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Until there was you...


There were birds in the sky, but I never heard them singing...until we went to the Audobon Zoo. That's right. The most excitement came not from the monkeys or elephants or even giraffes, but from the birds. Seriously, birds. I mean, we have those in our own backyard. We traveled hundreds of miles and paid admission fees to see birds. Oh well. As for the rest of the mammals, I'm pretty sure she just thought they were all different varieties of dogs. Funkle Jess put it best when he said "puzzlement was a recurring theme." Other than uncertainty, the day was absolutely gorgeous and it was fun to have one of our first family outings. It was also incredible to watch her eat the world's biggest pancake (see photo). That may have actually been the highlight of her day, even over the birds.

Lots of other things to brag on since the last post. Although she still isn't walking, Pumpkin is cruising along the furniture and trying a few hands-free moments of standing. We're trying to teach her to sit from standing, which is a difficult concept to explain, so for now she just stands until she gets tired and then she screams until someone bends her legs for her. She has also mastered her ring game (stopping to clap for herself after placing each ring on the pole) and she can (somewhat awkwardly) eat mashed potatoes with a spoon.

With all of this fun, we did have a little bit of illness in there. During her latest battle of the ears and mystery virus, Pumpkin adopted a scowl that she showed to anyone who dared to look at her. The scowl basically said it all - and all that it said was "why in the heck are you looking at me." If you could stand the look for approximately 3 seconds, she'd then break into a bashful smile and love you again.

Several people took the look very personally though, including strangers in the grocery store and the doctor (whom I believe it was actually intended for). Since the last post we have been to the Children's Clinic at least 5 times and we are finally feeling better. The sad thing is that we have seen our new pediatrician so much in the two months we have been using him that when I ran into him at a fundraiser last weekend he gave me a big hug and asked all about how Pumpkin was feeling.

Now that it's finally Spring we all hope Pumpkin will stay healthy. We are looking forward to Easter, Jess and Mandy's wedding, and Pumpy's first birthday. While we aren't planning a big shindig, the guest of honor will most certainly insist on her new best friend Mickey Mouse being present. She has never taken to a stuffed animal before Mickey. The best part is that she could really care less for Minnie and literally tosses her aside as if to show her that Mickey's is HER man.

So, I apologize there's nothing earth-shattering in this blog. Pumpkin can play with the rings and is learning to feed herself with a spoon. So what, everyone eats with a spoon, right? Not right - everyone isn't my Pumpkin and though I hope to watch her eat with a spoon for decades to come, this first one meant everything to me. I find myself wondering if it is possible that other parents love their children as much as I love Pumpkin? To think that my parents love me that much, or better yet, that God loves us even more is just mind-blowing. Who knew there was this much love in the world - much less in my own heart? I know I never did...until there was Pumpkin.

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