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.