Update Time

We did not win the cute baby contest. I am incredibly indignant and think the radio station was recruiting judges at an insane asylum. (Ok, maybe not an asylum, but definitely an optometrist office.) The winning kiddos were all tiny babies, and that is ok. Tiny babies are some of the most precious beings on earth, and they should be winning contests. Our sweet girl is by no means a baby anymore, so we will graciously accept our defeat. But seriously? Ugh.

We had a lovely time in Athena for Mother's Day. On the way there, we taught Margot to say "Nana" and "Papa", which was an instant hit. Every visit she grows less shy, and more willing to engage with her grandparents. She spent almost an hour taking rolls of paper towels out of the closet and shuttling them to Papa, who would say "Thank You!" every time and give them back. I think if she had been carrying a tray with cookies, Coke and the remote, my Dad would have kidnapped her.

On Saturday we spent the morning at Aunt Mary's with family and two of our dearest friends, Tony and Jessie. Jessie and I have known each other for over 20 years, which sometimes blows my mind. They have two great boys who enjoyed playing with Margot, and we got a much needed chance to catch up. The food was fantastic and the weather perfect, so we had so much fun. Margot decided about half way through the brunch that she was going to "dig" in the ice chest and find water bottles. That kid is obsessed with water! About 15 minutes into her water expedition, we noticed that her hands were BEET red, partially frozen and barley working. But would she give up? Not without a fight. And a little yogurt bribe. Which raises a question for this rookie Mom - how do you parent when bribes are no longer exciting? Any ideas?

We are very behind in posting pics of Margot. We have taken about 100 photos of her in the last two weeks, as the weather has been so nice and we have been outside constantly. I will try and get a few new pics up soon, as Margot is growing every day and getting so big. She is now 34 inches tall, at 23 months old.

This last year as a Mom has been progressively better than the first. I have a hunch that this is a trend, and I can expect things to get better and better every year. I feel that I finally have reached a point where I truly enjoy my daughter, and that is a pretty cool feeling. It has helped me to give up this guilt of feeling like a fake because I don't know what I am doing, or don't know how to love my child. Parenting is NOTHING like what others tell you it will be. Everyone experiences it differently, and once you can grasp that it makes dealing with your emotions easier. I am just so thankful that my daughter is growing into a person that I like, as well as love. Knowing that her father and I are the reason for this, well.......... Let's just say that if I had known this feeling was imminent, I would have had kids a long time ago.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and gave their kids an extra tight hug on Sunday. I know I sure did.