... And Now, Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

As many of you know, I've been somewhat preoccupied the past few weeks -- wrecking my family's vacation and sweating buckets and coughing up blood and so forth. Things are close to back to normal now, and hopefully I'll be blogging frequently very soon. The kid has taken one of those exponential personality leaps lately and there's much to tell.

Meantime, to tide you over, here's an appetizer: An adorable kid eating a cupcake.

She ... wore ... bluuuuuuuuue iii-cing ...

There are more of these, right?

Lots more, I hope. Bring them to me.

It's Hard Out Here For A Toddler

NJ's been taking a pounding lately.

Yesterday she came home from day care with an accident report describing a trip-and-fall into a cabinet. She also brought home this forehead shiner:

Photo intentionally blurred to project a disconcerting sense of movement, in an effort to fully capture the essence of an NJ bath.

She and I played downstairs, and as she stewed wooden carrots in a wooden pot I groaned and said, "Daddy's got to lay down on the flat floor for a minute. My back hurts." NJ's face showed surprise, then she got serious as she pushed her hair out of the way and showed me her bruise. "I hurt my head! It hurt!" she exclaimed. I think she was a little excited to have something like that in common with me.

Then, as I was testing our new camera today, I snapped this shot and saw those shins. Let's count the bruises, shall we?

Hey, these graphics are a little crude, so tell you what: No charge for the graphics. You get them free, absolutely no cost to you at all.

She's a durable little thing, that's for sure.

And The Third Year Begins

Two days ago the kid turned 2. It was a Monday, and the weekend we spent on Orcas Island, so we weren't able to throw her a birthday party. "But you know when her birthday day is, why did you plan an out-of-town trip just before it?" you ask. No, you don't really ask that, do you -- you know why we did that. Precisely so we wouldn't be able to throw her a 2-year-old birthday party. I'm sorry, Future NJ, but it's true. We just thought this would be the last time we'd be able to get away with no party, so we went for it. I'm sure by the time you, Future NJ, are reading this, you and swarms of your closest friends will have already had several fabulous birthday parties at the circus, the zoo, the Museum of Science, F.F. Woodycook's, the far side of the moon, and many other fun locales. And you had a pretty good birthday anyway, trust me.

NJ raked in the goodies, including this miniature kitchen, a guitar, a pile of books, some gear for her favorite doll (Babydoll) and a fun game that involves an elephant blowing butterflies out of its trunk. She also made a triumphant return to one of her favorite places in the city, the aquarium. Then it was fish for lunch (oh, the irony) and then home to the daily grind: She spent a lot of time in her new kitchen, aping things she's seen us do (OK, mostly The Wife) in ours.

You expect me to get dinner on the table and take care of this baby at the same time? I don't think so!

On the island, counting boats was her main focus, with some rock-throwing and sand-gathering thrown in, as well.

D'oh! Left the shovel in the car again.

The Wife and fondly recalled how hectic our lives were 730 days ago, and -- like most parents, I suppose -- did so with big smiles on our faces. Our first night on the island, she and I were sitting on the deck, just about to turn in, when a fireworks show started across the sound. We watched it intently -- it's literally been years since I had a good view of fireworks, which seems wrong somehow -- and I thought about getting NJ up to see it. We didn't though, because she'd been in bed asleep for a couple of hours by then (might not have mattered, actually -- she woke up around 2.30 a.m. and we had a rough journey to dawn). Still, I thought about her as I watched the show. After all, she showed up out of the blue, too.

NJ's Kulinary Korner, Part 3: A Real, Actual Kulinary Korner

Currently under construction in the basement, this kitchen set -- a gift from her Connecticut grandparents -- will be completed this evening:

Funny thing is, the freezer already needs defrosting.

See that post in the middle, behind the sink and faucet? Dad Solo picked the counter up wrong yesterday and it broke -- it's setting with wood glue now and should be good to go later on today. But if the thing breaks again while NJ plays with it, let's not tell her about that, OK? I don't want to be the guy who broke her favorite toy (if it turns out to be her favorite) before she even got to use it once.

The Wife sent me on an errand yesterday afternoon, and when I got back she'd unpacked everything and started to assemble. And get this -- she wanted me to drop everything I was doing (Web-surfing, TV, etc.) and help!

Once it's finished, it will be covered by a bed sheet until next Monday, when NJ celebrates turning 2 years old. She'll no doubt throw the little pots and pans (not pictured) around and ask whether her play food is organic and local.

Now we'll need to build her a little woodworking shop, a little basketball court, a little scientist's lab and a little executive's office to make sure all our bases are covered.

NJ's Kulinary Korner, Part 2

Today, NJ learned that there is a thing in the world that is a "chocolate milkshake." She finds them to be highly pleasurable.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship.

She's even confident that she can indulge in the occasional "chocolate milkshake" and not drink herself out of swimsuit season.

The 'before' photo.