Favorite Robot

Not sure where to begin with this one. Propped up on the sofa is the NY Times Magazine open to a photo of a robot named Mertz. Since seeing him in this morning's paper she has developed a minor obsession and claimed it as her "favorite robot". In this picture she dressed him in a white hat and threw him a tea party.

I bet any money that if we were to actually get her the real robot she would still prefer the magazine. I assume that just because she likes something she'd want a real or bigger or more complex version of it. It's happened before. She loves watching Barney (I know, shoot me) but when I showed her a Barney doll she couldn't care less.

Hungarian Grandma

Mel's friend Jake has a Hungarian grandma who got both of them this T-shirt. She wears it with pride.

God Song

This image is blurry I know but here she looks so much like her great-grandma on Tim's side that I had to post it. It's odd how she looks nothing like me or anyone in my family.

Mel goes to a drop-in daycare at a local church where the loving daycare ladies make them say prayers before snacks and lunch. (We're in the South, y'all!) Maybe the ladies can tell this is not something we do in our house and say a silent prayer to save her from her God-less parents. At home before digging into her snack today she clasped her hands together and said "Sing God song!" and sang an unintelligble ditty.

Sandbox

Picked up a sandbox and lots of toys from a Freecycle neighbor. All we had to do was buy the sand...250 lbs of it! Mel has yet to show interest in girlie toys but I know the "princess" stage is coming. After her car toppled over she picked it up, hugged it and said "Are you OK? You're OK" very affectionately.

Big Baby

Mel tried out the bassinet today. She looks HUGE inside such a small space. I forgot how small newborns are.

Happy Birthday Uncle Dave!

Uncle Dave's birthday was on July 4th. He dropped by the house for presents and cupcakes and ended up watching Mel while Tim and I were busy with the contractor. Thanks Uncle Dave!

That night we walked up the block to watch fireworks. Mel had her hand pressed over her eyes the entire time because it was "too loud". Occasionally she would peak through her fingers in sheer terror. We walked back towards the house where it was quieter but she was still not digging it.

Remodeling

Mel is helping with our remodeling project. She walks around the house wanting to measure things with a yard stick I am convinced will be the object that pokes her eye out. Today we went shopping for bathroom fixtures. Try making design decisions with a wild monkey in tow. We had to peel her off the walls. It was very close to bedtime so we were asking for it.

Washing Hands

This is Mel and her buddy Bennett washing up for dinner. Mel wrapped her right hand around Bennett's waist for support. She must have forgotten that Bennett blew out the candles of her birthday cake just a month ago. They are very cute together.

Pool Party

Yesterday we had people over for a pool party of sorts. We discovered the kiddy pool can fit 3 adults and one toddler. Mel served tea on Uncle Dave's head. We lured Mel out of the pool with ice cream but Uncle Dave wouldn't budge and got pruney.

Milestones: Undies and Spelling

Mel is in the midst of potty training. Today she tried on her first pair of underwear and pranced around the house showing them off very proud of herself.

I think Tim and I can't get away with spelling out words we don't want her to hear. We do it with certain foods or she might demand them right away. On their way out for a hike I reminded Tim that Mel's R.A.I.S.I.N.S. are in her diaper bag and Mel said "That spells raisins!". That spells trouble for us.

Grandparents in town

The grandparents are in town. Grandma and Mel like making music. Grandpa filled the kiddy pool on the back deck which provided hours of entertainment (for Mel, that is). Good luck getting Mel out of there. Ice cream was good incentive. She had her first ice cream cone but didn't get that the cone was edible. She picked the ice cream out with her finger. The stylish sundress is from Aunt Marne. So cute!

Belly

Yes that huge mass to the right is my prego self. Today Mel showed a little bit of interest in baby #2. I asked her if she wanted to feel the baby's head which you could clearly make out above my navel. She seemed amused and then gave my belly a big hug. It was cute.

Spider Girl

Mel made a spider (pronounced 'pider') today at Gymboree. We are trying out the art class this week. She is very proud of her work. The only glitch was her squeezing the glue bottle so hard that it sprayed all over her hair like a fountain. That will be fun to wash out.

June Ultrasound

This is the latest and probably last ultrasound of Bump #2. All looks normal. No more water on the brain! Bump now weighs 3 lbs. It wasn't cooperating so we only have a partial close-up view of the face. It is lying on its side with top of head pointing left. The brightest areas are the bridge of the nose and cheekbone.

It was cool to see the kicks while I felt them. Bump, by the way, is in breech position. This would explain why my bladder is taking a beating. There is plenty of time to turn around still.

Chacos

Mel worked hard at getting dad's shoes on. They are on the wrong feet but I'm pretty impressed she managed to get them in the straps the right way.

Birthday Girl

This was a few weeks ago but I thought I'd catch up. I brought cupcakes to share with Mel's playgroup for her second birthday. Whatever the store bakery used to make black icing is a bear to wash out.

Mostly Air

We visited the grandparents for Mother's Day a few weeks back and had a nice brunch at a German beerhall. I filled a huge plate of dessert for all of us to share which Mel tried to claim as her own. She focused on eating copious amounts of icing with her finger. I was uneasy with all the sugar consumption but Mel reassured me (with grandma's prompting) that it was "mostly air".

Hello, finally.

I meant to set this up when Melina was born. That was 2 years ago. Better late than never I guess.

Let me sum it up for you. What started as a helpless newborn is now a destroyer of public and private property. After explaining why we don't pick the flowers I got this response. More good times to follow I'm sure.