Past and Present

On this date, two years ago, we became a family.

Last night I read through our blog posts from that time; I smiled (and teared up a little) as I remembered those first few days of discovering one another.

As is our custom, we had pizza and Cheerios for dinner tonight - just as we did for our first family meal together in China. As she sat there slurping down her chocolate milk and making goofy faces at me - the latest of which I call her "great Norma Desmond" look - I couldn't help but think about how far we've come. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that there was a time when she wouldn't even let me hold her, even though I know it's true.

Today was also what Wynn calls a "girl day" - when I'm home for the summer, and she stays home from daycare. The big excitement on this day was that it was Wynn's first time going to music class at the MacPhail Center.

Now, I happen to be sick as a proverbial dog this week - we've been taking turns with the stuffy nose, low-grade fever thing, and it's my turn at bat. But I managed to take enough Tylenol and decongestant to get us over to Minneapolis and through our first class.

Wynn was oddly shy for much of it. Maybe it was the unfamiliar people and surroundings. Or that she wasn't quite sure whether I was staying or leaving. In any case, instead of pretending to fly around like a woodpecker, Wynn wanted to be held by Mom. So I held her, and we flew like a woodpecker together. And it was fun.

Near the end of the class, the teacher brought out a parachute to play with. Wynn got one look at it and started jumping up and down, "Oh, I like THAT!" And any hint of shyness disappeared.

That's Our Girl

We've gotten a few phone calls asking, so, for all you Twin Citians out there - yes, that WAS Wynn you saw briefly on the channel 4 news Saturday night. We went to a party that day to celebrate our friend RM's safe return from Iraq; WCCO was there covering the party; Scott was among those interviewed, and Wynn was media-savvy enough to give the cameraman a big, goofy grin, thus ensuring her a spot on the evening news.

This weekend Wynn started being more interested in books. She now holds them up, points at the pictures, and babbles along as if she's reading. Her favorite place to read is sitting on the potty chair. Hey, if ten times through "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" is what it takes to inspire her, so be it.

She continues to be a charming little mimic. Tonight, Scott was teasing her in her on-going quest for dominion over the remote. He tucked the remote down his shirt to hide it from her, which she, of course, was on to immediately. Now she's taking her toy shovel and spatula and sticking them down her shirt. When she has the toy hidden, she looks up innocently and holds her hands palms upward as if to say, "Nope, I don't have anything." We fear that she may eventually prove to be much smarter than we are. We figure we've got about two months before that happens, though.

I've included a couple pictures today. What I love about the first one is that she looks like she's auditioning for "The Exorcist: The Toddler Years". (It's oatmeal, and I keep assuring Scott that her self-feeding abilities will improve with practice.) What I love about the other picture is that in the background you can see all the trays from our kitchen strewn across the living room floor AND Scott passed out with a bowl on his head. Our house isn't as neat as it once was (and we swear our kitchen shrank by about 40% while we were gone), but we're having fun.

Ann