It's Beginning to Taste A Lot Like Christmas...

Old man winter socked us good this weekend, which was fine by me since I'm officially on vacation. Woo! Luckily we were able to venture out on Saturday morning with our pals Cathy, Kelby and Owen to see the Pops Holiday concert. It was a very merry affair and Luce was super excited to have another occasion to wear her fancy dress. The concert was just the thing to kick start our holiday vacation - with yuletide imagery, Christmas carol sing alongs and even an appearance by St. Nick himself. My cup of good cheer runneth over.
With more snow on the way, we decided to put Lucia's new snow suit to the test early this morning. Like a true intrepid New Englander, she took to the snow with gusto. I even showed her how to make a snow angel... but since I am neither two nor outfitted with giant snowsuit, I had to retreat to the study to warm up. Brrrrrr.

Deck the Halls With Eee-commerce...

Sorry for the lag in posts, but Mama Mer has been hogging the computer for the past few weeks furiously Christmas shopping the 21st century way. Amazon.com and our UPS guy must hate us. I think we place an order there at least once a day. Heaven forbid we get organized and place one big order... oh no, better to have multiple visits from UPS and fill up my garage with cardboard. Good news is I think we're almost done. I think.
And now, the current random acts of Luce cuteness:
- She pronounces the word remote (as in, the remote for her train) like "tr'mote." It is the oddest thing. "Where's my tr'mote? Have you seen my tr'mote?"
- She's going through a slight Nemo obsession phase. We watched part of it on our trip to Seattle and whip it out on very special occasions (like when Mama Fran had to pump water out of the basement last week and keep Luce distracted). It puts her in a trance. Now, she runs around the house saying that she's Dory, Mama Mer is Nemo and Mama Fran is the shark. Why does Mama Mer get top billing?!?
- She is more insistent on picking out her own outfits. This was the best one yet (with thanks to Aunties Laura and Erin for the rockin' dress).

Turkey for me. Turkey for you.

Let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe (first and last Sandler reference, I promise).
So here is the adorable baby Veronica - one of the four reasons for enduring two cross country red eye flights with Lucia. The other three reasons are adult related, but they're not nearly as noteworthy as baby V. Mothers Goose and Goose had a turkey terrific time out in Seattle. Lucia was spoiled rotten by her Auntie Alison and Uncle B and was even willing to share the attentions of Uncle Sean. Even though the visit was far too short, Lucia was able to squeeze in some cupcake decorating, a ride on a carousel and much coveted train ride. Sorry for the short post, but I have to go back to Lowes for more tree lights, Kleenex and chicken wire (that's for you PP).

So Many Thanks, So Little Time...

Mothers Goose has so much for which to be thankful, we have to split our Thanksgiving update into two posts. Our cups runneth over with thanks...a bountiful harvest of blessings...a veritable cornucopia of gratefulness... ok, you get the idea.
Before we even laid tine to turkey, we were treated to a visit from our dear friend Schindler and her adorable daughter Annie. This visit went much better for Lucia (you may recall during their last visit, Luce was perfecting her "MINES!" line on Annie). The kids had a great time running laps around the house, jumping on randomly placed pieces of inflatable furniture and of course after dinner treats. All this was a great segue into our trip to Seattle - Luce really threw herself into packing for the trip. We had a fantastic voyage to the Emerald City, but we're still recovering from the red-eye so you'll just have to wait to hear about it!

Happy Birthday TWO you...

I really can't remember what life was like two years ago BL (before Lucia), but I'm pretty sure it didn't involve a tutu cake. Yes, that was the theme of Luce's second birthday -- tutus (Mama Mer is a slave to puns). Somewhere along the line of planning this party, I guess we thought it would be a good idea to host 11 children and their parents at our place. What exactly were we thinking?! While it was a grand affair, we couldn't have possibly pulled it off without the help of Uncle Tony and Aunt Tammie (entertain Luce while we make a tutu cake!), Mimi (we forgot the cups!), Nonne (crockpot of meatballs and eggrolls!), Auntie Cathy (who has frosting equipment?!?) and anyone else I'm forgetting... thanks for keeping us somewhat sane. It's going to take awhile for Mamas to recover from this one... of course until we fly to Seattle next week!

Oh. My. Goodness.*

So thanks to our unofficial team photographer (thanks Amy!) Luce was captured in all her muddy glory the other day at my football game. I wish you all could have seen her, she was as happy as a pig in... mud. Besides splashing around in filth, Luce also enjoys one of the art world's best media - - playdoh. Mama Mer is an expert playdoh maker (ask her for the recipe!) and the family spends hours (literally) of fun attempting to make all sorts of things.
Current random acts of Lucia cuteness:
- Daylight savings is wreaking havoc on our household. Luce has been getting up between 5-5:30 every morning. That is NOT time to wake up. The other morning I went in to get her and thought bringing her back into our bed would be relaxing. Boy was I wrong. The second I put her on my pillow she thew a royal hissy fit, shoving poor Meredith screaming, "Nooooo! Mama Mer out of bed! Nooo Mama Mer!" Finally I said, Lucia do you want Mama Mer to go sleep in Mimi's bed (our guest room)? She replied with an emphatic, "YESSSS!" So off went dejected, pregnant, sleepless Mama Mer. Lucia was then silent as a mouse. Not a pleasant way to start your day.
- Mama Mer overheard this snippet of Lucia's interpretation of motherhood when Luce was carrying around her baby doll: "I rock the baby. I'm baby's mama. We gonna go watch some football." How GREAT is that?
-* This is Luce's phrase of the month. Said with dramatic pauses in between each word: Oh_my_goodness. It is impossibly cute.

And the Winner Is...

Change.
Well done America, well done.

Le Trick, Le Treat, Le Puff, Le Pant...

Our little Pepe Le Pew had a delightfully llllong Halloween. Ellen's House kicked things off with a party last Saturday where Luce got to experience the joy of asking strangers to give her stuff for free. Then today I trotted her out to Mama Mer's office during lunch to show off her costume some more, and finally since Halloween actually falls on a Friday... Luce got the double feature trick or treat AND Friday night pizza party at the Dogwood. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to park myself on the couch and sink into a sugar coma.

Look Ma, No Hands!

For your collective amusement, I thought I'd brake the "no pictures of Fran rule" and present you with this little gem. Nonne has been itching to see Mama Fran play this thing they call flag football. As you can tell, it is quite a hoot and I wind up face down in the ground... a lot. My little fan club (Nonne, Luce and Mama Mer) were very popular at the game since they came with eggrolls (as mentioned in several past posts) and buckeyes (a.k.a. the best cookies ever). Of course Lucia loved, loved, loved hanging out with Nonne and Mamas very much enjoyed watching the Red Sox with her over a glass(es) of wine (hey, remember when the Red Sox were in the playoffs?).
Current random acts of Luce cuteness:
- When she doesn't like something, she now says, "I don't like that game." For example, when protesting a diaper change, she'll cry and say, "I don't like that game!" or when we say, Lucia it's time for a tubby... "Noooo, I don't like that game!" Where do you think she got the idea that everything is a game?? Hmm.
- She's very much into playing dress up. Of course, Luce's moms are lame and only have a pile of hats and scarves for such activity. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind.

I Don't Feel A Day Over 46...

Thanks to all for the birthday well wishes! We had a fantastic weekend (thanks again for getting lost Columbus) puttering around the house and we even made it to a farm - two farms actually (Mer is standing over my shoulder and just corrected me). Our first farm trip was just to the local city farm around the corner from our house to pick out some pumpkins. Luce really got into the spirit of pumpkin picking and it was hard to leave.
****Breaking News From Tubby Town*****
Somebody has been shaving in front of my child and *it is not* me. Embarrassing detail perhaps but hey this is cold hard journalism. I have just returned from the tub front and had to report this news. So I get up there and run Luce's bath, she walks in and spies the Venus razor and makes a grab for it. I quickly pop the blade off, she takes the handle, proceeds to lift up her pant leg and begins to mock shave her legs. Then whilst in the tub she said, "shaving my legs is fun." WHAT?!?! Meredith claims innocence, so that leaves either Mimi or Ellen. Now, I doubt on Wednesdays Mimi and Luce sit around shaving legs... and Ellen has her hands full with 4 other kids, so that can't be it either. I am at a loss. Maybe Elmo had a shaving episode recently. Gah.
Where was I... oh yes, farms. After our pumpkin picking trip, we were fully prepared to take on the real deal. With Mimi in tow, we headed out to this place for a day of apple picking fun. Ok, so we didn't wind up with a single apple... but we did run into a large contingent of Mer's relatives which was far better than a piece of fruit. Lucia loved all the attention and had a grand ole time doing all sorts of things . Not a bad way to spend my birthday if I do say so myself. Finally, this gem was shot on the way home from the farm. The file is too big for Google (something they can't do??), so here it is for all the world to see.

Babies, Birthdays and Brides... Oh My!

The Mothers Goose have soooo many updates this week... I don't even know where to begin. To conserve space, I think I'll try this entry old-school telegram style.

Lucia has a new cousin STOP.

Lucia will soon have a new sibling STOP.

Auntie Jo Jo and Uncle Brett came for a visit STOP.

We ate cake for my pre-birthday celebration STOP.

Lucia had the first dance at Auntie Ashee's wedding STOP.

There are more pictures form Auntie Jo Jo's (and Auntie Mia too!) visit to come... but I was getting behind in the posts, and well, now I have to go watch the Red Sox so I'm out of time. Go Sox! Go Pats! Go Home Palin! (sorry, couldn't resist).

Playing around is hard work...

Now that Fall is officially here (I saw my first orange/red tree on the way to work this week), we're trying to maximize our outdoor time with Luce. This past weekend Mimi came over on Saturday and before moms snuck out for a grown up dinner (woo!) we all enjoyed some time at the playground. As you can see, Lucia is getting to know her way around the apparatuseseses. Lucia also enjoyed helping Mama Mer make some banana bread... who knew baking could be a contact sport??

What Was She Thinking?!?!

Let the record show that I think Mama Mer is one of the smartest people I know; however, sometimes she makes some questionable decisions. Case in point: during the beginning of last night's bed time routine, Mama Mer settled down on the couch with a stack of books to read with Lucia. I was working on the computer in the study, happily listening to them read together... and then they got to this book. I thought it was unusual, since it's not in our typical book rotation. Nevertheless, they seemed to be enjoying it... then as I was typing away on the keyboard, I realized I didn't hear Mama Mer reading anymore. I stopped typing only to hear the heavy, heavy sobs of Mama Mer coming from the couch. Being the sympathic wife that I am, of course I started laughing at her and ran over to finish the book while she tried to gain her composure... "It's *sob* just *sob* so *sob* sad!" I know better, so I read the ending VERY quickly, wiped away a tear of my own, and closed the book. Lucia thought all of this drama was most amusing and said, "I want to read it again!" I don't think so kiddo, this book is being put away for awhile.
Ok, gotta end on a high note: check out Lucia's happy food dance. I double dog dare you not to smile.

Sunday Muddy Sunday...

I don't think this picture adequately captures what a mess my daughter was on Sunday. And after the events of the Pats game, her moms were a mess too... but back to Luce. After Hurricane Hannah paid a visit on Saturday, Mama Fran got to play her season opener flag football game in a giant mud bowl on Sunday. Actually, it turned out to be a beautiful day with just pockets of puddles on the field... all of which Lucia enjoyed immensely. My #1 and #2 fans were there to cheer us on and #1 fan wisely put #2 fan (you still following?) in mud clothes. Promptly upon arriving at the field, my daughter was knee deep in a mud puddle gleefully splashing and stomping around. It was quite a sight and I wish we'd thought to take a picture... but I was too busy losing a football game. Phooey. Back and home Lucia and I enjoyed playing in the backyard where I was able to snap a few shots of my pantsless, mud covered kid. On the cuteness front, Lucia has been saying some very funny things lately:
- She loves pointing out airplanes when she sees them, but lately she thinks it could also be a helicopter. This form of logical thought isn't limited to just air vehicles. We passed a construction site the other day and she said, "It's an excavator! or maybe a digger..." Clearly the girl likes to leave her options open.
- On Saturday morning when Mama Mer retrieved her from her crib, Lucia hollered, "Mama Fraaaannnnn, where are youuuuuu???" Totally unprompted. I could no longer try and sleep in after that display of cuteness.
- We're trying very hard to teach Luce that all of her actions have consequences and if she doesn't want a) to get scratched by Sadie b) a time out c) fall off the couch, etc. she needs to listen to us. I think Luce is slowing starting to understand (I hope?) because she's also telling us the truth when she does something bad (which we try and encourage because yes bad actions are bad, but telling the truth is good... man, parenting is confusing). Anyway, she'll now say things like, "I grabbed Sadie. Sadie scratch arm." or my current favorite when I came home from running errands I asked Mer how things were going, Mer said Luce had to have a time out because she tried to hit her. So I turned to Luce and said something like, "Oh why would you hit Mama? We don't hit..." and she pouted and replied, "I bite her too."

Vacation Act III - Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

The final act of our vacation brought us back to Maine and the familiar fun of "camp" at the lake. This time it was the Martin/Triggs clan playing host and we were more than happy to take them up on their offer to visit. It goes without saying that Lucia enjoyed playing in the water all_day with an assortment of playmates. Swimming, dance parties, cake... Luce was in heaven (and her moms were pretty darn happy too). After we were sufficiently water logged we packed up the Thule rack one last time and headed over to Storyland - New England's answer to Disney for the toddler set. It was a very hot day and I think Luce was running out of vacation steam, but she managed to hold on through lunch and squeeze in some fun with her cousins to boot. As I've said before, 2 week vacations really are the way to go... and come to think of it, 3 day weekends aren't too bad either.

Vacation Act II - "To The Judge!"

So after we left Maine, we had a little hitch in our vacation plans. Lucia came down with a nasty chest cold and when we should have been in the car headed out to Stockbridge, we wound up at Children's Hospital getting a chest x-ray. Despite her hacking, Luce remained in good spirits and a few nebulizer treatments later she was ready to depart for western Mass the next day. Thanks to our friend Kelby's blood ties to this guy we found ourselves in the beautiful guest quarters of the ancestral Sedgwick home - it couldn't have been more perfect. We've always wanted to visit Tanglewoods and at last we were able to get there! Our visit was worth the wait, despite a grumpy usher who was not kid friendly at all (luckily Cathy gave him the what-for). For the record, our children were perfectly behaved (they even surprised us) and we all enjoyed the musical setting.
While I'm sure the kids would have been perfectly happy to stay and play inside, we had a bunch of cultcha to shove down their throats: visiting Mass MoCA, the Berkshire botanical gardens, donning faux facial hair, and last but certainly not least, visiting with our old pal Jen and her ridiculously cute son Hayden. All in all, a fabulous addition to our August vacation. Once we packed up the car, we headed back home for a quick pit stop and then... you guessed it, back up to Maine for Act III.
P.S. Mama Mer wanted to be sure I captured Lucia's cuteness du jour so we won't forget:
- One of her favorite phrases right now is, "No, I don't want to." Lucia, would you like some more beans? "No, I don't want to." Lucia, can you give Mama a hug? "No, I don't want to." Lucia, time for night night. "No, I don't want to."
- During mealtime, if Luce is really enjoying her food (e.g. mac and cheese) she does a "happy food dance" where she wiggles her body back and forth grinning from ear to ear. She must get it from me, I often do this when I'm having pizza and a beer.
- She let's us know when she's frightened. She'll get the saddest look on her face and say, "I be scared!" Most recently this happened whilst watching a tornado appear on Elmo's World. In her defense, the tornado muppet was rather unsettling.

A Vacation in Three Parts: Act I - The Maine Event

For those of you who have not yet done so... please take a 2 week vacation. Soon. In fact, go now. I don't think I have ever taken a 2 week vacation (save for summer school breaks and various unemployment stints) and it was glorious. We kicked things off by heading up to Maine of course. My folks played generous hosts to us for 6 days of R and R (that's ring around the roses) and tons of other activities. There were roller coaster rides, naked babies at the beach, nature walks, museum visits, more beaches, and fun at the playground. Whew. And this was only the beginning of our vacation! Lucia loved her extended stay at Casa Nonne and Papa and so did we. In fact, we liked it so much we came back after 7 days. More on that in Act III...

Random Acts of Cuteness...

Ok, so this whole potty training thing - - very amusing. We're taking the casual approach right now, so really she sits on her potty just to sit. Nothing exciting yet (god how my definition of exciting has changed). But she has taken a STRONG interest in underwear. Namely, ours. Here she is sporting a lovely pink pair she pulled from the dryer. I just know one of these days we're going to forget she's wearing them and head right out the door. Lucia has also discovered the joys of native corn on the cob and homemade playdoh. Both are very popular in our house right now. Other random acts of Lucia cuteness:
- she looked at a picture of me holding her (I have my back to the camera in the picture), she pointed to my hair and said, "Sadie!" Thanks kid.
- I picked her up after work the other day and she said, "Pretty shirt!" (it was your standard issue Fran work shirt, so I know she was lying).
- Mama Mer was holding her last night and Luce patted her head and said, "Pretty hair!" (it was your standard issue post-work Mer hair, so I know she was lying).
- Thanks to Uncle B, she has a new favorite toy. She carries it around and says, "I going on errands!"

Our much needed vacation is coming up soon, so if you don't hear from us in awhile it's because we're off "makin' memories" someplace.

And Just Like That She's A Kid...

Not sure when it happened, but Lucia is now a full on kid. Not even so much a toddler, a kid... kid I say! I submit this picture as evidence your honor. Look at her! K-I-D. So what did our kid do this week? Well, it was the last week of Ellen's house so there was a graduation party for the 4 year olds and an after party at the local pub (hey, we're in Boston and that's what you do after a graduation). Ellen takes some much deserved vacation during August, so Luce will have to cope with her boring moms for a while. Poor thing. Boring or not, we do try and spice things up a bit -- look at what we found on our walk the other day! Speaking of heavy machinery, today we were leaving the library and there was a hydraulic/extension truck lift thingy (I need to work on my terminology) that was going up, up, up to the top of the building. The guy on the machine was waving to Luce and she waved back and said, "That's fancy!" Really, that's what she said.

What Are The Lemurs Doing?

That my dear readers (sic) was the question of the weekend down in Ptown. Lucia would look at us (or Mimi since we brought her along for the weekend) and say, "What the lemurs doin'?" Having no idea what on earth she was talking about we'd come up with creative answers like, "Oh I'm sure the lemurs are taking a nap now." or "They're probably sitting in a tree having lunch." Come to find out, Lucia had seen a Kipper video at daycare with aliens called "Bleepers" and apparently yes, the bleepers look like the lemurs she sees at the zoo. Who knew? (well, Ellen knew... she knows everything).
So yes, we spent a lovely weekend at the tippy tip of the Cape to attend the wedding of some friends. Perfect weather for an outdoor wedding - right on the water too. Just perfect. Lucia loooooved the ocean, wasn't crazy about the pool, and tore up the dance floor for a song or two. She was in heaven out there- -"You mean there is a space dedicated JUST for dancing? And everybody else dances too? And people will ooh and ahh over my cuteness? HOORAY!" She was eating it up. Of course, this ding dong Mama didn't take a single picture in Ptown, so I'm hoping some better prepared folks out there (you know who you are) may be able to share their pics with me :-) Oh wait, I lied... I did take these shots. Way to go photojournalist Fran. I promise to take double the amount of Luce pics this weekend. Pinky swear.

The Ultimate Beach Bum...

Lucia will surely kill me for posting this (when she's 13), but honestly, how could I not?? We've been busy little beach bums over the past few weekends, with the 4th of July proving no exception. It was Uncle Tony's 55th birthday, so we headed north to celebrate. Kids love birthdays, know why? cake, cake, frosting and cake. Oh, and ice cream too. Luce was in heaven. Not to mention her trip on the train, romping around with her cousins, hamming it up for Nonne and Papa and taking Zoe for walks with Auntie Mia. Mothers Goose capped off the weekend with an impromptu trip to L.L. Bean to see Daryl Hall (sans Oats) in concert. Thereby cementing our status as middle-aged, old bittys and extinguishing the last possible ember of hipster street cred I may have possessed. It was all worth it though when I was holding Luce and Daryl launched into this hit - she wriggled out of my arms and said, "I dance!"... which is exactly what I said back in 1982.

She Moves In Mysterious Ways...

Lucia found a new love this weekend... the sprinkler. Mama Fran finally figured out how to turn on the outside faucet thingy (it has been a long, hard battle but I won dammit) and make the magic happen. I have a great video of Mama Mer showing Luce how to run through the sprinkler, but it's not loading for some reason... I think Mer is jamming the signal. Don't worry, I'll keep trying. In addition to outdoor water activities, Lucia had a play date/BBQ with her pal Nicholas. She followed him around like a puppy, shared her toys with him and even had a dance party. She loves, loves, loves older kids.
Random cute Luce fact: right now, she is totally into construction vehicles. We have no idea where the fascination came from, but she LOVES pointing out the "diggers" we pass in the street (good thing we live in Boston, home of the perpetual Big Dig). She also loves telling people, "I passed a digger!" We brought home a few truck books from the library and are working to move beyond "digger"... she can now point out dump trucks, tractors, mixers (cement mixers), cranes, etc. and to hear her try and say "excavator" is priceless.
P.S. Special Mothers Goose Birthday shout out to Auntie PP! Hope your weekend was full of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Wait... you have a baby. Hope you got to shower this weekend!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Long walks with Nonne and visiting Funtown,
Riding on boats, trains
and merry-go-rounds.
Splashing in ocean water
So cold it stings,
These are a few of Luce's favorite things.

A Summer Preview...

This post is a mere 10 days late... so please picture yourself reading this on June 2. The weather once again cooperated to give us a fun weekend in the sun. We decided to breakout Lucia's new swimsuit and test out some tubs in the backyard. The tubs were the brilliant idea of Mama Mer in an effort to recreate the magic of Ellen's House. Based on Luce's reaction, I'd say we were successful. We closed the weekend with a good old fashion BBQ with our friends Heidi, Emily and their son Sammy. Luce took to Sammy immediately and he clearly wins the contest for best t-shirt of the week.

To the Lighthouse...

For the first time in I can't say how many years, we had perfect weather for our Memorial Day activities in Maine. I mean, when is it ever warm enough to go to the beach in Maine -much less in May?!? Lucia had a very busy weekend running around playgrounds, touching lighthouses, splashing at the beach, attending barbecues, visiting with friends and celebrating Papa's birthday. Whew. At 18+ months now, Lucia is talking in full on sentences and it is bizarre to actually have two-way conversations with her. In fact, if you asked her what she did in Maine, I'm sure she'd say "I touched a lighthouse!" or "Zoe barking noisy" or "Hi Mama Fran, hi." Oh, and she's very much into telling us what's noisy right now. Trucks noisy, coffee noisy (when we grind the beans), mixer noisy, digger noisy, etc. We keep asking her if Lucia is noisy, but she doesn't get the joke quite yet. Maybe it's my delivery... nah, couldn't be.

We're Going On An Egg Hunt...

Ok, first of all how adorable are my matching girls?!? Meredith claims it was totally inadvertent, but I'm not so sure. Nevertheless, cuteness abounds. This past weekend we participated in an Ellen's House tradition - the annual egg hunt. Every Spring Ellen picks a sunny Sunday to gather the troops (both past and present) at the Arboretum where she proceeds to hide 30 dozen (yeah, you do the math) plastic eggs containing various baubles, bangles and candies. The weather was perfect and Lucia had a grand old time tromping through the grass hunting for eggs. Speaking of hunting... anyone looking to buy a 2003 Corolla? Mimi will give you a sweet deal, I promise.

It's A Mile Square AND the Birthplace of Ol' Blue Eyes...

Seriously, what's not to love?!? Yes, we finally made it down to Hoboken to see Paige and Paul's new(ish) baby Luke. While the Mothers Goose fawned over the too cute and super sleeper that was Luke the Boy, Luce was a little more circumspect. Once she was done touching everything in his room though, I think she came around to liking the lil guy (well, tolerating his presence in his own house really). Nevertheless, we all had a great time marveling at our adulthood and parental status or is it stati? Paige, correct me here. Seems like just yesterday we were back at Bowdoin making fools of ourselves, oh wait... that hasn't changed (see video on Luke's blog as evidence). Oh, and despite only being in Hoboken for 48 hours, Luce was able to master Jersey hair.

I'm Miss World...

When I saw this pic, it instantly reminded me of my junior year in college, and this album cover. Then I started remembering the lyrics and decided I'd rather not have Lucia related to them at_all. We had another terrific weekend chock full o' nuts (a.k.a. friends and family). Lucia and moms celebrated not one, not two, but three birthdays this weekend (one for a 2 year old and 2 for some "older gals"). Saturday we had a Mimi sleep over (moms night out, woo!) and as you can see Lucia had a terrible time. Luce is really working on her vocal range right now and yelling has become a fun activity. Good thing we no longer have down-stairs neighbors.

A Girl on the Go, Go, Go...

Apologies for the lack of updates folks... I was in lovely Minneapolis for a bit, then our camera went missing and the dog ate my homework. This week's assortment of pictures shows a sampling of Lucia's favorite activities right now... visiting with friends, going to the park and of course, Friday night pizza party at the Dogwood. Lucia continues to add to her vocabulary and says things like "hold you" when she wants to be picked up. She doesn't much care for the coffee grinder and says "noisy!" whenever she sees it. Really, she just gets cuter every day. And speaking of cute, have you ever seen two sea monkeys playing with a seal? Unreal, isn't it?

How Much Fun Can You Fit Into 72 Hours?

Well, when your Nonne and cousins come for a visit, quite a lot. Nonne arrived on Friday baring gifts fit for a Magi (Carrabassett beer, wine and Mrs. B's eggrolls... mmmm). After devouring some eggrolls for lunch, we set off for the zoo. Luce was out of her mind excited to have Nonne down for a visit, and loved showing her around the zoo. Of course, her favorite "animal" was a Bobcat construction vehicle working on a new exhibit. Mama Mer was stuck at work (boooo), so the three of us went to the Dogwood for our Friday Night Pizza Party. Aside from the great grub, the Dogwood has live entertainment on the weekends and Lucia has a blast listening to the guitar player and dancing around to the music. I'm not sure who had more fun - Luce or Nonne. The next wave of Mainers appeared on Saturday when we met the South Portland Infantines at the Children's Museum. The kids ran us all ragged and we were relieved to see sunshine during our much needed lunch time. On the way back to our house all of the kids fell asleep (naturally) so there was no napping at home. It was decided that a trip to Ikea was in order (that place is like Disneyland for adults... but cheaper). However, just as the last strap of velcro was secured on the shoes all hell broke loose in Chestnut Hill (AGAIN!). Fortunately, this time the riders of the apocalypse bypassed our house and landed on our neighbor's roof. It was quite a scene and provided lots of entertainment for the kids. Luckily no one was hurt, which is more than I can say for the poor house.
Thankfully for all, we had a very mellow Sunday morning and Lucia was VERY sad to see her cousins leave. I think she was mad at us all day (hey, we'd love for them to stay too!) until after our brief trip to the grocery store, Mama Mer was able to win back her love.

Next Step, The NYTimes Crossword...

Don't let the drool and nudity fool you, this kid's got talent. I tried to embed the video in the blog, but I think it was too big. Either that or I'm not as bright as my child (which is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day). Here's Lucia displaying an early love of puzzles. We're still working on her Yahtzee skills, that's next week's post.

It's A Dirty Job...

In case you're wondering where I've been, I was in Chicago for the past few days putting out fires. But I'll tell you what, Mrs. O'Leary's cow's got nothing on the New York Times. Uff, what a pain in the bucket. I much prefer the Associated Press' take on the news thank you very much. Neutral clinical trial news aside, Mama Mer and Luce were fine without me. Traveling for work stinks, but coming home to a face like this helps a wicked lot (as they say in Maine). Ok, I'm off to bed. It has been a llllong week.

Tanks Easter Bunny - - Bawk, Bawk!

I think our Easter can best be described in two words: food coma... uff. Mer and I wanted to see if Lucia would remember Maine without prompting, so we didn't mention Nonne and Papa at all in the car ride. We pulled into their driveway and asked, "Lucia, who lives here?" And she replied with a big grin, "PAPA!" so we of course asked, "And who lives with Papa?" And the still smiling Luce shouts, "ZOE!". Sorry Nonne, you got third billing. Of course once inside Lucia was allll about her Nonne and Papa (and she even warmed up to Zoe after the barking stopped). I failed to get any good Easter shots, but here's enough to give you a sweet tooth (sweet eye?). Oh, one final March b-day shout out to our pal Pearl. Hey, you're older than I am right?? Tee hee.

Ben, The Two of Us Need Look No More...

Those of you who have been in touch with us these past few days, know that the Mothers Goose have had a rough go of it as home owners. It all started innocently enough with a little water in the basement last Sunday (see previous wet/dry vac reference). Really, it was more of a nuisance than anything else and hey, now I have a wet/dry vac. Awesome. Then on Tuesday morning, there's really no easy way to say this... I caught a rat in our bathroom. Yeah, it's as traumatic as it sounds. Actually, not to toot my own horn but I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it together enough to trap the lil sucker. He made it easy for me by hiding in Mer's bathrobe (!), so all I had to do was wrap it up and seal 'em in a giant Rubbermaid bin. Big props to Sadie for pointing him out for me (she didn't take her eyes off that robe). We have no idea how he got IN our bathroom, but we're thinking the excessive water over the weekend may have had something to do with it. Luckily, there has been no evidence of his family (exterminators came by with traps... and they're all clean so far), but Meredith now has a severe case of robeaphobia. We were pretty freaked out at the time, but now we've gained some distance and can finally laugh about it all. Our friend Cathy actually gave Mer a book about "tending to your pet rat" for her b-day. Thanks Cath, very helpful. Also, I have been plagued (heh) by mental rat references all week - Michael Jackson's theme song, the super intelligent Nicodemus, the swishy stylings of Paul Lynde's Templeton, not to mention the very obscure Ratboy movie which was an HBO staple in the 80s. I guess rats have always been in my life, which is fine - just NOT IN MY HOUSE. Mr. Rosella, any chance you wanna lend me your bb gun??
Well, I feel much better now. We had a great weekend and Luce even got the chance to explore her new backyard (rat free).

This Just In... Alison.

Ok, so Mothers Goose has the tremendous privilege of sharing with you the following breaking news: Lucia is going to have a cousin Leary! Or rather cousin Leary Reeves! Cousin Leeves? I'm kidding Uncle B, keep your shirt on... I know your lil one will be an Infantine ;-) Congrats to Aunt Alison and Uncle Brendan! We can't wait for September.

And of course, Happy 29th Birthday to Mama Mer. We're heading out to fancy pants dinner tonight, so I have to go find something to wear.

Membership Has Its Privileges...

Mothers Goose would like to publicly thank Nonne and Papa again for the Children's Museum membership. We love to go during "members hours" on the weekends when it's a little less crowded. Luce likes her space... and so do we. Continuing on our elitist streak, we also signed up for a family membership at the Franklin Park Zoo. Sure it's no San Diego, but it's a great place to kill an hour of time looking at funny creatures. Much like the Brookline library, where Mama Mer and Lucia walked to on Sunday yet were denied a library card because it was "too late in the day." Hm. We'll have to try again at a more acceptable hour.
Other random things I'm thinking about right now:
- Happy B-Day Uncle B! Presents in the mail, I swear.
- Happy B-Day Shins! Presents in the mail, I swear.
- Happy B-Day Cathy! Present is over here. Come get it.
- Happy B-Day Nonne! We're coming to see you for Easter!
- We haven't had phone service in 4 days. Annoying perhaps, but also kinda nice.
- Purchased a wet/dry vac on Sunday after heavy, heavy rains. Have I done an I hate Home Depot rant yet? Don't worry, I will.

So Much to Do, So Much to See...

We had a very eventful weekend so before I get even further behind with my posts I thought to do a mid-week update. First, how about a big shout to our girl Hillary for pulling out some big wins this week! It's so gratifying to see a woman of such substance, intelligence and poise finally getting the recognition she so richly deserves. As though we need further proof that we're not in JP anymore, the Mothers Goose saw a coyote in our backyard on Saturday. Being the city slickers that we are, we didn't know what to do... so we called the cops. Go ahead and laugh rural dwelling friends, the cop I spoke with sure did. Perhaps these critters were put here to take care of the other Brookline wildlife (see Dec. 4 post). On Sunday we attended one of Lucia's daycare pal's 4th birthday party. It was a pool party, and Mama Mer was the designated swimmer. She wins. Of course, even though Mer was ready willing and suited, Luce wanted nothing to do with the water. They both looked awfully cute though. Once on dry land, Lucia had a wonderful time at the party. Tell me this isn't the cutest party outfit ever? To wrap up the weekend, our friends Laura and Erin were kind enough to bring over our favorite Thai take out for dinner Sunday night. Yum. Lucia was being her usual cute self, showing off her belly button to all and then pointing out our belly buttons as well. When she got to Erin's belly button, Lucia's eyes grew wide, she pointed at it and said, "Uh oh!" (Erin happens to have a pierced belly button). It was hysterical and one of those adorable moments as a parent you hope you never forget... and now I told you, so you can remind me.

All The Way From Houston Texas...

Put your hands together for the Schindler and Annie Show (ba-bah)! Don't kill me Shins but this pic is typifies your entire visit. As you can see, we all had a blast. Lucia was instantly smitten with Schindler, but was a little more circumspect when it came to Annie. I think it was a turf thing. At home, Lucia was very possessive of her things and didn't want Annie touching her toys, her shoes, her cat, her moms, etc... but once we were out (at the museum for instance) everything was hunky dory. Our child is a mystery. It was so great to catch up with Schindler and Annie - we've known Shins since Bowdoin and Annie, well since birth (she's only 10 days older than Luce). This visit pretty much confirms what we've known for the past few years - WE NEED YOU TO MOVE BACK! Oh, and in case you're wondering why we call her Schindler... ask Paige.

Lucia Devours Books, Literally....

Perhaps this explains her explosive vocabulary over the past 2 weeks. Every day it seems we're hearing a new word come out of that adorable mouth. We've been trying to keep a list and I think it's well over 40 at this point. I'll share with you the highlights to date:

Chuu-chuuuus = Cheerios

Hiaaay SayDee, Hiiaaay SayDee, hiiiiii = Hello Sadie

Nooooooooze (said very nasally) = nose

Kaaah kaah = car (Boston accent already?)

Peetzah = pizza (of COURSE she knows this word)

Gig-gi = kitty

Muuunkee = monkey

Pktszurs = pictures (she loves looking at her blog)

Lucia's cuteness is hard to keep up with these days so I'm a bit behind with her blog. As mentioned in the last post, Mothers Goose had a lovely visit up in Maine complete with some individual shopping trips (ah, 2 hours all to myself... just me and the Freeport outlets), alone time at dinner, a trip to the Children's Museum in Portland, and visiting with our old friends Pearl and Curtis and their son Kai. The 3 day weekend was just what we needed to recharge. This past weekend, Lucia played host to her first peer house guest. It was quite an adventure and one that requires its own post. Stay tuned...

Sweet Comic Valentine...

So Valentine's Day came and went without much fanfare but Luce and I got to spend the day together due to a daycare sick-out, or sick-in, whatever... Ellen was sick. Anyway, Luce was in a pretty good mood for me so that means lots and lots of pictures. Lucky you! Mama Mer and I will have a belated Valentine's Day up in Maine this weekend, when we're hoping to sneak away for dinner after Lucia goes to bed (thanks Nonne and Papa!). Mmmm, we've been looking forward to the caramelized onion goat cheese tart for a lllllong time.

Expletive Deleted...

So last weekend we watched a little football with our pals, and Lucia smiled a lot. Which is good because I did not. In fact, I'd rather not dwell on the subject at all, so go look at these pictures and discuss amongst yourselves. On to happier news: Mothers Goose would like to give a big shout out to our friends Paige and Paul who welcomed their son Luke into the world last week (Luke weighed in at 9.2 lbs... ouchie). Here's hoping they all get lots and lots of rest. MG would also like to say "Happy Birthday Mimi!"... Lucia was kind enough to pick out her b-day card at CVS (it had a picture of a cat on it) and "Happy 44th Anniversary!" to Nonne and Papa... Lucia is a little behind finding a card for them since CVS didn't seem to carry kitty anniversary cards.

And I Ran, I Ran So Far Away...

This is what happens when Moms let Lucia sleep with wet hair. Definitely separated at birth, no? Speaking of lookers, Lucia has been doing her Little Miss Sunshine act this week. She found one of my tradeshow lanyards and has been obessed with wearing it as a sash. Let's hope her pagent fixation begins and ends here. Yeah, you're right... it ends here.

Highchairs Are Soooo 2007...

Believe it or not, Lucia actually enjoys eating this stuff. I think she's eating a spinach pancake, mac n cheese w/ broccoli and she's clearly saving the blue Duplo block for dessert. She is no longer interested in sitting in her highchair for extended periods of time, like mealtime. Good thing she has another venue for eating. During the most recent Pats game, Lucia was performing her usual Patriot victory dance and unfortunately didn't stick the landing. While the French judge still gave her a 10, Lucia was forced to bow out of the rest of the victory celebration due to a bloody lip. Luckily, moms had the perfect remedy on hand. Finally, apropos of nothing... here are other acts of cuteness captured on camera this week.

All This White Stuff Is Suspect...

Finally, after our 4th big snow storm of the season Mothers Goose got their acts together and dragged Lucia outside to recreate scenes from one of her favorite books. It was a thick, heavy snow that was quite beautiful (if you didn't have to shovel the stuff). Luce wasn't too sure about it all, or maybe her hesitation was more related to the silly hats we make her wear out in public. She acutally enjoyed being outside, so long as she was being held by one of us. In other snow related news, I was scolded by a neighbor for having the temerity to brush snow off my car in front of her house (in the street mind you). It's a good thing I met some great neighbors the day before (cookies were made and brought to our house, how quaint?!), otherwise Mrs. Crabapple would have soured me on the entire neighboorhood. As Pete would say, "Pooh on Mrs. Parsley."

Of First Birthdays and Football Firsts...

The past couple weekends brought a bunch of significant firsts: cousin Brianna's first birthday party (and cousin Anthony's third), Mama Mer's first night away from the child and the Patriot's record winning streak of 17-0. I know, it's a lot to take in. Lucia and Mama Fran headed up to Maine for the birthday celebrations while Mama Mer toiled away at work. As always, Lucia loved visiting with Nonne and Papa and had a blast at the birthday party. Back in Boston, we enjoyed cheering the Pats on to their 17th victory with, who else?, these yahoos. Imagine what next week's game celebrations will look like?!

And Speaking of Birthdays...

Mothers Goose wants to give a big birthday shout out to Uncle Sean who turns almost 40 years old today (he has a year or so on me).

Fun fact: Kelby and Sean share the same exact birthday. In fact, have you ever seen them in a room together at the same time? Oh right, our wedding. Nevermind.

What the Heck Does Auld Lang Syne Mean Anyway?

No matter, we rung in the New Year the way we usually do - with food, friends and drink. Actually, that's pretty much how we celebrate anything... New Year's, Flag Day, Sunday mornings, etc. Frequent Mothers Goose guest stars Kelby, Cathy and Owen joined us to say goodbye to the most memorable year of our lives. 2007 will be hard to top, but with Luce now walking, babbling and generally being the life of the party (that's the Nonne in her) 2008 is off to a great start!