This morning I woke to "Mommy, I am ready to get out now" on the baby monitor.
This kid is getting ever more articulate. I'm proud of her, and I also find it humorous. This afternoon in the car, she wanted to rest her foot on the back of my seat, so she said, "Please Mommy move your seat back a little bit." For some reason, the "a little bit" made Seth and me chuckle. It's the kind of phrase that I think she's picked up from adults, along with "maybe later" and "What are we having?" (for dinner, lunch, etc.)
Another new thing Maya's doing is recognizing the letter "M" when she sees it. She'll point to an M and say, "Hey, that's my name!" which, of course, isn't entirely accurate, but we know what she means. We'll say something like, "Yes, that's the letter your name starts with." It's neat.
In other news, I am pleased to report that Maya had a good week at school last week. No crying in the morning during drop off, just "Bye Mommy" (some days more chipper-sounding than others). That's progress, as far as I'm concerned. I know some weeks will be better than others. I think the more laid-back summer preschool schedule helps. Her day there is less structured this time of year; plus, the kids get to do super-fun things like play in the sprinkler and eat popsicles.
...and speaking of popsicles, here's my advice to any parent of a two-year-old: Go buy yourself a popsicle mold. I spent three bucks on one last weekend at Bed Bath & Beyond, and wouldn't you know, those were the best three dollars I ever spent. Maya LOVES POPSICLES. She wakes up in the morning asking for one---seriously. When I take her to school, I have to constantly reassure her that yes, she can eat a popsicle as soon as she gets home. As soon as she finishes one popsicle, she asks for another. The great thing is, we just pour juice or yogurt into the molds, freeze, and there you have it. A serving of fruit or dairy, done. Seth and I were joking that we should start freezing all manner of foods into the posicle molds just so Maya will eat them: chicken, beets, straight milk, that kind of thing.
This afternoon we took Maya to the beach and had a great time. (Well, expect for happening upon the DEAD, DECAPITATED SEAL that washed up on the shore. Fortunately, we were able to hustle Maya away before she noticed it.)
Anyway, Maya seems to be starting to understand a little bit the potential danger of the ocean. She does less full-on charging into the water now, and turns around to run back (squealing with excitement) before getting herself too far in. That's good, because it means that Seth and I have fewer near-heart-attacks during our family beach trips and don't have to be constantly scooping Maya out of a wave at the last minute.