Happiness again

MLO is as happy as a clam.

She has been talking up a storm too. I believe she was even counting this morning.

I heard her mumbling in the corner and I heard "four" and then "five" in her little voice. My genius child (though she was probably just matching sounds - I wouldn't be totally surprised if she did know what she was saying on some level).

We watched Sesame Street this morning (at 7am) and she danced along enjoying the puppets.

Her favorites are Elmo and Cookie Monster. She even says "Cookie" when she sees him and I was required to buy some juice boxes she found in the store with Cookie Monster on them the other day.

I am rambling, but I am so happy to have her so happy...

Scary elbow thing again

Some time ago I mentioned a scary experience where MLO's elbow had gotten pulled out, called nursemaid elbow. Well it happened all over again today.

This time however, we were that much wiser.

MLO was happily playing on the couch and she tooks a little spill (landing on the couch cushions). Something that normally would have been not even noticed, but instead sends her into wailing tears. I think, tired or hungry.

However she starts pointing to her arm and refusing to move it. If I touch it, the crying gets louder. My memory immediately flies back to that original experience and we call the doctor who fixed it the first time. The wonderful man that he is, he agreed to meet us (Sundays are his day off) and take a look.

We pack her up (not easy) and drive out to his office, half an hour away.

It takes him five minutes, and a little tears from MLO, myself and hubby, and then she is fine.

Whole cycle took 3 hours (from time it happened until we got to the doctor and he fixed it).

While we are leaving and she is happily playing again I know I would pay anything, go any distance to make sure she stays that way.

Hopefully I am learning so as to make them smoother for her as well.

Face playing

I work at home and have this really great lady come over and watch MLO for a few hours each day so I can work. MLO loves this lady and calls her "mema" which we think is very funny.

Well yesterday Mema comes into my office and says MLO "is licking my face".

Turns out MLO had found a new game and loved the reactions she got from people when she tried to lick them.

She also likes grabbing people's cheeks and squeezing them (I guess I did that too many times to her).

Her third favorite is to grab someone's nose and make a honking sound (that one came from hubby).

So if you get attacked by a little girl who tries to lick you, squeeze your cheeks and honk your nose - I apologize.

When we have new visitors

Some old friends stopped by the house last night. They had never met MLO before and so she didn't know them.

Meaning as soon as they walked in the door she crawled into my arms and buried herself there. Part of the new shyness that she has going on.

After about fifteen minutes she finally released me from her death grip and was willing to sit on my lap, on the floor and play with her toys. Stealing occasional glances at the "strangers".

About an hour later she was running around, happily putting stickers on the nose of our female friend and so on. She was having so much fun with her new friends, she didn't want to go to bed.

Usually come bed time she starts getting mellow, or if she tries to play, she hurts herself (not really, but you know that tired small hurt that happens with tired little ones).

Last night, she was running around and fell down a few times and just got back up and kept playing. She really didn't want to give me any excuse for me to put her in her bed.

It is so funny to me that MLO will not want to let a stranger near her for about fifteen minutes. It is as if they are required to last that long (without turning into monsters or getting thrown out by daddy or anything else bad) then decides they are okay and plays with them like no bodies business.

Outside

So May has started and it is finally feeling like spring around here (living in LA means the weather doesn't change that drastically - I am talking more along the lines of something in the air).

MLO and I have spent a lot of time outside and while I have been extra careful to keep her soft skin protected, I am sporting a nice little sun burn.

Saturday I found a great park with all the play stuff just the right size for MLO. Most parks try to cater to a little older age group then MLO is and so all the slides and stuff to climb on is to big for her. This one was perfect and she loved it.

Sunday we went to a great big festival celebrating the Israel Independence Day - Yom Haatzmaut. There were rides, singing, dancing, food and tones of booths. MLO was having so much fun that even though she hadn't gotten a nap and was VERY tired she didn't want to leave.

We went with her Savta (Hebrew for Grandma) who had a great time running around with MLO.

Monday was quieter as we didn't leave our yard, but she had a great time with the flowers and such. I bought some sidewalk chalk recently and all the cement in both yards is covered now.

Over these last three days MLO has gotten about two baths a day too. So I would say she is one happy little girl.

Water Bottle of Pennies

When MLO was born I decided that I would keep my old bottle of pennies in her room because it would be fun to look at and make noise with, etc.

It is one of those 3 (or 5, can't remember which and am too lazy to go check while I am writing this) gallon water bottles that you get from those water companies. I have had it since I was around 12 and kept my pennies in it.

It has been awhile since I counted them, but at last count there was about forty dollars worth of pennies in there.

MLO has just started showing a real interest in it. She tries to move it around (near impossible for me to do) and loves to put pennies into it. She also likes to look through the opening in the top and study the change inside (it is very funny to see a little girl with her head attached to the top of one of these water bottles, intently studying the pennies).

If she sees any change around she will steal it and put it in the penny jar. Then gets a little frustrated that she can't get them back out.

Hopefully this will lead to good money saving skills later.

Making piles of dirt

I mentioned earlier that MLO hates messes, except ones she creates herself.

Well a perfect example of mess that she makes herself and therefore doesn't hate is making piles of dirt on her legs.

She sits on the ground next to some fresh earth, picks up as much as she can in her tiny hands, and then watches it fall on her leg (usually panted leg).

She then happily looks up at me, says "mess" pointing at the dirt and tries to brush it off. Her version of brushing it off is really grinding the dirt into her pants or getting more of it in her shoe than one would think was possible, then picks up another pile.

I have tried to stop her, told her yucky mess and such but she just happily cleans it up (so there is no mess) and makes another one.

Yes, we have a lot of fun outside.