Overheard

• After leaving Miranda naked in the family room while I found some clothes, I returned & found her wearing a pull-up. She said, "Mommy, I decided that I should put on my diaper, so I did. I just decided."
• As Billy left for the office one morning, Miranda handed him a scrap of paper and said, "Here, Daddy. Don't forget your boarding card."
• "I'm the big sister now." When I asked who was the little brother or sister, she said, "It's the baby in my belly. It's coming out in 2 weeks!"

Thanks, Cookie Monster!! (or, Miranda writes her first letter)

Miranda and I enjoy watching Sesame Street, and one of our favorite parts is Cookie Monster. Truthfully, I've always wondered just how much kids learn from these TV shows -- I mean, do they really help kids learn to count and spell?

Then one morning, after watching "Street", Miranda wanted to paint. We made squiggles and blobs, and then Miranda said:

• "I want to draw a letter." [Note -- Miranda has occasionally "written" an O or an X, but she hasn't started writing her letters yet.]
• "Ok, sweetie," I said. "Which one do you want to draw?"
• "The letter Q."
• "OK, honey, but do you know how to draw Q?"
• "Sure, Momma. It's just an O, with the little tail. Remember, that's what Cookie Monster said."

Sure enough, it is! And if you don't believe me, check out the results below.


I'm so proud of her!!!

Catching up on pictures

I've been stockpiling photos and stories of the Wunchie for several weeks. I'll get to the stories in a few days; for now, some pics and captions.

We've been attempting to garden more extensively, which led to our setting up a new vegetable bed. Miranda enjoyed adding soil & other things and "mixing, mixing, mixing."

Trying to break up clods of peat moss with a long handled hoe. She got a little splinter.

Keeping a close eye on the seeds & bedding plants. She wanted to know which ones "would grow up to be big beautiful flowers."

I love wearing baseball caps, and I think Miranda looks adorable in them, too! Unfortunately, she won't wear them for very long.

Mid-jump in a rainy puddle. Why shouldn't life be fun?

Occasionally, Miranda decides that she "wants to be a baby." So, Marie swaddled her and placed her in her "baby bed."

That looks awfully comfortable.

Wunchie!

Singing a benediction

A couple of years ago, I did these posts about the songs I was singing when I put Miranda to bed at night. Both by John McCutcheon, one of my favorite folk singers, Feather Bed and One Strong Arm have remained staples of our bedtime routine. A more recent favorite is the classic hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

I'm trying to cultivate an awareness of the blessings I give to Miranda, the ways in which I can, however imperfectly, cover her with a sense of belonging and benediction, and for some reason, the songs which I sing over her at night seem to convey the right message.

And when I heard this haunting Celtic melody last month, I knew it needed to go into the rotation. Lyrics are below, or you can listen to a recording of it here on YouTube. It gently yet powerfully evokes the image of the child at her mother's breast, quietly resting. Her mother can't help but see the future when her child will go away, into the world -- but at the same time, she cherishes those precious, early moments when she can cradle this "flesh of my flesh, soul of my soul." I think back on that first year with Miranda, and how much I loved nursing her, and how quickly she's growing up, and I get teary every time I listen to it.

The lyrics and melody will take me some time to master, but I hope to be singing it over her before going to Durham in March.

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Wexford Lullaby

Lulay lulay, my tiny child
Too soon you'll know the world so wild
Yes all too soon you will be grown
And I'll bide here alone, alone.

The rushing bellows you shall ride
And the light of the North Star will be your guide
But yet awhile, I'll have you stay
Lulay my tiny child, lulay.

For you shall run in meadows green
And sport with otters all in the stream
And you shall chase the dapple deer
And swim with salmon in the waters clear.

To pluck the small birds from the sky
On the tail of the South wind, you shall fly
And take the high hills for your home
Blood of my blood, bone of my bone.

The moon must sleep beyond the tree
So weep sweet maid of Galilee
The sun must rise before the cross
To dry your tears and share your loss.

The darkest hour of the starless night
Must bow to the power of the Eastern light
That heals the earth and makes us whole
Heart of my heart, soul of my soul.

And when at last your course is run
Joy of my joy, my little one
Beneath the sky you'll stand alone
Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone.

Yes you shall stand on the coal-black sands
To cross o'er the waters of the Western lands
But now I have you at my breast
Lulay my sweet one, gently rest.

Treading water together......

After battling with a fever/illness that has waxed and waned over the last couple of
days Wunchie seems to be back to form and is currently receiving swimming lessons from mommy in the pool. She is doing well though she slipped out of the innertube (probably the result of the suntan lotion) several minutes ago and had a plunge that scared her. Apparently she reached for the side of the pool showing good instincts. Anyhow, after reassurances from mommy and daddy she shoved out again into the deep water and continued her lesson. That series of evetns seems like a good metaphor for life; I hope that she and we can stick with that one for the duration. Enjoy the pictures.......

Sweet times at Anna Maria Beach, Florida

The Cheesy Wunchie

Courtesy of our Miss Marie.

Really, I don't see what all the fuss is about (aka Miranda's first trip to the dentist)

There are those milestones in the life of a child (and her parents) where you realize that your little Wunchie is, in fact, growing up. Such a milestone occurred today -- Miranda had her first visit to the dentist. And all I have to say is this -- all you grownups who cringe and quail at the thought of visiting the dentist, be inspired by the serene, trusting demeanor and comportment of my little girl. She was a PRO. No crying, no fussing (although she did want to hold my hand towards the end). She calmly endured teeth cleaning and tartar removal (and we all know how horrible it feels to have those little metal hooks scraping on our teeth!), and requested a watermelon-flavored fluoride rinse at the end.

Calmly surveying the scene.

It always helps to have a friend go first, especially the trusty sidekick, Brachiosaurus. (He got a good report, too.)

Preparing to begin.

The technician demonstrates the "fun little water hose."

The actual cleaning. She was serenity itself. And after they finished, she got a new toothbrush and a toy from the "treasure chest."

I'm so proud of her!!!

The Martin Luther King Jr. March

Miranda and her friend Isaac opted for some communal transportation Monday morning during the very cold march honoring MLK's birthday. It didn't last long, as they quickly began to fear compression over freezing, but it was cute while it lasted!

See Girl. See Girl Learn Culturally-Determined Ideals of Beauty.

Someone very witty and bright did the funniest post (on 1/1/09) about ways in which her sons are being taught patriarchy, right under her nose. And apparently, Miranda has been receiving some of the same messages, or at least messages in the same vein. Here is a smattering of the comments I've been hearing lately.

• As I'm changing one day in front of Miranda, I lean over to put on my socks. She pokes me in my post-baby belly and says (looking very concerned), "Mommy, what happened to your belly? It's all bouncy! Make it stop!!" (Right, because it's just that easy.) As I straighten up and start to laugh at her, she says, "Oh good, Mommy, you fixed your belly. It's not bouncy anymore." Then she looks at me, very seriously, and says, "Mommy -- don't ever do that again. I don't like it."

• I'm bathing with Miranda one night, and shaving my legs in the process. As I complete the first leg, she lays her head against my now-smooth calf, sighs, and says, "I like the soft leg. It makes me happy." As I raise up my other leg to begin, she exclaims, "Oh no -- the hairy one!" I kid you not -- this actually happened.