Miss Us?

No, I haven't forgotten to blog. Just sometimes there is not enough time to even think around here. Mari is into EVERYTHING! And she can move fast. I left her for less than 30 seconds tonight, she was standing in the bathroom watching the tub fill up for bathtime (she loves to watch the water run), I grabbed her PJs and a towel and when I came back, she had unrolled all the toilet paper. And was SO proud of herself.

Our trip to St. Louis went great. We had so much fun meeting everyone. The only glitch was sitting for over an hour on the runway in Cincinnati waiting for weather somewhere over Virginia to clear. They actually boarded us and taxied out to the runway knowing that we were delayed. Mari was good, considering. She was restless and fidgety but we managed. I ate about 300 "hand-me-down" soggy cheerios and she drank all of my 16-ounce water bottle (it had a squirt top--SO COOL!). Somewhere in America there are 15 National guardsmen who will probably shoot themselves if they hear "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Sorry!

But we had a great time with all our new friends. I got a couple more tidbits of info from some of the families that met Mari in Ethiopia before I went. I found out that, during tummy-time, my daughter would roll over the other babies...sounds about right! I also got a couple of pictures from one mom this week (after she did some digging in her trip pix) that absolutely touched me to the very core of my being. I can't really share about them, but I got a glimpse into the future and Mari has a treasure that I can't wait to show her one day. Thanks C.H.!!!! It's amazing how random picture-taking can mean so much to someone!

So now that we are home, it is back to the old routine. Mari is having a blast at daycare. They had sprinkler day on Friday and Mari was the only one that would get in the water--big surprise! They are also doing art every day and it is hilarious to see some of the things she is doing, I'll have to take pix and post them. Can you imagine doing art with a roomful of toddlers? Brave souls! She is learning sign language at daycare and I was very surprised by the signing she does, I wasn't even aware they were teaching her. Needless to say, the furious signing for milk took me a little bit to pick up on (I had a baby sign book and looked it up after I finally thought "I wonder if they are teaching her sign?"). So her sippy cup of milk was very appreciated, if not timely. She discovered that her finger fits nicely in her nose...I just hope she doesn't figure out that other things fit in her nose.

So, on to some pix.

Mari's new hairstyle. I got some great advice on haircare while in St. Louis. Just being able to get my hands on a great head of hair helped (thanks S!). The moral of the story--product and lots of it. I was being too skimpy. So now her hair is healthy and curly and soft. Yea!!! It is getting very long but the curls are so tight that you can't really tell and we are not doing relaxers yet.

Here is what $9 will buy you at the dollar store. I don't think we will need barrettes or rubber bands for years to come!


Just a little messy. I finally learned to just take the shirt off.
My backpack that Kaili got me. Don't I look so grown-up.
This picture was taken a little over six months ago. The first meeting of the cousins.
And here they are last week. Haven't they gotten so big? Soon there will be three!