MaryAnn Memories

These little ones grow so fast I can hardly stand it. 

So I hereby declare that some memories be recorded before time marches onward...lest MaryAnn's brain keeps developing and I forget a few of the adorable and unique things that make MaryAnn so precious right this very minute.

Like...she's sleeping right this very minute (which makes babies extra precious, no?). Otherwise I would not have the luxury of recording anything at all because MaryAnn adores the exact same buttons, mice, and cords that I like. (Except she has the magical ability to erase documents, uninstall programs, and shut down entire systems with one pound of the fist...remarkable.) 

When MaryAnn meets someone new, they often comment about her eyebrows (conveniently pictured below). She's very curious and very focused. She means business. And she can scream/screech louder than the loudest decibel level ever uttered under our roof (which is super loud according to recent visitors) if unsolicited sibling attention approaches...or when she wants another bite of spaghetti. 

MaryAnn also speaks English now. She chants "Dada, Dada" every time the front door opens. She cries "Mama, Mama" whenever she's done having her personal space invaded. She says "ball" whenever she sees one. She says "ba-bye" and accurately inserts an appropriate little wave. She raises her eyebrows and says "Wow" when a sibling excitedly runs up to share an impressive random tidbit...like "Guess how many mosquito bites I have on my right leg?...Nope. 12."

The "Wow!" face:

And her first recognizable word combo was, "Maa-um. mm-dun." because it's one of the most frequently yelled phrases here at la Casa de Smiths...at least until Older Sister builds up the confidence to wipe herself after spending time here:

Oh yeah...and MaryAnn says "bum" too. We're so proud. 

MaryAnn's middle bottom two teeth came in crooked. After 5 kids with straight middle bottom teeth, her unique crookedness deserves special mention. It's adorable enough to be forever documented in cyberspace. (And I know the average blog browser won't be able to tell just how cute those two teeth are in the above picture. But my Mother Eye can tell...and my Mother Memory will have a nice gleeful flashback when my frail hands go perusing through old blog posts in fifty years.)  

At least one of those teeth is a sweet one...

MaryAnn pulls her own weight regarding Sibling Entertainment. I should pay her.

When we went to Six Flags recently, we expected MaryAnn to have a sensory overload too-many-strange-sounds-and-strange-people-and-take-me-as-far-away-from-Bugs-Bunny-as-I-can-get type reaction like Cienna did at her age (and for many years after)...but MaryAnn soaked all the excitement right in. It energized her.  

She happily went on all the kiddy rides (often with Kirsten at her side instead of Mom) and screamed only when I had to peel her away from the steering wheel and move her on to the boats.

Brains-wise...I love the passion of this spongey stage...MaryAnn's developed senses now work together to absorb everything, her growing memory retains it, and her limited thinking capacity naively (but admirably) prioritizes every new experience as perhaps the most important thing she could possibly know...and so she lives and breathes to re-enact life around her...with intense purpose. Sitting very still and observing her innocent zest for life is often more rejuvenating than finding quiet time by myself somewhere. Such a treat.   

MaryAnn especially finds genuine joy with:

flip flops 

lids
                                                         
spatulas
                                    

and waving.

MaryAnn feels a special purpose in life when she's permitted to go outside, sit on the front steps, and wave at every car/pedestrian passing by.

People wave back.