Oh my we are already in the threes

This was a portrait of Mommy I managed to photograph before it was erased.
At the Minnesota State Fair this Fall

This is our new street in Minnesota

What, I haven't written anything on this blog in almost a year and a half! Ack! How will I remember these years? Well, here's a brief overview to bring you up to speed.

Since I wrote last Anika turned 3, learned to write her name, and has fallen in love with the Wizard of Oz. Michael was accepted to a PhD program at the University of MN so the whole family packed up in July and moved into our new apartment in Saint Paul on August 1.

After temping at Wells Fargo for a few months I have just landed a permanent position at Lifetouch national headquarters and so far I love it.

Michael has had more time to be home and take care of Anika and she is asking him to do things for her more and more. When they aren't together, Anika attends preschool full time and is very happy at her new school. They are teaching her conversational spanish and some sign language. If she is there next year she will also learn some French - finally a language where I am familiar.

Right before Christmas break she got sick and had to stay home from school. Then she stayed home with Michael for two weeks since he didn't have to go to work. This was her first week back and she just found out she hasn't been sick for weeks she was just on vacation.

Fun words I heard Anika say today: Metamophosis, Conservatory, and Migration. We got a library book about butterflies she is pretty fond of, "Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly".

Games she likes to play: Wizard of Oz, Rapunzel, Hide and seek (she prefers to hide with a partner), Boggle (she tells you all the letters she can find and you write them down for her in the time limit), dress up, ice skate in her tights in the basement, work on "important projects" on the computer.

She loves to be tickled, she loves to read, she loves to make up stories

When she is upset at us she goes into her room sometimes and has her Papa read her a story. For Christmas he gave her a Winnie the Pooh book with his voice recorded in it reading the words. It is really lovely to hear him read to her to make her feel better.

At Christmas this year we decided to stay home. We missed our families, but it was nice to avoid the roads and the airports at Christmas and just stay home. 3/4 of the way through opening presents Ani asked if we could put the rest back under the tree and stop for a while. I think maybe everyone went overboard with presents for her this year.

Well - that doesn't tell you much about her as a two year old, but at least it gets you up to speed.

Maybe sometime I'll go back and add in stories from last year....

She's 2!!!!!

I cannot believe that Anika is 2 years old. Where did the time go? Each individual day felt so long, but looking back at the last 2 years (and 9 months before birth) I can't fathom where the time went. Wasn't it yesterday that the midwife placed her in my arms for the first time? Weren't we waking up every few hours to eat just moments ago? Can it be she took her first steps an entire year ago?

2 years ago, I could not have imagined that I would love this little person so much.

So what is she up to now? Well, as life is giving her more choices these days (do you want lima beans or peas for dinner?) she is having trouble making up her mind. We find ourselves baffled by the toddler who requests peas only to have them arrive on her plate and scream "no peas!! no want peas". Its hard to make choices!

A few weeks ago we were in Colorado at the Great Sand Dunes and Anika and I were making sandcastles. Everytime I made a tower with our tupperware bucket, Anika would smash it with her feet and giggle. For a little while I was tricky and put the towers far away from each other so she could smash one while I built a fortress on the other side of my body. But once she saw them, those towers were done for.

In that moment, I had an epiphany. Motherhood is exactly like building sandcastles with an almost two year old. If you think that the goal is to build a beautiful castle, you will spend your life with your child frustrated and angry. If, on the other hand, you recognize that sandcastles are temporary and you find joy in the building and smashing, you will have found a way to be happy your whole life long. The fun is in the journey.

Anika is big into making words plural right now. "That's my's" is her favorite expression meaning "that's mine". She can now identify correctly an "A for Anika", "B for Bridget", "C for Callie", and "D for Daddy" when she sees the capital letters, and she finds them everywhere.

We are now attempting to night time potty train, since daytime potty training is pretty much done. We are having mixed success. Thankfully, we registered for "the ultimate crib sheet" which is intended to be a waterproof sheet you can take off when your newborn's diaper leaks. Since Anika never had leaky diapers as a newborn we thought the sheet was pretty much useless - but it is so handy in the middle of the night to be able to just unsnap the top sheet and have a fresh dry one already on the bed.

Ani and I are enjoying having Michael home with us for a few more weeks before school starts up again. She loves having Daddy home. A few days ago, she was snoozing in my lap and woke up crying "me go too daddy. I go outside". She was very upset and clearly dreaming about Daddy leaving to go outside without her. I think having him back after missing him for 3 weeks has taken its toll. She really blossomed again when he came home.

I can't wait to see what this next year brings. Pictures soon.

23 months - but acting like she's 2 yrs old already

You can tell 2 is approaching. The answer is often "no" even if she ultimately wanted to do whatever you suggested. The most fun game ever is run away from Mommy. Things are very hard to bear when they don't go her way. "No like that Mommy" is becoming a common refrain at the table, even when she is in fact lying, because she does like apples (or macaroni, or peas, etc).

"My turn" is popular right now, or "Anka turn"

But she is still the sweetest baby ever. She loves to kiss her Daddy's picture (he's out of the country at the moment) and say things like "I love you so much Daddy picture". She's also started asking "What toots say?" (in other words, what did my toot just say? to which the obvious reply is "toot") and substituting words she likes into songs - Oh Donna, that fabulous song from the 50s or 60's, can now easily morph into Oh Nana, Oh Mommy, Oh Sasha (that's her doll).

She loves to play outside, especially with water. This month she learned how to hold herself up on a big toilet, just like her cousin Madelyn. Madelyn three and a big girl in Ani's eyes. Her run is adorable - kind of a prance - and runnng is one of her favorite activities. The folks at church taught her to play red light green light during VBS. She still doesn't understand when to go and stop, but she loves to play.

Her giggles are contagious.

She loves to pretend to go to sleep, pretend to clean counters, floors, etc. She pretends her baby dolls need to use the potty and she takes baby wipes when I am not looking so she can wipe their bottoms properly when they are done.

She can now tickle my feet so successfully that I have to remove them from her grasp.

Her favorite book at the moment: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
favorite color: yellow (it was red, but we have gone back to yellow)
favorite time of day: cuddling with mommy after naps (or at least, that may be mine)
favorite doll: Sasha (new baby Tessa is losing her status)

Its hard to imagine that the next time I blog she will be a 2 year old. The years go by so quickly, even though the days take soooo long sometimes.

22 Months - oops where did the time go?

So I clearly have neglected this blog long enough. Anika is 22 months. We are done with daytime potty training. She just has it all down. We still have to do some night time training, and I am not looking forward to getting rid of pacifiers, but she is getting so grown up already, we'll just take that stuff slowly.

Ani loves to care for her dolls and stuffed animals. She takes their clothes off and puts blankets on them and sings them lullabies. Sometimes she sits them on the potty and wipes their bottoms when they are done. Yesterday after her doll Tessa had imaginary potty success, she proceeded to literally wash her hands in the sink. We heard the water running and discovered a very wet cloth bodied doll. Poor Ani was so disappointed that Tessa had to spend the night drying out in the kitchen.

At this age she does all kinds of cute things, like calling for her dolls when they are in a different room. I guess she thinks they are able to get up and walk to her. The other day I caught her scolding one that did not come with a "listen to mommy". I guess that phrase may have showed up in our conversation a few times lately.

She learned to zerbert and loves to blow raspberries on our bellies. She's fond of choosing her own shoes but hasn't had much interest or opportunity to pick out her clothes yet.

Her hair is getting really long now. It easily fits into one of my ponytail holders. I love that people in the store can easily tell she is a girl.

She is speaking in complete sentences now and saying things like "I missed you mommy", "no Bridget, my turn now", "no run away from Mommy". She has stopped calling me Mama and switched to Mommy. It makes me a little sad, but I definitely prefer Mommy to "Julie" which is what she calls me if she thinks she needs to use my full name "Mommy Julie!", for example if she wants to be picked up out of her crib and I am slow to wake up.

She is still quite a good dancer. You can tell she is listening and she likes to move her body to the beat. "Oh, Donna" a song from the 50's or 60's is one of her current favorites. Go figure.

She loves nursery rhymes and requests that we read from her nursery rhyme books several times a day. Michael Finnegan, Little JAck Horner, Humpty Dumpty, and Hush Little Baby are some of her favorites. I am getting pretty good at memorizing them so I can read from across the room as she turns the pages, which is very helpful!

Lest you think it is all joy and giggles, she has also started having a harder time sharing. Monday morning is a rough battle as both girls have to re-learn that they need to share toys. She also hits, bites, pulls hair, and pinches when she deems it necessary. This activity is pretty frustrating but I think some of it is stemming from jealousy and possibly the pain of her two year molars working their way out. I have seen quite an increase in drool in the past few days and she seems to feel better with something in her mouth.

Ani is sometimes jealous of Monty. "No sir" she says when he tries to cuddle with us. She definitely also does not want Mommy and Daddy to cuddle. So far its because she wants Mommy all to herself, but yesterday she did wake up from her nap and ask to cuddle with Mike instead of me. So I think my days as preferred parent are numbered.

We are very happy to have Daddy home with us during the day. If only the school system would pay him to not work and hang out with us, life would be perfect. Its also handy to have the car around, as this morning's grocery shopping trip would have been miserable walking in 100 degree weather.

I'll have to post some pics soon, but that is all I have for now. Happy last few days of June!

20 Months Today

Let's see. Anika is growing in amazing ways. She is becoming such a little person instead of a baby. She crouches down and her eyes twinkle right before she runs over to tickle you. She is crazy about ice cubes. She likes to hold them and eat them and put them in a little cup to carry around the house. When the ice melts she drinks the water (i.e. ends up pouring it all over herself).

Its been fun to watch her interacting with friends this past month. Bridget is of course still at the house about 45 hours a week, but this past month we have had Callie 3 days a week as well. Callie is just a couple weeks younger than Anika, so the 3 girls have a lot of fun together. I am very proud of the way Ani plays with both girls.

She is very friendly and loves to get the attention of strangers - at church, in restaurants, at the grocery store.

Lately she hasn't been sleeping as well - and I would swear she is teething except there are no teeth coming in that I can feel. She has all of her teeth now except the 2-year molars so hopefully teething is almost over for good!

This last month she learned how to say "I love you daddy" and "I love you Mama". It sounds a little bit more like "I la la Daaaa deee" and "I la la Maaa maaa" and sometimes "I la la Daa dee Maa maa". We love hearing those words and ask for them often. She is also known to love Bridget, Papa, Nanny, Nana, Bumpa, Ani, and yellow.

Her current favorite song is "Baby Mine" from dumbo. Whenever she doesn't feel well or is tired she asks for "Baby Mahn".

When she is excited, her feet do this little stompy dance I cannot accurately describe - but I love it. She still loves music and asks for it whenever she sees the ipods. Ani loves to dance and now has started singing along with songs. She even made up her own motions to Baby Mine and sings it to her dolls. "baby mine don't you cry" is "baby Mahn sh sh sh with finger to her lips. "Baby Mine dry your eyes" she points to her eyes and says "eyes", "hold your head close to my heart, never to part, BAby of mine" she holds her head with her hands and then hugs me. I swear I did not have any part in her making up these motions, she choreographed the song all by herself.

Being a mother of a 20 month old is wonderful. She is so inquisitive and talkative and funny and beautiful. I am very blessed.

18 months - what Ani can do

Mostly for my benefit, I like to record what is going on since I am not keeping up with a babybook.

Words she can say:
Daddy Bye bye
Bob (her favorite sock doll)
Buddha (bird)
boot
boot (book)
Bridget
Midget (Monty)
Mama
moo
hoo (what owls say)
bizzsch (buzz)
more
wah wah (water)
juice
muck (milk)
dah doo (thank you)
pees (please)
elmo
wii
rock
row row row (for the song)
la la la la
rubbt (ribbit)
roar
papa (grandpa)
bumpa (grandpa)
Nana (for both grandmas)
ya ya (sarah)
yawn (jon)
baby
etc.

She can climb a stepladder, get into a chair, climb into the rocker, get on (but not off) the rocking horse and airplane car, drink from a cup (but not without spills), use a spoon and fork to eat with help, color with crayons, markers, and pencils. Get in and out of Mama's bed successfully, put her binky in her crib, pretend to blow her nose.

This morning she was telling Bob (the doll) "no no no no". Clearly Bob was a bad baby and needed to be told what was what. I believe he was stealing her pacifier.

She loves to have pretend tea and feed it to you. She loves to be tickled. She loves to wash her own hands with a paper towel, loves brushing her teeth, loves the bath.

She is not fond of green beans, having to be in the car for a long time, and getting shots at the dr.
:)

18 months

Boy, its been a long time. Well, Anika is so much fun. Of course, I am sure you all assumed that was the case. This video of reading a book together should really say it all.

Sweet 16

Anika is 16 months today. This past month she just barely figured out how to climb on top of the ottoman and launch herself over the arm of the couch in order to stand on the sofa. Today, however, she forgot how to do it. I must admit, I am not disappointed that she cannot remember how, but I am surprised.

At the moment she is a bit miserable. She has a stuffy nose and a cough and a horrible diaper rash, all of which seem to stem from the fact that she is getting all 4 pointy little canine teeth simultaneously. Up until now we haven't had much of an issue with teething. She is a pretty easy going good natured little champ. But this one is a bit harder on her. poor thing.

I posted last month about all of her words. Well she has lots more words now, and is getting to be a pretty good mimic. My current "favorite" word is when she asks for her Bib. It sounds a lot like "boob" and I just picture myself trying to explain that one in public. Monty is May may, Bridget is BB or Babbette, Da da and Mama are obvious, even though she used to say Daddy. She asks for nack when she needs a snack and says day day instead of thank you and peas instead of please, but uses please and thank you in the appropriate spots of the conversation. Her favorite song is "hush little baby". She hates getting her diaper changed most of the time, loves brushing her teeth, LOVES shaking the bell ornaments while we sing jingle bells.

Still is a big fan of bathtime, and adores her ponies from great Aunt Chan. The pink pony gets carried around the house while Anika yells "NAY". The brown rocking horse gets ridden, and Anika can mount the pony and make him sing all by herself - though she sometimes needs help getting down.

She can eat applesauce from a bowl with a spoon all by herself and probably 2/3 of the applesauce gets to her mouth. Just this week she has started furrowing her eyebrows to tell me she does not like the question I am asking her or she is not pleased.

Ani adores music of almost every kind. Loves to dance, clap, and is trying very hard to get the sign language right for "sing" so she can tell me when she needs a song. She gives kisses on command (or request) and loves to play chase up and down the hallway, though she prefers it if you chase her. Curtains are a big guilty pleasure, as mommy is displeased with playing in them but they are so much fun to hide in. Today I was wearing a long sweater and she decided to hide in that since I have moved all the curtains out of reach.

Most nights she wakes up once or twice before we have gone to bed, but she sleeps through the night until morning. Probably mommy and daddy are noisy with our tv watching and talking. She is very cuddly and still loves to be in the wrap that Jenna made for us while I am cooking dinner or we go for a walk. Hopefully she will still love it after being cooped up on the planes at Christmas time.

She used the potty for the first time this month. Mostly it was accidental, but after she pooped on the floor while getting down onto the potty, she did manage to pee in the potty. It was very exciting. Anika was a bit scared so we have not had a repeat performance. Plenty of time for that later. She does love to sit on the potty, naked or clothed, and we read books and sing.

I hope you have enjoyed this little update. Its good to remember how wonderful it is to have a 16 month old. I want her to stay 1 forever. It is so lovely. We are better rested now, and enjoying each other's company. This week has been hard with the teething and cold, but most of the time she is a joy and I can't imagine my life without her. So in case we don't meet again this month on the blog - Happy Christmas to all!

Phillips Family Photos

We took photos this summer while we were visiting my brother Dave and his family, but I don't think I have posted them yet. So here they are. Enjoy.

Words Words Words

It seems that 14 months is a time when toddlers often pick up new words. I thought it would be a good exercise to try and remember what words Ani is saying, what she is signing, etc. If I don't write it down now, I will never remember.

So,

words she can say:
Bah (ball)
Daw (dog)
on
on (sometimes it means again)
awlp (help)
MMMMoooore (more)
moo
Neigh
Daddy
yesh (yes)
nnnnoooooh (no)
nnnnooooh (nose - I know, it sounds the same as no, but the z sound isn't there yet. this is usually accompanied by pointing at her nose)
Ah dun (all done)
AAAAHHHHHHH (I am very frustrated right now!) - ok, so that isn't a word. But she is definitely using this one very often and trying to communicate so I felt it belonged here.

words she can sign:
more
light
milk
water (she can't actually do this sign yet. BUT, when I do the sign she makes a very specific hand motion not at all the same as mine, which I believe is her attempt to do the sign. So, she can sign water, but it is just a sign she has made up on her own)
food
please (this one is adorable - usually very emphatic and done with both hands, just in case mommy isn't getting the hint)
shoe
all done

Hope you have enjoyed the vocabulary update.
:)

And finally some pics.

Ani and her little buddy playing with water in the bathtub. Aren't they adorable?

Its music day! Heart and soul anyone?

Ani and her Aunt Sarah just before Sarah has to head back to the airport.

My happy girl rolling around on the floor just a day or two ago. Look at all those teeth!

Why all 1 year olds should have a Dog

1. No need for Mommy to sweep after meals
2. someone who will eat the asparagus when you don't want to
3. there's always a friend to cuddle with, even if he doesn't like it and growls
4. there's always someone to follow around the yard
5. a buddy to sleep under the crib and chase away monsters

13 months

Well, I have more video and pics to post, but unfortunately up until a few minutes ago, I misplaced my camera. So you will just have to wait.

Ani is 13 months now and she is quite a character. She walks around regularly now - and has mostly given up crawling altogether. Last week she discovered running, which is so cute since it ends in lots of tumbles. I am sure it will get less cute when she gets faster, but for now it is adorable. Her arms are still in the air like frankenstein's monster in order to maintain balance, so if she keeps that up we may have to dress her like a monster for halloween and have her walk around the neighborhood.

After much debate, we have decided not to delay most vaccinations. Perhaps this is not much of a choice for most people, but there is compelling anecdotal evidence to suggest that waiting a few years on the vaccines is not a big deal and may be beneficial. We have chosen not to wait for the very simple fact that our pediatrician recommends we don't, and many of the early vaccines are for diseases that could be fatal if an infant catches them. We considered not immunizing her for chicken pox, which is recommended now, simply because it appears to be a stronger immunization if the just gets the disease in childhood. But since she is too little to respond when we tell her to stop scratching, we decided it would be best to give her the first dose, and then decided later if we want her to have the booster, or just be exposed to the disease after that.

So... this means that right now Anika is covered almost head to toe in little red spots. Apparently one mild but common side effect for both the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and chicken pox vaccinations is the appearance of spots that resemble the disease we are immunizing her from.

She is also enjoying playing each weekday with her buddy Bridget. They are just one month apart and very cute together. They are learning how to hug, and while one child usually ends up falling down and crying, they seem to enjoy it and keep trying. They are also just big enough to take turns riding on our little push airplane and pushing each other up and down the hallway, which is super adorable.

At 18 lbs 15oz fully clothed, she is still in the 5th% for her weight, 50th% for height, and 75th% for head size. An interesting combination, no?

As far as words go, Anika has made great progress with nodding. She now mostly knows the difference between nods and shaking her head no so it is easier to figure out what she wants. She can also ask for more using sign language, which she does regularly.

Most excitingly for mommy, she has begun to put herself to sleep with Mommy sitting near her crib, instead of rocking forever. It also means she is going longer in her crib at night, hooray!

She has now cut 10, possibly 11 teeth altogether. The last 2, possibly 3 molars have come in the last 2 weeks. We were surprised because she skipped the pointy incisor teeth and went straight to the first molars, but apparently that is what is supposed to happen. Go figure. All the other teeth were right next to each other but the pediatrician probably knows what she is talking about so I am not sorried.

Well, as the laptop battery is dying, this shall end the post today. Much love to all

Happy Birthday Anika

Ani turned 1 year old today, and I think she had a pretty special day. It actually started yesterday. We had a pre-birthday trip to King's Dominion to play in the water park. Aunt Sarah is here visiting so we took Sarah to the water park and we took turns going down slides and playing with Ani in the pools and kid parts of the park. Anika LOVED being in the water, and had a great time. I am happy to report that even though it was quite hot outside, there were no sunburns for baby.

Then, and this is most exciting, she celebrated by sleeping in her crib in her own room all by herself all night long for the very first time. It was WONDERFUL. Of course we cuddled a bunch extra during the day today to make up for the lost cuddle time.

Today we stayed in the house and played. Anika had cake before dinner with strawberries on top. She loved the strawberries but was not into the cake at all. I guess we are doing something right.

I hope you enjoy the video.

July update - 11 months

Well, we are off visiting relatives, which for the most part seem to be the folks who read the blog anyway (sorry Jenna, Stephanie, and Karie). This week we are with the Phillips family in Cathlamet, WA. Apparently instead of celebrating the fourth of July, in Cathlament they have Bald Eagle's Day today and the town fireworks will take place this evening. Ani is now 11 months old and getting bigger every day.

She's mostly done with baby food and willing to eat just about any kind of adult food we can cut into small pieces. She says "hi" to everyone we meet, and some inanimate objects. She can also say Daddy very clearly and sometimes she can say "yay" "whee" "yeah" and "doggy". She loves the kitten at her grandparents house. The kitten is named Zoe and Anika adores playing with her. So far Zoe is very gentle and never puts out her claws so she and Anika are good friends.

On Monday we will fly to LA for a week to visit my brother Dave and his family, which should also be fun and exciting. Well, that's about it for now.

Packing, Packing

I know it has been over a month since the last post, and I do apologize - I have been so remiss. But I am merely writing to tell you I shall be remiss some more. My digital camera is not near my computer so I cannot load any pics I may have taken in the last month to update you.

Anika has 7 teeth now - 4 on top and 3 on the bottom. She was 10 months old today, which is a wonderful age. Last night as i was getting ready for bed (Mike was out), she woke up and cried for me, so I sat on the bed and patted her tummy and she scooted her little body next to my leg and went right back to sleep.

It was a nice little moment. All she needed was to snuggle with her mommy and then she was safe and comfy and cozy and ready to drift off to dreamland again. I of course promptly abandoned her to finish getting ready for bed, but then we cuddled together for a while as she slept and I thought how wonderful it is to be a mom to a little person who is happier just being next to me than anywhere else in the world.

So we are packing up all of our belongings, because the summer of travel has almost begun! First we will move out on June 23rd and spend one night in a hotel (as my last day of work for the summer is not until June 24th). Then we will spend just under 3 weeks at the lakehouse (aka my parent's house in NC). After that it is off to Washington state to show the Phillips side of the family how much Anika has grown and spend some time catching up with all of them. It sounds like Jon will even be there so it will be one big family reunion.

After 1 week there, we move on to LA to visit my brother Dave and his family for a week. This will be our first time staying in their new house, so it will be very exciting. I just hope we will have been able to save some spending money because there are so many things to do in LA (and eat) if you can afford to go out.

Then its back to NC for a few days before we pick up Monty (who will be staying with Nana and Grandpa Locke while we are traveling) and head to our new little house by Willow Lawn.

After that, I train my replacement at VCU for 2 weeks, and then I start my full time stay at home mom daycare service. I'm open to catchy business name ideas so the government can snicker at my taxes "Julie's jubilant daycare" "Babes in Arms Childcare" "Julie's Playhouse" etc.

Milestones and Mother's Day

Anika finally has a top tooth. The little bugger broke free from the gums on Monday - making Monday Anika's favorite growth milestone day. She was born on a Monday, and now has cut all 3 of her teeth on Mondays.

Next Monday will be her 9 month birthday. I know, I know, you only get birthdays once a year, but 9 months is a very big deal for her mommy, who has now had her on the outside just about as long as she was on the inside. It only seems right that this particular milestone happen right around Mother's day.

For those of you who are interested in my other baby, Monty, he is adjusting to life with a little sister. She adores him, and he is being very patient with her (most of the time). I am proud to report that he has been seizure free for 9 months - so he is also celebrating his own anniversary. Hopefully his epileptic period will just be an anomaly we cannot explain but that never gets repeated.

To all my mothers and grandmothers who may be reading this post, Happy early mother's day. I never appreciated how hard it was to be you until I'd stood in your shoes for a while. Sometimes it used to seem like not that big a deal, since so many women are mother's and seem to be surviving - but this job is tough. Rewarding in new and surprising ways everyday, but still tough. Thanks for all being such great models for me.

Anika's top 10 list

Here is the list of Anika's Top 10 favorite things (or at least what I think she would say if she spoke English)

10. Electrical cords

9. Looking in the mirror

8. Scratching the sheets with your fingernails and making a fun noise. (preferrably at 3am)

7. The sound your little teeth make on a metal spoon

6. The wind in your face

5. The lines between things - like the edges of carpets

4. Daddy coming home

3. Mommy in physical proximity

2. Monty's tail

1. Playing with water

Thesis Time!

Its that time of year again when the grad students at VCU scramble to finish their degrees and enter that big bad world of (un)employment. So this week I am on two thesis committees, both planning to defend.

I am actually, secretly, super excited about it. At the moment, reading theses is the only theatre type intellectual stimulation I am getting so I am trying to enjoy myself.

I must add that one of my thesis students was in my grad pedagogy class last fall, and a quote from one of my required readings made it into her thesis. While it could very well just be kissing up to the committee, I choose to believe that I inspired her.

Anyone else out there trying to get an MFA in theatre who needs a thesis committee member, let me know. I'd love to. and I am apparently very inspiring.

Anika's First Haircut

We finally cut Anika's hair - and it is much more manageable now! Here are the pictures of the process.
Final Product. She was such a champ. No crying at all. I am not sure she ever even saw the scissors.

Part way through. Michael was her stylist and I was the photographer, and attention seeker.

Just starting out.