"Uh-oh!"

That's been the word of the day! We've been saying that since we woke up...

Mommy: Do you want your bob? (bottle)

Ivy Mae: Uh-oh!

Mommy: Do you want some mango?

Ivy Mae: Uh-oh!

Mommy: How about Piglet? Do you want to snuggle?

Ivy Mae: Uh-oh! Uh-oh, Mama!

So here's Ivy Mae saying "Uh-oh!" and eating her mango. :)

Superwomen

How do you measure a year in the life?

A year ago, I was miserable. I weighed 215 pounds, was in constant pain, and lived in a black cloud of pre- and post-partum depression.

And time slid forward, one moment to the next, from kisses and smiles and giggles, sleepless nights and heartbreak, worry and loneliness, joy and love and family. We are nearly on the other side of a year, and Ivy Mae has a mommy who is strong, physically and emotionally. I could never have done it without the unconditional and unrelenting love from my family and friends.

We are so blessed to have this beautiful child. She is willful and strong, delightful and kind. She is a bundle of Zen: there isn't a thought in her mind except the moment right in front of her. When it's over, it's the past, and the only thing she uses the past for is to learn the next new thing she needs to know. She doesn't worry about the future. She stays Right. Here.

Here's to Ivy Mae, our almost-walking, almost-talking lesson in the Meaning of This.

It's that time...

I'm sure that neither I nor Michael EVER threw temper tantrums, so I can't imagine WHERE she gets this idea from! ;)

It's true, we're starting our first tantrums, and this woman is one who knows what she wants, and isn't afraid to tell us! When she's happy, she's the happiest child in the world, and when she's mad, you are in TROUBLE, mister!

We love her in all her moods, through the throwing and screaming...she's our Ivy Mae!

These are from yesterday...her new thing is crawling under her exersaucer.

Ivy Mae: What a dish!

Miss Ivy M. had a great weekend!
Friday we spent the afternoon in Matt's backyard, playing in the sun. Saturday we went to see a short film Mommy did for a film class as MCAD, and Ivy sat and watched quietly...much too quietly for an eleven-month old! That lasted until we decided to be a wiggle worm and Matt and Megan held her for the rest of the time...thanks. ;)

Sunday afternoon Daddy's friends Pete and Axel came over, and Ivy Mae had a playmate for a few hours! She had fun having a "big kid" around.

She spent some time outside this morning, examining grass and playing with Mommy and Aunt Jaimee.

Creeper Crawler

i am not a pretty girl
that is not what i do
i ain't no damsel in distress
and i don't need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you'd prefer a maiden fair
isn't there a "Kitten" stuck up a tree somewhere?

Branch Points

It is easy to miss the way in which every moment contains the enormity of the entire universe, can be full of surprises and unthought-of possibilities, and forget that we can watch them unfold, and are called to participate in their unfolding. Young children are native to this magical world, where everything is fresh and new and possible.

-Jon Kabat-Zinn