July

It's been a fun summer so far, with days spent at the river, at the park, with family, and having fun at home. Madeline is becoming a regular chatterbox, and can talk for minutes on end, weaving together disparate thoughts connected by the occasional
"because. . ." or "so I. . ."

Just today she counted to 20 for the first time that I've heard - she previously stopped at 14 but today just kept on going. She can spend entire car rides and neighborhood walks entertaining herself with one-sided conversation, and even seems perplexed when I occasionally remark on her thoughts, as if she didn't quite realize herself that she was lost in a distant world of imagination. So mostly I just listen and enjoy (see the video at the bottom of this post).

Haircut: Last week we took Madeline to the salon for her first haircut - her hair is so long and is looking a little shaggy when it's not held back or put up in a pony tail. As I expected, the first visit to the salon was spent just checking the place out - she clutched and climbed me but was happy to look around and even have her hair brushed while I was holding her. But no haircut. But our intent was to introduce the idea - we'll try again this week (she has already excitedly agreed, but we'll see what happens when we actually get there.)

Sickness: For the past several months, Madeline has come down with a high fever almost every four weeks to the day. There are no other symptoms, just the high fever (up to 105) that spikes for about a day and a half and then fades away. She's fatigued for a few more days and then it's back to normal. It's curious that this happens so regularly - the doctor found no cause when we took her the first or second time it happened - but at least we're getting more of a routine when dealing with it when it pops up.

Here are some pictures (and video) from the past month:

Madeline got a kick out of eating lunch in her high chair one day, which for several months had sat unused in a corner of our dining room. Usually she eats at the kitchen counter or in her Buzz Lightyear chair (seen in the background).

Madeline eyed her drink on a warm afternoon while helping me with some grilling on the back porch.

In honor of the World Cup, which Madeline frequently watched with me, we had our own little Cup in the backyard, complete with shouts of "Goal!" and "We won the game!"

Madeline made her first visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The trip was cut short as Madeline became increasingly sick with her monthly illness, but we enjoyed the time we spent and look forward to going back when everyone is feeling well.

Madeline tried out her mommy's sunglasses, and felt pretty cool.

Taking care of Baby Maddie.

We took a three-day mini-vacation to Grandma's house, and spent a morning at Haven Beach in nearby Mathews. Madeline had fun swimming and watching daddy get nibbled by the fish.

Madeline also spent some time exploring the tide pools and their curious and bountiful inhabitants.

Madeline even took the oars during an outing with Grandma.

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I guess we're pretty lucky to have a 2-year-old who loves to sit and read to herself for long periods. Here is a video I shot surreptitiously as she read one of her favorites.