It's just me. Again.

She repeats and nods her head, but I'm not sure how much she understands. How can she even comprehend that her daily companions have gone away? Tonight I held her a little longer and through my own tears tried to explain to her in terms I think she'll understand. " They took all their clothes ..." and with her little arms wrapped around me she said " clothes ". " They took all their toys... " and I feel her jaw on my shoulder as she repeats " toys ". " And they got in their car (car) and went to Missouri (Muri) " It would be easy to ignore the subject all together except when she brings it up by asking for "Mah and Hal". But tonight her restlessness and tears left me to wonder if somewhere in her 19 mo old heart she is sad and feeling the loss in a way she can't communicate. So I do my best to communicate for her. "When people I love move away I feel sad. And when I feel sad, I cry. I want all the peopl

My 18 mo. old daughter loves to make a mess. My 40 yr. old husband doesn't understand why I clean up after her 5... 6... 20 times a day. To my understanding, making a mess is what she DOES. It's learning, it's playing, it's figuring things out, it's exploring, it's creating, and a gazillion other toddler-appropriate things. If the toys get thrown around the living room and stay there, how is she suppose to do all those things? So I put them back in their place, arrange the books yet again, and sort the blocks out from the stacking cups for the umpteenth time. It's work .... but she is more interested in the toys when they're neatly on the shelves than strewn all over the floor. And I WANT her to be interested in the toys. If not, then it's up to me to be her entertainment and I just can't handle that every-waking-moment job! Other things my daughter loves: Laurie Berkner videos Confession: These videos give me 20-30 minutes of PEACE. To

I have an adorable little girl who says "boobka" instead of book and "more mickey" when she wants to nurse. She loves boo bays (the little blue fruit!) and dah-dy. A true piece of work! When meal time is over, her hands reach for her hair and whatever her fingers smashed and mushed ends up in her brown curls. She's learning the word "mess". My husband suggested a bib for her hair so I bolted to her room today to get a wide hair band and voila! she now has a hair bib! Corn on the cob is a new favorite food and she eagerly gobbled up a pork sandwich (they call it "barbeque" down here) for dinner. Wa-wa is her favorite drink, crocs her favorite shoe. Mah, Hal, Pay, and even Uncle Jaw are her favorite relatives in her tiny little world. I look forward to her experience, understanding, and relationships to expand in the years to come! One day she'll ask for the car keys, a $20 bill and an extension on her curfew .... but until then ... I