The Waiting Game

Luci and Phil have a new pastime. They have found that in the morning, the sun is at just the right angle to play a new game. They sit for hours on the back of the couch watching the window and waiting. When an unsuspecting bird flies by, casting it's shadow, they pounce -

at the window and fall back onto the couch or behind it. They have had some interesting landings, one or two of which I thought would teach them a lesson. But each morning, there they are, back on the couch, waiting.

A Day for the Birds

Saturday, Ahenobarbus and I took Beemer to the World Bird Sanctuary for their Fall Openhouse. It was a beautiful day - over 80 degrees and it was fun to be outside and enjoy the autumn-ish weather. The Openhouse was full of activities: there was storytelling, bird shows, crafts to make, and yummy treats on top of all the beautiful birds to watch. We were able to see two bird shows -- one with more exotic birds and one with various raptor species-- both were very cool. I am excited for the time when it will be Ahenobarbus running the shows!

Beemer's favorite part of the day was the face painting. She chose this pink flamingo and held very still while it was painted, even though "it tickled just a little bit."

Picking a Battle

Recently our adorable Beemer has decided that she doesn't have to stay in bed at bed time. Ahenobarbus and I are particularly frustrated by this new development because this has not been an issue in the past. Since she was six weeks old, Beemer has gone to bed well and stayed in bed after we tuck her in, for the most part. So, while we struggle to determine the root of the matter (no change in routine, she is sleepy, etc.), she simply comes out to us asking for water, more kisses, or snuggle time (the last two are harder to refuse).

Tonight after putting her in bed four times and finally attempting to ignore her last trip to the hallway, I looked up to find her with pillow and blanket in hand. She laid down on the rather hard linoleum (just far enough down the hall that she probably thought we wouldn't notice her out of bed), sang herself one last song and promptly went to sleep. Ahenobarbus and I decided that we wanted her to sleep, but where is less of an issue. While she has slept on linoleum in the past, we thought that was a one time thing. I guess if she chooses the hallway to be closer to us, we need to listen. This is what we found when we went to put her in her bed.

Hints of Autumn

Last night Ahenobarbus took a well-deserved break and we took Beemer to her favorite place to eat. As we got out of the car at the restaurant, the air was crisp and strong with the scent of what seemed to be campfire or burning leaves. Ahenobarbus and I both stopped and breathed in deep lungfuls of the aroma surrounding us. It was a magical moment.
Today, we still don't know what the smell on the air was - we were in the middle of a shopping center with no campgrounds or farms for miles and the smell was too woody for a burning building. But for a little while last night, we both noted that autumn has come to St. Louis and the city felt (or rather smelled) a little more like home.

Changes

As I have had some time lately to ponder the changes in our lives, I have also spent a lot of time thinking about how much Beemer has grown. So, I thought I would share some "through the years" pictures with all of you.

(Amazing just how many of these are from Wildbound's talents!)

The day after she was born - November 10, 2004

Her first professional sitting - December 2004

In her blessing dress - February 2005

In Wildbound's yard - September 2005

All dressed up - November 2005

At home - February 2006


Splish, splash - May 2006


Again, Wildbound's yard - November 2006


Princess Smile - March 2007

Playing in the sand in Goblin Valley - March 2007


Turtle Park - September 2007

Please Note: The hardest part of this post was choosing which pictures NOT to post.

She'll love me for this when she's older...

Another big milestone - Beemer is potty trained! I share this not because of the milestone for her, but for me. For some reason this "experience" was the one that came with motherhood that I was dreading the most (pre-adolescence). I say "for some reason" but I know why - I wasn't looking forward to cleaning up accidents. So, I found reasons to wait - not while I was still working, not right before the move, not while I was so sick. Then, I ran out of excuses. To Beemer's credit, we had only ONE shaky day. Then she got it.

Now she reminds us regularly what a big girl she is and we emphatically agree. I know there will still be some educable moments along this voyage (for both of us) and I am sure I'll find cause to blog some. But for now, I am relishing in the intelligence of my daughter and her bodily knowledge. And in my pure, dumb, luck!

Love from Saint Louis

To help make Kate's (Ahenobarbus' sister) birthday away from Beemer a bit easier, we took these pictures for her card. Now that Kate has recieved and adored said card, I thought I would share Beemer's love with everyone!

Note: These pictures are also an excellent example of what happens when you say "smile" rather than waiting for the natural occurance!