Night Night Mommy.

Annaliese is talking. She tells bonafide stories, lately often about a classmate named Reece who seems to bump his head an awful lot. The verb conjugations tend to be shaky ("daddy go sleeping", "no like oranges/dinner/water/Mommy") and we've yet to hear an "a" or "the". Anger renders her a little incoherent ("No!!!!!! No, Dido, no eat BOWL!").

But she TALKS. Today we found out she'd outgrown her sneakers when she said her feet hurt and "no like shoes, Mommy."

It's super fun. I watch in complete wonder as my little stranger methodically moves the trashcan next to the sink, climbs on top of it, turns the light on, turns the cold water tap on, pushes up her sleeves, washes her hands, turn the cold water tap off, turns the light off, and climbs carefully back down.

She's officially a Big Girl, at barely two. There's another little girl in our church who is two days older than Annaliese and sits on her mother's lap during the entire service, sleeping and looking around and sucking on her pacifier. I know I'm a proud competitive mama, but Annaliese seems so much older.


In Second-child news, Caspian is still the sweetest boy around who does nothing but fall on his head while the other babies crawl laps around him. Sigh. If he wasn't so unhappy with staying still, I wouldn't mind, but his urge to propel with no idea what to do when he's moving is getting old real quick. As is his new habit of waking the household at 5:30am.


The store progresses. Let's hope it flies, my friends, let's hope it flies. In any case, the job of figuring out sources for all the stuff I want to sell is beyond fun. K's down there now, starting my counter, which doesn't entirely make sense to me, but he assures me that on April 1st, I'll be able to take possession and spend a month getting everything how I need it to be before opening.

He's been incredibly supportive. We get ourselves in hot water a bit, what with the "go for it!" attitude, but there are no words for what it's like to be married to someone who not only gets YOU, but gets what you see.

We have a *lunch date* tomorrow. As there was a board meeting Monday and tonight he works and tomorrow night he's going to a movie with a grieving friend, it's very exciting that we'll get to sit down and see each other over a meal no one has to clean up.

But anyhow, have officially reached the rambling phase. Off to eat a little dinner, read a little Louise Penny, and then tackle the dishes.