Mara’s Blog Influencing the world one day at a time since 2005…

Thought we’d just end this months blogging with a few pictures of Mara using her Christmas goodies. Mara loves her aquadoodle. The best part about it is that pen you see her using is just filled with water so it really causes no mess. Parents must be inventing the toys these days, got to love it! She’s very big on any sort of coloring, doodling or fingerpainting, well anything creative actually. She also has this new thing where if you ask her to show you her teeth we get this big cheesy grin. We just love it! Check her out!

She doesn’t know how to pedal yet but she’s working on it. Thanks Grandma Evans for the tricycle. She can even say the word tricycle quit well.

Since we were headed up to NY for the actual date of Christmas, Nana Santa came a little earlier than Santa this year. This was Mara’s first go at opening all her presents. No longer was the wrapping paper the main attraction. She actually didn’t pause very much between opening gifts either. As you can see though she is admiring several of them including the bracelet Nana gave her. She’s actually obsessed with it. She wants it on then off then on again, etc. you get the picture.

Later that afternoon, Santa was at our neighborhood club house so we took her in the wagon for a visit. We thought maybe since this was the third time she has seen him this year a little lap time with toy discussion would take place. You’ll see by the pictures no such thing happened. She was again very cautious about Santa and slightly frightened. When Nana and I mentioned he had treats for her she came out of her shell and approached him immediately so as not to be left out for her treat. She did cooperate enough to allow us to take a few pictures of her while standing in front of Santa. Next year I’ll bet she sit in his lap!

She also ended up eating a couple of treats they had just sitting around at the clubhouse like a Capri sun and cookies. Can you tell how much she loves them here?

Click on any of these photos to see the entire album of pictures!!!

This year was our year in NY to spend Christmas. We took a 12 hour car ride since we couldn’t find a reasonable plane ticket. With the weather that hit some of the country slowing down air travel, it seems like the strategy worked in our favor. But nothing would foretell how Mara might handle 12 hours in the car. The good ending to the story is that she handled it extremely well. We did each way in two segments of about six hours each. This is the best Mara has been in a car ride ever. In general though it seems like Mara has turned some kind of corner in how she acts in general. Less tantrums, more understanding and better talking and communication. She has been so much fun.

Back to Christmas. We spent some of Christmas Eve at Mara’s Great Uncle Bruce and Great Aunt Susan. There she got to see her second cousins Abigail and Jack. She received an early present from them of a Cinderella magnet set that has Cinderella and different clothes to dress her in.

Abigail and Mara Working With Blocks

The next day Mara was given gifts from Grandma and Grandpa in the morning. Mara was so excited that she asked for each individual gift to be unwrapped, open and played with before the next gift could even be looked at. Needless to say we needed to keep the gifts moving along after unwrapping or else we never would have gotten through them all.

Mara Surveying Her Gifts

Later that same day the family got together again for some dinner. Click through any of the pictures to see the whole set.

C’mon Dad, do we really need to go outside now? Can’t you see I have my hands in my pockets?

Mara enjoys her outdoor time, even though it might not look like it in this picture. She has this new discovery where she has found she can put her hands in her pockets. Although these are not the most convenient of pants with which to use the pockets, she insists. Her hands as small as they are barely fit inside.

So gadgets will be intertwined with this generation of kids. What better time to start Mara off with a gadget than now at 21 months? We chose to start with an ipod. Mom says that she really likes it. I don’t know, I don’t hear anything.

There are two more pics of her when you click through.

We Be Jammin’

The weather outside is getting cold, not to mention that it is just past September regardless and that means the outdoor pool is closed in the neighborhood. But that hasn’t stopped Mara from getting her swim on. A few weeks ago we began to venture back to the YMCA for some pool time and Mara was like a fish to water. Actually towards the end of the summer she was getting a little less fearless at our outdoor pool, choosing to cling a little more to Mom or Dad rather than walk around in the baby pool herself or hesitant to jump into our arms in the big pool. The break from the summer seems to have helped as she is a little more adventurous again. And you can tell she enjoys it. The day after the first time we went back to the pool, Mara pulled out her suit from the clothes basket and was trying to put it on! When I finally had to take it away she got a little upset. She really loves the water. The other aspect now is that since her communication is better, she is a much better observer of what other kids do. So you can tell her to mimic another child kicking or similar and she will oblige. It is making it easier to teach her skills. Pretty soon she will be a fish! Click through for a couple more pics.

Jumping In