Baby in a box

This is going to be one of those disjointed posts where I jabber about stuff that's been popping into my head lately. I'll put pictures at the end to reward you for reading through :)

First, do you have those moments where you pause and think "I can't believe this is my normal?". I think it falls under the category of "You know you're a mom when:"
-You bring reading material with you to the bathroom but it's now "Mr. Brown can Moo, can you?" to distract your child from sticking their hands in the toilet you're trying to utilize
-You find yourself saying things like "that's right, that's an outlet, but please don't plug your bib into it" or "goldfish are not nutrient dense enough for a proper breakfast" or "stop drooling on Varney! (a textbook)"
-You get to the end of a meal and realize about half of it was comprised of unidentifiable goop from your daughter's tray
-You used to advise and collaborate on complex medical, social and psychological issues that had life or death consequences. The last medical advice you dispensed involved using breast milk to unclog a tear duct (and yes, it totally works)
-You actually write lists like this

Anyway, this has been a fabulous vacation week. I've had a chance to pore over all the sales fliers and coupons, shop for some free stuff (contact solution, baby cereal so far this week), go for long walks, sort all of Henri's baby clothes, just enjoy being with my daughter without worrying about looming assignments, and cook real meals (I've discovered a love of runny eggs. Who knew?!)

 Speaking of clothes, when H was born the church gave us a wonderful shower where we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our church family. A ton of clothes were unfortunately 6mo summer things and I was so bummed she wouldn't be able to wear them being that she was 6 months in November. On a whim I pulled them all out of the closet today and...they fit. Yup, my almost year old daughter is still in 6mo clothing. Yay, full (adorable) wardrobe!!!!!

Shaw's is rapidly becoming a favorite place to grocery shop. Not only do they double the coupons, they also have this nifty program where your kid gets a free banana or apple every time you shop. Given that H loves her bananas (and yes, she can say their name....a lot) and that we shop a few times a week (it's our out-of-the-house entertainment) this means our weekly banana budget is pretty much covered! This leads me to another Mom moment. I used to get excited over...well, I don't remember at this point. But I do know it wasn't bananas.

Lastly, a list of what Henri can say. She's pretty much covered her physical milestones (except jumping/hopping but I don't think that happens for awhile???) so she's moved on to jabbering. She understands everything concrete you tell her, though obeying is a totally different story. But she consistently and correctly verbalizes:
Papa
Mamamamama
banana
Bob
NO!; though it's more "nahahaha" (great)
yeah
boobie (this is said in a mournful tone with emphasis on the "ooooooh"; kinda like a whiny cow)
Daddy is sort of a squeal but consistent so I'll count it
She also fake laughs to get me to laugh and has learned to tickle. My feet and belly are fair game to her. She's also showing some awareness of her actions cause when she dropped a heavy wooden toy on my ankle she then rubbed it to make it feel better. Awww.

If you managed to make it all the way to the end (or skipped, like I totally would have done) here is Henri with her new favorite toys: boxes! (trying to pack is proving a pain with the one who likes to sit in boxes, unload everything in them, and push them around with her toys inside).