Sisterly Love

The last of the three pregnant cats had her kittens yesterday and there were six. I was concerned because the mother didn't seem to know what these strange alien creatures were. She kind of laid there while they squirmed around and got cold. Then her sister leaped into action. She got right in the little bed with her and began licking her kittens for her and also cleaning her up. She didn't leave her side all day and made sure all the kittens were properly cared for. If anyone came in to see the kittens she would be right in there to make sure you were careful. Then as she began to clean her sister's private parts, I said to my self...no, I think I said it out loud,"I wouldn't do that for my sister."

On the morning of day two, I went down to investigate how the night went. The two mothers were in their respective beds so I went to check on the new kittens. There were only five! I searched around and lo and behold, sister had stolen one! It was nestled in with her week old kittens like she was hiding a fugitive. I guess she thought it only fair that they have the same number of kittens. I mean, her sister didn't even know what she was doing and probably wouldn't even notice. SHE did all the work after all! It wasn't fair and now they were even.

Ah, sisterly love.

Daddy Goes To Dancing Class

I was feeling a bit under the weather and needed Daddy to take Kayleigh to her dancing lesson. If only I had remembered that it was the night of the parent meeting and the elaborate costumes for the recital were going to be handed out with explicit instructions on the care, maintenance and presentation of the costumes. Usually there are many daddies there but that night only the mothers were designated by their families to retain these important, detailed instructions. He didn't even get to watch the 10 minutes of dancing because they pulled the blinds to discourage distractions.

When he got home he opened the door and with a bagged tutu in each raised hand, stated in a loud military Sargent like voice, "THANKS A LOT! THE BOW IS TO BE WORN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HEAD. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT IRON THE COSTUME. IT... WILL MELT! REMOVE THE COSTUME FROM THE BAG AND LET IT HANG IN A SAFE PLACE. THE COSTUME IS ONLY TO BE WORN FOR PICTURES, DRESS REHEARSAL AND THE RECITAL.

He sounded a bit stressed.

He's a good man. (He got it all right too.)

Kitten Kaboodle

last year a cat adopted us. Just showed up one day when we had a deer hanging in the garage and thought Loren was the greatest hunter ever and decided this place was cool. She later took up residence in our hay barn. She was pretty but had a unique characteristic of crossed eyes. Loren has never been a cat person and was concerned about her presence affecting the hunting dogs performance. Then there was a big orgy in the hay barn and she got knocked up to say the least. There were cats I had never seen before. They must have come from miles! Wow, to be that desirable. Well, she got bigger and bigger and bigger. Loren was very disturbed at the reality of many cats suddenly and was contemplating a way to get rid of her before the kittens came. Then, one day a chipmunk ran up a tree. Closely behind it was the very pregnant, lightning fast, Princess (as Kayleigh named her). She caught up with the chipmunk high in the tree and batted it to the ground. She then leaped out of the tree and chased it into a pipe. Since we have an over abundance of rodents in the area, she could stay, with the respect of the great hunter.

She showed up one morning kittenless but we were unaware of their location. We wanted to find them so we could handle them and tame them and so Kayleigh could enjoy the kittens. One day we tried to follow her. We were like spies hiding behind bushes so she wouldn't know we were there. She lead us on a round a bout route that probably wasn't anywhere close to the kittens. We gave up. Then, one day, We were in the back yard and Kayleigh said casually that she heard kittens. We said, "what ever." but she wouldn't let it go. Sure enough, there was meowing coming from under the front step. So now Loren, the non-cat guy, without a thought, tore up two treads of the step so we could get to the kittens. For the next weeks, we spent countless hours playing with the kittens. Oh yeah, Kayleigh played with them too. It was so interesting to have them in this wild situation and watch Momma show them the world and teach them to hunt. It is a year later and they are still with us.

Which brings me to the next part of the story. Of the kittens, two were girls and two were boys. Investigating spaying options proved to be very expensive, so now we have 8 more kittens. 4 each from momma and one of the females and we are waiting on the third female to pop. Go figure! We will try our best to find homes for them and then start the spaying process but for now, the new tackroom in the barn is the maternity ward. I was able to watch the second female give birth to them. She had started on the hay in the doorway. She was licking herself and I wondered if she was ready and when I reach her, one was half out. This was a very bad spot so I made a bed for her in the tackroom to make her delivery more comfortable. I guess Momma never told her that she was supposed to hide to have them. Momma had hers in the insulation above Daddy's shop. He was thrilled.

I will post pictures when I get good ones.

What about my brain?

The other day, Kayleigh was feeling under the weather. I asked her if she needed a bucket because that is what we ask if some has the possibility of throwing up. She said yes because her brain was going to throw up. I later realized that she had her first headache.

Later that day we were going down to the barn to see Daddy and when I tried to hurry her along she exclaimed, "What about my brain?"

Nativity

It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas decorations are up. This year kayleigh, almost 4, was given the task of setting up the nativity scene. I took the time this year to tell her the names of the people present, gave her a brief synopsis of the story and told her to set them up as she saw fit. I was surprised to see that she had set them up correctly and then I allowed her to do some role play with the figurines. I was cleaning the kitchen while she was yammerin' away over there when I heard, "Joseph! Don't slouch!". I think tears actually streamed from my laughing eyes. I don't even know where she got that. I never say it. Poor guy, He's just trying to look at the baby. Kind of makes you think what really might have happened in that stable on that, supposedly, magical night.

Movie Title

Had to get this one down right away.

Today, Kayleigh Announced that she wanted to watch the movie,
"The Pirates That Carry Beans".
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.
.
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(Pirates of the Caribbean)

Halloween Improvement

Well there was much improvement on the "Trick or treating" front this year. The increase in physical development and training allowed for a full hour of trekking from house to house without being carried. She, on her own, discovered the efficient zig zag method to cover houses on both sides of the street in one pass.

Things to work on for next year:

1.The "Thank you", spin and go maneuver.
The order of this is crucial. Kayleigh mad the rookie mistake of turning, beginning her exit and then saying "Thank You". You often run the risk of the door being closed or just plain not being heard. Not the way to leave your customer.

2.Alert, open, greeting.
Again, order is most important. Alert homeowner via doorbell or the traditional knock, Allow door to be COMPLETELY opened before saying "Trick or Treat". Premature shouts of "Trick or Treat" lead to uncomfortable silence in a silly costume when door opens.

Things we learned this year:

1. If you are a girl wearing a super hero costume, make sure they know you are a girl and you get extra candy for being cool.

2. Implement the cooling off period. Allow yourself only one or two pieces of your stash on the first two days. Eating too much of your stash leads to the urps just like your Mom said it would.

Doctor Visit

A while ago, Kayleigh needed to see the doctor for an illness. Each time we go to the doctor, Kayleigh usually gets a lot of attention for her unique red hair. I was beginning to wonder if this bothered her.

Our regular doctor had a full schedule so we needed to see one of the other doctors in the clinic. He happend to be quite attractive and Kayleigh was smitten. She was very coyly shy during the examination and when we left the office, the doctor went to the left and we went to the right toward the lobby. Just then, Kayleigh stopped and waved her hair back and fourth and said loudly "But, what about my hair!" As I pulled her along abruptly by her arm, completely embarrased, I thought to myself, "We are in BIG trouble."

pokies

kayleigh calls Daddy's whiskers, pokies so if he hasn't shaved in awhile, kayleigh asks him to go wash off his pokies before he can kiss her.

Now it begins

We enrolled Kayleigh in dancing lessons. I wasn't sure this was a good idea yet but she was offered a free class to try it out. I think the money we have to pay for the season was worth that one class. She had a ball. She was a bit of an over achiever though. Her plie's went right to the ground with a thud and once she got the particular dance move, she would speed it up and do about 10 to the instructors two. She also really liked having the wall covered with mirrors. Her head kind of twisted while she was trying to look at herself during the skipping.

Ok, this is where it gets good. They were supposed to find a partner and do a "ring around the rosie" kind of thing. You know, a gentle skipping circle holding onto hands. Well, Kayleigh's partner was this little whisp of a thing with blonde hair. kayleigh, being the "over achiever" that she chose to be that day, went so fast that the little girl could not keep up and her feet literally came off the ground. "Oh my God!"and "Don't let go!!!" was all I could think of to say. Then the other mothers with me behind the glass knew she was mine. We couldn't hear what was going on in the room but the one of the three kid wranglers rushed over and had a talk with Kayleigh. Normal skipping commenced.

They did tap dancing for the second half and, unfortunatly, we had not gotten tap shoes yet since this was just a trial. She was the only one without tap shoes and you could see that she felt uncomfortable. I was sad and we got all the things she needed after the class was done. I was convinced that this was going to be a good thing. The activity level will only grow from here. Now it begins!

Toddler to Preschooler

Well, it has been awhile since my last post. The events have occured faster than I can record them.

It has been a spring full of baby animals at our farm. I guess we need to call it a farm now. We have had baby pigeons, chukkars, chickens, robins, kittens, puppies, turtles, geese, ducks and turkeys. I think I got them all. Only one of them is truley domesticated, the puppy.

We had a cat that adopted us in November and turned out to be very sweet. She took up house in our hay barn. She became very adept at climbing up and down trees as the dogs chased her up on a regular basis. My husband was not a cat person until he witnessed the great hunter fly up a tree after a chipmunk, very pregnant, batted the chipmunk out and lept from the tree, from a substantial height, and continued the chase. The cat could stay!

Despite our efforts to provide comfortable kitten accomodations, she had her kittens at an undisclosed location and dissapeared for a few weeks. After only occasional visits. Kayleigh wandered out the front of the house and said casually that the kittens were here. We just said, "yeah, whatever." She wouldn't let it go and finally Loren went out there to catch a glympse of a kitten running under the porch. There were indeed kittens. Well, that means that there are more chipmunk hunters. We must tame them! So two of the treads of our front deck were torn up (by the guy that doesn't do cats) so we could gain access. There are five and we bring them in the house a couple at a time with momma to play with them. They are abut 5 weeks old and very cute and healthy.

Now the Puppy! Our friend that breeds hunting dogs brought over an English Setter that we coudn't resist. He is 12 weeks old and mostly white with small black spots. We initally named him Raggs because he looked like a dirty rag when he ran aroung with his gangly legs and flopping ears. The problem is, you need to say their name a lot when they are a puppy so they learn it. "Raggs, Raggs, Raggs Raggs Raaaaaaaaggs", gets realy annoying after awhile. His name is now Wilie. Whew!!!!

He got to stay because he tried to drink Loren's beer and would jump to bite at the smoke from his cigerettes. (So he drinks beer and smokes) He spends a lot of time in the house and can turn off his energy. Hopefully he will prove to be a good hunting dog for Loren.

Well, I will stop for now but I will try to keep up with our adventures.

Haunted Potty Seat

Well, we have been making headway on the potty training. Since we were having trouble, we decided to get a potty chair instead of the seat we were putting on the regular seat. We made a big production out of purchasing the chair and even began chanting on the way to the store, "Po-tty chair. Po-tty chair. (of course, she then continued this in the store). So, we get this chair that looks like a small thrown and plays a royal theme when you pee into it. Scared her to death so she barely uses it but things are still getting better.

Now here's creepy part. The other night, I awoke at about 3:30 in the morning from a bad dream about a haunted house that we were trying to live in. As I was laying there trying to convince myself that that was not reality, I hear a royal theme coming from the bathroom. At first I thought, "Wow, Kayleigh is really getting good if she is getting up in the middle of the night to use the potty but, in closer examination I realized that there were no lights on and her door was closed. The royal music continued over and over again. Ok, Now I am getting scared and I have to pee and I am scared to go to the bathroom. I finally get my courage up to go and the potty chair is just as we left it, It is not playing music and I can't make it play by jiggling it and the pan is dry.

The next morning, everyone had a good laugh over my fright and I convinced myself that pressure on the contacts is what makes it play and probably a mouse got in there. Then I tested my theory and pressed on the contacts with my finger and.......... nothing happened. oooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooooo.

For more photos visit www.nelson-arts.com

Volcanic Eruption

The other night, I was creating this great meal from a new recipe. It was chicken with this wonderful sauce made of orange juice and spicy mustard. The chicken was browned, the sauce was on it in the pan and now it was time to thicken. Just at that moment, Kayleigh brought her little chair into the kitchen to reach the counter to help Mommy. I was clearing the items from infront of the cornstartch which included peanut butter, brown sugar, and baking soda. (If you paid any attention in Science class in 5th grade, you may already see where this is going) Kayleigh, starving for attention because, being practally an only child, she gets no attention at all, started her "Mumma?......Mumma?......Muuuuuuuma?...... Mind you, I am responding with, "what?" each time. She strategically distracts me enough so I grab the baking soda instead of the cornstartch, put the two tablespoons in the shaker and shake with water. On opening the shaker, I thought,"Hmmmm, not as thick as usual" My mind clouded with "mumma,mumma, mumma" I poured the mixture into the bubbling sauce. Immediately, the pan erupted with the foaming bubbly mess which covered the stove and continued to the kitchen floor.
Oh and, by the way,..... screaming "STOP!" doesn't work.

Kayleigh's response, "You made a big mess mumma."

Christmas 2006

Well, Christmas is over. This year saw many changes with kayleigh. She understood the present opening part but was a bit confused because she just celebrated her birthday and thought that Christmas Eve, with the relatives, was the biggest, most awesome birthday party ever. She kept saying, "Happy Birthday Everyone!" Then, she was a little put off that other people got to open the presents too. Then, when it was time to go, she tried to gather up everyone's gifts to bring home. It was a bit traumatic to tear the Little Pony castle from her grasp that belonged to her cousin.
On Christmas, the next morning, We just told her to open everything and, if it didn't fit, give it to Daddy. That worked out well.

The big gift hits were, Spiderman action figure, Hot Wheels power shot, Polly Pocket and My Little Ponies. Actually, it was hard to pick her favorites because she was flitting from one gift to another. She really liked them all. At bed time, however, I was forced to give Spiderman a goodnight kiss before leaving the room.

Now, I will spend the next week cleaning the livingroom.

Ketchup Mishap

Don't you love the entries that start with the word "mishap" in the title?

I am not sure that you are aware that buying ketchup at Costco saves quite a bit of money. You can get two Flintstone size bottles for about the price of one normal size bottle in the regular store. We go through a lot of ketchup in our house so it was a "no brainer" as far as I was concerned. Key words..."no brainer".

Yesterday Kayleigh decided that she needed Ketchup with her pretzle I had prepared for her. Being the independent, almost three year old that she is, she ventured into the refridgerator to get the ketchup herself. Mind you, this bottle is the size of Montana. After keeping the door of the refridgerator open for 20 minutes while she developed the appropriate grasp, she horsed this thing over to her little chair, climbed up so she was level with the pretzle and declaired, "Mommy, I did..." and dropped the 30lb bottle of ketchup on the kitchen floor. Now, normal bottles might have survived this concusion, but this bottle created a crime scene that CSI would have had to edit. I found ketchup on the livingroom wall about 15 feet away.

I think that the first thing you should do when you discover that you're pregnant is buy stock in Proctor and Gamble because you know you will be supporting the company so you may as well get a return out of it. Yeah, we went through some paper towel.

You know, you can get that at Costco too.


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Halloween Hangover

This Halloween was Kayleigh's first trick or treating experience. We tried last year but she wouldn't put on the costume. It really is a, coming of age, sort of thing. Kind of like one's 21st birthday. You go out on a special night, well aware that you will be consuming much of something that is not good for you and you may suffer for it the next few days but everyone does it.

She was great. The training began days ahead repeating, "Trick or treat."......"Thank you", until it was fluid, clear and with the proper projection. Unfortunately, we hadn't considered the physical training necessary to acquire the stamina to fill a pillowcase with candy like the old days. ( I wouldn't know anything about that.) She started to get tired after the fourth house but, like athletic sport trainers, Mom and Dad provided the necessary motivation to presevere. Other kids, experienced in the art of trick or treating, set the bar for efficiency by cutting across lawns and leaping over bushes. Our threesome, one having a career in landscaping, respectfully stayed on the driveways and roads, adding about three miles distance to our looped route of houses.

While the unicorn costume created a buzz on the streets, aspirations of skeletons and mummies were apparent for next years choice. A pumpkin full of candy took a full three days to disappear. At one point I missed a great photo opportunity. On the first day after, she was laying on the floor in a heap, with candy wrappers strewn about her. She appeared clearly to be passed out, suffering from a Halloween hangover. Ahhhh, that's my girl.


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

She Says the Cutest Things

Yesterday, Kayleigh was in my office while I was working which, in itself, is a recipe for disaster. As usual, she got very quiet, which means she is probably coloring on an important document or figuring out how to unscrew the cap to a toxic substance. Just as I was begining to notice the tell tale slience, She says, clear as a bell,

"Excuse me mommy,.....Ahem..AHEMMMM."

And, of course, she had colored with permanent marker all over her hands and arms but, where did she learn Excuse me? I love this stuff!

Potty Problems

This entry was inevitable. I think every mother with a toddler still in diapers approaching three years old, envisions her child boarding the bus with a diaper in their backpack. Everyone has seems to have their unique solution and We have tried them all. It is not that she is not willing to go in the potty, it is just, to her, it is really too much of a production. It is just easier to go in the diaper and continue to play in the sandbox.

So, here's the plan. I got this huge box of diapers. I told Kayleigh that they don't make them anymore and when these are done, we can't get any more so we are going to have to figure out what to do. "I know, how about just putting it in the potty?" Everyday, every diaper, I reinforce that when these are gone, We are going to have to use big girl pants.

I don't know, I am trying to work it so it falls on a weekend so I have time for a lot of laundry and furniture cleaning. Just yesterday, I took her out of the tub and she peed on the carpet in the bathroom. She thought it was cool and watched it like a scientist viewing some unique animal behavior.

I will let you know how it goes.

First Horse Show

Kayleigh just participated in her first horse show at the age of two (pushing three)and got a fourth place ribbon. Yaa Hoo!!!

We entered her in the lead line class. Now, I am used to lead line being a class where the kids parade around on the big horses at a walk, lead by their mom's and everyone gets a first place ribbon and a sucker. Not at this show. This was serious business. This was a game show and the other entrants were running barrels keyhole and very fast events. Even the little kids in the Pee wee division (10 and under) were able to ride rearing, bucking horses that ran one hundred miles an hour. Daddy got a new perspective on what my hopes were for kayleigh's riding future.

For her class, we needed to go half way down the arena and go around a barrel and come back and.......it was timed! Before now, Kayleigh had trotted about half way around our small arena at home before listing to one side and being helped back on so I was nervous about this whole thing. Of course, when I ride my horse, April, at a game show, she is pretty much out of control as soon as I enter the arena until I start my run. This also concerned me.

Well, we went for it. She trotted all the way as fast as I was comfortable with and as fast as I could jog in the deep footing and she laughed hysterically the whole way because the bouncing made her voice sound funny. April was perfect and she got a little black toy horse and a hershey bar just for finishing. I wished her congratulations on her fourth place ribbon and she later wished, the boy that she had been flirting with, congratulations on his ribbon, like she had been saying the word "congratulations" all her life.

She wore pink cowboy boots, a pink windbreaker and an english hardhat. No pictures because MOMMY forgot the camera!! Dang!

The Local Circus

We recently attended the local circus. You know, the one where the costumes need a good drycleaning and you wonder how the children grow up in the circus gypsy lifestyle. Anyway, they had an elephant!!! I have always wanted to ride an elephant since I was a child so I was very excited to see that they were offering rides. I asked Kayleigh if she wanted to go on an elephant ride and she said yes without hesitation. Great! I bought the tickets and we climbed the ladder to the platform. Kayleigh was doing well until they walked the elephant over to us. Apparently, she misunderstood my previous question. She can become disproportionatly strong in the face of perceived death. At 5 bucks a pop, this kid was going to ride the elephant! I just told her it was like a really big horse and grabbed her and wisked her onto the elephant. Once she got on, she was fine and it was really cool to pet the elephant's head as we rode.

For Kayleigh, the rest of the circus was great. At one point, she stood on the temporary wooden bleachers and raised her arms and pointed her toe as if she was one of the performers with a very serious look on her face. Concentration before the big trick, you know. The little monkey freaked her out, though. It had clothes on and looked, to her, like a really odd child. Since we have been home, we have learned several tumbling routines and have been working on our hoolahooping. This usually turns into human ring toss but, whatever.

We can't wait for the real circus!!!


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Cinderella's Wedding

Last weekend, we went to a relative's wedding. Kayleigh was a bit fidgety so I told her that if she was very good, she would get to see Cinderella. She was quiet as a mouse and when the bride came in, she gazed upon her with utmost wonderment. She truly believed it was Cinderella. After the wedding, we did not go thru the receiving line because we were in a seat that exited from a different area. When we got out into the common area where the receiving line was, Kayleigh broke free from my hand and went straight to Cinderella, cut in line, stood at her feet, gazed up at her and made all the people walk around her. Of course, the bride thought she was kind of weird but she went with it. Then she would grab each of up by the hand and say "come on!" and drag us over to see Cinderella. She was in heaven.

The reception was really fun. Kayleigh began dancing as soon as we entered the room. There was only quiet music playing because the DJ wasn't even there yet but all the other kids joined in with her. When the real music started about an hour later, She still danced with the adults, trying to keep up with the line dancing.

At one point she asked to go potty, which is a big deal right now. We were all very excited. Auntie came with us and was in the stall next to us. When her aunt began to pee, Kayleigh clapped and said "Good Job!"

The next bit of entertainment was when she decided to introduce herself to other people at the wedding. She went from table to table and said hello and shook hands with people we didn't know. The best part though was when they didn't offer their hand to her, she would reach up and grab their arm and force them to shake her hand.

The icing on the cake was when Cinderella came to our table and asked Kayleigh to dance. She held her in her arms and spun circles around the floor. I thought Kayleigh would melt with joy.

It was a very fun evening and Kayleigh was very entertaining for all.

I bet she will read this when she is about 14 and say,"No way! I did not do that!"


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Movie Star

This movie thing is getting really funny. Now Kayleigh knows all the lines and goes through the motions too. If the characters run down the stairs, she goes down stairs. If the character makes a gesture with their hand, she does the same. And when it is time to waltz with the Prince, Daddy better be home or else. (or else I have to play the part of the prince) Then he usually gets a kiss so it's all good.

The best one is when Cinderella gets her dress from the Fairy Godmother, Kayleigh runs to her room and gets her princess dress and makes me put it on her before she gets to the ball. Who said that movie watching was a sedentary activity. Man, we work up a sweat.

Bait and Switch

We were preparing for a nice dinner of steak with baked potato so, I put some sour cream on the table in a dish that we happen to also use for ice cream. Kayleigh saw what she thought was a heaping bowl of ice cream and decided, with out a doubt, that that is what she wanted for dinner. I tried, without success, to convince her that it was not what she thought it was. Well, mothers don't know anything so little miss smarty pants got her ice cream. She prepared the biggest heaping spoonfull that the spoon would hold and plunged it deep into her mouth with closed eyes and a look of ecstasy. The progression of the facial expression is one that will be burned in my memory forever. The eyes pop open in uncertain surprise then, as the realization sinks in, the whole faces melts into the unmistakable expression of complete revulsion with a dramatic finale of spitting sour cream around the kitchen.

Actually, it was a pants wetter for me and Grandma.


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Priorities

There is something about having a two year old that makes you reevaluate the importance of material possessions. Now if you have been reading my blog you probably know where this is going.

I was sitting on the couch in the living room reading the paper. Mind you, this position is in full view of the kitchen. After a time I thought to myself, "Kayleigh is awfully quiet." I glanced into the kitchen and saw Kayleigh standing quietly with her back towards me. "humm" I said to myself. My mother instincts told me that there is something wrong if Kayleigh is standing still for more than 2 seconds. I rose from my seat and advanced closer to the kitchen to find Kayleigh had gotten a hold of a SHARPIE MARKER!!!!!!

Now ordinarily, destruction of this magnitude might warrant the use of a firearm but God made two year olds cute for a reason.

She had practiced her artistic talent on the dishwasher, five of the cabinets that Daddy spent a whole winter refinishing, the new floor, the rug and, not to mention, herself. When I got to her, she was coloring on her right foot.

All I could do was laugh. Somehow we would get it clean and if we didn't, it would be good topic of conversation when we had people over. If anything, it would be a reminder of the joy and innocence of being a two year old. (especially when Kayleigh is 16 and we are telling her boyfriend how she colored on the cabinets just before showing the picture of her with a diaper on her head. Touche, Kayleigh!!!)

A Bad Month

This has not been a good month for kayleigh. She has been sick for most of it. The whole family got a bad cold after a vacation and It just held on for Kayleigh. I thought it was getting better and Daddy had to go on a fishing trip. So, as soon as he drove out of the driveway, her fever spiked to 104 degrees. Yikes! We went to the urgent care facility and waited two hours to get in. People in the waiting room felt so bad for us. Why do people go to urgent care for a hangnail and keep dying people waiting two hours!! I swear, half the people had nothing wrong with them.

To make a long story short, three antibiotics later and a bout with pneumonia, she is finally better. Don't let the bubblegum smell of the antibiotic fool you. These kids are brave to choke that stuff down twice a day. I tasted it and couldn't get the bile taste out of my mouth all day.

To make a long story longer, The diaper rash!!!! Oh my, the diaper rash!! There were blisters!! Kayleigh kept saying "OK,OK, I am sorry!" when I was changing her like I was punishing her for something she did. I felt so bad. We went through two tubes of Desitin.

Now she is better and thinking about her next act of destruction.

Another Movie Story

Cinderella is one of her favorite movies. She knows all the lines for this too. At Christmas time, she got a fairy costume from Grandma but Kayleigh thinks it is her Cinderella dress. When they get to the part where the Fairy Godmother arrives, kayleigh runs to get her Ciderella dress and must put it on at this point in the movie so she can go to the ball. When they are at the ball, and if Daddy is in the room, he gets to be the prince and waltz with her. He is even lucky enough to get the kiss at the end if he sticks around.

Now, before I put a movie in, I need to make sure all the props are available, and not in the wash or something, so we don't have a melt down.

Movie Mania

Kayleigh loves to watch movies. Sometimes I think maybe I allow her to watch them too much but she is really learning skills and they are harmless Disney movies and such. She knows all the lines to Shrek. She stands up and says the lines along with the movie and performs all the actions. One day, while Shrek was rescuing the princess from the castle, they had to run down some stairs. Kayleigh runs over to the stairs and runs up and down them until the scene is over. At first, I was wondering "What the heck?". If the characters lay down, she lays down. If the characters gesture with their arms, she does the same. I really don't mine watching these movies for the thousandth time If Kayleigh is going to entertain me this way.

The Booger Patrol

We were at Target the other day and while in the check out lane, Kayleigh spotted andther boy, her age, picking a winner from his nose. kayleigh pointed her finger and SHOUTED!, NO EATING!!!!!!

God Bless Daycare

Daycare has proven to be a success. She is a little sad when I leave but if there is a movie playing, Lion King trumps Mommy. She has already learned a new phrase. "what happened?" It is so funny when she comes up with something new like this like she has been saying it for many years. Usually, I have to do some work while she is at daycare but one day I had a free day. I couldn't get used to her being gone. I tip toed around the house so as not to wake her and I winced at every clang of a dish while cleaning the kitchen. I think I was afraid to ruin this quiet moment. My routine was really thrown off. Just walking into the grocery store without unloading Kayleigh was strange. I kept having this feeling that I had left her somewhere. It is like not bring your purse with you.

Way Behind

I have gotten way behind on my entries and have a lot of catching up to do. The next few entries will be catch up information. You have to think, Is it because I am busy or have I stopped cherishing the moment? I plan to focus more and continue to document Kayleigh's activities on a more regular basis.

Time For Daycare

Today will be the first day of daycare for Kayleigh. We went for a visit to see if she would be comfortable there. I guess it won't be a problem. She entered the classroom, where all the children were quietly sitting in a half circle preparing for a story book. She threw off her jacket and with a big loud voice and a big smile said "HIIIIIIII" Oh, and waved too. Then she went up to one of the children on the floor and bent over so her face was directly in front of his and said "Come On!" and ran to the slide and began to play. He didn't "come on". I think he was scared.

She certainly was the life of the party. I don't think that the children knew what to make of her. I hope that the teachers can manage her but I also hope that the other children's reactions don't change her spirit. She maybe a little over the top at times and I want her to behave appropriately, but I don't ever want her to think that, being happy about life, and outgoing, is weird.

Dr. Destructo Strikes Again

Today, Kayleigh swiped a half a stick of butter off the counter while I was cooking and proceeded to smear it all over the arm of the overstuffed chair in the living room. I heard this strange patting sound as she was smoothing it into place to finish off the design. Thank goodness for slip covers. I don't remember being like this. I scared the crap out of her when I shrieked realizing what was happening. She had no clue that maybe putting butter on the chair was bad.

Ping Pong

The other night, we put ping pong balls in Kayleigh's shirt where her breasts will be someday. She was so proud. She strutted around with her chest stuck out. But the funny part was her face. It was very serious as if carring these things was very serious business and I had better get it right. The way she imitates me, I was thinking, Do I walk around the house like that? Then they started to shift position and still with a very serious face, she desperately tried to regain their position. Lifting up, pushing sideways, pulling each to the outside. At one point they were on her back. We about wet our pants with laughter.


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Tender Moment

The other night I witnessed a tender moment between Kayleigh and her Dad. They were both watching TV and Kayleigh was sitting on her Daddy's lap. Kayleigh turned her head and pursed her lips for a kiss from Daddy which he lovingly gave. Then, as they sat both entranced by the TV, Kayleigh picked her nose and, yes, ate it. Then, she turned her head and pursed her lips for another kiss from Daddy. He, without taking his eyes off the program, lovingly gave another kiss to little miss booger lips.

Christmas is Over

Christmas is over and what a wonderful time it was. Kayleigh can finally say "Christmas" and got the chance to open the presents. She was reluctant because of all the scolding for opening a few before Christmas and, she did get present opening burn out. I don't ever remember this ever happening to me.

She has already put about 100 miles on the spring horse I battled for on Ebay and we have decided that maybe it is necessary to install stabilizers onto it. She is already thumping it across the floor and it is the biggest one that was made. I didn't think that would start until next year. Maybe she will need a real pony soon. Don't tell Daddy though.

We went to church on Christmas eve and I brought her to the front of the church for the children's moment. I kept a firm grip but she still wanted to check out all the cool stuff up there. We had to abort the mission and retire to the nursery. We weren't the only ones.

At one point the men were playing speed chess. Kayleigh carefully studied the technique then participated by slamming a piece down and hitting the timer like she had been playing for years.

After Christmas, we went to Auntie Sue's cabin and watched all the crazy relatives jump into a cut hole in the ice of the lake after roasting in the sauna. She squealed with glee each time someone ran from the sauna and jumped in the lake. A few years and some swimming lessons and she will be joining them I'm sure.

Now she has been catching up on sleep. Ya! Hoo!


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The Importance of Accessorization

One of Kayleigh's birthday presents was a beautiful princess dress with a tulle skirt and fairy wings. She got matching shoes and a feather boa. She was very excited to show Daddy her new outfit so we prepared to model it. She looked beautiful and waved her arms in a fairy princess sort of way. She then completed the outfit by accessorizing with Mr. Potato Head's glasses.

Baby Scape Goat

We had a visit to Grandma's house recently. All was going well until nap time. I positioned her play pen in the living room so she could take a nap. She was very quiet and I mistakenly took that for quiet napping. When I went in to check on her, she had reached over to a table and grabbed a basket of plants and dumped everything into her playpen and began some indoor gardening. I startled her by saying, loudly, "Kayleigh Sue, What are you doing!" She jumped to her dirty sock covered feet and shook her finger in her baby doll's face and said "No!, No!,No!"

That darn baby doll anyway. Always getting into mischief.

Carnac the Magnificant

Remember Carnac the Magnificant, from Johnny Carson?

The great Carnac holds the envelope to his head and says,


"Something you frequently say at Christmas time when you have a two year old in the house."


Carnac tears the envelope open and reads,


"Spit the Baby Jesus out RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!"

Magical Day

Some days you have to stop and think, "Does it get any better?" If it does, I am sure the joy in my heart might just explode it.

The other day was truly magical. There was snow on the ground, the temperature was thirty degrees and the sun was out. We were supposed to be madly cleaning the house for Kayleigh's birthday party but we were distracted by the call of the skating pond and the sledding hill. Daddy joined us on the skating pond to watch Kayleigh skate unassisted for about 20 foot distances. Not bad for two! We would send her from one to the other.

Then we laughed until we cried on the sledding hill. We would push Kayleigh off and she would yell, "Bub bye, See ya!", and down she would go. Of course, us ridiculous old people had to show off our years of honed sledding skills. We both are still walking so it's all good.

Then, we capped off our family play day by making the biggest snowman in the world. You know it is big when you need a Bobcat loader to lift the midsection onto the base. He is borrowing my scarf and we carefully choose the appropriate appointments from the woods. He greeted our guests coming to the party.

The whole day was so much fun and nap time extended into the evening. I hope when Kayleigh is older she realizes how lucky she is to have such a wonderful loving Dad. We hadn't a care in the world. Truly a magical day.


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Christmas Time

It has been a while since my last entry and now it is Christmas time. This year Kayleigh has a clue that this is going to be a celebration. We had to make a rule that the Christmas tree ornaments are to look at and they are not toys even though they look like it. We have had some time outs with this issue.

We have the nativity scene set up and decided it was wise to skip the straw this year. I have been letting Kayleigh interact with the figurines aside from putting baby Jesus in her mouth. She very carefully set up the attendees to the birth of Jesus so they could conveniently watch the television. Poor Mary has to watch the baby while Joseph, the wise men, the shepherd, and all the animals are turned to watch the TV.

Kayleigh, always thinking of others.

I feel as if I am reliving my childhood when I am watching her stare at the lights of the Christmas tree in wonder and anticipation.

Shadow Discovery

Kayleigh discovered her shadow the other day. We were enjoying the evening, which is dark much earlier now when daddy gets home. The three of us were standing in the light of the shed when Kayleigh realized that that dark thing atached to her feet was moving with her. She lifted one leg at a time then raised her arms a few times. Then she stepped into her daddy's shadow and stepped out. Then I raised my arms to look scary and when she turned around to look, I put them down like I had just been standing there the whole time. Then put them up again when she turned back around. She bent over to touch it like it might have a texture or feel.

Then she forgot about it and chased the dog.

We smiled.

Who Invented Tootsie Pops Anyway?

Well, Halloween ws a bust. Daddy was all excited for Kayleigh's first trick-or-treating experience. We had it all planned. We would hit the neighbors then play it by ear and maybe even go into town to do some more. Earlier that day, I made really cool jack-o-lanterns that we lit up to get ready for the trick-or-treaters that never came. when it was time to put on the dragon costume, kayleigh wanted nothing to do with it. So with a runny nose anyway and the screaming, we decided to wait til next year.

She was, however, interested in the candy. She has been enjoying the same Tootsie pop for about three days. I spend most of the day rinsing off items that have become attached to it. We were going to the grocery store so I thought she might like to have it in the car for the ride. Half way there, I heard whimpering from the back and she was saying OWWWWW. I looked in my baby mirror to see the sucker stuck to the front of her neck with hair from both sides also stuck on the sucker. She wasn't holding it. It was just stuck there. What a mess. Thank goodness for wipes. Do you think the same guy invented wipes?


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Let The Tantrums Begin

We experienced our first full out tantrum the other day and my husband, this being his first child, was definitely caught off guard. The shear ear piercing volume of the frustrated screaming left us both deaf. Now, if you had met Kayleigh, you would know that this behavior is highly unexpected from this good natured child. We are suspecting demonic possession. She can flop on the floor and become boneless and 200lbs. She could throw a block 90 mph.

It really is a tough time for a toddler when their brain understands WAY more than their words can express. I think, in their frustration sometimes, they forget to use the words that they know. I am trying to encourage my husband that this is just a phase and if we can stick it out and reward her when she uses words, we won't have to bring in the Priest. (until she is 13, going on 18). To be honest, it is hard for me to not laugh when she gets like this. I think I was the same way. I guess I have to admire her determination. Now we just harness it. Harness! Yea! There is an idea.

I don't even know what to title this one.

This is a good one.

We rented the movie "Finding Neverland". Nice movie but too much inactive soft talking for Kayleigh, at 22 1/2 months, to stay interested. Although, at one point, she went up to the television with her arms spread and put her face on the tv and was tilting it back and fourth. I am thinking, "What in the world is she doing?" Then I realized.....She was kissing Johnny Depp. On the mouth!!! She left a goober on the television!

I am so glad I am getting record of this stuff because she will never believe it when she is twenty.

Come On!

Apparently, I say, "Come on!" quite a bit. In case you didn't know, toddlers are a remarkably unforgiving mirror of yourself. I didn't really notice this in my other children but then they were in day care for much of the day. They were probably mimicking the day care providers and I just didn't realize it.

Kayleigh now rehearses all the different inflections of the phrase, "Come on". She says it in disgust. She says it to mean disbelief. She says it to have you follow her. She says it to make the dogs come. I really hadn't noticed how many uses we have for that phrase. No wonder non English speaking people go crazy trying to learn our language. For this to make any sense to a two year old is amazing to me.


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In And Out In 18 Hours.

Did you ever wonder how long it takes something to travel through your digestive system. Kayleigh can tell you about 18 hours. Kayleigh's Aunt heard Kayleigh make a coughing noise and then couldn't seem to find the dime that was on her desk a minute ago. She confessed to me the incident and we continued looking on the floor for the dime with no success. I jokingly told her I would make sure to return it when it turned up, and it did...and I returned it. I taped the oxidized (cleaned) dime to a piece of paper, wrote a short note and mailed it to her. I am sure she will be glad to have it back. You might say, Kayleigh borrowed it for a few hours.

goldfish

Kayleigh though that the goldfish might make a good playmate. In the time it took me to check my email, she lifted the fish bowl of the table and placed it on the floor only spilling half the water onto the new carpet. Then she removed all the plants and the castle. Some of the rocks had to go too. When I came into the room, she was up to her elbow in the bowl and the goldfish was madly escaping her efforts to grab him. I think her evil twin had a hand in this too because when she spotted me she looked at the mess and said "oh, oh." as the invisible evil twin ran off saying "hee hee hee"

Scary Man

It is now Halloween time and Kayleigh is terrified of the scary man at the grocery store. In the Halloween aisle, there is a life size man, bald, dressed in black and when you walk by, his eyes move. Very scary. I just can't figure out why an, almost two year old, would be afraid of this. What is it about him that tells her this situation is dangerous? She doesn't know yet that bad people kill other people. She doesn't know about being kidnapped or harmed in any way. These are the things that we think of when we see a scary man. Yeah, he is a little different but she sees other different people with out her heart rate increasing and shuddering with fear. I thought maybe it was because he was not smiling but she is afraid of the Frankenstein and he is smiling. O.K., so he's green but she is not afraid of black people or people with purple hair. It is very interesting how this instinct of danger develops. We may have to take it easy on the trick-or-treating this year.

As much as I have tried to shelter her from negitive influences, somehow, she knows that there is evil in the world. That is sad that it is apparently born within us. It is not learned.


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Where's My Camera When I Need It!

The other day we were playing by Kayleigh's tool bench. She happened to be wearing work boots and carpenter's pants with all the pockets and loops. For fun, I started loading her up with colorful plastic toy tools. She had a tool in every possible holder on her pants. Then she bent over to pick up one last tool only to expose a little butt crack.

Where's my camera when I need it.

Banana Bummer

Yesterday, Kayleigh and I engaged in our usual, late morning, routine. I do things in the kitchen and Kayleigh pulls up a chair to the other side of the counter, stands on it, and tinkers with things. Usually this is harmless and I have gotten a little lax with my attention to her tinkering. This day, she proceeded to peel every banana in the bunch and took one bite out of each and dropped a couple on the floor. When I finally snapped out of my coma and realized what she was doing, I said, "kayleigh! What in the world are you doing?" She looked at her mess and it was as if her evil twin had run off leaving her to face the music. "Oooooh! Nooooo!" she said,like she had nothing to do with it and she had just now discovered the destruction her evil twin left behind.

Darn, that evil twin anyway!


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Dialogue

"Eat your beans."

"No."

"Just eat one."

"No."

"Eat one bean and you can have some ice cream"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

"No!!!!!"


Am I the only one that finds this entertaining?


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Understanding Phrases

I am amazed at the complicated phrases Kayleigh is able to understand at 22 months. "Do you know what happens when Mr. Rogers is over?" Whizzzz! off to her room she runs for nap. "Would you like to wash your face and hands for dinner?" "No, I don't." she replies with confidence and a days worth of playing in the dirt on her hands. She understands, "Put this in the garbage." and "Where are your shoes?"

I am, however, having a lot of trouble with "Don't squeeze the juice box." and "Let's pick up your toys now."

New Words...for us

We are convinced now, that there are some words that Kayleigh will go thru life saying incorrectly. And Why not? Her words are better. Pizza is now pizy and our dog is now named Boogie. Blankets are babies and a book is a bookie. It is hard to correct her when her version is more fun. We are now using her words.


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No Need For A Cup

Kayleigh's older brother just left for college and I am sure that he is relieved to not have to cover his groin area when traveling through a room with Kayleigh in it. She doesn't mean any harm but it's just a bad level. Any inadvertent arm swinging, ball throwing and bat swinging results in that characteristic, doubled over stance. America's funniest home videos could have been inundated with clips from us.

I do think she will miss him though. I think she will always remember him for pinning her to the ceiling, scaring her every few minutes and the AWESOME reaction she got when she threw a dirty diaper in his lap. It was like she had thrown a tarantula on him. He taught her to scoop a lacrosse ball and what it was like to get squirted with a super soaker (point blank). He would lift her up and say, "On your mark, Get set, GO!" And her legs would start peddling the air until he set her on the ground and, Off she would go! Always good for a laugh. Together we taught her to say, "Yeah, baby!" and "Oh!... My gosh!" Of course, half the summer was spent changing "God" to "Gosh" on that one. He pushed her swing better than anyone. I am convinced he was, passive aggressively, trying to make her barf but she loved it. It is good for character to have a big brother around. I hope she will have good quality time with him again soon.

There, Ben. You scored a spot in my blog.

First trip away

We just got back from a long weekend of fishing away from Kayleigh. She didn't miss us at all with Grandma and Grandpa to entertain while we were away. We, however, missed her quite a bit. We tried not to include her in every conversation but she was definitely on our minds. I personally had weird phobias about the schedule and not being away too long and it getting late. We were on vacation! It didn't matter how long we were fishing. No one needed to be relieved of babysitting and we didn't have to worry about the nap schedule. We were able to begin to relax about the time we had to leave. When we got home, she had grown an inch, I swear. When Grandma and Grandpa left, she waved Bye Bye, blew kisses then got really quiet for awhile. She didn't quite cry but I think she was close.

Post Office Mishap

The other day I took my twenty month old to the post office. Yes she is already twenty months and to celebrate her advanced age, we introduced the "harness". Yes, you get some looks from people and one lady said to her little girl, "Look honey, It's like a little puppy." Well, puppy or not, It is safe and she has a great time being more independent. Now if I can just teach her to "heel!". Back to the story, we went to the post office and had a rather uneventful visit until the exit. Kayleigh was walking near me and steadying herself by holding onto the bottom of my shorts. Then....., she fell. Who would have guessed that elastic band shorts was a bad idea. I think that is all that needs to be said here.

Another Consequence

When you climb up onto a lawn chair with the straps and stand on it, you fall through and are stuck there until mumma figures out that you are missing.


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Pink Cowboy Boots

Pink Cowboy boots. They are the cutest things I have ever seen. We tried them on in the store and when I took them off, Kayleigh screemed so I had to buy them because.... I want to encourage this behavior when it comes to horse things. There, I said it! She wore them when she rode that day and I was trying to get pictures but the horse kept moving. So, I would say "Whoa!" to try to make her stand still. Well, little miss copy cat started shouting "Whoa!" any time the poor horse took a step. (I have it on video) The problem is, she didn't really want her to stop. She likes to go fast and is trotting a few steps already. I have to lead her around about 20 minutes before I can peel her off. Dang!

Look out! She can throw a ball!

Yes, she can throw a ball and she has quite an arm. If you are a man, you must wear a cup and steel toed shoes. Just ask Daddy. We have this ball that is used for batting cages so it is kind of hard. She still thinks she throws like she used to when half of them fell behind her back so, she really puts some "stank" on it when she is standing two feet away from you. The dogs have learned to steer clear when she has ball in hand.

Bug Collection

Kayleigh kept finding bugs in her swimming pool and picking them up. At first I took them from her and said "Icky" and threw them out of the pool. Then, it occurred to me that she may be interested in these creatures. It is hard to monitor when you should teach "Icky" and when you should encourage interest. You know, like, when they're interested in the composition and texture of a pile of dog poop or something. Interesting but,"Icky". Today, we chose the latter. We gathered the giant Darning Needle dragonfly that had drowned in the pool and found two other creatures, a Monarch butterfly (butt eye, according to kayleigh) and another small dragonfly with beautiful yellow and clear wings. We put them under glass with cotton behind them so we could examine the specimen's. I remember that my sister had some of these when I was young and I spent long hours looking at the huge beetles she had under glass. She had a huge Lunar moth too (that one scared me). We will look for one of these. I hope she will spend long hours examining her specimen's then I can tell her that god made these and he made you too. Isn't he
cool.


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Consequences

When you reach for a stick that is floating out of reach in the soft sided kiddy pool,
you fall in and drain the pool.

When you run really, really fast and step on a piece of paper on a turn,
you wipe out.

When you climb on Daddy's Bobcat after Mommy said "no",
you get black grease on the dress that grandma bought you and Mommy gets a mean face.

When you stand in front of a rotating sprinkler,
you eventually get water in your eye.

When you look at mommy while you are walking somewhere you know you aren't supposed to go,
you run into walls.

When you put your syrup covered hand in your hair during breakfast,
it hurts when Mommy combs it later.

When you run down hill,
your body goes faster than your legs.

When you ride a horse and watch a stick on the ground until it is way behind you,
Mommy catches you when you fall off.

When you try to climb on a lawn chair with straps,
your legs go through and you are stuck there until someone finds you.

A Little Miss.... Communication

This was a wonderful weekend full of activity. Kayleigh caught a fish, swam in a lake, rode in a boat and watched Mommy and Daddy crash on water skis and complain about how old they were when the aches and pains set in. Now, she spent most of the weekend Walking around saying Key-Coo, key-coo, key-coo, key-coo. I thought this meant, tickle, tickle, tickle. So that is what I told everyone she was saying, being the interpreter that I am. This was dumb, however, because she was not trying to tickle anything and no one was trying to tickle her. I soon realized how wrong I was.

The evening that we got home, It had approached dinner time and Kayleigh stood in the middle of the kitchen pointing to the counter yelling, Key-coo! Key-coo! Tickle certainly didn't fit this situation and this soon developed into a full on tantrum. I kept frantically holding up item after item from the (slightly cluttered) counter only to meet "NOOOOOOOOO, KEY-kOO!", as a response. Milk?, NOOO! Pen?, NOOOOO! Toy?, NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Then I got to the box that had, at one time, contained cookies that were sent in the mail.

It was as if Handel himself had commissioned a choir to sing "Haaaaallelujah!!!" in my ear. Then I realized how elementary this was. Of course, change key to kie, replace the k on koo with c, reverse the order and you have....... COOKIE!

The tears died up. The red color drained from her face and the ringing in my ears soon stopped. A huge smile came across her face and with outstretched arms, she received the cookie and retired to the recliner to enjoy every crumb of, what seemed as, a well earned cookie.

I should have learned my lesson 18 years ago when my first son requested, "scoo body!", for dinner.

ooowww!!!!

Whew! What a weekend. I think I almost got arrested. O.K., I'll start from the beginning.

We were putting up a chain link fence around a play area for lovely, angelic, kayleigh. I was helping my husband secure the clamps for the chainlink near the gate area when his thumb got caught in the gate. "Oooowwww! Open the gate!" he yelled. Which was, unfortunately, the opposite of what he meant. Many more OOwwww's followed and, had Kayleigh not been right there, probably other more fitting words would have been used.

Now comes the good part. Later, at the grocery store, kayleigh remembered that when you don't get your way, people really jump into action when you yell Oooowwwww! So, all throughout the grocery store people were wondering what I was doing to that poor child. At one point I was gently holding her arms to try to get her to quiet down and she is yelling OoooooWWwwwww1!!! in my face. Of course, I'm laughing. I think it was a close one. I was reviewing in my mind what I would say on my one phone call from the police station.


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The Bottle Lesson

Do you remember the first time you tried to drink from a regular bottle?

At first thought, you would think that putting your mouth around the whole end would work best but you soon find out that there is no control of flow and you get some on your onesie. I took the opportunity, in the grocery store parking lot, to teach Kayleigh how to place her mouth on the lower half of the opening for more efficient control. Well, I could see the future like I was looking into a crystal ball. Of course, since she had been drinking from a regular bottle for a month now, there was nothing more I could teach her that she didn't already know. So she walks around half the day with moist discoloration down her front, doesn't everyone? No other method could possibly be better and I know nothing. I was just an annoyance and she let me know it. I soon forced the issue, pressing the bottle to her mouth correctly and she drank without any spillage. It is funny how they assume the new technique as if they had done it all along and we get no credit! No, "Thank You!" (she can't say that yet anyhow).

Do you think when she is a teenager and she resists my advice with say....., BOYS..., she'll remember that I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING?

"I have had experience drinking from bottles! I have done it a couple more times than you have! Trust me!"

I don't think so.

She Says The Cutest Things

She doesn't say the usual baby things but then, what has been usual about Kayleigh. When she greets you with "Hiiiieeee", it is so clear that you think there is a whole conversation to follow. The conversation that follows you can't understand but she says it with such conviction and accompanies it with clear body language that you feel compelled to answer the questions with a yes or no. You can tell they are questions because her voice goes up at the end of the sentence, she raises her eyebrows and she shrugs her shoulders. You feel like you are in some far off land where the native people just keep talking to you in their language knowing that you'll get it eventually.

"Mum-MA" This is not Momma. This is any family member she wants to get the attention of.

"All Right!" She says this after anything good that happens.(one of my personal favorites)

"No Way!" She went through a phase when "no" was always accompanied by "way". It made me laugh every time. It is hard to be authoritative and get her to do something when she is shouting "NO WAY!" and you're laughing hysterically.

"Neine" The German word for "no". She got this one from Daddy and the hunting dogs. She yells it and points when the dogs run by her. I guess she is learning German too. I wonder what "no Way" is in German.

"Baby" She calls her blanket "Baby". Actually it is "Bay-BEE!"

Aayy-eee This is "Katie" and she gets it from hearing us call the dog that always runs away. She stands on the deck and yells this. One day the dog actually came for her.

Bub-BYE Again, very clear and not like a baby, she says this, at a rather high decibel, to everyone we pass when leaving the grocery store like we are leaving the party.

I wish there was a way for me to teach her that, if she really wants the world by the gonads, she need to work on "Grandma", "Grandpa", and especially,"Daddy". If she could say "Daddy" with a nice soft tone and throw in a shy little puppy dog look, the world is hers. All the ponies she wants! It is my job as a mother to teach her these survival skills.

Farm Girl

Time to get the hay up! Kayleigh, the hay inspector, is hard at work. With a carefully selected sprig of hay clenched between her teeth like Mommy, she carefully inspects the waist high raked row of hay to check for dryness. She tosses it in the air and smiles with approval. As Daddy approaches with the tractor, rake in tow, she shouts unintelligible commands and points to the horizon. What this all means we don't know but she is definitely directing the show and hopefully we get it right. The horses whinny from the paddock as if to reinforce her point. They seem pleased that she is running the show.


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The Play Pen Race

This is surely destined to be a timed Olympic race.

Meah!....(on your mark), Dee!......(get set), DOH!.....(go!).

First you run to the side of the play pen where the glider ottoman is. You quickly climb onto the ottoman, carefully balancing despite the wiggles of the glider mechanism. You swing one leg over the playpen rim and hoist into the play pen. You recover quickly from the (what seems like a two story) fall into the play pen and carefully negotiate the obstacle course of toys and blankets to reach the other side. You then implement the backbend technique to achieve full range of movement to successfully place your heel on the top rail of the play pen. Making this the first time is critical. You then exert tremendous force to achieve the horizontal position, diagonally across the corner of the crib. This gives you the best hand holds in preparation for the dismount. A quick transfer of foot holds and the dismount commences. A two foot landing, without a belly hang up, and it is off to the piece of newspaper to tag the finish base.

6 seconds! The crowd goes wild! A new world record!

That's What Brothers Are For

Kayleigh's brothers are quite a bit older. Ben is 18 and Jim is 20. Ben is home from private school and just now getting to know his half sister. They took a few minutes to warm up to each other but now their relationship is a typical one.

Yesterday, we were playing with the super soaker squirt gun that, when fully pumped can squirt a powerful stream up to about 30 feet. We all had fun squirting the gun and threatening each other until the gun was empty and only pressurized air would come out. Kayleigh was minding her own business, attempting to blow bubbles which she hasn't quite gotten the knack of, when her brother, genuinely thinking the gun was empty, squirted Kayleigh, point blank, in the back of the head with what was a surprisingly large amount of water that, because of the lower angle, suddenly became available in the reservoir. O.K., that was a long sentence but that is kind of how the scene felt. Sort of slow motion and lasting forever. You should of seen the look on that poor innocent child's face.

That's what brothers are for. They build character. George tickled me till I wet my pants and Jim shot soccer balls at my face and scared the crap out of me with a rubber mask. And NAt? Well, Nat still has time. You are never too old for character building.

She Is A Beast

!DISCLAIMER! You should probably read the previous post before reading this entry. !DISCLAIMER!

She is an EVIL BEAST! EVIL, I tell you!

She has now learned to climb out of her crib. My life is over. First it was the play pen now this. If she gets her heel to the rim of the play pen on the first try, she can make it out in 3 seconds. She is also frequently removed from the middle of the kitchen table. It is totally screwed up that their physical development precedes their mental and speech development. I say "Get down from there before you crack your head open!" And she looks at me and smiles, (That EVIL BEAST smile. I swear her eyes are glowing.). If I am on the phone, she knows that I only have one hand and she shifts into warp speed, literally running from one obstacle to another. She pants and sweats as she tries to get as many attempts in before I hang up and have two hands available.

My husband came home early yesterday, briefly poked his head in the door to say hello then, LEFT! "DON'T GO!" I yelled to him. "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HER!"

He laughed at me. Can you imagine that?

Gift Giver

Each day we go out,no matter where we go,Kayleigh greets every person we pass with a "Hiiiiiiiiieeeeeee", a big smile and a wave. She passes to them a piece of happiness that they may not have gotten from anyone else that day. She gives a genuine and sincere yet brief acknowledgment of their importance in this world. Her innocence seems as a total forgiveness for anything wrong or bad that has happened in their lives. For a moment they are accepted unconditionally only for who they are at that very moment.

I wonder if she will ever know how she affects people's lives. As times passes and she learns more about the world, inhibition,skepticism and fear of the unknown will set in and she will become like all of us, going through the world, staring straight ahead and minding our own business.

unfortunately, strangers would think we were weird if we went down the street saying, "Hiiiiieee", waving and smiling to everyone.

Oh, to be a toddler again.


for more photographs see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Dancin' Fever

We went to a party with a live blues band. There were many adults and no children at this party. When the band began setting up, they were testing each instrument briefly. Each time a couple of notes were played, it was if the music possessed Kayleigh's body. She would stop what she was doing,legs began to move, hips would sway and arms would beat the rhythm while her face showed a glazed look like she was in a trance. Then, when the brief playing stopped, she would continue on with what ever she was doing as if nothing had happened.

When the band officially started, she danced in the middle of the floor alone and completely uninhibited. Her moves were creative and free and very entertaining. She was a great icebreaker at the party and we met many people that we would probably not have met otherwise. I think a lot of people learned some new dance moves. She was in her own little world and didn't care what people thought of her. It was expressionism in its purist state. She danced until it was her bedtime and we had to go.

She slept well last night.

Dandelion Disappointment

It was the most beautiful day of the summer. Besides our first bug bites of the season, the temperature was perfect and the air was filled with the smell of sprouting foliage and freshly cut grass. We went for a walk and Kayleigh decided to pick a bouquet of dandelions, the fluffy seeded kind. She filled both hands with the perfectly formed fuzzy balls and suddenly became excited to show me her prize. She carefully emerged from the long grass and started to run towards me. At 18 months, she has kind of a unique run. Sort of a zig zag pattern and, unfortunately for the dandelions, flapping arms. After about eight strides, she stopped and sadly looked at her fists tightly clenching limp, fuzzless stems.

Imagination

Yesterday, Kayleigh was looking at a book where the character was taking a bubble bath. She stared at the picture for quite a long time before putting her thumb and fore finger together and dabbed them onto the picture of the bathtub. Then, she walked over to me and positioned her tightly squeezed fingers just below my mouth. I then realized that I was supposed to blow to create the imaginary bubbles from the imaginary bubble wand. I can't help but to think that this is creative and complex thought from an 18 month old. It makes me wonder how many other things she is coming up with that we just don't get because our minds are not as free as hers.


For more photos see,
www.nelson-arts.com

The Mimic

O.K., now the phone use, in Kayleigh's world, has gotten more sophisticated. Anything square will work. It doesn't even have to have buttons anymore but it must be held on the shoulder with your cheek and you need to multitask while you are chatting. You know, brush Barbie's hair and sort your crayons.

Now it is time to watch a DVD. So, in Kayleigh's world, we begin by getting a pretty Frisbee and sticking it in a crack by the TV. Then we push a bunch of buttons on the black things. Then, we stand in front of the TV looking at the blank screen with a remote in each hand and push many buttons while thrusting the remotes towards the TV and making noises of frustration.

Remote Control car

She finally got the concept of cause and effect. Pushing the arrow that points up with the "F" on it makes it go. Pushing the arrow with the "B" on it makes it go backwards. Ok, now we can play. Oh,oh, the little 2" car is under the kitchen table. Now, Kayleigh figured she should crawl under to get it but every time she tried to reach for the car, she shifted her weight to the hand with the controller in it and inadvertently pressed on the F button. The car kept inching forward just out of reach. This went on for about 6 tries until she pounced on it like a cat. I really had a good laugh on this one.

Puddles

Today we needed to sample the new puddles. We head for the part of the driveway where the puddles form and proceed to sample their characteristics. Each puddle is different and to be appreciated for its individuality. Each has its own splash factor. Kayleigh tests this abandoning all thoughts of potential consequences while I step gingerly worrying about wet feet and muddy jeans. Sure, I create some splash but Kayleigh! Now she's the master. Each puddle is greeted with a gasp and a"oooooooooooooo" before entering. Then, with a focused mind, splashes, quickly, in rhythm, slowly, moving, in place and finally one good stomp (just to see how high the water will go) Then, its on to the next one squishing in her boots.

Now, all this is well and good until there is one missed step. It's as if the game was going well until the other team scored a goal. "Oooohhhh!" the pants are wet. "Oooooohhhh!" the hand is full of mud. "Oooooohhhhhhhhhh! The hand goes in the mouth. Scored again! Game over! Up to the house! The rest of the puddles are safe for now.


For more photos see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Birds In The Rain

Yesterday it rained. In our yard, I saw a Scarlet Tanager, Wren, Mallard duck, Blue Teal duck, Geese, Sand Hill Crane, Pheasant rooster, Baltimore Oriole (male and female), Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Cardinal (male and female), Red Tail Hawk, Red-Winged Blackbird, and, of course, Mr. Robin and his cousins. That's a lot of birds!

The rain moistened bark, the vibrant green of the newly sprouted leaves with the beautiful colorful birds made for a special day.

Happy Birthday Mommy

For more photos see,
www.nelson-arts.com

Life Lesson #1

Things don't always work out the way you want them to.


For more photos see,
www.nelson-arts.com

No Beans!

Last night at dinner, Kayleigh was becoming one with her supper of spaghetti, bread and cut green beans. I noticed that she was not eating her beans and thought maybe the section of her three sectioned plate containing the beans was positioned so that she couldn't reach them. I said, "Honey, eat your beans." and revolved the plate so the beans were closest to her. She looked me in the eye and very carefully, with spaghetti covered fingers, pinkies raised and the dexterity of an adult, revolved the plate back around so the beans were the furthest position away.........no beans tonight, I guess.

I love this stuff!

She Thinks I'm Cool

The fun thing about a toddler is, they're really good for your self esteem. They imitate you because they think that what you are doing is cool and interesting. They want to be like you. It is nice to have someone think you are cool. Sometimes she even imitates the way I clear my throat. I guess I should appreciate it while I can because when she is fourteen I am sure she won't think I am cool anymore.


For more photos see
www.nelson-arts.com

Where'sThe Tupperwear?

What is it about Tupperware that toddlers are so attracted to. I must pick up 1000 pieces of tupperware a day. That is aside from all the other kitchen utensils strewn about the house. Why do we even buy toys. Of course I could find another place to put it or secure the cabinet doors but she has so much fun and seems to be so creative in her play. Stacking, putting lids on and off, or just unloading the cabinet. All the time I see the gears turning in her head so I just try look at it as a form of exercise:

Bend over......pick it up.....bend over..... in the cupboard. Bend over.....pick it up......Bend over.....................

You get the idea. Although, it comes out as quick as I can get in.

Take A bow

Yesterday we learned to bow after our performances singing into the turkey baster. She hasn't quite gotten the technique though. It sort of looks like she is doubling over from appendicitis but we clap anyway.

Everything Is A Cellphone

Anything that is square and has buttons is a cell phone. The remote, the calculator, these items are to be put to your head and spoken into in a rythmic fashion with pauses and intermittent laughter. Hand jestures and shoulder shrugging help to conmmunicate the message too. Kayleigh is very good at all of this except when there is actually someone talking back to her. Then she looks at the phone as if to say, "How did Grandma get in there?"

Singing Star, Worm Hell

It is amazing seeing the world through a child's eyes



We watch American Idol on Tuesday evenings and last night, Kayleigh (17 months) went into the kitchen, opened the drawer and retrieved the turkey baster. She frequently gets kitchen items and plays with them in the livingroom, so I didn't pay much attention. She was putting the bulb in her mouth and then I herd humming. She was doing this in front of the television while the singers were performing. Then, I realized that she was pretending it was a microphone. Swaying and humming and sticking that bulby thing in their mouth. That's what gets the clapping. Then she invited me to sing into it, which I did obligingly. I guess her mind is working.

Earlier in the day we played outside. Weeding the garden was out of the question because as soon as I started to pull things out of the ground, Kayleigh followed suit and pulled things too. Not weeds, however. Then we found an angle worm. Kayleigh thought this was cool and treated it like a pet for awhile. I repeat, for awhile. We put it in water and let it squirm on our hands. Then kayleigh discovered that when you pull it apart both ends squirm. At this point I felt that playtime was coming to an end and as I grabbed one squirming end the other was going in her mouth. I retrieved them in time and we went in the house for a more appropriate lunch.