Should be lesson planning but....

this is more fun. Besides, it's been a while since my last post and there's so much to update you on!

Miss Thang will be 15 months next week and, as always, keeps us on our toes. For a child who's not yet walking, I'm amazed how much she gets into. She an expert "stander" and still crawls with lightening speed. Bryan and I are constantly dashing to close doors, drawers, windows, or we're rushing to block appliances, electronics, and the like before she can insert fingers, hands, toes, or tongue.

Lately, she enjoys climbing into the dishwasher while Mommy puts away dishes. She also loves pulling every one of Daddy's DVDs and VHS movies, within arm's reach, off their shelves, forming a small mountain of films on the bedroom floor. She's learned how to turn on and off the television and scared the you-know-what out of me a couple mornings back while I was taking a shower. Any mother of a toddler knows that showers are 2 minute affairs. Silly me thought I could sneak a quick one in while Fiona was destroying the CD tower in the adjoining bedroom. Rinsing the shampoo from my hair, my knees nearly buckled beneath me when I heard the television suddenly blare at full volume from the bedroom. Fiona learned how to turn on the television and work the volume that day.

As I mentioned previously, she's into garbage trucks. I don't know how, but she hears the garbage man approach from blocks away before I've even registered he's in the neighborhood. She also lets us know when the train approaches with an "Oh!" She stops whatever she's doing, craning her neck toward the direction of the sound, with eyes wide and mouth even wider.

She loves the stair case and she lets me know when it's time to go "up" or "down" (yes she's got those words down perfectly) at least 10 times per day. Who has time for a job away from home when one has a toddler to keep up with?

But for all her busyness, she does slow down long enough for the world's sweetest cuddling. When I go for her after nap time or first thing in the morning she first, matter-of-factly, hands me her binkie as if to say "I won't be needing this for a few hours. Please stow it somewhere safe and make sure the dog doesn't touch it." Then she makes quite a show of cuddling her baby doll, giving it "loves" and kisses, patting the doll and rocking it for several minutes. Then she hands me the doll to do the same. We pass the doll back and forth several times until she's ready to get up and give Mommy hugs, kisses, and pats on the back. Who wouldn't eat that up with a spoon?

As for communication, the child is a natural-born talker even though her vocabulary only consists of 13 or so words. A small detail. She babbles in her own language non-stop all day long. She gets this from her Auntie MF. She also adores talking on the phone. She gets this from Granny. I do believe my child will end up as either a Southern Baptist preacher or a comedian. You see, in addition to the non-stop babbling, she also peppers her speeches with excited exclamations, finger pointing, and exaggerated arm pumping. Other times, after long strings of babbled statements, she chuckles, as if she just told a clever joke. Her father and I are always a supportive audience....well, except for her 3 a.m. speeches.

Murphy the Dog, also her best friend, should truly be nominated for sainthood for her never-ending patience with Fiona. When Fiona tires of her toys, she turns her attention toward poor Murphy who sometimes doubles as Fiona's personal pony. Fiona's been known to crawl into Murphy's bed to snuggle, and often ends up laying or sitting on top of Murphy. Murphy endures all this with a look of resignation. She knows she has been replaced as "the baby" by this 20 lb. hurricane, and she takes it in stride. Sometimes she even plays gentle games of tug-of-war with Fiona, being careful to avoid contact between doggy teeth and Fiona's little fingers. This morning she even let Fiona win several rounds.

Here some recent photos of life in the Bustamante house. Hugs and kisses!