sure about this....."

Happy "meat" harvesters!

Really, truly, she chose to lug those around!

She thinks it is so cool Daddy comes home with "meat"!

Grammy and the Mouse playing with friend Andrea's new puppy - super, super cute! Oct. 21

This was Auntie Laura's work with a bit of cajoling on Grammy's part for Miss Mouse to sit still on the bathroom counter long enough! It made an adorable look for our outing to the mall and then to an Indian restaurant later in the evening - Oct.22

Miss Mouse "dressed" as Rebekah for Halloween. Okay, perhaps not, but last night was a bit of a struggle (think 30 minute scream-fest) around snack-time (not sure why). Once Daddy got home (20 minutes into the scream-fest), we were together able to get the poor Mouse settled enough (she had just been sitting on my lap sobbing - we're so lucky - even her 'fits' are usually fairly sweet!) to listen to him tell her the story of Rebekah and Isaac meeting at the well and Isaac giving her the nose ring. Daddy explained the idea to Miss Mouse, so she thought she should play "dress up" apparently. It worked; she had a good time with Daddy's ring and agreed to take bites of her snack in between play-time with the ring! This is, perhaps, the very definition of the phrase "whatever works"! - Oct. 29

Happy Birthday to You

This past weekend was crazy! We spent Saturday and Sunday attending numerous functions to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the church Daddy serves. Last Wednesday, Auntie Laura and Grammy arrived (it was teachers' convention weekend for Auntie Laura). We got lots of work done around the house, projects that are difficult for a Mommy to do while chasing a toddler at the same time. Thursday afternoon we treated ourselves to some time shopping downtown. Very cool. Miss Mouse enjoyed it, as well, other than one of the stores where she sort of "freaked out" and wanted to leave right away. She just pulled back really hard and wouldn't move unless I carried her; a friend suggested the place must have been haunted. Hmmm...perhaps. It would be the appropriate time of year for such things anyway! She enjoyed the other stores much more. We finished the evening at Red Lobster. Yum! The next day (Friday) there were lots more projects to tackle, but, again, we treated ourselves to some shopping in the evening, hitting the mall and then meeting Daddy for dinner at an Indian restaurant. Yes, Indian. As in, from India. It was extremely cool. Miss Mouse thought so, too. It was quite a fancy place - cloth napkins and the works - but they seemed okay with the Mouse being there. We grabbed a takeout menu on the way out so that we can remember what we had - mine was cottage cheese chunks (think huge chunks of mozzerella-type cheese) in a spinach sauce; Laura's was chicken in a tomato sauce; Grammy had Indian vegetable fried rice; and Daddy had lamb in a dark gravy. Everyone's was excellent, though most of us chose Laura's as our favorite. As I said, Saturday was hectic. We started the day with Grandma and Grandpa Toomey at Barnes and Noble for their story hour. I'm not sure how much fun Grandpa and Daddy had, but Grandma and Miss Mouse had much fun looking at other babies (there were plenty for the Mouse to observe) and books. Then Daddy, Miss Mouse, and I went to a luncheon for current and former staff at the church. The food was great; the Mouse ate an entire pulled pork sandwich (not the bun, just the meat!). I returned home with Miss Mouse long before the luncheon was "officially" over so that she could stay on nap schedule. Saturday night, Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy, and I went to a banquet celebration. It was fun to visit with friends there and to listen to the speakers. It's always fun, though, too, to return home to our Mouse. Sunday we woke up to snow! Ugh! Snow and strong wind. We braved the weather and made it to church just in time to get a seat in the nosebleed section (the service was held at a local auditorium in order to accommodate everyone at one service, rather than the six that are usually held each Sunday). This seating arrangement was really hard on me and Grammy. I was able to adjust, but Grammy had a tough time the whole service. After Grandpa (from the other side of the family!) graciously helped her get down the stairs for Communion, she refused to return up and just met us after the service was over. I can't say I blame her too much. It is really dizzying to be that far up, just about eyeball-level with the ceiling lights! Lunch after church was great, though we returned outside to snow and wind greeting us for the drive home. Bummer. Auntie Laura and Grammy took off right away after lunch to make the long drive home; Grandma and Grandpa stuck around for a few hours to play after Miss Mouse's nap. So.....that was our weekend! Busy, busy, but fun and exciting at the same time.