The Big Day

Roo had her 2nd birthdy party on September 26th and we all had a blast. At least looking back. I think the two weeks leading up the event almost killed us, but on the day of, all went smoothly.

A bunch of stuff arrived on Friday and everything else had been purchased in advance, so we were as prepared as we could've been. Activities included a Tigger & Pooh bounce house (of course featuring "Roo"), a spin art machine, bubble machine, pizza & cake.

The bouncy house went up around 9:30 AM and Roo was fascinated by it. She and Auntie Court watched it go up and couldn't wait to get inside to check it out. The company didn't even come and pick it up until after 5 (past the original reservation time), so we all got plenty of bounce time in (even the adults). If anyone in CT needs or wants a bouncy house, check these guys out: www.superfuninflatables.com, there were GREAT!


Grandpa & Grandma McCoy let Roo open her presents before the guests arrived. She loves "my baby," but refuses to give her a name. I think she walked around with "my baby" and her new baby stroller for the next week. She wore a path in our hardwood floors.


Guests arrived promptly and most of them headed straight to the bounce house. Daddy and Uncle Anthony also go some adult bounce time.

Uncle Anthony and his daughter Marissa arriving.

Beckett and Corey, friends from school.

Roo, Beckett and Madeline having a blast.

Roo & PJ.

"Bounce-a, bounce-a, bounc-a!"

Miss. Ashley, Roo's teacher arrived early and along with Auntie Court helped supervise the bounce house. Thank you both! Not sure what we would've done without you. Grandma McCoy helped with the spin art machine, which was a great activity for toddlers. I bought smocks at an art supply store and each child was able to make their own creation, just by squeezing paint. Super easy for everyone.

Bounce house chaos.

The second favorite part was the pizza & ice cream cake. Everyone gathered on our back porch, where we had kid's tables and chairs set up. All the kids and parents were able to fit and it was really fun watching them. Kerry even got on the roof to take pictures and thankfully didn't fall off.

Pizza party.

Creative cake courtesy of Daddy.

Yummy ice cream cake.

Once the kids started leaving, most of the neighborhood families hung out, played in the bounce house and drank a couple of beers until nap time. Then I had to drag Roo upstairs reluctantly because she looked like she was going to pass out since her nap was way overdue.

We even wore Roo's friends out. Sleepy James.

Birthday girl only slept for an hour and as soon as she got up looked out the window to make sure her bounce house was still there. We played in it until it go too cold and had to go inside.

Bouncing with Mommy.

After nap bouncing.

By the end of the day, with an exhausted Miss. Roo.

Great day overall, and I am so overwhelmed by the generosity our friends and family..thank you all for coming and helping to keep the toddler chaos to a minimum. I kept saying my only goals were for Roo to have a great day and to wear out her friends. Mission accomplished!

26 Days Until...

Miss. Roo turns two and 22 days until her birthday party. All the arrangements are made and Daddy did such a great job designing her invite I had to blow it up bigger for everyone to see. The Tigger and Pooh bouncy house is reserved, tables, chairs, spin art machine, coordinating plates and napkins have all been purchased. Not much left to do but distribute the invites, order decorations and a cake. Should be a blast and since Roo is obsessed with bouncing ("bounce-a, bounce-a Mommy)" the bouncy house should be a big hit. Can't wait!

Peas for Breakfast

Yep! Strange, but true. Miss Roo requested frozen peas for breakfast the other morning. She is a big fan. Of course she only ate 3 and then "all done Mommy." I am going to just keep pushing the veggies and hope for the best. If that means she wants them for breakfast, who am I to argue?

Spots!

Roo is very into what she calls "buggies". All bugs--flies, bees, crickets, but most of all ladybugs. Which is a good think because her Auntie Court is all about ladybugs, so they can bond over their little red spotted friends. Seriously though, Reagan has a whole ladybug rain outfit. The whole kit and caboodle--coat, boots and umbrella. Ask our friend Caryn, who go to witness the fashionista live and in person when we went to breakfast together on Saturday.

On the same ladybug subject, there is a song that plays on the radio called "Ladybug Without Spots." Roo loves to sing and every time she hears the song, at the appropriate moment she yells "SPOTS!" This year for Halloween she is even going to appear as her favorite superhero--Ladybug Girl (seriously, this is the title of her favorite book).

Tonight, Daddy went to softball and I got solo Roo time, which is perfect timing since I have to leave on business tomorrow. We executed our typical bedtime rituals, with the addition of a visit to Roo's new potty. Dinner, wash hands, try to go potty, wash hands, argue about getting into the bathtub, finally get into bathtub, splash Mommy and make a mess, out of tub, brush teeth, get jammies on, watch Miss. Spider, argue about story time/bedtime and then FINALLY succumb to Mommy's wishes and head to the bedroom for story time & bedtime. Quite exhausting and some days it feels like the whole thing last for hours, even though it may only last forty-five minutes. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every second, even as we are doing battle with each other.

Tonight's story time included Toddler Animal Friends, I Got A Potty and Curious George Goes To The Movies. All big hits. As Roo's eyes started to droop, she reached up and touched my forehead and said very sweetly, "Mommy spots." I thought I had something on my face, then I realized she was talking about my freckles. I giggled and said, "yes, Mommy has spots. They're called freckles." Roo said very carefully, "Freckles. Mommy's freckles." Then she broke me out of our sweet spell by saying "Mommy Story Time!"

Every day brings a new discovery for Roo and reminds me to laugh more and try to enjoy these little moments. I know they will all be gone before I know it. My only goal is to live in the moment and enjoy every second.

My Sweet Girl

This weekend has been a whirlwind, and a rainy one at that. Roo is pretty active (we joke that we need to exercise her like one of our dogs), so rainy days are not our friends. Saturday we ran a bunch of errands (I am terribly behind) and played around the house. Sunday morning was a bit rainy, but the sun finally came out in time for Reagan's nap. Of course.

After napping, I decided our best bet was the pool, even though I knew it would be cold. So we packed a bag, sunscreened up and headed over. While there, we bumped into a family we know and the kids began playing a "push" game. I have no idea what the heck it was, but suddenly every kid, regardless of age, was playing it in the shallow end. It was actually kind of funny. One kid would run up to another and say "be careful, don't push me" and then without even being touched fling themselves backward into the pool and launch into a hysterical fit of laughter. Never seen it before, and probably won't see it again. Odd kid thing.

Once the lifeguards called adult swim, Roo and I headed to the picnic tables for a snack of veggie stix (her current favorite snack) and then hit the playground. Hard. After about 45 minutes, Roo started begging for more food and I figured it was time to head home. We made a fruitless effort to rinse off the dirt and wood chips from our clothes and feet and then started off to the parking lot. Roo ran up to me with her little arms outstretched calling "up Mommy, up." I scooped her up and started walking. After we got a few feet she took her little hands and put them on both sides of my cheeks, patting them. saying "My Mommy" in a very loving, adorable voice. Then she placed her head in the crook of my neck and started making sweet little noises of love and comfort (I like to refer to it as her purr). I am sometimes so amazed by how much love these little people can give, it is endless and unconditional--and the best thing ever.

On The Road Again...

I have successfully avoided out of state travel without Roo for a few months now, but the travel game is back on. Chicago a couple of weeks ago. NW Arkansas this week, Neenah, WI next week. Some days it is easier to leave my little girl behind, others not so much. She is growing like a week and every day is an adventure. This morning I wanted to snatch her up and bring her with me (and ask Kerry, I was seriously contemplating it), but let her sleep. My team in Arkansas has gotten to know her over the last two years and just like they consider me family, they also consider Roo family so they love to see her whenever they can. She has made it down here twice and I need to sneak her down again before she turns 2 and I have to buy her a seat. Next time.

Hopefully all will go well with my flights and I will be home late on Thursday so I can give Roo a big hug when she wakes up in the morning. Just in time to see her do "jumpy jumpies."

Chatty Cathy

Or chatty Reagan in this case. Wow, is our kid talking up a storm! She is trying her best to speak entire sentences, but can usually only string 1-2 words together. But we can understand her more than ever, and she never stops talking...or giggling.

Tonight we were in the bathtub I asked "how was your day?" - much like I do every night. And just like she does every other night she starts naming all of her friends and teachers from "school". Then we talk about playing "owside" and art projects like "cowor" (as in outside and color for those of you who don't speak toddler). She also made a request for 'kayons" (bathtub crayons), but since the cleaning lady was just here she was promptly denied ("mommy lost the crayons honey, I'll look for them tomorrow").

Every night we also sing a song (or 2, or 3). Big faves include "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" , "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "A, B, C, D". Tonight was a big alphabet night, but Roo was adamantly independent, unlike other nights, requesting that I not accompany her. In fact her exact words were "No Mommy, No. I wan sing mself." Pretty impressive communication for a 22 month old. And no I am not spelling incorrectly, just trying to quote my kid. It was cute though, every time I would try to interrupt her she'd say the same thing, "no mommy, no. I wan sing mself." And she pretty much did the whole song. She knows many of the letters and for the ones she doesn't she just tries to say it and kinds makes a phonetic mumble.

I am sure it won't be long before she knows all the words, and as much as I love to hear her sing-songy voice, I am sure eventually the repetitive nature of the songs will drive me crazy. For now, I am just happy to enjoy them.

Poop Issues

It is official, my kid is afraid of poop.

The other day I was giving her a bath. I asked her to stand up so I could properly get her backside. She looked at me and said "I poot". Keep in mind she says this all the time, with no clear deliverable, so I ignored the warning. Then my dear girl proceeded to poop in the tub. I though we were through this stage, but apparently not. Before us floated three decently sized poop balls (sorry, not sure what else to call them).

Now what was I supposed to do? If I let her get out of the tub, it was sure to end in a wet running toddler, who would eventually slip and fall. Too much chaos for me.

I called for Kerry and as Reagan looked down and saw the "poots" floating towards her, she panicked. I mean full-on, toddler screeching panic. You would've thought they were going to bite her. I laughed at first and then realized I had a poop dirty child clinging to me and we needed to get this taken care of and get us back on track to storytime. Fast.

We did the usual. Drained the tub (while one of us occupied our energetic child), cleaned the tub, refilled the tub, plopped our child back in and resumed bath time. What a hassle.

Moral of the story, listen to my kid if she says ANYTHING remotely sounding like "poot".

Obviously Not Hard Enough

OK, OK, I said I was working on it. This blogging stuff is a lot of work.

Roo has been a blast this Summer and she is really getting the whole talking thing. One of the things that amazes me the most is how she seems to automatically properly conjugate a verb. Have no idea how or why it happens. The other day as we were getting ready for bed, Reagan decided to place a book on her rug and then lay on it, belly down. Kerry asked her if she was surfing and she looked at him and said "I surf". How did she know that she shouldn't say "I surfing"? Crazy.

Roo has also become slightly obsessed with Auntie Court. She goes through her phases though. We had to go to DC for a family funeral (my Godfather) and Court met us down there. We have been trying to get her to say Courtney's name for a while now and it always came out "Corey" or "Corky". Well, she finally got it. Once she figured out she was saying it right she wouldn't stop. Every time she saw her Auntie she would yell "COURT" at the top of her lungs. On the drive back to CT, we followed Court for a little while, then lost her. Then we caught up again, as we drove past her, I said "look, there's Auntie Court.", Reagan began yelling "COURT" at the top of her lungs and looking out the window, well past the point where we actually passed Auntie Court. Have to say it was sweet that she was so excited, but slightly annoying for the rest of us as fellow passengers.

Guess that is all for now. I again sign of, pledging to be better about this, but we shall see.

Working On It

OK, I admit it. I am a bad Mom. Well, actually I think I am a fairly good Mom with an overfull schedule and too many commitments, which then makes me feel like a bad Mom. Which brings me to the fact that I have not updated this blog in over a month. Bad Mom.

So much has happened, I don't know where to start. It has gotten so bad that I keep notes on my iPhone so that I don't forget topics to post. It is so frustrating that I started this damn thing and promised myself that I would do the due diligence of updating it in an effort to be a detailed baby book and here I am. Behind. Dear Amy was right again. She warned me.

In addition to not updating this as often as I should, I have come to realize that many entries are about me. My life with Roo for sure, but focused on me. Not sure what I expected, that Roo would actually write the entries? Believe me, she has tried. She is a big fan of the computer, but truly not capable. Maybe I should change the address and name? I am a very uncreative person, so not sure what I'd call it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

In the meantime, here are a few Roo topics I will get to eventually: Our Greek Festival adventures, family work trip to Arkansas, Roo's school schedule adjustment, our visit with the Hesbergs, trips back and forth to NJ to visit my sick Mother, Memorial Day visit from Auntie Court, "I sorry Reilly", first year's trip to the beach (and pool), Roo's favorite water spot and picking Mommy's "matos". Not in that exact order, but that is the beginning of my list.

I am sure no one reads this thing, but I will continue to pretend that they do and make yet another commitment to update more often. Bad Mommy or not.

Phone Chats

Since I do travel so much, I try to remember to call every morning and every evening to check in. I ask the standard set of questions, How did Roo sleep? How did she wake up? What did she have for breakfast? How was school? Did she do any art projects? What did she eat for dinner? Blah, blah, blah. I guess I think that by asking those questions, I am still somewhat involved in her day…from 1500 miles away.

Typically when I call Kerry puts the phone on speaker (we have been doing this for each other since she was an infant) and he proceeds to try to convince Roo to speak to me. He says “Roo guess who it is? It’s Mommy!” Most of the time she just wants to grab the phone and play with the buttons, which means ultimately she is just going to hang up on me.

Kerry makes is best effort to encourage Roo to be phone chatty and sometimes it actually works. At worst I get a “bye-bye” and at best I get a couple more words, an “I love you” and a “bye-bye”. If Kerry is in a tickling mood, I might even get a couple of giggles. To be honest I don’t care what she says as long as I get to hear her little voice at least once a day.

The thing I don’t understand is that when someone is not on the phone that is when she finds it the most attractive. She grabs it out of the charger, puts it up to her ear, rests it on her shoulder and has a full blown conversation. All to the standard recorded message “your call can not be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try your call again.” Because, of course, she has pressed the “on” button.

She also knows how to use the ringer. In fact she prefers to mess with the ringer, pretending that the phone has actually rung, before she begins her phone chat. This all usually happens when I have turned my back or have walked out of the room and I run scrambling to answer the phone only to realize that Roo has commandeered it for a little playtime. It is like a cruel joke that I should’ve learned the punchline for already, but she keeps doing it and I keep running for the phone.

Growing up we had a Mickey Mouse rotary phone in our family room. My Sister was apparently quite the household troublemaker and into everything. My Mother tells a story about how she caught My Sister in mid-phone call one afternoon. To Japan. To be honest I think it is a family urban legend, but I need to remember to check our phone bill. The one thing I have learned is that chances are that your toddler is smarter than you think they are, or at least smarter than you are ready for them to be.

Just When You Think You Can’t Feel Any Guiltier

The world of a working Mom is surrounded by guilt. No matter what you are doing or who you are with, you feel like you are gypping someone out of your time. Add in the fact that I am an overachieving control freak and I am basically screwed. Especially Monday through Friday. If I leave at 5 to spend time with Roo, I feel like I am not doing my job and by the time I get home I feel like I am rushing to put her to sleep so I can check my email. Add to that the fact that I have been on a plane almost every other week since January 1 and I just feel like a crappy Mom and a crappy employee.

After returning from the Bahamas it has been especially bad. This past weekend I had to miss out on my typical Roo time and head to NJ for a friend’s bridal shower. I really couldn’t take her with me so I left her at home with Dad and felt HORRIBLE. By the time I got home on Sunday she was 2 hours away from her bedtime and I had to be on a 6 AM flight to AR on Monday. I was so stressed about it, but Roo, as always, made me feel better.

Our typical bedtime routine is Mommy is in charge of bath time and bedtime prep. Daddy is in charge of reading and rocking. This night Kerry offered to let me hog the entire bedtime routine and read to Roo since I wouldn’t see her all week. I gladly accepted. Roo climbed into my lap with George (Curious George has become her cuddle buddy lately) and I began reading a Winnie the Pooh book. As I got to somewhere in the middle of the story, my sweet little girl looked up at me through her blonde bangs and reached up behind my neck with her free arm. She pulled me towards her, nuzzled into my neck, gave me a kiss and began patting me on the back in a comforting way. To me it was as if she was saying, “it’s OK Mommy, I still love you and I know you are doing the best you can”. I just started crying. It was quite possibly the best moment I have ever experienced. Of course, let’s be honest, she could’ve been thinking “please stop reading, you are boring me to death”. But I like my interpretation better. It helps me feel a little less guilty. Not much, but a little.

So as I sit in meetings, rushed to client dinners and tried to solve the world’s business problems, I try to remember that is it not quantity, it is quality that counts and that I need to treasure every moment I get to spend with my little girl. I need to slow down and enjoy those moments, even though the moment might a temper tantrum in the middle of Target that is so horrific I fear someone is about to call Child Protective Services and report me for torture. I take a deep breath, hug her and remind her how much I love her. That is what counts, that no matter what, she knows that I love her. More than anything.

Good Friends and Seabrook Island, SC

Our Weekend Digs

Marin, Jen & Ryan

Miss. Marin

Hanging Out On The Porch

Getting to Know Each Other

New Friends

Girl's Night

Thank goodness for good friends.

This year we were lucky enough to join one of my best friends, Jen, and her family in Seabrook Island, SC. It is a beach island outside of Charleston and her generous Aunt Diane and Uncle Andy let us stay at their house for a few days. Seabrook is really a special place for Jen (as it was for her Father who sadly passed away a few years ago), it is where she married the love of her life, Ryan. They now have a one-year-old little girl Marin and are a complete and happy little family. Love them. Jen and I have been friends for years, from our days rowing together in CT. Since then we have both moved all over the place and sadly have gotten geographically further and further apart. So to see her was a real treat.

Our visit this time was very different. The last time we had been to the island Ryan and Jen were getting married, neither of us had kids. So it was interesting to be there with of our little girls. For the most part they got along, but I think Roo would go through fits of jealousy, vying for attention from "the baby". She even regressed to some old school tactics, screaming/screeching at the top of her lungs when she was feeling ignored. This trick is something Kerry and I can block out, but I think our friends were a little annoyed.

Roo had a blast at the beach and would sit near the water and just dig for hours. She could've stayed all day. I am hoping this beach fascination phase will last for a bit so we can enjoy our Summer. It was actually relaxing. She still hasn't given up on trying to eat sand, but at least her attempts aren't frequent. Besides, what kid hasn't gotten a little dirt or sand in their mouth? Not on my list of big worries.

So, a great time was had by all. Boys got a night out at a soccer game in Charleston. Girls sort of got a night our for dinner (picture two screaming children throwing food, fastest dinner in history). And we all got to relax, kayak, take beach walks and end our day with happy hour on the back porch. Not to shabby.

The Discovery of Jelly Beans

Easter morning we awoke to a visit from the Easter Bunny. I think by this time Roo was getting used to the idea that this guy was not going away. Then there was the fact that he brought her presents. Maybe this Easter Bunny isn’t so bad after all…

We did our own little Easter egg hunt. She has fun and it was over in about 5 minutes (all videotaped by Daddy of course). One of her eggs was shaped like Elmo, she kept saying “Melmo!” She knew something good was in the egg and shook it vigorously, releasing it’s jelly beans to freedom. She scrambled to grab one and got it into her mouth before I could intercept it. She had a smile on her face as she greedily chewed and before she was even halfway done, was begging for more, with blue colored drool running down her chin. “Mo, mo, mo, mo. Peeez.” We tried to explain to her that we needed to eat breakfast and head to church, but she would have none of it and threw a jelly bean tantrum.

We finally distracted her and got her into the kitchen to eat a whole grain waffle (my attempt to counter balance the candy). Actually, after she got settled onto one of our kitchen stools (she now refuses to use a high chair or booster seat), she was fine and we went about our Easter activities for the day. Up until this time we had, for the most part, avoided giving her candy, cookies or cake, except for special occasions. But she’s no dummy. She knows exactly where the candy is hidden and doesn’t hesitate to ask. I need to find a better hiding place.

Easter Weekend Egg Hunt

This year our neighborhood decided to have an egg hunt the Saturday before Easter. I loved the idea and offered to host happy hour at our house afterwards. There are quite a few kids under the age of 10 and we knew they’d have a blast searching for eggs together. All the Moms in the neighborhood shopped for plastic eggs and fillers for them and we gathered one weeknight to put them all together. Mission accomplished, preparations were complete. Then it rained the rest of the week. But, we were all hopeful that the weather would take a turn for the better and a muddy egg hunt would commence.

No such luck. It rained and rained and rained. We even postponed the start time hoping it would at least slow down to a drizzle and we could send the kids out in raincoats and boots. Nope. So we came up with new plan and one of the neighbors offered her house for an indoor egg hunt. Game on. As we were getting ready to leave I handed her a basket (fuzzy and in the shape of a bunny) and said, “look Roo, it is the Easter Bunny’s basket for you to collect eggs.” She initially went to grab it, but upon hearing the words “Easter Bunny” shook her head “no, no, no, no” (see earlier Easter Bunny blog entry for Easter Bunny phobia background story). So I ended up carrying the basket.

We arrived and gathered the kids in the family room (a couple of Dads had arrived earlier to hide the eggs). We divided the kids into two groups (under 4 and 4+) and set them loose. Complete and total chaos, but complete and total fun for everyone. Each of the younger kids approached the egg hunt just a little differently. Roo for example kept getting distracted (shocker), mostly by the crayons and Princess vanity table, but her favorite distraction was the Little Tikes piano. She would run and find a couple of eggs, then go back and sit at the piano to play. Then we would pick her up, point her in the direction of more eggs, she’d grab a few and then back to the piano.

About an hour later we were all done and headed to our house for holiday food and drink. I think everyone stayed for a couple of hours, until the kid’s bedtime. It was great catching up with everyone and seeing how well the kids played together. The younger ones (James, Reid and Roo) all loved having a chance to play with the big kids. They played hide-and-go-seek and kept hiding behind our dining room curtains. I half expected them to be ripped out of the wall, but enjoyed watching them laugh and play with such big smiles on their faces I couldn’t make them stop.

Kerry and I collapsed exhausted on our couch after saying our goodbyes, putting Roo to bed and cleaning up the kitchen. So much work, but all worth it. I think we need to make it an official neighborhood holiday tradition. Maybe next year Roo will even hold her own basket?

The Easter Bunny

It is quite possible that we have scarred our 18 month old for life and completely turned her off of the Easter Bunny. I know most kids get scared around a year old when they go visit Santa or the Easter Bunny (my Mother has photographs documenting my own toddler fears of Santa), but I was not prepared for our own dramatic showdown with the Trumbull Mall’s Easter Bunny.

The day began typically for a Saturday. Roo wakes us up around 7, we go have breakfast in our jammies (Daddy declared it pancake Saturday) and then we play for a bit. As a break from our routine, I suggested a visit with the Easter Bunny. So we scooped Roo up and took her upstairs to change her clothes. This may have been the beginning of the end.

First of all, she did not want to get in to her dress. Auntie Courtney had bought her a beautiful Easter dress, which she of course initially refused to wear. After a short wrestling match and some bribes, mission accomplished, she was ready to go. Our little family headed to the mall. Upon arrival we stopped at Starbucks, were Roo played peek-a-boo with the barista and kept spinning around in her dress. We then began our journey to Easter Bunny headquarters, outside of JCPenney (you’d think the Bunny could find more glamorous digs with what he was charging for pictures). As we approached the area I made sure the Roo could see the other children in line, approaching the Easter Bunny, sitting in his lap and receiving their Easter “gift.” Then it was our turn. By this time we ended at the front of the line, no one was behind us and Roo and I took our time approaching the six foot brown bunny. She watched cautiously and by the time we were about two feet away, she started shaking her head and saying “no, no, no, no.” I tried to assure her, while making a mad dash to throw her in the Easter Bunny’s lap. She freaked. I don’t think I have ever seen her turn that color red and was impressed by her use of every appendage on her body to hold onto me. I think I could’ve let go of her, put my arms out to my side and she would’ve have still stuck to me like super glue.

This scene carried on for 2-3 minutes. The Mommy dance, attempting to convince my little girl that the Easter Bunny meant no harm. She’d stand there and look at him, but wouldn’t get any closer than 2-3 feet. At one point the poor Bunny, in a gesture of peace, reached out held out a chocolate egg. She ran up, grabbed and went back to her spot as quickly as her little toddler legs could carry her. I went in for the forceful sit again, promising to sit with her. That didn’t work either. Red, screaming and tons of tears. The girls working the camera said it was the second worst reaction they had seen all season (the first being a kid who not only screamed and cried, but actually jumped the display fence and ran down the mall hallway in terror).

So no pictures with the Easter Bunny this year. The worst part is that from that point on, whenever I mention the Easter Bunny she starts shaking her head and repeating that same urgent phrase, “no, no, no, no.” I hope she grows out of this by Christmas in time to see Santa.

New Friends and "Shishie" Adventures

Flirting shamelessly in Starbucks one morning.

Listening to "Under The Sea" on the steel drums.

Hanging out with Tessa by the pool.

Ready for adventures.

Roo checking everything out on the boat over to Atlantis.

Watching the "shishies".

Big fish.

Having a blast.

Touching the starfish.

Asleep after a long day.

One of the most fun parts of being on vacation was the fact that Reagan never met a stranger. Every time we went anywhere she couldn't resist doing her best to be the center of attention. To a parent, it is completely annoying and to the receiver of Roo's wooing, it may be equally as annoying, but most times she made a new friend.

One of her first new friends she met on vacation was Tessa. She and her family were visiting from Canada. Almost every night before bed Roo and Tessa would run around like toddler maniacs wearing each other out before bed. Some days it was a godsend for all of us. They wore each other out. One night both families happened to be returning from dinner at the same time. Roo and Tessa ran around the lobby screaming for about 15 minutes. It was hilarious. No one was really around because it was early and they had the place to themselves. They had a blast.

Along with meeting new people, we also did a lot of exploring. One day we decided to go to Atlantis and check it out. Atlantis has really strict security, but for a daily fee you can get limited access to the resort. We thought taking Roo to see all the aquarium displays would be a good way to spend the day and it was. She was fascinated by all the different fish and tanks. The place was fairly crowded with lots of picture takers. A couple of times Kerry would try to take her picture and she'd look away or run away, just as he was ready to hit the button. But if anyone else was trying to take a picture, she'd walk right up to them and pose. I think two of her favorite parts were watching the jellyfish and an exhibit where you could touch starfish and horseshoe crabs. She loved sticking her little arms in the tank and touching the starfish, eventually we had to drag her out of there so other children could have a turn.

Eventually Roo was worn out and by the time we left a few hours later she was passed out in her stroller. Mommy & Daddy were able to sit and enjoy Starbucks in peace and quiet, but only for a little bit. An hour later she was up and ready for her next adventure. Go, go, go. That's my Roo.

I-Yuv-Yoo

Roo has become quite the Chatty Cathy. Of course I can’t understand half of what she says, but whatever. Of course there are a few standard phrases. “Buh-bye” is a big fav. We make her say it wherever we go. It cracks us up and makes the hearts of the people she says it to melt. Especially when she adds her little wave.

She won’t say “hi”, but occasionally says “heeeey” (she draws the word out). She says the names of her classmates pretty well, but has a hard time saying “s” sounds. She says her teachers names. She says the typical “da-da”, “ma-ma” , “no” and “mine”. She says “dog”, “go” and I think she told the dog to “lay down” the other day. She says “sit”, “chair” (my neighbor had to point that one out to me), “up” and “down”.

As she learns how to express herself, she is also becoming a little mimic (I think this is when the parenting books tell you to start watching what you say). But my favorite is when she repeats “I love you”, it comes out “I-yuv-yoo”. It is so damn cute. I love it. It isn’t often that she says it on her own, she usually says it after one of us says it to her. The other day I tried explaining to her that when someone says “I love you” that you should say back “I love you too”. That very day she actually did it. We were playing and I grabbed her, snuggled and said, “oh Roo, I love you” and she said “i-yuv-yoo-ooo”. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for hours. She made my day.

It's Better In The Bahamas

Giggling as the tide come in and goes out.

Having a blast with Daddy in the pool.

Concentrating on filling the dump truck on the beach.

Morning sand play.

Vacation with Roo was the best. Her teacher even said last week that she has been so much better with her tantrums since we got back. The poor kid just needed a little attention. Boy did she get it, from everyone.

From the second we landed she tried to capture the attention of everyone she ran into. From the guys in the steel band, to the people in customs, to the concierge at the hotel, she kept up her job as chief entertainer. I was actually surprised by how many people enjoyed her. I guess I thought that most people find little blonde toddlers annoying, but apparently in the Bahamas everyone has a little bit more patience.

Most mornings we had the same routine. Roo would get up around 7 and the three of us would watch cartoons and eat cheerios in bed for a bit. Then we'd get ready for our day. Most days we started at the beach. We were usually out there by 8:30 and it was pretty quiet. The hotel had a "private" beach, not very big but perfect for us and it was right on Nassau harbor. We could even see all the cruise ships come in every couple of days. Roo liked watching them and of course every time they left she would wave bye-bye.

The first order of business for Roo was stopping by to get towels and say hello to the lifeguards. They LOVED her. Every morning it was "Good morning Reagan!" and as they handed us our towels she would always politely say "tank yoo". Next order of business was securing the good beach toys. We brought some of our own, but Roo liked to also grab some of the hotel's dump trucks. Then we'd head down to the water to dig in the sand a bit. She really liked it and it was so much more fun for me than visiting the beach last year where I spent most of my time saying "sand is not for eating." This year she actually played, dug, raked and tried to build stuff. Two things she didn't like--my occasional attempt at burying her and standing in the water when the tide went out. The water was a little cold, but she liked wandering into it a little bit. It would splash up around her ankles and knees and as the water would go out, her little feet would sink into the sand. She didn't like it. She couldn't figure out was going on and would grab onto whoever was closest whining "no, no, no, no, no."

After the beach we would clean up and hit the pool. Daddy was the designated pool entertainer. She loved everything about it, jumping, spinning, blowing bubble and sitting on the ledge waving at all the people around her. A nice family even offered us some swimmies, but she didn't like that much. After some swimming we'd have lunch poolside, then it would be upstairs for a nap. After nap time we'd either swim some more or go exploring in town.

Every time we went walking around town people stopped to talk to her. Even at her worst (for example, a ridiculous temper tantrum at dinner), everyone smiled and complimented her. One night in a desperate attempt to find a place other than the hotel to eat, we ended up at Senor Frogs. It was great for us (loud enough so that no one could hear her scream if she decided to) and entertaining for her (plenty of people watching, things to play with and a little dancing on the dance floor with Daddy).

Finally, by about 7-8 PM we'd all head home exhausted. Roo had a tough time getting to sleep (and staying asleep) most nights, but ended up doing pretty well. Some bedtimes were tougher than others. We'd arrive back to our floor, Roo and I would go out to the balcony to say "nite-nite" to the ocean, boats, birds, trees and lizards, then head to the room for a bath and whatever bedtime routine we could accomplish. Once she was out, Kerry and I would watch movies.

More Roo Bahama Baby stories to come.

The Trip Down

Passed out after our arrival at the hotel.

A close up.

The dreaded cat nap with Curious George.

Breakfast at the airport.

It all began at 3 AM when the alarm went off so we could make our 7:45 AM flight out of JFK. I don't think we will be doing that again anytime soon. Not the best time to travel with Roo. In the past, when I have flown with her alone, she was much younger and napped at least 2x a day. With one nap now, she was totally thrown off schedule. I was shocked that she didn't sleep on the way to the airport (we were running late, as usual) and she fought even harder to stay awake on the plane to Miami. We did all the stuff the parenting magazines say, wear her out as much as possible and board at the last possible moment, but no luck. She stayed awake and moving much of the trip.

One good thing, I was able to score us first class upgrades, which gave Roo a little more space, but the bad news was that it also gave her access to more attention. The doting stewardesses dubbed her "the cutest thing ever" and kept wandering over to see what she was up to. The ever-performing, attention-getting 18 month old was delighted and too excited to sleep for more than 30 minutes. By the time we got to Miami she was exhausted and fell asleep in her stroller.

Catnaps are the worst. It is just enough to give her some energy and too much sleep to get her to take another nap. By the time we boarded the bus to the puddle jumper she was in full toddler mode. Screaming at everyone and everything with delight. She was especially enamored with the college girls in front of us on the plane. She kept trying to peek through the space between the seats in front of us and get their attention. Thank God they were too busy mapping out their bar hopping plans. We spent the entire time trying to make sure her quick moving feet didn't kick their seats (having experienced this pre-child, we know how annoying this can actually be). For the most part, we succeeded. Then we started descending. Roo was not a happy camper. She was tired, hungry (regardless of the fact that she had eaten non-stop all day) and wanted out to be free to run. She was quite vocal for the last 15 minutes of the flight, but I think for the most part the passengers understood, or at least appeared to by their comments ("I think her ears hurt" was what most of them would say).

The funniest part was when everyone was deplaning. Roo's best move these days is saying "bye-bye" and giving a wave. We opted to get off the flight last and Daddy prompted Roo to say goodbye to almost every departing passenger. Now how mad can you be at a cute little blond girl waving and saying "bye-bye" as you arrive in the Bahamas? I think she made up for her whining, or at least appeared to since everyone waved back and gave her a smile. Oh, the Roo. Always cute when she needs to be.

Family Vaca

As the commercial states, "It is better in the Bahamas." And boy was it ever. I have lots of stories to tell about about our week away, so more to post later, but I did want to mention how fortunate I feel to have been able to spend a whole week with the Roo. Tantrums and all. In this economy we are lucky enough to go away on vacation (thank you frequent flier miles), but to be able to swing an almost free trip for the three of us is unbelievable. Roo was her typical hammy self (trying to get attention from anyone who dare glance her way) and strong willed as ever (making sure Daddy and I knew when she was unhappy or in need of a nap). Vacations aren't like they used to be, laying in the sun reading a book while lazily sipping a margarita, but they are a different kind of good. The kind that you get to have when you are blessed with a toddler. More to come.

Our Roo. The Bubble Blower.

So things have been a bit chaotic for us. We have yet to experience the lull after the holidays that everyone keeps talking about. No lull in our household. I need a lull. I think all three of us need a lull.

Roo is growing and changing every day, sometimes so quickly I think I blink and she is doing something new. Which is why it is getting harder and harder to leave her for days at a time when I have to travel for work (which has been weekly lately). It breaks my heart. Hopefully I am home now for a bit and can soak in every new word, activity and experience with her.

Recently I returned from one of my trips only to be followed by a week of working very late hours. One night I made a mad dash for the door as soon as I was given the opportunity so I could make an effort to get home in time for Roo's bath and bedtime. Mission accomplished! I arrived just in time to help her in the tub. I reached for a washcloth and as I turned back around to face the tub I heard a strange noise. An odd gurgling noise. Then I realized it was coming from my kid. She had, unprovoked, stuck her face into the bath water and started blowing bubbles. I couldn't believe it. No one had taught her that (at least as far as I am aware of) and although I have every intention of signing her up for a Mommy & Me swim class (add it to the never ending to-do list), we had never tried to get her to do anything like this.

I couldn't stop laughing and she just kept putting her face back in the water and blowing bubbles, just to entertain me. I got Kerry's attention and he rushed upstairs just in time for her to do it 1-2 more times, then...game over. We kept saying "c'mon baby, blow bubbles" and she just looked at us like, "I have no idea what you are talking about". Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. We now try to get her to do it every night, sometimes she gives it a shot, mostly she laughs at us as we dunk our heads in the water and get soaking wet in an effort to convince her try just one more time. We haven't had a whole lot of luck. I guess we will have to wait for her next amazing trick, try to get it on DVD, just to realize that she does not perform on demand. Haven't we learned yet?

Complete Chaos

OK, so it has been a while since I have updated this. A month. I swore I wouldn't go this long without updates, but I have. Bad Mommy. Anyway, January has been complete hell and we have been busier than ever. Shocker. And here we are, officially in February and it is shaping up to be more of the same. I have convinced myself that it will never slow down and I just need to get over it. Accept and move on. But I don't want to.

This year we rung in the new year with our traditional hibachi dinner. Except this time Roo got to join us. We went with our friends Tracy and Tommy and had a blast. Miss Roo loved all the activity at the hibachi table, but her favorite part is chewing on the boxes of fruit flavored gum. Ahh, the little things. At one point she got so antsy that I had to take her out to the reception area for a little distraction time. The host gave her a rubber flower shaped ring that had a flashing light in it. You would've thought she found the best thing ever. She kept screeching and laughing at it, and of course trying to eat it, which led it it's eventual confiscation and disposal into the garbage can. Choking hazard.

On the 5th, it was back to our usual routine. Work, school, work. I felt like I never got a break and got horribly sick. What a mess. I actually lost my voice for three days. Roo is at the point where she is a little mimic. She is always trying to repeat words. Poor kid, all I could do all weekend was whisper, so she would whisper right back to me. Then she would of course screech at the top her lungs and start laughing at me. As if I was trying to tease her and all this whispering was just a game. I wish.

Then we decided to take a family road trip to visit Kerry's Godparents. They live in VA, right outside DC. We had one very important learning on this trip- it is time to invest in a portable DVD player. There is NOTHING worse than an antsy 15 month old in an Audi. Small, bored person in a small space, with lots of energy. It was at times, sheer torture, for all three of us. Gone are the days of the long naps and the days of needed constant entertainment have arrived. But we made it, had a great visit and it was a chance for Roo to spend some quality time with Aunt Peggy and Uncle Bernie, two people we truly love and admire.

So, as I bring the stories of our adventurous January to a close, all I can say is that we are looking forward to a very busy February. And on a sad note, we had known for a few weeks that I was pregnant with our second child, but after getting stuck in the crazy Midwest ice storm last week, I went to the doc and found out that at 8 weeks the pregnancy was not viable. I was sad and a little shocked at first, but Roo always makes everything better. I came home, gave her a big hug and a kiss, which was exactly what I needed. Her laugh lights me up from the inside out and I am so lucky to have her. I know I keep writing that over and over, but I mean it. My life is different and so much better because she is in it. If we are meant to have more children, great, if not I still feel like I am the luckiest Mom in the world.