Temperatures, swear words and walking.....well, sort of

The House of Death And Pestilence Rises again!!!!! Sounds like a movie title eh?

Well, it has truly been a long week. Bug's great grandparents came in from Arizona and stayed a week with Mimi and Grampa Terry. We had alot of fun visiting with them. We would have been able to spend more time, but Bug decided to run a 103 degree temp monday, tuesday and wednesday. Yea! fun for momma! luckily she wasn't as much of a cling-on as she was during the stomach flu but oh my was she GRUMPY. And it seems like the temper tantrums really got their start during this little bout of whatever it was. (we're speculating its a slight reaction from the shots she received the previous monday) luckily by thursday all was better and we were able to enjoy a nice day with grandma and gramps before they left friday morning. We even got a good game of "oh hell!" going before Bug decided she was way too tired and needed to go to bed.

This weekend was pretty much uneventful. And it was quiet. Which both momma and daddy have really enjoyed. Thankfully the weather was really nice too and we were able to enjoy it. Both Bug and shadow enjoyed being able to go in and out on the front porch all weekend. Bug also was very busy practicing going up and down the front steps, which of course Bug had to tumble down at least once and it resulted in a nice little bump/bruise on the noggin. Unfortunately (for me not her) it hasn't stopped her in the least and she is still very gung-ho about going up an down the steps.

She has truly delighted in telling us NO constantly about everything lately; esp. when she is mad! She has also discovered her very loud voice and delights in babbling and talking about everything at the top of her lungs. I'm not sure how the cats are taking this very loud phase, but alot of running seems to be involved..... We have also really started in with the tantrums too as I mentioned above. But momma and daddy pretty much tell her to "let us know when you're done" and then walk away. Giving in to tantrums is most definitely NOT on our "to do" list. She usually gets over whatever it is pretty quick when she realizes we're not there to observe the spectacle or give in to the demands.

It also seems that this week she has really blossomed in her speech. Which, of course includes mimicking momma's "damn it!" the other day. I had dropped an entire bowl of soup in the sink (luckily) but said damn it loud enough for her to decide she too would try. David saw this (I was too frustrated with that damned mess in the sink) and apparently she proceeded to throw her play cell phone on the ground and yell "damn it!" Quite appropriate that she learn her first swear word from her mother; esp. considering I learned a very lovely first swear word from my own dad. :) Of course David has teased me endlessly about it but we're lucky she wasn't repeating some of the lovely phrases he was using last week while he was working.....

And the walking.....ah yes there have been a few unassisted steps here and there. Some were intentional and some she just didn't realize she was doing them. And some, well, they just never quite made it. You could tell she was really thinking about it but then was like....."mmmm........nah screw it!" Ah well, it will come in time and then the cats will never forgive us for bringing the "pink thing" into their home. And the ornery-ness continues. This morning I was trying to get her to give me a little tiny stick piece from one of the baskets around here. I asked her to hand it to me. Instead, she decided to hand me the blue baby my little pony with the incredibly shocking pink hair and then take off like a bat out of hell. I followed suit and she bee-lined her way to the nearest air vent, looked at me, and proceeded to drop the little stick-like piece into the vent with a smile. No she is most definitely not her mother's daughter.........*rolls eyes*

Gorillas and Penguins and Fish......Oh My!!

Now how do Gorillas and Penguins and Fish go together? Why, at the zoo of course. It was a GORGEOUS day and we decided to spend the afternoon at the zoo. Bug decided to start her (and mommy's) day SUPER early today....say 6 AM!!!!! And, somehow she decided she didn't want a nap! WTF?!! Usually the girl is ready to take her nap about 3 hours after she gets up, not today!! I guess it worked out though because we left for the zoo about an hour earlier than I expected to. That gave us alot more time to spend meandering.

We stopped at the aquarium first. Bug loves the fish. And the fact that some of them are as big as her, well that just makes them all the more exciting. We decided that she just wasn't old enough for the touchpool. We figured all she'd want to do is splash in the water. I don't know about you but if I was an echinoderm, arthropod or gastropod (starfish and sea urchins, horseshoe crab, and snails for those who need layman's terms.......) that had been molested by grade school children all day long; having a toddler splash her little hands in my habitat would just take my day from awful to absolutely horrible. So she didn't get to play in the touchpool.

We cruised by the manatees simply because Bug was getting hungry and she can barely see them in their tank. And, for some reason when we're there, its like nap time for them so all they do is lay at the bottom of the tank or float about aimlessly while they drowse. So we high tailed it to the food court. Bug was a little piggy. She ate an entire jar of green beans, a whole hot dog (and their hot dogs were the equivalent of 2 of the kind we have at home) a whole jar of apples, a french fry or two (she's not really allowed to have them) and a couple handfuls of cheerios!!!! And then she asked for more!!! I decided I was cutting her off. She was about to explode already anyway.

From there we went to the African exhibit and saw the Gorillas and a few old world monkeys. the gorillas were cute. there was a one year old baby and his surrogate mom, one that looked to be the equivalent of a five year old, the dominant male and another female. The baby was adorable and I got a few pictures of him. And he showed Bug she's not the only one who crawls "the crab crawl." After that we meandered over to the old world monkey exhibit and then we went to see the penguins. Bug likes to watch them as they swim. it also helps that she can get right up to the glass and practically touch them. After that we left to go home and take a nap. which lasted all of about an hour. I was hoping for more of a 2 hour deal but, I think her tummy was bothering her. (well, duh!)

Then we went over to Grandpa Terry and Mimi's house to visit with GiGi and G-pa that came in from Arizona!! What fun! Bug finally got to meet her other great grandparents. i only wish she had been in a better mood. She was more than slightly cranky and tired (again, duh!) so she wasn't in that super playful sing-you-a-song mood. So, it was finally time to come home and go to sleep, and thankfully at the moment, that means me too!




Here we are looking super cute in the hat Mimi, Grandpa Terry and uncle Logan got me at Myrtle beach.



Enjoying that oh-so-yummy very rare french fry with ketchup (catsup?).



And the cutest little one year old gorilla chewing on a stick.
Perhaps they are as tasty as french fries?
Naaaaaahhhhhh.......

Shots, DrPepper and Fluffy Bunny.......

Bug had her 15 month checkup today. She was not cooperative with the scale so the poor nurse got a very inaccurate reading of 17# 7oz. She thinks she weighs more but Bug was screaming and trying to crawl off of the scale. She was 30 inches long. (Just shy of half her mother's height.) :) She also got 2 shots. :( And even though she waved at the Dr. when he came in; the moment he pulled out the stethoscope she decided she was done and wanted nothing to do with that place. But luckily we were in and out pretty quickly. He also said that he thinks her non-walking is more of a "won't" issue than a "can't" issue and to just let her do it at her own pace. So, the waiting game continues......

We had a pretty decently busy weekend. Friday night we went and celebrated Uncle Log's Birthday. We got to see Mimi and Grampa Terry and the doggies. We also saw Mimi's brother and niece and nephews and Mimi's mom. It was very busy but we had fun. Uncle Log got her a very soft and cuddly lamb for Easter and oh! how she loves to cuddle with that thing!!!! She's so funny she has brought it to me numerous times over the last few days and "shows" me how to hug it.

She also has started signing "baby" the last few days too! At this point she now knows how to sign "more," "momma," "daddy," "hungry/eat," and "baby." And, she almost has "sleep." She at least understands what it is when we sign it. We'll keep watching the Baby Einstein "signs" video and see what else she picks up. I've also been looking up a few extra signs like "cat" and "work." That way I can sign "daddy" and "work" together and we can tell David to "go to work, daddy" when he gets somewhat sidetracked. :)

Sunday morning was her DrPepper photo shoot. :) She likes to take the slightly full DrPepper boxes and put her fridge alphabet magnets in them. When they are empty we let her play with them for a few days before pitching them. She is constantly filling them and emptying them. Sunday it was a partially full one and she managed to get a can out. it was funny. She tries to open them (luckily the tab is to hard to flip) and then she was pretending to drink it. We are constantly imitating daddy. David is a soda addict and at home drinks out of the can. (He has weird issues with a glass and ice. *shrugs* what's a girl to do?) We know that she watches him because I finally had to get a scarf out of the closet for her to play with. When the weather got cold and David started wearing his scarf she started trying to drape her clothes over her shoulders like he was draping the scarf over his. I think I made her day the day I gave her her own scarf.

After her Dr's appointment today we came home had lunch and played for a bit before her nap. I decided to take more pictures again. (yes, I realize she's in the same outfit she was in last time. I admit it is one of my favorites.) Of course, as soon as she sees the camera she gives me that goofy grin. Today the object of her affection was Fluffy Bunny. David found Fluffy Bunny for her for Easter. She thinks he is hilarious. esp, when we make him dance or toss him in the air. Since he is round she likes to kick him like a ball or try and climb on top of him and wind up rolling all over the place. She also likes to play with his nose and his eyes. (She has this thing for eyes. I think she may follow in her "Auntie" Danni's footsteps and go into optometry one day.)

We had music class tonight. She always loves her music classes. I think she was tired though tonight. Initially she was participating but towards the end I think she was just plain tired. She went from active/play mode to passive/observant mode; which I can understand. She did have her shots today.

Some new Bug pics. I also posted a few more new ones in her "Playtime" picture folder.




The newest DrPepper spokesmodel



Bug wants to "be a Pepper"







DrPepper turns Bug into.....(dun dun dun......)
EVIL BUG



Evil Bug conspiring with "Fluffy Bunny"




~* News to Note: We officially have bitty baby bluebirds!!! I guesstimate they were born Saturday. When I reached in to check them yesterday it was the first time I felt tiny, soft, squirmy, fuzzy bodies instead of eggs. The fuzziness gives their age away. And, Saturday was officially 14 days since Beautiful's last egg was laid. So, she is right on schedule. (All her previous broods were consistently born on the 14th day of incubation.) How fun! We have babies again!! I love this time of year! *~

Light at the end of the tunnel.......and some laundry

FINALLY!!! We seem to be through the worst of this nasty stomach bug. We have our happy, very noisy, very rotten Bug back! She spent 6 days clinging to my shirt and laying on the couch with me watching TV. The nice thing about it is that she was oh so cuddly. And, the Easter Bunny got her the new Baby Einstein "Baby's First Signs" DVD so we've been watching that. For 4 days now. Non-stop. At least she is learning something and when they sign some of the signs she knows she signs with them! How awesome is that!

Sadly she is not so cuddly anymore. She has things to do. Things she didn't get done while she wasn't feeling good. Such as chasing the kitties, tearing up catalogues, yelling loudly just because she can. Watching the world go by outside at the front windows. (Its still chilly and rainy here...blech) And, she has finally let go! She is now testing out her ability to stand without holding on to something. And, for the most part, she's doing really well! She seems very proud of herself too! :)

Today is laundry day. Bug LOVES laundry day. She comes into the room with me and we sit down to sort the clothes. I usually separate things into reds, greens/yellows, blues, and whites. (everything gets washed in cold water regardless for all of you out there going "No! That's not how you sort the laundry!!!!! the insanity of it all!!!") I figure it's a great way for her to learn her colors (she already knows the difference between pink and yellow thanks to her bunny pillow.) She also loves to hand me items. And for some reason she loves to play in the laundry. While it may not be the most sanitary thing it is quite humorous to me that she thinks it is great fun to run around with a pair of my underwear on her head. Or, anything on her head for that matter.

There is a small basket that we keep the roll-around-balls in that she routinely empties and runs around with the basket on her head. And, yesterday I gave her an empty gallon sized ziploc bag box to play with and , yep, it wound up on her head. She also has the birthday crown her DeeDee gave her for her first birthday that we keep in her toy basket because she loves to play with it. She bats her eyes at you when you tell her "Oh how pretty!" Odd though that she rarely keeps any real hat on her head for more than a minute.......

*If I can catch her...I'll post a few small pics later here.*











~*EDIT: later that evening.........*~

I was able to get some cute pics of her while she was playing today. Enjoy!!





Sitting in the corner with that ornery grin






Laughing at Momma just because.....


And the Piece de resistance:




PEEKABOO!!!!!!





I see you Momma!!!!


If you'd like to see more pics that I took today here's the link:

http://www.evelynrae.com/playtime

House of Death and Pestilence

At least that is what the theme of our house has seemed to be this winter. Bug came down with the flu in the middle of the night on Wed. YEA! fun for Momma! We were lucky that there weren't 2 messes to clean up. We're finally starting to feel a bit better and seem to want to play a bit more today. Thank Goodness! Miserable sick Bug is cute and cuddly but cries at the drop of a hat!

We had some warm days this week and were able to go outside and hang out in the front yard. Bug likes to watch the people and cars go by. She won't leave the safety of the blanket though. She'll play with the grass but has yet to actually venture out into it. Put her on the pavement though and make sure you have your running shoes on! Even though she's still just doing her little scoot she takes off like a bat out of hell! :) Go Bug Go!

She seems to really be liking her music class. Not that she never really liked it before; but this one is more active than the baby class and I'm hoping that with all the kids in there who are walking it will give her that little extra push towards her first unassisted step. She's close though. She'll stand without holding on to anything and is able to practically run around the house holding on to stuff. She just needs to let go and then we'll all be in big trouble!!

I think that she is going to take after her daddy. She is already trying to climb everything, Jumps off the couch without thinking about what she's landing on and gives Momma heart attacks everytime she gets close to some sort of edge. One of these days I'll prolly see her contemplating how she can jump from the railing onto the couch in the living room below. David has said that as a kid he prolly would have tried it. So, as the boy scouts say we need to "be prepared."