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...