Rozey Thorn Trees

Me: Freya, get your shoe. There it is. Get your shoe. Freya walks over to her shoe, picks it up, brings it to me. She is such a smart baby. Me: Yay! Good job, Freya! Good job! Get your other shoe! Over there. Your other shoe. She brings me a book called  Jessie, The Lonely Puppy . Me: No, Freya, no! Not a book. A shoe. Get your shoe. It's over there! She brings me a backpack, then a life jacket, then a teddy bear. Meanwhile, I'm pointing till my arm is nearly out of joint trying to get her closer to the target. No can do. Sophia walks over, picks up the shoe, and puts it in baby Freya's hand. Me: Yay, Freya! Yay! You brought Daddy the shoe! The shoe! The shoe!... (We celebrate success whatever it looks like : )

Thalia's toddler bed is a success. Glad she's not in a bunk bed. The real problem is Freya repeatedly crawling into the bedroom to bounce on Thalia's bed while she's sleeping. It's the cutest thing to hear a 10 month-old baby giggling to herself as she bounces her sister off the bed. Thalia doesn't find it funny...

Me: Thalia, please pick up any food on the floor under the table before the baby finds it and eats it. 3yr: There isn't any food under the table. Me: Good. Check to see if the baby is eating anything. 3yr: She's eating a person. We have to be thorough about cleaning the carpet after meals or else Baby Freya turns into a little scavenger (LEGO people beware).

What are the chances that I would inadvertently place a handful of Tootsie Rolls (that I stole from my children's candy basket) next to a naked brown Crayola crayon? Blech!

Freya tried and enjoyed two new foods tonight: peas and sand. --LR

I fell asleep grading last night only to be woken at 2 a.m. by my frantic wife telling me there was a fire. In the fridge.  Water leak + Lower fridge light bulb = Continuous sparks and the smell of burning plastic. True story.  Long night. I unplugged the fridge and transferred the perishable items to my mother-in-law's fridge.  The next day we had our condo fix-it guy come by: It's nice to have a new fridge that doesn't leak and also a kitchen light fixture and a range hood that works properly.  A bonus was the contractor finding a gold ring hidden inside of our old range hood! Maybe we can sell it and pay our bill. Nope. A gemologist confirmed that the gold and diamonds aren't real. Sigh...who hides a fake ring in a range hood! Haha...

Me: Honey, I'm thinking about asking my doctor to prescribe me some Ritalin. Laura: YES! Me: Uh, wow. That was a bit enthusiastic. Laura: I mean yes, but just be careful because that stuff is a chemical and too much of that is not good for you. Me: What did you say?....

Tips for reversing baby sleep schedule? Anyone play the trumpet? --LR

At 7 lbs, 11 oz, we are glad she came a week early. She is very verbal and feisty, and she has a voracious appetite; She will fit in just fine.