Mother's Day 2011

I had a truly wonderful Mother's Day. I count myself very lucky that I have a husband who pitches in daily to all the house and child duties, so I never feel like I get to be "on" or "off". But Dave definitely made sure my day started out right with an extra hour of sleep while he and Sophia read books.

Then, we headed off to the MOM's Run down the street from us. It's a 5k run that goes right through our neighborhood.

Dave decided that he wanted to run with both Sophia and our friend Morgan's daughter Frances (who he pushed in a St. Patrick's day race while I was in London) so we borrowed a double stroller and off we went. It was a total win win because he got a great workout and I got to race and enjoy a little "Michele" time.

Here's a shot of the 3 of them post-race:



Before kicking off the race, though, Sophia participated in the 1k Kids race. She made it the whole way, although the allure of flashing police car lights and cute "woofs" did a good job at distracting her.

Here she is flying solo in the street: (don't worry, it was closed to traffic)


Here she is finishing up:

And finally, after some errands and a visit to Grandma Ahouse, a little snuggle time for Sophia & I:

What a great day. I'm so very lucky.

18 Months of Sophia

My Mother's Day weekend has been truly wonderful. It coincided with Sophia turning 1.5 years old!
It's hard to believe that she is well-ensconsed in toddler hood, but spend about 5 minutes with her and you'll quickly realize that is the case. She is starting to work on two word phrases (currently we have "No Way" as the leading contender.

She also has started to dip food (I never knew this was a milestone, until I saw her doing it and someone commented on it!) Yesterday it was chips and guacamole. We definitely have to teach her about the no-no's of double dipping.

She's definitely prefers salty foods to sweet. If given her way, she'd compete with her parents for the entire bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. It's hysterical, but she enjoys them so much!

We finally got her a rain coat, courtesy of my mom. This was actually my rain coat as a kid that my mom had preserved in her hope chest. It fits her perfectly and clearly, she's all about the home team!She's perfected her downward dog pose:


And, glory upon glories, 3 of the 4 molars are through and the last one is making a big push. Hooray! That makes all the teeth except for the two bottom incisors.

She really enjoys giving hugs and kisses. Her kiss is a combination "zerbert" and lip smack all in one. She will also blow kisses to people when we're leaving places (the bank tellers get a big kick out of it!) She also has taken to emphatically pointing and screeching when there is something she wants (many of my friends have been going through this since about 8 months, so all I can say is thank god for the late blooming in this department!) What's funnier is when she uses her periscope like hand to grab for that "something" on the counter.

Finally, she'll spend a good part of each morning checking out the neighborhood (with a running commentary on all the "woofs" that go by.


Not bad for 18 months. Happy, healthy and funny - that's our Sophia.

Easter

It was Sophia's first mobile Easter, and while she didn't quite grasp the concept completely, we had a few special moments. We look at it as more of a Spring celebration rather than a religious holiday, but either way, nothing is cuter than dressing up an almost-18 month old in a dress and tights! And it was a gorgeous day in Newport to boot.
Enjoy...

Practicing at Gramma and Grandpa's House..
Not sure about this fluffy thing with ears...(the bunny, not Dave!)

I think I can reach it...

Now what do I do with it?
Maybe if I shake it?
Up close with my egg...
Walking with my daddy...