Chalk

Adia desperately wanted to be outside today so we headed out with the chalk. I originally planned on taking her to the mall to play, but she had other plans. She's getting much better with the chalk and I can't wait until Gamma brings the big bucket of chalk she just bought her.












After Daddy got up, we headed to Walmart. Adia got two new pairs of shoes. She wanted to sit in the cart just so she could practice putting them on.

Sorry it's been a few days, I totally lost track of time. We haven't had much happen lately, but DiDi came to visit us today. Adia was so incredibly happy to see her. She had been asking for her for the last couple days and from the moment she woke up today it was, "DiDi? DiDi? DiDi?" When DiDi finally walked in the door, Adia didn't know what to do. They played blocks before we headed to Red Robin for some lunch. The waitress recognized us, which made me laugh. I think we've been there too many times in a row now, but they're such a safe place for Adia to eat. We ate and then headed to the mall so Adia could play. There were quite a few kids, but Adia wasn't frightened and walked right in. She was attacked by a couple boys again. She always ends up with followers. She also walked down the slide and had several other kids follow suit. I guess she's already the leader and trendsetter. Afterwards we ate some ice cream. Adia HAD to have her own spoon and wouldn't let anyone else feed her. Then it was an escalator with DiDi before heading to the grocery store.




Adia was funny in the grocery store. We used one of the little carts and Adia kept trying to grab everything out of the cart. She was especially annoyed when she couldn't lift the big bag of apples. To stop her from unloading the cart, I handed her a packaged of M&Ms. Normally that keeps her occupied and she shakes it, this time, she opened them! I turned around to see her lips covered in blue and a sneaky expression on her face. She's such a little stinker!

Adia dozed off just before getting home, but woke up when I tried to lay her down. She refused to nap again so she colored with DiDi instead. She wasn't that interested in dinner, but did eat some applesauce and a bit of cornbread and grated cheese. She didn't want the cheese I sliced for her, only the stuff that Daddy grated. Daddy gave her a bath while DiDi and I cleaned up the kitchen. She returned, toothbrush in hand and wrapped in a towel, and thoroughly excited to see DiDi. She wouldn't let me hold her and only wanted DiDi to dress her.




It was getting late and DiDi had to drive back home. We all miss summertime when DiDi doesn't have to work. Adia cried when DiDi got in her car and was howling as she pulled away. The only thing that made her the least bit happy was when Daddy and I climbed into bed with her to read bedtime stories. She was out like a light in just a few minutes. I guess there's one positive about no naps.

The rest of our week has been uneventful, which is probably good with Adia. No new bruises or head injuries. Adia has started biting her toenails though. I thought it was bad enough that she bites her nails so bad they occasionally bleed, but now she's doing the same with her toenails. Any ideas where I can get that polish that deters nail biting??

Daddy did build her a fort the other day. Adia liked it better than the one I built her. No surprise there, Daddies are always more fun. She spent quite a bit of time in it with him before she decided to demolish it.




We've been going for walks again, but I've slacked the last couple days. Adia loves it and sometimes takes cat naps during them. She really likes it when buses pass by or she can see and hear the geese.


Anyone knows that when you have kids, laundry is insane. Washing and drying aren't so bad, it's when it comes time to fold and put it away before the monster unfolds it for you. Adia definitely tries to help, but mostly, she thinks the laundry baskets are for one thing and one thing alone, playtime. We have several laundry baskets. The old round one you see below and some much larger, rectangular ones. She definitely prefers the bigger one, especially when loaded with clean laundry. Where is a better spot to lounge back and enjoy Sesame Street? I really with I could have gotten a picture of that. It was too priceless, that was, until she flipped it over. Then she wasn't a happy camper. Now she thinks that her numerous baby dolls should go "Nigh Night" in them. I have 2 sleeping in a laundry basket covered with her Ariel blanket right now. She made sure they went to bed before she did.


Adia's really been enjoying playing outside. She loved stomping in puddles and drawing with chalk, but lately she's also liked the slide and swing. The slide isn't favored as much because it gives you a nice jolt when Mommy or Daddy try to pick you back up. I'm not a big fan of the attempted electrocution either. She did enjoy going down in with Daddy and swinging while I took pictures.

Grandparents Day

Adia got to see Gamma and Gampa today. We were outside playing when they arrived and she just stared with her mouth open as they drove up. Before we went outside, Adia played with the camera a bit. She enjoys taking pictures and has been a fast learner on where the correct button is.








In order to get the time to pass faster, we headed outside to wait. Adia loves the grass and exploring. She went right to where the puddles were before, but no water today. We dropped the movie in the mailbox too. Adia likes to be the one who does it.




Before we knew it, Gamma and Gampa had arrived. Gampa immediately stole her and Adia was more than happy. He had her giggling and squealing within seconds. It was already past the time Adia normally eats lunch so we headed out. We tried Red Robin first, but there was no where to park. I didn't feel like Chili's or driving all the way to Outback so we went to El Torito instead. We got a booth in a separate room all to ourselves. It was perfect and Adia was awesome. When she started to get restless, Gamma let her unload her purse. It's one of Adia's favorite pastimes. I think she has its contents pretty well memorized. When it came time to eat, Gampa put her in his lap and Adia did a great job with a spoon. When she was finished, she could wander around the room without bothering anyone. The waitress thought she was a doll too. Adia even got a sundae for dessert, which she tried eating with her straw.








Adia fell asleep on the way back home, but didn't make it through the transfer. She definitely needed a nap, but since there were so many people to play with, it just wasn't going to happen. Gampa got ready to switch dryers (he took ours and left us with Scott's Grandmother's better one). Gamma decided to take Adia for a walk so she wouldn't get in the way. I stayed in the house and little did I know that Adia was having a blast. Gamma called me and told me to bring the camera because Adia was drawing with chalk! Since Adia's suddenly become interested in drawing, I keep telling myself I need to buy some sidewalk chalk before it disappears for the winter. Gamma promised to look for it too. Adia had met a new friend who lives a few units away and was outside playing with chalk. She would draw hearts and encourage Adia to color them in. Adia loves older kids, especially older girls. They also love how doll like Adia is and she loves the praise. She drew and played for the longest time. Her new friend and her mom even let Adia keep a few pieces of chalk. We had the biggest fight getting Adia back inside though. I think the funniest part was how colorful Adia ended up being. She had chalk on her onesie and the back of her skirt was covered in pink.








Gamma and Gampa soon had to leave. Adia was very sad to see them go. She waved and even said "Bye Bye!" She'll see them again in a few days though and I'm sure Gamma will bring sidewalk chalk with her. Scott and I ran some errands after they left and Adia fell asleep in the car again. By then it was nearly 5 and when we got her home, she didn't stay asleep for very long. She was super cranky when she woke up and it took forever to get her to stop crying. We did manage to get her to eat a scrambled egg, a banana and some cookies for dinner. Then we jumped in the tub together and it was lots of laughter and a big mess. We washed Daddy's feet and then Adia's feet and then Adia wanted to play with the soap bubbles. We all snuggled in bed before Adia finally passed out. She's just so snuggly. I love her so much.

Puddle Jumper

It rained a little today, just enough to make a few puddles. It's the first time in the last 6-9 months that Adia's ever seen a puddle. She was thoroughly confused. She kept pointing to them and looking at me with her head tilted to the side. I'd tell her it was a puddle and it was wet and we'd start all over again. It's so weird to think that a puddle would be new and interesting. She certainly thought they were.

We ended up on the basketball court. Adia tenatively stepped into one of the puddles and when she realized it wasn't going to hurt her, she started stomping. She loved splashing in the puddle and totally drenched herself.








When she tired of the puddles, we headed to the playground. I thought she wanted to go down the slide, but after being zapped by it, she changed her mind. She climbed on the equipment before "hanging" with dad.





As we tried to head back home, Adia went back for the puddles. She was already soaked so I figured there was no harm in it.








She didn't want to go back inside, but we eventually got her in. She was completely soaked, we could wring out her socks she was so wet. DiDi bought her galoshes and a rain coat today, I can't wait to try them out.

Sickie

I guess 3 days with other children and I was bound to get a sickie. Adia's nose started running a couple days ago and I freaked out a little. One of the signs I was supposed to watch out for after her fall was fluid coming from her nose and/or ears. I quickly determined it was just snot, but there's just so much of it. She is a snot machine. She didn't sleep well the first night because of all the sniffling and trouble breathing. Last night was better, but her naps haven't been so good. She's been super snuggley though, which is always nice. Today she was crying at my legs, trying to climb me and when I picked her up, she fell right to sleep. She was totally exhausted. She's now napping in her bed. I hope she gets in a good nap because she becomes super cranky when she wakes up too early. I did make her gluten free chicken noodle soup today, but she fell asleep before she could try it. I ate a bowl and it's yummy, I just hope she agrees.

Yesterday I cleaned out her closet and put away clothes she'd outgrown. I also pulled out the stuff that she might possibly be able to wear in the near future. In the process, I found some sleepers she's already outgrown (whoops!) with the tags still on them and some overalls. Two of the pairs of overalls she'll be wearing for some time, but one 12 month pair fits right now. I was excited that the weather had cooled off enough that she can wear them. She looked so cute in them and kept hooking her thumbs in the top. She also discovered they had pockets, which made them all the more cooler to wear. I think what made my day though was when Adia greeted Scott as he woke up and he immediately said, "Look at you! How cute!" He's a fan of overall too!










Since Adia was in such a grumpy mood today, I tried making her a fort in hopes it would cheer her up. I think she was mostly confused by it. She piled up her two favorite blankets (Eeyore and Ariel) and some pillows in it. She grabbed some books and laid down, surrounded by a couple babies and pretended to read. I guess she quickly grew bored with that because seconds later she was climbing a chair in an attempt to climb onto the fort. If she fort was solid, that wouldn't be much of a problem, however, this was just a blanket thrown over some chairs. She came crashing down, flipped in midair and managed to land mostly on her back instead of her head. She must have been thinking ahead because those pillows really broke her fall.




It really got me thinking about all the fabulous forts my brother used to build me. He is the best fort builder ever. I hope he's building lots and lots of forts with his children.

Want Some, Please and Thank You

We've been working on please and thank you with Adia. She's much better with thank you than please, but it's getting better. After dinner tonight she wanted some M&M minis. They're definitely her favorite thing ever. I actually caught them on video. The actual picture isn't very good, but the audio is. I took the first 2 videos on my cell phone before I ran and got the camera.



I always wonder how she can make such a mess with the M&Ms though. She gets them everywhere! Scott was calling her his chocolate covered monkey monster. How true it is.


I took a bath with her after dinner so I could cool off and clean her up. We had tons of fun and blew lots of bubbles. She especially enjoyed washing daddy's feet. I normally wash her feet and make sure I give them a good tickle too. She said she wanted to wash Daddy's feet too so he dangled them over the side of the tub. I soaped them up and then Adia started tickling him! He was laughing so hard which made Adia laugh and giggle even more. It was so funny. After her bath, she got to do the naked run. She was only wearing the hooded towel and ran around like it was her cape. She quickly learned that she needed to hold the bottom up or she'd trip over it.


Adia and I spent most of today at the mall. She thinks the play area should be a daily occurrence and since it's been so hot, it might really become one. I put Adia in the stroller so I could look around stores and she fell asleep before we even got near the play area. I walked around for almost 2 hours before she woke back up. Then we went back to the play area, but she mostly just stood around staring at the other children. She also kept asking for Nae and DiDi. It was sad. It was easy to leave today because she had slept through lunch and was hungry. All I had to do was ask if she wanted to go home and eat lunch. She ran to the stroller yelling, "Shoes on!"

DiDi and Tanae went back home today. Before they left, we went to the play area at the mall. Both girls seemed exhausted and mostly spent the time rolling around on the ground. We did visit the pet store before getting back in the car to head home for lunch. After lunch, DiDi and Tanae got ready to leave. Tanae was NOT happy to be leaving. She threw a huge fit, full of tears and both arms wrapped tightly around me. I wish we could have kept her. It was so sad to see her go. Adia cried to DiDi and Tanae long after they were gone. She's been asking for "Nae" and "My DiDi" all evening. She even did a full search of the house when we got back from dinner tonight. Each time we walk to the parking lot, she asks "DiDi?" and scans the parking lot for her car.

Adia was definitely exhausted though because not long after they left, she climbed into my lap and fell right to sleep. After getting fairly soaked in sweat from her, I laid her down in her bed. Just a few minutes later Gamma arrived. Adia took a two hour nap and was happy to wake up and find Gamma. We headed to Costco where it was dangerous to touch anything because of static electricity. Gamma and I gave each other a bad zap and Adia got several herself. She didn't complain each time she accidentally got zapped, but the look on her face was priceless. She did get a Elmo bus book and a three pack of Wee Sing Sing-A-Long CDs. I'm hoping they're really good since I've been looking for some good toddler music. So far they seem pretty good. They also came with Sing-A-Long books with all the words. I'm excited about that part.

After Costco it was dinner. We headed to Outback. They sat us in a perfect spot, a booth in the corner. Adia was able to run and climb all over the seat and we didn't have to worry about her bothering anyone. Luckily, I had a toy car in my bag and she spent the longest time pushing it across the table to Scott who would push it back. She loved the game. She was in a great mood when food came, even if she didn't eat much.








She let us know it was time to go by saying "All done!" and handing her plate to Scott. I helped her outside and she wanted to play on the benches. The lighting is usually pretty great there so I took the opportunity to take some pictures. It's nearly impossible to get everyone smiling and looking at the camera, but there were a couple pictures I really did like.




We couldn't get Adia to leave so we decided to get ice cream. Adia will go anywhere if there's ice cream involved. We drove to Coldstone and Adia had more fun in the courtyard than in the actual eating of ice cream. She loves running wild in the grass and smelling the flowers.

It was a quick stop at Walmart before heading home. Adia got a new doll, a new book and some cute froggie slippers. She was so tired when we got home though that she didn't want a bath and didn't get a chance to read her new books.