The best thing about Anya right now is that she is always asking, "What is this?" with the tiniest lisp at the end of 'this'. Opening the refrigerator is always fun because she asks it of everything. Last night while trying to go to sleep, she heard the dishwasher and said, "What is this sound?" I love sentences.

This morning, Rachi took off her clothes and diaper and sat on the potty and peed. All on her own. Amazing.

I am glad I didn't offend too many with my complaints about the playground yesterday. I try my best to always be as honest as possible in life and the dread of the daycare groups at the playground is part of my everyday. That said, the girls went to the daycare for the first 10 months of their life. This was invaluable. I had no idea how to take care of a baby, much less two. And the advice and strength that I got from their main teacher, Geneva was so wonderful. She was a mother to me when I needed one, everyday for that time. I believe that when we become new moms, we, as mothers, need a mother in our lives everyday. Someone to tell us how to deal with this amazing new responsibility. I find that often our own mothers are so far away from mothering babies that they aren't equipped to help us. They also have their own lives and jobs. But, Geneva's job wasn't just to keep my babies safe and happy all day while I wasted my time at work, her other job was to mother me when I came to pick them up, to call me when they were sick, to sit with me next to Anya's hospital bed on a cold Friday night in December. I respect and love her for this and our time at daycare was very valuable because I was not at all ready to be completely in charge of my children.

That said, the toddler age, I believe is an amazing time of learning and growing that really needs more nurturing than what I am seeing from the packs of wild children at the playground.

We all get to decide what kind of mother we will be. This is what is truly wonderful about being a woman in the modern world.