A dramatic reading of "Moo, Baa, LaLaLa"

Washing Deviled Eggs

Washing Deviled Eggs (or "Breakfast with a Toddler").

Sophia's typical breakfast is a scoop of raw old-fashioned oats and a spoonful of frozen blueberries in plain organic full fat yogurt or milk. We do try to add in some variety and eggs are near the top of her many favorite foods. Scrambled...hard-boiled....fried- she hadn't encountered one she didn't like.

This was until the day I attempted to serve her Deviled Eggs for breakfast. It soon became clear that the consistency of the mashed yolk was the most distressing. 

Upon first encounter with yolk:

Refusing to even look at it:

Fearing that it has become a permanent paste:

I have a hard time with wasting food for many reasons:

• Someone had to grow it or
• An animal had to die for it
• Someone's money was spent to buy it
• And many people who don't have it, would be grateful for it

Despite being able to afford otherwise, it was common in my family to cut mold off of food where spores weren't involved. I don't encourage Sophia to finish her food when she is no longer hungry, but I do find myself often eating up her leftovers.

In this instance, I decided the best course of action was to wash the offending matter off of the Deviled Eggs. Once the yolks were gone, Sophia was happy to eat up the whites.

Two Kingdoms

Free airfare under age two combined with a job that requires frequent travel means that Sophia and I accompany Joshua on as many business trips as make sense to increase our time together.

This time his conference was in Orlando in December, so Sophia's Maternal Grandparents and Uncle James also came along.

We visited Disney's Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks, and enjoyed the rest of our time outdoors at our hotel.

Sophia had a front row seat on the "It's a Small World" attraction and kept pointing in all directions during the ride.

While she clearly enjoyed "It's a Small World" the best of all the Magic Kingdom rides, her favorite part of the Park was looking through a door with a missing panel which was part of a playground on "Tom Sawyer Island".

At Animal Kingdom Sophia waved to the animals from the Safari truck and got to pet some tamer ones.

Her favorite ride at this park was the "TriceraTop Spin", which was the only one on the whole trip she requested to go on a second time.

Back at the hotel she enjoyed, pushing her Grandpa on the swing:

Using her Uncle's sandals as boats:

And playing in the pool(her newest word which she says with lots of o's)with her Uncle James and Gran:

Thanksgiving 2014

This Thanksgiving Sophia was able to spend time with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Parents, Grandparents, and a Great Grandparent.

She made an apple pie with her Grammie and Aunt Aimee.

Walked in the snow for the first time. 

Played in a sheet fort that used to belong to her Dada (Grammie fit better than Uncle James).

And said a new word, "Pie". 

Her Great Grandfather put the Pumpkin filling that wouldn't fit in the crust in her very own pan. She managed to eat all of it over the course of three meals.

First Chore

We like to encourage Sophia's desire to help whenever possible. Unloading the dishwasher has become the alternative to her preferred activity of crawling into it.

National Adoption Day 2014

Friday November 21st was National Adoption Day. On this day every year thousands of children have their adoptions legalized in court houses across the United States. Then there are big parties to celebrate these families forming.

Joshua and I have individually felt adoption would be part of how we grew our family prior to Sophia's birth and prior to meeting each other. This year we spent the day making phone calls to find answers for the blanks on our initial paperwork for the "Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Adoption Application Licensing Unit".

We both kissed the application before Sophia and I brought it down to the post office and got every sort of certified/insurance/guarantee that was available. There is so much out of your control with this process, we figured we could at least know whether it was delivered.

We have no idea if it will be years before our adoption is finalized or much sooner but we are celebrating this next step towards the rest of our family. 

Cousin Blake

When Sophia was born she inherited six wonderful cousins. 

Blake is the second oldest at 12, and we get to see him and his brother Aaron fairly often since they live in nearby Vermont.

I remember meeting Blake when he was just a few days old before his Uncle and I were even dating.  Now he's making astute observations about my child, such as "The way she runs into furniture, makes me think of how I am when I'm wearing roller skates". 

A few examples of how great Blake is with Sophia from just one weekend together include:

• Letting her play with his iPad (possibly his most treasured item).
• Not getting frustrated with her when she (fill in the blank with the many things a toddler does that would annoy a typical 12 year old).
• Telling his younger brother to "Watch out for Sophia" or to let her have a turn.
• Opening the car door for me so I could help Sophia get in to her car seat.
• Reading her a book while the football game he was watching was still playing on the tv.
• Including her while we were at a nature museum by saying things like, "Sophia do you see a bee that is 3-4 inches long?" (after reading a sign at the Bee exhibit that this is the size of the Queen.)
• Trying to put $7 in Sophia's pocket, that was leftover from what his Grandmother had given him to buy Christmas presents for family at a church sale, while saying, "Grammie would want her to have it."
• And picking out a stuffed animal and giving it to her at the Church sale while saying, "Hopefully this way she won't be lonely in the backseat after I can't ride back there with her and maybe it will help her not to cry before her nap" (Sophia loved it and thankfully it was only 25 cents and reasonably small).

Autumn Activities

A trip to the Linvilla Pumpkin Patch in PA.

A Strath Haven Homecoming Football Game.

And a day in Salem,MA with Danny and Emily.

                                        

Tiger Cub

A package arrived in the mail adressed to Sophia from her Grammie and Grandpa Archambault. It contained a tiger suit.

This particular costume caught her grandmother's eye, because one of the things Sophia has excelled at in her 17 months of life is "roaring". Whenever she sees a picture of a lion (or in one of her books a girl with a full head of mane-like hair) she roars.

She wore her costume many times in the weeks approaching Halloween. Other times she would carry it around the house like a stuffed animal. 

Several times I was told what a "handsome little tiger 'he' is", but I think this costume suits my daughter perfectly and am in no rush to leave the wildlife kingdom and enter the one of princesses.

Georgia II

A trip to Atlanta to see Sarah and Ronnie:

Micah kindly showed Sophia around his kitchen:

Elisha is currently taking lessons in drumming and taught Sophia some techniques.

Eventually he decided she was ready to try it out on her own:

Elisha is also on a basketball team. We got to go to one of his games where he was all smiles on the court.

Additional highlights included Sophia's first time on a pony:

And a trip up Stone Mountain. The world's largest exposed piece of granite!

     

When we landed Back in Boston, the Pilot invited Sophia up to the front of the Plane. She loved all the lights and buttons.