Meg and the Hat

Today at Kris and Jessica's house, Meg found a baseball cap. She loooooves baseball caps! Well, the hat went right on her little head, and Aunt Jess thought it was so funny, she started snapping all kinds of pictures! Meg was only too happy to pose for her admiring audience. Here are a few of the results...

Too Cute

On Sunday night Dave, Meg and I went to dinner at the home of our new friends and care group members, Bob and Amy. They have three little boys, including Deacon, whom we think is two years old. Deacon is one of those kids who leaves an impression; our first encounter with him left us with the notions that he is bright, observant, creative and very sociable. Oh, and really cute. One incident in particular played a part in those conclusions.

The Campbells were also there for dinner, along with their three kiddos, so there were lots of little ones running around. Meg, still in the bright orange dress that she wore to church that morning (pictured above), was introduced to the other children and kindly given permission to play with the toys of her hosts. Overall, she seemed to make little impression on her peers, since she was really too small (and self-absorbed) to join in their "big-kid" play.

For the first hour or so after we arrived, the kids ate dinner and played around the house with whatever caught their attention. Around 7:00, the older kids all went outside while Meg and Aiden were packed off to bed. After a bit, the others returned to the house for dessert. As his mommy unwrapped his popsicle, Deacon seated himself at the kitchen table with Eva and me and looked around curiously. After a few seconds, he looked up at Amy and asked, "Where's the orange baby?"

For a moment, Amy was baffled. "Mommy, where's the orange baby?" he repeated, and suddenly Amy burst out laughing. "The orange bab... do you mean Meg?" Deacon nodded earnestly. At that point, I joined in the laughter heartily.

Two days later, Dave and I are still referring privately to Meg as "the orange baby." It's just too cute to think that Deacon noticed Meg's absence, thought to ask about it, and coined such a unique and fitting way to describe our daughter! In our minds, a quotable quote was born that night. The orange baby she shall be... probably for a long time to come.

18-Month Check-Up (by Meg)

On Friday I went to see my friend Dr. Wells-Green. I sat on Mommy's lap and smiled at the doctor when he first came into the room and sat down across from us. He is a very nice, very gentle man and I like him.

The big news is that I am now officially a biiiiiiig girl. At 33.5" tall and 25 lbs, 6 oz., I am in the 90th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight as compared with other little girls my age. I've grown 2.5" and gained 2 lbs., 2 oz. since my 15-month visit, and the doctor is pleased as punch with me. He even teased me when he examined me and called me "his big-bellied friend." It's encouraging to my family to know that slow weight gain and constant reflux in the first year of life don't necessarily mean bad stuff beyond that!

Oh, and Mommy says to tell you that I have fourteen teeth!

That's all the medical info on me for now. I have a couple of tests coming up, which Mommy will report on if they turn up anything unusual. But otherwise, we're once again thanking God for his kindness in granting me very good health!

Vacation Countdown

18 days... That's how much time is left before the Wilcox family hits the road for a shared vacation with the Marcantonios.

If you're not aware of our history with Kris and Jess Marcantonio, it's one of those stories that sounds like a modern-day fairy-tale. Two girls who have almost nothing in common meet in college, hit it off, enjoy countless crazy adventures together, share a house after college, and end up marrying two guys who are also best friends and roommates. "And they all lived happily ever after." Well, not really... after all, our "ever afters" are still only a few years old. But we are now raising our kids together, double dating on occasion, and planning our first joint vacation. That in itself is part of a pretty good start at happy-ever-aftering!

Anyway, on Monday, June 25th, we'll load up Kris and Jessica's new minivan--with two strollers, two pack-n-plays, two car seats, several suitcases, some coolers, a bunch of books, two babies, and four grown-ups--and head off to the wilds (not really) of West Virginia. Once there, we'll spend a week in a house on the Potomac River, relaxing, adventuring, laughing, eating, reading, playing... oh, and if Jess has anything to say about it, quoting. Disney movies, that is.

In explanation of the photograph above: last night we got together as couples (plus Jack) to grab a bite and do some planning for our time away. I asked if we could snap a picture, just to officially inaugurate our countdown. (A member of the California Tortilla staff graciously obliged by operating the camera.)

18 days and counting... stay tuned for more on our vacation...

A Strawberry Day

Yesterday was Dave's day off. It was also Monday, our family day, which we try to set aside as a time to enjoy one another, make memories and build traditions. And just to make it extra special, it was Meg's 18-month birthday! Obviously, such a rare alignment of free and noteworthy days required a special celebration. So we decided to make our first family venture to Butler's Orchard. Our mission? To return home with a boatload of strawberries... and to have a little fun in the pickin'.

When we arrived in the berry field, Meg, who loves strawberries, did not need to be told why we were there. As soon as she spotted those beautiful, bright red treasures growing plump on the ends of the green vines, she knew just what to do. And thus, I am sorry to say, Butler's Orchard lost about a pint's worth of strawberry revenue yesterday--lost it to our daughter's mouth and tummy. She did eventually learn to contribute some of her finds to the family berry flat as well. But it is very difficult to persuade an 18-month old that she should defer all of her enjoyment until after the fruit can be payed for and washed.

Anyway, we had a blast and came away with just over ten pounds of berries in the brief time we were there. Plenty for eating, freezing, and sharing with Nana and Grandpop! (And maybe some left over for an experimental baking project...?) Here are the pics:

A Boo in a berry field:


Just starting out:


Walking... (Notice the juice stains on her front.)


Reaching...


Munching...


Picking...


Mommy making some headway...


And fun with an irrigation sprinkler!

Bathing Beauty

Supposedly, there are people in the world who will tell you that that there are no inherent differences between boys and girls. Probably I have met some of these people myself and just never bothered to ascertain their opinion on this subject. But I am here to tell you that Meg is a girl.

Today while we were at Target, I stopped our cart near the toddler girls' bathing suit rack. I have been looking for a bathing suit for Meg for a while, casually debating with myself about how much money to spend, what kind of quality to look for, etc. At Target, as you may know, the clothing quality may be debatable, but the prices are not bad. All the little girls' suits were $10. I stood there for a moment, thinking, "It would be one thing if we were pool rats who would be wearing suits every day this summer, but we're not. We'll be lucky if we go swimming three or four times before she outgrows this year's suit."

Deciding that in our situation a Target-quality suit would be just fine, I began to examine my options more closely. I pulled a few pieces off the rack to see whether Meg might need an 18-month or a 24-month. I came across a lime green number with bright pink and purple flowers all over it and passed right over it the first time. Then I came back to it and pulled it off the rack. Instantly, Meg's little hands shot up to reach for it. "This one?" I said. "You want this one?" The continued stretching and reaching convinced me that, yes, this was her top choice.

Hmmm, I thought, it looks a little bit like a 1960's shower curtain, but I'll bet it's one of those things that's cuter on the baby than on the hanger. In fact, the pattern was growing on me. And I liked the fact that it had nice wide straps. And they had one in 24-months, which looked like it would be just right for Meg. So I threw it in the cart.

Now who but a very girly little girl would be drawn to a flowery suit in neon greens and pinks--at 18 months of age??!

After Meg's nap today, I unpacked the shopping bags and handed Meg her suit. Her eyes glowed, and she immediately started trying to pull it over her head. "Would you like to put it on?" I asked. She screeched with delight and ran into my arms to have her clothes removed. She's been wearing the new suit ever since. And I was right--it's way cuter on her than it was in the store. I can't wait to take her swimming in it...