Long time no see!

Hey, stranger! How long's it been? Is it the middle of summer already? Is it possible that I have a one year old? I sincerely apologize for my tardiness these, oh, last nine months. My only excuse is that...well, I do have a one year old, and the process of getting us all to this point has taken up quite a bit of my time and energy.

So yes, Josie is now one year old. Since I last updated, she has discovered that not everything in life sucks, and has become quite a happy and fun little kid to be around. She has eschewed crawling altogether in favor of a clumsy and remarkably inefficient bottom scoot, and is now very eager to be up and cruising around furniture and learning to walk. When I see my neighbor out with his own little one year old girl, hunched over in a back-breaking posture of toddler assistance, it's one of the few times I thank my lucky stars for being born short (and staying that way.)

I could go on and on about how cute Josie is, and smart and sweet and all those good things, but I've learned that parenthood, while filling us with such pride, is also very helpful in keeping us humble. There have been countless times that Colin and I have waxed rhapsodical about the many virtues of our baby girl, only to turn around and find her with a mouthful of houseplant dirt, or that she has pooped in the bathtub. Good times.

Yes, parentood is indeed a learning experience. Not only are there the many "life lessons" that come with having a young child, but I find Josie is also teaching me much about the world around me. For instance, I would never have guessed that there were so many crows in Seattle. I already knew that there were a lot, but it turns out that Josie loves crows and feels that it is her own little personal duty to point out each and every one. Her father, the amateur ornithologist, keeps trying to point her attention to some of the more... interesting birds that our environs have to offer, but for now, at least, it seems that the crows have got her number and so we are constantly beset with not only the very not pretty calls of the real crows but also the finger pointing and the "caw-caw-caw" of our little redhead in the backseat (or walking in the park, or looking out the window, or....), to which, each and every time, we say, "Yes, Josie. It's a crow." And each time is like the first time for her. The girl loves crows. Go figure.

I know that, in my absence, I have skipped over many important events and developmental stages, but I promise to try to be better about this blog thing. I will sincerely try to update at least twice a month, and give you pictures and anecdotes and all that good stuff. And I hope to be able to make up for the fact that I strung you along for so long with nothing to offer. Perhaps more photos of a cute little toddler (wow, is she a toddler already?) will make up for my lapse. She is pretty cute, you know. So whaddaya say? Do you forgive me? Do ya?

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edited to add: Sorry it's so muddled up there. For some reason, the website keeps deleting my paragraph breaks. Grrr....