melted smoosh

bookends a belated birthday recap for our beloved Vicky, who isn't exactly a baby anymore since she turned two on the Fourth of July. Victoria Anne is sweet, spunky, smart, and mischievous. as long as she is with her older sisters, she's happy. she's often running around behind them, calling, "wait for me, guys! I coming!" and just the other day we were talking about Halloween costumes and she announced she wants to be "a big kid" for Halloween. despite her dreams of getting bigger, she's still petite and the perfect size for snuggling.  on the morning of her birthday, Greta and Cece made patriotic pancakes for breakfast. then we headed off to the town in south central Pennsylvania where we got married and where Nick's dad grew up -- many of his siblings still live in the area and they host an annual chicken BBQ and festival that has now become part of our family's tradition. 

happy belated birthday to our firecracker baby! you are developing such a fun personality -- you love to make us laugh by playing peekaboo, pulling duck faces, and crawling around with dish towels on your head. you scowl and squawk if you're displeased with something (usually Elizabeth encroaching on your personal space). and you chat happily to yourself while playing with baby dolls or wooden puzzles.  helping mama cook you can stand up unassisted and keep your balance for quite a while before squatting back down and crawling off like a shot towards your next adventure. you haven't taken a step by yourself yet, but you still have time to beat the Will child record of walking at 13 months (Cece is on tenterhooks to find out whether you're going to steal that crown of laurels from her -- Elizabeth walked at 14 months and Greta at 15 months so we'll see!).  helping yourself to your sister's yogurt you put anything and everything into your mouth. thank goodness you...

dear Victoria, this month, your personality has really blossomed! you are very chill most of the time, but every once in a while you erupt into happy pterodactyl squawks to make sure that we're paying enough attention to you. you also are starting to get into more of a rivalry with Elizabeth -- you are very interested in whatever she's doing, and if she bumps you (sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident) you immediately scream with rage and turn to us as if to say "can you believe this?!". you are constantly getting picked up and cuddled by Greta and Cecilia, and in general living your very best fourth child life.  one night Greta put this tiny backpack on you and we couldn't stop laughing after a few weeks "bear crawling" around the house or pulling up halfway on your car seat or bouncer, you are now pulling all the way up to stand. you sometimes get stuck that way and need help bending your knees to get down. you are super speedy crawling around an...

1) a revamped running playlist to propel me through my workouts. I was all motivated to begin a regular running routine again in March (eight months postpartum) and then got walloped by Victoria's ear infection, my own stomach bug, Victoria's sleep regression, and (TMI!) two short cycles with more time spent in luteal phase than not (or at least it felt like it -- ugh). all of these combined to leave me just able to muddle through the day without the mental or physical energy to exercise more vigorously. finally in the last few weeks, I've been running more regularly, just a few miles each time but it feels so good! I know enough about my own body to expect that I will probably gain a few pounds as I build muscle, but also will fit better in my clothes. more importantly, I feel so much more calm and balanced when I am running regularly.  anyway, music is so important to my running routine as it helps keep me motivated. the beat keeps my stride steady while my mind is free t...

dear Victoria, you are busy, busy, busy! crawling around the house, pulling up onto the dishwasher or your car seat or the bouncer, making a beeline for any scrap of paper you see on the floor so you can try to pop it into your mouth before you are intercepted, and babbling up a storm. you love to play with the caps for your bottles, sucking on the rim, rolling them on the ground, and turning them over and over in your little hands.  you wave probably fifty times a day, always with your right hand -- well, more specifically, your right arm. as soon as I lay you down on the changing table, you start waving vigorously at me. and if we say "hi!" to you, you immediately wave back. you haven't clapped spontaneously yet, but whenever I cover your hands with mine and help you clap, you giggle uproariously.  you eat just about everything we eat now, and so far you haven't had any reactions or strong dislikes (except for vegetable beef baby food, and who could blame you?). at ...