Aidan Elizabeth's Updates

Blogging things I want to remember

2010-12-12T19:17:00.004-06:00

The blog has fallen by the wayside in favor of facebook, but there are still some things to keep here, I guess.

For example, this year (2010) Aidan informed her kinder prep class that Christmas was not about presents or family, it was about giving. She said, "you all are silly. Christmas is about giving." Her class brainstormed community service projects and organized a canned food drive for Christmas. It seems that the kids were supposed to ask their parents if they could do chores to earn cans of food to bring to school. Aidan conveniently forgot that part of the plan.

Aidan has music in her bones. She can pick up songs and choreography from watching videos, skips in time to the music (with great ballone) and sings all the time. Her improvisational dances are great.

Her comment today, "Mama thinks my ears taste good, but I don't think so."

Her absolute love of everything and anything princess.

That she loves hearing about the union service Christianne and I did and has drawn pictures of it for me to put up in my office.

That she draws pictures of princesses with eyelashes and high heeled shoes.

At her October 2010 assessment, she knew all 11 colors, can count to 20, do simple addition, write her name, say her ABCs, knows at least half of the sounds that the letters make, do basic dressing skills, and her teacher said she is a joy to teach.

That she has started lying - and she's really bad at it (a developmentally appropriate stage).

She is so loving and a snuggle bug.

She loves to take off her clothes and then she complains that she is cold.

That she says she has hair of "Spun Gold."

She is super-excited about our Christmas tree - but isn't crazy about Santa Claus except for the present part.

Santa Claus drives around Ellensburg in a convertible and hands out presents. Aidan saw him and got a parrot puppet.

She is swimming like a fish, including being able to swim on her stomach, roll on to her back to catch a breath, and roll back over and swim on her stomach again. She also uses her arms and can get them out of the water. She does prefer to swim with only her arms or her legs, however.

She's doing gymnastics like a champ too.

Aidan would like to have a medal in both gymnastics and swimming. Actually, I think she wants a big trophy.

She can color inside the lines most of the time.

She uses such big girl sentences.

She is so excited about being a kindergartner next year. (We can hardly believe it!)

She poses like a fashion model.

She is really good at school except for every once in a while when her listening ears fall off. This usually happens for a week at a time. Poor teachers.

Aidan still hates to sleep and has yet to sleep through the night on a regular basis.

She is super cute in her snowsuit.

This September, Aidan and I spent 6 hours at the county fair. Mostly going down slides and through fun houses and eating junk food. Good times!

Aidan moved up to her booster seat this fall.

One day when I was talking to someone named "Robin" on the phone, Aidan overheard me and asked if I was talking to her brother Robbie. It was so sweet and a little heartbreaking too, especially when she said that she misses Robbie.

When I asked Aidan what she thought about God she replied, "Pretty fine."

Sometimes Aidan sounds like she is from Boston and other times like she is from Texas. And other times like a Westcoaster.

She misses the house we lived in when we first moved to Ellensburg.

Her great sense of justice - for herself and others.

That she always wants to bring her friends presents and gifts.

Tonight she says to me, "Do you know how to make chicken fingers and french fries?" I said, "I know how to call for them." She said, "Great!"

That Aidan loves kale chips and will eat by the handful.

She calls her villians "mean ones."

She regularly says in the course of imaginary play, "When a woman says, 'no': NO!" and then has her princess beat up the mean one.

Her favorite knock-knock joke to tell is:

Knock-knock.
Whose there?
Banana.
Banana who?
House! (or whatever other object she sees)

She is an awesome daughter!

Happy Holidays 2010

2010-12-12T19:10:00.001-06:00

Happy Snowflakes Christmas

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View the entire collection of cards.

Dancing Queen

2010-01-02T20:20:00.002-06:00

Aidan gets her groove on at the County Fair!

Aidan's First Gymnastics Demonstration Event

2010-01-02T19:45:00.002-06:00

Aidan's gymnastic class had an demonstration meet for the preschool-aged classes prior to the intra-squad competition for the older kids. This is Aidan's performance.

Home production of the Nutcracker

2010-01-02T19:07:00.002-06:00

Aidan and I danced to the Nutcracker on TV. What a lot of fun! Oh...I forgot to say that I took Aidan to see the Nutcracker in Yakima in December. It was the same company that I danced with many moons ago. It was a lot of fun and she was so excited! We went backstage after it was over and Aidan got to see the sugarplum fairy. She thought that was pretty cool! It was a great mommy-Aidan date while Christianne was visiting back in Dallas.

2010-01-02T17:51:00.005-06:00

I'm finally getting around to at least putting some pictures of Aidan up. I'm sorry to be so bad. Things are just so busy!

Aidan is growing by leaps and bounds. She continues to amaze us and those around us. She is being included in the older class during reading lessons at preschool now and her own teacher is working to catch her fine motor skills up to her cognitive skills so Aidan can move up full-time to the older class. She is starting to be able to recognize some sight words. "Is" is her favorite word to read. She can also do "she," "and," and "in" on a pretty consistent basis. Aidan has made some good friends at school and we have, through her, made friends with some great people in their parents. Life in Ellensburg continues to be very good. My job is keeping me way too busy at times but I'm enjoying it most days. Christianne is enjoying having time to get outdoors and do some things, but suffers some cabin fever from working at home all the time. Here are some pictures from various events from the summer and fall.

As the following sampling of pictures shows, Aidan continues to be fiercely fashion forward. She often dresses herself now and enjoys picking out her own clothing. We figure as long as it is warm enough and meets standards of decency, we aren't going to quash her creative side. She LOVES wearing dresses and has finally accepted that in Ellensburg in the winter, this means one has to wear pants under her dresses. At least this means we get longer wear out of those dresses that are beloved, but getting too short!

Aidan loves to Seattle Science Museum. They have a butterfly room, along with many other fun things. Christianne caught this great picture of Aidan and a butterfly there.

Living in an agricultural community means that there are a lot of great festivals in the fall, especially close to Halloween. Here's Aidan picking out a pumpkin. Good thing she is strong! She also participated in her first potato sack race (super cute!) and summersault race - she won that one because she resolutely stuck to doing summersaults while other kids cheated. She was great!

Aidan has discovered a love of cooking. Christianne and Aidan made cookies one night when I had to work late. She was so proud of them! Christianne went to Aidan's school and helped a classroom of 20 preschoolers (ages 3-5) make pumpkin pies from scratch (including the crust) for Thanksgiving. Every child got to take one home. It was yummy!

There is a gym in Yakima that has a subsection called "Kids' Castle" that has a human habitrail for kids to climb around in and slide and all sorts of things. On the weekends, they open up the gymnastic side as well to the kids. Aidan loves to jump in the foam pit! Aidan is taking gymnastic classes here in Ellensburg. She really enjoys them. In October or November, she was moved up from the parent assisted class to the independent class. She is really strong and has some good balance - when she's not checking herself out in the mirror. She is the queen of straddle jumps on the trampoline!

Ellensburg is the county seat so the county fair and rodeo is here every Labor Day weekend. Aidan had quite a bit of fun, especially looking at the horses and other animals. She road the kiddie roller coaster with a friend and loved it for the first 3 times around and then freaked out. Unfortunately, the operator didn't hear her or us asking to stop the ride and she was stuck for another 3 times around, at which point she was quite hysterical. After that experience, she developed a fear of driving over hills. This is a problem when one lives in a mountain valley. It is only this week that she finally seems to have worked it through and understand that the car and the roller coaster are two different things. Poor little girl!

Aidan started ballet classes this fall. They are really creative movement classes with a little introduction to ballet terminology. She really enjoys them. We continue to dance at home and I'm giving her some ideas about steps and skills. She has a great sense of music. Aidan enjoys dancing in the aisle at church and it seems most of the congregation loves it too. Christianne is working on getting licensed in the diocese as well as received into the diocese. She does a bit of supply work at our church here in Ellensburg, which is good for her.

Just a picture of Aidan jumping. The summers here can be hot, but are generally pretty nice. It is great to be able to get outside on a regular basis! We currently have snow, but even it is fun to play in and doesn't shut down the town.

We took Aidan to see The Wiggles when they came to Spokane. She danced in her seat the whole time. This is us playing in the park by the theater. We are practicing our arabesques.

Aidan's school does various special events throughout the year. They had a Hawaiian day this summer. This is Aidan posing for the occasion.

In the summer, we have a great farmer's market. Our local face painter, Len, does amazing work. Aidan would go every week to have her face painted in some new way. This is one of his tamer pictures.

This is just another picture of Aidan jumping 'cause I think it is cute.

We love and miss everyone! I'll try to be better about getting out updates!

blog slacker

2009-08-24T10:36:00.006-05:00

Yes, I am a blog slacker. I've mostly been updating on Facebook lately and neglecting the blog. I'm sorry!

We have settled into life in Ellensburg. We have our routines and things we do, which are great. We love the Farmers Market each Saturday. We often go to the Children's Museum on Saturday's as well. We hit the local swimming pool most weeks so Aidan can work on her swimming - and we hope to wear her out enough that she'll go to sleep without too much fuss. (She still hates to sleep, but only gets up once in the night now). We have gotten rid of the pull-ups entirely and she now sleeps all night in big girl panties. We've only had a couple of accidents since we started this 3 or so weeks ago. She just passed her 3-year check-up with flying colors and also had her first eye exam, complete with dilation. She did great! There are glasses in her future, most likely, but for now, she's seeing as she should. We are excited that she will get to try out ballet classes this fall. It is a trial basis because we are trying her in the 4 year old class instead of the 3 year old class (which meets at a time that only parents who work from home can do). Hopefully, Aidan will not feel frustrated in it and it will work. If not, we'll stop for a year and try again. Aidan also requested to do gymnastics again this fall. We did it for a while in the spring, but the evening classes stop over the summer because it is too hot here (and there is no A/C in the gym). Here are the pictures you were hoping for:

Aidan exploring some career options:

Gymnast

Chef (That's fresh okra in her mouth)

Ballerina

Artist (This is a picture of Christianne. We gave Aidan some clues about what to include, but she drew it herself.)

Some pictures from our trip to Spokane to see The Wiggles:

Playing in the park after the show

Practice her arabesque

Ice cream cupcake after the show

Speaking of cupcakes...Aidan wanted to make "Ming-Ming Cupcakes" (a character from the "Wonder Pets." (Ming-Ming is a duckling that wears a flight helmet.) Here are some pictues of the process:

Working on frosting

Concentrating really hard

Happy with her work

The finished product

The chef

Aidan's school had a talent show last week. For the younger children, they did a fashion show for which each child got to pick their favorite dress-up costume. Aidan was Snow White.

Opening number

Snow white

We are having a baby - maybe 3!

2009-04-28T00:02:00.002-05:00

No, not in real life. :-)

However, Aidan seems convinced that she (or we) are going to have a baby soon. Maybe in June. This has been going on for a few weeks now. It used to be that I was going to have a baby the old fashioned way (in my tummy), but tonight, Aidan informed me that the plan has changed. She stated that *she* is going to have a baby (which she will get from the baby hospital) and she will name it "Baby Girl." I will also have a baby and name it "Baby Woman" (because I am a woman). Christianne will have a baby and name it "Baby Mama." I asked her how we were going to feed all these babies and Aidan answered, "With baby bottles." Glad that was cleared up. I have no idea where she got this idea. And, for those of you hoping for additional, live children from us: don't hold your breath. I'm not sure what we'll do come June. Maybe dig out the baby dolls that she has not wanted to play with much so far and give them to her again. Very interesting....

Deep thoughts by a 2 year old

2009-04-27T12:56:00.003-05:00

Me: Aidan, what do you think about life?

Aidan: It's pretty fine.

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Aidan: (Running around naked except for black patent leather shoes) "I have stinky bo-bo!!!"

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Aidan: Mama, I need this rock. It is a magic rock.

Mama: What makes it a magic rock?

Aidan: It sings.

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There are more, but the chronically sleep deprived mommy brain is having trouble remembering them right now...

The end of a big day

2009-04-11T22:46:00.003-05:00

So, what happens when you are "Two and seven months" (as Aidan likes to tell people who ask her how old she is), have gone on an Easter Egg hunt, played at the Children's Museum, refused to take a nap, dyed Easter Eggs at home, helped clean up the yard, and had a melt down because you were not allowed to watch TV or play computer games after dinner (because you hit Mommy earlier in the day)?

This is what happens:

She was being a pill while we were eating and we gave her the choice of sitting with us and eating her dinner, drawing in her princess drawing pad, or going upstairs to her room. First we heard cries and then, before long, we heard little snores. The above picture is how we found her. She woke-up briefly while we were trying to get her pants off and a pull-up on for the night, but went back to sleep without too much fuss. Poor girl. I hope she sleeps long and hard so she can have a happy Easter tomorrow.

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-11T22:34:00.003-05:00

Update from Ellensburg - finally

2009-04-11T16:36:00.002-05:00

Finally, an update from our new home in Ellensburg. We miss all of our Dallas friends and family soooooo much! You are in our thoughts and prayers all the time.

Here is a picture of Aidan helping us pack in Dallas:

Here's a picture of her attempt to put on make-up that Ms Ferzeta and Ms. Mona gave her as a good-bye present. I tried to tell her it was blush, but she insisted it was eye shadow:

Here are some picture of our new house (the Princess house as Aidan likes to call it):

Here's Aidan helping us unpack:

And her nap on the move-in day in Ellensburg:

Palm Sunday:

Playing at the park (fashion forward as usual):

Easter Egg hunt at her new school:

Ready for Easter Egg hunt on Holy Saturday:

Some picture of the area we live in (everywhere you look, there are hills and mountains in the background):

Singing in the shower

2009-03-11T18:30:00.003-05:00

Aidan is working on her singing talents while getting clean. These were too cute not to post.

You are my sunshine:

Jesus loves me, this I know:

Update on the bedtime saga

2009-03-05T09:08:00.002-06:00

So, I had a great conversation with my sweet friend Barbara, who also happens to be a great psychologist and play therapist (shout out to Barbara for always being willing to talk through parenting trials!). We brainstormed some things to try with Aidan. Among them was trying to get Aidan help brainstorm how to make bedtime better for everyone involved.

I also had the idea that perhaps a new stuffed animal that was specifically for bedtime might help things along. I was going to make a big deal about how this is her baby and she needs to take care of it and help it go to sleep by cuddling with it like Mama and Mommy cuddle her to help her go to sleep. This was my devious plan.

So, last night I picked her up from school and we had the following conversation:

Me: Aidan, you know how at bedtime you yell and get mad and cry and Mommy and Mama get mad. Do you like that?

Aidan: No.

Me: Well, I have an idea. What if we went and got something special that would help bedtime be calm and quiet. Do you think that's a good idea?

Aidan: Yes.

Me: So, do you think it is worth it to yell and scream and cry at bedtime?

Aidan: Yes.

Me: What makes it worth it?

Aidan: 'Cause...I *really* want to watch "Dora Saves the Ice Princess."

Me: So, if you got to watch Dora before bedtime do you think that would help bedtime be calm and quiet?

Aidan: Yes.

Me: What if after dinner, you put on your pajamas and brushed your teeth and then you got to watch some Dora before bedtime?

Aidan: That's a good idea.

Me: How long do you think you would need to watch Dora before bedtime?

Aidan: 10.

Me: 10 minutes and then you could go to bed and be quiet and calm?

Aidan: Yes.

Me: OK, so the plan is: dinner, pjs, brush teeth, Dora, bedtime.

Aidan: Yes.

And we went off to Build-a-Bear to get a special bedtime baby (aka Hello Kitty).

We came home and shared the plan with Mama, who gave her blessing to the plan. It went very well in the beginning. We had dinner. Aidan got her pjs on and did the best teeth brushing I have ever seen and got to watch Dora (more than 10 minutes) and then went to her room with no trouble at all. We tucked Hello Kitty into bed and Aidan got in bed an started to read stories (Oh, and I gave her a little homeopathic kids sleep aid just to hedge my bets), and then...

Aidan gets out of bed, starts running around the room, hiding in the closet, etc.

First we tried reminding Aidan that Hello Kitty needed her help going to sleep. Aidan gave the 2.5 year old equivalent of screw Hello Kitty and went back to playing. So, then I told Aidan that if she did not want to snuggle in bed and read stories with us, that we were going to leave the room and not come back until morning.

I called Aidan over before we left and asked her what was going to happen if we left. She said, "Don't come back!" I asked if that was what she wanted. She said, "Go!" So, we turned out the light, turned on her turtle start gazer, and out we went.

While Aidan and I were shopping for Hello Kitty, Christianne had been changing out the door knob to one that locks from the outside. When we left the room, we locked the door. It took Aidan about 3 minutes to discover that she could not leave her room. Boy was she MAD. She screamed, hollered, kicked, attempted to pick the lock. Never did she sound scared, however. Just not happy about her circumstances. So we just let her go and stuck to our word that we were not coming back in until morning.

This went on for almost an hour. About 45 minutes in, she seemed to calm down, accept her fate, and turned on her pirate story CD. She climbed in bed with Hello Kitty and finally went to sleep.

We went in to check on her after she was asleep and made sure all was well. She's pulled the covers all the way over her head and was sound asleep. We unlocked the door and left it ajar in case she needed anything in the middle of the night.

Here's the interesting part. I heard her wake up around 4:00 or so. She got out of bed, found her sippy cup, and went back to bed without coming in to get me. Hooray on that front!

Aidan, if you are reading this years from now, just know it broke our heart to let her cry it out and lock you in your room, but it seemed the only option left. We love you!

Pictures finally!

2009-03-05T06:32:00.003-06:00

Two year old prayer

2009-03-04T09:41:00.002-06:00

Aidan asked me to repeat the following last night:

"Jesus saves our house."

"Jesus Church of Christ."

"Jesus is waiting outside our house."

She then informed me that her friends were coming over last night; her friends Joseph, Mary, and Ava. I'm sure Ava's parents will be happy to know she's been elevated to the status of the Holy Family.

First real poop!

2009-03-04T09:39:00.001-06:00

Last night, Aidan, went poop in the potty. Totally in the potty with none in her panties! Very exciting. She needed a little help to get to the potty, but she waited and then did it. What a big girl!

(And it is pretty cute to watch her go. She sits there and makes a scrinched up face and says, "Puuuuuusssshhhhh! Come on poop! Come on!"

Another step on the road to potty training success.

Stories I don't want to forget

2009-03-02T09:29:00.002-06:00

Story One:

After our traditional "taco-rice-and-beans" (pronounced as one word) meal following swim class on Thursday, Aidan came home with a little tummy trouble. (This was bad when she was in pull-ups, in big girl panties - oh ick!) As I was cleaning her up, I commented, "Aidan, what was that?" Aidan looked down at the remnents and said with great certitude, "Salsa Verde!"

Story Two:

Aidan and I were grocery shopping last night. She was doing something that had to be done just the way she wanted it to be done (she was trying to be helpful). I said, "You are a little high maintenance, you know that?" Without missing a beat, Aidan replied, "I am Princess!"

Bedtime is still a miserable event. We are working on it. Threatening to treat her like "a little baby" seems to make some small impression. We keep trying...

Santa's a Blackmailer

2009-02-18T12:03:00.002-06:00

Well, bedtime was a little better last night. It still took an hour from putting on PJs to actually being asleep, and we can't just leave the room and expect her to stay in bed. However, little screaming, crying, or body tackling, so that's an improvement, right?

Our new plan last night was to allow some going back and forth and quiet play (but no hiding in the closet) until she started to wind down. But still, actually getting in and staying in the bed was not going so well. The previous night, I had finally gotten her in bed by changing the Dora Christmas book and suggesting that Santa had been going to bring Aidan presents, but had to skip her house because he heard she was not cooperating and Santa only brings presents to girls and boys who cooperate at bedtime. Last night, when Aidan started to escalate, I picked up the phone and had a conversation with Santa. It seemed that Santa was making a pre-Christmas present for Aidan, but when he heard that she would not go to bed, he said he couldn't bring the present. Santa told me to tell Aidan that if she went to bed without a fuss for 10 whole days, he would bring her the present. Aidan got right in bed after that and (mostly) stayed. I think we need a chart to keep track of how she does.

Suppose she'll be mad about this when she realizes that Santa's not real?

This morning's conversation

2009-02-17T15:27:00.002-06:00

Aidan: (Lying in bed looking sad). Mommy, I look sad.

Me: Yes, sweetheart, you do look sad. Are you feeling sad?

Aidan: Yes.

Me: Why are you sad?

Aidan: I need candy.

Me: No, you can't have any candy.

Aidan: Please...

Me: No, but you can have Cheerios.

Aidan: (Sounding dejected) Okay....

She then refused to get dressed this morning and screamed all the way to school because her breakfast in the car was cereal with dried strawberries instead of a "car-waffle." Life if difficult when you are almost 2.5 years old.

We turned Aidan's crib into a big girl bed with big girl (princess) bedding in the hopes it would make going to bed more attactive.

Can I just say, "No dice."

On to a new (as yet to be developed) plan for tonight. Stay tuned...

Bedtime fun

2009-02-16T15:13:00.002-06:00

Well, it finally happened. Aidan learned that she can climb out of her crib, adding a new dimension to bedtime. She won't stay in the big bed either. Here's how bed (and nap) time went this weekend:

Me: Aidan, it is time to go to your room to get ready for nap (bed).

Aidan: No.

Me: Yep. Come on. Its time. Do you want to read stories or sing?

Aidan: Goes to room and slams door in my face, blocking my entry with her body.

Me: Aidan, I'm going to count to 10 and then I'm going to come in.

Aidan: Goes and hides in the closet or behind the rocking chair while I'm counting.

Me: Aidan, I'm going to count to 5 and if you want to read stories, you come out of the closet. Otherwise, I'm going to pick you up and put you in your crib. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Aidan: Collaspes on floor of closet (or runs to closet if she's behind the chair).

Me: Pick up dead weight named Aidan and place her in the crib.

Aidan: Start screaming at top of her lungs and crying hysterically while attempting to climb out of crib.

Me: Blocking escape attempts physically and placing her back in her crib while say, "Aidan, you may not climb out of your crib. If you would like to sleep in the big bed, calm down and use your words. If you want to sleep in the big bed, you must cooperate.

Repeat for 20-40 minutes

Me: Would you like a hug?

Aidan: Nods head finally.

Me: Pick up Aidan and snuggle her. Get her calm but don't let her feet touch the ground. When calm, ask if she wants to sleep in the big bed or crib. Place her where she chooses.

Aidan: Changes her mind.

Me: You may change your mind one time. If you change it again, you may not move.

Aidan: Changes mind again or attempts to leave big bed and hide again.

Repeat previous cycle.

Aidan finally falls asleep while I'm snuggling her and she gets put to sleep wherever we had our last battle.

Aidan: Wakes up early, climbs out of crib or bed and comes padding into our room.

I don't know what the solution is. Leave her in her room until she falls asleep wherever and when ever she wants? Taking way things doesn't work. I took away things at naptime on Saturday (e.g., her starlight turtle) and she started handing me other things and told me to take everything. Shaming doesn't work. Firm tone doesn't work. Empathy works some, but she has to rage first and that's hard on both of us. Giving her the big bed right away doesn't work because she gets out to hide and it is harder to contain her in the big bed. I hope if we are consistent in our message, she will eventually stop the testing, but this is hard! Maybe a toddler bed with princess bedding...

Coupons

2009-02-06T16:09:00.002-06:00

Well, this story may fall in the TMI category, but it is too funny not to share and guaranteed to embarrass Aidan when she gets older. I'm thinking it will be a good one to share when she's a teen and I don't want to forget it. I know you would rather see pictures, but trust me, it is a funny story. My apologies to anyone who is offended by the TMI portion.

So, we've been staying in a hotel the last few nights while our floors were being refinished. I was unpacking things and a tampon fell out of my toiletries case. Aidan picked it up and asked what it was. I told her it was a tampon. I figure it is best to give straight-forward, age appropriate information to her about bodily things so she learns to that they are things that can be talked about. Best to start young. And, since we are working so hard on potty training, well, let's just say that there isn't a lot of bathroom privacy at our house these days. I'll leave it at that and let you infer from the rest of the story.

Aidan's still working on some of her word pronunciation, so she was calling the tampon "coupon." I corrected her a couple of times, but coupon stuck.

Now, Aidan has had a miserable rash for the last several days. The doctor thinks it is viral and we have some anti-itch medicine to give her. I didn't give it to her early enough before bed last night, so she was itchy as she was trying to go to sleep. Now, we were all in the same bed, because we were in the hotel. Aidan is rolling around in bed (kicking me in the process), trying to claw at her backside, and repeating over and over (with the utmost distress in her voice), "Ow! There's a coupon stuck in my bo-bo."

She was so upset and miserable and we were trying to comfort her but at the same time, we were trying not to burst out laughing.

So, be careful, everyone: Don't get a coupon stuck in your bo-bo. It, according to Aidan, is VERY uncomfortable.

I hope this doesn't mess her up for life...

A sweet story

2009-02-05T14:41:00.001-06:00

Last night, we were at dinner and waiting for our food. Aidan starts singing, as she often does these days, and I'm only half listening until I realize she is singing "You are my sunshine." It was so sweet and just melted my heart. I know she doesn't understand all the words or what the song is really saying to someone, but it was just so sweet to have her singing those words to me (and later in the evening to Christianne). I must ask her to sing it 5 times a day now. :-) She learned it at school in preparation for their Valentine's Day concert. So sweet!

Big Girl

2009-02-05T07:44:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Aidan had a big girl accomplishment. She stayed dry in big girl panties all day at school, stayed dry in her big girl panties (no pull up on for back up) all evening with me, and then stayed dry (in a pull up) all night, and got up this morning and tee-teed in the potty (with some coercion to do so). It was a big accomplishment and we are very proud of our big girl! I offered to let her just wear big girl panties today, but she wanted a pull up. But, this is progress. Hooray!

Aidan's reasoning

2009-02-02T15:04:00.002-06:00

The other day, Aidan came into the room carrying her gas drops and announced she needed medicine. I asked her why she needed medicine and she said, "I have germs in my tummy."

She didn't get any medicine, but it seemed like a well-reasoned argument to me.

Future moutain climber?

2009-01-27T08:03:00.002-06:00

Aidan figured out how to master this rock wall all by herself, but needed a little help to figure out how to get over the top. Once she got it, she was good to go and did it her favorite way: HERSELF!

Pre-Christmas pictures

2009-01-19T10:37:00.003-06:00

Cute stories

2009-01-18T10:38:00.003-06:00

OK, so I am a total slacker on the picture front. I apologize. Between Christmas, trying to stay healthy for surgery, surgery, and recovery, I just haven't gotten to the pictures. They are all on the home computer and I'm blogging from bed on my laptop.

However, there are some cute Aidan stories to immortalize.

First, Aidan has developed her own swear word. There's a bit of a back story. For halloween, she was a fairy princess so, of course, she had a magic wand. Christianne taught her to say "Bippity, boppity, boo!" from the Cinderella movie. Aidan played with this for a time, but then started using it when she wanted us to go away. Funny how you can tell her intent from her tone at such a young age. Now, she has shortened it to "boppy!" whenever she is angry, sad, or frustrated. The other day she got stuck some place and she forcefully said, "Boppy!" as she finally escaped. It is so cute, even when she is angry. We try not to smile.

Second, her latest sentence is "I have an idea." She then proceeds to offer her suggestion for a solution to a problem. It is really sweet - and she has some good ideas.

Aidan was sick yesterday, including a cough. I asked her where her cough came from and she said, "Um.... From my cheeks!"

Aidan has done fairly well with my surgery and recovery. We are thankful for that. She still doesn't understand that I can't pick her up, but we've not had too many more tantrums than usual. Although, she is quickly approaching 2.5 and is attempting to exercise control at every turn. Her favorite thing is to say, "I'll be right back" and go off to the bathroom, close the doors, and do whatever her heart desires - usually something involving toothpaste and water - sometimes it is trying to change her poopy pull-up by herself.

Aidan continues to show little interest in potty training. She does it at school because that's what everyone does, but at home she is too busy to be bothered. We're going to have to find some big incentive program at some point. But right now, I'm not worrying about it too much.

She received a princess dress up trunk from Grandma for Christmas. This has been one of her favorite presents. She is frequently dressed up live Sleeping Beauty and often sleeps in her costume as well.

And she is in love with "Fancy Nancy" (a book series) and everything is now fancy. Thanks for Fancy Nancy, she knows words like "dapper" and "fiasco."

One of the sweet things Aidan does is share her food. She's not always excited to share her toys, but she is ever so concerned that everyone have enough to eat. It is sweet.

One of the not so endearing things she does is she now uses intensifiers. She we get, "But I really, really, really want to watch Wonder Pets." And, "But I really, really, want Wiggles." She also has started yelling for help in Spanish (Thanks, Diego). I won't spell it out, because I will butcher a beautiful language. Suffice it to say that it was cute for about 10 times. It is not so cute when combined with throwing herself on the floor and kicking at everything within a 3 foot radius.

Overall, she is just growing and changing at an amazing rate. Her conceptual understanding of things and her memory are just blossoming. She is using full sentences on a regular basis and picks up new words every day. She knows her colors almost all the time, knows most of her basic shapes, is starting to connect counting with actual quantities, and her physical abilities just keep growing too. And she has such a tender, sweet heart and really cares about people. That's the best part. Oh, and her imagination is taking off too. She is imagining various people with her including Grandma, Gomma, and Bruce (who make the most frequent appearances). She is just amazing!

Aidan's commerical debut

2008-12-16T21:39:00.001-06:00

Aidan was invited to be part of a commercial for the place where she takes swim classes. Check it out:

shop-a-holic

2008-12-04T09:24:00.002-06:00

Our baby girl is a shop-a-holic. And a fashionista. Aidan and I hit Target last night after work and school and this child went crazy - not over toys mind you, but over clothes and accessories. First, it was the sunglasses. She made a hard choice between the pink princess glasses and the purple Hello Kitty glasses. In the end, the purple won out (purple being her new favorite color in the whole wide world - followed closely by pink). Next we went to the clothing section because she needs a Christmas dress for her Christmas Pageant at school. (As an aside, Aidan's class will be standing on the risers and singing songs. She's been practicing at home and she knows 3 whole songs and they are cute, cute, cute! My favorite goes something like "I took a lick of a peppermint stick. I thought it tasted yummy. It hangs on the Christmas tree. But I like it better in my tummy.") Aidan, while I contemplate red versus plaid, is running from rack to rack saying things like "wow!" and "oh boy!" as she looks at the various offerings. She quickly picks a pink ballet skirt, 2 pairs of pink pants, and a pink shirt. She would have picked more if I had not hustled her out of there. We put some things back and sneaky Mommy hid most of the things we bought and so I can bring them back out as Christmas presents. I'm glad she's still young enough that I can engage in such sneakiness. It was easier to get her away from the toys. Although, she did get fixated on a sit and ride car. I got her to go by suggesting that if she didn't come with me right now, I might have to put back her pink pants. My, did she get up quickly after I mentioned that. We are going to be in trouble when she figures out that she can ask to go shopping.

ABCs song and playing school

2008-11-28T12:25:00.004-06:00

I am loving being home with Aidan over the Thanksgiving break (5 whole days!). We have had great fun playing and doing art. Her imagination is really starting to take flight, which is cool. She's been playing with her "Little People" figures, taking them to school. She had lessons and PE (they caught a football), lunch, and nap time. The video below if of Aidan teaching her class the "ABC song."

I must say, I have great respect for mothers who stay home full-time. Just coming up with activities to keep Aidan engaged without relying on the TV is hard. Just today, we have played school, painted, (watched some TV), danced, made a costume out of a paper bag, and had a scavenger hunt - and this is all before nap time. After naps, we are going to put up some Christmas decorations. Big excitement!

Playing the piano and singing

2008-11-23T17:17:00.002-06:00

This is Aidan's new interest:

Welcome Bishop Robinson

2008-11-23T17:11:00.004-06:00

Today, our church was honored to have Bishop Robinson of New Hampshire worship with us. He spoke to us after church during out annual Thanksgiving luncheon. We have much to be thankful for, especially this man of God who is breaking down barriers for all of us by being who God called him to be. Such a lovely, loving man. We pray God's blessings upon him and his partner Mark as they walk a difficult but wondrous road.

First hair cut

2008-11-23T16:51:00.003-06:00

On November 8th, Aidan had her first official haircut (other than mommy cutting her bangs). She wasn't so sure at first, but was happy with the results at the end. In other big fashion news, Aidan has kept a bow in her hair all day (she usually pulls them out). Big excitement for the girly mommy who likes to do her hair.

Princess Magic

2008-11-13T06:52:00.002-06:00

What's in that box you keep pointing at me?

2008-11-13T06:49:00.001-06:00

Ester Williams?

2008-11-13T06:45:00.002-06:00

Think swimming cap from the 50's...

Foxes

2008-11-02T08:16:00.002-06:00

Aidan has developed a fear of foxes. I'm not exactly sure why, but she's afraid that they are in her room at night. She's even afraid of Swiper on Dora. Yesterday, we went to Walgreens and found "Go away fox spray." We were lucky to find it at Walgreens and not have to go to a speciality store. We came home and sprayed her room and then sprayed it again before bedtime. She's not entirely convinced, but it helped some.

Her new favorite phrase is "Oh man!" when something goes wrong.

Aidan says she must watch Wiggles right now, so we are practicing being patient. She has a patient body, but that mouth....

More later.

Home and doing better

2008-10-31T15:44:00.002-05:00

Aidan is home and did well with her surgery. She was VERY unhappy to be at the doctor's office and REALLY upset to see Dr. Bates. It was much harder emotionally for her this time around, as she is just aware enough to be scared. But she did very well post-op and coming out of the anesthesia. Late this morning she complained of her ear hurting. We gave her some Tylenol and are just watching her. Hopefully it was just a little drainage and all will be well. But she's up from a nap and helping Christianne change the sheets on the bed and vacuum. She's such a great helper around the house!

Surgery tomorrow

2008-10-30T12:39:00.002-05:00

Aidan is set for bilateral ear tubes tomorrow at 7:30a. We have to be at the surgery center by 6:30 in the morning. I hope all goes well and quickly! I'll update tomorrow after we get home. We are planning on trick-or-treating tomorrow evening!

Pumpkin patch girl

2008-10-29T19:15:00.004-05:00

Princess Aidan

2008-10-29T18:40:00.004-05:00

Here's a picture of our Princess Aidan. She's very excited about her costume and about trick-or-treating - at least in theory. We'll see how it goes.

Oh, and our child can sing the melody of the Viennese Waltz - and it is recognizable. I'm not sure if that's impressive, but it sure seemed that way to us when she started singing it at the dinner table this week.

Ear update

2008-10-20T17:44:00.002-05:00

Christianne took Aidan to the ENT today. I'm kind of glad I wasn't there, as Aidan put up such a fight having her ears looked at that they had to restrain her on a back board. I'm not sure I could have stood that. Christianne said she recovered quickly after they let her up and seems no worse for the wear.

Dr. Bates said that one tube is out and the other is clogged and on its way out. His recommendation was to replace the tubes. We tried to get it scheduled for this coming Friday, but no such luck. Right now, surgery is scheduled for Halloween. How's that for something to ruin your holiday? No trick or treating at school. :-( Hopefully she'll feel well enough to go out a bit that evening - especially since she's telling everyone that she plans to be a princess for Halloween. Now, we just have to keep her fever free until then. I'm asking for some maintenance antibiotics to keep the infection at bay enough (her ears are still red even with 7 days of antibiotic) that she doesn't get too sick for surgery, like happened last time. I guess the saving grace is that they aren't making us wait through multiple infections before getting us the tubes.

That's the update on the ears. In other news, Aidan is having great fun getting us to pretend with her these days. Her two favorite things to play are "night-night" (where we call lie down, she covers us with blankets and we pretend to sleep ever so briefly before waking up and doing it all over again) and "party" (where we pretend to eat cake and drink tea or juice). It is really very sweet except the tile floor is HARD! Her best phrase of late is "Happy to see you, Mama (or Mommy)." She's also learned that when we say grace, it starts with "Thank you God" and ends with "Amen." Unfortunately, she says "Amen" every time we pause to take a breath. Perhaps we are raising a Baptist. Oh, that's the other thing she does: she calls every church she sees "Baptist Church." This stems from the fact that we have several Baptist churches on a frequently traveled road by our house. One day, Christianne was listing off the churches and said Baptist church 3 times or so. Now, Aidan thinks that's what you call all churches. We are working on the various denominations now. Aidan knows that she goes to "Thomas Church." She also knows the street she lives on and the city and state in which she lives, as well as the name of her school. I'm sure there is more to report, as she grows and changes every day, but that's it for now.

Some videos - I hope!

2008-10-15T04:59:00.007-05:00

Here are some short videos Christianne took of Aidan. Hopefully they work.

This is Aidan and myself pretending to walk like ducks (Eugene is full of ducks, so we had a lot of practice).

This is Aidan's Stevie Wonder imitation.

This is Aidan going down the biggest slide ever!

Ears, ears, ears

2008-10-14T08:51:00.002-05:00

OK, yes, I'm a slacker mom who hasn't' posted pictures of her precious child in over a month. You will hardly recognize her by the time I get around to it. For now, you will have to content yourself with a brief update.

Aidan's ear tubes are pretty much out. We had hoped that by 2 she would have outgrown her ear infections and all would be well. No such luck. She's now had two ear infections in two weeks. She can go about 5 days without antibiotics and then the infection is back. She has an appointment with the ENT next Monday. I'm sure he'll recommend tubes again.

I'll keep you updated and I'll try to post pictures.

Trip to Oregon

2008-09-30T09:39:00.002-05:00

We are back from our trip to Oregon. I'll try to post pictures soon. Aidan is such an amazing traveler. She did a great job with only one meltdown on the way out and none on the way back. And really, with 9+ hours of traveling, who wouldn't have a meltdown? She walked in the airport and stayed with us. She listened and followed directions most of the time. She did kick the passanger in front of her in the head on the way back, but, really, he was asking for it. What person sees that a small child is sitting behind him, in a car seat so she is up high, and then decides to lean his seat all the way back, jam his head into the crack between the seat and the side of the plane, and then gets upset that a little foot finds its way up to the deliciously lime green pillow sticking out? And mommy, who was trying to watch and prevent such things, dropped off to sleep for a brief moment after being kept up all night by a screaming child. Oh well. He was really rather nasty about the whole thing and quite passive-aggressive. I have to confess that, as he walked off the plane complaining about Aidan's behavior (and, really, compared to most 2 year olds I've seen on planes, she was very well behaved), I wished that he will one day fly his own two year old and that child will have ADD. Not nice, but I was tired.

The down side of our trip was that Christianne was sick the entire time, I caught a cold, and Aidan woke up screaming the night before we left with something hurting and I had no tylenol to give her. No es bueno. But Aidan loves flying and loves riding the bus and she had a great time. DVDs help too.

We spent our trip visiting our friends Pam (Gomma) and Bruce and my mother (Grandma). Gomma threw a little birthday party for Aidan and invited Nana Penny and Grampy Ted, which was wonderful. Aidan's still singing happy birthday to herself. The trip was marked by multiple, multiple, multiple trips to the park - often twice in one day - and several scoops of ice cream. One day, early in the trip, Pam and I took Aidan to the park and then decided to get "ice cream first" before going home. The next day, Christianne and I had Aidan at the park and then went to get lunch. As we were going back to the car, Aidan veered off and started walking back to the mall saying, "Ice cream first, ok, please" over and over until she found the ice cream shop. We were on vacation, so we ate a lot of ice cream first.

The parks we went to had two things in common: sand and running water. Aidan had a blast! Most days it was warm enough to strip her down to her pull-up and just let her run. She got very sandy. She dug and ran and climbed and slid. We started to see some of the same kids and parents at the park and Aidan made some friends with whom to play. It is so sweet to watch her try to initiate connections with other kids. She has two approaches. One is to just follow them around and do whatever they do. The other one she used was to pull up her sleeves and show them her tatoos (when we travel we put tatoos on Aidan's arms that have our cell phone numbers on them just in case she gets lost). It was so cute. We worked on sharing her toys. It is funny. If you ask Aidan to share, her first response is almost always, "No." But then, she'll think about it for a minute or two and then come back and share. She just needs to control of deciding to do it herself.

She is more and more interactive and verbal with her environment everyday. She's even learning to talk on the phone a little bit (with coaching about what to say). And, her new phrase is "Little bit" complete with gesture of putting her thumb and forefinger together, holding it up by her head, and squinting her eyes. She's done very well transitioning back to home and school and routine. I am glad of that.

Today is school picture day. I hope we get some good ones.

I'll try to get pictures up soon.

Darned laws of physics

2008-09-11T12:08:00.003-05:00

Poor Aidan keeps bumping up against laws of physics that thwart her heart's desires. This morning, it was the fact that it is impossible to teleport the bite of waffle she desperately wanted to share with Christianne from the backseat of my car into Christianne's car that was just in front of us.

Aidan and followed Christianne most of the way to Aidan's school this morning. Periodically, Aidan would tear off a piece of her waffle, stretch out her arm as far as it could go given the straps of her car seat, and yell, "Mama! Waffle!" She was most disappointed that she could not reach Mama and there was nothing I could do to facilitate the transfer between solid objects. I suppose that I could have tossed the waffle bite through two open windows when we briefly stopped next to each other, but frankly that was just more than this can't-drink-coffee-since-going-through-two-pregnancies-mommy was up for prior to 8 in the morning. We contented ourselves with waving and yelling "love you!" through open windows. Requires less hand-eye coordination.

Other cute things that Aidan is up to. She now knows the name of the street she lives on. If you listen really carefully, you can hear it quite clearly. I won't describe it here in case some malicious person has found the blog. If you are a malicious person: GO AWAY! We are now working on the house number. This is proving a little more difficult.

Aidan is obsessed with the "Wiggles." We watch a portion of it every day. You haven't lived until you have seen Aidan do the "hiccuping chicken dance" and the "bop de doodle dance." We should video tape them. She is way cute!

She is also obsessed with flossing her teeth since her visit to the dentist. Her technique needs some work, but she's devoted to the activity. She even lets me do 3 or 4 each night. We use flossing as a reward for letting us brush her teeth. I'm not sure our child is "normal."

Aidan seems to be adjusting to her new school. The teachers comment on her vocabulary on a regular basis and she is learning new things each day. Today was show and tell with something starting with a "C." I suppose I should have let Aidan pick it out, but I packed some toy cups for her last night after she was in bed. When she's in formal preschool she can choose her own show and tell objects. She's coming home rather wound up, however. I don't know if this is a function of needing more physical exercise than they are giving them, the amount of time she is asked to listen and follow directions, that they serve dessert at lunch, or she's just so stimulated and excited at school that it is carrying over at home. But, boy, is she independent at home! And, she constantly wants to eat something. The other day, over the course the day, she ate 2.5 oranges and 2 bananas. You'd think we starve the child. We really don't!

Aidan is showing little interest in potty training, although we have had two instances of pooping in the potty. Very exciting. We need to find a better incentive for her as stickers seem to have lost their appeal. Maybe we should try dental floss. We are trying training pants that turn cold when wet. We'll see how that goes.

2 year stats

2008-09-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

Well, Aidan's growing like a weed.

Height: 36.5 inches (95th %ile)

Weight: 28.4 pounds (75th %ile)

Head: 19 inches (70th %ile)

Her weight percentile jumped significantly, making the doctor inquire about this, but he said as long as her height is ahead of her weight, we are good. Maybe she doesn't need 1.5 avocados on a regular basis. But doctor said she looks good and is healthy and doing well developmentally. An A+ visit.

Aidan also got an A from the dentist. She had her first tooth cleaning, fluoride application, and exam. Everything but the exam went fairly easily, but overall, she did great! The dentist did say to plan for braces because her mouth is so small. Oh joy. :-)

A picture is worth a 1,000 words

2008-09-05T16:24:00.002-05:00

Doctor?

2008-09-02T18:46:00.005-05:00

The picture doesn't relate to the post, but I know you all really read the blog for pictures.

As you may recall, we have had a rash of leprosy in the household. Fortunately, it only affects stuffed mice. Tonight as we were driving home, Aidan was lamenting Steve's owie. I was commiserating with her and out of the blue Aidan says, "Doctor." I asked if Steve needed to go to the doctor for his owie and Aidan said, "Yes." I told her that it was very fortunately that we were going to see Dr. Denison tomorrow and we would bring Steve to see if Dr. Denison had any special mouse medicine.

Poor Dr. Denison has no idea what he is in for.

Problem solving at its finest

2008-09-02T13:56:00.002-05:00

Aidan and I were at the Little Gym on Saturday. One of the activities was for the kids to lie on their tummies over a big bolster, which we then rolled down an incline so the kids did a forward roll as a result. We did this activity and then the teacher moved on to something else. Aidan decided this was fun, so during free play time, she found another bolster, pushed it out from where it was (wedged between 2 mats), rolled it over to the incline area, and started to push it up into the starting position. It was really amazing to watch her discover her own thought, look around the environment and find the tools she needed, acquire the tools, and plunge again with her plan.

Our little fish

2008-09-02T13:46:00.002-05:00

Aidan has decided that swimming is the best. Two weeks ago, when Christianne took her to swim class, Aidan started putting her face in the water and reaching down to get dive toys off a submerged table. Saturday, when I took her to class, she immediately started putting her face in the water and went off to look for dive toys she could go after. She is actually trying to swim down to them rather than just bend her knees to get them.

Last night at Kathryn and Susie's house, Aidan decided that she needed to jump off the diving board. Yes, you read that right. Jump off the diving board. Now, it was a low, home swimming pool sort of diving board, but still. The first time, she climbed up there all by herself and jumped off without any assistance. She still has trouble knowing to jump out and away from things and was a little close to the board. She didn't hit her head, but we were concerned that she might. But this little girl stood at the end of the board and jumped (or stepped) to Christianne. After that, one of us helped her jump so we could make sure she got out far enough. The other was on catch and retrieval duty. Aidan went quite a way under water and wasn't the least bit scared. She begged to do it over and over and over and over until she was so tired that her legs were jelly and we were breathing hard as well. We finally had to cut her off.

We are thrilled to have a child who embraces adventure and trusts herself and us so much. We are terrified (well, I'm terrified, Christianne is concerned) that this strength could also get her into trouble some day. I will never teach her to be afraid, but a health dose of measured thought might be nice. Until then, we'll watch her like a hawk and hope others will too.

Ready?

2008-09-02T13:44:00.003-05:00

We are starting to work on potty training. As part of this, we flush the poop in the potty. (The handout from the doctor's office said this helps children learn that poop goes in the potty...we'll see.) Sunday we were at a party at a friend's house. Aidan needed her diaper changed. As she reached across to flush the toilet, I hear this little voice say:

Ready, poop?

And away it went...

Lots of new things

2008-08-26T09:30:00.002-05:00

Aidan had her first day at her new school yesterday. They said she did well and she came home happy and full of energy. We had a really great evening together. Aidan even came home with a "Monday folder" that contains information about what she will be working on this week and information sheets for Christianne and me to fill out. We had to sign the folder and send it back today. It really is like being in school! This week, Aidan's class will be working on recognizing the letter "A", the color red, and circles. She had music class yesterday and I think today is library time. Unfortunately, we had a very tearful drop off this morning. She stopped crying about 5 seconds after I walked out the door and looked like she was recovering when I peeked in. Hopefully, it will get easier. The lead teacher ("Gran") seems to want us to sneak off while she distracts Aidan. We have a policy of always saying good-bye. It leads to more tears in the short run sometimes, but how awful for a child to confidently go off to play, thinking their parent is still there, only to turn around for a hug or encouragement and find them gone. That just seems not so good. So, we are still working out the kinks.

Aidan's speech has just exploded in the last few days. She is regularly using short sentences and communicating much more effectively. It was like she woke up one morning and it all just started to click. It really is fun to engage with her in the new way.

We are working on using the potty. She got a brand new Elmo potty for her birthday (early) and pull-ups. We haven't had anything happen in the potty yet, but we are making progress with spending time sitting on it.

Aidan is still struggling with a little biting. She's bitten me twice in 2 days. Last night she did it again and she got sent to time out. After time out is over, I always go in and ask her why she got sent to time out. Not that I really expect her to be able to answer that question, but I want her to get used to the expectation that she think about what she did (as she becomes developmentally able to do this). Last night, I went in and asked the question and Aidan replied, "I bite." I about fell over. We talked about no biting and using words when mad. Just another sign of her growth and development.

She had a great time with her birthday party on Saturday. We had 7 kids over and spent most of the time in the backyard playing with water toys. Later, she played in the sandbox with her wet bathing suit. Fun times! It was really a wonderful time for everyone. I'll get some pictures up.

New School

2008-08-22T16:15:00.003-05:00

Well, Aidan will start her new school on Monday. It seems like a very fast transition, but we didn't want her to start a new room at her old school, be there a week, and then start a whole new school. Hopefully, she won't miss getting to say good-bye too much. She has been in such a mood this week. I hope something new and stimulating will help. Her new teacher was there this morning when I dropped off the application and gave me a big hug when she heard we would be joining the school. I hope that bodes well.

Oh, I forgot to say that Leprosy is spreading through the Steve colony. Two more have been stricken with the disease. One required surgical intervention to first remove the decaying nose and then suture the area to prevent Steve's brains from leaking out. The other is in the process of losing his nose. All told, 3 Steves are now ailing, but staying strong for Aidan, who is hugging everything in sight and begging for her pacifier. Poor baby needs some soothing!

Biting and Compassion

2008-08-21T21:05:00.002-05:00

Well, our almost-two-year old, sweet Aidan, decided that, since she's almost 2 and full of big emotions and a little overwhelmed by it all, she would take up biting. I thought we might skate through with no biting. I guess not.

Wednesday I picked her up and her teacher told me that she had bitten at least one other child that day. Her teacher attributed it to boredom and feeling frustrated because of that. She got sent to the office for an official time out. Not just an in the room time out, but an in the school office time out. Our little girl, sent to the principle's office already.

So, Christianne and I didn't shame Aidan, but we did talk about "we don't bite" and "no biting." And I talked with Aidan about using her words and going to her teacher and saying "help" (or as Aidan says, "elp!" if she got frustrated.

Today, Christianne picked her up and the teacher said she had good news and bad news. The good news is that Aidan did not bite any other children today. The bad news is that Aidan bit herself twice. Once on each hand during various bouts of frustration with other children.

Clearly, she got the message that biting others is not acceptable. And, her feeling was so big she had to do something with it. (I have to say the psychologist in me who has worked with a lot of people who self-injure died a little even at the thought of Aidan hurting herself in this fairly normal way. I did refrain from dialing my friend who is a play therapist for a panic consultation.)

Tonight, we role played with Aidan things she can do when she's mad her frustrated. We worked on saying "Help!" as loud as she can. We also worked on wiggling her whole body when she has a big feeling she doesn't know what to do with. Christianne and I pretended to be fighting over a toy and when one of us yelled help, the other would stop. Then we pretended to fight with Aidan for the toy and coached her to say "help," at which point the other one would come in a negotiate a compromise. Hopefully it will start to transfer and no one, Aidan included, will be bitten.

While we were playing, Aidan got a little wound up and hit me in the face with a beaded hat. It hurt and I played it up a little to make the point. Aidan apologized and gave me a kiss. But here's the really compassionate, sweet part: Of her own volition, she left the room and went to the kitchen where we keep the Puppy Patch (cold pack for owahs) in the fridge. She came back asking for help, got me up, too me to the kitchen, said "Doggie, owah, help" (or some combination of that) had me open the fridge and get out the puppy patch. I handed it to her and she put it on my owah. It was so sweet. I picked her up and gave her a big hug and told her own proud I was of her for being so thoughtful and sweet. It is really great to see her developing the ability to care about others.

In other news, we are signing Aidan up for a new school. It looks like she could start in the next week or so. Her current school has been great in many ways, but is really going through a transition time and the school is suffering growing pains. In a couple years, things might be different, but Aidan really needs some more challenge and stimulation and we just aren't seeing it happen at her current school. Her new school is strong on structure and focus, but also seemed really loving and when I told them her first sentence was "I don't want that" they responded "We love self-esteem here!" I really hope they will nurture her soul as well as her mind. It feels like such a big decision to make. We both want what is best for Aidan and the known always feels safer than the unknown, but I think it will be a good move. If you want to check out the school, it is here.

Time to do a little cleaning and go to bed. Hopefully, Aidan isn't sleeping under her pillow or without her diaper tonight.

"Oh gosh" "Oh well" and Pictures

2008-08-17T20:55:00.002-05:00

Aidan has adopted two new phrases of late. The first one is "Oh gosh." The second is "Oh well." Both are very cute. Her other big accomplishment today was that she asked to walk at the grocery store and she walked almost the whole time (with occasional hugs) but even more impressive is that she 1) stayed with me, 2) when I told her to "freeze" she stopped immediately (and froze in place - very cute), and 3) did not pull a single thing off the shelves. I was very impressed with her behavior and told her several times how proud I was of the way she behaved. She also walked through the store singing "Happy Birthday Aidan" at the top of her little lungs (or Twinkle, twinkle little star). We will work on appropriate vocal decorum next.

And here a few pictures. Sorry it has taken me so long to update them.

In her princess dress:

Aidan, the adventurous eater:

Edamame:

Asparagus:

Hawaiian day outfit for school (she chose the shoes):

Aidan picks out her own clothes for school:

We went out to dinner to celebrate Aunt Mary's birthday. Aidan had a long day and it was late. She decided she needed a little personal space so she set this up all by herself and took time to be quiet on her own. Isn't it great to see her listening to that little voice inside her? Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't very busy so she could do this:

Aidan was playing with a mixing bowl. I told her that when she was little, she used to sit in it. So, she tried again:

This is her new "Blue's Clues" chair. She drags it all over the house to sit in it:

Cooperation Station

2008-08-05T08:32:00.002-05:00

I know I've been posting lots of updates about things Aidan is accomplishing, but I am just amazed at what she is learning day by day and how she is developing. Every day there is something new. Yesterday, it was her blossoming social skills that amazed me.

After school, Aidan and her friend Ava were playing on the playground. They have these little sit and ride toys out there (cars and trucks and things). Both girls wanted to play with the same toy. After a little bit of help from me and from Ava's dad, the two actually started playing with the toy together. They took turns, with one riding and the other pushing and were able to take turns with almost no prompting from the adults. Every once in a while a little reminder to "use your words and talk about it" was needed, but they played well together for probably 20 minutes or more. It was great! I'm sad that Ava may be moving to a new school soon. She and Aidan are good friends and we like her parents a lot too.

Big weekend and proud moments

2008-08-04T10:05:00.002-05:00

Aidan had a very big weekend this past Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was our usual of Little Gym and swimming. We then rushed home for a nap (I had planned 2 hours, Aidan chose 1.25 hours), a late lunch, and then off to a birthday party for one of her Little Gym classmates who just turned 2. More playing in the gym, cake, goldfish pretzels, and juice. Then more playing, balloons, and gift bags, and then home.

Sunday, we had church in the morning and then out to brunch. Home for a nap (2 hours this time) and then back to church for the 5:30 service because we then had to go out to a birthday dinner for Aunt Mary.

Here's one proud moment:

Aidan attended the entire 5:30 services (about 45 minutes) and was so good. We sat in the back for the first part of the service and she colored and did quiet things. The peace came just in time, as she needed a break from being quiet and contained. Then, for the liturgy of the table, we all stand in a circle around the altar. Aidan took a book (a fish book, which was appropriate as the Gospel was the Feeding of the 5000) and stood up on the altar step, quietly looking at her book. She was quiet the whole time, except when Christianne was cleaning up the altar after communion. After Christianne consumed the last of the consecrated wine, Aidan piped up, "All gone!" Both of us told Aidan how proud we were of her and what a big girl she was to have behaved so well in church.

Then we all went to dinner. Aidan did well with the bag of toys I brought and through the consumption of a very large plate of guacamole. She then decided she was tired to sitting in the high chair. Christianne tried to get Aidan to sit with her, but Aidan would have none of it. We had a booth on one side of the table and I gave Aidan an activity to do there and then gave her a blanket and Steve. It quickly became clear that what Aidan needed was some quiet alone time. Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't packed and there was an empty table next to us. Aidan took her blanket, spread it on the ground, got Steve, got her books, got her milk, and arranged everything just so and then snuggled on her blanket. She ended up sitting on her blanket reading her books and hugging Steve. Her cousin Andrew eventually sat on the floor and read with her. That was one sweet picture. We were proud of Aidan for identifying what she needed and making it happen.

Oh, and Aidan's learning to tell happy, sad, and mad faces apart (we have a book and we've been practicing. She's getting pretty good.

Trade?

2008-08-04T10:03:00.001-05:00

The other day, Aidan and I were having a snack between Little Gym and swimming lessons. She was happily eating her snack of crackers and smooshed fruit. I was having my energy bar. Aidan comes up to me with her bowl of crackers, holds the bowl out to me and with big eyes says:

"Trade?"

How sweet is that?

A bunch of random things - with pictures!

2008-08-02T13:11:00.004-05:00

From the "It is all in how you ask" category:

Aidan's developmental questionnaire has this item on it, "With your child watching you, line of 4 blocks in a row. Does your child copy you and line up 4 blocks?"

So, for a couple of months, I've been lining up 4 blocks, giving Aidan 4 blocks, and asking her if she can copy me. The resounding response? "NO."

I did it the other day and she looked at my line of blocks and said, "Choo-choo." I said, "Aidan, can you make a train like mine?"

That girl sure can line up 4 blocks.

(I wonder if she has to pick out 4 blocks or it is OK that I gave her the maximum amount she could use - I hate that questionnaire.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The other night, Aidan and I got home early and went to play with her toys. This lead to many train creations out of blocks and then lots of choo-choo time. At one point while we were playing, Aidan grabbed my glasses off my face. She knows this is a no-no. I tried to get them back, but she was very insistent. So, I decided to watch and see what she wanted to do. She carefully folded up my glasses and put the out of the way from where we were playing, saying, "Right there."

And then she came and tackled me.

A great game of rough-housing ensued and we had a great time playing together. I figured out from the context that she wasn't taking my glasses to take them, but she took them because she wanted to wrestle and she knows that I take my glasses off before we play like that so no one gets hurt. Today at swimming lessons, she did a similar thing, taking my glasses off and putting them on the side of the pool so she could splash me in the face.

Am I a geeky mother to think that is pretty amazing for a 23 month old?

Here are some pictures of our fun:

I don't know why she did this, but she had fun and was very intent on it:

This is what happens after Aidan helps with her laundry:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

During the same play session, Aidan initiated, with no prompting from me, our "boogity, boogity, boogity, boo!" game (see June's vacation/update post for explanation of this game). It used to be that I would have to start it. Now, she can apparently remember it, symbolize it in her mind, and choose to act on it. It is amazing to see her theory of mind develop. (Only a psychologist mother would use the phrase "theory of mind" in her child's blog/baby book.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today, at the Little Gym, Aidan did a somersault all by herself - 3 or 4 times.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aidan has shown in small ways in the past that she can have compassion for others who are hurting or sad (usually with a little prompting). Today, she demonstrated her ability to be absolutely horrified at another person's (or stuffed mouse's) plight. Her little mouse Steve has a button nose. (You may remember that we have 5 Steves so we are never without one.) Aidan likes to chew on Steve's nose. Today, Steve developed leprosy and his nose fell off. Aidan was distraught beyond belief. She held him and kissed him, and said, "oh no" over and over. She finally calmed when I told her that he would be OK, but his nose would never be the same. She's given him extra TLC today. She was mightily confused when I handed her another Steve later in the day and he had a full nose. Poor kid's going to have impair reality testing and need therapy.

Steve before:

Steve after being stricken with leprosy:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bedtime is going better. The books seem to be good incentives and last night she earned all 5 and kept all 5. She's also putting herself to sleep with less crying and carrying on, which is good. Once she gets that down, maybe we'll work on a big girl bed.

What a 23 month old needs in order to go to sleep:

(That would be a pillow, 3 blankets, sippy cup, hand crochetted hat, and at least 7 stuffed animals.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She's also showing interest in using the potty. She asks to sit on it about once a day now. After she moves to her next class (August 25th), we'll start working more intentionally on it. Until then there is no real point because they won't do it at school until they are 2.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Swimming lessons are going very well. Aidan loves them!

Those are the major updates.

Gotta start early when you are a Priest's Kid

2008-07-27T14:04:00.005-05:00

Aidan is taking her role as a Priest's Kid very seriously and practicing for the duties she can anticipate at church as she grows. Here she is practicing to be a thurifer (and maybe Altar Guild too):

Another jaybird night

2008-07-27T13:50:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm sure you are all curious to know how going to sleep went last night. Aidan got her books and read and rocket and Christianne counted down 20 minutes and then put her in her crib with her pillow, 27 stuffed animals (a slight exaggeration), blanket, sippy cup of water, music, and a kiss and left. Aidan cried for a much shorter period and not as mournfully, and was then asleep.

However, when I went to check on her, again, no diaper. Left her top on this time. Diapering a sleeping child while making sure they say asleep is no easy task - did I mention I'm going in in the dark with just a very small, teeny tiny night light?

I did a better job last night, however, as she was not wet. On the other hand, I walked in to her holding out her index finger and saying, "Finger...finger." I grabbed her finger to see what was the matter (good thing I didn't kiss it!) and it was full of poop! I asked her where it came from and she said, "Diaper!" After a good hand wipe for both of us, lots of "magic soap," and a diaper change we were off to start our day. Oh, and a conversation about the down side of sticking your hand in your diaper when it has poop on it. Ewwwwww!!!!!!

This is a picture of Aidan's outfit for Western Day at school. If you look closely, the child on the right on Aidan's shirt is Christianne in her cowgirl outfit.

Naked as a jaybird

2008-07-26T09:39:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how naked a jaybird is, but last night, that's how Aidan went to sleep.

But, let me back up.

I am pleased to announce that Aidan kept all 5 of her books last night. Excellent getting ready for bed, little bug!

(We have many animal names for Aidan.)

We are starting to get the getting ready part under control, but the actual going to sleep part is turning into a production. Last night we:

Snuggled in the rocking chair and read 5 books.

We turned out the lights and snuggled in the big bed.

Aidan changed clothes 3 times.

I put her in her crib, but (not a smart mommy move, I know) relented and we tried snuggling in the chair one last time.

I finally put her in her crib, as we were getting no where, and told her good night.

She cried while Christianne and I felt guilty and like bad mommies (maybe one day she'll read this and understand we didn't try to be mean). And I tried to comfort us by saying, "Crying is a natural response to feeling frustrated and not getting what you want."

After about 15 hours (well, actually 20 minutes), Aidan went to sleep.

When I went in to check on her before we went to bed, she had taken off her PJs and her diaper and was sleep on her tummy, legs pulled up and to the side like a little frog, with her bare bum in the air. A very cute sight, I must say.

I am standing there wondering how I'm going to get the diaper back on her because I am NOT waking her up. Fortunately, she was hiked up enough I could get one side of the diaper over her hiney and the other under her front and do it up enough to stay on for the night. Next, I tried to figure out if she was sleeping on a wet sheet. Fortunately, she's getting ready to potty train and has a bit better bladder control, so the bed was dry. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't.

(Don't worry, Aidan, I wouldn't have let you sleep in a pee soaked bed. I promise.)

This morning, it was evident that the diaper had leaked some, but overall, it was all good.

Our new plan is she has 20 minutes to go to sleep and after 20 minutes she goes into the crib, asleep or not and then we only go back in if it sounds like she's so upset she's about to have a psychotic break. I'm not sure those are the exact words we used, but that's the gist of it.

I'm sure part of this is related to the fact that the pacifier has gone bye-bye. It really helped her gear down from the day. She's only asked for it once since it disappeared, for which I am grateful. However, I'm eager for some more self-soothing skills to kick in! We've got evening things tonight and tomorrow, so we probably won't get a chance to implement the plan until Monday. We'll see how it goes.

First full-on meltdown

2008-07-23T14:15:00.002-05:00

Aidan had her first almost-two years old meltdown last night. She is really resistant to going to bed lately. Some nights are great, but last night she was playing her counting game and generally not cooperating. She lost one book before even getting to her room, had the opportunity to earn it back with positive teeth brushing but lost it (she's at 3 books at this stage of the story). She lost one more book over getting her PJ's one. As soon as I put it out in the hall, she started crying hysterically. She kept trying to get out of the baby gate to go get it and when she couldn't open it by herself, she attempted to drag me or Christianne over to help her. All the while, crying real tears and snot running down her nose and half dressed because that's as far as we got in the process.

Although it made our hearts break, Christianne and I held firm that the book had gone "bye-bye" but she would have a chance to get to read it tomorrow night and she still had two books left. We reflected her anger and her sadness and inquired if she would like hugs or kisses to help her feel better (both were rejected). We offered to leave the room to give her some time by herself, but she clearly stated she wanted us to stay. We went on like this for at least 30 minutes before she finally calmed down enough to bury her face in my legs and accept reality.

For some reason, she seemed to blame Christianne for this whole episode, even though I was the one who took the book away. Poor Christianne. All she wanted to do was repair the connection with Aidan and Aidan was having none of it, trying to push Christianne off the bed and refusing hugs and kisses good night. It was a sad night for everyone.

Aidan and I settled into the big bed to read, but she was wide awake after all that crying and showed no signs of going to sleep. I offered to put her into the crib with a pillow, water, blanket, Steve, and Sally (large, knit flower person). She agreed and all was good for a bit. Then she started crying again. Christianne went to check on her and got to snuggle her for a bit, then Aidan started calling for me. Back in the big bed. I suggested that she could just sleep in the bed (as sometimes having an audience just makes things worse), but she insisted that I lie down with her. We laid down and eventually Aidan fell asleep at 9:40p, about an hour and 20 minutes later than we like for her to go down. She was a tired little girl this morning.

Neither Christianne nor I have ever wanted to go back on our word so much as when Aidan was acting as if we had eviscerated Steve in front of her, but knew that the ultimate best thing was to keep the limit.

Maybe tonight, we will get to read, "Mr. Brown can Moo, Can You?"

A few pictures

2008-07-23T12:59:00.003-05:00

Aidan's bohemian look:

Dressed for "Inside-Out Day" at school:

Toddler dresses herself:

Aidan wants glasses:

Brushing Bobby's and Steve's teeth

2008-07-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

Here's our first video post:

operation brush teeth and get ready for bed

2008-07-17T20:18:00.002-05:00

Tonight, we tried the new plan. Aidan got to pick 4 books to read at bedtime. She, however, picked 5. So, in an on the fly adaptation, the 5th book became the "tooth brushing cooperation" book. I held the book and informed Aidan she could have it if, and only if, she brushed her teeth with no crying or carrying on and cooperated. I stood in the bathroom with the book as a reminder as Christianne brushed Aidan's teeth. It went much, much smoother. Bribery, what a parenting tool!

Then, it was off to get ready for bed with a count of 5 books. We explained the rules: Little girls who cooperate when getting ready for bed get to read all 5 books. Little girls who don't cooperate and who have to be chased down, get books taken away. Things started off well enough, but then she decided she didn't want a diaper change. After working with her a bit, we did the count to 10 and she lost a book. She then got the diaper, but balked at PJs. Once again, she lost a book, but this time I took the books she lost (my choice of which books) and put them out in the hall. This seemed to make an impression on her. After a little crying and a reminder of how the rules work, she got on her PJs. In fact, she put her PJ bottoms on (backwards) all by herself. She almost lost a third book after this, by sitting in the book reading chair and not letting one of us sit with her, but she managed to pull it out. So, she gets 3 books tonight. I told her that maybe tomorrow night she can get all 5.

Oh, and last night she went to sleep without her pacifier. We are trying it again tonight, with it close by in case of an emergency bale out. The doctor wants it to go away at 2. It would be nice if she were to decide on her own she didn't need it (last night, she gave it to me after using it just a few minutes). Here's hoping.

The world according to a toddler

2008-07-17T19:44:00.002-05:00

In the world according to a toddler, if you yell "My turn!" repeatedly at the top of your lungs, it magically becomes your turn.

In the world according to a toddler, a sandwich bite made into an airplane tastes yucky if flown by a parent, but is yummy if the toddler is the pilot.

In the world according to a toddler, if you say "Uh-oh" after doing something you aren't supposed to do, it magically becomes an accident and you don't get into trouble.

In the world according to a toddler, if you just ignore a unwanted request, the request simply ceases to exist.

In the world according to a toddler, everything is better if it is dipped in something.

To be continued...

You know you're a mother when...

2008-07-17T18:30:00.002-05:00

Aidan has developed quite an interest in buses, as I think I've mentioned before. Every time we are in the car, she's on the lookout for a bus. After she sees the first one, she says, "Agin! Bus!" and "Where are you bus?" over and over. On a good day, we can see 4 buses between daycare and home. She gets so excited when she sees one.

So, now, I find myself driving around town and everytime I see a bus, I find myself feeling so excited and I start to proclaim, "There's a bus!"

Then I realize I'm alone in the car.

Our almost 2 year old

2008-07-17T09:21:00.005-05:00

Aidan is very busy being almost 2. She knows her own mind and what she wants and is reluctant to relinquish control to another. Our short hand for this is "The NO MONSTER is here." Poor thing. It has got to be so hard to want to do so much, have limited things that you can accomplish on your own, and then have some mommy or mama tell you that you can't do one of the things you know that you could do it given the opportunity. Or, to think you can do something just fine by yourself, thank you very much, but have a grown-up have a different opinion (like teeth brushing).

We have 3 main issues right now:

1) Bedtime. Aidan does not wish to go to bed at night. Delay, delay, delay...play, play, play. I think it is related to her difficulty transitioning from having us full time on vacation to our work schedule (insert working mommy guilt feelings here), as well as her desire for independence. Our new plan is Aidan gets to pick out 4 books to read before bedtime at the beginning of the getting ready process. Then, for each time she doesn't listen or engages in delaying tactics, one book gets taken away. After all 4 are gone, no stories and just a hug and a kiss and bed. We'll see how that works.

2) Teeth brushing. We had some success with bringing a parade of stuffed animals into the bathroom. Aidan would brush their teeth, each in turn, and make them spit into the sink while singing the teeth-brushing song (it is pretty cute). Then, one of us would brush Aidan's teeth. Then she would get to brush mama's or mommy's teeth. It worked for about a week. Now, we are back to her wanting to do it "MYSELF" or just refusing altogether. Any one got any tips? I'm thinking of trying a sticker chart. (Curious about the teeth-brushing song? Click here and choose "Songs" in the left menu and then "Ready for bed." It is cute song. Cuter when Aidan is singing it.)

3) Dinner. The last two nights, Aidan has decided that she wants "treats" for dinner. Last night, she wanted little jelly fruit flavored things (at 17 grams!?!? of sugar, they are a rare treat). The night before, she wanted "ice" (ice cream). So, we introduced the concept of having to eat dinner before treats. Last night she finally got interested in dinner and ate reasonably well. The night before, we told her "2 bites of everything on your plate." She climbed up into her chair, crying pretty hard, and started eating. She got to the chicken and balked. We held firm and she ate her chicken. And then she got her ice. Poor thing.

On brighter notes, she is continuing to talk more and more each day and we can understand more and more each day. She's singing more of the songs she knows too. And she's counting more. She has some numbers all the way up to 20 now and enjoys counting as she does things. In the "be careful what you model" category, Aidan has started counting when she's doing things that I have told her to "hurry up" about, as when Aidan is given a choice, she has until we count to 10 to make a choice or we make it for her. So, now she counts as she doing things. Her counting usually goes like this "6...7...8...2...3..." Sometimes, it goes "16...17...18..." However, she's getting the idea.

She can now, with some reliability, identify the letter "A" when it appears by itself.

And she is GREAT at identifying animals.

She LOVES painting with paintbrushes now. We have indoor (on paper) and outdoor (on the sidewalk) paints and she is having the best time. We are having fun too, particularly when we are outside and can draw and paint ourselves!

She is working on her pouring skills too - and getting quite good at it. When we are outside, she likes to fill up a bucket with water and pour it into smaller buckets and then back again. She hasn't figured out that different sized containers have different volumes, but she's having fun experimenting. She's also having fun spraying us with the hose.

She continues to be my helper in the kitchen and loves participating in the cooking process. Lately, however, she wants to cut things herself. I'm not quite ready to turn over my kitchen knives. Last night, we worked on cutting bread (with a dull knife), however, and she thought that was great fun.

She can now jump with both feet leaving the floor. She is almost ready to start jumping off things. Right now, she tends to step off (with a little lift of her upper body that makes her think she is jumping). But the other day, I saw a true two-footed jump off a soft block.

Oh, and she loving swim lessons now. Doesn't really want to follow the lesson (other than the part about jumping off the side, doing the Hokie Pokie, and going down the slide), but loves going. Big improvement from the first two times.

In the cute now, but will become irritating later, category: Aidan's teacher informed me that Aidan will go up to another little girl and say, "No, no Lindsay. Don't do that. That's a no-no." Aidan seems to feel the need to take care of Lindsay (and boss her around). When we are leaving for the day, if Lindsay is still there, Aidan will try to take Lindsay's diaper bag to her or to one of Lindsay's parents if she sees them. It is really sweet.

Those are the main Aidan updates. Christianne has figured out how to get video off our camera and onto the computer. This weekend I hope to figure out how to upload it here so you can see Aidan in action.

A moment of sweetness

2008-07-02T08:27:00.002-05:00

Last night (before the "I'm so mad I'm going to take off all my clothes" incident, we had a little accident in the kitchen. A glass lid to a skillet fell on the floor and shattered into a million pieces. We were all standing in the kitchen. I scooped up Aidan and took her and the dogs to Aidan's room while Christianne cleaned up the mess. Everyone was OK except Aidan got a couple of little cuts on her foot from flying glass.

But here's the sweet part. We get in Aidan's room and I explain that we have to stay in there for awhile because of the broken glass. Aidan, without prompting, comes across the room, strokes my face, and says, "Sorry." It was so sweet. I thanked her for the sympathy and reassured her that she did nothing wrong. But it was a nice show of unprompted caring and toddler understanding that something bad had happened and she wanted to reach out.

Of course, later, she threw a fork at me. Still, a sweet moment of connection in the midst of her desperate race toward selfhood.

I'm so mad....

2008-07-01T21:26:00.003-05:00

OK, first you have to understand the set up. Aidan has a new swimsuit - a Dora swimsuit. She insisted on wearing it to dinner tonight. It has a little cover-up dress that goes with it. After dinner, she wanted to take off the swimsuit and put on the cover-up. As it was near bedtime, I convinced her to put on her pajama top and then put the cover-up over the top. Imagine a short sleeve PJ top that has a white background with pink flowers all over it and pink trim. Now imagine a lime green mesh spaghetti strap cover-up that says "DORA" across the front over it.

Notice there is nothing about a diaper or PJ pants mentioned above.

A wrestling match ensues (after much appropriate parenting, choices, etc.) that results in 1) Aidan throwing 2 diapers at me (after throwing a fork at me at dinner) and 2) Aidan wearing a diaper and PJ bottoms.

We have a talk about throwing things and what are appropriate things to do when angry.

We settle into the "big bed" to read stories (her new thing; she doesn't want to sit in the rocker anymore). She does well for awhile and I remind her that if she wants to be in the big bed, she has to settle down. She decides to get down. I give her a choice of getting down and going to her crib or staying in the bed with me to read stories. This stops her for a moment and then she is off. I very calmly retrieve her and put her in her crib with all her nite-nite things, tell her I love her, and leave the room. It is quiet for a bit and then crying ensues. Usually she will calm down and fall asleep in no more than 10 minutes. She didn't seem to be doing this, so, I went into her room to check on her.

Now, here's the "I'm so mad..." part:

"I'm so mad I'm going to take off all my clothes!"

Aidan is standing in her crib with her PJs and diaper off and the lime green cover-up in some contorted mess around her torso with one arm through a strap and the other strap around her chest - crying.

Of course, I give her lots of empathy while calling Christianne to witness this sight.

The two of us finally manage to get her diapered (again) and in her PJs (again) sans the cover-up and all lie down in bed for some stories. Christianne makes the mistake of briefly lying on Aidan's pillow. This causes loud protests from Aidan, who eventually banishes Christianne from the room with a "No Mama! My pillow! Move!"

Aidan and I talk about how she hurt Mama's feelings and now Mama is sad. Aidan calls Christianne back and they repair the disconnection. We all lie down and read stories.

Aidan is now asleep (with her clothes on). Let's hope it lasts all night.

Vacation pictures

2008-07-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

We started off in Wellesley. Christianne and Aidan played a lot while I was at a conference. But we had some time to play together too. And best of all, we got to see Gomma!

Playing "Beep, beep" in the rent car:

At the park:

Playing outside with mommies and Gomma:

Learning to do a front handspring:

Sweet pictures:

In Rockport, we visited Christianne's long-time friend Karin. On day she took us to an orchard in Essex where Aidan got to see lots of animals. She was a little unsure about some of them, but mostly enjoyed the experience. Poor little girl was sitting in time out when 3 sheep came trotting right by her (she was up on a little wall and not in danger of being stepped on). That freaked her out a bit.

Next, it was off to Salem, MA, home of the famous witch trials. It was a bust of a visit from that standpoint, but we found a lovely commom where Aidan could run and run. She's also demonstrating her ability to fasten the straps on her stroller and push it HERSELF.

Aidan loves smoothies:

Then it was off to Boston. We spent a lot of time in Boston Common, looking at ducks and swans and running around.

There are bronze ducks in the Common and Aidan had fun sitting on each and every one. I'm not sure we did. The last picture needs some sound. Imagine her saying, "Mama, mooooooove!!!!" and making "I'm working really hard grunting noises."

On our last day in Boston, we went to the New England Aquarium. Aidan was a little overwhelmed at first (it was rather noisy) but then she got into it. However, she totally freaked out when we watched the divers jump into the tank to feed the fish and the giant turtle.

Aidan and I have a game we play called "boogity, boogity, boogity, boo!" This game is difficult to describe, but it entails me making little grabbing motions with my hand in front of her face for the "boogity, boogity, boogity" part and then with "boo!" quickly opening my hand. She thinks it is hysterical. For a long time, I would do it alone, but now she's started doing it back to me. I pretend to be surprise/scared and she laughs as much as when I startle her. These are pictures of her startling me. (You should hear her try to say "boogity")

General cuteness that can't be classified:

Update on Aidan

2008-07-01T08:27:00.003-05:00

Well, we are back from our vacation and adjusting to being back in our routines. Aidan is learning to sleep through the night again and is showing a little reaction to having been with mommies 24/7 for 11 days and now going back to daycare. But, we are all managing. Now, if she would just let us brush her teeth. Speaking of teeth, Aidan seems to be cutting her 2 year molars. True to form, they are coming in VERY, VERY, VERY slowly with lots of drool and finger chewing. She is more and more capable of things every day and every day brings more "myself" (she can say the whole word now) comments. She's also started telling people and animals "No." As in: "No, no Mama. Myself." "Noooooo Lexa! Git down!" "No Mama. Move!" They appear to be talking about daddies at school, as yesterday Aidan greeted me with a warm "Daddy!!!!" when I appeared to pick her up. And she called Christianne "Mama-Daddy" last night. Not sure what to do about that yet. She can go up and down stairs without holding hands most of the time. Sunday, she even carried in some of the groceries from the car, took them up the stairs, and put them on the table. She LOVES to be a helper now. Yesterday, she saw the mother of one of her classmates come in the door and she started calling Lindsay's name, saying "bye-bye," and picked up Lindsay's diaper bag and took it to Lindsay's mother. She's still working on her "ABC song" and is learning to count. She can do 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. I don't think the numbers are linked to the concept of amount of things yet, but she's learning the sequence. She also knows just how long it takes to count to 10 and when 10 is coming up. When we give her a choice between two things (neither of which she wants to do), we tell her that she has until we count to 10 to pick or a mommy will choose. She usually waits until about 9 to get moving.

I've also decided that she is a child who will tackle the difficult things first. For example, most children learn to roll from stomach to back first. Aidan? Back to tummy first. Most children go through a phase of calling themselves by their name (e.g., "Aidan do it") and then progress to referring to themselves as "I." Aidan? She's been using "I" for at least 2 months (she's 22 months today). Last week she started referring to herself as "Aidan" at least part of the time. It is only recently that I've been convinced that she even knows her name. Most children mimic back two word phrases prior to creating their own. Aidan rarely mimics us and when she does, she usually only picks up on one word of the phrase. However, at 18 or 19 months, she pops off with "I don't want that." At 21 months she says, "Put it in your pocket." Now, she doesn't use sentences often, but she does have her standard two word phrases, like "git down" and "I do" and "I go" and "Here Kitty". Lately, she's started some mimicking.

She loves to sing and knows the words and tune to many songs. The other night, she was asleep and I hear "swish, swish, swish...all through the town." She also seems to dream of things she wants to do because she almost always wakes up with a mission. The other day, she woke up from a nap and as soon as her feet hit the floor, she urgently pulled on my hand and said "keekee, keekee." I had no idea what she was talking about, so she pulled me to the kitchen, pointed to where we keep the dog cookies and said, "keekee, keekee." She HAD to give the dogs their cookies.

Another interesting thing she did on vacation was demonstrate that, indeed, left to their own devices, children will eat when hungry and stop when full. Aidan has developed an obsession with "ice." The tricky part is that sometimes "ice" means frozen water (she LOVES ice cubes and ice water) and sometimes it means ice cream. In Boston, we were out walking and went by a Ben and Jerry's. Aidan launched into her "ice" mantra. We told her after dinner we would talk. She ate a really good dinner at Legal Seafood. We went back to Ben and Jerry's and Aidan ate maybe two bites of ice cream and then didn't want any more. We praised her for listening to her body and for stopping eating when she was full. Her mommies should learn that lesson a bit better, especially this mommy.

Her school is revamping the rooms and we returned from vacation to find new toys in her room, a lesson plan posted outside her room (finally, after 18 months I know some of what she does during the day!), the institution of "splash day" on Wednesdays (formally, only 2+ kids got to do it), and Rhythm and Rhyme days. I'm glad that there is a little more structure and stimulation. As you can probably guess, Aidan thrives on new experiences.

She also believes she thrives on "Elmo" and "People." She became a DVD junkie on vacation, so we are now in the process of severely cutting back her viewing time. She's taking it better than I expected.

She became obsessed with buses while we were away (since we rode on several). She now asks to see a bus every time we are in the car or outside. She's most disappointed when one doesn't come by.

Well, I know you all really want pictures, so I should get those posted.

Oh, and swimming lessons are going well. She didn't cry at all this week and was very excited to get in the pool. Hooray!

Still more pictures

2008-06-12T22:10:00.002-05:00

What every toddler wears:

Playing "Beep Beep!"

Swimming at Aunt Kathryn's

Mama's Birthday parties:

Mys and Self!

2008-06-12T12:57:00.002-05:00

Aidan has two new favorite words: Mys (pronounced like m-eyes) and self. She uses them regularly. Sometimes she manages to meld them together into MYSELF! This is how she likes to do things, at least until SHE decides to ask for "elp." I have learned to preface everything with "Do you want to do it yourself or would you like help?" This generally makes things go much smoother. Unless, she wants to do something HERSELF but later, not when I want to have it done. Like getting in her car seat. This morning, I gave her the choice and she chose HERSELF, but then she had to inspect the car floor boards for interesting food or toys. (Never know what might be down there.) I gave her the standard "Love and Logic" warning, "Aidan, do you want to get in the car seat by yourself or do you want mommy to help? If you aren't in your seat by the time I count to 10, mommy's going to help you. 1...2...3..." I got to 10 and she was still inspecting old Cheerios, so I picked her up and put her in her seat, with much crying (even real tears), flailing, and back arching. When I gave her empathy (You wanted to do it yourself, didn't you?), she responded with "OK" and tried to get down so she could get back in BY HERSELF. When I wouldn't let this happen (You can try again tonight), it kicked off another round of distress. We finally got things calmed down and we had a little talk about needing to do what mommy asks when mommy asks for it to be done. She gave a little nod of agreement. After a little personal time for everyone involved, we sang 3 rousing choruses of "The Alphabet Song" on the way to school. Aidan is able to sing about 1/3 of the song. She gets "A, b, c", "g", "lmnop" and "y, z". I just counted and that's almost 1/2 of the alphabet. It is amazing to me the things she can sing that I know she couldn't just come out and say yet. Singing is a great language tool. Yesterday, she was watching "Little People" (the episode with the boat) and when she saw the wheels getting put on the boat, she said/sang (somewhere in between) "All through the town."

We are also using choices to the point of being ridiculous sometimes, but it seems to work. For example, last night at bed time, Aidan had the following choices:

Changing diaper on floor or changing table (floor)
Pick out diaper HERSELF or mommy pick the diaper (HERSELF)
Put on pajama pants first or pajama top first (top)
Put arms through first or head through first (head)
Have Mama read books or Mommy read books (Mommy)
Hold orange bear or inchworm (inchworm)

Well, you get the picture.

She currently enjoys playing "Beep, beep" which means she sits in the driver's seat and pretends to drive and pushes all the buttons and moves all the dials. It is best when the keys are left in the ignition and she can play the radio REALLY LOUD - by HERSELF.

She is generally developing a very sweet personality. Yesterday, as she was playing Beep Beep, she found my water bottle and got out of the car to bring it to me as I was taking the dogs out. The other day, she got a sticker from the front office and she took it off and shared it with a friend in her class. She loves to help and be a big girl.

Well, I'm sure there's more to update, but those are the big things at the moment.

No Mas!

2008-06-10T10:15:00.004-05:00

So, Sunday, I was giving Aidan a bath and she learned a very important life lesson: When playing with a bar of soap, it behooves one to rinse one's hands before rubbing one's eyes. Poor thing. Unfortunately, the eye rubbing occurred during hair rinsing, so she thought it was my fault. More unfortunately, she decided she was done with hair rinsing while there was still significant product in her hair. She is running up and down the length of the bathtub trying to get away from mommy, aka, "The Rinser." This was not working (as there is limited space to run away in the bathtub), so she lets out this loud "No mas!!!!!" It seems she figured English was not working and she would give Spanish a try. Way to go bilingual girl! Maybe it is time to get those Muzzy tapes so we can all work on our Spanish together. It would be something to watch besides "The Little People: Things that Go" DVD. I've started playing it in Spanish just for something different to listen to!

More pictures!

2008-06-06T21:31:00.002-05:00

Our trip to the zoo:

Learning to take pictures (mostly of the floor)

She's learned to open the back door now too!

Insight doesn't always lead to behavior change

2008-06-05T08:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I checked with Aidan's teacher this morning and there was no improvement in the running off yesterday, despite Aidan's very confident response to my questioning. Of course, the teacher explained this morning that Aidan will be in the middle of playing and just decide to take off. Originally, she told me that it was when they were in transit from place to place. Leaving a play place is a totally different conversation than walking together with her class. I'm not sure why it is so hard to get a clear message about what's going on a daycare. Oh well. So, now we have to work on staying with the group while playing. I need a short, catchy phrase for that.

Sorry it has been awhile since we've done pictures. Things are busy at night and I haven't had time to upload. I'll work on it.

She does listen!

2008-06-04T12:38:00.003-05:00

Aidan's one significant behavior issue at daycare is that she takes off running down the hall (or toward the parking lot) when her class is going from place to place. I've been giving suggestions to the daycare workers (like using time out) and talking to Aidan each morning about my expectation that she WAIT for Miss Lillie and Miss Rachel when they go from place to place. This morning, I asked Aidan what she was going to do for Miss Lillie and Miss Rachel. With no prompting, Aidan immediately replied, "Wait." I praised her for this and then talked about how hard it can be to remember to wait when she is excited, but I wanted her to try really hard to remember all day. Then (to make sure it wasn't a fluke response), I asked her again what she was going to do, this time in front of Miss Lillie. Aidan replied, "Wait." Now, we'll see how well it worked in action. At least she's listening if not always executing. Last night, she started to take off on me and I asked her to wait. She slowed, but kept moving. I asked, "Do you need a time out?" This little, "No." came floating to me. I said, "Well, then you had better come back here." Two very slow feet carrying a sad little face wandered their way back to me. I think we are making progress.

Avocado - its what's for dinner

2008-06-03T12:51:00.002-05:00

Aidan was, apparently, starving last night by dinner time. I whipped together a delicious dinner of chicken, black beans, carrots, and tomatoes. Aidan spies an avocado on the counter. I cut one up and bring it over to give her pieces of it. She wants the entire half I'm holding in my hand. So, I give it to her. She eats it in less that 3 mintues - and wants more. I give her another half. Same thing. Gone is 3 minutes and she is handing me the empty shell and saying "More. Please." over and over. I figure that it can't hurt her, so out comes half number 3. She takes longer with this one, but eats the whole thing too. And some chicken, beans, tomatoes and carrots too! She was one green mess by the time it was over.

A Three Day Weekend!

2008-05-27T09:03:00.002-05:00

We had a busy weekend. Saturday morning started with a snuggle in bed with all three of us. Then Aidan and I went off to Starbucks before the Little Gym so Christianne could get back to sermon writing. After the Little Gym, Aidan and I went to the Dallas Museum of Art and played around there. They have a kids space where they can do texture rubbings and crafts and things. Aidan was most interested in moving the crayons for the texture rubbings from one can to the another - and coloring the seashells. Oh well. We ate in the cafe at the museum (fish tacos with rice) and made a huge mess. She was asleep in the car before we had gone 2 blocks. After a nap, we all played and then went to Applebee's for dinner.

Sunday, we church. Aidan and I watched the nursery while Christianne did her preaching thing. Then we had a quick lunch and home for naps for everyone - until Christianne got paged for work. Too bad. When Christianne went back for evening church, Aidan and I headed to the splash park. She had great fun running around in the water. A little time at the regular park was fun too. Aidan managed to mooch 2 oranges off of some nice women who were sitting nearby. They were eating an orange and Aidan just walked right up and stared at them. They offered her an orange and Aidan practiced her Spanish by saying Hola and Gracias. She went back after she finished her first orange and asked for another. This time we added "Adios" to the list and packed up and left. They were very sweet to her. We met Christianne at Fat Daddy's for a very unhealthy dinner and went off to home. Aidan was so wired from her day that she had trouble going to and staying asleep. I think we overloaded her brain.

Monday, we went to the Dallas Zoo. That was fun, but we didn't see too many animals because it was so hot and they were all sleeping. But we did see the tigers, which was neat. Aidan got to play in the stream and had a great time running around and splashing. She fell asleep in the stroller before we even got to the car. After nap, we painted and played with play-dough. And she has become obsessed with "The Little People" DVD we have. She must have asked to watch it 5 times yesterday.

This morning, Aidan was inspecting some pretend food we bought her. She pulled out this twisted french fry looking thing that was white and orange. Christianne asked her what it was and with all confidence Aidan said, quite clearly, "Cheeto." Now, we don't keep cheetos in the house as a rule and I can't remember either one of us ever giving her a cheeto. I asked Miss Rachel about it this morning and she fessed up that she gives Aidan cheetos on Fridays. All those early days of making her eat veggies.... At least she'll still eat beets and broccoli.

Aidan had a difficult time going to school today. After 3 days with both Mommies, it was a hard transition. But I'm sure 5 minutes after I left she was hugging on Miss Lillie and having the time of her life.

More pictures to share

2008-05-24T20:48:00.004-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Aidan's adventures.

Planting flowers with Mama:

First frozen custard trip:

Eating corn on the cob:

Cute hair styles (she has hair now!)

At the arboretum again:

General cuteness:

(She took the pillow out to the couch and climbed up all on her own and then asked for the blanket)
(Thanks, Grandma, for the cool dress!)

How I found her sleeping one night:

Bragging on our little girl

2008-05-21T08:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, after a very long (to Aidan) open house at her school, we went out to eat. Aidan was a little wound up, but managed to settle after a little walk outside with Mama. At this cafe, they have etch-a-sketches for the kids to play with. Aidan thought this was SO COOL! After dinner, as we got ready to go, she hugged it to her chest and said, "MINE!" This is toddler short hand for "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen and I would really, really, really like to take it home and have it forever....PLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEE???" Christianne and I calmly explained that we had to leave it at the restaurant because it didn't belong to us but we would come back again so she could play with it. I asked her to put it in the basket with this other ones. And here's the bragging part: Our little girl bravely marched over to the basket (without help), her little lip starting to tremble, and put the toy back (and didn't grab it or any other toy back out again). She then promptly burst into tears. We gave her lots of praise for doing the right thing even though she really didn't want to and what a big girl this makes her. It was really a moment in which I could see her make a choice to do what she knew was the right thing to do (listen to her mommies) even when everything in the 20.5 month old body was telling her to grab and run the other way. We really are proud of her.

It struck me as I was thinking about blogging this little moral milestone this morning that blogs are the Gen X and beyond baby books. These are all things the Boomers would have recorded in a lovely book somewhere. Our lovely book is somewhere, but on this blog are most of Aidan's major accomplishments, her growth stats, pictures, and descriptions of major events in her life. I hope you all enjoy sharing in the chronicling of her life. And, I know, more pictures! :-)

She is growing up so quickly and developing a lovely balance of sweetness and spitfire. (The morning, she took off running across the parking lot a daycare - should have seen me shed my high heels and take off running - that was a spitfire moment.) She started this sweet thing of when I ask her to say she's sorry for something, she says, "Sor-ree" while gently patting the side of the person's face. It is so sweet.

The other day, another mom from daycare told me that Aidan gave her daughter a hug when she arrived at daycare for the morning and must have hugged her for 30 seconds. Fortunately, the other child didn't seem to mind. It sounded like it was very sweet and pretty funny. Aidan seems to be loved and adored by nearly everyone at daycare - children and adults alike. Everyone seems to know her name and be excited to see her. I hear that she greets all of the after school kids when they come in the afternoon with a big "HI!" Last night at the restaurant, she said hi to everyone who walked by the window. Such a little extrovert!

We'll upload more pictures soon.

Much better weekend

2008-05-19T09:23:00.003-05:00

Aidan had a much better weekend this go around. Only one time out yesterday. And a bedtime lesson. It was so sad, I almost didn't have the heart to go through with it, but it worked. Aidan has two things she has to do at bedtime on her own: 1) put her shoes away and 2) put her clothes in the hamper. She decided that she wanted to do everything but those two things, so Christianne and I said, "We are going to leave and when you have put your shoes and clothes away, we will come back." Aidan started crying really hard when we left and we stood outside her room and out of sight. Soon we hear footsteps (along with sobbing) and, sure enough, she is putting her shoes and clothes away. We came back in, just as we had promised, and gave her lots of hugs. It is so much better than fighting with her, but I sure hate to upset her like that.

We learned this morning that the Pacifier Fairy really does exist. I got Aidan out of her crib this morning and asked her if she wanted to snuggle for a few minutes in the big bed. She was leaning over my shoulder as she said, "OK" (her new word). The next thing I hear from her is "Oh no!" and her pacifier is not in her mouth. We get on the floor and look under the crib and under the big bed and around on the carpet (her room's not that big!) and I can't find it anywhere. I can only conclude that the Pacifier Fairy swooped in and took it away to a little newborn who needs it. We only have one pacifier because we are getting ready to give them up anyway and I didn't want to buy more. I'm not sure what we'll do tonight. Maybe the Fairy will bring it back tonight, or Aidan will use another one of her new words, "Sad."

Sing, sing a song

2008-05-12T18:04:00.003-05:00

Aidan has really started singing in the last few weeks. She knows the tunes to several songs, most of the hand motions, and key phrases. It is really cute! Today, on the way home we sang our standards:

The Wheels on the Bus
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
If You're Happy and You Know It
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Farmer in the Dell

Now, the farmer only had cows and ducks on the farm, since Aidan got to choose the animals, but it was fun. After making it through all 5 songs, I started over and Aidan declared singing time over by saying, "Noooo..." after I started each song. She was on to anticipating seeing Mama when we got home and nothing would distract her from that. So, sing, sing a song!

A short summary of our weekend

2008-05-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

For those who are interested, here is a quick summary of a weekend in the life of a 20 month old.

Mommy? I love you! You are the best! Mommy move! No! (Pushes mommy away or locks mommy in her bedroom after exiting herself - mommy goes away.) Waaaa!!! Mommy!!!! (Grabs mommy's hand to let her out of the room and then lets go and ignores mommy.) Mommy! Play with me! Can I watch "Sprout"? No? Mommy, I hate you! Mommy? Here's a hug for you!

Mommy? What are limits? Is hitting a limit? It is? How about pinching? That too? What about biting? I know it is at school, but what about at home? Here too? OK, what about screaming "MINE!!!!!!!" and trying to grab things off your plate? Really? That doesn't seem like it should be a limit too... OK, what about running away from you? OK inside when we are playing chase, but not OK outside? Hum...what about if I'm trying to keep something that you want me to give to you? Is it OK to run away from you then - even if we are outside? No? Well, that doesn't seem to be very fair. How else am I going to keep the things I want to keep? Can I run away when I get tired of being in time out? Is that a limit? What? I have to wait in one spot the entire 90 seconds? That doesn't seem fair! If I don't sit, you'll sit with me in your lap? Wow. That makes me mad! I guess biting is still a limit - AND I get ANOTHER time out for it? A kid could end up in time out for 4 and a 1/2 minutes between running away twice and attempted biting. OK...what about throwing things on the floor while we are eating? Even at a restaurant? They have people to clean up after us after all. What about taking the straw out of my drink and pouring the milk on the table? You don't want me to do that either? All I get to do is color while waiting for my food - and you don't like it when I eat my crayons. You are no fun! Mommy? I hate you! Mommy? Don't leave me! I love you! Now, when you say it is time to get ready for bed...does that really mean putting away my clothes and shoes and putting on my PJ's? Are you sure it doesn't mean running around my room like a maniac? Because I think that is more fun. Oh, and Mommy? Why can't I eat 3 bananas in one afternoon - and have juice too? Oh, and Mommy? About bath time...is it a limit when I splash so hard that the water goes across half the bathroom and your shirt and pants get all dark colored and wet? Would that be a limit? How about standing up in the bathtub and practicing my jumping? Can I do that? I know I bumped my head, but I think it is worth it. Mommy? NO!!!!! Mommy? Hug me!

Oh, I forgot. What about pulling the cat's tail? That's a limit too? But it was just there, twitching. What's a kid to do? How about jumping on the dogs? No? Well...Oh, I know, is it OK to hit my plate with my fork so hard the corn goes flying across the table? No, not that either?

Mommy? How come last night when Mama was reading me stories, you said, "Mommy is going out. I'll be back later. Mommy needs some personal time"? Mommy? What's personal time and why do you need it? You'll be happy to know I used my time with Mama is see what kind of limits she has. Strange. They are a lot of the same ones you have.

Mommy? I love you. Thanks for letting me paint today. It was fun.

Oh, and Mommy? Remember you'll have to distract me with TV in the morning in order to get my PJ's off and real clothes on. I didn't want you to forget.

Aidan.

I wouldn't trade this sweet girl for anything in the world, and I am grateful for these struggles because I know some moms wish for nothing more than to feel tested by their child in every way and their children aren't capable of testing things like Aidan. And it is good to know she is developmentally on track, but, wow, what a weekend! And she's only 20 months. I hope consistency now will lead to an easier time during the heart of rapproachment. I can hope, right? Loving limits. Loving limits. Avoid power struggles (like wresting the pacifier out of her mouth the other morning - not a proud mommy moment [I apologized for that power-over parenting approach later]). Loving limits and lots of love.

I'm going to go eat some chocolate frozen custard.

Ta ta.

Presiding Bishop's visit

2008-05-09T20:44:00.002-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures from the Presiding Bishop's visit.

Cute pictures of Aidan:

Pictures from the blessing of the community garden:

Do you need a time out?

2008-05-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

We've been implementing time outs since Aidan was about 18 months. These are usually reserved for significant things like hitting or biting. But I've also been using them when Aidan runs away from me when we are outside and doesn't respond to my request to "Wait!" I think this deserves a time out because she is often running toward traffic or the parking lot. And I try to be really consistent with it.

So, this morning, we were headed to the car to go to school and Aidan decided she was going to run off through the backyard. Here's our conversation:

Mommy: "Oh-oh! Are you not listening to Mommy?"

Aidan: Stops to consider the question.

Mommy: "What happens when you don't listen to Mommy?"

Aidan: Appears to ponder this question.

Mommy: "Do you need a time out?"

Aidan: "Yeah." And walks over to sit on the back stairs, gathering her blankets and stuffed animal around her.

Mommy: "Okay. I'll tell you when time out is over."

She sat there almost the entire 90 seconds with only one reminder that she was in time out and a few tears. We then reviewed that she was in time out for not listening to mommy and running away from mommy while we are outside. Then off to the car we went.

It is amazing when it works. :-)

Hopefully we are on a learning roll.

Pictures soon, I promise.

What color are you wearing?

2008-04-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

We have been working on colors with Aidan. Here's a recap of this morning's lesson:

Aidan (as heard over the baby monitor): "Yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow..."

Christianne (as heard over the baby monitor): "Aidan, go show mommy and tell her what color you are wearing."

Little feet pitter-pattering down the hall.

Aidan enters wearing a yellow shirt and pants with lots of yellow in them.

Mommy: "Aidan, what color is your shirt?"

Aidan: "Green."

We've also been working on numbers. Aidan knows that after 1 comes 2, and after 2 comes 3. Now, we are working on 4. This morning, I said, "Aidan, what comes after 3?" Aidan replied very confidently, "Six."

I don't know where she got six from, but there we have it. :-)

Yesterday, Aidan got to meet the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. What a wonderful woman! I'll post pictures of the event later. I still can't believe she came to our little church on the corner of Inwood and Mockingbird. What a day it was for all of us!

Fight Malaria!

2008-04-24T10:17:00.004-05:00

Friday is World Malaria Day, designed to bring awareness to this preventable disease that kills so many children world-wide each year. "Bite Back" is a project by Compassion International that will provide a mosquito net for a child (or whole family, depending on where everyone sleeps) that can protect that child from being exposed to malaria. It requires a one-time donation of $10. The netting last about 3 years - what a lot of good less than a penny a day can do. Click below to help:

If you decide to donate, leave a comment (if you'd like) so we can see how many children have been helped.

Pictures galore!

2008-04-21T08:41:00.003-05:00

Aidan's been busy being cute. Here are some of the highlights.

First, there is pantry pea-pie (peek a boo in other households):

Taking an early interest in yoga and going to the gym:

Mommy has high expectations for Aidan's future:

(When I get older I'll save the universe!)

Her eating skills have greatly improved (except for soup):

Her new favorite coat:

Picture illustrating how fast she moves:

Posing for the paparazzi:

Telling the paparazzi to go away:

Backyard fun:

Indoor sillyness:

Working on a new skill:

Our new cat, Dusty:

For Aidan's Fans

2008-04-05T07:51:00.004-05:00

You asked for pictures, so here they are!

Dressing herself:

(Note the shoe choice)

Pointing out her favorite show:

General cuteness:

Latest fun activity (watch the progression):

Easter Day:

Not clear on the concept

2008-04-03T10:02:00.002-05:00

So, last night it was bath night. (I don't know how parents bathe their children every day. Aidan gets so wound up by bath time that I have to bathe her before dinner so she has time to wind down enough to go to sleep - not to mention that it makes dinner late and everything else late, but, I digress.) We were in the bathroom getting ready and Aidan wanted to sit on her potty. So, I get her undressed and put her on the potty. She sits a minute and then wants off. I pick her up and she pees on my shoe. It was just a little bit, so I put her back on the potty. Nothing. She wants off. Pick her up (no shoe peeing) and put her in the bathtub. She stands there and pees. I said, "You are supposed to do that in the potty, silly." Other bath time fun included putting her whole face in the water and blowing bubbles. Who needs swimming lessons? The child is a natural!

Oh, I forgot

2008-04-01T08:53:00.001-05:00

I forgot the other big news. Aidan is practicing sitting on the potty. Nothing has happened yet, but she's practicing sitting there and flushing and saying bye-bye. She seems to like it. This morning she asked to sit there. Big girl times!

Musical Talents

2008-04-01T08:39:00.002-05:00

As you have seen from previous pictures, Aidan likes to play the piano. Now, she is working on her singing and performance abilities. We really need to figure out how to post a video, because she is so darn cute right now. We have been singing songs with hand motions and Aidan is picking them up - and she's starting to sing parts of the song and repeat back verses. So, imagine, if you will, this cute little girl with still clumsy, but good for her age, motor control pantomiming and singing along with these greatest hits:

The Wheels on the Bus
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
If You are Happy and You Know it

It is way too cute! And, of course, we still have E-I-E-I-Oooooooo!

In other cute/try not to laugh because what you did was wrong news.... The McKee family has this game called "Hoot." I had never heard of it before joining the family and having a child. The way the game is played is that you get nose-to-nose and eyes-to-eyes with another person, look deep into their eyes and say, "HOOT!" Don't ask me why. Then you laugh hysterically - because it is just funny. Aidan and Christianne play "Hoot" quite a bit. It works best if one takes off one's glasses so as to get right up close.

So, the other day, Aidan was tired and wound up and had spilled the contents of a juice box on her clothes at the Chick-fil-A (yes, horrible parenting practices). We here in the bathroom and I had her on the changing table changing her clothes. She gets silly and decides to grab my glasses off my face, something she knows is a "no-no." I am expressing my frustrating with her while trying to keep this half-clothed child who is standing up on the changing table and trying to run in place from falling off the table while also attempting to regain possession of my glasses. As I am managing all of this, Aidan grabs me by the cheeks, turns my head to her, gets nose-to-nose and says....."HOOT!" What could I do but say "Hoot" back, laugh, and give her a hug. It was really cute.

We have Easter pictures. I promise to post them sometime. That's all for now.

E-I-E-I-Oooooooooo

2008-03-20T13:18:00.002-05:00

Last night at dinner, Aidan said something that sounded close to "E-I-E" so Christianne started singing "E-I-E-I-O" from "Old McDonald." After listening a couple of times, Aidan was able to sing it back accurately most of the time. Then Christianne started singing the whole song and trying to get Aidan to chime in with her phrase at the appropriate time. With a little prompting, Aidan was able to do it most of the time. It is really cute. Imagine it with a little tilt of the head. Also, last night after dinner, Christianne was showing Aidan the various animals and things on Aidan's placemat. Aidan took Christianne's finger and started using it to point to various pictures and waiting for Christianne to say what the picture was - and laughing hysterically. It was really funny for all of us.

Speaking of dinner. We had beets for dinner last night. I think Aidan ate 1/2 of a 7 ounce container of beets. She wanted more, but we had run out. I hope daycare doesn't freak out at what ends up in her diaper. I think it will be pink! :-)

And on the "more amazing things Aidan does" topic: last night, Aidan was picking out her pajamas and picked out something that was probably not warm enough for the night. We told her that and Christianne asked her pick out pajamas that are "fuzzy." Now, perhaps it was just coincidence, but she rummaged around, avoiding some fuzzy pajamas that were on top, and picked out a fuzzy pair.

Other things she can do on a regular basis (from her developmental check list):

Follow directions such as "Get your book," "Find your coat," "Take my hand," etc.

Say 2 and 3 word sentences such as "Here kitty," "I go," "Get down," and "I don't want that."

Use words "I," "mine," and "you" correctly.

Walk down stairs holding a hand (did it once all by herself the other day) and upstairs by herself as long as she has a rail.

Kick a ball.

Run, usually without falling down.

Use and spoon and a fork.

Use a turning motion with her hand.

Turn pages of a book.

Flip light switches.

(We are still working on threading a bead and stacking 7 blocks. I think she could do the blocks but simply isn't interested in doing it.)

Sometimes draw a straight line on a piece of paper.

Turn a bottle upside down to dump out a Cherrio.

Sometimes pretends objects are something else (like the remote if a phone).

Puts things away (sometimes without being told to!).

Is learning to drink from a cup without a lid.

Copy things we do (like wiping up water).

Tries to feed her stuffed animals from her sippy cup.

Backs her car out of corners when she is stuck.

Calls herself "I" rather than "Aidan."

Whew! I'm tired from typing all that. No wonder she needs so much sleep! :-)

The power of routine and overgeneralization

2008-03-18T08:25:00.003-05:00

This morning, I dropped Aidan off at daycare and her main teacher was there (she usually comes in after I drop Aidan off). I was explaining to Miss Lillie that I packed tennis shoes in the diaper bag because Aidan INSISTED on wearing her (size-and-a-half too big) crocs to school today. The school has a "no crocs on the playground" policy. So, Miss Lillie shares that Aidan usually takes her shoes off first thing anyway. Then she goes on to say that lately when Aidan gets put down for a nap, she immediately takes off all her clothes. She said they used to try to prevent this, but gave up and just try to keep her covered with her blanket during nap time. So, our little girl is napping in her diaper at daycare.

Why is this happening? Well, Aidan has recently learned she can take off her own shirt and sometimes her pants and she likes being a big girl. And what do we do every night before going to sleep? TAKE OFF HER CLOTHES! No one ever said the girl was dumb. She knows you take off your clothes to go to sleep. Perhaps I should pack pajamas?

Other cute stories:

Last night after dinner, Aidan was still in her high chair. She leaned over to look at the dogs, shook her finger at them and said, "It dow! It dow! No, no, no."

Monkey see, monkey do.

She's taken on the job of feeding the outdoor kitties. She takes it very seriously and wants to make sure the kitties are eating properly. After putting the food in (or near) the bowl, she walks around, crouched down (as there may be kitties under the cars) saying, "maow, maow, maow."

Sunday night, I was cooking dinner and Aidan was having trouble staying occupied by herself, so I asked her to help me cook dinner. We were having green beans. I washed them and snapped the ends and then gave them to her to break in half and put in the pot. She did a great job! I don't think I even had to show her what I meant by "break in half." She then helped pour the water for the rice from the measuring cup into the pot (it only took 3 tries - spatial awareness is still developing) and pour the rice into the measuring cup. I then gave her some bowls and things to play with and she practiced pouring water from one thing to another. She was much better by the time dinner was ready. It was a lot of fun! Now, she keeps pulling a chair over to the counter so she can "cook." I think we are going to be eating a lot more green beans in the near future.

She's discovered that she can be the instigator of "pea pie" (the version of peek a boo that Christianne grew up with). She will now hide behind things and peek out and and say "bee bye!" "P" is still a hard one to say. It is really cute.

I was talking to a friend who is a play therapist and has worked a lot in infant mental health. I was telling her some of the things I have been doing with Aidan. For example, the other night she was playing with a box and trying to fold the flaps down. There was one stuck up and she was trying to push the other ones down and getting frustrated. I stopped her and said in a calm voice, "Think about what you want to do." She stopped for a moment, pushed down the flap that was stuck, and finished closing up the box. Or, the other day she was going down the big slide and came down sideways so she ended up on her back on the ground. She wasn't hurt, but I could tell from the stunned look on her face that this was not the outcome she was expecting. I helped her get up, brushed her off and gave her a kiss, and said, "Wow! That wasn't the outcome you were wanting. Think about how you want to do it differently next time" and sent her back up the ladder. The next time she came down feet first and landed just find - and looked very pleased with herself.

My friend said, "She shouldn't be able to do that at this age."

I said, "Really?"

Aidan has also learned a very bad word:

"T...V!"

And

"Sprout!"

Bad parents. We are watching a little TV. Mostly, we watch together and she will watch a bit and then go do something else. Don't tell the American Academy of Pediatrics. :-)

Here's my current favorite picture of her:

18 month stats

2008-03-04T14:11:00.003-06:00

Aidan had her 18 month check-up today. The doctor said that she continues to look great and is growing and developing just like she ought. Here are her stats:

Weight: 24 pounds, 13 ounces (53%-tile)

Height: 33.5 inches (95%-tile)

Head: 18.5 inches (55%-tile)

She's a tall girl!

She passed her Autism screening with flying colors, so no concerns there. She only had one shot, so that was good too.

Next check-up at 2 years.