Happy girl :)

When I dropped Piper off at daycare today Connie remarked on how happy she is - all smiles every morning without fail. She said she's never seen a baby with such a good disposition. It made my heart just about burst with pride and also with joy - for whatever reason, we have an angel baby!!! We thought as much, but it's always nice to get confirmation that when she goes out into the great big world on her own, Piper's still flashin' those gums and lighting up the air with her giggles!

"We've got spirit yes we do!"

I have to say, I enjoy getting to know the many sides of my daughter. Her sweet side, her silly side, her adventurous side, her timid side, and... of course... her willful side. It's true: Piper can be a bit of a firecracker when she wants to. And I find it amusing that mostly she wants to be a firecracker when she's with me. I attribute this to the seemingly natural conclusion that the creatures in our household draw: Daddy = Alpha. Mama = Echo? What comes after Charlie, anyway? Is there a "D" word?

Regardless. I'm at the bottom of the food chain, the weakest link, the hungriest catepillar, the loneliest number there ever was... I digress.

I'm the one everyone pushes over.

Which is fine by me.

So it's no surprise that Piper 'yells' at me when I do something she doesn't like, such as grab her hands to put them in her pajama sleeves, take away a not-so-suitable "toy", or dare to try to feed her something green. And by 'yells', I mean looks me in the eye, lets out an irritated scream of indignation, and flaps her arms and legs around wildly and with great emphasis. Or glares at me, and bats the incoming spoon of peas aside with a force that propels said foodstuff all over my face, clothes, hair, and sometimes even reaches Hero (much to his delight). The first time I always think it's an accident, an uncontrolled movement or knee-jerk reaction. But as these 'episodes' continue, I'm forced to realize that Piper's sometimes got a bone to pick with the woman not-so-in-charge.

And boy does this make me laugh.

Probably not the best parenting, but it's so funny! I love to see her little insides start to boil and her independence shine through. She has her own mind, and she's not even 8 months old! How cools is that???

(Feel free to use this space to mentally insert your own comment about how not cool it will be during the teenage years.)

In search of a pod

Piper's begun to make some very interesting clicking and clacking noises which - along with her constant high-pitched squeals - makes us wonder if perhaps she isn't part dolphin?

Our wedding song, our lullaby

They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world
In search of all things beautiful
You can close your eyes when you're miles away
And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up

The creatures

Ready for bed

Spiky hair and all :)

"I've waited MONTHS for you, amiga!"

I was just getting ready to post a picture of Piper with her best friend Eva, when I thought I'd pop over and visit Eva's blog. And turns out Piper's already posted there! Well, we'll post Eva here too:



Eva was born in very early December, so she's about 6 months younger than Piper. That seems like a big age difference now, but won't be once they get a little older. Eva's mom and Dan have been best friends since junior high! So naturally we've been plotting our kids' friendship since Angie and Jake found out they were pregnant.

Last weekend Piper and Eva met for the first time. Eva mostly slept (she's just six week old! Little sweetheart!), and Piper watched her carefully as she cooed in her swing. Piper's been waiting a long time for Eva, SIX WHOLE MONTHS! She can't wait till Eva's old enough to PLAY!