Terms of Endearment

In the past few months, Maiby has started calling a lot of people 'honey.'  At first, I tried to get her to stop, because it was mainly me and it was a little bothersome.  But then she started using it for a lot of people, especially when she wanted to know what was going on.  "Whatcha doing, honey?" or "Whatcha need, honey?"  Then it started getting pretty cute.

It's on longer honey, now, and I'm not sure how I feel about my 2-year-old calling me "babe".

Lucky

We use the word 'lucky' a lot in our house, and in a variety of ways.  Sometimes we use it in reaction to something that really is lucky, like getting a donut at the store; sometimes it's used sarcastically after something undesirable happens, like spilling dinner on your shirt.  The point is, we use it a lot.

Yesterday Maiby and I went shopping.  She is getting too tall for size 2 pants, and only had 2 pair of size 3, so we went looking for a couple more pairs.  We stopped at the mall first to check out prices and look for some deals, but the cheapest we found were still more than I wanted.  So off we went to Goodwill, where we bought 2 pair for $3 - what a deal!! 

We got back in the car and I told her we would go to one more store (another thrift store that I hadn't been to yet), and she asked if we were looking for more pants.  When I affirmed that we were, she said, "Lucky me, lucky me!" 

I hope she always has such a good attitude. 

Things I've Learned from a Big Girl Bed

So it's been a few weeks since Maiby started using her Big Girl Bed, and I have learned several things (I was thinking about this in the shower this morning, so I might not remember them all - that was a LONG time ago!).

-- It is possible for her to be happy all day without a nap.

-- Sometimes a nap in front of the door is better than no nap.

-- Maiby can take off her pj's herself and pick out her clothes before we come in her room.

-- She still needs help making the bed.

-- Her binky and bear are on the shelf before she picks out clothes - it's probably step 2 of her morning routine, after turning on the light.

-- Two weeks of not taking a nap takes it's toll on a little girl - she fell asleep in the car on the way home from church today and stayed asleep until we got in the house (she has not done that in well over a year!!)

-- There is hope that she will sleep in the car when we drive to Michigan WOOHOO!!

-- She just wasn't ready for a big girl bed when we tried before.

-- She loves the freedom.

-- We no longer need an alarm clock - she is up by 630 EVERY morning. And on days when we get up at 6, she's up & at 'em then, too.

--If I change my reading time to her quiet time, I can still read the scriptures every day; but remembering to do so is a problem again, since it's not first-thing.

Big Girl & Valentine Cookies

We made pink sugar cookies yesterday to take to some neighbors, and we let Maiby decorate three with a little pile of frosting. She did pretty well, and then enjoyed them.

And she is now using a big girl bed! This is night #2...so it's still inconclusive. But her naps have been non-existent since earlier this week, so hopefully she gets used to it soon.

We got the bed from my aunt when she had a yard sale, and it came with a sheet set and a blanket, which you can tell she absolutely loves:

Copy Cat

Maiby is getting really good at mimicking. A couple of days ago, James was rubbing my shoulders and since she wants to be involved in everything, Maiby came up and started rubbing my elbow with both hands. It was so sweet. And she's getting so much better at talking, too - it's so neat to hear a tiny little voice say "I love you" and to understand that she still doesn't get the difference between me/you when she talks. She is always saying "carry you?" when she wants me to pick her up.

Big Girl Bed

Maiby has used her big girl bed for 2 nights now, and I'm wondering if we should continue...she just wakes up SO EARLY and then is whiny all day long. If she is out of bed again at 730 this morning, she will be getting 2 naps today. She needs more sleep than she has been getting, and since she went to bed late last night, there is no way we will be able to function well this morning without her sleeping until after 8.

We thought it was so great yesterday, even though she got up a little early, because she doesn't know how to open her bedroom door, so even though she could get out of bed, she would still be stuck in her room until I got her out. Well, that was true for just that one night; yesterday I was catching up on some sleep, since I didn't get to sleep much on vacation and got to bed almost 2 hours late the night I came back and up early so I could do laundry and have clothes to wear...so I was taking a nap on the couch yesterday afternoon when Maiby was napping, and then I heard "MOM!" So I bolted awake and told her to stay put. Where was my darling girl? At the top of the stairs; apparently, the door is no longer a problem for her. So last night we put the baby gate up right outside her door, just in case she decides to get up in the night, so she doesn't go down the stairs in the dark.

Hopefully we can stick with this...she really likes being out of the crib.

Pioneer Day Celebration

Last Friday night we went to the stake primary pioneer activity. Here's Maiby in her pioneer dress. I did not even have to unpick ONE STITCH of the zipper - it's a first for me. (Of course, that one stitch only applies to the zipper and not necessarily to any other part.)

James took Maiby around to the different stations, and he made her a handkerchief dolly. Did you even know that my husband is crafty, too?

Pics of Maiby

Here is Maiby at Uncle Sam's birthday party at the beginning of July...learning to pick cherries off Grandma & Grandpa's tree with my cousins girls.

And having fun on the 4th with her new friend Elvin in his pool.

Boys are such a mystery!

Like Father, Like Daughter

We love tv in our house. A little too much. But we do try to limit the amount that Maiby watches. There are always times when you get a little bored watching tv, no matter how much you like it. Admit it, you know what I'm talking about.

This is what happens when James gets bored:

If you don't know from experience, let me just say that it's REALLY entertaining to look over at your husband and see his belt strapped around his head like a crown or around his foot. But on the day of this photo, it was too difficult to get the belt out. So the phone became the boredom distraction.

I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I will try next time she has it, but the other day Maiby and I were watching a movie and I looked over and she had a slinky around her neck, like a multi-colored, really wide necklace. It was so darn cute. She had put it there and then forgotten about it, much like the phone on daddy's head.

But she really likes the pirate eye patch that came with the slinky in a birthday party favor bag:

That was a smile, really; the elastic kind of makes it look like a drimace, but she was happy.

Breakdown

Poor little Maiby had a tough time this afternoon. We took her to the mall to find a new pair of shoes because I discovered last night that she has blisters on the top of her pinky toes from her old ones. And I haven't been able to find the same style in the bigger size for the past month or so that I have been looking for them; apparently everyone else in town needs girls' size 6. BUT our trip was not successful. Whether due to hunger or not a long enough nap or some unexplained change in her natural behavior, she had 3 meltdowns at the mall. So we all left empty-handed and not so happy. Better luck tomorrow...

Hero of the Day...

So I went shopping tonight at Winco while James put Maiby in bed, and then he went to go play bball at the church. Then I heard her crying a little later, so I went up to give her a hug and say goodnight. Imagine my surprise when I found her standing up and had her poor little knee sticking out between the bars, unable to pull it back in. I couldn't help her by myself, so I hurried over to the neighbor's house. Thank you, Janette, for helping me get Maiby's leg out!! The funny thing is that as soon as she was free, Maiby reached for Janette and gave her a big hug, and then I took her so Janette could go home, and she tried to get back in her arms....is that really my daughter? My shy little girl who ignores people who speak to her?

Thanks, Janette, for being home and willing to help me in my time of need!

Ideas Needed

Does anyone have ideas as to why Maiby woke up last night about 10 times, and cried and cried and cried? Or any ideas on how to help her if it happens again? It's not very fun to head to bed and then be delayed by about 2 hours...

Sweet Girl

Would you believe that my daughter has cleaned up my mess the past two days, WITHOUT BEING ASKED??! I can't even believe it. She is so helpful around the house. Wednesday & Thursday mornings I was reading on the couch before Maiby woke up, and then I went to get her. While I was making breakfast, she disappeared, and I found her in the hall, trying to put my blanket back in the storage box! And yesterday I told her to grab her shoes so we could leave, so she moved them and placed Daddy's where hers were, so they were out of the way. So, so sweet!

I also couldn't believe it when we went out to the playground today - she can climb the ladder alone!! Not steps with a railing, a 6-step ladder! And she wasn't afraid. She did it perfectly 4 times, and had a little trouble the last time, but didn't let go when she slipped. Amazing!

Ow!

Today Maiby and I went for a walk. We got out the door and I had my arms full of blankets and toys to put in the stroller to keep her warm, since it was forecasted to snow (and did, btw, for anyone not living here!). She has been practicing stairs by herself. I don't like it and try to get her to only do the last one in the house, but she wanted to try it outside. She made it fine on the first two, but they are extra wide so she has room to catch herself before the next one. I told her to stay there, but realized she wasn't going to and tried to stop her before she turned and went down the neighboring stairs, but couldn't get her in time. I think I might have helped slow her fall a bit, but she hit the ground and she hit it hard. Here is a picture of her head bump - I love that she quit smiling just for that picture; it's fitting to look so serious for the 'injury showoff'. She's okay - I checked her eyes and they were dilating together (no concussion), so I went ahead and let her take a nap this afternoon. Hopefully she sleeps well tonight.
I was also April Fool'd by Maiby today. James has a big test tonight, but was able to come home for about an hour this afternoon. He got Maiby up from her nap and changed a poopy diaper (hooray for me!). Then she came downstairs and had a snack and when she was almost done, she started really straining. I don't know how many of you know how long it takes Maiby to poop, but sometimes it is quite an ordeal. We waited and waited for her to finish. James snuck out the door before I tried to convince him to change a second one, so about 10 minutes after he left, I decided I had better do it. Surprise!! She was just really, really tooty!! It was probably the best AF joke I've ever had played on me. Until she actually DID poop about 30 minutes after that, and it was the worst diaper she's had in a while...

Snow

James built a wall behind our house out of the snow that was covering our patio - he was going to make a slide for Maiby, but it started raining the next day and the wall is disappearing. But this is what it looked like when we went out to play on it. Maiby really enjoyed walking in the snow. I thought she would get a little more upset about the cold and wet that happens when you use your hands to stand and your glove comes off and you end up with a handful of snow instead of standing...but she just rolled with the punches and had fun. We had to go inside for dinner after too long, but I'm sure there will be more snow fun to be had, especially if last year is any indication of this year's snow (still on the ground in May and snowing on my mom's June birthday).

Ok, so the pictures have to wait. I have tried 4 times to load them and they are not working. Sorry.