I’m a worrier by nature. Though I know Avery’s hearing is just fine now (her ENT said at a follow-up last week that everything looks great) and Avery’s speech is leaps and bounds from where it was a year (heck, even several months) ago, I still worry that she’s behind where she needs to be, verbally and socially, because of what happened. As well-documented on this blog, she’s bubbly and extremely talkative here, but that’s not always the case when she’s away from home.

That’s why I was so thrilled when the preschool director stopped me recently to tell me how well Avery was doing that day. “Oh, she was just with Mary, talking up a storm about going to the potty and washing her hands and being ready to go back to play,” she told. “Was she clear? Did you understand her?” I asked hopefully, and Jan smiled and said, “Every word.”

-M

School visits were a theme of last week: Last Friday, we were invited into Zoe’s class after morning recess to introduce ourselves and give the kids a presentation on our family. The four of us were joined by Aunt Jenny and Cousin Isaac (thanks for making the drive, Jenny!), and we told our family’s story through a slideshow of several dozen pictures. We also brought in a Zoe-approved snack; I had made mini zucchini muffins, in honor of Grandma. (She used to make zucchini bread for me when I was little.)

-M

I watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, but the girls were more interested in halftime than the game. And as you’ll see below, Zoe was particularly excited to perform alongside Beyonce.

(A dancer she’ll likely never be, but I love her enthusiasm!)

-M

Anyone notice how close we are to 60,000 hits? Per our usual tradition, if you are the 60,000 visitor take a snapshot of the page and send it to us. The lucky visitor will win a prize!

Good luck…

Jon Q

We took a break from our annual Super Bowl party this year – Q is out of town, and we’re doing some house renovations. Super Bowl Sunday still feels like a holiday, though, and the girls and I started ours by making football decorations. (Deviled eggs, football cupcakes and the Puppy Bowl are planned for later!)

-M

Q had a business trip in Seattle one day this week, and the girls and I got up early to see him off. As we watched his cab pull away, Zoe cried out “I want Daddy!” and burst into tears. Little Mommy Avery was all over it, telling me in an authoritative tone, “She’s just tired. She just needs more sleep in her bed.”

-M

One of the things Avery loved most about preschool last year was the Mystery Reader program, during which parents came into the classroom each week to surprise the children with a book or two. (Zoe had it in her class, too.) Yesterday was the start of Mystery Readers in Avery’s new class, and I was the first one!

-M

Last weekend, we joined some family friends for a birthday brunch. The kids (seven of them – and all good friends) out-numbered us adults, but they were all on their best behavior. And they even posed for a photo (well, sorta) for us.

-M

Zoe has long known about my dislike of traffic (occasionally even offering me de-stressing tips and reminders), and after 3.5 years, Avery has picked up on this, too. She told Q over the weekend, “Mommy doesn’t like it when people get in front of her in their car.” And on our drive to school one recent morning, she commented, “There’s a lot of traffic today. That makes me said.” (Uh-oh – I’m rubbing off on her!)

-M

I came across an interesting piece today on things not to say to a mom who works outside the home. (I don’t love the term “working mom,” because every mom works.) The author’s tone is a bit defensive, and I find it hard to believe she has personally heard all of these things (though perhaps I’m just lucky to have not encountered such judginess about my choices). But still, a few of her responses resonated with me:

I don’t know how you do it. It must be so hard. It is. I don’t know how I do it. But I don’t think that’s because I work, I think it’s because parenting is hard whether you stay at home or go off to the office. I don’t know how any of us do it. It’s glorious and rewarding and full of love and it is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Balancing kids with anything else, whether a paying job or running a household or finding time to watch Honey Boo Boo, is nearly impossible.

…

You must be so organized to be able to balance everything. I have a love/hate reaction to this statement. At first, I bask in the affirmation. I believe I am organized. Then I remember — I am one set of lost keys away from a meltdown. I have mismatched socks, my kid went to school with jelly on his face and I haven’t exercised in a week. I have piles of books and clothes and god knows what else in my bedroom. I forgot a conference call yesterday and lost the planetarium permission slip. I let something slide every day. There is no balance. Only carefully controlled chaos. Pretty much like everyone else’s life.

…

Don’t you worry you’re missing out? Every day.  But then my son runs into my arms when I pick him up from school and climbs into my bed in the morning to tell me I’m the “best mommy ever,” and I know it’s going to be ok.

-M

There were lots of seagulls at the lake the other day, and Avery was fascinated. “There are a million of them!” she cried out at one point, before pretending to fly and declaring, “I wish I was a birdie.”

-M

During Zoe’s first year of preschool (as I’ve reminsced about here before), we had a little Friday afternoon tradition of sitting and snacking at a nearby lake. It’s been a long time since we’ve done it – Avery’s naptime and then other activities eventually interfered – but we visited after school yesterday.  (The photo taking was my idea; the posing on the bridge was theirs.)

-M

So, this is what life is like with a very inquisitive, and often very hungry, 3-year-old. I was sipping on a mango lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) yesterday afternoon when Avery approached me and peppered me with a series of questions.

“What’s that drink, Mommy?”
“Is it for grown-ups?”
“Do kids drink it?”
“Do kids like it?”
“Do I like it?”
“Mommy, can I try it?”
(And of course the last question was accompanied by wide eyes and a tilt of the head.)

Alas, Avery tried it and determined she didn’t like it. And then she ran off…

-M

This girls were particularly spunky and good-natured after school today, and I took advantage of their good moods by getting them to hug and pose for me. As Avery’s face displays in the second photo, they were more than happy to ham it up for the camera!

-M

Zoe knows I’m a sentimental mama who is prone to tearing up when reading certain stories. It made sense, then, that in the middle of my reading The Giving Tree to her and Avery last night, she stopped me, ran to her dresser and emerged holding two tissues. “Here, Mommy,” she said, “for the sad part.” I had totally forgotten how sad the book’s ending is (let’s just say the tissues came in handy!), and I was touched by the gesture.

-M