New Spelling

ttty apparently spells cake. Who knew?

Thanksgiving (a bit late)

Quote of the Day

"You can't escape." So very true. Alex is wise beyond her years.

When confronted with the problem that only cats, not kids, climb on the scratching post, Alex nimbly replied today, "I told you I'm a cat. I'm Diesel." Oh, well, in that case...

Just for fun, here's Alex trying to escape Auntie Lu's grasp. Can't remember if I posted this one before, but it's so cute.

Is It Wrong.....

...that I laughed last night while on the phone with my mom who was dealing with a very agitated Alex? Turns out she and Otto-puppy-dog are alternate best friends worst enemies. They play, they fight, they have time-outs. Sounds like fun, if observed from a distance. :D

I fondly picture Alex dangling a burpie over the edge of her bed, not for Otto to play with but probably to drop, and then Otto grabbing it and trying to escape with it. Because I am ever so familiar with the frustrated screaming of, "Are you all done?!?!" when Alex has had enough. And I know she'll do it repeatedly even though she sees what happens and hates it. Because she can do what she wants. Everyone else should mold their behavior to suit her individual needs. Even the puppy.

Well, I'm enjoying a weekend away from the chaos and crying. I'm sure I'll hear all about it, and probably Alex will arrive home with tiny bite marks to symbolize every time she had a clash of wills with Otto, but that's ok by me. If it means mornings free of diaper changes, making breakfasts to be half-eaten and protests over wearing clothing, I can deal with it. :)

Pop-Up No More

The last line of this book could not be more appropriate. Time for me to say goodbye indeed. This is, regrettably, what happens to every pop-up book that Alex has on her own unsupervised time in her room. Note to self, remove all the pop-up books from Alex's room pronto. Lecturing her on the importance 0f respect for one's books doesn't seem to be working.

P.S. - Sorry, Mom. I'm pretty sure you got her this one. She really likes it because it's so, uhhh, interactive. Yes, that's it, interactive...

Shopping for Christmas

First off, sorry it's been so very long since I've last posted anything. We're expecting baby #2 and I've been very low-energy/pukey, and it's taken everything I have just to keep Alex alive and well. Lots of tv and peanut butter sandwiches for the last three months, but now I'm feeling a bit better and thought I'd get back on the blog wagon.

We decided, due mostly to family requests and our own curiosity, to do a bit of window shopping for toys for Alex. She's in need of toy upgrades to reflect her increasingly complex imagination. :) So, we headed out to a couple stores to do our thing. Here's what we learned:

Alex reeeeeeeeally likes animals. Anatomically correct animal figures = even better. Who knew there were such things?!? We found stallions with all the proper stallion bits, male and female lions with all their bits...amazing stuff, really. Can't wait until she notices all the bits and starts asking about them. That'll be fun. Anyway, in the first store, we also found many dolls that met with her approval, mostly ones with bottles she can shove into their gaping maws. Good practice for #2? Perhaps. But she needs to learn to finesse those bottles a bit before I'll consider letting her be in charge of bottle feedings.

Also much loved was a very noisy phone that rang the same ring repeatedly and spewed super-annoying phrases. Glad you like it kid, enjoy it at the store cuz it ain't coming home. Toy cars that you say "vroom" for, fine. Toy cars that talk like smart-asses and require millions of batteries, not so much. But luckily, she generally likes the things with fewer bells and whistles (literal bells and whistles and figurative ones).

Our only purchase was Play-doh. Her Play-doh had become a desiccated mass of slightly furry disgusting. And besides, she didn't have pink!

Then, off to go do more looking, this time with Daddy. I'll (slightly) fictionalize his trip to a big box toy store with a backwards "r" in the name. My impressions of the trip:

Jeff - "Omigosh Sweetie, look at this!!! It's a castle that changes into a dragon that changes into a robot that changes into a thumb drive!!!!!! My head's going to explode!!!!! This is sooooo cool!!! I want two!!!!!!!!"

Me - "That's really neat Sweetie. Did you see anything for Alex? Where is she, anyway?"

Jeff - " She's looking at Wiggles toys. Holy &*$%, look at -that- dragon! Do you think, ummm, Alex would like that? Hang on, let me grab her and show it to her."

Me - "You do that. I'm going to look at some baby dolls. Oh gross, do you stink, or is that her?"

Yes, I think Jeff would agree that pretty much sums it up. We did find more exciting toys for Jeff and a few for Alex. Even got her some "jungle" animals. Including a bear. Looks like a brown bear. What the heck jungle it's from, I have no idea. But whatever. Surely Animal Planet knows where different animals live.

Anyhoo, now we know what Alex would like for Christmas.

Why Do We Even Bother

Seriously, are the edges really that bad?

Grammy's House

Alex and I took a few days and visited

Grammy while Grampy was fishing. While Grampy only caught a trout (as far as I know, anyway) Alex and I had a great time. We went to the museum and played at the playground, visited Auntie Lulu and Aggie, and generally had a good time.

Frogs

Alex and I went to Tyler Arboretum today to see the tree houses. I'm thinking her favorite part of the exhibit was something else...

Cold Bees

Fingerpainting

It's the Truth

Tonight, while at Rita's enjoying Swedish Fish water ice and a chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles, Jeff got a little ice cream on his shirt. All by himself, not with Alex's help, oddly enough. Well, as we talked, Alex noticed the ice cream and the gestures, and stated "Daddy's fat is chocolate." and pointed to her stomach. Hmm, methinks shes even smarter than she lets on...

Then she patted him with chocolate hands, giving him a nice chocolate hand print on his shirt. Overall, an amusing trip. XD

Hiding

Tippy's been busy practicing all her ninja skills. Amazing how stealthy she is. Custard isn't so good at the hiding thing though.

Hot

This is Alex after the zoo. Any time the weather wants to shift, that would be ok by us. Poor Miss Pink Cheeks.

Potty Training Success?

Well, tonight, for the very first time, Alex accidentally peed in the potty. We have pictures to prove it, but I've decided not to post them because some day that might just be a bit too embarrassing. And besides, we have other great blackmail material for Alex when she's older. :D

For example, I can't remember if I posted this one before, but it's Alex inspecting the flashlight. Yes, it hurts my eyes to even look at the picture. She's become quite the fan of blackouts thanks to getting to play with the flashlight. In fact, today, she was asking me about "letter city" and I finally figured out she was talking about electricity and was hoping it was out so we could bust out the flashlight again.

Water and Bubbles

So, we're starting our potty-training adventures. With just the potty and no expectations. But Alex has decided that nudity is fun, and we've had many non-diapered incidents that have had little to do with the potty and much to do with her just being naked and having accidents. This morning, for example, she pooped in her diaper and somehow it was off, and her poopy rear was on the hot tub. I walked in, she said, "Uh-oh, you pooped." and then she ran around the house. I chased her down and re-diapered her after a bit of fussing and cleanup. And that was the beginning of my day. :i

She went' to the doctor's office for her 2-year check-up. She's up to 23 pounds and 33.75". We then went to the zoo, and after about an hour of wiggling, running in the wrong direction and goat-poop stomping, we went home. She screamed and cried almost the whole way for some reason yet to be determined. Now she's playing by herself because I've decided that we both need alone time. Oh yeah, this is after she ate a worm. Can't forget that fun.

Anyhoo, hopefully she'll have a less naked, less poop-filled rest of her day.

Corn on the Cob

Here's the corn Alex "ate" last night. She just needs a bit more practice and she'll get every kernel! Note the full-mouth technique - very effective.

Soaking Wet

In her cute suit, naturally. This was on her birthday. I kept calling her over to the hose with the promise of s drink, and she'd come over, get a drink (I always keep my promises!) and then I'd turn up the hose and drench her. She ran screaming, I chased her with the hose, and we'd do it all over again. :)

*sigh* I just told Alex she's pushing my buttons and she looked at her belly button...

We've had a fun day of birthday buying and general enspoilment (for her, of course) and she's decided that today is too much fun, and has gone for the no-nap option. I have gone for the slowly insane option.

Apparently Diesel and Alex have one love in common, fox-tails. Alex brought one home from tonight's walk, and Diesel chased her around the house until neither one could even stand up any more. Alex got one last burst of energy and tried to pay some more, but Diesel, well, she was all done.

Restaurant Adventure

Alex likes ice cubes. A lot. Especially at snobbish pizza restaurants. Pity she didn't like tripping the rude waitstaff "by accident" too. Oh well. Lesson learned - if they glare at you when you're entering the restaurant, it's best to turn around and leave, even if your kid behaves better than some adults...

(We were at a place that, despite the kid's menu, has not a single kid-friendly staff member. No offer of a booster seat - booster seats are for us low-brow folk and not the upper crust that usually eat at this restaurant, I'm guessing. They got our order wrong, blamed it on me for ordering the wrong thing, then tried to rush us out the door without offering desert. And here you can see Alex at her worst, fishing an ice cube out of Jeff's water. Goodness, how -do- we take her out? Needles to say, this will probably be our last visit at the Greenville's House of Overpriced Pizza. We make better pizza anyway. :P )

We went to Coverdale Farm today to see the cows, chickens, sheep and pigs (and their baby minions) and Alex had a fabulous personal tour. She liked the "sheeps" the best, but also loved their veggie garden. Oh, and the troughs that double as a sink to wash her "cow hands" off at the end of the tour. Very cool, and yes, actually for washing hands thank goodness.

We headed home, had a popsicle treat to celebrate a visit to the farm with no poop-eating or other horrible happenings, and now she's napping. And I got the grape vines out of the forsythia, and just to show them who's boss, wove them into a wreath for the garage. That'll teach you to eat my shrubs!

Alex just yesterday figured out how to play basketball on her play-date friend's basketball "court". In the basement of his grandmother's house, actually, and it's the tiny basketball set-up for toddlers of course, but she made every basket I watched her attempt! Super-cool, and I'm considering running out and getting her a set for herself. You know, so we can tell her to throw a ball in the house, but just for basketball. Riiiiiight. Well, I may still get it, just have to figure out where the court can be.

Valley Garden Park Adventure

Here are a few pics from our recent "park adventure" at Valley Garden Park. That's pollen on Alex's face, by the way. Bottle-brush buckeye pollen. :)

Hmm, I'm pretty sure Alex spends way too much time with me - she now refers to some things as simply "thingy things". Maybe the loss of verbal ability that I've experienced since becoming a mom is contagious? Oh well, at least I still always know what she's talking about, even if neither of us can put a name on it. :D

And this is what makes me think that perhaps she's more like Jeff most days. :D

A Few Plant Pics

Flower Arranging 101 (Toddler Version)

First, put the toddler on the deck with pots full of flowers, such as oh I don't know, pineapple lilies. Then, tell her repeatedly not to pick them. Watch her pick one anyway. Then place the maligned pineapple lily into a suitable container, in this case, an antique medicine bottle. Then, and this is the most important part of flower arranging for toddlers, put the pots of pineapple lilies on the deck table until they're done blooming.

And I forgot, here's Alex in her new cute-suit. Sorry about the picture quality - every othere pic I take looks like a Lock Ness Monster shot only Alex is the monster. XD

In this picture, you can she she's torn between banging on her bongos, finishing her puzzle (throwing the rest of the pieces into opposite corners of the room) drawing, or flinging herself off the edge of the coffee table to her doom. Decisions, decisions. Ultimately, crayons prevailed.

Overdoing It?

I kept forgetting to post a picture of Alex when she first got her "flowers for the hair-do", so here it is. She insisted on multiple flwoers, but stopped well short of having me put all the flowers in her hair. Because it is possible top over-accessorize.

And in not-at-all-related news, here are the finished curtains. She loves the polka dots so much she already pulled the tension rods out twice so she could roll in them. So definitely a worth-while investment.