Two good friends (moms of two of Avery’s playmates) are due next month with their second child; one of them told me yesterday that she’s starting to feel really sad/guilty about her first and the fact that this little girl soon won’t be the (only) most important thing in her parents’ life. I totally get it, I told her: I experienced these feelings myself, and I remember doing lots of mommy-and-me activities with Zoe right before Avery’s arrival, in an effort to soak up the last of our “alone” time together.

It’s true, I told my friend, that her daughter’s life is about to drastically change – just as Zoe’s did – but it will actually be for the better. My girls get so much joy from one another that I can’t imagine them not having one another, and I have long ago let go of the sad/guilt feelings I had about Zoe. (And I’ve even stopped feeling so sad about Avery being the on-the-sidelines kid; she gets more than enough good stuff from her sister to make up for it!)

Going from a family of three to four is one of the best things that has ever happened to me – despite the work and the (more-than-ocassional) stress. I can’t wait for more of my girlfriends to join this club.

-M

The oldest girl in Zoe’s class turned five yesterday, so the four of us went to her party at the playground. Avery had a blast going down the slide with her sister, and Zoe experienced her first pinata. (Luckily, she didn’t complain when Q confiscated her bag of loot).

And about the first photo: Zoe was standing by the computer when I uploaded it, and I commented to her, “That’s a great picture.” “Yeh, I love it,” she responded. “You should post it.”

-M

Avery doesn’t talk a lot, but she certainly understands what we say or ask of her. In the video below, watch as Zoe and her dad encourage her to identify various body parts, including her “bee-bo”.

-M

Our eight-year-old next-door neighbor was outside playing when we got home the other afternoon. Mikey called out a “hello,” but Zoe refused to look at or answer him – instead she got a goofy look on her face and began (nervously) running laps around our garage. “It’s okay,” Mikey told me. “She always does that when I say ‘hi’ to her.” Later, when I asked Zoe why she was so shy around Mikey, she told me, “I don’t like talking to him because he’s a scary monster.” But the look on her face told me otherwise. “Zoe,” I said, “Were you actually shy because you think Mikey is cute? And you felt embarrassed?” She slowly nodded. “Yes, he’s cute and I was embarrassed.”

I’m not entirely sure she understands the word embarrassed, but I’m fairy confident that she gets the concept of cute. Based on her reaction, I would say that Zoe has a crush!

-M

Avery may not be a baby anymore, but she still enjoys a good game of peek-a-boo! Here are two pics from earlier this week.

-M

Zoe had a playdate after school the other day and did something rather unusual: She fell asleep on the couch when she came home in the late afternoon. While her sister was snoozing, Avery continued to play and run around in the living room, and when I checked on Zoe at one point, I saw that Avery had strategically placed a teacup in her sister’s hand. Apparently Avery didn’t want Zoe to miss out on her tea party – even if she was asleep!

-M

One of my favorite things to read the girls is the Belly Button Book, a silly Sandra Boynton story about hippos and their belly buttons. (I highly recommend it.) Avery loves it, and just the other day she grabbed the book, lifted up her shirt, pointed to her belly button and said, “bee-bo” (which is what they call it in the book). I got so excited – it was the first time she did that on her own, and it made me realize that what I read to her really does soak in. And a related story: After our bath the other night, I heard Avery quietly mumble something that sounded like “waa-waa.” At first I didn’t understand but then realized she was trying to sing something I often sing to her (“Bye-bye water…”) as we watch the water go down the drain. “Good, Avery!” I praised her as I gave her a big squeeze; from the look on her face, she was pretty proud.

I had forgotten how gratifying it is when your kids for the first time say/sing/do something that you’ve taught them. It makes you feel like you’re doing something right!

-M

I went on a (much-needed) get-away with girlfriends this weekend. Just as I suspected would be the case, Q and the girls were just fine with me – and they had an especially fun time hanging out with Dan and Jenny at Chuck E Cheese on Sunday. When I saw the pictures (thanks, Jenny!), I had to laugh, though: I would never let the girls run around the skee-ball machine like their dad did. But I’m sure they had a blast…

-M

One weekend morning a few weeks ago, I woke up to discover that the meat loaf I had made the night before was sitting on the stove; I had forgotten to put it in the fridge before heading to bed. I was mad at myself, and irritated that I would have to toss out what was intended to be that night’s dinner, and I started, as Q would call it, huffing and puffing. The girls were standing in the kitchen with me, clearly perplexed by what I was so upset about it, and wound up following me as I headed to the bedroom (still upset) to tell Q what had happened.

Later that morning, after I was feeling better (and another meat loaf was prepared), Q gently reminded me not to get so upset over little things. “I thought something bad had happened,” he said. And he pointed out that the girls were watching the whole thing: “They were right behind you when you came into the bedroom,” he said. “They’re like little ducks, always following their mom.”

Q’s words – and the vision they created in my head – have stuck with me ever since. He’s totally right, of course: The girls are like little ducks, looking to their mom (and dad) for guidance on how to act and be, and I don’t want to teach them that it’s okay to get upset over life’s tiny disappointments. The fact that we, as parents, are being so carefully watched – and mimicked – could easily feel like a great burden, but I hope I can instead use it as an incentive to be a better (calmer) person. The next time I start to fret over a forgotten-meat-loaf type of thing, I’m going to remind myself that I’m the Mama Duck, and my little ducks are counting on me to not freak out!

-M

As mentioned here many times before, I always get a little nervous about flying with the girls – even for just short trips. But our travels last weekend were quite smooth, and two things made my day. After our flight to Phoenix, the man sitting across the aisle from us commented, “You guys were amazing – you kept pulling things out of your bag!” (Given how strategic I tried to be when packing – making sure to bring along new toys/gadgets to keep the girls occupied – I took that as quite the compliment.) And on our flight back, the flight attendant asked if we flew a lot. When I said we did a fair amount (both sets of grandparents live far away, I explained) she said, “I can tell – the girls were great.”

Comments like that will keep me up in the sky – which is a good thing, considering we don’t really have a choice!

-M

Avery has been very into birds lately, and there were plenty of them for her to enjoy during our trip: She was constantly pointing to the sky or peering at the water, saying “birdie” or “duck.” Here are a few pics.

-M

Encanto Park has been named one of the best urban parks in the country, so we had to check it out on our last day in Phoenix. The park happens to be home to an amusement park, Enchanted Island, and I’m not sure who had more fun there: Zoe and Avery, or Q and PopPop!

-M

Despite the cool desert temperatures, we spent quite a bit of time outside during our trip. Given Zoe’s interest in cacti, we had to visit the Desert Botanical Garden, and we couldn’t leave without taking a few (cool) dips in our hotel pool.

-M

As mentioned below, we went to Phoenix for the weekend. Part of the reason was to enjoy some nice weather (though, unfortunately, it wasn’t terribly warm for much of the trip) but we also wanted to watch the Giants kick off spring training. Highlights of the game? Avery posing and hanging out with PopPop (who flew in to join us), and Zoe getting her ball signed by Buster Posey. Oh, and the Giants won, too.

-M