A New Day, A New Trick

As you know, yesterday Greta decided to walk. Not simply take steps, but rather take off!

Tonight, she surprised me at bedtime. I put her in the crib, played peek-a-boo with her blanket, and then turn to leave. I heard her crib rattle, and when I turned around, this is what I saw:


She was so pleased with herself! Within seconds she realized she could not only shake the crib, but also bounce on the mattress. Her grin got even bigger:

Then she noticed that the railing was the perfect height for her toothless mouth. And ta da! She discovered a new teether.

I can hardly wait for my standing, wailing, crib-shaking, teething daughter to show daddy her new trick at 3 am!

And She's Off!

Just like that, with her golf club in one hand and a ball in the other, Greta officially became a toddler. She toddled all the way from her play mat in the living room to the kitchen. No in-between cruising along the furniture for her: yesterday she was holding our fingers, today she literally took off. Good thing we bought safety gates last weekend! Click here to see a short video of her second excursion (mommy didn't have time to grab the camera to capture the first jaunt). For her second stunt, she took off carrying just the golf club. For her final trick of the night: She walked with nothing in her hands. Go, Greta, go!

Daddy's little girl

A couple shots from our Memorial Day bike ride/picnic. These are the types of images that make me want to do anything but go to work.

Photos, photos, photos

As promised, here's a link to the slideshow of our weekend with Ryan & Chris. We did so much we almost reached the magic 100-photo mark! What did we EVER do before digital photography? I know, Dad, we took slides. :-)

What a weekend!

Aunt Chris and cousin Ryan arrived Friday afternoon and we haven't stopped running since! In no particular order we toured the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, we christened the Old Town Greens community swimming pool, we rode our bikes 5 miles roundtrip to Starbucks, we checked out the Natural History Museum, we posed for pictures in front of all the monuments Ryan is learning about in school (FDR, Congress, Washington), and we paid a visit to the International Spy Museum.

I'll link to a never-ending slide show at some point on Monday, but for now, here's by far the best shot of the baby for whom this blog is named.

Dev cycle

In my 50% Microsoft world, that refers to the process that creates buggy software that isn't fixed until three years after its RTW (release to the world).

But when it comes to babies, development means crawling, stacking, feeding, walking, all that good stuff.

This is a roundabout way to say that Greta passed her developmental assessment today. Three ladies came to the house and watched her do things like scribble with a crayon, pick up Cheerios, clap, put balls in a bucket and take them out, etc. She was in an excellent mood and seemed to enjoy the attention. Carey can post about the specific results, but the bottom line is she's on track for her age, both adjusted and biological. So we were happy this morning. For 30 minutes, at least.

Then the doctor called and said her one-year blood tests showed mild anemia. Hermatocrit of 29% that should be in the 33-38% range. A liquid multi-vitamin with iron is the first step. Her breast milk was supplemented with iron until about six months and her formula is supposed to contain some, but apparently it's not enough.

And so we enter the weekend with a fortified baby. Aunt Chris and cousin Ryan are visiting. We'll post lots of pictures.

Little duffer

When I came home from work last night, Carey had a confession to make: She had bought Greta another toy. It was an impulse buy, she said. She was at CVS trying to decide between anti-perspirant or deodorant (or both!), when it caught her eye. I imagine it made her think of summer nights at the putt putt course, perhaps a few of our dates at the Watertown links back in the day. I can see the synapses in her brain firing -- maybe she could recapture a little of that youthful glow by sharing something vaguely similar with her beloved daughter. Maybe, if she starts golfing RIGHT NOW, Greta will make the world forget Michelle Wie when she turns 14. Carey went on to tell me that Greta loved the toy last night, whacking the dimpled white plastic ball all over the place. So of course I wanted to get a few holes in with Greta before leaving for work this morning. After we fed the cat and ate a wagon wheel, I grabbed her by the hand and asked her to show me the monstrous foam thing that clutters my kitchen floor. Later, she said, as she chewed on the tail of a mouse made of string. So we had breakfast; yogurt and "nanas." With her belly full, I thought maybe she'd be up for a quick par 3. Not right now, she insisted, running her sticky banana fingers through her hair. So I pushed play on American Idol, mostly to watch Prince sing at the end again. Greta read a book. Something about cats who won't eat bananas. 10 minutes passed. 15. Then, it happened. Greta wanted to walk. And she wanted to walk back towards the kitchen. So away we go, book in one hand, the other five tiny fingers held in mine. When we get to the linoleum, she stops and surveys the landscape. Cat food and water bowl elevated on top of the freezer. Blue bowl filled with outdated toys near the sliding screen door. Convertible rocking chair near the pantry. And look! Over there! Six feet of foam matting shaped to look like sand traps and shrubs and a clown with a hole in its mouth! Hey, where's my three iron? I can lay up easy on this set up. It's just a short pitch to the green! And that's when she grabbed the flag from the first hole and her red plastic club, plopped down on the kitchen floor, and examined both items with a look that assuredly says, "what's all this for?"

Silly girl!

Greta has taken quite a liking to laundry day at the Merrill household. She is particularly fond of her colorful laundry basket. She and Daddy play a fun game of "Where, oh where, oh where is Greta?" with Greta "hiding" under her basket, then breaking into giggles when he "finds" her. Silly girl! Actually, silly Daddy, too!

Wonderful Weekend

What a weekend! Greta rocked out at a kiddie concert with buddy Jay at Jammin' Java on Saturday, enjoyed her first bike trailer ride with Mommy & Daddy along the Mount Vernon trail, met Aunt Kathy for an early Sunday breakfast then chased the kitties around her new condo (with four cats there was no slowing down!), and met up with Dudley and Jen for the Greek Festival in Washington, D.C.

The weather was perfect and so was Greta's behavior. At the Robbie Schaefer show on Saturday, she bounced to the music, clapped her hands, and "ooh-ooh-ohh'd" to the melodies. Among her other weekend "firsts": "uh-oh" whenever anybody drops something, "nana" to identify the fruit that monkeys love so much, and a pretty consistent pull-up into a standing position on legs or soft furniture.

Here's a slide show of the weekend.

Charging Hard Into The Weekend

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of what Greta looked like when I picked her up from Mama Dhillon's house today. I have never seen her so dirty!!! She played HARD today! Mama D said they could not walk her around the yard fast enough. She wanted to go-go-go!

Her favorite game involves chasing balls around the yard, which she kicks, clutches and carries. It was a damp day here, and her fleece pants and jacket picked up all kinds of dirt and sand from the various balls she went after (there are about eight of various sizes). The other kids love playing this game with her: she kicks the ball, they chase it down, and bring it back to Greta; watching her reminded me of a queen overseeing her court. It was very funny.

Mama Dhillon promised that Greta should sleep well tonight from all the fresh air and exercise. Since she started reaching for her blanket when we went upstairs for her bath at 7pm, she must be very tired. Fingers crossed that she has nothing but sweet dreams until the morning.

Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man and His Granddaughter as a Baby

Jerry Merrill, grandfather of three, has been spending most of his free time lately painting pictures of his granddaughters. He finished one of my niece Esme Jane Girard last week and here is his depiction of Greta Corleen Merrill. I think he did a great job capturing his affection for the girls and I like the delicate shadings of Greta's face and clothes. The upper lip biteover is a little exaggerated, but it is one of her signature facial expressions and it's nice to have it preserved in something other than a photo. All in all, he has a remarkable talent and I'm proud to be his son.

Back to the routine

Well, at least in the sense that I'm dropping Greta off at daycare again in the morning. Baby girl did her best to switch up the routine today ... rising at 5 a.m. with Mommy, then crashing again at 7:30 after Mommy left for work! We'll let her sleep an hour before running her down. She starts baby boot camp at Ft. Myers on May 30. Carey signed all the papers yesterday. Current provider Maria, who works with Mama Dhillon, cried when she heard the news. This is the same Maria who bought Greta a birthday party dress and a gift; two things she's never done for any of the other children. Carey is going to make an effort to bring by Greta for a visit at least once a month after work, which is very Carey and very considerate of her. Speaking of my beautiful wife and child, here's another Mother's Day shot. Perhaps not as flattering as the first, but Greta's expression is pretty priceless. She is most definitely Mommy's baby girl.

Well, well, well (for the most part)

Today was Greta's One Year Well Baby Checkup. She weighed in at 19 lbs 2 0z, measured 29.75 inches long, and her head circumference was 44.5 centimeters. Her pediatrician was pleased with the percentiles when she charted them:
Length = 75th percentile
Weight = between 10th and 25th percentile
Head Circumference = between 25th and 50th percentile

Overall, you almost forget she was a preemie! But the good doctor referred us for a developmental assessment of Greta's gross motor skills, since Greta just started to sit up by herself about two weeks ago, won't pull her body to a standing position, won't get into a tripod, and won't crawl on her hands and knees. She was going to refer us to a neurologist as well (merely as a precaution), but then decided to wait and see how things go with the assessment. We'll revisit the matter at Greta's 15 month checkup.

Then it was off for blood work. Greta was a trooper when it took the nurse 20 minutes to find a vein for a CBC, and a very brave little girl when it took almost 5 minutes to draw 1/4 cc of blood. I felt like the meanest mommy in the world as I held her in a bear hug while she whimpered and her tears ran down my arms. She just did not want to bleed! Just when the nurse was going to try and stick her again, she leaked out a smidgen of blood, and they called it good.

Next up: the immunization clinic for four shots. She took them like a champ. By that point, however, we were both exhausted. We'd been at the hospital for two hours! But since you have to wait at least 15 minutes before you can leave post immunization, we walked upstairs to the NICU to give them a "then and now" photo collage/thank you note. They love to see how the babies have grown!


After our mandatory wait period, I drove Greta to Mama Dhillon's and arrived at work around 1230. And tomorrow morning I am out of the office to take care of the Child Development Center paperwork. Did Rob post that we are finally off the wait list?! It will be heartbreaking to leave Mama D's, but the thought of having two extra hours a day with Greta made the decision so easy. More on that in a later blog.

Making Daddy Proud

As you all know, Rob is a die-hard Yankees fan. And of course, Greta is following suit. Our good friends and former New Jersey neighbors, the Hitchcock family, ensured Greta was outfitted for last season, and have done the same for this year. Thanks for the fantastic birthday presents, Bri, Melissa & Joelle! Can you believe how she has grown?!

Mommy's Day

This photo says it all on this second Mother's day: A doting Mom, an enamored child, and new dangly earrings from Daddy for both of them to enjoy.

Daddy's home!

I don't know how Willy Loman did it. I didn't see Greta after dropping her off at daycare Tuesday morning until Friday night after work and it felt like an eternity. During the workday I was fine, and in limbo at this nation's various airports I was OK, but at certain points in the day... like 6 a.m. & 7 p.m. ET regardless of time zone, I was wide awake and missing my baby girl. What I missed: Her smile, her points, her mono-syllabic grunts and snorts, her smell... her very Greta-ness.

Here' a photo Carey took of our first embrace Friday night after work. It's nice to be home.

A New Skill

Greta was very proud of herself tonight when she realized she could pull on the end of the Q-tip and the cotton puff would come off. Guess I'll have to find another way for her to "help" me while I empty and rinse out the tub.

We both miss Daddy tonight, and look forward to his return from Washington tomorrow. She needs some eskimo kisses, and I could use a hug. Hurry home, Daddy!

Spotting Sasha

As most readers of this blog know, we often say we only have one pet, Jinx, although we actually have two cats. Rob and I can go days without seeing Sasha, a furry feral cat I adopted my last year of law school, and weeks (if not months) will pass before I am able to corner her to provide basic grooming. She is literally a gray ghost in our home, and has only been spotted by a handful of our friends.

I tell you this as a prelude to Sasha's recent encounter with Greta. Greta has caught glimses of Sasha over the last year, though I think Sasha was often moving so fast that Greta did not know what she was seeing, if she actually thought she saw anything at all. Until last night.

After dinner and our evening playtime, I carried Greta upstairs to get her ready for the 4 B's (bath/bottle/books/bed). When we got to the doorway of her bedroom, Greta became VERY animated in my arms, waving her hands up and down, saying "ka-ka-ka-ka." I looked down, and there was Sasha, frozen in mid-dash in front of the dresser, hair standing up on her back. When we stepped into the room, Sasha jumped up on the futon, and again froze. "Ka-ka-ka-ka!" cried Greta, and she pointed at the very still Sasha. We took one step forward, and Sasha jumped over the back of the futon onto the windowsill, her head peeking over the top of the blankets at Greta, who was now bouncing in my arms, so excited to see a cat! We moved to the futon and peered over the back, and Sasha, who had jumped to the floor, looked up at us. I was amazed that this antisocial cat was playing this game...normally she dashes past your feet the minute you step toward her. Instead, she trotted down the back of the futon frame and paused at the arm rest by Greta's basket of blankets. I leaned Greta over the edge, within inches of Sasha's back, before Sasha finally darted from the room. Greta whirled around in my arms, and clearly wanted to follow her. I told her playtime with Sasha was over, and that I wasn't sure it would ever happen again.

And there wasn't a repeat tonight. Although Sasha did look pretty cozy hanging out on the windowsill next to Greta's play area just now, I don't think they will actually be playing together any time soon...if ever. Particularly since she didn't emerge downstairs until Greta was tucked in for the night. And then zoomed out of the living room as soon as I took this picture.

Greta's second first birthday party

The daycare bash was just a dress rehearsal. Greta celebrated on Saturday with friends. Click for a link to 39 photos of the festivities, because you just can't get enough.

Greta in her new chariot

Constant blog readers will recall I've used that headline before. But this time I'm not talking about car seats... I'm talking about CARS! That's right, Mommy & Daddy bought their one-year-old daughter a used automobile for her birthday. It needs a paint job, but it's got a nifty horn, four-on-the-floor, and tricked-out blue rims. The speedometer is pegged at about 30 mph and there's a yellow ignition key that makes a heck of a racket. Like all good VW bugs, the trunk is in the front, and the engine (adult feet) are in the back.

Greta's Birthday

What a crazy day! From 7:37 am until 8:29 pm (an hour past her normal bedtime!), we had a marvelous time. It was not nearly as stressful a day as her arrival one year ago, although hosting a party for a dozen children and their parents had its share of anxiety. Mama Dhillon said it was a wonderful party, and since she is speaking based on her 20+ years of daycare experience, Rob and I are both rather pleased. You only have a first birthday once, and this was pretty memorable. For us, at least!

P.S. Click the time span above for a link to her birthday photo gallery.

A Mommy Moment

Happy Birthday, baby girl. I told Daddy today that I had never before in my life been so aware of one year, of each month, of each moment. How is it that before you entered my life so many days, and even minutes, passed by without reflection?

A mere 365 days ago you resembled a little red lobster, a mere 4 lbs 3 oz. To see you today, with eyes twinkling, grabbing a handful of spaghetti and meatballs and shoving it into your gummy, grinning mouth, I sat amazed at your magnificent self, and at our incredible journey. And I thought of how exciting the coming days and months and years are going to be. But I want them to come slowly, please, because each second is so precious, so cherished. I love you, Greta, my sweet baby girl. xoxo

In appreciation of Greta Corleen Merrill

You are the reason I rise in the morning.
Your toothless smile can make me forget about everything else in my world.
Eskimo kisses on the belly are better, even, than a Yankees win vs. the Red Sox (regular season)
If you ever really say, "Pop," in my presence, I will probably cry.
The smell of your hair after a bath puts me in a very good mood.
I'm sorry we made you wear that Indian crown at your first birthday party.
My mother asked me soon after your birth if I ever thought I was capable of loving this much. I did not, but I do.
I asked my father if the anxiety I feel every time you cry ever goes away. He asked how old I was, then said it hasn't abated in 34 years.
I love you, my pumpkin, my boog', my dearest daughter.
Happy first birthday.

Whose toys?

As documented many times in this space before, Greta & Jinx are the best of friends. She's taken to burying her face in his fur as a sign of affection, and he has started to nuzzle her back rather than simply tolerate her.

Last night their love-fest continued long after Greta was in la-la land. She had emptied out one of her canvas play bins earlier in the day, obviously, as you can see, preparing a bed for her feline friend.

Greta Loo-Who

Today Mama Dhillon gave Greta her first "pony tail." Actually, it was more like a mouse tail. But since an actual rubber band was involved, it counts. And she made it even more beautiful by sliding in azeleas.

New trick

No more pens and markers for Greta. She's learned how to remove the caps!

She had a great night, slept from 8pm-7am.

Health matters

Forgive the lack of photos, but figured it was worth giving you the doctor's update. No fluid in her ears and they can't find anything wrong with her mouth. So, the pediatrician's fall-back option for the inexplicable: "Well, it must have been something viral." She slept better last night, waking up just once, drinking 4 oz., and falling back asleep quickly. Drank another 5 oz. this morning, so we're hoping her liquid appetite has returned. We'll send her to daycare today and hope the fever doesn't return.

May Day

Greta decided to get her monthly daycare absence out of the way by missing the first day of the month. From the looks of things, she'll miss the second day, too, since she has a doctor's appointment first thing in the morning. Grandma Merrill thinks it is an ear infection based on Greta's fever and aversion to drinking from her bottle. We are also fairly certain she is cutting teeth, since she turned into a drool machine! Poor baby. I wish I could make her feel better! She scored another balloon, which helped pass the time today. And she got to gnaw on a bagel, zwieback toast, and a vanilla biscuit. I just couldn't resist giving her whatever I thought would soothe her. As icky as it is to have a sick baby, it is also quite sweet to have her curl up in your arms and fall asleep against your neck. It occurs to me she won't really be a baby much longer.

Early birthday present

Dudley & Jen can't make Greta's bash next Saturday, so we met them for lunch on Sunday. Greta scored a lovely dress that will make everyone who sees her wearing it comment on her adorability.

When we got home from the late lunch, our daughter started acting strangely. She had a fever most of the day, and it topped out at 103.9 late Sun. afternoon. Tylenol and Motrin brought it down. But she seems to have some sort of pain in her mouth. Her fist or finger is constantly in there, and when she's awake, she whimpers about it. We tried Orajel with not much success and she likes her chilled teething toys for about 10 minutes. We pray she's cutting teeth, but we can't feel anything with our fingers. We also pray that if she's cutting a tooth, every future tooth isn't like this one! She never really settled all night long, waking up every 90 minutes or so. Carey's staying home with her most of the day, so she can post later with an update.

Birthday Buddy

Today we celebrated Jay's birthday six days early. It was the perfect day for a very nice BBQ. Unfortunately, the picture below is the only decent shot we took of them together. Click here to see the other pictures from the party (we think Greta is quite photogenic in front of the pink azelea bush). Greta had her first taste of cake (which she loved!), but she didn't try any frosting, so that will be a first at her birthday party on Friday.

Fixed by Mommy

Dressed by Daddy

"Pop!"

Tonight Greta grabbed Dr. Seuss' HOP on POP from her box of books to read before bedtime. I opened it to her favorite page and read: "HOP POP We like to hop. We like to hop on top of Pop. STOP You must not hop on Pop."

Greta looked at me, grinned, and said "Pop!"

"Pop?" I asked her, wondering if I heard correctly.

"Pop. Pop," she replied. "Pop."

Her Pop would be so proud. Brilliant, baby. Absolutely brilliant.

Tug-a-tug-a-tug-a!

That's the sound effect that accompanies the game in this photo. Mommy or Daddy grabs one end of anything [chain of links, string, blanket, or in this case, a highly dangerous vacuum cleaner power cord (yes, it's plugged in; it's on, even)], and Greta grabs the other. The grown-up provides a little resistance, Greta shakes her end, and in a low voice the parent says: "Tug-a-tug-a-tug-a!" Works every time.

I'm off to NYC today and tomorrow, so I leave the blog in Carey's capable hands. I miss her already. Greta, I mean. Oh, and Care too.

Point & shoot

Greta has discovered pointing. Say "cat" and she looks down on the ground for Jinx, then points. Say "fan" and she turns her eyes to the ceiling, and points.

I didn't take this picture, Carey did, but it's a good one.

Also shows the facial expression my father the artist has focused on as one of Greta's quirks -- top lip over the bottom, half consternation, half nonchalance.

Wake up music

Greta's latest trick is very considerate. Rather than open her mouth and empty her lungs when she awakes, she has taken to pulling on Ellie the Elephant's tail, which begins an endless loop of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Luckily for me, Carey seems to always hear it first. :-)

On the phone with Gr & Gr Merrill

A little almost live blogging... here's what Greta looked like while she talked to Grandma and Grandpa Merrill about 15 minutes ago during what's become a customary Sunday phone call. She told them all about her weekend... including a fondue party, garage sales in the rain, lunch at the mall food court and a play date with boyfriend Jay. And she did it all without ever losing oral contact with her post-dinner biter biscuit. Genius.

Greta the Multi-Tasker

After dinner tonight (diced chicken, carrots, mozzarella cheese, and a baby banana) and dessert (a jar of pears and wild blueberries), Greta still seemed to have the munchies. So I gave her one of the organic vanilla biter biscuits I bought at Amy Reid's favorite grocery store in New Hampshire. Greta can gnaw forever on these hard little sticks! Or at least until she drops one on the ground (which is what happened tonight, much to her chagrin.) Anyway, I was very impressed by her ability to gum the biscuit while smacking her giraffe out of the way so that she could play the piano. What a talented little multi-tasker she is!!

Live free or die

Click here for 58 photos documenting Greta's trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Southern Maine. We all had a fabulous time. Our friends, Aaron & Amy Reid, are living the Norman Rockwell life. It's a beautiful town, they have a beautiful house... seriously, they're beautiful people.

Steppin' out

It is here noted: Greta Corleen Merrill took her first unassisted steps in the state of New Hampshire on April 15, 2006. The location was a public theater in the round on Portsmouth's Strawbery Banke (yup, that's how they spell it), a row of houses and museums that date back to the 17th century. Her first step was just that, a step, but she's now up to one, two, three, sometimes four, and her record is five. We've practiced every night on the rubber mat on our balcony since getting home on Tuesday afternoon.

I'll link later to a slideshow from the weekend, but for now, I thought everyone should know that news. Girlfriend is bypassing crawling and going straight to being a biped.

With carrots, off to N.H.

Greta switched the tables on Carey tonight, feeding her instead of vice versa. You'd never guess the photo came after a much less than enjoyable bath. In fact, girlfriend hasn't bathed happily in five days. What up with that?

Anyway, as they say on Broadway, this blog is dark until April 19, when we'll post pix from Greta's first visit to the Granite State.

Comments etiquette

For our faithful readers who don't have blogger.com logins and are commenting as "anonymous," please do us the kindness of signing your comments. It's freaking out the grandparents. Thanks.

Greta the gardner

Something odd is happening on our balcony this spring. As she usually does, Carey purchased some plants and flowers when the weather started to improve. According to credit card receipts, the plants were bought on April 2 at Home Depot. Today is April 13. That's 11 days, for those not good at math. And that's at least four days more than any plant has ever survived on a Merrill balcony.

So my conclusion: the spark of life that is our daughter has nourished the sparks of life on our balcony. She spends at least 30 minutes rolling around on a rubber mat out there, either in the morning or evening. Sometimes she babbles, obviously acting as some sort of plant whisperer, and sometimes she even tends to the buds, as in this photo. In any case, it's amazing evidence of the circle of life, don't you think?

A Model for Gerber?

Greta recently started having dessert after dinner. Not every night, but on those evenings when she literally cleans her plate and is still hunting around the corners of the tray for more. Could she have a few more pieces of string cheese or carrots instead? Sure. But don't we always save room for dessert?! Here she is enjoying the second half of Gerber's Dutch Apple. What a poster child!

Daycare Surprise

Since Greta's first day at Mama Dhillon's, I have wanted her to have hair. At the end of the day, all the other little girls have bows and barrettes, ponytails and braids, courtesy of Mama D's skillful hands. The other parents marvel at how adorable their daughters are, because the girls won't sit still when they try to put "pretties" in their hair at home.

Now, I know that the following 'do didn't really take a lot of skill, but it is the first time Greta has had a barrette in her hair! And it is a true clip--not a sticky bow. Girlfriend finally has enough of a wisp to actually fasten a bow. Isn't she beautiful?!

The Voice

On Fridays, the daycare bag is practically bursting. Everything comes home to be washed: crib sheet, blanket, play blanket, and activity quilt. Usually they are all stuffed into a super-sized ziploc. But I forgot to pack the ziploc on Friday, so everything was stuffed into a Safeway grocery bag, with the top handles tied into a knot. I simply dropped the entire bag into Greta's laundry basket for Saturday's wash.

Then I heard it: "What if Greta grabs the bag? She could pull the bag into the crib and suffocate or choke. Take the laundry out and throw the bag away." I answered 'The Voice' with perfect logic: "She has never reached through the slats before to grab laundry, and the bag is heavy with blankets. She won't touch it and I'll do laundry on Saturday. You are being a paranoid Mommy."

I know what all of you are thinking: that Friday night something scary happened. But it didn't. She slept like an angel and all was right with the world.

The scary thing happened on Saturday at noon, when I heard Greta wake up from her nap, crying. Not her usual wake up routine. She is usually all smiles, babbling and kicking her feet against the crib slats. But she was really wailing. I ran in to her room, and the fear I discounted Friday had been realized: Greta had pulled the plastic handles of the bag through the slats and gnawed off the plastic piece that is always loose on the bag. You know the little piece I mean, where the bags are fastened to the holder in the store? And she had either choked on it and puked or swallowed it and threw it back up. She was a mess, the crib was a mess, and I was a mess. What a terrible Mommy I am. I will never dismiss The Voice again.

Rob's response? "Of course she grabbed it. You know how much she loves crinkly bags!" If only he had unpacked the daycare bag on Friday night.

Anyway, she is fine, fully recovered and napping as I type. Not sure why I felt compelled to confess, but I feel better having done so. Thanks for listening.

Totally cute!

Who can resist Greta's yummy toes? Not even the princess herself. They are simply delicious!

LIVESTRONG, indeed

Greta is enamored of the yellow wristband that I wear, nearly two years after they emerged on the pop culture scene. You probably all know the story, but they're meant to show support for the fight against cancer. Lance Armstrong and the marketing geniuses at Nike came up with the idea in 2004. Thanks to widespread visibility from Hollywood types, soon everyone was wearing the yellow rubber.

Greta, of course, doesn't know that back story. She just knows that they feel good when gummed. Still no teeth or signs of them, though.

She's at daycare today, probably spitting up her bottles. She did it twice this morning, at 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Both episodes seemed pretty harmless. She just finished her bottle, turned her head, and spit up half of it.

Sick @ home with Jinx

Carey actually took this photo yesterday, but it conveys how we spent our Thursday morning as well. I'm amazed that Jinx tolerates her, frankly. She spends most of her time grabbing his tail or burying her face in his fur. When he gets annoyed, he simply moves about five feet away and waits for her to low crawl over to him again. Cat and mouse? No, cat and baby.

Greta's been fine this morning in my humble medical opinion. Coughed a little upon waking but kept down all 6 oz. at 5 a.m. and 4 more at 7:30. Ate a dozen small chunks of pears as well. I think we erred on keeping her home today, but had she spit up most of a bottle at daycare, we'd be dealing with the same thing Carey dealt with yesterday.

So here I sit, blogging, while The Adorable One sleeps. She's been down since 9:30. A good, long nap. Mommy's coming home around Noon and then I head to work for six hours. Thank God we have understanding employers (for now.)

Home sick (again)

I don't have a photo to post, as I'm at work while I type, but Greta came home sick again today around Noon. After taking her last two bottles, she coughs so hard that she spits up most of it. It's happened before and it's happened on and off since Sunday, when she spit up on Grandpa during his visit. Being prone to dramatic bouts of worrying, my most recent concern is asthma. But her breathing isn't labored except when she's working up to a cough. We'll ask our pediatrician about it during her next check-up. As usual, the Internet is full of doomsayers on the topic.

Anyway, Mommy is home with her. If she checks in later today, she can provide stats on how many times Greta was sent home from daycare in March. This is already #2 in April! :-(

Tuesday Trials

We missed Daddy today. He went to NYC yesterday for work, so it was just the two of us. Not too terrible a Monday night...a couple of coughing jags (one that produce some stringy peach from dinner--yuck!) but Greta slept through from 7:30 pm until 5:50 a.m. Since she woke up crying, I figured she wasn't really ready to get up (she wakes up for the day a very happy baby!). So I gave her 6 oz and she fell asleep immediately. I felt terrible waking her an hour later to take her to day care. Felt even worse when she spit up in the car on the way down, drenching her outfit (it was wear your favorite color day; she was in yellow) and the car seat. Serves me right for not getting a burp out of her! But her bag had two extra outfits in it, so I figured "no worries." And all was well until Mama Dhillon called my office just after 2 p.m. to say that Greta was not well and had thrown up. I asked if it was a wet burp or related to coughing, but she said 'No...it was vomit." So I got to leave work early to pick her up. She was in a great mood, so when we got home I decided to go for a walk to the grocery store. Ended up buying her a rabbit balloon because she was being such a good girl, and I thought it would make her feel better...in our house you get whatever you want when you are sick. Since she wasn't acting ill and didn't have a fever, I fed her bananas and oatmeal for dinner, with her favorite sweet potato puffs. She kept that down and had a fantastic bath playing with her foamy letters. She didn't seem ill, so I fixed her a bottle and she downed 6 oz and went to sleep like an angel. Hopefully she'll keep it down. She wouldn't burp for me, so we'll see. And of course, we'll let you know how the night goes!

Tuckered Out

Playing with Grandma and Grandpa can be so exhausting!

I didn't wake up until 8:15 Monday morning. I can't wait to see them again! Love you, Grandma & Grandpa Merrill!!!

Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Merrill

Is there anything we didn't do? We walked 4 miles down and back to Old Town on Saturday, we played like crazy on the patio with my new Home Depot town mats, we misaligned Grandpa's vertebrae walking him all around the house, we ate at my favorite bagel shop and an Italian restaurant, and we explored Teddy Roosevelt Island, something my Daddy hadn't done in the 8 years he's lived in D.C. I was a very good eater all weekend, as you can tell from the photo. I was not such a good sleeper. Saturday night, in particular, I woke up Daddy twice to tell him something, but as soon as he picked me up, I forgot what I was going to say and instead pressed my cheek into his chest hair. That always relaxes me. Anyway, here's the link to our slideshow of the weekend. When Daddy's feeling more ambitious, he says he'll add captions and put it in some semblance of an order.

Grandparents!

Grandma & Grandpa Merrill arrived yesterday around dinner time. I saw them for about an hour before taking a bath and going to bed. Here's the first photo Mommy took of me with them. It's not very good, but I'm sure there will be hundreds more.