Happenings

What have we been up to lately? Oh, you know, the usual...

Myla had her BFF over for a day. Johnny made them a tent. They wore him out.

We made Christmas cookies that swelled up into pretty much one big pan of cookie and not the cute little shapes we cut them into.

We went with the family to see lights at Hudson Gardens and ice cream afterward. It was awesome.

So you know, a little bit of this, little bit of that... just been having fun and enjoying the season. Myla is having the best time looking for Bentley every morning and having a special countdown Christmas chocolate at night. She's very excited for Santa to come, even though if we were to take her to see him she would cry and run away. Its going to be a lot of fun to watch her this year. I'm really looking forward to it too!

Baby update... we had a check in with the doctor two weeks ago where she measured exactly where she should be and was even making noticeable breathing motions on the ultrasound, which is apparently hard to see at that stage. Then we found out that the fluid around baby was a little low, so we went back this week for another test to make sure everything else was good. Baby passed the test beautifully and the fluid was up a couple of points. I'm on a "rest period" every night when I get home and drinking more water than any normal person should, but its helping so that's what we'll continue to do. That's what the doctor says, and I'm sticking with my doctor. Johnny and Myla have been amazing in helping out when I'm down and we've played a lot of the Elmo memory game, but its been good. Another check-in comes on Tuesday, although no ultrasound this time. They will probably want more blood from me. Drat!

Christmas Time!

Tonight, in keeping with family tradition we started when Johnny and I were married, we decorated our Christmas tree. It was awesome, a little Christmas music in the background, Myla running back and forth between the ornaments and the tree, her getting frustrated when they wouldn't stay on the tree and saying "I can't do it" with her little lip out. It was fun to watch her get into the spirit and so what if the lower front part of our tree is top heavy? She loved it.

We also added a new part to our tradition - the reading of the Elf on the Shelf. Myla was mesmerized by the book and immediately found a place for Bentley (our elf) to sit for the night. If you don't know about these guys, they are little elves that report to Santa every night after you go to bed, and of course they don't return to the spot they left. So you have to be good so he has something good to report. It will be fun in the morning to remind Myla to look for Bentley and see if he's moved - that means he left to report! I think she'll catch on pretty quick.

To top off the evening, Johnny and Myla put the angel bear on top of our tree. Craziness ensued and memories were made. Allow us a moment to share...

I seriously laughed so hard I dropped the camera, Myla and Johnny watched it over and over and laughed hard each time, and it was truly the best way to end a perfect night.

Too good to be true?

Shutterfly is having a deal for bloggers - 50 free holiday cards just for posting about it on their blog. I have used them for a lot of things in the past, but the best is probably a photo book I made for Father's Day for Johnny one year. He says he can't read it because its got "dust" in it that makes his eyes tear up. Myla loves to ready it though, conveniently when he's not around. I've already got my Christmas cards picked out... Maybe this one .... or this one.... or....

My family has always sent out Christmas cards, and the photo ones are the best. My mom has a book of all the ones she's sent out with the family and its kind of fun to see us grow up from year to year. I think this year is the first year she'll send one out with Myla on it too - just talking about her in the letter doesn't count. It will be fun to add to the book and see not only us "grow up" but the family grow too.

My mother always comments that I can find anything online - and good deals especially. This one I have to credit to my fellow blogger Stephanie (who has one super cute little boy!) for turning me on to. I feel kind of bad about posting this, since my mom just bought her Christmas cards, but she doesn't have a blog, so that makes me feel a little better...

Thankful-ness

And so it is, the week of being thankful and the time when we start thinking about all the wonderful things we have - the holidays! Myla is so excited for Thanksgiving because after that its A2's birthday and then its CHRISTMAS! She is going to be so much fun to put up all the Christmas decorations that I finally get to pull out of storage. I have a feeling this year, she is really going to get into it. Johnny and Myla came downtown last week to watch Santa repel down the giant "D" at the Pavilions. She kept waving to him "hi Santa!" Maybe this weekend we'll help him light the Christmas tree in downtown Littleton...

Myla had a lot of fun last week playing with her cousins Tank and Kaidy from Omaha. Of course, did I pull out my camera, um, no. It took her a little while at first to warm up to having more kids around but she was talking about them for days after they left. She loved to come home and see them and one night they got to eat at her little table before all three hopped in the bath. She thought it was so cool. I know how much she loves to play with cousins. She has been saying all sorts of random things and laughing at nothing in particular. Tonight, she was running around the house (gotta love those circular layouts) singing horsey, horsey on your way. And truly having the best time. John and his brothers were able to move my mom's old piano over while they were out last week so she has been having a good time playing that as well when she needs to sit for a minute.

We had a check-in with the doctor last week and baby is measuring right where she should be, which was good to hear. I'm feeling fine, although I have to admit, I'm a little freaked out right now. "D-day" is next week and I'm just hoping that everything continues to go smoothly. So far so good, lets just keep it that way!

Its Pumpkin Time!

Our little ballerina/princess had a great Halloween day. She was so excited to take out her monster bucket and go trick or treat she could hardly stand it. Luckily for us, we were able to distract her with her pretty skirt and other activities during the day before we really had to deal with it. Myla has been singing in a children choir with her BFF and they did a little song today. It was cute with all the kids in costume. Myla didn't really sing, but she got up there which, frankly, was more than I expected. After they sang their song, Myla stood up and her pretty skirt fell right off her waist and on to the floor. She just laughed - it was classic.

Myla had her three year check up with the doctor this week. She's looking great he said, measuring in at 32.5 inches tall and a whopping 23 pounds. We can finally turn her carseat around! (Just kidding, she's been forward facing for awhile, but if she's supposed to be 20 pounds before you do it...) Really, she passed with flying colors on all the little parts of the exam.

Check in for baby coming on Tuesday, just really to make sure that my blood pressure is where its supposed to be. When we were in the doctor with Myla, he was pushing on her tummy and he said "what do you have in that tummy?" And Myla responded with "a baby." And yesterday after breakfast she had me say hi to the baby in her tummy before she said hi to the baby in mine. I think she understands a little more than I thought...

How old!?

Three today! Holy moly, how did that happen!? We had a little family birthday party for her yesterday and she was so excited for it. When we went for the plates and such in the morning, she kept telling me, "and I need balloons and presents too." In fact, when A2 came in with both the balloons and presents, Myla said "may I have one of those presents?" She made out like a bandit again this year, books and clothes and games and stuffed animals. She loved seeing all the family - and great grandparents too! But perhaps, in out little bug's mind, the best part was...

The duck cake! Uncle Scott's girlfriend has a brother that is a chef and was therefore recruited to make a duck cake. We had grand plans last year to make her one and it didn't happen, but this year, she got it. She walked in and was smitten. She was still talking about it today, in fact.

Today, Myla and I spent a little bit of time just hanging out (since, again, she didn't want to nap) and we spent some time in a furniture store looking for chairs for our sitting/play room. She was awesome in the store and took to calling me mommy-pony in homage to her little pony that came with us. And so, for the rest of the day, there was daddy-pony and Haley-dog-pony and Myla-pony. She was so much fun to be with and even though I found myself looking at her remembering and comparing, she made me laugh too. She made me thankful for the seven-millionth time for all that we have and had to come through. And excited for our third year and what it will hold!

Its fall!

Although you'd never know it with the up and down of the temperatures... But that doesn't stop us from enjoying the crunchy leaves, the colors on the trees and the warm days that let us get outside. Myla is having a great time, but still ready for the snow. She asks Johnny all the time "do you want to play in the snow with me?" She's also quick to say "but first, we need to put our boots on." Lets slow down a bit kiddo, enjoy the warm days just a little bit longer...

I think Myla has been testing out this turning three thing. She's been protesting the idea of naps and has started asking the why questions. But why do you want me to lay down mommy? But why is sun going down? Her birthday party is this Saturday - its hard to believe that she's three. Tonight she told Johnny, "I'm not your baby, I'm a big girl." So, there you go.

We had a check in with the doctor on Tuesday and baby girl is growing just fine so far. She's right where she should be they tell us. We've also started going every two weeks, so if something changes, we will know quick. Which only reinforces the idea to me that we have to get painting!

This is my sister. She is - in a word - awesome. When we were growing up, we were pretty different. But I remember when we moved down into the basement into separate rooms and we devised a plan with flashlights to say things after the lights had gone out. Or when we tried to learn sign language so we could talk without saying anything. And in high school, I was pretty proud to say that my sister was the best diver on our swim team. I would drive up to Minnesota when we were in college to see her in gymnastics meets and to cheer her on because she was fun to watch. In college, if anyone called me after 9:00, it was my sister. My sister gave an amazing maid of honor speech at my wedding that still makes me cry. She was there every day I was in the hospital with Myla. She's brilliant and cute and an amazing aunt. She has taken a day a week for the past two summers and taken Myla to gymnastics and swimming and they just have a great time. Myla loves to see her A2 - she knows her car and usually runs to give her a hug when she sees her. And its not because she goes on these enviable trips and brings Myla back fun presents - its because my sister is that awesome.

We found out that Myla will be having a baby sister. I am so excited for Myla to have the same kind of person in her life that I have in mine. I know there will be fights. I know the little sister will annoy her sometimes. I know that when Myla starts to drive she will say "do I have to take her?" But I also know that there will be times when she is so proud of her little sister. I know that she will love her in a way that only sisters can love each other. And I know that she will be thankful to have a sister in her life.

I'm thankful for my brother too - but that's a different post.

A good day for what?

When I woke up this morning, I thought, let's get out of the house today. Johnny will be sleeping anyway. So I made a plan with myself that we were going to the zoo. After all, only one more month until Myla has to pay to go! So I went in, got her dressed and said "lets go to the zoo!" She was very excited, and then I opened the blinds. Rain. Clouds. NOT the 85 degree day I had heard about. But, once you say you're going to do it to Myla, there's no turning back. And so, to the zoo we went!

It actually turned out to be perfect. We got rock star parking, it didn't rain, the clouds cleared and we got there early enough to beat the crowds. There were animals out playing and we got first row seats to the polar bear, the kangaroos and the elephants. And Myla got to feed some birds, which she thought was so fun! We left just as the day started to get hot and the crowds started to come.

The house is coming together slowly, but some of the more major things are getting done. Which is good, because in about a month we are throwing a birthday party - for a three year old!

Preemie Reunion

Today was the annual preemie reunion. Myla picked out a pretty dress - as she loves to do for big things like that - and was all decked out in pink. She even carried a little pink purse with her. It was fun to see all the nurses and few friends that we met while she was growing those first nine weeks. The nurses were saying how they remember her and exactly where she was in the NICU. This year we also got to see our primary nurse Jan and Myla even ran to give her a hug, which was very sweet to see. Surprising because she doesn't readily hand out hugs, but very sweet.

Myla also got her first face paint. I thought it was kind of funny that she picked a blue octopus. Here she is, all excited about wearing her pretty pink dress, she has a pink pig sticker, pink shoes, pink purse - and a blue octopus on her cheek. Just goes to show what an unpredictable little girl she can be. She sat really still and was very proud of it. So much so that she didn't want to take a nap before she showed a sleeping daddy. Wait, she didn't nap after that either...

So the nights are getting chillier and we've pulled out the long sleeve jammies. Its a good thing Myla has so many clothes (hand-me-downs rock!) so that we can go between the warmer than expected days and the beginning of fall days. We're going to have fun crunching in the leaves this year!

3..2..1.. We're live!

Well, we did it - moved and no where near being unpacked. But - we got the computer up so we can finally update those that might be interested in the goings-on 'round here...

The move took a long time. I admit, we weren't as packed as we needed to be in order to move all of our stuff. Family was indispensable and helped us do a lot. On our first night in the new house, Myla changed over to a "big girl bed" which she promptly fell out of twice. We were loaned a great "transition" bed that luckily isn't too far off the floor. Since then, she's gotten the hang of it, and knows that you can get in and out as much as you want. (Until mom got smart, and went the old fashioned way. Yep, I bribed her to stay in her bed.)

So now, we are unpacking box by box. (Don't come look in our garage.) The house is big, but not as big as I thought it would feel like. And the floor boards squeak just enough that I can tell where Myla is - a nice little plus. The dog is enjoying the large deck and the fact that the squirrels have to go across the fence because there is no wire for them to sneak by on. The neighbors are awesome and the neighborhood is quiet. Its a good house. But no, no pictures yet. I've just started to get the painting bug, so its all going to change anyway.

Other than that, life goes on. We found out that we're going to have another baby in (hopefully) March. Myla is getting used to that idea and will even tell you what room is baby's and where baby will sit at the dinner table. We had a fun time at an annual fiesta that my family has with another where Myla got a nice little shiner from walking in front of a swing. Next up, we get to go to the preemie reunion this Saturday. Always fun to show Myla off there. Ok, anywhere - she's pretty cute!

Once upon a time

I know - its been too long since we posted. We've been too busy with the cleaning and moving to a new house, the computer hasn't even come on! So, while we make you wait a little bit longer for a full update, here is Myla to tell you a story...

Moving!

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... Its official - next week we sign the papers on a new house. Myla is very excited to live in the "steps with the house." We found an amazing one, not too far away, and big enough for Johnny's five guitars. (He would correct me here and say he only has four - and one bass.) Its going to be a good house, once we can get all our stuff packed up and ready. And much bigger than the one we are in now, which will be a huge change. My mom jokes that all of our furniture will fit in one room and we will still have room to move around. Overall though, we are pretty excited. Here are a few pictures of it...

The front of the house.

The family room.

The kitchen.

The living room.

With all this packing up and moving things around, sometimes you just need a break. And since its been in the triple digits, the pool looks like the best place to do that. Dinosaurs and all.

Smokane!

We had an amazing time in Spokane - or Smokane as a two year old might say it. The family was great, the memories were fun and Myla was amazing the whole time. Oh sure, she ignored her parents when she felt like it, but on the plane part of the trip, she was an angel. The lady behind us even said, "she must have been sleeping the whole time." Nope, she was being good. (Or her parents had good distractions, one of the two.) The 16 hour car ride part of the trip, she didn't cry or scream, just read books to her daddy, looked at the cows, and napped.

It was a lot of fun to watch her discover new things, like the lake, and cousin after cousin to play with. And I have to admit, it was kind of nice not to hear her say "I need to watch one more Curious George" for five whole days! Below is just a sampling of our fun time, we made so many memories its hard to put them all on a blog post!

We took Myla out on the "green boat." She kept saying she wanted to paddle, but I was so afraid she was going to lose the oar in the lake that I couldn't let her do it!

The first thing Myla did, was put her feet in the lake. Every day we had to do it. By the third day, she had a stick that she was fishing with because, as you know, you need a stick to catch fish.



Myla learned to climb up the outside of the stairs, scaring the living daylights out of me that she was going to do it when we weren't there. But she mastered it pretty quick and didn't do it without someone to show off to.


We had a campfire the first night were Myla got to enjoy singing and s'mores. The singing more than the s'mores. She laughed so hard at one of the songs that she was the highlight.

Thank you family for hanging out with us and making our little one's first Moser family reunion full of stories that we can tell at the next one!

Family Time

This weekend - in addition to it being the Fourth of July - Myla's Uncle Jeff graduated from the police training academy program. And so, Grandma and Grandpa Washburn, Aunt Becky and Christina came out to celebrate. Myla had a lot of fun hanging out with her Omaha family. We went to the Botanic Gardens for Grandma's birthday and were able to enjoy it before it got too hot. Myla had the best time watching the fish until we found - you guessed it - ducks. A momma duck and three baby ducks. She watched them dive under the water and pop back up for so long, we almost didn't get lunch!

The next day we went to Tiny Town and got to ride on the train again and see all the little houses. Which, a year ago, were exactly Myla-sized, but now are a little small. Still she liked to look in all the windows and run around between them. We tried to watch the fireworks, but I think the place we were in was too loud and Myla did not like that at all. She was in my lap as soon as the first one went off. But on the way home, she said "fireworks aren't scary mommy." Figures.

Tomorrow we head out on the airplane to Spokane for the Moser Family Reunion. We've talked it up to Myla pretty good, so she is ready. I just hope the airplane ride goes smoothly enough...

When I grow up

I want to make pancakes like this guy.Can't decide between pancakes and bacon and eggs? Have them all! Myla would love it.

What should we learn today?

Its amazing to me how fast little ones grow. All that they must learn in such a short time - eating, drinking, crawling, walking, talking and on and on. I think about all the things that they must conquer just on a daily basis and am speechless. Myla has done so many new things lately that its hard to capture them all. One of her favorite things is to sit in her crib and snuggle with her horsey. She tucks all her other animals in, but horsey gets to snuggle. That's what she says too, "I snuggle with horsey." She also loves to blow big bubbles, destroy ant hills with sticks, and dig in the dirt. She's a multi-faceted little girl.

Last week, Myla got to take her first trip with daddy to the aquarium. She got a little spooked in some places, but she loved to watch the fish swim all around and even saw a mermaid. A2 got back this week too, so they got to go to gymnastics again. She's getting the hang of that too - have it mastered in no time. She got to play for three days with Pop-Pop and is working on pushing the peddles on her tricycle. Oh! And she tried some buffalo sauce, completely on accident and she did not like it at all.

Today, Myla and daddy discovered a new addition to our house - a mommy robin with a nest full of baby robins. They got to see the daddy robin bring back food and the baby robins peak their heads up to eat them. Can you imagine all the things a baby robin has to learn?

Ah summer

Myla has become a little fish since the days have gotten so nice. (With the exception of this weekend of course. Rain, rain and more rain!) Her Nonni got a pool for the girls to swim in and they have been out there quite a bit. And then, when she comes home, she wants to get in ours! Tuesday, she went with A2 to gymnastics and thoroughly impressed the coach there when she got on the bars. She held herself up which is not something little ones usually do I guess. But she practices here at home so we weren't really surprised. They went swimming that day too.

So, I have to do a little bragging about my girl. Last week, when I posted, I told you that the potty training was going slow. Well today, she went FIVE times. We found her sweet spot - ok, Nonni found it - Myla loves to get and put stickers on a "chart." So last night, John and I got some stickers and I dressed up some poster board and today, she was so excited to put them on. In fact, one time she knocked on the door to get Johnny out of the bathroom because it was "Myla's turn."

She was especially sweet today, laughing and being very happy. She just brightened up the whole room. She ran over to Johnny and gave him a big hug and said "I love you daddy" for no reason at all. It reminded me how proud I am to be her mom, what a joy she is to have in our lives, how much fun we have with her. It made my heart swell with happiness and, yes I'll say it, pride at what a wonderful little girl she is. She is something pretty special...

A busy week

It has been go-go-go around our house this past week! Now that the days are long and warm, we have been out and out some more! Let's start with last weekend where we met Mam-mam and Pop-pop downtown for the Memorial Day parade. Myla loved all the cars and waving her flag at the people driving by. When the first section went by, she said "there's the parade, should we go catch it?" I think, by far and away her favorite part was the kids that came around and gave her candy. She's not really partial to candy yet, so it was a real treat for her. She was sticky, let me tell you!

Today, we ventured downtown again for the chalk art festival. And we took the lightrail train which she loved! While we were waiting for the rest of our party, she discovered the "buffalo herd" and had to take pictures with every one. After we got going, she was excited to go the the "parade" again. She's really into sidewalk chalk and I thought she would love it and the ones that were to the point where you could see the drawing she did look at for a long time. She even got spoiled by Pop-pop a little and got to try her hand at her own little square of chalk art.

This afternoon (after no nap, but not for lack of trying on my part!), we went to a wedding for the daughter of our beloved babysitter. Myla's BFF Hailey was there and they were joined at the hip. Myla thought it was great that Hailey was wearing a pretty dress too, and so was Nonni, and Princess Susie (the bride) and Mama Jen, Hailey's mom, and Gabby. But, just for the record, boys and horses do NOT wear pretty dresses. They entertained each other during the ceremony and then went everywhere together and had a ton of fun running around during the reception and snacking on the go. They made sure to drink from "big girl cups" whenever they could.

We've also been swimming, watering flowers, taking the dog for walks, going to the playground and to the store - 'cause sometimes a girl just has to get out. We've also been trying the whole potty thing - VERY slow going on that, let me tell you. But really, we've just been having fun, and isn't that the most important thing?!

Summer is here!

A few weeks ago, when it was 80 degrees, Johnny said, "we need a kiddy pool." Myla thought that was a great idea. And so, when one went on sale, we got one. As soon as we did, it rained. Yesterday, it got back up to 75 and Johnny said "I'm setting up the kiddy pool." And today, when the backyard thermometer said it was 95 (probably not), Myla and Johnny had the inaugural pool party. Let me tell you, this pool is cool. It has a slide, a waterfall (when you hook it up to the hose) and it came with inflatable toys. But what do you need all that for when you have all this water to splash daddy with!?

The water was still a little cold and she came inside shaking when she was done but she had a great time. She did eventually go down the little slide and only ended up with her face in the water once. As she gets more used to it and the water really warms up, she'll be hard to keep out of it. But she's been asking all winter to go swimming, so to have the pool at our disposal will be great. And I think it will help her get more used to the big pool at A2's house.

In other words, its shaping up to be a fun - and wet - summer!

A Wear-You-Out Day

Myla has been... shall we say... adverse to sleeping all night long for the past few nights. She prefers it in shifts, five hours here, three hour break, five hours more. Well, that just will not fly. So today, after she woke up at 10:15, we did everything in our parental power to wear her out. It was a balmy 88 degrees with some good wind, but we were not going to let that deter us!

We started with a trip to the store where we got every toddler's dream - bubbles. The wind was very helpful in that respect. We watered flowers, we took the dog for a walk and looked for ducks in the canal. Myla and Daddy had some special time at the playground and the pet store. (Its like a cheap zoo, she can see puppies, kitties, fish and frogs and we don't have to pay anything. Its brilliant!) After some dinner and ice cream (thanks MamMam for the coupon for a free one!), we hit the highlight of the day - the Englewood City Center fountain.

It took her a little while to warm up to the idea, but once she did, there was no stopping her. It bubbled right up next to her, she put her hand in the stream, we played chase under the arches of water. Her sweet little laugh rang out when she splashed herself and her daddy. She was a sloppy mess when we were done, but man did she love it. Half way home, she started giggling from the thought of it.

Now, I don't know about her, but I'm tired. Here's to a good nights rest... hopefully.

A Yellow Train

Today, Johnny was sleeping. Myla was not. And so, rather than run around screaming and waking up daddy (Myla screaming, not me), we headed out to explore this city we are third and fourth generations of, respectfully. We grabbed some snacks and headed down to Confluence Park. Myla loved to watch the waterfall, even if it was loud. She wouldn't get too close though, or go over the grate where you can see the water below you, but she was perfectly happy to point from afar.

We walked around a little bit and found some statues of three bears, which from that moment on became Myla's new friends. She would bring them rocks from the other sections of the walking path and give them soft touches. She wasn't even too afraid of mommy bear, which when you walked from the other direction became daddy bear. Perspective I guess.

And then, when there was only kids to keep her entertained, the Platte Valley Trolley came to whisk us away down the river. She was so excited to hold on to her ticket and to feel the wind blowing her hair. They showed us some neat things, like swallows nests that are built onto an old bridge. (Side note here, did you know that swallows come back to the same nest every year!? How do they know...) It was fun to watch her eyes light up when we got moving and her little voice say "we riding the train mommy!"

And on the way home, she fell asleep.

Myla-isms

Look at those bell bottoms!! And that long hair! She's becoming such a big-little-girl anymore. She says the cutest and most grown up things, like, "it's good to see you!" "you have a good time?" "you have fun today?" A lot of things that her parents and Nonnie say to her apparenlty. It's so cute when she says it though. One of her favorite things to do is yell at the cat. "Snickers! Get down!"

Recently, her Nonnie brought home a big dishwasher box for Myla and Haley Jo to play in and even made a window and door. They love it! Her imagination is really amazing!

The other day Kara and Myla were at Target and found a cool child size patio chair for Myla. She had to sit in the chair, in the cart with her feet up on the edge of the cart while Mom pushed her around for the duration of the shopping trip like that. I can't wait for summer when we can lounge together in the kiddie pool in the backyard! that will be sweet!

So, Myla's been tentatively pottie training at home and we got her some pull up diapers. Well, they were too close to the crib, we found her with both legs through one leg hole of a pull up, up to her knees. We just had to laugh. Never knew how much fun being a parent would be.

March for Babies

On Saturday, my mom, my sister, my aunt, Myla and I all put on our walking shoes and did the 2010 March for Babies. It was cold, it threatened to rain (and maybe did sprinkle a little bit) but it was all worth it. Myla was awesome and stayed snuggled in her stroller for most of the walk, but didn't fail to collect some goodies from the sponsors along the way. With a little help from Mam-Mam and A2.

We were told that the family teams from the Denver walk raised $1 million. That was a new record they said. We felt proud to be part of it too. I told my sister at the beginning of the walk that something was wrong with me because I was getting all emotional. But it was more than just walking - it was doing it for Myla. And at the end, our little miracle walked across the finish line. Fitting I thought.

Thank you to all that sponsored our little family team and that have done so much for us in the two and a half years since we started this little blog and this little family. Thank you for loving our Myla. And thank you for all you do for little babies everywhere in your own little ways!

Myla, Mommy and Mam-Mam after the crossing the finish line.

Planting time

Myla loves to be outside doing anything. Every time we go outside to go to the car, she has to go see the daffodils. Or we have a ceramic cat by the front tree that she has to say hi to. And if we can't stay out front, we have to go out back. She's helped her dad transplant some grass, play in the mud and throw the ball for Haley dog. She comes in with dirty hands and dirtier shoes, but man does she sleep well at night.

Yesterday after I got off work, we went and had a picnic at Myla's favorite park. She did really well actually eating before she couldn't take it anymore and had to go swing. (That's what she said too - "I need to swing!" Well, if you NEED to, that's a whole lot different.) It was good practice for the summer when we have family dinners outside. And she had fun watching the other kids too - even if they were crazy boys playing chase that she had no interest in joining. She just kind of looked at them and got out of the way. As long as they didn't get in the way of her sliding, it was cool.

Discharged!

Another one bites the dust... Myla's check-in with the speech therapist could not have gone better. She was a little shy and didn't talk as much as, say, the ride home from her Nonni's house, but what she did say was enough to make the therapist say this - and I quote - "Adjusted or unadjusted, her language skills are precocious." She also suggested we seriously check out highly gifted and talented programs in the local schools. (And not to worry about the "L" sound, you don't have to have that until you're 7.) Yeah, Myla rocks.

And so we say goodbye to the early intervention program and a jovial "Hello!" to spring and 70 degree days!

An open letter

Dear Mr. Woodpecker,

Please leave our furnace pipe alone.  We don't like waking up to your banging on something that is obviously not wood.  Its metal. And its loud.  And it wakes up the little one way to early after she's had a hard night getting the sleep she needs.  We would appreciate it if you would go back to whatever grove of trees you came from.  I hear there is some nice ones on the canal.

Thank you.

Dear Stephanie,

I'm sorry I laughed when you posted your experience about a woodpecker on your furnace pipe.  I promise never to do it again.

Easter Recap

We had a great Easter this year.  The sun was shining, Johnny was able to get enough sleep so that he could enjoy it, and Myla was a blast!  She loved getting dressed up in her Easter dress that Mam-mam made (and I think she couldn't have looked cuter!) and wearing her new fancy shoes.  She loved looking for eggs and seeing what was inside them (so much so that today, while we were trying to keep others from getting sick with the cold that she has and hiding at my parents house, she wanted to go looking for more) and snacking on the goodies.  She loved playing with her cousins and watching them so much that she almost didn't eat dinner.  It was an all-around great day.

So yes, Myla caught a cold.  I'll never understand how she can do that when we aren't sick.  But she does, and I'm sure we'll get nailed later.  She's not letting it stop her though.  She still runs around and is really into going outside as much as possible.  In fact, it was her - shall we say - negotiating style that forced her dad into getting a new "tool" to clean up after the dog.  We found this great, big, bumble-bee bubble wand for a dollar that she is having a blast with.  The Easter bunny brought her a little trike that once she learns how to work will have her on her way down the street in no time.  Bubble trailing behind her if she had her way.

We have one more check in with the speech therapist this week.  Kind of a last time out before they pass her on to the school district when she turns three.  (Holy cow - three this year!?)  I'm a little concerned that she isn't really saying the "L" sound, but not so much that I'm going to take her to a class or something.  Its a hard one.  And I'm sure that's what the ST will say too.  But its always fun to have these therapists come over and be amazed.  We like to show off for them.

Show your colors

Tonight, after a long day of helping Uncle Scott paint, we showed Myla how to color eggs for Easter.  (I'm ashamed to say that this was my first time hard-boiling eggs.  And I was too embarrased to call my mom and ask how, so I looked it up on the internet.  Gotta love modern technology!)  She got right into the swing of things and didn't bother with the "dunker" but used her little fingers to do it.  Now stained every color under the rainbow.  She loved to put them in the color, pull them out, dunk them again in perhaps a different color and out again.  John tried to show her how to let them sit in the color and it would be more vibrant and dark, but she was having too much fun doing it her way to really care.

She tried to put the little stickers from the package on the eggs, but either the eggs were too cold or her hands too warm and wet, I don't know.  But they didn't stick.  No worries, who needs stickers anyway! In the end, we now have nine multi-colored, many dyed eggs ready for the Easter Bunny. 

And now for a Myla-ism.  Today, in the grocery store, Myla told me she LOVES oranges.  New to me, but okay, we got a couple.  She promptly took them out of the bag and told me again how much she loved oranges, and licked one.  Yuck!