Look Familiar?

As a general rule, I don't think Margot looks much like me. Oh, sure, she has my cheekbones, and she's starting to develop a few freckles, too, but her eyes are different and she's long and lean like Brodie.

That said, we're out visiting my folks right now, and my mom dug out this photo of me from 1978 (19 months old).



And now here is Margot in April 2007 (27 months old).

Surrealist

Margot: "Mommy! Look what I made!"

Me: "That's lovely! Tell me about it. What's happening in the picture?" (Because, God forbid, you ask your kid 'What is it?' Such blunt questioning has gone the way of corporal punishment in the classroom by today's parenting standards!)

Margot: "It's a frog."

And that's when I realized: hey, that image is pretty good. And, in an abstract way, it does kind of look like a frog. Especially the curve at the top. Maybe I only see that because I'm her mom, but this one is way better than the usual scribble on her Magnadoodle.

Planting

So we don't have a proper backyard, but I was inspired by yesterday's flowers and greenery to do some planting of my own on the roof deck today. Min helped and impressed me with her dexterity and careful use of the trowel.

Afterwards, I washed the potting soil off Min with the hose; seems she still loves cold water!

A Visit to the Suburbs

Yesterday Margot, Brodie, and I drove to Ellicott City, MD, to celebrate the christening of Margot's newest cousin, Quinn Rogan. Brodie and I became Quinn's godparents; Quinn was an angel all day! He didn't cry when the priest poured holy water across his forehead, and also didn't cry when the priest's jokes fell flat during the homily. Such a doll.

After the christening, we all returned to Jen and Jared's house for a lovely luncheon in the perfect 80 degree sunshine.

This was Margot's funniest comment of the day: When she walked out of the kitchen and onto the back deck, where she caught a glimpse of the plastic slide and other toys, she immediately exclaimed, "Whoa! A PARK!"

She had a great time catching up with her cousins Luke and Riley in the warm air.

Spring is Sprung!

Finally, FINALLY it is warm out. And such perfect timing too! Yesterday evening was a belated Easter party hosted by the Wharton Kids Club. Brodie prepped Margot in the car on the way over to "get as many eggs as you can" and she obliged.



Today we went to a school picnic in Fairmount Park which I think, if I'm not mistaken, is the largest urban park in the U.S. The weather was warm and sunny, and we all had a fine time eating grilled steak and lounging in the sun. Of course, I completely forgot sunblock, but there were many other better-prepared parents there so Min's fair skin was protected.

Pillow Talk

Brodie is away for the weekend, so it's just 'the girls' this weekend (me, Margot, and Portia). Margot has been a little sniffly the past few days (a minor cold), so I let her sleep with me when I heard her wimpering in her crib before first light.

She promptly fell asleep on Brodie's pillow and I drifted off too. A couple of hours later though I felt a poke on my shouler. Poke. Poke poke. "Mommy!" she whispered loudly. Poke poke poke poke poke poke. "Mommy! I can't see my ears!"

I couldn't help but smile, and opened my eyes a little. She was leaning right over me. I pushed back the covers. And then...

"Oh Mommy! You look just like Ariel!" (I guess because I was wearing a tank top?)

Of all the Disney princess images, I guess I resemble the redhead the closest. I'm sure this was meant as a compliment, so I'll accept it gracefully...

A History of Easter

Here is Margot on Easter 2005 (this is called the "Daffodil photo" in our house):


And then in 2006 (this isn't her actual Easter photo, but was a week or two before):


And now in 2007:


Margot had a nice Easter, despite a lot of crankiness today (and not much candy, so the sugar/caffeine isn't to blame). She behaved well in church. She enjoyed searching out her Easter basket, which the Easter Bunny hid in the living room. She REALLY enjoyed snacking on jellybeans, and didn't show an affinity for one particular flavor over another (although we didn't have any licorice beans to slip to her). Uncle Tim and soon-to-be Aunt Maggan came to visit for the afternoon and were gracious enough to play tea party for a while. But by 7:30, Min was thoroughly ready to go to bed and recharge for tomorrow.

Here's an extra photo:

She Walks! She Talks! She...Swiffers???

This photo does not adequately convey the enthusiasm the Min shows when dusting the floors.



This one does.



Swiffering is one of the Min's two chores. Her other chore is feeding Portia, which she does very carefully and with great pride. She loves to fill Portia's bowl from the feed bag and very slowly and carefully carry it across the kitchen, setting it oh-so-gently onto Portia's placemat. She's still not steady enough to do the water yet, though.

Permanent Psychological Damage

Is it a sign that my working from home might be harming Margot's development when she scribbles furiously on her Magnadoodle (TM) and insists that she 'has to get her work done!'?

First Documented Manipulation of a Babysitter

Last night we took Margot down to Baltimore with us so that we could go to a wedding. It was a fun wedding with lots of old friends from college, plus it was at the Baltimore Zoo and there were keepers walking around with penguins and owls and other kinds of screeching birds.

Margot didn't get to go to the wedding though. My friend Julie, also from college, stayed with her. (Sidenote: Margot's going to start thinking that the name 'Julie' means babysitter. Her babysitter in Philadelphia is named Julie, and Caillou's babysitter on TV is also named Julie.)

I was very concerned that Margot would be upset when I left for the wedding because she doesn't know this Julie. But she just said "Bye-bye Mommy, see you 'ater" (remember, she doesn't say any Ls yet and just drops then off) and ran off when it was time for me and Brodie to go, so that was a good thing.

When we got back, Julie reported that while Margot didn't eat much of anything for dinner (surprise, surprise - she looks like a filly with her long skinny legs) and they had a good time playing with the water fountain in the backyard. Also, Margot tried hard to convince Julie that she doesn't have to wear a Pull-Up at night when she sleeps. Luckily, Julie didn't buy it (thank goodness, that would have been another wet sheet disaster.)

But I realized: this was her first calculated manipulation of a babysitter. Or of anyone as far as I can tell. Margot certainly knows that she wears a Pull-Up at night when she goes to bed, and she's never minded it before. But something has developed in her brain that's saying, "Hey, Mom's not here, let's see what I can get away with!"

Look out Julies of the world - who knows what she'll come up with next.