Water water everywhere

Today was another fun day with the girls. This morning Mike is certain he heard Diana call to him. While I was upstairs in the shower Mike heard a voice say, "Daddy, daddy." When he turned around he saw Diana looking up at him with a smile on her face. Mike was impressed with how clearly he heard his "name." Shortly after telling me this story Diana said, "Mommy." Mike was quick to point out that "mommy" was less clear than "daddy" and "daddy" beat out "mommy," but it was cool nonetheless.

As a linguist, I have to question whether Diana really knew what she was saying. As a mommy I have to say, "My baby is SO SMART!"

Amelia was a bit tired today. She was kind of emotional when we set off for the grocery store and cried when she found out we weren't going to her gymnastics class. She was very good in the store, however. Probably because she knew good behavior would lead to a ride on a carousel horse.

I'm trying to encourage good eating habits in my daughter, so I have a policy of letting her select any fruit or vegetable she wants from the store. Today she wanted a red bell pepper. Once she selected a nice red pepper she asked for a green pepper. Ok. So, I picked out a green pepper. Then, she asked for a yellow pepper. Mommy chose the smallest yellow pepper she could find.

I honestly didn't expect Amelia to eat three bell peppers and tried to figure out how best to prepare them when I got home. I bought a second onion and some sirloin strips and made plans to make tacos or fajitas.

When we got home, Amelia helped me empty the grocery bags by removing each of the peppers and placing them on a tray next to Mike's chair. I asked if she wanted some of the peppers to eat and she said, "Yes." I washed the peppers and cut some slices from each. Amelia ate all the peppers I gave her and asked for more.

She what does any of this have to do with water? Nothing. I haven't gotten to the water story yet, hold your horses ;).

I cleaned the fish tank today. I tried to involve Amelia since, one day, she may be cleaning a fish tank of her own. I put the fish in a glass bowl and asked Amelia to leave it alone. Well, as I cleaned the bowl in the kitchen I heard a strange noise. I didn't hear glass break, and I didn't hear Amelia shriek or say anything peculiar, so I kept working. Amelia walked into the family room and didn't say a thing...Though I did notice that her socks were wet.

Once the bowl was clean I started to carry it back into the living room and found the floor rather wet. Little wet footprints covered the floor and the temporary fish bowl had about half the water I had poured in it before. In fact, the fish were barely covered. I asked Amelia if she had tipped the bowl, but got no response. I guess I'll never know exactly what happened, but I have a good idea.

Lisa

Everything she touches

Today the girls and I took a long drive around the East Bay picking up and dropping off documents. I didn't expect the trip to be much fun, but it was necessary so off we went.

Our first stop was the county clerk recorder's office where we got Diana's birth certificate. The Mapquest directions were dead-on as far as the route getting to the office building, but none of the buildings looked like they were marked with addresses. As a result, we ended up wasting some time going through security in one government building when we really needed to enter the building around the corner and across the street.

When I reached the correct building I was given a short and simple form to complete in order to request Diana's birth certificate. The first hurdle I encountered was the lack of a pen, which I made up for by using a red crayon that I found in the diaper bag I carry. I then proceeded to not only misspell the name of the city Diana was born in, but to also report her birth date at May 17 (instead of July 17). Luckily, they sold me the birth certificate anyway.

I then travelled to my local Navy reserve center to add my daughter's information to my list of dependents. At the first desk I visited Amelia cozied right up to an IC1 and managed to get his apple shaped exercise ball. As we left Amelia made a fuss when I made her give it back and the IC1 told her she could keep it. I told him, "No, that's okay" and whispered that I really did not want Amelia to think she would get something everywhere she visited.

You see, people like to give Amelia things. That's nice of them, but I don't want her to start expecting to receive gifts every time we go anywhere. From our first office we travelled to another building so that I could do more paperwork for the Navy. As I waited for my documents to be completed Amelia drifted in and out of the Command Master Chief's office. Of course, he's a nice fellow, but I didn't want my daughter to bug the chain-of-command. I apologized for the intrusion and the Master Chief gave Amelia a peppermint candy. She ate the thing like a stickless lollipop and wound up with a messy pink face and hands.

Finally getting Amelia to leave the CMC's office, she then moseyed down to the Commanding Officer's spaces. Great. Luckily the CO has a front office where a couple of friendly YN's kept Amelia and Diana occupied for a while. Amelia spotted some bananas on one of the Yeoman's desks and asked for one. She left the office with a banana.

We then visited Mike at work. Diana investigated some potential future colleges while Amelia made friends with Mike's co-workers and some of the college students who happened by. One especially nice student gave Amelia a pair of purple antennae to wear on her head. We wound up taking the antennae home with us. So after making a good effort to keep Amelia from collecting gifts from strangers she wound up with candy, a banana and some shiny purple "ears" (as she calls them).

What can you do? Amelia's cute and people like to give her things. As long as I'm around, I guess this is okay. But soon she'll have to learn not to take gifts from strangers.

Lisa

One more pony ride

Here are a couple of pictures from Amelia's trip to a local park in Santa Rosa. When the weather is nice the park has some rides, ponies and a petting zoo. I told Amelia at the beginning of her visit that she would get one ride on the carousel, one train ride and one pony ride. She was so good this trip and did not complain, cry or beg for a second ride on anything. (She was most excited about riding the pony, and did ask to ride again, but she understood when daddy said, "One ride only.")

She was also very good about giving up her swing when we pointed out that other children were waiting patiently to swing.

Today I brought Amelia to a make-up gymnastics class and the only time she became upset was when I pulled her off the bouncer because she had jumped in front of another child. After that she seemed to understand that she had to wait her turn. She also tried bouncing down the trampoline instead of simply running the length of it. She has only recently learned how to jump up and become airborne (both feet off the ground at once) and it was great to see her bouncing in class.

Amelia also got a haircut today. I thought it was time to give up the length and go back to a shorter cut. Her hair looks adorable and she looks like a cute little pixie to her dad and me.

Lisa

Four-day weekend

Though Mike works long hours, I love our three day weekends. In fact, the only thing better than a three day weekend is a four day weekend. This long holiday weekend was no exception, though it started off a bit rough.

I spent my Friday morning getting a root canal. This was a first for me and it wasn't too bad - until the Novocaine wore off. That's when I understood why I left the doctor's office with a small bag of OTC pain medications. (Kind of like when I got chicken pox at the age of 19. The doctor recommended something for the itching when I hadn't experienced any, yet.)

Amelia was also sick on Friday. She seemed to be sick with the same virus I had the week before. Diana acted a bit peaked herself and slept most of Friday and Saturday away. Still, the weather was great and some house/yard work was accomplished.

On Sunday we decided to take a quick trip to Santa Rosa. Amelia had a terrific time and was a great little girl. She also used the potty tonight for the first time in a long time. Yea! Mommy and daddy were proud and I'm sure Amelia will feel great about her accomplishment when she reads the blog 12 years from now.

Lisa

Oh, look for some cute photos here soon. Right now, I'm ready for some quality sleep...Zzz.

The more things change...

As some things become easier, others become more challenging. Diana, for example, has become a better sleeper almost overnight (no pun intended). Last night she only really woke once, and that was at one a.m. Sure, she sleeps in some very funny positions, but she sleeps and I guess that's what counts.

Diana is also becoming much more mobile. She can roll over from back to front and front to back; she can rotate any which way; and she can scoot forward a bit - with a lot of effort. This is great and fun to watch, but it means that nothing on the floor is truly out of reach.

At the same time that Diana's learning to get around horizontally Amelia is learning to get around vertically. A few days ago Amelia surprised mommy when I saw her looking at me from over the bar as I worked in the kitchen. She has recently figured out how to climb bar stools, though she doesn't feel confident getting back down on her own. She has also been caught climbing tables to reach items she should not be getting, but that's another story.

But while Amelia is getting into things her speech is improving immensely. She has learned to ask for things using the proper pronoun. This is terrific, but it does mean hearing a dozen sentences a day that begin, "I want..." Amelia is also learning polite greetings. As we left grandpa's house yesterday she was heard saying, "Nice to meet you again" and this afternoon at the playground Amelia told another boy, "Nice to meet you." She never asked his name and simply referred to him as "kid," but she's making progress.

Lisa

Our fickle girl

Recently Amelia has been asking, over and over again, if we could visit grandma and grandpa. I asked her last Friday if she would like to visit grandpa Bob and grandma Lola and she said, "OK." She was excited all day long Monday and had to be brought back in the house at one point because she had unlocked the front door and walked to the car before we were quite ready to go.

Then, while we were getting in the car I spotted a neighbor and brought the girls down the sidewalk for a quick chat. Amelia invited herself into our neighbor's home and proceeded to play with their three-year old son and his toys. She was having so much fun that when I tried to get her to leave by asking, "Do you want to go to grandpa's house?" she said, "No."

Today grandma and grandpa thought it might be fun to take the girls to the Fresno zoo. The weather was a bit cold and I was very tired, so I didn't want to talk about the zoo too much in case we decided not to go. When I finally asked, "Do you want to go to the zoo?" Amelia's reply was, "No." Then grandpa asked if she wanted to go out to see all the animals. Apparently, that was a completely different thing to Amelia who began to hop with excitement.

As we wove through the empty parking lots to the zoo we began to feel a bit lost. I only mention this because at one point, sort of out of the blue, Amelia said, "What the heck?" as if frustrated as we drove around. I had to laugh out loud.

Amelia had a great time at the zoo and kept asking, "Let's go see another animal!" Diana was also pretty mild and good natured throughout the day. We did catch her attempting to eat our zoo map - and that kept us from really knowing where we had been and where we were going, but it was a fun afternoon all around.

When she went to bed tonight Amelia named all of the animals she remembered seeing. I admit, I don't remember seeing any zebras at all...but she seems to remember them.

Lisa

Dude, where's my camera?

Well guess what? Mike found our camera. It was sitting patiently on a lower shelf right next to my computer. That's what happens when I put things where they belong...they wind up getting lost.

Here are some pictures from the "Funsaver" I used while temporarily unable to locate my digital camera. Seeing these grainy / blurry photos makes me love my digital camera more than ever. Each time I snapped a picture I felt oddly uncomfortable and lacking confidence since there was no way to see how my pictures looked. I knew I would just have to wait until my film was developed (days later) and hope for the best.

Still, Amelia looks great. Her face is priceless as she rides her pony at the grocery store. Soon, there will be more and less grainy photos here for all of us to enjoy. Until then, enjoy this trip down memory lane and journey back to a time when we got excited about picking up our double-copy one-hour photos at the local pharmacy.

Lisa

Go, go mommy!

I've said this before, but the right motivator can make all the difference when dealing with a toddler. Today I had to take the girls to the grocery store. The last time we went to Safeway it was a mess. Amelia shrieked and Diana cried so when Amelia asked if she could ride the horsey I had to say, "No." Today I told Amelia before we left the house that if she was good in the store and did not shriek or scream she could ride the merry-go-round.

This strategy worked very well. The only drawback was that Amelia was so excited about riding the horsey that she kept verbally rushing mommy through her shopping. Each time I would stop to look at the items on the shelf I would hear, "Go, mommy - ride horsey!"

Amelia looked great on the goofy blue horse today. She sits so straight and still you'd think she was participating in an Olympic equestrian event. Even more priceless is the smug look she gets on her face as she looks down her nose at the commoners from atop her pony.

Lisa

Tastes Like Chicken

Wednesdays mean gymnastics for Amelia. Today she was only very slightly less undisciplined than usual, but I noticed the slight improvement. I suspect that part of Amelia's problem is that she's too smart for her own good. Today she was pulling foam blocks out of "the pit" with her feet just as she had seen mommy do last week. The instructor was very impressed.

Those of you who said I would someday be cursed with a daughter as rebellious as I am were probably right.

I am still learning how to get Amelia to do what I ask of her. You have to find ways to motivate two-year-olds. Last week Amelia couldn't tear herself away from gymnastics class and I found myself chasing her down and repeating over and over again, "Come on, Amelia. Come on." Once I finally got her out of the gym (about 15 mins. after class had ended) I told her we would have to miss our lunch together because she didn't listen.

Today we had Chinese food together. Amelia loves Chinese food and it was much easier to get her to put on her shoes and walk out the door when she realized where we were going. At the restaurant I asked Amelia what she wanted to eat and she whined, "Chinese food!" I asked what kind of Chinese food and she said, "Chinese food." I asked if she wanted almond chicken or broccoli beef and she said, "Chicken with sauce."

I strongly suspected that "chicken with sauce" was broccoli beef, but since broccoli chicken was on the menu I ordered it instead. I think Amelia likes the beef better and simply calls it chicken.

Mental note: chicken with sauce = beef with broccoli

Dad and I have been working to get Amelia to always use her fork (or spoon) at the table. Amelia is really trying hard and making a very good effort most of the time, however, she finds it difficult to eat rice with a fork. To facilitate getting the rice from her plate to her mouth via the fork she picks the rice up off her plate and then places it carefully on the fork. Once she gets tired she picks up gobs of rice and simply touches them quickly to her fork on the way to her mouth. I guess contact with the fork is enough, and she is really trying.

Sigh, speaking of trying this is day two (or so) without my camera. Things have a way of disappearing around this house. Mike suspects that Amelia has a stash of objects somewhere. Maybe I should check for my camera behind the curtains.

Lisa

P.S. Amelia and Diana BOTH took naps in their own beds today. It was truly amazing. And Amelia can't stop talking about seeing the airplanes yesterday. I'm really glad she had such a great time.

"There's another plane!"

A couple of days ago, Diana did the cutest thing! I had decided to fill her baby bathtub with water during her bath (I usually keep the plug open and let the water drain) and she loved it. She splashed and splashed, pausing briefly to smile from time to time.

Yesterday I decided to let Diana have a nibble of my chocolate croissant. She seemed very disappointed that Amelia and I were eating and she was not, so I thought I'd let her have a tiny bite. Next thing I know, the chocolate croissant is a crumbly, damp mass of goo and Diana's face is smeared with chocolate. It was hilarious. I was very disappointed I didn't have a camera.

Fact is, I have no idea where my camera is. It seems to have vanished into thin air. How will I manage the blog with no photographs to back up my stories?

Today I took the girls with me to Travis Air Force Base so that I could get a new military ID card. Amelia slept on the way to the base and was a bit moody when we reached the Visitor Center. She cheered up when I told her we could see planes on the base.

I'm not sure what Amelia thought an air base would look like, but she didn't want to believe we were on base as we drove around. She could not wait to see airplanes up close. A huge C17(?) conducted touch-and-go exercises nearby, but Amelia wanted to be in an airplane.

She was a very good girl waiting in the office while I got my card. I asked the helpful man at the office where we could see some planes and he suggested we visit the Air Force museum. The museum on base was very cool. Outside the small museum building was a huge parking lot full of air planes of all varieties and sizes. Some of the planes had tires taller than Amelia. Every where we looked there was another plane.

Then we went inside where they had MORE planes both on the ground and hanging from the ceiling. Everywhere we looked there was a plane, or a model plane, or a picture of a plane. Amelia loved it. She repeated over and over again, "There's another plane!" They even had a small glider hanging from the ceiling piloted by a monkey in a flight jacket that reminded Amelia of her Curious George plane and pilot.

I finally got tired of not having a camera and bought a "fun saver" at the gift shop. I took pictures of Amelia and Diana here and there inside and outside the museum. Of course, since I used an actual camera with film I will have to wait until the pictures are both developed and scanned before I can share them here.

One last story about the museum before I go. Very near closing time Amelia asked to go back outside. We went outside and started looking at the airplanes parked around the building again ("There's another plane!") until Amelia decided to go back indoors. Unfortunately, the museum was closed and its doors were locked. I tried to explain this to Amelia, but she wouldn't believe it until we tried the doors for ourselves. The doors wouldn't budge, and Amelia became very disappointed.

After a while we started to move toward our car, but Amelia wanted to try one more time at getting back into the museum. She put her hands on the stroller holding her baby sister and steered us back to the locked door (making Diana laugh). She was even more disappointed the second time the door wouldn't open.

All-in-all I'd have to say that we had a really good day and Amelia LOVED the Air Museum. She couldn't wait to tell daddy all about it when he got home from work. Maybe we can bring her back there again, soon.

Lisa