Stanley Cup Playoffs, Game 1

The Bed Guys

This morning we were expecting the delivery of a new bed for the guest bedroom! Olympia wanted to talk about it because it meant we couldn't go to the Tot Lot, we had to just wait.

Thank goodness they arrived while she was awake! She was even willing to abandon her watermelon to go up and watch them. (Translation help: a "hepee" is an airplane and since Papa is in Shanghai we've just been saying he's flying for 5 days. Also, I've been reluctant to show videos of her being agreeable because it means you will all see that instead of saying "yes" like she should, our little angel says "k" instead. I guess that happens when one's Mama is a valley girl. Sorry.)

We talked about it ALL DAY. She has said the words "guys" and "bed" literally hundreds of times today. This video was taken at dinner:

Alphabet

Things you need to know to understand this video:

1. I didn't put an emphasis on teaching her the alphabet, what does a 1 year old need to know the alphabet for? But she's obsessed with it so we sing it constantly.

2. Sometime she repeats the letter I say, sometimes she says the next letter or a few down the line....

3. We lose her about halfway through when she decides she wants to read books instead (a worthy activity). Also I realize after watching it back that she says, "Ergo", which is the backpack we wear her in when we're out and about.

4. She can recite the alphabet MUCH better but since she's been very camera shy recently I haven't gotten many good videos and I know the masses are clamoring for more Oly.

Phone Calls

Things you need to know to understand this video:

1. I am not prompting the faces that she makes at the beginning, she just looks at me like that sometimes.

2. She knows that Papa's name is Timmy, but not that it's funny to call him that yet.

3. She calls her friend Tommy on the phone day and night.

4. She's constantly wasting her minutes calling her Gaga who's in the same room.

A Conversation About Mud

Mama: That's a great mud puddle!

Oly: Mud!

Mama: But we're not going to get muddy today, just look.

Oly: Mud.

Mama: Yep, it looks like great mud but we're not going to touch it today, maybe another day.

Oly: Hand?

Mama: No, don't put your hand in it.

Oly: Shoe?

Mama: Nope.

Oly: Mud. Shoe?

Mama: No.

Oly: (very sadly) Noooooooo.

*Oly starts to put her shoe in the mud*

Mama: No Oly, no mud today.

*Oly tries it again*

Mama: Ah, ah, ah, no mud.

Oly: Ah, ah, ah.

Mama: Say, "Bye" to the mud.

Oly: Byeeeeeeeee *waves*

Photo Shoot

Here's a new photo that has a twin:

So my friend Smita has recently changed careers and is now an outdoor portrait photographer. She needed some more shoots under her belt as well as more pictures for her website, so we agreed to provide Miss Olympia as a model for her. Tyler Arboretum was the background for our shoot.

Their repoire was second to none:

Here's a little sneak preview of one of the shots she got:

Classic.

You can go to Smita's website to view the rest of the finished pictures. Click on Clients on the top left, then click on the MacDonald gallery, password is bubbles. You can order prints from her. In my humble opinion, they're pretty cute.

And people say that models don't have a difficult job!:

Early May Update

*Reminder: There are babies all over the country with far-away family members and many of them don't have blogs at all. So lets just remember that when we start to get greedy, hmm?*

These pictures are all in random order:

She likes to hide in the tiny space between the front door and the storm door.

I think she looks like Lucy in this picture:

Grandpa Dave, we will try to get video ASAP but Oly has a new word that you will appreciate..... HOCKEY! And she says it without being prompted when it's on the TV and she says it with an exuberance that will certainly bring tears to your eyes. Here she is watching the Flyers unfortunately stink it up in the playoffs with her Papa and my expensive cell phone.

First popsicle:

Thirsty:

Salad spinner hat:

This was this morning walking around the neighborhood. She crossed her arms and cracked herself up.

The new alphabet magnets are a hit:

Summer's Coming

Mowing the lawn and pushing her baby at the same time? A mother's work is never done.

One of our neighbors at the garden is a woman named Elaine who brings along her 8 year old, Emily. Here is Elaine showing her the mud puddle underneath one of the faucets:

She's gettin' the feel of it.....

Last year Emily brought Oly into her little pink tent and read her stories and sprinkled her with water to keep her cool. This year Emily took her by the hand and drug her around to haul water back to the garden. Olympia was grinning from ear to ear and would have followed her to the moon! These two are going to be a great pair this summer, I can tell.