Swimming Lessons

Melly loves the water. I got to go with her and her Daddy to swimming lessons yesterday and was so pleased to watch them learn together.

Not the best picture, but I couldn't resist the swimming suit!


This is my favorite one.









She was very disappointed when the swimming lessons were over. There was a little pouting and some almost being grumpy...but then we were allowed to walk up the stairs and went out to lunch so everything was good again.

(PS after swimming Melly took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap. I think that's a record!)

The OB and me

Yesterday I had another baby check up (The new one, not Melly). I was informed that all of my tests came back from the first visit and I am very healthy (except for the being too heavy) and so is the baby. (My blood pressure has even gone down.) He was not too pleased about another ultrasound and chose to hid on one side of my belly. But Miss Melly did the same thing so it's not too surprising. I had all of my genetic testing done this time...and will find out the results at my next visit (or after 10 business days if something is wrong). Everyone will be glad to know that I do not have cystic-fibrosis or sickle cell anemia. (I know, big shock, right?) The only bad news, I have strained the muscles in my belly and am not allowed to carry Melly anymore... So I am having a grand time accepting the let the 1 and a 1/2 year old walk and learn that holding hands is mandatory when walking outside.

Melly has her check up in two weeks. And I fully expect to hear good things. She has picked up a new word this week. Ball and we are very pleased. Right now she is napping and she appears to be over her allergies. So life is good. She has, however grown out of her shoes again. So today we are going to the mall to get her some new ones. Poor thing is walking funny in her current ones.

Weekend review

This weekend was pretty good...

It started on Friday with a welcome weekend for UNC. I got all kinds of info about what is going to happen in the next few weeks, about what I can expect for the Fall, and who I need to talk to about being pregnant while in grad school. It was pretty wonderful. I am still on this "I can't believe that they actually accepted me" kick. But, other than that I am applying for a position with The Collaborative and I really hope I get in. I have to promise to work for child welfare for at least two years after I graduate, but since I was planning on going there anyway, it doesn't seem too much of an issue. But their positions are very competitive and so I will need to write a very good application...cross your fingers for me. (Plus they have a scholarship and that would be nice too!)

One sad part about my time at UNC was I missed Melly's first swimming lesson. She went on Saturday morning with her daddy. Apparently she splashed and laughed and had a grand old time. Apparently her enthusiasm won her funny looks form some of the other parents. All I have to say is "thbbbbbbbbbth". I love that Melly enjoys life so much! I can't wait until next Saturday when I get to go there with them. I will have pictures and everything!

Unfortunately, whatever bug I had last weekend came back with a vengeance this weekend. (Is there such a thing as the weekend flu?) So I spent a day feeling terrible and wishing that I would feel better quickly. I seem to be much better today...but I am ready to lose the cough and upset tummy.

Last but not least we have our tickets for games at GenCon!!!! I am so excited about this. Our trip in August is completely planned now. As this will be our last baby free vacation for many years, we are making the most of it. Now if only the hotel has a massage parlor.....

The waiting is the hardest part.

Anniversary

Today Mr. C and I have been married for 4 years. Which is kind of impressive in today's five minute marriages. But the more impressive one to consider is that we met and basically started dating (although a little off and on at times) thirteen years ago. Crazy, right?

Life moves on

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We were visited by Grandma and Grandpa D this weekend. (And had a great time. Thank you for coming!) And then I was sick and well, there always seems like more things I need to do with Melly. Go figure. Anyway we have a very nice Easter weekend the weather was beautiful and we spent lots of time outside. However I did manage to fond a few quiet moments of Miss Melly being cute.

Enjoy.
Melly loves to be on our bed. She squeals with joy every time she manages to get there. Here she is hiding in the laundry, just before she jumps out on her unsuspecting prey.


IN another moment, Melly snuggles with her monkey. She has two animals that are her favorites, this is one of them.

NC ren faire

This weekend we visited the NC ren faire which is very close to where we live. So after a shaky start (for some reason Miss Melody needed to wake up this morning at 3:45a) we were napped and off by 10a.

There was so much to see and do! So many people! The only problem...there were pine cones! And for some reason baby + pine cones = crying and needing to be helped around them.

But we did have a very good time running around in costume and watching all the people.

Maybe next year we can play some of the games and maybe stay a little longer (we made it about 3 hours this time...a record!)

Spring in my step

With the first sunny and warm day in a while we busted out the new spring wardrobe! (Thank you Grandma D!) And here is Melly showing off a beautiful plaid and green shorts set. She is ready for summer!


A little while later the empress of the living room discovered that there was a patch of sunlight in a very accessible place. So she pulled her pillow over to it and sat down for a mid-morning bagel in the sun. (She started sneezing almost right away but was enjoying the sun too much to move)

50 more years

This week Mr. C got a shock. I sent him to the Doctor (mostly so we could get a doctor) on the pretense that he had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic a few years ago and we wanted to know what was going on now. (when actually what he wanted was a physical but this doctor won't give them until you are an established patient...so strange.) Anyway he took the tests and we waited... And on Tuesday an apparently flustered nurse called and informed him that his sugar was seriously high and he needed to come in right away for treatment. So on Wednesday he went in and got some pills (with a side effect of weight loss, can I have some of those when I'm not pregnant?) a business card for a nutritionist and strict diet and exercise requirements. He is down over 200 points after two days and will soon be in the 'normal' range. (We hope.) Not quite the news we were expecting.

Funny side note...I wanted to test my blood sugar and was such a baby that I couldn't prick my own finger. So Mr. C had to do it. I am happy to report that after the dinner and ice cream that I ate I was still only in the 90's. So no gestational diabetes for me.

I did, however, inform Mr. C that I expect him to be here for me for at least fifty more years. And he is off to a great start.

Wonderful baby tricks

This week Melly has started kissing. It's the best thing ever! If you ask her for a kiss...she will lean in and touch lips with you. So wonderful! (She has also learned how to raspberry...not quite as wonderful for me, but still really cute.) Babies are great.

I also started ordering maternity stuff. (Some clothing and a sleeping pillow.) The pillow came in this huge box...which was of immediate interest to Miss Melly.

So she and her daddy were hanging out in it together.

Cheers!

Ultrasound pictures at 9 weeks

I know you can't tell much from a 9 week ultrasound...one of the playgroup moms calls them the gerbil pictures. But here he is (he being what I assume the gender is)

When a door closes a window opens

As many of you know lots of doors have been closed on us in the past year. But like the troopers we are we know that there is always another path opening up. I was joking with Mr. W that when the last door closed I not only went to check out the open window but jumped out of it without looking to see where I might land. And truthfully, I think that's what we have done again...

We're having another baby!
It's official as of my doctors visit today. I am 9 weeks along and we are due on October 24th. (I have an ultrasound picture that I will attempt to get scanned and posted soon.)

Grad school, new baby, and a lot more distance between the ground and where we are now.

So exciting!

Baby no pants says:

I am a fashionista. Pay close attention to my non-matching shoes and my choice of no pants.

Revel in my cuteness.

Yippee!

Yesterday I went to the mailbox and found a letter from UNC (University of N.C. at Chapel Hill.) and had a moment of panic. It was a little envelope. Not what I wanted to see for getting into grad school. But low and behold... there were several sheets of paper inside including the one that welcomes me into the master's program for Social Work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to grad school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I already sent back my intent to enter. Filled out my FAFSA. And have started looking into student loans. I am so excited. I really didn't think they were going to accept me. And now I do a happy dance. (insert happy dance here.)
The most difficult part of this is I need to prove that I have had my immunity shots. This is actually an issue. I have had them all, but can't prove any of them. (sigh) So far I have called the AFB hospital where I was born and they are going to fax me a form ( I love the government) to request copies. But I also have to get in touch with Peace Corps and get records from them. Hopefully between the two of them I will not have to get even more shots. (I already doubled up on several when I was in the Peace Corps because I couldn't prove them then.)

So excited!

MSW!!!!!!

I'm getting my masters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A moment of Melly

A new sport is born...table climbing. It takes a lot of skills including pushing out the chair, getting onto the chair, and finally getting onto the table without mom noticing. All things smart girls can do on a Monday afternoon.


For some reason that we can't figure out...it's never the toys but the box she loves. So here is Melly in her favorite new toy...

Vacation!

Mr. C and I are going on vacation in August. It's very exciting. Especially since we are leaving the baby at home with Grandma D...for five whole days! It's wonderful!!! We have not had an 'adult' vacation..or any vacation really since before Melly was born. And this will probably be the last for quite some time. So with my CA retirement fund (yes, I cashed it in because there is not realistic way I am ever going to work for the CA school system again.) we are off to sunny Indianapolis in August to get our geek on.

So exciting.

"No way"

A brand new spring outfit from Grandma D. Thank you Grandma D!

Melly has a new phrase. She walks around the house, happy as you please, saying "no way". It's very cute. We have no idea if she knows what she is saying. But she does know it gets a good reaction. So go baby, go!

We also have new teeth sightings! Those pesky two front bottom teeth that have been missing for so long (Not the very front, but the next ones over) have finally made their appearance! The doctor says that we should be expecting the canines soon too. Big toothy baby!

Sadder news, I didn't get the Salvation Army job. But I am still looking and not too discouraged!

Sunny and warm with a chance of a land line

Today's high is 71 degrees. A far cry from the snow on Monday, right? Weather is so strange.

We finally decided to get a land line. A local number. Mostly because I am tired of having to give out my cell phone number and because I want to be able to leave Melly with a sitter and the sitter will need access to a phone. But we are having phone problems. It's all hooked up but doesn't work. So we have to call the technician back. I'll send out emails to everyone when we have a number that works. (Right now if you call you get an eternal ringing or a busy signal...pretty much whatever the phone wants to give you.)So it's pretty much useless.

Thank you everyone for the good job hunting vibes. I should hear back about the interview today, and hopefully, have a second interview next week.

I promise more Melly pictures as soon as I get a chance...her show just ended and she will soon be climbing up into my lap.

Cheers!

Snow, Strep, and the Salvation Army

Part of my agreement with Mr. C to move from CA was that I would only move to places with a 5% chance or less of snowing. So now that I am sitting in my living room looking at a winter storm that has once again dumped several inches of snow on my house...I'm a little disgruntled. Some of the natives have told me that this is the coldest and longest winter that they can remember. Great. Lucky me.

Strep. I'm sick. Really sick. fever, blisters on my tonsils, throwing up, sick. Really pleased about it too. Really. (I'm not being sarcastic because I'm eating the equivalent of adult baby food, heated.) It all started on Friday when I was feeling a little sick and had that tingling feeling in my throat. By Saturday I was falling apart and on Sunday I finally went to the doctor who after coming back with two negative tests looked at the spots and said "Well they look very inflamed so we will treat it like strep and take a culture for the outside lab." Then he asked, "Is anyone else sick at home?" Well Miss B? Is there?

And last but not least I have a job interview with the Salvation Army today...hence the issues with the snow and the strep. But never fear! I will overcome! I am going to that interview and I will rock it! I want this job!!! It's a volunteer coordinator position, so it's perfect for me. Cross your fingers everyone. This would be a great opportunity for me not to mention lots of fun.

So think of me in my snowy, strep induced prison, especially all of you in sunny CA.
Hey Miss B, aren't you glad you came last week?

Random Melly moments

Little baby smarty pants knows that before we go bye-bye momma has to put on her shoes. So when the baby decides that it is time to leave she brings my shoes to me...and then shows me how they should go.




I know I have told people about Melly's monkey. But here is the proof. She loves to cuddle with stuffed animals (and Aunt E's yarn). Her favorite thing to do is wander around the house until she trips on it's feet and then lay there snuggling. What a baby!


But I'll tell you what, everything is made better by a visit from Aunt E. Melly and Aunt E are new BFFs.

Reporter on the spot

Baby no pants here to show you a little bit of how I like to spend my day.


This is one of my favorite toys right now. A funnel. I learned that it goes on my head from my mommy and Grandma C. See, I can put it there all by myself.


I love to share. And as everyone knows...funnels have to go on your head. So here is daddy trying it on.


Sharing is good, but it is always fun when it is your chance to play.

Valentine's Day (Just a tad late)

On Valentine's day I woke up and put on my brand new Valentine's Day outfit from Grandma D. I felt so pretty I know I needed to show my Valentine. But I couldn't find it anywhere.


First I went to the highest bridge in the playroom at Gymboree. I looked and looked, but my Valentine was no where in sight.


I took some time to look for my Valentine in the bottom of the ball bin. But there was nothing in there but balls.


Then I checked out the tunnel of love. And low and behold there was my Valentine!


Hope you found you lost love too!

A week in review

This has been quite a week for us in NC.

On Monday Mr. C left on a business trip to CA. And Melly and I have been living the high life as women on our own. And as I have said earlier I am looking for a job...well of course I got a call for an interview on Monday. After explaining to the very nice lady that I would love to come in and could it possibly be at the end of the week so I could find a sitter she told me to bring the baby in with me. (Wow, people do that?) So I washed her and dolled her up and we went off to the big city. As I pulled into the parking space and turned off the engine (with five minutes to spare) I turned to look at my baby in time to watch her throw-up all over the backseat of my car and herself. So I pulled her out as soon as she was done, stripped her down to naked, wiped her down with baby wipes and re-clothed her in our spare clothing (with no pants) and left my car full of vomit for the interview.

We made it on time (although very smelly) and had the interview. The lady was very impressed with Melly....probably not as much so with myself. But she said she was doing call backs for the second interview next week so we shall see. After the interview I went down to my foul car...and cleaned it as best as I could in a parking lot. (Mostly stripping off the padding that I could and wiping down the rest.) And drove home. That was Tuesday.

Wednesday we went to playgroup. And the ladies were very nice and watched Melly while I went and got the car seat out of my car and Mrs. B put the rest of the padding in the wash while I sprayed down the plastic with cleaner. It is mostly clean now. But Miss M was not too happy all day and not sleeping well because every time she lays down she ends up coughing. Poor thing. That was Wednesday.

Thursday...Ms. M went to Gymboree and had a pretty good time, however she was very tired. When we got home I put her down for a nap and she woke up fifteen minutes later and threw-up all over her crib, the floor, me, and her changing pad. So I cleaned everything up, including the baby and called the doctor to get her looked at. That was Thursday.

Friday... We stayed at home all morning. And after declining a morning nap she went down hard at 11a. And woke up at almost 1. Then we went out tot eh mall to get a Valentine's Day present for Mr. C. And after that we went to the Doctor. She listened to her breathing, looked in her ears, and in her mouth and Miss Melly does not have pneumonia. (One of her playmates does and so it was an honest concern.) But she does have rattling in her lungs and so she is now on antibiotics for five bays. She also does not have an ear infection (thank goodness). So we got home and she threw up on me again. (Goodie.) And quickly degenerated into whining and ultra grabby so she has been put to bed already. But we are now officially on the mend.

Tomorrow we have a Valentine's Day party at Gymboree and then we will be picking up Mr. C from the airport. Hopefully after a good night of sleep and medication Missy will be feeling much better and we will all get some good sleep. Which reminds me that I have to go and fill the humidifier for her again. So good night. I am enjoying my pizza which they were kind enough to deliver to my house.

Cheers.

sleep-a-boo

Playing peek-a-boo is very tiring.

However, waking up is the best when you can see yourself first thing.

Bringing back the fun

Step one: Taxes.

Yes, really, taxes. We went in and had our taxes prepared for us today. (We didn't want to do it because of the 2 state, moving and baby stuff.) Low and behold we are getting money back. Lots of money back. Like, enough money to pay off a huge chunk of our credit debt and still save some for later back. It's like money handed to us on a silver platter. We paid a lot to get this wonderful money, but it was well worth it. And next year you can bet your sweet patootie that we will be going back.

Step two: Unemployment.

Last you heard from me my unemployment had run out and I was panicking. I applied for an extension that very night. And this afternoon, low and behold, it came. So I will be receiving unemployment for thirteen more weeks. That is not to say that I have now actually started looking for a job for reals, I have a true time line now and will find something. Here is something I have been missing, the faith.

Step three: Bonuses.

Mr. C is about to receive one for a job well done. Hopefully this will be enough to finance our vacation in August.

Step four: Cashing in CALPers.

So, yes, not much coming from them. But my eleven months of service isn't useful in any other way than to get us through the hard times. Like right now. So we will use it.

Step five: Not sick baby.

Melly is all better. And was in top form today at the tax place. Plus she slept in until 5:45 this morning which is a far cry from the 4:30 she has been doing lately. So cheers!

See, it's not so bad. Things usually seem to work out for us. But not until I get to have my day of panic and then get to feel the sweet, sweet feeling of all the stress drain from my shoulders. So on a beautiful 70 degree and sunny day, just let me say... We feel good, oh we feel so good, yah!

Things that aren't very fun

So this week along with some positives are some negatives...we will start with sick baby. She started with a runny nose before the shots on Monday and Monday night and Tuesday she was a miserable sack of baby. We even gave her baby Tylenol. Positive side to this she is much better now and eating again. Her nose isn't running anymore, but it is all crusty (eeeewwwwww!) and her fever is gone. All better.

Second negative, my unemployment is up. No more money for me. So I am now looking for a job. In the biggest unemployment boom since the 80's. I'm living in a state with over 8% unemployment. Great. And lots of my skills are in social work, you know one of those fields were all the funding is being cut. So wish me luck.

I don't want to give my baby back to daycare, but I sure as heck want her to be able to eat. So hopefully I will get work soon.

Cheers!

15 Month check-up

Today was Melly's 15 month check up. Her stats to date...
Weight: 23.2 pounds
Length: 30.5 inches

Her weight and length are in the 50%. Her head...is 19". And that still puts her off the curve but it is not growing as fast and is much closer to the curve than it has been before.

The doctor is very impressed with her coordination, her six words and how curious/friendly Melly is. Yah! Grow baby, grow!

We have almost completely give up formula. As soon as the container we have is empty she will have baby formula no more. She is quite pleased with milk. In fact we have to scale back her milk consumption. And we are continuing getting her off bottles. Right now she has three or four a day and she is supposed to be off them by 18 months. So here is for getting her to that goal.

I loves me a healthy baby!

Groundhogs Day

Yesterday I was driving to the store and a news segment on the radio started talking about Groundhogs day. They were saying that the city of Raleigh has it's own groundhog to tell the weather and his name is Sir Walter Raleigh. Which suddenly made me realize that the city of Raleigh was named after Sir Walter Raleigh. Ha! That's right up there with pancakes and contacts (two other words that I finally caught onto in a flash of clarity). Apparently Sir Walter has the best track record of any Groundhog on the East coast...something in the 60 percentile.

Unfortunately the most famous Groundhog (Punxsutawney {yes, I looked up that spelling} Phil)already gave his prediction...despite the freezing temperatures, he saw his shadow. Looks like he says six more weeks of winter. We are waiting for noon however, when Sir Walter will give his. (However with the bright sunshine and temps climbing to the 60's today I think he will probably agree with Phil.)

Shameless Self Promotion

I have opened up an etsy store. For those of you who don't know what that is...It like ebay for hand made items. I realized that I make lots of stuff and I don't need most of it. So to give my fun ideas a good home, I decided to try and sell some of them. If you are interested in checking out my store... click here

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Words that start with 'B'

Babies! Always a good word to start with. Another 'B' word, bubbles! And this baby loves bubbles. (No matter how grumpy she looks in this picture.) With the wonderful new bubble blower we have (Thank you again Grandma D) we can literally fill the house with bubbles. So much fun!

Booze also starts with 'B'. And thanks to a Christmas present from Grandma C we have tried our hand at making pomegranate wine. We have been through most of the steps (for three weeks) and yesterday poured it through a strainer. So here is our booze, sitting in it's new home for at least a month...up to a year. And then we bottle it. So watch out world, something good might be coming. (Or possibly really bad, we have no idea. But it smells good.)

Babies say "Moo"

Melly and I were looking at a picture book this morning full of farm animals. I was saying the name of each animal along with the noise it makes. She smiled every time I made one of those funny sounds: This is a dog, it says "woof". Then I got to:This is a cow, it says "Moo". And she cracked up. I said "Mooooooooo". She laughed and said "Mooooo". And now any time you 'moo' at the baby, she 'moos' back. Quality time.

Four Letter Word

AKA Melly's first snow day.

Why did we move here? 5" over night and it's noon and still coming down...

Right after these pictures were taken Melly decided to walk intot he snow. She tripped on it and got her hands wet and cold and sat down. That started a crying fit. So two minutes into her first snow day it was over.

Finally a the girl starts showing my likes and dislikes.

Playing with Grandma

Fearing a cold, we got Melly a humidifier. It worked really nicely. As did the box it came in. This was tons of fun. Who knew a baby could fit in such a small box?

Another milestone?

Today we said goodbye to Grandma D. It was a very nice visit and to finish it off Grandma D treated us to lunch. We had our food and were just getting into eating when Miss. Melly started to projectile vomit. Yummy! I had no idea one child could have so much food in her belly. After several bouts, completely covering herself, her daddy, and the table and floor she stopped and gave me the most pathetic look of "I don't know what just happened but I think I might be upset about it". I quickly stripped her out of her outermost layer and then escorted her back to the car where I stripped her completely, wiped her down with baby wipes and re-dressed her in the extra clothes we carry.

I have never managed to deal with another persons vomit without getting sick myself. I am amazed that I dealt with this so well. As did her daddy who cleaned up the restaurant while we were in the car. And in case you were wondering she is fine. We think that she either got something caught in her throat or had a sour stomach from too much lemonade. Either way she is happy, clean and on her way to her afternoon nap.

Thank you for the visit Grandma D. (And all the clothing!) And now we are getting ready for Mr. C's trip to CA next month and Ms. B's visit right after he gets back! Yah!

Tu-tu cute!

Grandma D is visiting and so we had to put on out tu-tu and have a little fun.

Choir

Last night I auditioned for a city choir. It was nerve wracking and terrible up until I actually got to the audition. Then I sat in the waiting area with several very nice people and discussed children. After waiting for quite a while (I was there really early) I was called in and...did a pretty darn good job for singing a piece of music that I had to imagine the accompaniment to. (I wish I had a piano, once again something I can have once we have a house of our very own. Oh yah, and don't live on the third floor.) But I only flubbed the last note (mostly because of poor breath placement) and the director said I had a beautiful voice! He called it velvet! (Big old blush from me, than you very much.) I even get to be a second alto! Ah, I love singing second alto. It's perfect. Rehearsals start on the 26th. I am so excited. The best part is that they are on Mondays. Which means that I can go to my WW meeting and then home for a moment before going to rehearsal. A perfect night if I do say so myself.

I am so excited! I can't wait!

Want to learn more? Click here.

Sewing again

When we made our big move I had to get rid of lots of stuff. One of the things I had to slim down was my fabric collection (Much to everyone's surprise). But I figured if it was at least half a year and not bigger than three yards (and something I still liked) I kept it. I was going through these remnants a few days ago and then I went through my patterns (as most of you know I have hundreds) and discovered that baby clothes don't take much fabric (or time). So I busted out everything and here is my first peice of baby clothing.

My favorite part is the pin-up girl fabric on top, however the pom-poms are pretty wonderful too. Wanna know the best part? I finally learned how to use my super easy, one step, time saving button hole maker. (That only took two years, my husband, me, and the internet.)

Soon I will have a picture of her in it along with others. Ah the power of dressing up my baby!!! (Note: Even though the pattern says that she is almost too big for this outfit it is huge on her. She looks like a big old purple pillow...so cute!)

To the park!

Pretty close to our house is an extremely wonderful park. It has two separate play areas (for big and small kids) lots of stuff to climb on, several slides and two sandboxes. Pretty much the coolest part ever. Melly has visited a few times and this was her adventure on Saturday.

First we played on the swings. They were good for a few giggles. But soon we got tired of that and wanted something new.

It seems that all we really wanted to do was walk up and down the ramp leading to the big kid area.

After a few dozen trips back and forth (and a keen grasp of what hand rails are for) we went home for lunch...or to the nearest Target to buy a shower curtain. (Grandma D we are ready for ya!)

"No"

Is learning the word "no" a milestone?

If it is...then Miss. Melly has once again proven that you don't have to be 2 to learn the word "no".

That's right. Every time she gets upset now...diaper changes, temper tantrum, have something taken away...we are treated to an ear-splitting "NO!" Followed closely by several more. Very exciting.

This is fourteen months. I guess we are ahead of the curve. *sigh* Why did one of her very first words have to be 'no'?

Hair

Ever since Melly was born she has had a full head of hair. I have been waiting (with baited breath) until it would be long enough to play with. I got tired of waiting this afternoon. However she got tired of my attempting to put it up. And this is what we ended up with. So cute... I can hardly stand my beautiful hippy chick!

The Princess of Pancakes

The Princess of Pancakes wants to tell everyone: Happy New Year!!!