No, really. This is the good stuff.

Last night we went to check in on Molly like we do every night after she's gone to sleep and discovered that she had barfed all over her crib and was sleeping in a pile of vomit. Gross.

Off came the sheets, the mattress cover, the blanket, Molly's pajamas ... all in the wash for an emergency laundry cycle. After, of course, carefully sifting through the vomit for clues as to what she ate that could have made her sick.

Pretty crummy way to cap the day, huh?

But it wasn't though. As I sat on the toilet seat with Molly in my arms, keeping her warm while Mom combed the chunks out of her hair, I choked up with how much love I feel for this tiny little naked human being clutched to my chest. It was the same feeling I had when she was really little, just a few months old, and she had her first real fever and I sat in the glider chair for hours with her sleeping in my lap. I think it's the feeling of love that only a parent can have for a child.

I love seeing Molly developing from a baby into a child and I'm so proud of the steps she makes along the way, big and small. I was so thrilled when she starting walking and made a sudden leap of independence to be able to ambulate where she wanted to go. I love that she's almost talking and I go a little weak in the knees when she says "daddy." But the moments when I feel fatherhood is the most fulfilling are when she needs comforting. Like when she's sick and she just needs to be held and hugged and gently rocked to sleep.

It was pretty late by the time we got her cleaned off and into a fresh set of pajamas. She was strangely calm during the whole ordeal, even though we'd woken her up abruptly to strip her down and wipe her down with wet washcloths. After making her crib up, we got her down and she just laid there looking up at us. She's been going to sleep like that lately, and we've been encouraging it because it's good for her to learn to go to sleep on her own.

Still, I was still worried that she might throw up again and I didn't want to leave her so I threw the futon mattress down on the floor next to her crib and camped out for the night. She never cried out like I kept expecting her to. Instead she just pressed her face close to the slats of her crib and looked at me in the darkness, blinking slowly. I dozed off after a bit and when I woke again, close to midnight, I leaned in close to see her eyes and she was still looking, still blinking, still quiet.

Highs and Lows

Well, what a weekend. It started out pretty badly, with the buyer for our apartment backing out on us after two weeks of torture. We're pretty bummed out, since that puts all our house-hunting and moving plans in limbo. We can't do anything until we sell our place.

To pick ourselves up, we took the kiddo to the swings in the park. It's only her second time, I think. She hasn't quite got the hang of how to sit, but she was happy enough to have us push her in the seat.
Molly continues to be a picky and light eater. Here's a typical look on her face at mealtime. "You think I'm gonna eat that? Think again, buster."


So, we're trying to keep our spirits up as the great apartment sale continues. We have become much neater than is really healthy or natural, all to keep the apartment looking attractive. Wish us luck!

Father's Day Weekend '08

The weather was lovely this weekend - perfect for the opening of the Farmer's Market in town. After music class we headed over to enjoy the first harvest of the season. We'd also planned a brunch for Saturday afternoon. Daddy pulled off a terrific feast of two homemade quiches, fruit salad, and a sampler of yummy iced teas and lemonades. I contributed blueberry muffins.

Molly was the life of the party, despite the whole thing being right in her nap time, so she didn't nap at all. She adventurously toddled off along the paved path in the backyard of the apartment building, only to trip on her own feet and have a nasty fall right on her forehead. She scraped her forehead and knee, but a graham cracker and her very first band-aids cleared up the boo-boos pretty quickly.

Sunday was Father's Day, which we spent house hunting and napping. Not too exciting for dear ol' Dad, but he did pose for a nice picture with our little ladybug to memorialize his day.

Buh-Bye!

Sorry for lack of a recent post. Usually I put photos up but I don't think I've taken any since the last post. We had a busy weekend celebrating Dad and Grandma's birthdays with a delicious BBQ dinner. Then we did some house hunting on Sunday. That's a whole other blog, but we're not gonna start one!

Molly has generally been a bit slow on speaking when compared to her classmates. She babbles all the time in her own little R2-D2 language, but her English? Not so good. Just this week, though, she's started to say "Buh-bye!" when she's waving goodbye to people. So that is supercute, of course. She likes to wave to people all around her, including to the cars behind us in traffic. She still faces backwards in her car seat, so she gets a good view. A few kindly drivers even wave back!

And in case we needed more evidence that she is watching and absorbing everything we do (she already mimics talking on the phone, hair combing, and tooth brushing), this morning she spat some carrot out of her mouth (nothing new there) and then picked up the pieces one by one and toddled over to our kitchen trash can, lifted the lid, and dropped the trash right in there!

Aloha!

Grandma and Grandpa T. sent this adorable dress that they picked up in Hawaii. I think she's ready for a little tropical vacation. Thanks, grandparents!

Dad's Super Fun Birthday

We had a lovely weekend celebrating Daddy's birthday. We ate out (without the baby!) and on Sunday enjoyed the Iris Gardens in town. Molly looked especially summery in her shorts, sunglasses, and hat!