After a quick little day-long interlude with you and Daddy I headed back out for meeting number 2 – a trip to the “Big Easy,” New Orleans LA:

All of these pictures were taken for you! So you could see where your Mommy was and know that she was thinking about you!!

I love you Baby Girl!

The best part of my week away was coming home to you and Daddy:

Hey there Baby Girl –

I got to talk with you twice today.

I am in Chicago for the first of two almost-week-long meetings. I am presenting a few times this week at a conference called AERA and two times next week at a meeting called NARST. Though I think it is very important for both you and me that I do this, I miss you terribly while I’m gone.

Today was Easter. I went running this morning and happened along an Easter service being held on the beach by Lake Michigan. The beautifully orchestrated sounds from the brass instruments were filling the air – it was wonderful. After I came back and showered, I took a cab back to the host church – “4th Church” on Michigan Ave. The head pastor, John Buchanan delivered an artful and inspiring sermon – so witting, intelligent, progressive… and most importantly, so grace-based and Gospel-focused. What a treat for me! You were at church with Daddy and Jimmiqua in Rochester at the same time that I was at church in Chicago. Another cool thing was that I was sitting near an older woman named Elloise. 🙂 Another reminder of the beauty of Easter. It is your Great Grandma Elloise’s first Easter in Heaven – that’s pretty cool.

I’ll try to post more pictures tomorrow for you… but here are a couple random ones of my room.

I love you Peanut!! XOXOXOXO
*Mommy

One of the versus of lullabies we sing together at night goes like this:

“He’s got Mommy and Daddy in His Hands.
“He’s got Little Miss Maya in His Hands.
“He’s got Everybody in His Hands.
*That’s a lot!”
“He’s got the Whole World in His Hands”

Everytime we get to the spoken line, “That’s a lot!” you look up and me with the biggest smile and say “That’s a lot!!” That is a lot Baby.

Later, the song says “We’re all safe here!”

Again you look up to me with an enthusiastic smile and repeat the words – I totally agree Peanut Butter – we’re all safe here! It’s such a wonderful reassurance – especially coming from your bright smiling, confident face… I have to go away on a trip tomorrow, and it’s very hard to leave you… but I do feel peaceful as I know “We are all safe here.”

Last weekend we went on a little Easter egg hunt with your friend Marlie… Here are some fo the pictures…

One thing I absolutely LOVE about you is that you simply will not be limited by the path – I’m not even sure you see the path. When we went to the park on Saturday, you immediately climbed the hills, found the snow piles, threw leaves and played with sticks.

You also greeted everyone we met with a smile and a “Hello!”

Let’s see… other things you are doing these days.
You answer the question, “How old are you?” with a sweet “Two!” and two fingers (most of the time).


Tonight, after some snuggling time, you said “Rock-a-Baby.” I picked you up and took you to the rocking chair. Within a half of a song, you were out.
You are singing along to songs and finishing verses in your favorite books.

You say the phrase, “more please”: “mo-ah pease!”
You still love to be outdoors more than anywhere else.
Your term for endearment for me is Mom e ah… It’s very sweet. You only use it when you are playing with me.
You are enamoured by the moon. You look for it every night, and you get giddy every time you see it. We jump up and try to grab it and you giggle and giggle. You are amazed that it is by church when we come out from choir practice AND it is our house by the time we drive home!!! When we go in, you say “Night night Moon.” You are convinced that the moon is sleeping. It’s all very sweet.
Today I bought a backpack for you from a consignment sale. You LOVEd it. You shouted in the neighborhood – “Ride, Mommy’s backpack!!” We hiked around the block, and Daddy & Macy joined us. As did the moon.

I love you Baby Girl,
*Mommy

I’m sorry Peanut – it’s been FAR too long since I’ve written to you. It certainly isn’t because you havne’t given me a TON to write about! I actually write these notes to you in my head every day – as I’m driving to work, as I’m watching you sleep, as I’m giggling with you on the floor, as I’m sharing a bowl of oatmeal and “bula-beries” with you. : )

We had the most wonderful weekend last weekend… Here is a quick recap:
We had a fun day on Saturday, starting with a hike on what they call a Bird Song trail in a nearby park. You bring bird seed, hold out your hand, and the chickadees eat RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HAND!! I was holding you in one arm and a foot away from you, little chickadees were perched on my other hand eating!! You were so excited she yelled “Chick A Dee!!” We turned to look down the trail we just hiked on and, no lie, there were 4-5 squirrels, 2 bright red beautiful cardinals and a number of little chickadees eating the food we dropped in the snow as we walked. You could hear the woodpeckers doing their thing… It was truly magical!!




After that we stopped by a building at the head of that trail where they keep injured birds of prey. We met Barf the turkey vulture and learned that he was given his name because turkey vultures’ defense mechanism is to throw up what they’ve eaten, and I guess that smells absolutely horrendous. (Thankfully, Barf wasn’t threatened by us… whew). We met a bald eagle, a screech owl and a number of other very interesting birds!! Very cool!!!

After nap, we headed over to our friends Jeff & Martha’s house who also have a 2-year old… You were so wonderful with your new friend!! You shared toys, you looked out for her, you picked upa couple of her manerisms… just precious. Uncle Jim and Aunti Judi joined us for dinner and play.

Sunday, I met Jimmiqua (my little sister in the BBBS program) for breakfast, and she joined Daddy and youfor church. Jimmiqua volunteers in the nursery which is both great for her and you. I am working on a big paper deadline of next week… 4 papers due on Monday.

This is what you do when I ask you to smile (you totally crack me up!):

Okay – I’m going to get some pictures posted before getting back to my crazy papers. Thank you for being so many of the “HIGHS” of my days! All day, I look forward to when I get to see you next; – you are the most WONDERFUL alarm clock anyone could ever have (“Mama?”); I love sharing breakfasts with you – yogurt, oatmeal, juice, kiwis and bula-berries – while watching “George;” we are dancing queens when fun music comes on, whether its on the tv or in the kitchen – you are the best dancing partner ever; you MELT my heart when I come home after you and you are so excited to see me you can’t contain yourself – your legs kick and kick and you giggle and giggle!

You are everything that I pray you will grow up to be: strong, smart, beautiful on the inside and out, daring, fiesty, confident, empathetic, caring, tender.

…sometimes I’m off-key when I sing”

These are words to a lulliby we listen to (and sing) each night. The song is a prayer in which Junior lists the occurances of his day with a chorus of “It’s really good to know how much You love me… Your love is with me all throughout my day!”

Every day you are growing taller, you have more wonderful words, you are doing new things – and testing those boundaries. : ) I really wouldn’t want it any other way!!

Let’s see… some of the new things you are doing:
* riding escalators (with Mommy or Daddy of course)
* sitting in big chairs (on your knees)
* enjoying the reading of bigger, longer books
* you say Hi! or Goodbye Everybody as you enter or leave a room
* laying on your back and blowing bubbles with your face in the water (not both at the same time) in the bathtub or swimming pool
* you empathize with others: when you see someone smiling, you say “mommy happy!” and you smile a huge smile
* greeting Macy and Jake by name (and sometimes with kisses) when you see them
* no lie, you can almost count to 10 (it’s kind of freaking your Dad and me out)

Tuesday night, you came to Gospel choir practice with me (because Daddy was working). You were SO incredibly sweet. You sat on my lap (or danced on my lap) most of the practice, kissing my cheeks, snuggling into my neck, rubbing my nose with yours, patting my legs or kcking your feet to the beat of the music. At one point, you got off my lap to stand in the middle of the floor (surrounded by the choir) and danced your little heart out!! You slapped your legs to the beat and directed the entire soprano section to join you! You bring SUCH joy to everyone you meet!

And I get to be your Mom – How do I rate?!?!

Okay, enough babble… I love you Peanut!

Big, beautiful snow flakes, a labrador puppy, Hannah and her snow tower, Park Avenue, snow blankets on trees, and nice old ladies…

…another wonderful day

Okay, so this picture pretty much sums up today’s adventure:

What in the world are you people doing to me now?

We took you tubing at a local snow tubing place. The website says that it is great for all ages – even babies – as they have different hills, etc. So we planned and organized and packed and…

then drove about an hour (while you and Daddy napped). We got you, Daddy and me all suited up, paid our admission, and headed off for our adventure – all of us a bit unsure about what we were getting ourselves into. The three hills looked pretty much the same and teenagers were loving them (which made us wonder whether we were in the right place); there was no orientation or introduction to the process; we started by pulling you on a tube up to this person who attached your tube to these hooks to tow you up the hill. The plan was that I would get in the tube before that happened, but the worker hooked you up so fast that I had to chase it and jump on it, saying “We’re not ready!” (which did not give any of confidence about what was to come). We got to the top of a pretty large hill, they sternly told us to get off faster. Another teenage worker explained, “You just have to throw her off when you’re nearing the top.” Yeah, uh huh. Right. (Clearly, no clue). Then we asked around for which run down this big hill was for babies… no one seemed to know. Finally, this other person said that we wanted the first hill – they get steeper as you go. Okay, so we were definitely going down the first hill… Neither you nor I was sure about this. Yet another teenage worker gave us a push and off we went… as we neared the top of the drop off, I couldn’t see the bottom…. I just squeezed you tight and hoped we stayed in that round piece of rubber! I cheered reassuring things as I inwardly prayed… We got to the bottom, and we were both done.

I pulled you around in the tube by another Mom who was pulling around her 2 little girls. You enjoyed watching them, but you never decided you loved it.

We asked for a refund, and went inside to change clothes and have a snack.

We met this sweet little girl and her parents who were also from our town.

You ended up playing with her for a bit… then we went to the YMCA in Batavia to salvage a little play. After having some funning running around a gym, we headed home.

All in all, it was quite a day. It was fun to spend the day outside and with each other. I think we will hold off on the tubing for another year or two…

By the way? I love your adventuresome spirit! You really are an awesome kid!

Love you Peanut,
*a tired Mommy