Oh here it is

I like that one day she wears this outfit, and two days later she wears what you saw in the last post.. bare legs, short sleeves, sandals. Love this place, I do. Don't you?

This is what she looks like now on camera

"baby! baby! baby!"

"baby! baby! baby!"

"baby?!  baby! baby?!"

Sometimes we get lucky. This is what she does if you tell her she has a nice smile.

 I think I told you she calls cameras "baby" since there are always photos of babies on them. Poses a problem when you try to take a photo of her ... she just makes an anguished face and runs to you with arms outstretched shouting "baby baby baby eeeeeuuuu baby".

Love that face!

 Thank you for your comments last time!  So love your words!  Oh I found that other photo for you, but this computer is not rising to the challenge so I'll keep you in suspense...
Joel and I are going away this weekend with our small group to Whidbey for a weekend of rest and feasting. Marie is spending the weekend with grandma and grandpa!  Woo hoo our first nights apart. Hoping all of us can have peace with that. Think of us.

Oh have I mentioned she does laundry?  Start 'em young...

18 months

Marie will be 18 months tomorrow. Which means she's spent twice the amount of time outside my womb as she has inside.  And that number will only keep getting more drastic.  I wanted to post this cute photo I took of Marie today, which is rare these days because every time I get the camera out she starts running toward me shouting "baby! baby! baby!" and reaching and yelling because she wants to see the photos of the baby which of course in her mind are on every single electronic screen that exists. Which means I have to subversively get the camera out and snap fast, leaving no time for camera adjustments which means we have about 4 months of blurry disappointing photos of Marie.  But today I got a nice one of her wearing her red Postman Pat boots with jeans semi-tucked in, and that red sweater with a kitty on it that Grandma Berwold knit for baby Heather 20-odd years ago... and her little blue hat that my mom knit that makes her little blue eyes stand out so much... she was sitting on the wooden steps outside that go up to the back deck. Anyway I can't load the photo because of the aforementioned little girl who must have hidden the key to the computer box and wires.

Such a little cutie face now - she is most definitely a little girl now, people.  In the last week she's been talking up a storm - a storm I tell you.  She repeats all sorts of things - watch out, Justin!  She weighs around 30 pounds now and don't say anything about her being overweight or at risk of anything or you better run the opposite direction as fast as those legs can carry you.  Someone did a week ago to me and oh my that was my first real "momma bear" moment.  Marie eats healthier than probably anyone I know, and has since she was conceived. Well ok, about 7 weeks after that.  There are many many things I am not good at, but feeding my child healthfully is not one of them. I am stellar at that.  Every chubby little ounce of her is full of good fats and adorableness.  And don't even start me on breastfeeding, people.  Would you believe someone in a position of semi-authority told me "don't worry, once you stop breastfeeding, her weight will get better" (ie lower). When she saw my eyes after she said that she started running and she's still running today.

 Oh people, she wears pigtails now and it's so stinkin' cute. So much hair! It's amazing! If I don't comb it out of her face, it gets in her eyes and she starts squinting and touching her eyes with her fingers. How come every little thing a toddler does is just adorable?!?

She still looks so much like my dad it's kind of unnerving at times. Those eyebrows...

Her shades are so hot right now. Starting trends here...

In other news... oh wait, there is no other news. Our lives revolve around this 30 pound strawberry blonde bundle of joy.