Surgery

On Monday, Merrilee had a date with the surgeon.

Several months ago, we noticed a small lump in the front of her throat. It turns out she had a small cyst in her neck.

So early Monday morning (we got up at 3:30 a.m....) we traveled down to Children's Hospital in the District of Columbia, for Merrilee to have the cyst removed.

Merrilee did great and she came through the surgery like a champ. Mommy and daddy were able to go back with her while the anesthesiologist put the mask over her face and put her to sleep.

In the recovery room, Merrilee got to eat TWO popsicles -- first cherry, and then orange.

She was groggy much of the day, and took a few L-O-N-G naps. As you can see in these pictures, she has a two-inch bandage across the base of her neck.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, daddy took Merrilee down to Opie's snowball stand on Edmondson Avenue in Catonsville. Merrilee got to try her first snowball. She seemed to enjoy smooshing the ice down into the falvoring much more than she did actually eating the snowball.

For her first snowball, she had Egg Custard. As you can see, there were a few spills...but Merrilee was her usual generous self and insisted daddy try some of her snowball.

We think she likes soft ice cream and popsicles more than snowballs....

A New School

We are very lucky that Merrilee adjusts so well.

Earlier this week, she had a little separation anxiety because she started going to a new school.

But by Thursday, it was gone. This picture was taken at 6:45am on Thursday. Even that early in the day, she is a happy and smiling child...

And, once she got to school, she ran to the table in her classroom and wanted to eat breakfast! She had a breakfast bar, a banana, and of course, her children's yogurt...

She's already made new friends at the school, and we hope she'll be making many, many more!

Back To The Routine -- A New Routine

It's a whole new routine for Merrilee.

She started at a new school this week. She's still going to the Goddard School, but her new school is a little closer to home. Merrilee has a new classroom, new teachers, and new friends. Both yesterday and today she cried during drop-off.

It's a lot for a two-year-old to get used to.

Yesterday she had her two-year doctor's check-up. She's getting taller and heavier and that's all good. She got some shots and had to give some blood.

We just got Merrilee's first school pictures! Here are three of the best.

We'd love to know which one you all think is the best!

Turning Two At Disney World

Merrilee spent a week at Disney World and was there to celebrate her second birthday. It was a week of celebration built around turning two, and mommy and Merrilee really had a great time. Merrilee gave Mickey a big kiss on the nose, she rode the carousel, loved "It's a Small World" and much, much more....

On June 15th, Merrilee's second birthday, we had a special dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel. We had a special cake for Merrilee and everyone in the restaurant joined in singing "Happy Birthday."

Afternoons were generally spent by the pool at the Grand Floridian and it appears Merrilee is quite the water baby...

Our little girl is growing up so quickly...

Having Fun At Disney

Auntie Em Is At It Again

Merrilee received a surprise birthday card in the mail from Auntie Em.

Inside was a VERY special present -- a two-dollar bill to mark Merrilee's second birthday.

It was a very special gift, and we are going to put it away and keep it forever.

Our friends Billy, Nikki and Kassidy are never far away in our thoughts. Billy is in Afghanistan and all of our friends need to support him and all of the other servicemen and women doing their duty in far away lands.

Auntie Em, thank you so much!

We'll let Merrilee tell you herself...

Splish Splash Day -- Off To See The Mouse

Let's be clear about something on this blog.

MOMMY is the one who makes Merrilee looks so cute. Mommy picks out and buys all the clothes, and she's the one who always makes sure Merrilee's hair looks so good.

Today is Splish Splash Day at Merrilee's school. All the kids got to wear their swim suits. Merrilee was very excited.

It is a little bittersweet though, since Merrilee's days at this school are coming to a close. In just a few weeks, she'll be going to a different Goddard School a little closer to home. We think she is going to like it very much.

We're certain she's going to like her second birthday. As Merrilee says, she's going to get on an "airpane" and go see "Mickey." We're all looking forward to a little break.

Cleaning And Cooking

Well we've been so busy this week working in the yard and on the pool that we didn't have a lot of time to spend taking new pictures. We're sure we'll have plenty from Disney when we get back after Merrilee's birthday trip.

We do have some new videos though. First, Merrilee is a little domestic goddess and she loves to help mommy vacuum. Her vacuum was a gift from Miss Anne.

She also loves whipping up a good meal at her little kitchen stove. Anybody want a hamburger?

Goodbye High Chair

Mommy is out of town this week on business.

So Tuesday night, Merrilee and daddy ventured out for dinner together. It's the first time that just the two of them had ever been out together for dinner.

They went to their favorite local restaurant, Matthews 1600 in Catonsville. Merrilee had her favorite quiche -- complete with turkey, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. She absolutely loves it!

The most important thing though was that Merrilee said farewell to sitting in a high chair. yep, that's right. It was her first time to sit in a big girl booster seat for dinner. Look closely, and you'll see it...

She was very grown up. An absolute angel.

It's getting harder and harder to remember when she looked like this....