Let the Sun Shine

This shot, while beautiful, eerily reminds me of the movie Jesus Camp

This next series shows off her climbing skills which (sadly) improve and expand daily:

Playing on the rug. She now smiles for the camera when asked. So big!

We took an afternoon swim at Quaddick State Park last Friday afternoon. Another "cheeeese" shot:

Do you remember the last scene of 40-Year Old Virgin with Steve Carrell dancing around in pure ecstasy to the song Aquarius? There was another great one in the movie we saw last week, 500 Days of Summer, where the character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt did the same after a blissful night. Well, that's me this morning after Beatrice just had an ELEVEN hour sleep IN HER CRIB! I could dance on the ceiling I'm so happy and rested. Not only that, but she's sporting a new top tooth. That makes six on the top and 4 1/2 (one is so, so close) on the bottom.

Totally unrelated, above are pics from the iPhone that got downloaded last night.

Mind the Gap!

Before Beatrice came home, one of the things I researched and angsted about the most was how she would sleep safely in our bed. We considered having her between us, on one side, we talked about ditching our bedframe and just putting the box springs and mattress on the floor, and looked at co-sleepers, some very expensive and the cheapest of which were not recommended for babies over six months old. In the end we moved the bed against one wall and decided she'd sleep between me and the wall. There was about a six-inch gap between the edge of the mattress, so I stuffed an old, very puffy down comforter in that gap so she wouldn't get stuck. Usually in the course of a night (or whatever fraction of the night she spends in our bed) Beatrice covers at least half of the area of our mattress. She is definitely a "mover and a shaker" and rolls, turns, kicks, headbutts, spreads her legs as widely as possible (and that's really, really wide), and basically tries to take over the entire space. However, recently, she's taken to confining herself into the six-inch gap and sleeping peacefully in that little nest. She used to cry when she got "stuck" in there and I'd immediately pull her out, but often lately I awaken to see this....

Veruca Salt

If it's possible to turn into a blueberry, Beatrice just may do so. She has eaten her weight in them this summer, and this morning we finally did one of the things left on my summer to-do list: blueberry picking in Woodstock. It is a perfect New England summer morning with brilliant sunshine and cool temps that will heat to mid-80's this afternoon, so I knew this, her 15-mo. birthday by the way, was the day. Beatrice was in heaven picking berries right off the bush, off the ground, and out of the basket which Anthony and I were attempting to fill. I was considering shutting her off of these delicacies since she's "gone green" for many days now, and I don't mean she's signed a contract for solar panels (though we have). I mean I'm changing four and five "green" diapers a day; however, I just can't deprive her since the season has only a couple of more weeks left in it. What I will NOT do, however, is let her feast on blueberries AND corn on the same day. That was a big mistake. Here she is blissfully happy sitting on the wet ground and eating her fill.

Lazy, steamy morning = blogging in the a/c

Since my last post, Beatrice was sick for the first time since we've been with her. Two days after her shots, she woke up with a runny nose and the next 3 days she was a "glazed donut" as our friend Phyllis accurately described, with alternating and sometimes simultaneous drippings come out of her eyes, nose and mouth. Sorry if that's TMI. She was so pathetic looking and I almost took and posted a photo but I decided that would be just downright cruel. If it weren't for the fact that all 3 of our guests the weekend reported have a cold when they got back home, I'd have thought it was due to shots and/or teething (3 more seem to be just on the cusp of breaking through), but perhaps it was a cold after all since as of this morning Anthony has a sore throat. Regardless, she continues to be a little stuffed up, but in amuch better mood and resuming normal activity level since the weekend. She never had a fever through the whole ordeal. We have no doubt this little cookie of ours is TOUGH physically. To have survived all that we assume she was exposed to during 11-ish months in an orphanage, we know her immunities must be strong. The hardest thing about last week was she got a touch of that nasty rash on her cheeks that appeared in the heartbreaking photos we got of her last December. I smothered her with Aquaphor many times a day and it's almost gone, but her face is so sensitive and moisture or sun or any one of a number of things seems to trigger this rash. I guess we will know more next month when she gets more shots whether or not this is the way she typically reacts. She was unusually needy and clingy to me during the roughest of the days and I was pretty tired. My sister Louise and Anthony decided it was time for Anthony and I to get away for a couple of hours, which we did last Saturday night after B. went to sleep. It was great to get out and walk around at Riverfire here in town and she never made a peep while we were gone. Of course, less than 2 minutes after we arrived home, she screamed for me, but it was a nice evening anyway. We're planning on going out again for a bit this Friday as well. Yesterday, we visited with my college friends Barb and Benedetta, and Ben's six wonderful children. Beatrice loved all of them and she didn't have a lack of attention for 2 seconds! I sure wish they lived closer since I'd have my pick of nannies, all superbly qualified. Tomorrow we plan on heading to Maine for the day to see her BFF's Kristin and Erik, whom I also would love to have nearby. I am keenly aware that my summer as stay-at-home mom is quickly drawing to a close. I return to school full-time in 13 days and can now at least write that without sobbing. I'm trying to savor each of these remaining days and just take one day at a time. Here is a photo of her taken just before I typed this. She looks so big to me, her skin has become a beautiful brown in her brief time in the sun, and her hair keeps growing quickly. The other shot is so I remember how small her feet really were/are. She's been barefoot most of the summer and the other day I took out some shoes, certain that the size 2's would be tight and the bigger ones might fit, but she still looks like Aladdin in the size 6-12 mo. Robeez and her little pink Cinderella ballet slippers still fit like a glove. We got one of those clay impression kits to put her hand or footprint in, but when we went to do recently, it was all crumbly and dried up, so this photo will have to serve as a keepsake. Here's a video as well of her newest "talent:" self-feeding with silverware. It's one of those things that I'd rather not have to teach her since the transition is not fun to clean up all the time, but she's very proud and I suppose I can't feed her or let her eat with her hands her whole life. Note the way she forcefully extends the spoon outward for a reloading.

They Meet at Last

Here they are sharing toys

Teasing us with standing, but no steps taken...

Cutie pie

Showin' off his cool shorts

Enjoying Fleet Foxes

Taking a break with Daddy

In the yard tonight......(yes, same dress as Saturday...practical for dr.'s appointment)

"How old are you, Beatrice?"


What a wonderful 4 days we had with Jonathan and his family. We visited Providence, shopped in Worcester, enjoyed Vietnamese, Thai, and Middle Eastern food, hung out talking about all things from ridiculous to serious, and enjoyed the music festival under a cloudless blue sky that looked like a movie backdrop. A highlight was holding my daughter close to the stage while singing along with Pete Seeger as he played "Turn, Turn, Turn." The babies alternated with ignoring each other, playing cooperatively, clocking each other with blocks and grabbing each other by the shirt and pulling hair, and pretend feeding each other and holding hands. The adults did pretty much the same! But seriously, it's amazing how many common parenting habits/philosophies we have. We sure wish they lived closer, for our children's sake as well as our own. I wish I had taken more photos, but I was too busy enjoying myself to do so. T and B, if you have some good ones, please send them our way!

Beatrice got two shots today, her first ones since being with us. She screamed for a few seconds and then smiled through the tears and waved bye-bye and even blew a kiss to the nurse. Resilient, thy name is Beatrice. She took a long afternoon nap and has been in a very good mood, so hopefully the night will go well too and all her future post-shot days will be like this. By the way, she is now tipping the scales at a whopping 19.4 pounds and is 29 inches tall. She has gained 1.2 pounds and grown 1 inch in the nearly 4-months with us. That's incredible because most people gain that after just one meal in our home.

I mowed the lawn this afternoon and the yard looked beautiful. The purple in her dress matched the purple in the yard, so I got the camera out......