Teeth - coming and going

Last Friday night, we took Madeleine to the deli for dinner to try to get some more information on her trip to Philadelphia. We didn't get too much out of her other than it rained on them, they rode in a double-decker bus, and the mummy exhibit was very dark. We did learn at dinner though that one of her bottom teeth was loose. This was thrilling for Madeleine - several of her preschool buddies, both younger and older, have lost teeth and she's desperately wanted a loose tooth. Fortunately, that night we took what turned out to be the final photo of her full baby-toothed grin. The next day after her swimming lesson, Madeleine was chewing on her towel and pulled it roughly out of her mouth. After her surprise at seeing a tiny tooth and bit of blood, Madeleine was thrilled. The tooth fairy came through with $2 and Madeleine has been showing off her newly gapped smile to everyone.

Fresh from the pool and with a new smile:









Josephine is ramping up her speaking though that doesn't really mean that she's readily understandable to the world. Context and familiarity still help enormously when talking with Josephine, or rather when she talks to us. Last night, Michael pointed out that she has mastered the three 'M's - mama, milk, and monkey. She also says "helloooo" (sometimes to us but more frequently into a toy phone) and has been known to say something approximating 'dog' as well as a very clear 'tiger.' She's also sleeping through the night more reliably (though not always), and has a favorite book (Monster Mama Loves Me So) which she likes to read rather endlessly. I don't think that she has any words yet for book or reading, but you know what she wants when she grabs her book and stands by the sofa. Once she is in this position and catches your eye, she'll yell if you walk past without stopping for the story.

Madeleine and Josephine have been enjoying seeing their aunt, uncle and cousins in from Jamaica. We've taken all of the kids to the pool a couple of times and got to play a great game of Apples to Apples with the big kids. Shelby and Spencer are both adored by and very sweet to Madeleine and Josephine. We hope to get to see all of them more before they head out on the rest of their trip.

King Tut and the Graduate

Madeleine is off to Philadelphia this week to take in the sights and see the King Tut exhibit. She’s traveling with her Nana and Aunt Amy as well as her cousins. She loves her Nana and Aunt Amy, and would go absolutely anywhere with her cousins. Last night when we were ordering pizza, Michael was trying to figure out how to get olives on a portion of the pizza for Madeleine, but she said that it wasn’t necessary as she would eat exactly what her cousins eat (i.e. cheese). She did get a little upset last week while looking through a photo album with pictures of her California cousins (a wonderful gift from Aunt Kim). She said she was excited about seeing Shelby and Spencer, but also really missed her other cousins.

No word on how Josephine will do in Madeleine’s absence as it occurred after her bedtime last night. She was a little fussy in the car this a.m. which I did attribute to the much quieter and less interesting environment. This week though, Josephine has also made a big leap – from the infant room to the toddler room. Our smaller graduate is loving it, but is pretty worn out from all of the activity – outside time (well, once this heat wave breaks), art projects, big room time, etc. Josephine also enjoyed her seeing her cousins, aunt, and uncle, is working on some new vocabulary (monkey, tiger, etc.), and has a new fascination with squeezing into small spaces. Sunday evening, we found Josie playing in Madeleine’s overturned laundry bin, and last night, we had to help her stand in the paper recycling bin as her sturdy little legs aren’t quite long enough to climb in on her own.