i'm so behind, but this is too good to pass up

Within the last hour, Bridget has taken to calling her daddy "Al." That's his name, of course. It's just funny to hear her yelling out her name after I call out to him without thinking twice about it.

Bridget's spent the last sixteen days with her daddy since I've been at this comprehensive exam for my PhD (tomorrow's the last full day, thank God—and yes, that's what I'm behind on). They've been having fun and she's learned to do things that I would never in a million years have let her try, like Evel Knievel acts that she got from watching a Ninja Warrior marathon. But I haven't heard her swear yet (which is good since Al's been around the dog, too) and I'm infinitely grateful to him for taking care of her and letting me do this. It just gets me one step closer to graduating in May and being out of school (as a student) for good. How strange it will be when that day comes. 

these are a few of my favorite things...

1. Talking. This past week, it's "Bye, everybody!" But it comes out so garbled that no one but me would really recognize what she's trying to say...
2. Smooching. Yesterday she saw Al and I kiss each other (just a peck on the lips) and picked up on the sound that it made. She's been sucking in and puckering up her lips trying to imitate the sound ever since. My baby's first "real" kisses. 
3. Dancing. She'll pound her feet on the floor in rapid succession (while standing—I guess it's a knees bent, butt out version of running in place) when she hears music she likes or other random moments. Sometimes, you just gotta dance. 
4. Singing. Although the only recognizable song is the ABCs, but only because she sings it while her fridge magnet is playing. 
5. Interacting with Mya. Although the interaction is pretty much one-sided—Mya really doesn't know what to do about her. Bridget talks to Mya, pets and hugs her, calls her by name ("My!"), tells me when Mya wants to go (or is) outside, feeds her her dinner (Bridget already knows how to get rid of food she doesn't want), tells her "No!" while pointing at her, and tries to walk her on her leash. 
6. Hugging and snuggling.
7. Whispering "happy" at random moments when she is. Happy, that is. This is my absolute favorite thing.

she makes me smile

I love it when Bridget wakes up happy in the morning. She just starts talking and calls out to me. I wish I could go in, pick her up, swing her around in my arms, and cuddle with her—my usual morning routine. But I'm in day four of my seventeen-day comprehensive exam for my PhD, and it's the first day that I'm able to stay put and keep writing since it's the first day that Al's had off. I need to take advantage of that and let him take care of her—but I miss her! Back to work...

spoon-fed

Yesterday, Bridget spoon-fed herself applesauce for the first time. She's used a spoon/fork herself, but I've never let her do an entire meal for fear it would end up all over my kitchen and my daughter. I held the applesauce (otherwise I just might have been right) and held a hand under her chin, and she actually got about 75% of it in her mouth. Such a big girl!