Kids, I love 'em.

So, my friends, it seems that God has been at work yet again. Like a house elf, only more... real. And less creepy. :)

Over the last two years, God has been working on my heart towards children. Most of you know that prior to the birth of my darling daughter, Fable, I never even wanted children. The last thing on earth I saw myself doing was raising a child, let alone watching other people's children! But it seems that God is in the business of turning the tables, flipping the script, and all that. Over the last year, I found myself in situations where I learned about, related to, empathized with, and eventually taught young children. I've been nannying here and there, teaching theatre, and raising my own daughter. And what do you know! I love kids. (Most of the time.) Their enthusiasm and wonder inspires me to live more joyfully every day. (End sappiness...)

And so, with that, I am venturing into the world of (unofficial) childcare. My qualifications include:

- Employment as a young infant and toddler caregiver at Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs, CO.

- Nanny/regular babysitter to three children in the last year. (All of their parents would be happy to give a reference.)

-Infant and toddler CPR certification.

-Substitute teaching license, which basically means I'm an awesome teacher.

- Employment at the Academy of Children's Theatre as a theatre director for children ages 4-9.

Should you find yourself interested in my services, here's more info: This summer, I will be working alongside my dear friend and full-time teacher, Tiffany B., to facilitate excellent babysitting/childcare. She works for the Rocky Mountain Classical Academy and is abundantly gifted with children. There will always be two adults present, allowing for your child to have individualized care. In a given day, we will regularly take children to the nearby park (Cottonwood Creek), schedule educational outings, such as story time at the library or visits to the zoo, story time, music time, snacks, and naps. Each day will be structured, with regular times set for snacks and naps. Drop-in childcare is also available with advance notice.

So, please spread the word! We're more than flexible, and always willing to talk and negotiate something that will work for the individual needs of a family.

Lots of love from Mel and Tiff.

Whatcha Doin'?

Fable's new favorite phrase is, "Wha doin'?" while holding her hands out to her side like an overacting mime. So cute!

She has also added, "I do/I get" to her repertoire.

The cutest thing, though, is this: For a week or so she has been running around yelling, "Beee-bo!" I had no idea what that meant. I thought it might mean, "Playdough," but she was saying it all the time. Turns out, she's trying to say her name.

I love my little Bebo.

18 months of Fay.

Welcome to the shakedown of month 18 with Ms. Fable Elaine, the best thing since sliced bread (or, as is the case in our household, brown rice psuedo-bread). For those of you who don't speak parent, 18 months = 1 1/2 years, which means we are just that much closer to 2 years of toddlerage. It's a milestone, really. For your reading pleasure, here are the highlights of the last month:

1. "Goooo?!" Fable has adopted this A*frigging*DORABLE affect-- whenever she misplaces something, or when someone leaves the room, she holds her hands out to her side and says, "Daddy, go?" The lilt in her voice is simply darling; it should be canned and sold to depressed people. It's especially cute when she asks for her blanket ("baybit"). So super cute.

2. "C'mon!" My little adventurer runs around the house yelling this at everyone and everything in her path. She looks over her shoulder and gesticulates wildly, commanding everyone to "Mon, c'mon!" It's so irresistible that I can't help but put down the laundry and follow her wherever she leads.

3. On the not so wonderful side, my favorite girl has found her will sometime in the last few weeks. She shrieks "NO!" while pushing my hands off the shopping cart, throws her cereal off the table, and simply lays down in the middle of the grocery store when she will go no further. My approach is to give her a firm, "No!" in appropriate situations, or the ignore her in others. We also try time outs when all else fails. Just the other day she repeatedly hit another child and I said, "Fable, go to time out!" She turned and walked to time out on her own with tears streaming down her face. It was so cute and a little heartbreaking.

4. Fay is still a tiny little peanut. At about a year she hit 20 pounds, and she's just now hovering at 22. She eats up a storm, and just like her mommy, snacks all day long. Her doctor isn't worried about her being on the small side because she's growing according to her own growth chart and hasn't lost any weight. I'm glad she's still small enough to fit in my arms!

5. Lastly, and not so happily, it seems we are destined for a lifetime (or at least a toddlerhood) of chronic sickness. Since she was born, Fable has had more than 5 ear infections (most of them in both ears), one nasty bout of RSV, a double case of staph infection, been diagnosed with serious food and seasonal allergies, and has been fed a steady diet of antibiotics for sinus infections. At the moment, she has a horrendous sinus infection that has lingered for well over a month. To hear her cough is pitiful. She wakes up anywhere between every 5 and 15 minutes at night, and consequently, so do we. Doug and I sleep in shifts, neither of us getting more than 4 solid hours a night. Nothing seems to help-- not the humidifier, nebulizer, bulb syringe, Benadryl, or codeine that was last prescribed us. So we have an appointment with a specialist on Wednesday who thinks she can help us figure out a course of treatment and determine why Fable gets sick so often. I sure hope so, because this is getting costly-- both financially and emotionally.

But let's not end on a sad note. Life is good in the Mauss household. Ms. Fay brightens our day, most certainly. I don't know what I did without her. You know, aside from sleep. And fold laundry. Wouldn't trade it for the world...

:)

Wordsmithing.

Time for a Fay update, because it's not like I talk about her all the time/you have something better to think about. So, since you're SO captivated by the goings-on of an 18-month-old toddler, let me catch you up to speed on her latest and greatest accomplishments:

Fable can say the following words: Milk ("muck!"), juice/apple juice, please, thank you, bye-bye, night-night, nap, lap, sleep, go, Daddy, Mommy, Nona (Doug's mom), Nana (my mom), Ga-pah (Doug's dad), Opa (my dad), snack, no (and more no no no no no), yes, kiss, fish, doggy, cat, bird, tree, sky, grass, pretty, banana ("manananana"), apple, Aspen ("Aaaah-baaaah"), Jes, Maleah ("Meeaah"), walk, book, back, cow, all done, more, baby, and come on! (my ABSOLUTE favorite thing she says). I think there are others that I'm forgetting right now.

All that to say, we are preparing for an Ivy League future. Or a Walmart greeter future. Either way, we're mighty proud. Way to go, my manananana loving, muck drinking, beautiful cherub. You make me proud...

*Also: Cracker, cookie, and Elmo.

Adding to the list...

Has it really come to this? How could I, a relatively accomplished freelance writer, stoop so low? Is it truly possible that I'm going dedicate an entire post to a food? But not just any food.

THESE:

Sweet, creamy yogurt coating a crunchy, salty, pretzely confection o' bliss. I ate the better part of an entire container this afternoon. And because they're covered in yogurt and not chocolate, I have convinced myself there is nary a calorie in them! Also, they kind of look like this, which makes me imagine I'm eating something magical.

Magical AND delicious. Not to be confused with Lucky Charms, which are both magical and delicious, but fall oh-so-short of yogurt-covered raisins. Oh, God. This post has gone on too long. Go get some for yourselves...