Happy New Year

January is off and running like a fleet-footed gazelle, and I am panting after the herd trying to catch up. Thus, the dearth of recent bloggable moments. I know I've overlooked a doot-doot trip (or three) in there somewhere.

In the biggest news, we had Jarrah's official 2nd birthday party, and it was a gala event. I succumbed to last-minute "Harridan Syndrome" but with David and Mary's help, I pulled out of it in enough time to enjoy myself. See photos for proof that the guest of honor was quite the celebrant, too. We were lucky with the brisk, sunny day and nimble assistance of Suzie and Tiffany at the YMCA, who plied the birthday girl and her friends with balloons, bubbles and parachute time. I flatter myself that even the adults enjoyed themselves, since a crowd lingered right up to the end. For two weeks preceding I had been rueing my decision to host such a large affair, but success has thoroughly brain-washed me into believing we can pull it off every year.

In other news, Jarrah continues to adore preschool, and though she herself remains mum on the subject of her days, I get reports from her teachers, who are still enthusiastic about our girl but have modified their praise with even-handed comments like "Jarrah is certainly a strong-willed little girl" and "We're having some issues with sharing." But Jarrah meets me at the door each time with a huge smile and lots of art projects, so I feel absolutely confident we made the right choice. Hey, the uninterrupted cup of coffee in the deafeningly silent house on those mornings doesn't hurt, either.

In developmental news, Jarrah's 2nd birthday has coincided with what I believe is known as "language explosion," meaning she suddenly has a word for just about everything. Many of these new words, curiously, do not have endings, just beginnings. For instance, "yawn" is "yaw" and "please" is "pee." My favorite, just because it's cute, is when she wants you to open a package and commands what sounds like "OH-boo-duh." Almost like "open up," but that doesn't quite make sense in context.

And speaking of commands, our house is now command central. She greets us from the crib in the morning with "Up!" or "Out!" She goes to bed with "Book!" She indicates readiness to leave in the morning with "Buh-bye!" or "Dar!" (aka "car.") She points out the salient features of the world with "Look!" (more like "Luke!") She eschews the stroller with "Walk!" Of course, there's always been "More!" but now it's the word instead of the sign. That goes along with "Snack!" or "Drink!" And now that there's no guesswork, we're expected to look sharp, too.

Also, does anyone have any advice about a sprinter? Jarrah is wickedly spry, and often chooses the times when I'm laden with bags and packages to flee the premises at a roadrunner-like pace. All my "come backs!" and "it's not safe!" fall on deaf ears, and when I finally catch her, heart pounding, head raging, I can grab her arms, get down on her level, look into her eyes, and say in my scariest voice (by the way, I do not speak hypothetically--this is what I've been doing) "Don't EVER run away from Mommy--do you understand? It's not safe!" and this has no discernable effect whatsoever. She doesn't even acknowledge that I'm talking to her. Today I was hating myself after one of these incidents, which took place at the zoo, with an audience of hundreds. What should I be doing? I'll confess I want very much to smack her at these moments, out of both frustration and terror.