Kitty Cat

Old kitty cat...


New kitty cat...

Crisis

Today Lilly lost her stuffed kitty cat that she's had since birth. I don't know why she took it to run errands with her. She's never done that before. When we got to our first stop (Target) I kept an eye on it and most of the time it stayed in my bag. We left Target and headed to Old Navy. When I went to get her out of her car seat I said, "Let's leave kitty cat in the car - we don't want to lose it" and Lilly said, "I no lose it Mommy! I hold kitty's hand" and so I let her take it in. My last memory of kitty cat is when Lilly had a small meltdown that I had no change to buy her a bouncy ball (I gave her all my change yesterday to put in her new piggy bank ) in Old Navy. She threw her cat, binky, and lovey on the ground. I vaguely remember that. Once I reminded her that all my change was in her piggy bank she was fine and we continued on our plight to find maternity clothes for Mommy... left empty-handed. Then we walked down the sidewalk to Genuardi's (grocery store). When we left Genuardi's I realized we didn't have kitty cat.

Of course I retraced our steps over and over again. Left my name and number at both stores.

On the way home Lilly kept saying, "Where my kitty cat Mommy" and I told her we lost it and she said, "Ok." However, I was devastated. Called Andy and told him and then when I got home I started crying. He thought I was crazy. I just kept crying while Lilly laughed and said, "Mommy I find kitty cat you no cry Mommy."

I can't describe the feeling I have. It's something she's had since birth. It's worn in and raggedy and it's her kitty cat. What else can I say? I even sent Andy back to look for it but he just called and has not been successful.

In the meantime, our dear friend Jackie, who's been through this before sixteen years ago with her oldest daughter's LiLi (stuffed lion) combed the stores (unbeknownst to me) looking for a replica of kitty cat and then brought over THREE different stuffed cats. One looks very very similar. So if Andy doesn't come home with the real kitty cat we will have to use the substitute. It's Jackie's birthday and how sweet of her to do this for me/Lilly! It's so comforting that she understands how I'm feeling (she said she called her husband crying when Natalie dropped LiLi in JC Penney's!).

Lilly's awake now... time to introduce substitute kitty cat...

Rearranging

I came up with a project that I thought over for a while and then presented to Andy (while holding my breath - he is VERY busy). He agreed and set right to work in true Andy fashion. So... this weekend we are very busy rearranging our house. Details and pictures to come!

Johnson's Farm

Today I took Lilly to Johnson's Farm. It is a farm that Andy and I always visit for a hayride to pick our pumpkin each year. A friend told me they expanded the farm and there were many activities for kids so Lilly and I went to check it out. It was great! We started by purchasing 2 apple cider donuts and eating them (warm) before heading to the hayride. We were going to take the hayride out to pick apples, peaches, and corn. Lilly was very excited. Here she is waiting for the hayride to begin. Our little sunflower!!

Anxiously awaiting with her ticket in hand.

Yay! Finally aboard the tractor and ready to go. The weather was perfect. Crisp, cool, in the 70's and overcast.
The first stop was to pick Gala apples (Lilly's favorite). She loved walking around with her little brown bag and dropping the apples in.
Without meaning to I stirred up a bit of commotion amongst the other kids on the hayride by letting Lilly eat an apple. It was a tiny apple and I cleaned it off well (the farmer told her it was fine) but apparently the other mothers didn't want their kids eating the apples so while Lilly enjoyed her snack there were many envious kids. I considered telling her to put it back in the bag but went ahead and let her enjoy it. She ate the whole thing before we even made it to the peaches - skin and all!
Farmer Jack helping Lilly get ready to pick some peaches! The peaches were huge and beautiful.

Lilly with a full bag of peaches and still picking more...

Time for some corn! Last stop on the hayride. Farmer Jack taught the kids how to pick the corn and to make sure it was large enough. Lilly found pulling the corn off the stalks tricky so she ran through the corn fields while I picked the corn :-)
After the hayride we headed to the Discovery Kids area that includes many playgrounds (by ages) and a barn with animals to feed. Lilly wanted to feed the same goat all the food. She said he was hungry.


Then off to play on the playground! Lilly wanted to go on the playground for 7-12 year olds and it took a lot of effort explaining to her that it was too big and too high. She didn't believe me but finally headed to the one for kids her age! Peek-a-boo!

Trying to slide down the alphabet used for climbing (like a rock wall). She really had a lot of fun playing.
Time for lunch! If I'd known today was free ice cream day I would have packed her a lunch and we could have eaten our picnic lunch before the ice cream. But since she was getting free ice cream I had to buy her lunch first. She chose a hot dog. Yummy.

Last but not least - a whole cup of soft serve vanilla ice cream before heading home for a nap. She said, "So fun Mommy" when we were leaving and I could tell she was exhausted. As we were leaving I realized how busy the farm had become. We timed it perfectly!

Mommy's Little Helper

This morning Lilly got herself dressed (pajama top and socks), put on her own clean diaper (nighttime diaper), picked out a green "poky dot" bow and put it in smack on top of her head, and announced she was ready!  She's never taken to dressing herself for the day.  

She loves to help Mommy wash dishes!  This morning while I was making pancakes Lilly washed the dishes (that Daddy had washed the night before).  She was hard at work scrubbing everything and transferring water from one cup to the next! 

Here is how she organized her dishes while she was washing.  Then took them all out and gave them a good rinse.  She even filled her sippy cup up with water, attached the suction piece on the inside of the lid, and screwed on the lid.  I looked over to find her drinking (soapy) water from her cup.  She is Miss Independent for sure.  

My Little Shopper

Yesterday Lilly and I went to CVS to pick up Andy's allergy prescription and razor blades.  I had a couple more things to grab while we were there.  In the car I asked Lilly if she wanted to sit in the cart or walk.  Why I do this I'll never know.  We have had so many CVS nightmares together that I could write a book!  So of course she picked walking.  She did pretty well!  We grabbed all the items that I needed (one being a greeting card which is hard with her) and headed to the pharmacy to check out.  Along the way she had picked up some squishy glow worm and I agreed to buy it. When we were waiting in line at the pharmacy she was eyeing the mints, gum, and candy.  She decided she wanted tic-tacs and started to try to open them.  I explained that she could have them but would have to put the glow worm back.  She thought long and hard and agreed on putting the glow worm back.  As she walked off to return it, it was my turn to check out. I hollered for her to hurry so I could pay for them.  

As I was putting the items from the cart on the counter I was focused on where she was and when she'd be coming back.  My total came to $61 and I thought that seemed high but paid and went to check on Lilly.  She was indeed putting the worm back and browsing the toys a bit...  I started to look in the bags for the receipt when I noticed many items I didn't intend to purchase!  There were Cinderella glittery stickers, birthday candles that spelled out 'Happy Birthday,' birthday horns, a book, and more.  No wonder it was so expensive!  Lilly had done a little shopping of her own while I was looking for a birthday card.

We headed to the front of the store where I promptly returned the unwanted items.

Funny and wanted to share.

Money Money Money

Lilly took some change to Commerce Bank!  I emptied a bucket of change into a baggie for her to take to the bank.  As she got into the car she turned the bag upside down and I guess due to the weight of the coins the bag flew open and all the change went all over my car...  But Lilly helped me pick it up and we headed to Commerce.

At the bank she was very excited. She dumped the coins in and the lady helping us asked Lilly to put in her guess at how much money was there (I'm thinking she's 2!!!) and Lilly said "two and a hass" (her age) and so they lady told her to press the "2" on the computer screen.  Lilly pressed it twice which made her guess $22.00.  As the coins sifted through and then the total came up weren't we all surprised!  $22.18!!  All the bank tellers and workers clapped and Lilly was very proud.  I don't think she had a clue what was going on but it didn't matter.  She was in her glory.  They gave her a sucker and she was thrilled.  She went up and gave the receipt to the teller and they gave her a twenty, two ones, and 18 cents.  She hung onto that envelope all morning.  It was so cute!!!

Singing in the Rain

Lilly had Sophia over to play yesterday! Sophia is Lilly's first friend that moved an hour away and we miss them so much. They played play doh, had a dance party, put on sweatshirts and "danced in the rain," climbed on the play set and swung. We enjoyed lunch out at Panera Bread which was so yummy and the girls did very well. Then I put Lilly to sleep and had Stephy come over to sit and watch Sophia (and Lilly) while Christine and I went out shopping by ourselves!!!!! We pulled out of the driveway and started laughing because we felt so free! It was only an hour of alone-time but it hit the spot. Here's our duo...

Lesson Learned?

Lilly loves Thomas and Jackie and their kids and loves to give Thomas a hard time (he starts it usually). The other day while we were visiting she was eating animal crackers. The bag was ripped to the bottom and when she lifted it up they all started to spill out. Thomas started to say, "No no no no!!" which in turn piqued Lilly's interest and encouraged her to dump the rest of the entire bag (crumbs included) on their kitchen floor. I started laughing (which I know is totally inappropriate) because the worst thing you can do is get really loud and yell, "NO" to Lilly... Defiance kicks in and I would think by now Thomas would know this! So he told me to let him handle the discipline (fine by me) and he told her she had to clean it up with the vacuum. I told him she was very afraid of the vacuum cleaner and he told me he would handle it (they love Lilly like their own by the way). So I sat back and watched him get the vacuum and turn it on and Lilly start crying which made him feel horrible and pick her up and love on her (I was still laughing) and then make it a fun game (great discipline technique) with the wand of the vacuum. She actually liked it and started vacuuming! I couldn't believe it. Here she is in action...


She did a very good job cleaning and just yesterday when Andy was vacuuming her bedroom she asked me if she could use the wand and she vacuumed under her dresser and crib all by herself. So while I don't think she learned not to dump the animal crackers on the floor she did overcome her fear of the vacuum cleaner which is great.

Baby's Name

Lilly just announced she'd like to name her baby sister "Juice."

Dog Walking

We were asked to take care of a neighbor's dogs while they took their daughter to college (NYU) on Sunday. We were happy to oblige knowing Lilly would have a ball. She loves dogs and especially loves walking them. She even managed 2 leashes at the same time and without getting them twisted. I think she may have a future in dog walking!

Growing Hair!

Lilly has long enough hair for pig tails!! I am so excited! I have been experimenting with new do's even though she can't stand me brushing or styling her hair. She seems to have a very sensitive head! When I was little Sherry pulled my hair as hard as she could all the time. I don't know if it was out of stubbornness or a high pain threshold but I just grew numb to it and to this day pulling my hair doesn't hurt! Lilly says, "Ow Mommy" immediately when I put the brush to her scalp. But I have managed to practice a few cute hairstyles. Here's one of my favorites. Back view...

Front shot...

Hopefully her front bangs (which have never been cut into bangs they have just never grown long) will continue to grow.

No More Wire Hangers

I turned insane yesterday.

While Lilly and I were eating lunch (Andy was at work) we were reading a book with large lift-the-flap colored Easter eggs. Before she lifted each flap she was telling me the colors. **Identifying colors has been non-existent with Lilly. The minute we even ask her a color or tell her a color she becomes uninterested and quickly changes the subject or begins a new activity. It has driven me crazy for a year.** So needless to say, yesterday I was shocked she was correctly identifying the colors. We turned it into a game and she would pretend she didn't know then end up telling me...

Ok, fast forward 4 hours. Andy is now home from work and we're all sitting at the kitchen table talking. She asks to read the same book. I'm excited for her to show Daddy how she knows the colors. She says, "I don't know" for each color. She won't guess. She has no clue what they are. She changes the subject. She talks about a boo-boo, talks about a baby being born, etc.

I turn insane at this point. I'm telling her she does know the colors. I'm telling her she can't have food until she says the color. I have Andy get out Dora fruit snacks and hold them there until she says the color. She starts crying. I'm thinking, "I am such a horrible mother" yet I keep insisting she say the color!!!! I can't explain it other than saying I lost my mind. Not a proud moment. I just cannot understand why she acts this way when it comes to counting, letters, and colors. We have no clue what she knows and what she doesn't. She won't let me sing the A, B, C song. Won't let me count. Won't discuss colors.

So here lies my confession. I was psychotic for approximately 10 minutes and then I felt badly and we went on to play a game and she was fine and happy. I've not behaved in this way before nor will I in the future. Today we read the book again and I didn't mention the colors.

But when her preschool teacher calls to discuss these issues...

...I'm not answering the phone.

Waiting

Today Lilly went with me to a doctor's appointment.  We had to wait over an hour to see a midwife and Lilly was very well-behaved.  By the time we got into the room she was a bit antsy (understandably so) and it became a wee bit stressful.  It's not fun taking a toddler to a doctor's appointment in the first place so that may be the last time she goes with me...  Too bad I now have to go every 2 weeks until the end of my pregnancy.  It should be interesting.

Got lectured about my weight gain... That's always nice.  Put me in a great mood for the rest of my day.  Glad this is a blog and not a phone conversation because you'd surely be able to tell that I'm less than thrilled.  And it was a midwife that lectured me!  Is it normal to be told you're too fat and then drive through a fast food restaurant?  Just wondering...

Lilly got VERY excited when the midwife put the doppler on my stomach to hear the heart beat.  She jumped off the chair yelling, "My shisher in my mommy's belly - my shisher!!!" which was totally adorable.  How could that not make me smile??

Smile Lilly!

I tutor a little girl down the street once a week. She is one of 4 girls, the youngest being Lilly's age. When I tutor Jessica, Lilly stays at their house and plays with their youngest, Lindsey. She enjoys going and always takes her lunch box (thank you Aunt Sherry!) with snacks and a drink. I'm still working on getting her to look at me and smile...

After I tutored I wanted to go to Gymboree and take advantage of a sale so I took Lilly, Lindsey, and Jessica (and I'm looking very pregnant). I didn't think much of it but apparently people thought I had 2 year old twins and a 7 year old and was expecting a 4th because I got MANY "Oh gosh, bless you!" comments. Made me laugh. The girls were all good and we had McDonald's on the way home - yummy.

Beautiful Day

It's past midnight so I guess this counts for tomorrow's blog...

Lilly and I had an awesome day hanging out in pajamas until noon. We went for a long walk in the morning. PERFECT weather - crisp and cool with a blue sky. Love this weather! Then we hung out and ate lunch and she napped. While she napped I checked email, read a magazine, napped, and showered. It doesn't get much better than that! Can't wait for fall (my very favorite season).

Tonight I helped Grandmother set up her very own blog. It's going to be a perfect place for her to publish her writing. It's public for the world to see so she's now out there with the rest of the bloggers on the internet! A few minutes ago when I checked she already had some anonymous comments from lurkers. I bet she'll become a hit. If you're interested it's http://www.americangranny.blogspot.com. I know it will be a hoot to read!

I'm off to try to sleep. Been battling low blood sugar and once again have found myself low and it's 12:30a.m. Waiting for the juice to kick in. Good night!

Momma's Big Girl

Lilly is showing an interest in potty training. For a few days she's decided to wear panties instead of a diaper and I've followed her lead. We've had some success and some accidents. For now I'm just following her lead and encouraging her to use the potty every 20 minutes or so. She's doing really well and really likes wearing panties. We have Pooh, Dora, princesses, and a rainbow/hearts/flowers set. She picks what she wants to wear in the morning. Oftentimes by afternoon I'm wiped out and prefer to put her in a diaper. This pregnancy is not the same pregnancy I had with Lilly AND I have a toddler to contend with so everything is a bit harder! Here's Lilly showing me her pretty rainbow panties - so proud.

She really likes to wear her clothes with panties instead of a diaper. I guess it's more comfortable! But it makes her such a big girl!!

Ocean City Trip

What a fun afternoon we had! I loved it. Perfect weather and so much to do and see. Here are Andy and Lilly when we first walked into Wonderland Pier on the boardwalk. Look at Lilly's face! There was so much to see.

A lot of the rides were for Lilly to ride on alone. We didn't have any idea how Lilly would handle riding a ride alone (and staying seated) so we started with the Dumbo ride together. It sort of scared me. When did I become such a wimp? I didn't like when it went up high.
Then we put Lilly on the boats by herself. She started out really enjoying it but by the end she was upset and we think they stopped the ride early because she was crying. Not sure if she got upset because she was scared or if it's because I told her she couldn't drag her hand outside of the boat into the water...
She loves horses but was also unsure of the merry-go-round. Andy stood next to her for the ride while I, like a big jumbalone, sat on a huge horse that didn't even go up and down with nowhere for my feet to go. It was hysterically ridiculous.
Ok, so I knew Andy would try to get me on the ferris wheel. It is H-U-G-E. I didn't want to go. Again, I was afraid on Dumbo. Andy knew I was scared but he really really wanted us to go on it so I gave in. BIG MISTAKE. Here is how Andy felt on the ferris wheel...
Here is how I felt...
You'd have to talk to Andy in person to get the real story but I'll tell you this. I almost had a heart attack - literally. Andy will vouch. He claims it was a panic attack that I experienced. I say I was dying. All I know is the minute I sat on that jail-like contraption and it started moving I felt dizzy, disoriented, and afraid for my life. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. I couldn't look anywhere. I begged Andy not to move or laugh because he was shaking the cart. I tried my hardest to act cool for Lilly's sake...
But I will tell you this (and make my word on it) - I will not go on another ferris wheel for the rest of my life. This one was huge I tell ya! Look how high we went!

Safely on the ground and cruisin' the boardwalk. We ate dinner and looked in some shops.
Lilly was really funny on the rides. She wasn't sure how she felt. We saw this face many many times. Andy says it's her "I'm not sure how I feel" face. We thought she was going to cry and then she was alright. So we did all the other rides together. *The dolphin she's clutching Andy won for her in an arcade!

Yay! Sliding down a slide with Daddy behind her. She liked this obstacle course that involved climbing. Went on it twice with Andy.
Family shot. It was a beautiful evening. I can't wait to go back.

We ended the night with some ice cream as the sun set. It was time to head home since it was already past Lilly's bedtime. She rode the whole hour home and fell asleep a mile from our house!

Some Pics

We sold Lilly's high chair at our yard sale. Never used the darn thing because Lilly couldn't even see above the tray! So today, our neighbor's were having a yard sale and were selling this antique. I like it. $10.

New baby's crib with Lilly's old bedding. I actually think it looks better with the darker wood than it did against the white.
New baby's book cases. We are painting the room a new color for a change of scenery (plus the pink does not look great against the espresso color wood). Not sure on a yellow/gold or something different.
The beauty of having a second little girl... No need to buy any clothes to start out! I just washed all Lilly's clothing that wasn't stained and hung it in her closet. Voila!
Lilly snoozing with her new bumper - if only she knew she majorly downgraded to this flimsy thing but it won't be for long. She was excited that she got new bedding!