22 months

t h e    m o n t h    o f    a s s e r t i o n



with vee's
increasing
vocabulary
comes
her ability
to let us know
when she
wants
(or does not want)
something.

she can
also clearly
assert
her
displeasure
when
she does
not get
what she wants.



don't
let this
sweet smile
or
curious tilt
of the head
fool you,
if
she wants it
she aims
to get it.



she has
thrown
more
mini-tantrums
in the last month
than we are use to...

we do not
see
her
assertion
as
a bad thing.



it means
she is
really
beginning
to voice
her opinion
and
this means
we understand
her better.



she can tell us
when
she wants
to swing...



or
when
she
wants us
to refill
her watering
can...



or
that
she
wants
to go
somewhere.



sure
she is sassy
and
mischevious...



but
she
is a hell
of a lot
of fun.





she
is also
showing
us her creative
side...





as well
as letting us know
when
she wants
some
vee-time



with
her blankies
and
a good book.



we are
enjoying
watching
her world
get bigger



and
watching
her find
her place
in it.



xo

21 months

t h e    m o n t h    o f   i n s a t i a b l e   c u r i o u s i t y



vee has become
ever more
the observer.



she looks
closely
at things...





she touches
and
examines
with
a new mindfulness.



she watches
how we look
and touch
and
she does the same.
she imitates.



it is an amazing
thing to see
her world
expanding
and
deepening...





i realize that
this
is what parents mean
by discovering
the world
all over again
through
their children's eyes.





everything
is new.





everything
is there
to be
discovered.





there is
so much
to see...





and
experience.



and
vee is happy
to be
right in the middle
of it all.



well,
at least
until
she isn't...



then,
using
vee's
favorite
two words,
she's
"all done"
and
off
she goes
to find
something new.



c'est tout!
xo

thrifting for vee

i am
on the constant
search
for
beautiful
wooden toys
and things
for vee.



i found
a set of
wooden animals
in the
à donner
(free) box
at the secondhand store
(just like
this set online).
vee loves them.
especially
le chat.



the little people
in this fire truck
fascinate vee.
the green pawn
came with the truck
but
i found
the painted lady
in the
à donner box.



these stackable
wooden
haba toys
are
vee favorites
as well.



i found
a little
carpenter bench
that i set up
in the kitchen
so vee can
work next
to her papa
while he cooks.



i suppose
some toys
are more
interesting
to me
that to vee,
like this cool
old naef
ptt postes suisses bus.



xo

shake it vee!

(in a restaurant in puerto escondido)

   
(outside a shopping center in neuchatel)

19 months

t h e    m o n t h    o f    t h e    p u d d l e - j u m p e r


this month
we adjusted
to the cold
and
to normal life
again.

although
most of the snow
had disappeared
from neuchatel,
we had mostly
cold, rainy,
grey days.



vee did not
seem to care.
she wanted
to be outside
all the time.
she lived in
her fuzzy
grover sweater.

























she loved
walking
around
on cold days
but
she especially
l o v e s
playing in puddles.



it was
impossible
to keep
her out
of them.



she would
puddle-jump
for hours
if we would
let her.



even
if it
meant
a long
walk home
with
wet,
cold feet.



after hours
of
puddle-jumping
she could
barely
make
it
to
her crib
for her
afternoon nap.



and
before
we knew it
another
month
had passed.

xo