Tilli-BOT 3000

...says "1001111100101000110101" (which translates roughly as "Happy Halloween!")

Diseased

Is this the face of pestilence, the harbinger of disease, the bringer-home of pandemics? Since when does infection come in such a cute package? A toddler in daycare is the grossest petri dish out there. She is virulence unchecked. Tillie got a cold last week, which Scott was tortured by this weekend, and which I now feel creeping my way as a slow, tight ache in my throat. And to make matters worse, swine flu is going around her classroom. Four out of the 12 children in her classroom have come down with it. Tillie and her fellow booger-nosed friends greet each other with moist kisses and suck on the same toys, so it is just a matter of time before we are oinking up piles of vomit here on Dancy Street. I'm not looking forward to it. As if contagions weren't enough, now Typhoid Tillie also has puffy hives all over from who knows what. It started out as an embarrassing (for her mother) number of mosquito bites and has blossomed into a full-body reaction to something. She hasn't done anything out of the ordinary over the weekend, so I can't explain why she looks like a rash victim. Fortunately, she isn't bothered by it. I can't tell what her teachers think of my parenting skills. Hopefully CPS doesn't show up this week. Or if they do, I hope they bring some cough drops and calamine lotion. Yuck!

NaNoWriMo

I'm going to do it! I'm going to participate in National Novel Writing Month. I don't have an idea for a plot or any characters yet, but the lovely thing about NaNoWriMo is that it places importance on quantity not quality. Starting November 1st, I will be writing a 50,000 word manuscript for a crappy (or brilliant--either works) novel. On average, that's about 5-6 pages a day. I'm excited to try out a new kind of writing for me and I hope that it helps improve my professional writing--or at least is just fun.

Here's the link if you want to find out more: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I encourage all of you to try it along with me this year. I'd love to have some virtual, or even in-town buddies, for support and camaraderie. It is free (or pay what you want) and there is no actual pressure to finish (or at least as much pressure as you want). Even if you do not have any interest in participating, please feel free to encourage/ask/nag me about it : ) I'm psyched!

Leonardo de Tillie's First Oevre

This, my dear blogadiers, is Tillie's first drawing! Yes, my maternal chest swelled with pride as I witnessed her draw this likeness of a "kitty cat" per my request. I don't really need to point out to you any of the features, as their verisimilitude is so exact, but she explained to me as she carefully pushed the red crayon across the card that the two keen dots are its eyes and the dark, round maw below them is its mouth.

PS. Not impressed? Well, perhaps I should show you the little puddle of pee that she left in the potty for the first time this week. Hah! Now I know you think her a Renaissance woman!

New Wheels

Tillie got a tricycle for her second birthday. Doesn't she look sophisticated and mature with her new wheels? Of course, if you look at the video you will see that she hasn't quite yet figured out how not to press down on both pedals at the same time. I hadn't realized that was something one had to learn--but I guess we all did at one time.

Also, she got presents that help her try out a couple of interesting occupations:

Small Animal Vet
This poor puppy is still "sick" and gets its temperature taken and several shots on a regular basis.

Thank you Camile and Alex!

Sushi Chef
Already an expert chopper and chopstick wielder!

Thank you Hazel!

So...what should she be when she grows up?

Happy Birthday Zane!

Here's a special birthday song for our buddy Zane (who got the flu oh no!):

We love you!
Get well soon!
Happy Birthday!

Encore

"I Am a Bobah"

Translation: I am a robot [said in robot monotone]. We've trained Tillie to say this. It is very cute.

Fun at the Playground?

.

Thinking...

...on a plastic dinosaur.

Two!

Birthday girl:

Salim and Tillie get frosted:

Oliver shows us how cupcakes should be eaten:

Hazel takes notes for her first birthday:

Amy, the talented icetrix:

So pretty:

Meeting the adoring public:




And...a banana chaser:

Odds and Ends

I love this skull sweater I just bought for Tillie. Why don't they come in my size?

On the way to daycare, she took this funny picture of my hand.

Tom Sawyer Stopped By