2004-10-24 - 12:50 p.m. - Cycle day:

Where the heck did the last month go? I can't believe how long it's been since I updated, although I have to admit, all those people who said life would get easier once M. hit a year old were right. The dramatic milestones are fewer and farther between now, and our daily life is much more rhythmic than I would have ever imagined. We actually have - dare I say it? - a routine. We've got places to go nearly every day of the week, which helps. No more crawling out of bed to face a long, unscheduled day of mysterious mood swings and unrelenting boredom. (Now at least the days of mood swings and boredom are scheduled.)

So what to report? We just took our hardest family trip. We flew to my hometown to attend my best friend's wedding, and like the cheapskate (and broke non-working mom) I am, I didn't spend the extra $400 for direct flights. Which wouldn't have been all that terrible had the trip not fallen right in the middle of a bout with some nasty molars. That's what I think was causing the fever and crabbiness, anyway. Not that anyone on either flight cared to ask, since they were too busy stuffing cocktail napkins in their ears to stop the bleeding. Just to add to the fun, we got stuck in Cincinnati for an extra three hours on the way home, although remarkably, the following flight was her best one of the four. The good news was, she was an absolute angel at the wedding, and charmed the heck out of everyone (including the photographer, who took about 20 pictures of her in the little red dress that perfectly matched the bridesmaids').

So let's see, what else? She's walking like a champ now, although The Husband is concerned about her pigeon toes. She's also running and climbing like nobody's business. She can get on and off a rocking horse. She's up to seven teeth. She says "tickle" and "what's that" and a couple other polysyllabic words/phrases. She hugs and just started for-real kissing. She can pat the dog and cat gently if she really concentrates on not whapping them. She plays peek-a-boo. She dances to every beat she hears. She has amazing hair. She follows me to different rooms when I ask her to come with me. She brings me books and then sits in my lap. She laughs her head off. She puts back the things she takes out. Really, it's almost like she's a person. It's pretty unbelievable. I can barely recall what either of us were like a year ago, or how we both made it to this point. I've loved her all along, but now she's actually becoming the child I imagined having. She's got a personality.

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