Escape Artist

59/366
Az can quickly and easily escape from the pack 'n play now. It's a whole new game.

It's a Draw

58/366
Drawing at the table like a big girl. Az sees her brother drawing often, which I think has accelerated her own interest in drawing and coloring. We've been keeping a large blank drawing pad on the coffee table for either of the kids to doodle on when the mood strikes. I have to admit that with a canvas so readily at hand even I have been finding the mood striking me.

Appetizers

57/366

Appetizers while waiting for Mom to cook dinner (which would be cooking much faster if Mom weren't sitting down taking pictures.)

Metamorphosis

7/52

I'm around Z every day and the change is not as drastic as with a toddler so it can be easy to overlook, but Z has been morphing. It's easy to get caught up in the every day and the small frustrations, but Z seems to be trying to improve himself these days. We have less daily mini-battles to get through, and virtually no epic battles. When I stop to compare the Z of today to the Z of a few years ago I do notice him maturing. I notice Z making a point to improve himself inside and out. He asks for pointers on getting into less conflict and wants to help me with more things. He's started wearing cologne and making some effort in the way he looks (which I assume is motivated by his new interest in a girl in his class.) He is showing some signs of self-awareness. These are all positive signs to me. Z has always been a very sweet and loving kid, but I think he's beginning to realize that this doesn't always come out and he has a new desire to change this. I'm especially enjoying my time with him these days, I often find myself stopping to appreciate the moment that we are sharing together. I count myself very fortunate to get to be part of his transitions and journies.

She's Gifted

56/366

Az with two of the splendid things she has been gifted recently; her Bill Murray shirt from Naomi and Uggs from Great-Aunt Lu Lu. I've never even owned a pair of Uggs. Or a Bill Murray shirt for that matter.

It's a Zoo Out Here

55/366

To encourage Az's newest super interest in animals I decided to take her to the San Francisco Zoo. I was hoping to show her an elephant since she gets so excited when she sees them in books. When we took her to the Oakland Zoo last summer she seemed amazed by the size of the elephant there. Now that she is more cognizant of what an elephant is I wanted her to see just how massive and awesome the creatures are. However, I had forgotten that the zoo decided to let their elephants go some years back due to the cold weather. Unfortunately it was that same cold that had most of the animals hiding inside during our visit. Az had a good time people watching anyhow, and had a blast at the family farm, where she got to pet these giant doggies who didn't even run away.

A Juxtaposition

 

54/366

A juxtaposition of old and new kiddie technology; Az playing with her record player and lap top.

20 Months

 

53/366

I'm a day late with Az's month photo because she was taking her morning nap when I left for work and it was dark by the time I got her back home yesterday.

Az at 20 months:

• She can now mimic so many words and out of the blue uses words I didn't know she knew so I've lost track of how many words she can say.
• She can also both put on and take off both of her shoes. She doesn't have to sit down to do it most of the time. While standing she will use one foot to take the shoe off her other foot and then slip her shoe back on. I have a hard time getting most of her shoes on her myself, and I have a few years of experience on her.
• Is able to somersault, and is still seemingly fearless about all of her gymnastic feats.
• Very rarely cries unless tired or another of her basic needs are not being met. When she falls she usually pops right back up again, albeit with a grumpy expression on her face. She can whine when she doesn't get something she wants but she almost always moves on quickly.
• She can point to and name her eyes, ears, hair, mouth, belly, feet, ning ning, and hands, though she insists on calling her nose "eyes." I think maybe she thinks we are saying "no" whenever we point to a nose so I've try to over-enunciate the word and the "s" sound- "nosssse." She is unfazed in the fact that it is another eye however. 
• When Az first wakes up she usually asks where Z is, and upon finding him will promptly ignore him after an excited exchange of "hiii!"s. If Z should decide to walk away too quickly after the exchange she demands that he return, upon which she will go back to ignoring him.
• Her next request is often, "Caillou!" I try to keep TV watching to a minimum but now that I am working more it is easier for Migs while I get ready in the mornings if I first turn on her beloved Caillou to watch. Which is of course ironic because it wasn't that long ago that Migs and I were publicly bemoaning the fact that we are not fans of the Caillou. I thought maybe Az was using "Caillou as a generic term to request that the TV be on or as a term for cartoons but it is specifically Caillou that she wants.
• Az is becoming more and more outgoing, and insists that everyone we come into contact with acknowledge her. If someone doesn't seem to be properly appreciative of the Az monster she will try to break the ice by lifting up her shirt. This seems to be her first joke; she recognizes that it is funny and tries to induce laughter.
• My girl almost always seems to have a doll of some sort in her hands. I try to encourage her to walk around with something not so stereotypical but nothing compares in Az's eyes like a doll, whether it be a Barbie or Wolverine. I had had high hopes of keeping plastic toys and brand marketing away from her but it seems it is already too late. 
• In addition to dancing Az loves to sing. It's one of the most beautiful sounds to my ears when I catch her breathy "do do do"s. Usually when I hear them it means that I'm about to be asked to dance.
• She has finally accepted that I am "Mama" and Migs is "Daddy." She's spent the past few months experimenting with names for people. At one point everyone was Mama but me, at another time both Migs and I were Mama. It seems I am finally the only Mama, though this is subject to change at any time. 
• Az's new way of expressing the fact that she likes something is saying, "That's cool!" 
• This past month she has definitely learned to expressed her preferences; she's used the words "no" and "yeah" for a little while now but recently has really embraced them and realized the power of "no."
• She is very good about saying, "Thank you" when appropriate, which is nice since I hadn't seriously tried teaching this yet.  
• On sort of the same note, Az is very good about throwing garbage away unprompted. She also is good about throwing away things when I ask her. The only negative to this is that sometimes she throws away things I don't particularly want thrown away so I've gotten into the habit of visually checking the trash can as I walk by. Still and all, I'm still trying to get both Migs and Z to throw things away when they're done with them so I'm quite impressed with her.

I sure do love this girl more and more every day.

Tutu Cute

52/366

As soon as we came home at the end of the day Az donned what is becoming her new at-home uniform; her bright pink tutu and one shoe. We don't wear shoes in the house but at least Az was only halfway breaking the rules. For today's version she added goggles and a dinosaur.

Hold Your Babies Tight

51/366

Az, wondering why her brother was sitting with a blanket on his head. (He didn't want me to take a picture of him, another reason why I am doing Project 52 with him rather than Project 366.)

Today I got the opportunity to get my hands on a yearbook from the high-school I was pretty sure many of the kids I had worked with for my student-teaching went to. I had been curious to see what they looked like for some time. They were in fourth grade when I did my student teaching, and played a rather significant role in my life at the time. I brought Z on over-night field trips with them and the two of us crashed a couple of their fifth grade trips the next year. Two of my students even came to Z's fifth birthday party. I managed to keep tabs on most of the kids through their sixth grade year but once they entered junior high school I lost touch with most of them. I had lost track of how much time had passed and sort of expected them to still be in junior high, but when I thought more about it I realized they could even be in high school now.

As it turns out, they're sophomores in high school. Which is mind-blowing. It doesn't seem like that much time could have possibly passed. I'm not blown away by the fact that Z is turning eleven in a couple weeks; I feel like the two of us earned every moment of those eleven years. I've been there to watch those eleven years go by day by day. I lost track of my fourth graders though, and now all of the sudden they are neither mine nor in elementary school. Most of them seem to be progressing much in the way I would hope, or at least in the way I might have expected, but there was one girl whom I had been particularly fond and close to whom was sporting quite a bit of teenaged attitude and a bit more makeup and less clothing than I would have anticipated. It was yet another not-so-gentle reminder that I need to cherish every single day with my kids, because as they say, the days are long and the years are short.

Home Gymnastics

50/366
Az is really enjoying all of the pre-Spring cleaning going on around the house. This sofa had become a way station for a pile of frames I finally decided to stash under the sofa until they were ready to be hung. Az has been celebrating by doing somersaults over the arm of the sofa, over and over. (Btw, is it normal for a nineteen month old to be able to do somersaults? Like, actual foot over head somersaults? Because this little girl has been doing them, both on the carpet and the hard tile floor for some time now. I'm not sure where she even got the idea to try somersaulting. I guess some things are just so fun they're reflexive.)

A Ratical Idea

6/52
Z with one of his grandmother's pet rats. Getting the kids a pet has been heavily on my mind lately, largely because Az is completely obsessed with animals these days. Z has wanted a pet for a while now. I promised him a pet rat a couple of years ago, but instead I gave him a little sister. He seems to think that I still owe him a pet rat, though with interest he now thinks it should be a cat. I've never been a cat person, but I have to admit that the thought of having a cat underfoot for the kids to harass bond with has started to become more and more attractive. I'm not sure I'm up to the commitment of a cat though. Kids I can take on without any second thoughts, but for some reason I feel like cats and dogs are more commitment than I can handle at the moment. Kittens are awfully cute though, aren't they?

A Room with a View

49/366
I had thought that I had the house pretty thoroughly baby-proofed, but that was before I helped Z really truly clean out his room thereby exposing some new surfaces. One of those surfaces is Z's desk and red chair, which reside a little too close to a window that opens. There is a lock on the window but like everything else in the house it's a bit shall we say...vintage. Z's room is on the second floor (despite the fact that the house is one-story, go figure) so I'm a bit nervous about Az hanging out up there. I'll have to put another lock further up, but until then I've been trying to keep Az out of the room completely. I haven't been very successful though, Az loves spending time standing on the chair at the desk. She's actually become quite possessive of the spot and won't even let Z sit in his own chair. I can't say I blame her though, Z definitely has the best view in the house.

Hearing Crickets

48/366
We went over to my mom's for an early celebration of her birthday. Grandmama pulled out my old Cricket doll for Az. I don't think she's ever seen a doll that was so close to being her same size. Despite the fact that Cricket was also very close to her own weight as well she did her best to carry it around with her. Cricket no longer plays tapes, but that might have been the best; I can't imagine what Az would do if her two favorite things of the moment, dolls and music, were combined.

Plastic Princess

47/366
Az has a couple of new dolls that she is heads over heels in love with. They are a small Snow White and Jasmine, the quintessential little girl dolls and something I was hoping to avoid buying her for a few years at least. If I remember my dolls that I've seen girls of this generation playing with correctly, I believe they are both related to Polly Pockets; small dolls with a wardrobe of rubbery clothing I am required to peel on and off over and over throughout the day. I handed Snow White still in the box to Az during a grocery shopping trip in hopes of buying myself more time and patience while I shopped. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. She immediately loved it, and demanded to hold a pile of the Disney Princess gals in a large pile of boxes in her lap. I eventually parsed her back down to the Snow White, and attempted to ditch her at the check stand when I discovered how pricey she was, but Az remained steadfast in her desire for the doll despite all of my best laid attempts at distracting her. I ended up sending M in to get her the doll, with mixed feelings. She really didn't need the doll of course, but it's so hard not to give in to someone's desires when it would be so easy to accomplish. I'm in trouble with that girl. I ended up buying the Jasmine doll about a week later when I spotted her at another store for about half the price of her friend Snow. Trouble I tell you.

My compromise with my conscience was that I would keep the doll in my purse, for special occasions when I had an especial need to keep Az occupied. The problem with that plan was Az's excellent memory. Throughout the day she can be found dragging my purse around saying, "Doll?" I've stuck to my original plan to only pull out the dolls when we're out and about, mostly, and have been rewarded with the fact that they really do keep her happy and buy me some time to run errands or wait for Z to finish tae kwon do. Too bad they've created the need for more distraction the rest of the time.

Bedtime Routine

46/366
On the nights that Migs is home Az's bedtime routine consists of a bath every other night, teeth brushing, a story read by Dad until she decides that they are done and tells him "goodbye" or to go, and then I nurse her and stay with her until she is asleep, at which point she is transferred to her crib to sleep for a couple hours until she wakes and I pull her into bed with me to spend the rest of the night. On nights that Migs is not home I take over the storytelling but it is largely the same.

I do wish that I hadn't helped Az become so reliant on nursing and laying in bed with me to fall asleep but I also enjoy the time just laying peacefully with her each night. I know that she will learn to put herself to sleep eventually, she won't be in college and requiring me to drive over to her dorm each night so she can sleep, so in the mean time I'll just enjoy the excuse to have that one-on-one time with her. Currently from the time the lights go out and we begin nursing I stay with her exactly 35 minutes, down from an hour when she was younger. When she turns twenty months old in a few days I'll cut the time down to 30 minutes, but I might keep it at thirty minutes for some time. As with most things related to parenting, I've learned to just take it as it comes.

During the day Az also nurses herself to sleep, though on the days I work she still gets her two daily naps in with Migs so when hard pressed she apparently can fall asleep without it. I asked him how he gets her to sleep and he said that when she gets tired she just finds a spot and falls asleep. None of this will work when it comes time for her to start daycare or if she ever has to be watched by anyone else at night, but so far she has never been watched by anyone but Migs and myself. And so our imperfect routine works for now, and since we are in the now at the moment, it seems to be fine enough.

97% of Her Daily Wardrobe

45/366
Az spends a large portion of her life, at least the part of it spent at home, in one of her padded bodysuits (as I'm sure has become evident through the daily photos.) She currently has two of them, a brown one and a pink striped one. There used to be a purple polka-dotted one as well but it was lost to the clothing elves. I am convinced there are elves whom come and steal her clothing in the night, as she is constantly losing items of clothing that are never seen again. The elves are heavily helped by Migs, however, whom seems allergic to laundry baskets and hanging things up.

When Az was a baby she pretty much lived in the Old Navy bodysuits. Our little house under the redwoods tends to keep a permanent stasis of freezing and the bodysuits are the warmest thing I've found for her short of stuffing her into a cumbersome snowsuit. She is currently wearing the largest size they are made in so I'm hoping the two she currently has will carry us into summer; Migs has already had to make a few repairs to the seams here and there to keep them functioning. I'm not sure what we'll do come next autumn. I didn't have warm bodysuits for Z when he was Az's age, so I suppose she should be able to survive with some fleece pajamas and a thick blanket but I really am going to miss the bodysuits. My grandmother used to tell me that I made her feel cold when I refused to wear a coat and I always found this to be silly, but now I understand; I feel warmer when Az is wearing one of her bodysuits.

Valentine's Day

44/366
Before school this morning I gave my valentines their presents; they each got a knit cap from Zara and a book. I had bought the caps from Zara during their end of season sale and stashed them away until the perfect time to bestow them on my babies. Valentine's Day seemed to be that occasion. Az got a board book about love but Z got the book I Am Number Four, a story that of course has nothing to do with Valentine's Day. It's hard to find a topical book for an almost eleven-year-old boy though. Last year I got him a book of dating advice written by a 9 year-old. It is a book that has been particularly relevant to Z lately (!!!) and has been getting some use, but this year I decided I would just get him a book I thought he would like, if not love. He read the book from cover to cover in less than 24 hours so I would say I made the right choice. And hey, love was involved after all.

I was supposed to work today but when I got in the van I discovered I had a dead battery. It wasn't too big of a deal to get the van running, but by the time I did it was too late to head in to work so I called to alert them to find someone to cover me. It was irritating to once again be foiled by my vehicle, but it was a nice excuse to snuggle in and enjoy the day with my valentines. Migs brought ingredients for my favorite meal and we made it together for lunch. When it was time to meet Z's bus we headed to the small park down the street until it was time for Migs to go to work, me sporting  my heart-print scarf to match Az's heart tights. We are nothing if not festive dressers.

I had originally been planning on taking the kids out to eat somewhere but in the end decided I would rather just enjoy time with them at home. When Migs came home we had sweet champagne and chocolate strawberries and I caught up on my Google Reader while Migs played Skyrim. Over all, it wasn't a horrible Valentine's Day at all.

A Hairy Situation

43/366
Migs has been experimenting with hair styles, something I envy him for. I have had pretty much the exact same hair style for twenty years now. Both Migs and Z forbid me from changing my hair in any drastic way. I convinced Migs to try out the old timey moustache. This look lasted for less than an hour before he shaved the 'stache off. Oh well, I liked it. I was going to work on getting him to wear short pants and suspenders next.

5/52
Ah, my Z. The boy whom, when brought to Toys R Us (a place we very rarely go to) can be found in a secluded aisle reading rather than looking at toys, and likewise when brought to the neighborhood park chooses to settle down with a new book, but whom also can't resist running ahead when he spots a patch of concrete to pretend he is an airplane (I assume; the bottom photo was taken from many hundreds of feet away and by the time I caught up with him he had already moved on to a hundred other thoughts he wished to discuss.)

Getting Fun-ky

 

42/366

It was a rainy Sunday and Z didn't have school the next day so I decided to bring the kids to the Funky Monkey, a local mini-Chuck E Cheese-esque place. I had never brought Az to anywhere like it; honestly I don't tend to like Chuck E Cheese's and would rather stay away from the germ soup if possible. We had a lot of fun though, the place was almost deserted when we arrived and for the last hour we had the place completely to ourselves. It was another place that I used to bring Z when he was little, in fact we had his second birthday there, and it was another place that was looking worse for wear. A lot of the play structure had been pulled out, and not replaced with anything. Az didn't know the difference however. She had a blast climbing the structures and running through them on her own. She suddenly seemed a year older at least. She was playing like a kid, not a baby.

At one point she found a boy of about 8 or 9 and his little brother and she ran after them, excitedly yelling. They were laughing and running away from her. It made me sad, to see her looking so sad and dejected, but there wasn't much I could do. The boys had the right to run from her, and really weren't being mean in any way. But it still made me feel protective of her. The boys' mother did eventually come and yell at them for running away from a baby so they chose to just get off the structure. Watching my children try to make friends has been one of the hardest things of being a parent. I really hope that Az has an easier time of it than Z has.

Saturday Drive

 

41/366
On Saturday I decided I wanted to go on a short hike to somewhere new, so I consulted my Guide to Sonoma County Hikes and Walks, a book that thus far has been a bit of a disappointment. Considering how many fantastic places there are to hike in Sonoma County, the guide offers very few suggestions and most of the ones included are not really hikes per se. One of the suggested places was to a lighthouse. I had assumed it was a lighthouse in the area I had gone to a few times with my dad years ago. The one I was thinking of was actually a pretty rigorous walk, straight down and back up a very long flight of stairs to the lighthouse, and then an optional flight of stairs once inside the lighthouse. I miraculously got everyone in the home dressed and out of the house early and we were on our way.

I quickly realized we were headed to a completely different lighthouse than I had been imagining, as this one was actually in the opposite direction. I was up for the adventure however so we ended up taking a surprise trip up Highway 1, further than I had been since childhood when my dad and I used to take similarly spontaneous trips up the coast in his old red van. In the spirit of adventure I decided to take a few detours. One was marked with a small sign that just read, "Two Fish Bakery." We were seemingly in the middle of nowhere so I didn't expect much, usually such detours just turn up an old abandoned building that used to be something. This detour, however, turned up a small hidden town (though I'm not sure it's fair to even use that word) with one of the most amazing bakeries/coffee houses ever.

My day of detours of ending up wherever we may find ourselves was met with fantastic results. Over and over I turned down roads that were marked with small aging signs to find things that just should not have existed there. In the middle of nowhere I found a nice seafood restaurant and working pier. It was tucked into a very small cove and felt surreal to drive up to.

We did eventually find ourselves at the lighthouse. Migs and Az were exhausted by then so they opted to nap while Z and I ran around the grounds. It wasn't until later that I realized that the little running around we did was actually what the guidebook had considered to be the hike. Fortunately at one point, while Z used the bathroom and Migs and Az rested, I had gone for a spontaneous run down to a beach that was much further off the beaten path than I had expected. It was called Pebble Beach, and I was determined to see if it actually was a pebble beach. It wasn't. So I still got in the exercise I had wanted, just not where I had expected.

Eventually Z and I woke Migs and Az up to go explore the actual lighthouse. I've been in a number of lighthouses but I don't remember ever being in one like this. We were allowed to climb to the very top, and the 360 degree view was amazing and beautiful and absolutely worth the drive. I wanted to just continue going north up 1 to see what other surprises it held, perhaps not even returning until Monday since it was a school holiday. Unfortunately Migs had work so we had to cut our adventures short, but continuing further one day soon is definitely on my to-do list.

And at least that darn guide book was finally good for something.

Here Kitty Kitty

 

40/366

The other night when the kids and I got home there were five cats waiting for us in the driveway. I'm not sure why so many of the neighborhood felines had decided to congregate there, but after putting our things down in the house Az insisted on going back out to look at them. As as I squatted down with Az and tsked at the cats to get them to come closer Az immediately followed my lead, and was rewarded with the opportunity of petting a few of the braver ones. Az obviously remembered what she had learned in the ways of seducing cats the next day. While we were out getting Z from the bus; she dropped down to her knees and starting tsking again in hopes of calling out a cat to come visit her. Unfortunately for her, there weren't actually any cats around. The tsk tsk tsking has become part of her repertoire however; now when she sees a picture of a cat (or, sometimes, a dog) she makes her cat-calling sound. She is surprisingly good at patiently calling cats to her, though she almost always gets too excited as they come closer. When they get within a few feet of her she happily yells out, "Kitty!" which of course tends to send the cat running away.

A Hard Day's Night, and Day

39/366
Today was one of those knock you on your butt days of raising a Z. There were a few times throughout the evening and night that I briefly considered the fact that I hadn't taken Az's picture for the day but for once it wasn't a priority. I took this picture of Az in her brother's bed while we were saying good-night to him, just before Az herself got tucked in for the night.

Mo' Fro Yo

38/366

We took the kids for a pre-tae kwon do treat of frozen yogurt. Az and I shared 70 cents worth of frozen yogurt so I wasn't feeling too guilty about the splurge. However, there was a downfall in my plan; as soon as Az finished her portion she pointed at the fro yo machines and demanded, "more!" Her daddy, of course, obliged. Next time we'll get our yogurt to go.

Rainy Days

 

38/366

Walking to the car after picking Z up from school.

Morning Goodbyes

37/366

Z and I headed to school and work, respectively, while Migs and Az spent the day at home. We were running a little late but I had to stop to get this picture of the kids saying good-bye to each other.

He Never TIREs of the Park

 

5/52

Z and I used to live within walking distance of this park, when the play structures were brand new. Since then it has gotten a little decrepit; one of the slides is now boarded up and graffiti is a common decorative element. It seems like the park has begun to attract some less desirable people, but this has actually proven to be a good thing for us. The park is very open and right along a main street where everyone walking and driving by can see everything so I feel fairly safe. However, parents don't tend to bring their kids to play at the playground so Az and Z are often the only kids on the structures, so I can allow Z a little bit of freedom to play without worrying about his interactions with other kids. I like that Z isn't too cool to really enjoy himself at the park yet, and I'm pretty sure his sister is too.

Bed Bugs

36/366

I was doing something in the front room when I heard the kids giggling together. This is how I found them. My bed is an awfully nice place to spend time.

My So Called Life With Kids

35/366

Watching My So Called Life together. When this show came out I was a freshman in high school, a grade younger than the main character Angela. At the time I had never seen a show that spoke of my life so much. It seemed this show was about my life, Angela had my thoughts. I hadn't seen the show since it originally aired on television but it has always stood out as an epic drama in my memory. Upon recent viewing I found myself still identifying with Angela, but this time I was surprised to find myself relating to Angela's parents and teachers too. Ah, growing up. I still have a secret hope that Claire Danes will decide to reprise her role. I'm willing to overlook the fact that she's obviously a bit older than 15 years old now. The actors are always older than the character they're playing anyhow, right? When Az is a bit closer to the high school years I'll probably force her to watch the show with me again, but of course by then it will seem horribly antiquated and eye-roll worthy.

Pillow Pal

34/366

I spend a good part of each day acting as a pillow for someone, but luckily I don't mind.

Doctor Doctor

33/366

Az's 18 month well check appointment, which for insurance reasons we had to schedule when she was 19 months old. She was very happy and content until we entered the exam room, at which point she started crying hysterically and clawing for the door. As soon as the nurse left she was calm and happy again. When the doctor came in A was nervous, but it isn't the doctor that gives Az the shots so, while wary, Az did eventually warm up to her a little.

When it came time for the shot Az was of course incensed, but as always she got over the affront quickly. The recoup part of shots with Az is much easier than it ever was with Z; he continues to truly loathe shots, to the point that we have to make a special appointment and reserve a hospital bed when it comes time to give him a shot (luckily there are few necessary shots for a ten-year-old.) When he was still little enough to quickly force a shot on he didn't forgive me for a good thirty minutes afterwards. With Az, she gives me a few screams to let me know she isn't pleased with the situation, but a few hugs and words of empathy seem to be enough of a remedy for her pain.

Az continues to be on the small side, somewhere in the ten percent range for her weight. Her doctor doesn't seem to hold much value in the percentages so I sometimes have trouble getting the number out of her, but I like to know what it is out of a mother's curiosity. Z was always around the same percentage curve so maybe Az will grow to have a similar stature. She continues to be a healthy little girl (besides a runny nose that lasted a couple of days she still has never been sick) with a healthy appetite so it seems Az is just meant to be on the slender side for now.

The doctor checked, and all is well.

Little Bear

 

32/366

On the days that Z takes the bus Az and I walk down to meet the bus. The routine is that I carry Az down, because it takes Az a bit too long to meander down while the bus is waiting. On the walk back up, however, Az marches back up the whole way on her own. There is no meandering or stopping to look at things most of the time; she is on a mission. That hill has exhausted much longer legs than hers so I'm always a little proud of her for making it up without requesting to be picked up. The reward for her efforts is usually getting to play outside with her brother before we all head in.