Birthday parties

Now that MLO is making friends and such we are getting invited to more and more birthday parties. Overall a good thing, but they are really tiring.

MLO likes them but if there is a strange kid there (which there always is) she doesn't want me to leave her side.

We just got back from one for a little boy who turned 2. They had one of those blow up pools set up in the backyard and if no one else was in it, MLO loved it.

As soon as another kid showed up to play (younger or older) I had to be near her and she would rather splash in the puddles around the pool than go back in.

The only break I really got was when they put on "Finding Nemo". The little boy just got it for his birthday (had never seen it) and all the little kids were mesmerized.

Her birthday (which is coming up soon) will be interesting.

The Give-away winners

So the winners of the CDs are:

1) Toni Braxton - Snowflakes
--CrystalG

2) Johnny & June Carter Cash - 16 Biggest Hits
--Jenny at http://lifeisnotacereal.blogspot.com/

3) Paula Abdul - Greatest Hits
--Linda SS

Congrats and I hope you like them.

I have posted on the blog or emailed the winners but if you didn't get it, go ahead and comment here and I will try again :)

Happier note

The give-away is still open so go here to enter :)


MLO is saying "thank you" all the time now. People are amazed at how polite she is and respectful.

It is sort of funny because I didn't try really hard to teach her this - I said thank you to her when she did something I asked and mentioned to her to say it just a few times. Now she says it all the time.

She also says "sorry" if she drops something or bumps into you.

We haven't gotten to a willingness to share her toys, but she recognizes the fact that other items aren't hers and she will give them back to the owner.

I need to put a little more effort into "please" I think - but am amazed at how it has been so easy so far.

Where did that week go?

The give-away is still open so go here to enter :)


I hate those weeks that just run away from you. You don't get anything done, all your plans go to h**l and so forth.

My week:

MLO got sick last Wednesday, had a temperature, cough and I suspect a headache and itchy throat. She was restless and just wanted to sleep on my lap. So I spent the whole day with her, giving her vitamins and letting her sleep whenever and however she wanted.

Thursday she seemed better so I took her to the daycare.

Friday her nose was running away from her face and she was coughing again. I kept her home and we hung out.

Saturday she seemed all better and we went and saw friends, went to parties and such.

Sunday her nose started running again.

Monday she is almost better but I didn't want to risk getting the other kids sick so she stays home one more day. However I start to get a yucky throat, cough and headache.

Tuesday she is fine, hubby takes her to daycare because I am sick as a dog.

Wednesday hubby takes MLO to daycare again, I am feeling better but as I get dizzy spells I didn't think driving was a good idea.

Today my ears and nose are plugged, still coughing but otherwise better. MLO is at daycare and gramma is going to pick her up and hang with her (so I can get that last bit of extra rest I need).

What a week - phew....

Give-away

I meant to do this on Monday but with being sick and all I just didn't get to it.

So here is my entry for the Rocks In My Dryer: DOG DAYS OF SUMMER Bloggy Giveaway. Go check out the link for A LOT of stuff to possibly win.

I have CDs to give away and it is a strange mixture.

They are (click links to go to Amazon and hear some of the songs):

1) Toni Braxton - Snowflakes
2) Johnny & June Carter Cash - 16 Biggest Hits
3) Paula Abdul - Greatest Hits

If you would like any of these leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Friday. You don't have to have a blog to play, but I do need an email address if you don't have one.

I will ship anywhere internationally.

Thanks :)

Update: You can keep commenting until noon PST on Friday July 27th, and I will pick the random numbers that afternoon.

Got sick :(

MLO has been sick for almost a week and now that she is getting better I come down with it.

Will be back soonish when my head stops spinning and I stop sneezing myself out of my chair.

Nemo went to daycare

MLO has a little Nemo doll that she plays with when I refuse to play the movie again and again.

This morning she decided she couldn't be parted from it and insisted on taking it with her in the car. So before we left (thinking the doll might continue joining her in her travels) I stole it for a minute and permanently inked her name on its tail.

As I thought Nemo also went into the daycare with her and when she ran outside she climbed the steps to the slide. While sitting on the top of the slide she would yell "Nemo slide" and down would come Nemo.

Then she would yell her name and "slide" and follow Nemo down. This was repeated over and over and I am sure continued even after I left.

New Daycare

So today I started MLO at a new daycare. The previous one just didn't work out (the owner passed away a little bit ago - before I got there - and the new people just weren't holding it together).

Hopefully this one will work out.

There is a little girl who is about three months older than MLO and they were playing together very nicely while I was there. They took turns on the slide, picked up toys that the other one dropped and gave it back to the other and all that sweet stuff.

Of course, when it came time for mommy to leave, MLO cried and gave me a strangle hold. Oh dear, what to do :(

Purses just get in the way

I have decided it is so much easier to not be carrying a purse if I am going to try and go shopping with just me and MLO.

A purse is an additional distraction that I sometimes just can't afford.

Like when MLO pulls her hand out of my grip and runs under a counter and out the other side. The last thing I want to have to worry about is grabbing my purse before making the mad dash to the other side to a) make sure she doesn't get to far away and b) I am the only one there to greet her.

So purse stays in the car, with keys attached to my belt loop, phone in a little case on my pants and drivers license, credit card and extra cash in my back pocket.

Then I can play along ;)

Contradiction

"Mommy, poopy"

"Okay, lets change you."

"No", runs to the other side of the house (our new house is very long).

I go get a diaper, set everything up to start.

"Mommy wants to change your diaper."

"No... okay", new thing - haven't figured it out, expect maybe it comes from me often saying okay after she says no.

"Can we change it."

"Thor Kibby!" Our cat's name, given to her by MLO, and off she goes.

"Please come here, I'll be quick."

"Okay."

She actually lays down on the mat.

Starting to take off her pants, "No".

Wrestling starts.

Diaper finally gets changed.

"Thank you", with a hug before running off again.

Yep - happens at least once a day.

Hard questions have started

I am already getting hard questions, like: What noise do animals make?

There are a few I am at a loss on how to describe them to MLO:

Fish - splash?
Butterfly - flap?
Caterpillar - ?
Spider - ?
Giraffe - ? (found out they don't have vocal cords)

She isn't even two yet!!!

Clothes (shorts this time)

So it had become time to buy MLO some new shorts. She really only has about three workable pairs and unless I want to be a slave to my washer/dryer, she needs more.

Being that she will out grow these in only a few short months I rarely grace any of those high end baby/toddler clothing stores.

We hit Ross and bought two pairs of shorts (and a really cute jean dress) and we went to a cute little place called "Once Upon a Child".

"Once Upon a Child" is one of those trade in your outgrown items for bigger clothes or better toys, type place. I once brought a huge bag of clothes and they only wanted a few things, so I pretty much just shop there and keep the outgrown stuff for the next kid or to give to friends who have babies.

While there, I bought her another two pairs of shorts and a very cute red skirt.

So this brings us to seven pairs of shorts. Some weeks this means I only have to do laundry once (my preferred method). However other times this still means more than one load a week (along with those occurrences of more than one bath a day).

Breakfast

(originally couldn't type in the title field on blogger for some reason - but they fixed it)

Hi, I am back. Sorry, the holidays and work just ran me over.

MLO is doing great, absorbing information at an astonishing rate. She really has learned so much and just keeps going. We get a lot of surprise sentences now and she can communicate in words exactly what she wants.

We have gotten to the point where I have to LET her tell me something. She has to tell me what she wants for breakfast, she has to pick out her own clothes (still working on getting them on, but that is moving right along).

Of course, there are the times she doesn't want anything that happens to be in the house. This morning it went:

"Are you hungry?"

"Hi" (her Japanese word for yes - not sure where that came from).

"What do you want?"

Silence...

"Cereal?"

"No."

"Eggs?"

"No."

"Chicken?" (Left overs from the previous night which she had devoured at the time).

"No."

"Juice?" "Apple?" "Grapes?" "Any fruit?" "Bagel?" "Cheese?" "Jerky?" (can you detect the desperation?)

All with "No" as the response.

"What then?"

"Food."

Ugh.

Note: She ended up eating my cereal once I had poured some for myself. The other trick that always work - wanting whatever mommy is having.

Too cute

Great Grandma is in town

MLO's Great Grandma came to visit over the weekend. Yesterday she took over watching MLO (with gramma there as well) and they played all afternoon. We then had a nice dinner at our new house and got to chat.

As you might have guessed Great Grandma is no old granny. She is traveling to Peru in a few months to do some tours there and then is going to the east coast, Maryland area to visit her younger sister. While she is 80 years old, she is very active.

So MLO and her had a great time and I and hubby got an "errand date". We got to go out and do errands (and not have to worry about the time I had to get back) together. Errands mostly ended up consisting of household items needed and not as much work stuff, but it was all good.

Then I came home and made us all some Chinese food (orange chicken, vegi rice and egg rolls - all from Trader Joe's and pretty easy to make).

Great Grandma loved our new house, thought MLO was a total angel and very bright and responsive. We think so too :)

"What's That?"

This is MLO's newest favorite phrase.

This means I am now spending all waking hours naming things and answering questions.

She has been opening up her books and pointing at pictures and asking "what's that?". She smiles when you tell her and sometimes repeats the name.

When outside walking around or at the store it is asked, over and over and over.

I think I have named every farm animal in existance, many different types of bugs, clothing, elements of a house (like door), plants, furniture, parts of the body, fruits, vegetables and more.

Means my little girl is growing up, doesn't it?