Eeks! It's been nearly a week since I posted, but I have good reason. My birthday was Monday AND Adia and I are horribly ill. I had to be sick for my birthday, it just wouldn't be right if I wasn't. Last year I was spared, but Tanae ended up in the ER instead. Not the best trade off.

The weather has been gorgeous, but, like every Halloween, it's supposed to be stormy starting tomorrow. I actually have a hard time remembering a nice Halloween. I guess last year and the year before it didn't rain, but it was bitterly cold. Adia's been wanting to spent as much time outdoors as possible, which is good. Once the rain starts, our outdoor time is limited. We played with chalk and her hands turned blue. She wasn't happy about that, so we headed for the slide instead. Then it was more attempts at a good tree picture, but that didn't really happen either. We also grabbed the mail before Gamma arrived.










We went to lunch with Gamma and then Adia hung out with her while Daddy and I went to a movie. Adia fell asleep while walking home, but woke up as Gamma tried to get her upstairs. We came home to Adia screaming, but only because she always wants Mommy when she wakes up. Gamma wasn't feeling so well. She was extremely dizzy and light headed. Daddy was worried she was having a heart attack and was definitely not going to let her drive home. We called Gampa to come here and possibly take her to the ER. He did end up taking her to the ER, long after Adia was asleep, and she's mostly fine now. It wasn't a heart attack, just a problem with rocks in her inner ear.

I started to get really sick on Sunday. Adia was luckily very easy on me. She mostly played by herself, watched TV and was in a good mood. It was a good thing because I was starting to feel lousy. I had a horrible head ache and my body hurt. By that evening, it was evident that I was running a fever. I could barely talk or swallow and was completely stuffed up. I got Adia to sleep and followed shortly, covered in multiple blankets because I was freezing and violently shivering. I woke up around 1:30am, on morning of my birthday, with a 105.3 degree fever! I threw all the blankets off and tried to cool off, but I was so exhausted and loopy to find the Tylenol. I was also worried about waking Adia if I tried to take a cool shower. Adia did partially wake up. She tried climbing on top of me, like she does most nights when she wakes, but the second she touched me, she started crying, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" I'm surprised she didn't get burned. We both went back to sleep and I woke up again around 3:30. I took my temperature again and it was 103. Still high. That's when Daddy decided he should come home. By the time he walked in the door, my fever was down to 101, I had been able to slowly swallow some Gatorade and he found the Tylenol for me. He took Adia in the morning and I was able to sleep in. I felt so much better when I woke up.




He took a short nap and when he got up, took Adia and ran a bunch of errands for my birthday. She managed to take a nap in the car and he managed to juggle a sleeping baby and an ice cream cake! I was showered and dressed when he got back and we waited for Gamma and Gampa to arrive. Adia was so excited to see them, but then started asking for DiDi. Gampa distracted her and we played outside until it was time to go to the restaurant. At that point, I was feeling pretty good.









We got to Outback and Gampa quickly stole Adia. She ended up sitting between DiDi and Gamma on the bench. She was so happy to be between them. She couldn't contain herself. She'd also say hi to Auntie Colie and play peek-a-boo with Casey. She ate some of her steak, but mostly filled up on maraschino cherries. When she started to get antsy, Colie walked her around the restaurant. She got to see some other babies and had lost of fun.





We came home for ice cream cake and caramel apples. Adia's been eyeing the M&M Caramel apple for some time now so I knew we had to get one for my birthday, especially since she couldn't eat the cake. She absolutely loved it. She was also multicolored. I think she had the best time at my birthday because she was able to play with all her favorite people. It was a really great birthday, despite being sick, and I think I received the most cards that I ever have, including some really great presents. We tried to get her to take a bath, but she fell in the tub and hurt herself. She only wanted Mommy after that. I ended up taking a bath with her and she fell sleep easily. She slept with DiDi and never knew the difference until she woke up in the morning.





When I woke up Tuesday morning, I knew I was still sick. My head felt like it was in a vice. I felt absolutely awful and was still running a low fever. Adia was also showing signs of being sick. Her nose was running and she was coughing. We went to Target and the book store. While we were in the parking lot, DiDi showed Adia a huge pile of leaves. Adia loved it. She sat down on the curb and started playing with them.









Adia got a new book. We also picked up a pizza and Adia got Dinty Moore stew. Dinner was nice, but then DiDi had to go home. Adia was in the tub when she left. When Adia got out the tub, she looked for DiDi everywhere. She was NOT happy when she couldn't find her. She started crying and asking, "DiDi soon?" Adia fought going to sleep and it didn't help that her nose was stuffed up and she kept coughing. When she woke up in the morning, her cough was worse and I felt even worse. Adia coughed so much that she puked on us. I plopped her in the tub and the steam really helped. Daddy ended up taking Adia outside to play and then to Blockbuster so I could get a little rest.

Dinner was interesting because I had no sense of smell or taste. I was worried dinner would be bad, but instead, it tasted like absolutely nothing. Adia had french toast, which she had been asking for. She ate the leftovers and some more for breakfast today too. I got her to sleep fairly easily, but she started coughing pretty bad less than a hour later. I ran in there when it sounded like she had puked again. She hadn't, but I picked her up and brought her back to the couch. Not a minute later, she coughed and puked all over both of us. She started crying and was completely awake while Daddy and I tried to clean up the mess. I was thinking we'd shower together, but Adia didn't want to go in the shower. I wash us off, changed pjs and took her back to bed. She fell asleep and we didn't hear her cough again until this morning.

She's still coughing and has a runny nose, but no fever and she seems like she's getting better. My head still hurt horribly this morning and my cough is still bad, but I have my sense of smell and taste back. That always makes me happy. We're hoping to drive back to Florence tomorrow for Halloween, but we'll have to see how we feel in the morning. If we're still feeling sick, we'll have to stay here.

pumpkin carving and independence

We carved pumpkins on Tuesday. Adia was really excited to have her pumpkin indoors, but wasn't so sure about my sanity when I cut the top off. She just looked inside it and at me, trying to figure out what was going on. We showed her how we had to scoop the guts out, but after touching the inside, she was having none of it. She does NOT like to get dirty, especially when it's gooey too. Eventually she enjoyed using a spoon and scraper. She really liked helping us cut the faces and was overjoyed with the finished product.












Adia couldn't get enough of the finished pumpkins and was even more enthralled when we put candles inside them. She just stared and stared. One big problem though, she kept trying to pick her little pumpkin up while it was lit! We eventually convinced her it was hot so she left it alone, but every time we go on the porch, she points at each pumpkin and says who they belong to. Then she tries lifting the tops.


Earlier in the day we tried to take her outside for some Halloween pictures. She was having none of it. She wouldn't hold still and kept running off. She also didn't want to wear either costume, alligator or pumpkin. She was a real pill.






This independent thing is tough. She fights every little thing we try to do, even when it's stuff she wants to do. She fights naps and bedtime, getting in and out of her car seat, stroller or cart, what she's eating, where we're going. It's insane! It doesn't help that she's definitely too smart for her own good. She keeps trying to bolt at the play area because she wants to go see puppies and kitties and possibly pick up an Orange Julius on her own. Part of me doesn't even want to take her back. She can also be incredibly sweet, giving tons of hugs and kisses and you can honestly tell she loves you. I know she's just learning to be her own person, but it would be nice if she just listened every once in awhile.

Adia didn't want DiDi out of her sight on Sunday. I think she knew DiDi would have to leave her soon. We went to the mall and Adia played in the play area for a bit. Then we wandered. We looked for long sleeved shirts at Children's Place and actually found some. DiDi bought her 2 long sleeved shirts and a puffy vest. We checked out the pet store too. While looking for more shirts for Adia, we looked in JC Penny too. We had absolutely no luck there. We left and got back in the car. Adia wasn't happy to be back in the car, but was happy when we arrived at Borders. She was so excited to be there since she knew she'd get a book. She picked out her book and DiDi bought me a couple birthday presents. We planned on hitting up Old Navy, but Adia had a freak out outside the doors because she was hungry. We ate lunch at Chapala's instead. I swear it's DiDi and my favorite restaurant in town. I love it. Adia's a fan too. She ate all the chicken out of her quesadilla. We took some pictures with all the autumn decorations they had up too. Adia was thrilled to see so many pumpkins.


Adia headed right for Coldstone. She did it before we had lunch too and we promised we'd come back and have some. One problem, when we came back, it was packed and the line wasn't moving at all. Adia threw a tantrum when we left, even though we promised her we were headed somewhere else for ice cream. When we walked into Ben and Jerry's, Adia's whole mood changed. She wanted to look at all the flavors. Then she wanted a spoon. Adia enjoyed the mint chip she shared with me, but also was a fan of DiDi's coffee ice cream. Adia fell asleep on the way home and DiDi left while Adia was still sleeping.

When Adia woke up, she cried for DiDi. She started asking for her. That went from "DiDi?" to "DiDi soon." I felt so bad for her, but once we got some food into her, she was in a better mood. She went to bed late last night, but we had lots of fun and giggles before then.

She woke me up with tons of kisses this morning. It was great. We had a pretty lazy morning and Adia took a bath after my shower. Then we woke up Daddy and headed to Red Robin for lunch. Adia was hyper and asserting her independence. She didn't eat much of her meal, but she enjoyed sharing my birthday sundae, especially the cherry on top. We then went to the mall and let her play, until she decided she wanted to explore and took off. We rode the ice cream truck and the escalator and then she played with some kitties. She actually got clawed a few times, but went back for more. She threw another tantrum as we tried to leave. I ended up having to carry her out.

She didn't fall asleep in the car and wouldn't take a nap. She was a cranky girl until she finally fell asleep around 7. I hope she sleeps well and a little later than normal.

Technicolored Toddler

Adia played with markers for the first time yesterday. As you can guess, it wasn't one of my better decisions. She loved every minute of it, but I wasn't so happy with the mess. She had marker everywhere. On the table, on her hands, in her hair, on her forehead. She looked tie dyed. After she tried to eat them for the second time, I told her marker time was over. She was mad until she looked at her hands. She had a scrub off on the sink and I still couldn't get all the color off her hands. She wasn't happy about that. She doesn't like to be "dirty." I then had to scrub the table and her chair. At least they really are washable and it didn't take much to clean up.






Adia was getting antsy so we went outside. We bought her big pink ball with us, but once we were outside, she didn't want it. She was more interested in collecting rocks. She got excited when she heard a plane fly overhead. I discovered she can now say "Plane!" She went on the swings for awhile and she watched and played with a couple other kids. The took her ball and she got upset. She was okay with it at first, but when she wanted it back she came to me. She said, "Mommy, up. Ball?" The kids' mom got Adia's ball back, but then Adia didn't want it. I guess she thought it was getting too far away.






She never napped yesterday and she also didn't nap today. It's so frustrating, but it's obvious that she needs it, I just can't get her to sleep. Some days I just don't feel up to fighting with her either. Daddy took her to work out some of my birthday stuff so I got some time to myself. They looked for gluten free ice cream cakes and hit up the bookstore and Blockbuster. Adia got a new book, which she read on the way home. She ended up falling asleep and woke up when DiDi tried to lay her down. She wasn't happy that it wasn't Mommy, but after orienting herself again, she became all about DiDi. DiDi went to take out the recycling and Adia screamed, tears rolling down her face at the door. I've never seen her so happy when DiDi came back.

We had dinner, which was one of Adia's favorites, breakfast dinner. Adia devoured her turkey ham and toast and only ate a little bit of her eggs. I did want to play afterwards though. I gave her a bowl and spatula. She put the spatula in the bowl and started stirring. She said, "I make cake." Then she licked the spatula and said, "I like it!" She then put the bowl on her head. When she saw me taking pics, she decided she wanted to take some too. She took a few pics of DiDi and then some of me. We'll definitely have to get her a camera when she's older.




Adia didn't want a bath tonight, but that's fine with me. She took one this morning. Now she's in her pjs and watching Indiana Jones with us. We watched Tarzan earlier and she's a fan of the gorillas. She seems to like Indiana Jones quite a bit too.

Adia had another napless day today. There were more than a few moments I wanted to tear my hair out, but we survived. Despite no nap, she wasn't very cranky, just very mischievous.

She started the morning by letting us know she knew a few new words. When she followed Daddy onto the porch, she pointed up to the sky and said, "It cloudy." Then she pointed at her feet and said, "and feet cold." We had no clue that she could say cloudy, let alone know what it meant. She also mimicked Daddy today when he said a bad word. She is definitely a little copy cat.

When it was time for lunch, Adia turned off the TV and looked at me. She had a huge grin on her face as she said, "I eat?" I asked her if she wanted to eat lunch and she ran to the kitchen. She ended up eating 1/2 a can of tuna! She had a hungry day because she was the same way at breakfast. She ate all her ham and some of mine.

Adia was super happy to see Daddy when he woke up. She immediately ran over and gave him a big hug. She quickly came running back to me though when he pulled out the vacuum cleaner. She hates that thing. She sat in my lap on the couch while he vacuumed and never cried. I guess it's not as scary as she thought.

All day she's been asking for cookies, but she ate the last oatmeal cookie yesterday. After Daddy was done vacuuming, I started to bake some more cookies. The second she heard the mixer turn on, she came running into the kitchen, pointing at the mixer and yelling, "Cookies!" I guess she knows where they come from. Daddy and Adia were waiting as the first batch came out of the oven. She gladly shared one. Then we were out the door to meet Gamma and Gampa at the mall. We had a small hang up on the porch though when Adia wanted to bring her pumpkin with her.




We saw Gamma and Gampa through the doors. I told Adia, "I see Gamma and Gampa" and she started saying, "Gamma and Gampa!" She was so happy to see them again and ran up to get lots of hugs. We had dinner at Chili's, but Adia didn't eat anything. After eating, we headed to the play area. There were tons of kids there, but Adia loved it. She went down the slide over and over again. She also got another boy in trouble when she pushed him out of the way to get to a toy and he pushed back. She always seems to get away with everything because she's smaller. She also had fun with another little boy who couldn't walk alone yet, but was taller than Adia! They looked like they could be siblings, both blond and blue eyed. Adia also had fun getting trapped by Gampa.


We had to ride the ice cream truck and the escalator. Then we visited the pet store. Adia pet a bunny and kissed a guinea pig. She once again wanted to play with the lizards and tarantula. We made one last stop at Children's Place before leaving. I had a $10 off coupon and some other discount coupons. They're also having a huge sale right now. I ended up buying Adia a pair of shoes and 2 long sleeved shirts for less than $5. I felt pretty good about that. Adia was playing with Gampa and Daddy while in the store and when we tried to leave, she kept running back in. She agreed to leaving when I let her carry the bag.

Adia didn't take a bath before bed tonight, but she didn't want to. She went to bed pretty easily. She's now added her Tickle Me Cookie Monster to the list of things she likes to sleep with. I now have a Cookie Monster, baby doll and Ariel blanket that sleep with me every night.

We went to the mall Sunday morning. The play area had lots of kids in it, but Adia didn't seem to mind. We wandered a bit and got ice cream. As we tried to leave the mall, Adia ran towards the door to Chili's. I asked her if she was hungry and she said, "Yes!" while trying to open the door. We ended up eating at Chili's. Adia wouldn't eat her burger or mandarin oranges, all she wanted was the grated cheese. The waitress brought us a plate of cheese and I think that's all Adia ended up eating.

Before DiDi went home on Sunday, Adia made sure they went outside and played with chalk. DiDi drew some fun pictures and Adia had a blast. She loves chalk and even asks for it by name now. Adia was very sad to see DiDi go. She's been asking for her since she left. I hear "DiDi soon?" all day long.





On Monday we went to the mall. Adia had fun being a terror. She was so hyper and we were hoping we could wear her out a big so she'd nap. It didn't work quite as planned and she certainly didn't fall asleep in the car as planned. I had to fight her into a very much needed nap and she woke up almost crankier than when she went to bed. At least it was an early night for her too.


In the morning, Adia attempted video games with Mommy and Daddy. She really wants to play, but doesn't quite understand how it works. She's good at imitating us though. While she couldn't really play, she got pretty good at irritating Daddy by constantly pressing the start button in the middle of his game. The giggles from her were priceless when she realized what she was doing.




Later in the day, Gamma and Gampa arrived. Adia enjoyed running around outside before going to lunch. She's started collecting leaves along with pine cones and rocks. The funny part is when she yells, "weaves!" She can't quite say leaves, but she knows what they are.


We went to El Torito for lunch. Adia didn't eat much, but she had fun in the booth. After lunch we headed to the mall. Adia played in the play area while Gamma, Gampa and Daddy watched. I stepped out to renew my license. Adia was happy to see me when I came back. We then wandered a little and Adia rode the ice cream truck again. It's the only ride she likes. We also tried the race car, but it scared her half to death.






Gamma and Gampa soon had to leave. Adia didn't want them to leave, but fell asleep, while screaming on me. She was way past nap time. After they left, I laid her down in bed, but she didn't sleep long enough. She was pretty cranky, but also hungry. After feeding her dinner, she perked up a little bit.

We went for a walk this morning. It was super chilly. I wrapped her in a blanket and asked her if she wanted to bring any toys with her. She picked a book. She looked at it our entire walk, but the hat didn't last.




I took a shower when we got back and then we headed to the store. She loves riding in the race car cart. She was no problem the entire trip. She even reminded me to buy string cheese. When we got home, she was begging for lunch. I was hoping she'd nap after lunch, but I didn't get my wish. She actually never napped today and wasn't very cranky at all. We had steak for dinner, which Adia loves. I guess that's what I'll have to start ordering for her at Outback when we go. Her bath was cut short, but she easily fell asleep.