Dear daughter

Dear Daughter,

Today you decided to wake early. Your three month old self didn't cry. You made random baby noises to let us know we were needed.

After feeding you and having my coffee while daddy held you we had some extra time together. I held you in my lap while reading your Nutcracker ballet book. Off season, but that didn't matter. Such joy I had watching your eyes look at the pages while I read. I held your hand to guide it to the textures.

For the first time you opened your hands while reading. Your little fingers stroked the fairy's crown and the dancer's skirt. Your eyes were focused on the pages.

You did not cry when you woke because you trusted us to change and feed you. You relaxed in our arms, content with us. You were more interested in the book, a small piece of the world around you. Such wonder for one so small, shared with a mother. And a father.

Experimental blog posts ahead

I'm going to be experimenting with different types of blog posts. Feedback is welcome as I work towards writing with a slice of life.

Wordless Wednesday: Wings

T: Tammy the Turtle #AtoZChallenge

So maybe I didn't hit post and just saved this as a draft, though it does have the 23rd as it's schedule. At any rate here is my T post:

Max swung out of his tree and made his way over to the shallows in Mirror Lake. Birds chirped their early morning melody and the crisp cool morning forest air felt fresh on his face.

The air warmed as he reach the lake shore, the sun warming the shore rocks and the trees at the forest edge. One rock near the shore had a green dot. Tammy. Max grinned and swung into the tree closest to the shore. He grabbed a low laying branch with his tail and paused a moment. Tammy had her face in the water. As she started pulling her head out Max relaxed his paws and started falling. "Eeee", he squealed in his drop. His tail held and he stopped about a foot above Tammy.

"Aaah" Tammy jumped and nearly fell off her rock. She snapped playfully at him with her beak as she crawled back onto the flat part of the rock. Max was laughing and she soon joined him.

"Find any good pebbles?" Max asked. He lowered himself out of the tree and sat on the rocky sand near the water's edge.

"Sure," Tammy reached a front leg out and pointed to a small pile of pebbles in the next rock. The rock had a slight low spot in the middle perfect for holding pebbles.

Max grinned and reached for a pebble. He rolled the cool smooth small stone around in his paws. Tammy also picked one up. On Max's count to three they tossed the pebbles into the lake in between two waves. Plunk plunk sounded as the pebbles landed then sunk.

"Mine went farther," Tammy said with a grin on her face.

"Luck my friend," Max replied.

They each picked up another pebble and tossed them again. Plunk plunk. Max's went farther this time and they both laughed. What a way to spend the morning. Chatting with a friend and tossing pebbles in the morning sunlight.

A to Z, an update.

Ya, so I ended up getting behind with the challenge. I had a bit of a routine going which only lasted until the Easter holiday weekend. And now that I'm back to work I really don't see myself catching up. I just started back today.

I do appreciate all the comments on my blog. And I've also enjoyed visiting other blogs. I do want to see how many more I can visit, even if I'm not posting much here.

I have T scheduled. I wrote it awhile back. It might be nice to still post stories here occasionally.

G: Geordie the Giraffe #atozchallenge

Max swung through the trees dodging various branches. He stopped briefly in one tree enjoying the view where the trees thinned out onto the plains.

"Do you mind? I was just about to eat that leaf." Two eyes peered at him through the leaves.

"Sorry," Max said and stepped over. "I'm Max."

"Geordie," the giraffe replied in between bites of the leaf.

Max chatted while Geordie ate, telling him about his favorite parts of the forest to swing through.

Geordie smiled at Max then looked up. A few large leaves on a high branch gleamed in the sunlight. "Those tall leaves are extra tasty, but they are too high even for me."

"But not for me," Max said and swung upwards then scampered up the tree. He plucked the leaves and swung back down the Geordie's head. "Here you are."

"Why thank you." Geordie took the offered leaves and started eating them. While he did Geordie told Max about his heard and some of the best places he liked to eat

F: Farley the Frog #AtoZChallenge

Max the Monkey skipped along the creek shore. The water splashed over rocks and gurgled in little gullies. He laughed seeing a leaf float along.

"Ribbit!"

Max stopped and stepped closer to the creek's edge. In the mud next to the shallows two eyes peeked out at him. The eyes were followed by a light green body as the frog landed on a rock. "Hello I'm Max," Max said. He had heard of frogs before from Tammy his turtle friend. He had even met a few before. Not this one though.

"Farley," The frog introduced himself. "Fine day we are having, no?"

"Fine fine indeed," Monkey replied. "It would be even more fun if we could play. Would you want to?"

"Sure. How about hopscotch?" Farley leaped up to the bank sitting right at Max's paws. He looked up at the monkey.

Max had to ask what that was. The frog croaked again, his call sounding through the trees around them. Farley took a large leap back into the creek. He landed on one rock, then leaped to another. In a few moments he was on the other side of the creek. He paused before returning to Max.

"Like that. Stay on the rocks and don't get wet." Farley smiled at Max.

"I am in," Max replied with a grin of his own. He jumped into the creek, paws landing on rocks. Farley followed finding other rocks to leap onto. They both laughed while jumping around.

(Today was almost F for frazzled - it's one of those days)

E: Ellora the Elephant #atozchallenge

On a fine sunny day Max the monkey wandered into the grass lands. He liked seeing different places. The air was warm here and he could see for miles. A slight breeze ruffled his fur.

Sounds filled the air, shaking rattling in rhythm. Max looked left and saw a heard of elephants standing in a circle. He grinned and scampered off in the direction.

"Hi there," said the elephant closest to him. She held a coconut by a stick which rattled as she lowered it. "My name is Ellora. Want to join in our song?"

Max introduced himself with a bounce and agreed to join in. He grabbed the offered coconut with both paws. The stick stuck out off to the side. He jumped and the coconut rattled. Oh what fun.

"Keep in time with us," Ellora said shaking her own coconut.

Max followed her lead shaking in time with her and the other elephants. He jumped, he moved his arms up and down. Why he even spun around a few times.

Ellora laughed with a trumpet sound. Max squealed along with her not missing a beat. He moved along with the group dancing with coconut held high.

D: Della the Duck #AtoZChallenge

Max sat on the soft soil on the creek bank watching the water slowly flow past. What fun could he find today?

Max jumped up and stretched his legs. "Eeee eeeee" he said and scampered along the bank.

Reaching a bend a voice called out, "What is with that racket?"

Max looked closely and noticed a duck in the reeds on the creeks edge. Her brown feathers gleamed in the afternoon light. "Sorry," Max said.

The duck laughed, quack quack quack. She swam out of the reeds into open water. "Pulling your feathers pal. That is nothing compared to a good quack. Della is my name."

"My name is Max," he grinned and jumped up and down a few times. "You are on. OOOOHHH AHHHH EEEE" Max threw his head back and chest forward in his monkey calls.

"Nice to meet you" Della replied once Max finished. She flapped her wings smacking the surface of the water. "QUACK QUACK HAAA HAAA HAAA"

Max laughed Della's quacky laugh joining in.

C: Charlene the Chipmunk #AtoZChallenge

Max had fun playing with Bianca the butterfly earlier even though she was no match for him in a race. He had waved goodbye to her and headed north into the forest. He swung through trees and landed in a clearing his paws landing on soft moss. He glanced around enjoying the cool forest air and hearing the birds.

"Chirp chirp chip chip," sounded from nearby. That's a funny bird Max the monkey thought. Wait he had heard that before. Max scratched his head while thinking. Chipmunk! That's right, it was a chipmunk.

"Hey there chipmunk," Max called. There was no response aside from the chirping quieting. He called again.

"What do you want," a little face followed the voice. He could just see it peaking out from behind a fallen log.

"I wanted to say hello," Max replied. "I'm Max."

"Charlene, but only to my mother," The chipmunk replied. "Char to everyone else." She crept up to the top of the log and looked at Max.

Max smiled at her. "Would you like to play a game?"

Char started to shake her head but paused. A soft smile spread across her face and she nodded. "Sure, how about hide and seek?"

Max agreed, and they decided that she would hide first. Max covered his eyes with his paws and turned away. He counted to twenty before turning back to the clearing. He first checked the log. Nope. He then looked up the tree next to it. Nope.

Max laughed and looked under some leaves and around the moss. The longer he looked the more determined he grew to find her. Finally he spotted a hole in the ground partially covered by moss. He peaked in and saw movement.

"Come out come out," Max said and watched Char pop up. "You didn't say anything about going underground," He said when she crawled out.

"We didn't say it was off limits," Char replied with a grin.

They both laughed and repeated the game. This time with Max getting to find a hiding spot.