Long time, no post.

Sorry for the long time between posts. Mari and I have been enjoying a couple of weeks of just "Mommy & Mari time." It has been very pleasant and my little girl is absolutely blossoming. She is quickly becoming a comedian (and the bigger the audience, the more silly she gets). She can fake cry, laugh, sneeze, cough, and now we have added fake "oh" for surprises. While her talking has increased exponentially, the amount you can actually understand has not changed...she is in a constant state of babble but still with the same amount of actual words as before. She is using words more appropriately now...when I ask her if it is time to leave or time to go somewhere, she will say "bye-bye." She looks at the dog and says "wuf-wuf" even though she still calls him a "kit-cat." And the cutest thing is that she seems to know that her socks and shoes go on her feet because she grabs the socks away from me and sticks them on the bottom of her foot. When you put her shoes on, she says "bye-bye."

Walking is getting much better. I noticed a huge difference just today (maybe because I was away from her all day). She was getting better about taking off and was making it farther and farther as long as she was distracted. If she realized she was walking, she would fall down or cheer so much that she knocked herself off balance. Tonight she was taking off purposefully and even trying to turn a little. She had a great day at her new daycare center today (I LOVE it, at least so far). She even had pizza for lunch...okay, whatever.

Started my new job today. VERY different world than what I’ve been used to. I very definitely will miss the clinical aspects of nursing and this new field will take some getting used to. I left today with a monsterous headache (not used to that much screen time) and sore feet (new shoes and lot of walking) and soaking wet (freak rain storm while walking to my car). But dinner, caffeine, ibuprofen, and Mari snuggles made everything better. So, it’s going to be awhile before I am even close to understanding half of my job–not a position I’ve been in for a LONG time. But my new coworkers are super nice and supportive and I have to admit, the hours are awesome. I even have next Friday (July 4th off, paid!!!!!!).

Well, on to some pix.

Play date with little Cooper.

The view outside my front door. I never get tired of it.

Hmm...Lesa, do you think Mari will get good driver points from State Farm?

Probably not if she drives this sleepy.

Or if she drinks and drives. (No, she did not drink any Coke...give me a little credit people!)

Mmmm. Mommy's spaghetti is so much better than that jar stuff.

Hair photos...finger curls.

Ponytails and natural curls.

This video I'm calling "Mama kisses." It's the best.