Another year flies by

I can't believe today is the last day of 2007. I can't believe that Faith is going to be 2 year in a few months. The year has brought us good things. We uped everything we had and moved to a place where people ask us why we moved here. It really doesn't seem like we are ready to chime 2008 in this evening. Whoever said that children don't change as much or fast in their second year is crazy. I think that Faith changed more this year than in the first. For heaven's sake, she learned to talk with hands and mouth, feed herself, poop in the potty, dress herself and undress, and let us not forget; independence. I hope and pray that our new place will bring better friends and neighbor's than here in Motown. Until then, see you later 2007, welcome in the great 2008

Walking with Dinosaurs

Around here we have this program through the libraries that gives free passes to local musuems. Today we went to U of M to their Natural History exibit. Faith saw dinosaurs bones, fossils, a huge water clam shell and much more. Everything was so new to her she was scared to touch. She wouldn't even touch the petrified log. Which by the way was awesome how it became that way. I don't think that I've ever been to a Natural History museum. To be able to see these huge mastodons was marvalous. Another dinosaur's leg bones almost touched the ceiling. Faith did touch a dinosaur claw (plaster, of course), a tail, and fossils of small dinosaurs but then got scared to touch the club tail of another one. We saw stuffed birds of all sorts, fish, human and primate skulls, and lots of beautiful panoramas. Definitely glad we experienced this before moving.

Just fun and games

As I sit here and reflect on the day, I realize just how blessed I am to be able to be at home with Faith until after the new year. Since my boss didn't let me work this week I have been enjoying the company of my little one. She was such a funny little girl today just full of energy. I was cleaning up the kitchen this evening from supper and she had asked for another bite of banana. I decided to go ahead and give her a piece. When I turned around she was running in circles with the banana in mouth. She knew she was getting dizzy but she didn't want to stop. Just as I finished warning her about watching where she was going, CRASH, there she fell into the Christmas tree. I thought she would start crying but she started laughing. Up she got and around she went again.
Who would think a game of peek a boo with a 21 month old would be so fun? As we sat on the couch this afternoon, she stood behind me and then would pop her head out in front of me and say, "Boo" Over and over she played. When I turned away from her pretending I couldn't find her, she gently took ahold of my face and turned it towards her. "Boo" she said again. I don't know how long she and I played but I was cracking up laughing. Then the blankets came out and we all hid again. After today I realize just how tired both of us are after a day at school. She doesn't want to play and I don't want to do anything either. However, we are all well rested and having fun. The coming weeks will be busy with the move and everything so this week is for us to have fun and not worry about cleaning up constantly.

Silent night

With Christmas completed and all the gifts opened and 10 pounds of weight added, I am so glad to have had my family together for the holiday. Three weeks ago we thought we might be all separated with Bud on his way to the government capital. God works in mysterious ways I suppose. Faith had such a good Christmas. I enjoyed watching her face whenever she ripped off the paper. Last year she had to have help but this year she tore right into it. I am not sure if she understood why she got to open presents. I did tell her last night in a story that it was Jesus's birthday and she remembered all the way till she went to bed this evening. We participated in all the traditional events leading up the Christmas such as baking cookies for Santa and placing them all on the table. When we asked her what Santa wanted to drink she said juice. So... he must have liked it because it was all gone this morning. As the house falls silent while the little one sleeps on this cold night, we are going to finish off the evening with a good ole movie. What better one than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I love that movie and all the others. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Frosty and kitty

So does anyone remember this kitty? Think hard. Yeah, I think that this used to be my brother's when he was little. But do you know who is in love with this kitty now? Yep, Faith. I think that this is her favorite animal besides Lamby. Kitty goes to school and won't go in her cubby either. "Faith have that." she says. I just can't convince her to give it up. She takes her into class and shows her friends. They just can't keep their hands off of it. Kitty eats at the table and reads stories too. Yeah, she has become a favorite around here.

Frosty was born today at our house. With the snow melting it has accumulated enough moisture to stick together. Faith wasn't sure what to think when we started bundling snow together. But when the second ball appeared for his body, she said, "Frosty... snowman". She gathered snow and threw it on top. As we were building him Bud pulled up from work and helped out. He gathered twigs for arms. Faith was even more excited. She hugged Frosty with his new arms and gave him a kiss. Her scarf keeps his neck warm and my hat warms his head. Two buttons for eyes, a rock for a nose, and a leggo for a mouth. It's not exactly how the song goes but she doesn't know that. When she had to go inside she cried. So she stayed outside a few more minutes to talk with him and then told him "night night. morrow." See you tomorrow Frosty. This girl loves snowmen. Must get that from her mother.

Snow much fun

As Sunday was too cold to venture outside, Faith's first opportunity to experience the snow was yesterday. There was too much snow outside at school. One could lose a toddler if they weren't paying attention. Our yard however had some drifting and the neighbor's yard was just right for walking around. The first step she took she fell into the snow on her hands and knees and yelled for help. "Stuck, stuck, help." she said. As I'm trying to hurry over to help her she starts getting even more frustrated. We decided to venture over to the low snow and every step she took she thought she was stuck. It was so hard for her to move herself all bundled up in her marshmallow suite. But she was warm and here where we live that is important with the wind and everything. With total accumulation between 7 and 10 inches, the snow blower blowed the snow into our yard from the sidewalk. So we have probably 15 or 20 in our yard. Frosty didn't come out to play. The snow had too much air in it. See you next time Frosty.

Snow, snow, and more snow

Does it ever stop? I don't think that I have ever enjoyed seeing this much snow in my entire life. I think right now we have managed to rack up a good five inches. I can barely see the top of my Americana watering can. As I decided to wake up at 5:45am this morning just to watch it; it is so beautiful. When Faith wakes up she will be excited and heading to the bedroom to get her coat, hat, boots and "new mittens" (that is what she calls them. they are already 3 weeks old). I love how the Earth is so pretty with the fresh blanket of white. It really has to be the best time of year. Christmas and snow. They go together like two peas in a pod.

Tis the season

With the holidays just around the corner we find ourselves trying to remain sane. With the big move just around the corner we are focusing more on family this year than anything else. As we set up our tree it was nice to see Faith trying to help decorate. Today she found a butterfly and decided it needed a spot on the tree also. She tried to decorate last year but most of the ornaments ended up in her mouth. As she tried to put the tinsle up on the tree she decided that it looked alot better just thrown all in one place. She helped wrap the lights but I think she had the most fun playing with the snowmen. With this big storm coming in tonight I'm sure that Frosty will be visiting our house in the next few days. Happy Holidays!

The Golden Arches

So when we all went back home for Thanksgiving, Faith and I met up with a friend from the hospital. She has a daughter who is 5 months younger than Faith and we decided to play at the McDonald's playland. Little did my friend know that Faith had never had french fries before. Since she first tried them it has been nothing but talk of french fries at our house. As we played at the park on Saturday we both headed to McDonald's for a special treat afterwards. French fries. Faith told Bud about it that night and then yesterday we had the playdough out. I started looking at some of the toys and there I seen a french fry machine. That was the end of the other toys. She must have pretended to eat those fries that her daddy made for her for 20 minutes. She had so much fun.

Dressup and then makeup

I love to leave the room and come back in only to see Faith in her high heels, feather boa, hat, mittens, scarf and panties. She is trying to learn to dress herself and her dolls. If often comes with moments of tears and frustration but we are learning to ask for help. Why are doll clothes so hard to put on? Who was the inventor anyways? I would like to voice a complaint.

Today is filled with freezing rain and sleet. A perfect day to spend inside. However we still needed to get our Christmas tree. So we headed out into the mess. With the folks coming up, this might be an important thing to have. As I sit and sip on my hot chocolate I am reminded of last winter when Faith first crawled (or sat) in the snow. This year she is running and playing and eating it. She sings the Barney song "If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes." She sticks out her tongue. "Ehh Ehh Ehh Ehh" she says.

Why does she have to change so much? Why does she have to grow so fast? Her and her cat have become closer. As she walks through the house, she calls for her much like we have all done. "AaaaBBY, AaaaBBY, kitty kitty." "Treat, treat, mamma, Abby" She takes me by the hand and tells me to come with her. She points to the Pounce treats. I think that Abby is in heaven because she gets 8 or 10. I often catch her walking up to Abby on the couch. She points her finger at her and shakes it. "No hitting. Sorry" she says. She does that to me too. Not just at the appropriate times either. She will say sorry first and then smack me. I don't think she means to hurt me but she does it cause you tell her not too.

Another new home

Yep another move. The destination, Washington, D.C. After all is said and done, this will be our sixth home (or place of residence) in 2 years. Poor Faith. I am glad that she is little and will hopefully not remember all of them. I hope that this will be our final move for quite some time. Bud will start his new job right before Christmas as Faith and I stay here with the folks and bear the cold weather. Maybe a white Christmas will be here and make it all better. The holidays look like they will be filled with packing and moving but still time with each other. That is what counts, right? FAMILY

Terrible two's?...possibly

As I sit and contemplate what to write about this week, I sit with goosebumps on my arms. Is it just because it is so darn cold here or is it the fact that Faith is learning so fast and becoming so independent? The days are long gone of her clinging to my legs at school for me not to leave. The sleepless nights are finally gone. Frustration is set in full swing. I hate to say it but the terrible two's might be on their way. Emotions are at a high and she can't figure them out. Self help is on the rise and frustration sets in when she can't do it. Her favorite thing this week has to be her new snow boots and mittens. She wears them all the time. On Saturday she had on her underwear, cow costume, boots and mittens. That girl was ready to go. With the self help skills being learned, her teacher said that she needs to learn to keep her clothes on. I guess yesterday in the gym she pulled her pants and underwear down. I can see why she would do that. It is fun and something new to learn to do.

The tub is filled with ....

So as everyone knows, Faith loves books. That is just a given. If someone is reading to her at school she won't leave their side; even to come to me. I guess since she has her favorites here at home she secretly has them memorized in her head. She has started sitting down and reading on her own better recently. That is something we need to work on; alone play. However as we read her favorite Barney book and pause in places she fills in the blank. It is a rhyming book and easy for her to know what comes next. I remember a movie from years back of little Grace reading Alfred Snood. Never did I imagine my little one sitting here alongside me telling me how the stories go. And it isn't only Barney, it is Mickey Mouse and the Beanstalk also. She sees the picture with the giant catching Mickey and she yells, "Hurry, Hurry, run!" Books that she has been hearing since day one will have the blanks filled in too. It is so neat to hear her talking with the book and reading along with me. I love that time when she cuddles up with me and asks to sit on my lap. "Read, read, peas" she says. As story time creates a good time to learn, we are learning shapes. Along with the heart shape we have learned where our heart is. She'll pick it out in her book and then I'll ask her where her heart is. She taps her chest. Where is mommy's heart. She taps my chest. What does it say? She says "beat, beat". Where is Lamby's heart. Get ready for this answer. Are you ready? She grabs her tag on Lamby's bottom where the little TY heart is for beanie babies. "Heart." Yes Faith, you are right. That is Lamby's heart. I'm not sure why her's is on her bottom though and not in her chest. I love her insight.

Back to Normal, I think??

So Bud has arrived back home from school and the house is like it used to be. After a long weekend to visit the family back home we were exhausted come Sunday after we arrived home late. It is always nice to see the folks however the drive is so tiring. What has Faith been doing? Let me see.... It seems like since her daddy has came back home that she has become twice a tear as was before. Maybe it will pass. Hopefully, I pray. Let the screaming and crying fits begin.... now. First it was not wanting to put on the clothes and then it was going potty and then it was wanting to go outside with no socks on, and then it was falling off the couch and hitting her head. She has figured out how to put her high heels on for dress up. Yesterday she came prancing out in those heels and a feather boa. A straw hat topped her head and she had on a pink dress. Everything goes on the head nowadays. Underwear (everyone's), shirts, blankets, hats, stuffed animals, diapers. And yes, poor Abby, they go on her too. It is always crazy here at the Gymnaste home, however the craziness is what brings us joy. Adios!

3 Days and Counting

With the countdown at 3 days until Bud comes home, we are both excited about his arrival. Since Faith can count to five now, I will ask her how many days till daddy comes home. I'll say 1, then she says 2,3 really fast trying to stick her fingers up. Next I'll say four and then she puts her hand up and says, five. That's right. She wants to ride in her daddy's truck every morning and cries when I tell her no. I wish we could stick around our house for a few days upon his arrival however we are off to Illinois for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it will be a good trip and Faith will sleep. We sure are looking forward to seeing everyone and eating alot.
Today was church day. This girl gets so excited at the mention of church. "Nur Nur." That is her word for nursery. We pull into church and when we get out she says, hand. She wanted to hold my hand when we walked in. She led the way. That was a first. Most of the time I am asking for her hand. There she goes hopping and galloping down the hall. I asked her what we learn about at church and she says, "Je Je" (Jesus). A sister had a bag full of toys for little ones and she let her play with a princess wand and tiarra. She loved it. I think that she loved the chocolate teddy grahams better that a little girl kept giving her. The people are so nice there. If they had the contemporary Christian music there, I'd be all set. I do love the LDS church and I long for the day when my child can teach me stuff that she learns at church.

Petit gymnaste

Petit gymnaste. That should be her name. "Little gymnast". As always, Wednesdays are gymnastics day for the preschoolers. Since it was wet outside this morning she was able to sit and watch the kids do gymnastics class in the gym. Here were all these toys to play with; Bikes, push toys, mats, tunnels and balls. She ran right past them over to the gymnastics class. She asked me if she could join and I said no because she wasn't in mommy's class. She sat for 30 minutes contently watching everyone. Occasionally she would get down from my lap and inch over to the mats. Her eyes remained on me to make sure that it would be okay. "No, no Faith." Back she came to sit. This week at nap time she has been interested in doing headstands on her cot. I guess I am teaching her well. When she falls off she'll put her pillow on the floor and try again. When interfered with, a big "No" comes out of her mouth. . She will put her hands and head on the ground at home and try to roll over. Just a little push and off she goes. Over and over again. She puts her arms above her head and twirls around like a ballerina. Zoe from Sesame Street does that in one of her books. I just love to sit and watch her. I think that she would love the balance beam because she walks the wood planks at school. I know she would love to learn to tumble and be good at it because I was one, Grace, her cousin, loves dance and movement, and my aunt's family were all gymnasts.

Gratitude

As the holidays fast approach I find myself thinking of family. What tradition is our family going to incorporate into the upcoming years? I look at some of the children in my class who are so spoiled and ungrateful for what they have and I think to myself. How am I going to teach Faith that concept? My head teacher, Sylvia, tried explaining that children have no concept of the world until age 6 or 7. Until they have a concept of the world, they can't be grateful. As we approach Thanksgiving, it is a holiday just for being grateful for all the blessings we have. So I think that Faith and I will take another trip to the library to find Thanksgiving books and talk about all the things that we are thankful for. Then we will get out our photo books and talk about the love we have for all our family. I just can't justify what Sylvia says. I will stick to my guns and believe that your child is only capable of learning what you teach her. They don't say thank you because they know that is what you expect. Maybe when they are Faith's age; however by three I think that they should know what it is to be thankful if someone has taught them. I remember Christmas last year. It broke my heart to hear two of my nieces arguing over who had more presents. Not a thank you to their mother was said and the toys were thrown on the floor for Faith to climb over. They had come to expect presents and not be thankful for the amount they were given. So let's all remember our thanks this time of year and every time of year. Remember our families, near and far. We love you all.

Retaining information

It is crazy to think how much information Faith retains when I teach her. The other day I noticed that she had picked up her sign language again. She hasn't used it since she started talking a few months ago. So I thought she just spit one out randomly until I decided to actually ask her to use her hands to say words to me. As I strapped her into her carseat yesterday I asked her to say all the words that I remember teaching her. After she spoke them she used her hands to repeat each one correctly. At one point in time I thought that it was such a waste to teach her signs after she stopped using them. However now that I know that she actually retained that information I will continue to teach her new words. However, I myself need to learn them first.

TOUCHDOWN!!

After only a week and a half working on potty training with Faith, something clicked in her head last night. As I asked her to go close her door before bed she walked over and closed it. I continued to put away our books and out of the clear blue sky, she grabs her diaper and says potty. What? What did you say? I ask again and then hurry to the bathroom. She pulls down her pants as I take her diaper off. I kid you not, as soon as she sat down, it happened. Now she has told me potty before when she wets herself however this time she hadn't gotten to that point yet. I guess the M&M's and fruit snacks are working their job well. Way to go, Faith!

What did you say?

What did you say? That is what Bud has been saying recently on the phone to Faith. As I have been around her more recently with him in Georgia it seems like it is called mommy talk. I can clearly understand her. Since she can't say "how are you", I decided to teach her a few words in spanish that are easier to say. As we sat at the table the other night I told her say "Hola". Well that was easy enough. How about "que tal?" Yep she said that clear as could be too. Since she can say two phrase words better than three, she decided to try it out on her daddy that night on the phone. I didn't prompt her she just said it. Now if I tell her "Hola, Faith." She replies with "Hola, que tal?" Bien, I say. Y tu? I ask her. Asi Asi. I thought that I was going to die from laughter. Of course I taught her these words but it is neat that she has remembered the order they come in. Here is a little video for those of you who have a hard time believing me.

Wiggle Worm

I thought it used to be bad when Faith was a baby and wouldn't get dressed. However now a days she is perfectly content without clothes on. Often this is how it goes. Faith let's get dressed. She runs down the hall looking behind her to see if I am coming. Yep, here I come. Look, it's a pretty princess shirt. Your favorite. Yes, I've got her attention. As the shirt goes over her head she pushes it away and screams. We try again. Surprise, surprise.... I get the same result. Faith you can't go to school with no clothes on. I can't believe I am trying to reason with a one year old. Let's put on your pants. We try standing as she is playing with something else. Nope, she kicks the leg out as I put the other one one. I decide to lay her down and get physical with the pants. She arches her back and screams some more. Come on Faith, mommy has her pants on. Man, I didn't know it was going to be this hard to just get dressed. Some days are better than others but she kicks and screams to avoid clothing. So mommy got smart. Bye Faith, I say as I walk out the door. "Faith, Faith, go" Nope, you have no clothing on. "Faith, Faith, go." You have to go find your shirt. OK. Now go get your pants and shoes. Don't forget your jacket. It's cold outside. It may take us twenty minutes to get dressed but we eventually get through it. Never rush yourself with a little toddler. That is what I have learned from this whole ordeal.

Ballerina by day... cow by night

Since my digital camera is not working right I will have to post my Halloween pictures on my photo show site when they come back. There once was a pretty ballerina who tiptoed all through the house. Whirling and twirling, hopping, running and singing. With her pink two two and white tights on she curtsied her way into her classroom on Wednesday. Glitter highlighted her cheeks and she was beautiful. I couldn't help but think that here in a few years she will still be wearing that two two and dancing around; if she is anything like her mother who loves to dance around. Her and her friends paraded around the school and boy was she excited when mommy gave her a bag of candy just for herself. Because it was cold that night we decided to put on our cow costume that Andma got for her and headed out for a walk. We stopped at three houses in which she was able to see and collect rocks (her favorite), say hi to a kitty (her second favorite) and watch the pumpkins (her third favorite) all in one walk up the street. She might also have liked the few M&M's she got since those are only usually only for potty treats. It was nice to a have a toddler to enjoy this occasion with this year. I only wish her daddy could have been here to see. Hopefully the pictures will tell the story though.

Sweet!!

So I often find myself watching Faith sleep. She is so peaceful and it allows me to take a break from our constant running around. I wonder what it is she is dreaming about? Maybe it is about her daddy or maybe about her sippy cup being empty. As she falls asleep on her pillow or in my arms I will just sit and give thanks for the beautiful child in my life. If I listen quietly enough I can hear her sucking away on her little thumb with her Lamby's bottom right up to her face. I came across this poem and it just said it all. This is probably what Faith would say when asked why she sucks her thumb.

Thumbs

Oh, the thumb-sucker's thumb

May look wrinkled and wet

And withered, and white as the snow.

But the taste of a thumb

Is the sweetest taste yet

(As only we thumb-suckers know)

A toddler's mind

I was looking through my pictures and found these. As Faith's imagination begins to unfold I am in hopes that she has one as big as her cousin Grace. She is often caught reading her books to her animals. This is one instance where she gave Lamby her own book and then read to Bear. It was story time that morning and instead of me reading she decided to get all her books out and read to them. Another picture showed two dogs on the ground and she was reading Mother Goose to them. I hope her animals grow up to love books as much as we all do.

A trip to the turkey farm was way exciting for Faith. Never had she seen turkeys and never before had she seen so many child size buildings to go into. After seeing Faith outide of the jail and then sneaking into the saloon, I hope and pray that is the only time I ever see it.

As Faith covered her cat yesterday with her blanket and gave her a pillow I couldn't help but stand back and watch. She tucked Abby in with her Lamby and baby lamb, covered her up, put the pillow by her head and said, "Abby, night night. Shhhh" Her little hand went to her head to sign goodnight and I played along. Abby doesn't give an inch with her. She won't move if she was there first. I know what must go through her head. "Would someone please move this child away. Can't you see I haven't finished my all day nap."

"Gifted" What is it?, Forte asks

So my sister in law got me thinking about the word " giftedness." What do we consider the word to mean? Do we mean it as just intellectually advanced or just doing something special? I have to say that I was totally against the issue of homeschooling of my niece, however, as I see her blossom and grow I realize just how much her "gifted" abilities can shine through. I was discussing homeschooling with the lead teacher in my preschool classroom and she said that children don't get the socialization from homeschooling. I begged to differ and she wouldn't budge. However I can tell you one thing, her 6 year old wouldn't be having as hard as time as she is in school if she had more one on one time. I can't wait for the day to come when I can keep Faith at home at teach her and expose her to all new and exciting activities that public school can't do. I do have to admit that since being in daycare it has benefited her somewhat. Her ability to play on her own has increased. I feel that this has just come with age however Bud tries to convince me otherwise. Some of the children in my preschool classroom don't know their colors let alone their shapes. Faith knows them all. Her teacher does a wonderful job teaching however I as her mom reinforce what she has learned at school. Does that make her more gifted than others or does it just make other parents lazy because they don't work with their children? It makes me think that some parents rely too much on the teacher to teach and not themselves as first teacher. Anyways, Faith will always be on the "gifted" track because children are anxious to learn if someone takes the time to teach them new and exciting things.

Up, up mama!

We decided to bring in Faith's slide to play on. We often do this when she doesn't want to go outside. She also doesn't play on it nearly as much outside. So anyways, in came the slide and down we all went. We included Lamby, kitty, plates, the pumpkin bucket, Faith, and of course, myself. She has never really shown an interest in me going down but today was different. After about 10 minutes of alone play she decided to come up to me and pick me up from under my arms. Up, mama, up. What do you want? I ask her. Up, up. Ok, okay, I'll get up. "Slide" she says. So I went down her little 3 step slide. When I landed on the floor, she giggled and ran over to me. "Again, up, up, mama. Slide" She tried to pick me up under the arms again. I thought that it was fun at first however after about 15 minutes of pretending to climb the stairs and sliding down, I was tired. My stomach was beginning to hurt from laughing so hard. I said, "one more time and then all done." So I climb again and slide. Yep, she asked me to do it again. I told her all done. She repeated it and that was the end of that. Her personality is really starting to emerge. Such a fun little girl to be around.

Where did she go?

Hide and seek is so much fun. Just find a Faith and you've won. She has always played in the blinds here at home however over the last few days she has decided to hide behind the couch and the blinds. I see her little eyes peek out to see if anyone is looking. Where is Faith? I ask. Faith? Faith? Where are you? She jumps out with a big smile on her face. Then, she slides back in behind the blinds. She stands so still after she wiggles into the small space. Sometimes she sees a bug and runs out yelling, bug bug. I am sure that after we move out of here that the blinds will be no more. I have seen the blinds at her school and half of them aren't hanging any more.

"Hi"

So as Bud has left for Georgia for five weeks we all find ourselves talking on the phone. I think that Faith understands her daddy is gone however she thinks that he is at work. Atleast that is what she says whenever I ask her where he is. As I carry the telephone into the room she knows who we are calling. "Daddy?" she asks. Yep, we are calling daddy. Then the inpatience kicks in as she tries to grab the phone out of my hands. "Wait" I say as she climbs up on me. "Daddy, daddy. Hi." She puts the phone to her ear and runs off from me. As she repeats some things I tell her to say it is like they are having a little conversation. "Night, night. bye." she says as we have to hang up. Tell daddy you love him. Her little hand signs it and then blows a big kiss to him. When did she gets so darn cute? The terror of a child two weeks ago has left and been replaced with the Faith that I remember. Welcome back!

A painter? Maybe

I think that Faith is going to grow up to be like her Uncles and Pa Pa because she loves to draw and paint and color. She will find an ink pen and start drawing. If I don't watch her, she will color all over herself. That is what she did in the car the other day. She colored her legs and arms. Then turned to her face and hands. It did keep her quiet in the car though. She doesn't like to paint with her hands as much as she used to. I gave her a brush and she did very well with it. Must be in her blood. She will cry if you take her crayons away even though half of them have made it into her mouth. She knows where to find them at school too. When no one is looking, she will go get one and take it to a corner of her classroom and start coloring. I caught her yesterday with one and a book in front of her. I don't think she asked because no one else had one. She is sneaky and quiet. Keeps below the radar. Anyways, these are some pictures she has worked on the last few days.

Apples, Pumpkins, and Goats

What do apples, pumpkins, and goats all have in common? A morning of fun. With the weather going to be hot today we decided to head to the apple orchard this morning. Apple Charlie's. Sounds like a nice place by the name of it. Well, the place looked like a dump. Fortunately there was a cider mill and donut shop where we saw them being made. Faith enjoyed watching the donuts and then even tried one. As we headed outside she spotted the pumpkins again. She went to the same one as when we first walked by and decided that was the one she wanted. We checked out the mums and of course found a rock that we just had to sit on. Wait till she goes to Pa Pa's house again. He has lots of big rocks in his yard. As we headed back to the truck she spotted a whole field of pumpkins. She loves them. The lady up the hallway from us has a picture of one taped to her door. She always has to stop and look at it. She took off running towards the field with mommy trailing behind and daddy in the car because he thought she was ready to leave. Out of all of them, she liked the one that was off by itself about 50 yards away from the others.

As we left the farm we stopped in a small town on the way home and she attended her first fall festival. The smell of of fried candy bars filled the air. I wanted one so bad. However with Bud on a protein diet I didn't think that it would be very nice to eat what he wanted and couldn't have right in front of him. Maybe as he leaves next week Faith and I will find another festival and eat some good stuff. After all, we wait all year long for festival food. Anyways... Happy pumpkin hunting and happy harvest.

Autumn in the air

With the sights and sounds of autumn fast approaching I find myself wanting to take Faith to all the festivals that I have always loved. It does look like we may find some her in Michigan. My friend at work told me of some apple orchards around here that also have pumpkin patches and cider. What a way to spend an evening. The Scarecrow Festival starts this weekend. I plan on seeing what all the hype is. Compared to Covered Bridge, I bet it will be a flop. How can any festival be compared. I was reading that it brings in 60-80,000 visitors over the few days. It sure doesn't compare to the millions that invade Parke County in it's two weeks. Faith loves the outdoors. A few weekends ago when we went to the Metro Park she loved the leaves that had fallen on the ground. Never had she seen them before. I caught her picking up all the leaves she seen along with acorns. She looked them over, tasted them and then went to get another one. We were lucky to get back to the car that day. I love the fall and I hope that she will too.

Matoes

"Matoes" Faith says as I let her pick off all of them from the vines. She loves her tomatoes. She must get that from her Mommy and Andmas. Good thing or I think that her Andmas would disown her. I was tired of her always picking the tomatoes and eating the green ones so we decided to pick them all and let them ripen inside. That was her favorite day. She carried them around everywhere. Just when I thought that she couldn't get any more in her little hands, she picked up another one. At one time she was carrying all 7. I guess this is what we've waited for all summer. A measly 9 total tomatoes. However she did learn red and green from them. Faith don't eat the green ones. So what would she do? She'd run over to the neighbor's and get her red cherry tomatoes. Those aren't ours Faith. No we can't eat all of them. So our tomatoes are picked but she won't eat them cut up. As they turn red she likes to eat them like an apple. I never would have imagined. Crazy girl!

Daycare dilema

I hate daycare and the fact that we have no choice but to be there. As if it isn't bad enough for Faith to be there it is no better for me. One of Faith's teachers is going to school to be a teacher and I ask myself everyday, Why? I have had nothing but problems with her since the day she started. Recently I have noticed that she is not keeping Faith clean. I think that maybe I need to show her how to clean a little girl. As I go to change her diaper before we head home today I notice that Faith is red and irritated, again. This happened once before about a week ago. I even heard that she purposely didn't clean her just to see if I'd say something. I talked to her about it. Get this. Her response, I thought I cleaned her. Duhhh! How does one think that they clean a kid? I can say that I know I clean her when I change her. I can say that I know I change and clean our kids in our preschool room. I think I am about to the point where I want this teacher to have nothing to do with Faith and her bathroom habits. Faith cries when she has to go to her. I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to go to her either. However I have to put on my mommy smiley face and tell her I will see her in a little bit. We go home home though and try to forget about daycare. It is always nice to play together at home.

Where's Faith?

Where is the Faith I know and when is she coming back? I tell you what, this past week has been nothing but "no" and whining and crying. It must be hard to be a little one trying to communicate and can't. I can teach her to be patient. "One moment please" she repeats after me while I am busy with another task. Her little pointer finger says 1 as she jabbers. She doesn't want her diaper changed. She doesn't want to eat. She doesn't want to pick up. She really just wants to do what she wants. She will climb on the furniture right after you tell her not too just to get a reaction. She will scream bloody murder when I change her diaper. Her patience has drawn thin. I really don't know who this child is. However, if you see the old Faith, tell her to come back to mommy and daddy.

Dizzy

Faith has been running around in circles this week, literally. Last night we were all watching nursery rhymes before bed and she got up and started twirling. I really thought that she would stop when she realized that she was getting dizzy however she continued to literally run in a circle. Her little giggle made Bud and I just stop watching t.v and start watching her. She was having so much fun. She wobbled around the room running into furniture. After about 5 minutes of this she decided to start hopping. She had twirled so much that her hop fell right into the ground. She tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't hold her up. Faith had become so dizzy she couldn't even stand. However she continued to twirl after a rest and didn't stop until she fell into the coffee table. I couldn't stop her. She went from the computer desk to the coffee table in a matter of 1 second. She was done after that. So we have a twirling, hopping, marching princess in the house now. Life brings out the best of everyone with a toddler around. Even I have started to twirl, hop and march to the beat of a different drum.

Kitty play time

Faith has been wanting to play with Abby, her cat, recently. This morning I caught her trying to give her a pacifier. I thought that I was going to die laughing. It was nice of her to share though; don't you think? Then, I caught her trying to give Abby a play mouse a few mornings ago. She had seen me throw it to her and knew that Abby was supposed to put it in her mouth. So Faith walked over to the mouse and called it by name as she tried to give it to her cat. Abby wouldn't take it; most likely because she saw this toddler coming after her on two legs yelling mouse. She finally did throw it to her but Abby didn't go after it. Faith went over again and tried to give it to her another time. She started to get mad at Abby and chased after her with this mouse. She crawled under the tables and around the furniture. Faith just throw it to her. So she does, but with no luck. Her kitty doesn't want to play much today.

Potty time

So my baby went pee pee on the potty for the first time. We went and picked out a potty chair on Saturday. Saturday night whenever the word potty was mentioned Faith ran to the bathroom. She pushed the stool over to the potty and climbed up. This morning came and she went potty when she first got up. To the bathroom we headed after mommy mentioned the potty. After sitting for a few minutes, it happened. Pee pee in the potty. Then Faith went again an hour later when I put her on it. Yeah, Faith is a big girl. We even had some toys to play with while we waited for it to happen. She wiped with some help and then even flushed all by herself. Her hands clap and her face shows excitement as she runs out of the bathroom with her diaper in hand to tell her daddy all about it.

Who's big now?

So a mother knows that their little one isn't so little any more when they pick up a spoon and start using it by themselves. She no longer relies on you to feed her a bottle. She doesn't even rely on you to pick out what she eats anymore. With Faith, she always wants Goldfish crackers. That is not to say that she gets them all the time. However she will tell you with her little mouth opening and closing like a fish and her hand swimming that that is what she would like to eat. Faith ate all her yogurt the other morning by herself with a spoon and then her chicken and rice last night by herself. How do they grow so fast? As if the spoon doesn't make her bigger now she has told me that she is getting ready to start potty training. Faith loves to take her clothes off now. She has to work on the diaper though. She pulls her little stepstool over to the potty when I go in there and then wants to sit on it too. She wanted to wear a swim diaper last night instead of a regular one. She can pull those down. I caught her the other day pulling wipes out of the container and wiping herself too. I also caught her trying to hike herself up there by herself. Not that I'm against her wanting to potty train. I hate diapers and how much they cost. However it just means that my little girl isn't so little anymore.

Andma! Pa Pa!

Well last night we were greeted with a wonderful visit from my mom and dad. Now Faith had been working on saying Andma all week. We decided to drop the "GR" for now on the word so grandma would feel better. As they pulled up I hollered for Faith to go see her Andma. She got down from the table and ran outside. Faith is always timid around folks she doesn't know. I really didn't expect to see what she did. As she saw Andma get out of the truck, she ran over to her and wanted up in her arms. She remembered her. A big smile crossed both of their lips. So they are up here all weekend to celebrate my birthday and it is going to be a beautiful weekend. Hopefully we will be able to have some good times.

Yeah, OK

Are you ready for breakfast Brooklyn? Yeah she says with this excited voice. Ok, then get up in your big girl chair. OK she says. Eat, her hands say. Drink, they say after that. Here's your drink. Drink up. Ahhhh! she says after she is done. Ahhhh! she says again in a quieter voice. "Amby." She signs drink. Ok, is Lamby thirsty? Let's get her a drink too. Gulp Gulp her voice says. Her lips open and close. Ahhhh! she says after Lamby is done. "Hi Abby, Meow, meow" she says as Abby her kitty lies next to the window. "Kitty, Abby, meow, meow" Her little hand waves to Abby. When did this all start? My little girl went from 8 words one week to over 20 the next week. Now she is putting stuff together. It all makes sense. Yeah. All the signs she is learning are slowing dropped once she picks up the word. I can't keep her quiet any more. She loves to talk and she loves even more to be talked with.

Elmo is a bird?

Can Big Bird really be disguised as Elmo? Well Faith obviously thinks so. I could not for the life of me figure out how she learned to say the word Elmo. We don’t have him at home and neither in her Toddler II classroom. However whenever she sees her Big Bird doll she calls him Elmo. No Faith. That is Big Bird I kept saying. However today I finally figured it out. After going into the Toddler I classroom I encountered the Elmo. Elmo was dressed as a chicken. He sings the chicken dance and does a dance too. So I put two and two together and came to this conclusion. On Monday and Tuesday she was shipped over to the Toddler I room after she woke up from nap because she was waking her friends up. It was here that Faith met Elmo for the first time. Elmo says his name when singing his song so that is how she learned his name. When she saw her yellow bird she remembered that Elmo was in a chicken costume. So yes, she calls her Big Bird "Elmo". I can now see how the two could be mixed up. Kids they are so funny.

A Good Day

Today was a good day for all. A day of smiles and laughs all day. A day of a good nap. A day of good company to talk to. A good day for Faith to play with Bud. Some nights Faith wants nothing to do with Bud, however tonight I couldn't get her away from him. She runs and jumps up in his chair, "daddy" she says with excitement in her voice. I think that she has figured out that if she runs to daddy she can stay up later. If she doesn't want to do something and I want her to, she will yell for her daddy. Bud, please tell Faith she can't wear her shoes to bed. Faith, you can't wear your shoes to bed. It is hilarious. She is trying to fool us but I don't think it is working.

Poor Faith was the only girl in her class today. Looks like another day for her to get kissed. Yes, you heard me. Faith is getting kissed at school. One little boy is in the hugging and kissing phase. When Faith gets near, watch out. The teacher tries to stop him but he is quick.

Her favorite word this week is mine. We are quickly trying to X that out of the vocabulary. One boy started saying it in school and then it wasn't long after so did she. I know that it is hard for kids to share, but shouldn't you still teach them to. Teach them the word, our. I don't know. I just know I don't want her being selfish but a 1 year old's personality is selfish. She is learning to share and she is learning to say please this week. "Up......peas". She won't say it on her own but she will repeat it and then get what she wants. So hopefully it will sink in soon. Please.... sink in soon.

One more

So as you all know by now, Faith loves books. Although, a few weeks ago her favorite one was a collection of Disney stories. This week she is stuck on her train books. Faith, go pick out a book to read. Need I remind you that she must have a good 50-75 books to choose from. They are on her shelf, baskets, under her bed, and in every room of the house. Now just pick out one, Faith. Every time this week it has been her Thomas the Engine book. It is a lift flap book and she loves to look under each flap to see what it is. I think part of the reason she favors this book is because we have a train that runs by our apartment several times a day. That was one of the first things she learned to sign. Also at school when her and her friends go outside in the morning, they form a train and "choo choo" down the hall. She has even started to say, "All Aboard". How cute is that? So let's all hop on board the train and head to the circus like Thomas the Engine. One more time, mamma. Please read it one more time.

Time to brush

So Faith has got to the age where she loves to brush her teeth. She loves to watch Bud in the morning brush his. She will often stick her tongue in and out and make a "La La" noise when she wants to brush. She knows whose brush is whose, including hers. She knows that there is a train on hers because she will often use her hands to say train as she uses one hand to brush and the other to speak. It is quite funny. We purchased a stepstool for her the other day and it is by far a favorite. This means that she has graduated to big girl status. I will brush my teeth twice a day. Not Faith though, she will brush them whenever she gets the chance. If I need to get something done and need her cooperation, I will give her her toothbrush. I needed a shower the other morning. She brushed the entire time I was in there. And of course, let's not forget our stuffed animals. They all need clean teeth too. Now, everyone brush up.

Can't you hear me?

The frustration is slowly starting as Faith is trying to communicate and doesn't know the words to say. She will point and grunt, just as every toddler I'm sure has done, and then get mad because I don't know what she wants. Most of the time if I ask her to, she will go point to what she wants. The other day she wanted to put money in her bank. Her hands say bunny but I see no bunny in sight. Faith, go get what you want. She runs to her room, points up high on her shelf to her bunny bank, and then it sinks in. You want to fill your bunny bank up? Okay, then. I feel like I am playing charades and the game never ends. "Up, Up," she says over and over. Mama can't pick you up right now. Can't you see I am holding your pillow, lunch bag, my purse, Lamby, and my drink and trying to lock the house? I have no hands to lift you up. I love her so much. I love her big bear hugs for me, Bud, and all her toys. I love her kisses that smack me right on the lips. I love the way her hands sign I love you. It is great being a mom.

Potter flop

If you are a Harry Potter fan I hope that you have finished the last book before reading this. Here I have waited through 6 books to finally read the seventh and final installment. This whole time I kept saying to myself, I can't wait for the final buildup. It is going to be a huge battle like in Order of the Phoenix when Dumbledore and Voldemort fought each other at the end of the movie. I expected a climax like that. Who would have dreamed that Voldemort would have died in such a simple fashion. His own spell killed him. Can Harry do any big magic, I am left wondering. Every time he fought Voldemort someone came to the rescue. I am glad the books are finished but the boy who I thought would conquer the Great Lord didn't live up to the standard I thought he could. Who knows? Maybe James or Albus Potter will become an even better wizard than their dad.

Coming together

Can a child as young as 16 months really start stringing words together. I have always been told that it is much later. Maybe it has to do with the sign language that Faith is learning. She is learning day by day to put two or three words together with her hands to tell me what she wants. Two examples are...
I had told Faith to leave Abby alone. I told her that she was sleeping. Faith put her finger to her mouth for "Shhh", hand to ear for "Ni Ni" and then ran her hand across her forehead for "cat". Then she throws in the word Abby. I had shown her these signs when I was trying to communicate with her. However this was 10 minutes after the fact. Does she really remember that much detail?
Faith had walked by Abby's closet and saw her water. Faith strokes her hand across her forehead for "cat" then to her mouth for "drink" and then away from her mouth for "water." Yes Faith, that is Abby's water. Now leave it alone. She does the same for her food except for drink she will say "eat."
Maybe these signs are becoming easier for her because I too am beginning to use sentences with her. I wonder how her little mind works? I wonder what a little child like Faith is capable of learning? I find myself constantly learning more signs just to keep her learing and talking. As she is picking up the word itself to say she has been dropping the sign. However, I am keeping with the sign so eventually maybe she can put them all together. Hand and voice.

Ode to the Family

The last couple days we have had Bud's mom around. This meant lots of laughing and good times with Faith. I know that each time family comes up they can't believe how much she has changed. She is so smart and such a sweet little girl. She interacts with each person she meets. I was concerned that she wouldn't take to Grandma very quickly because she hasn't seen her in 4 months. However she quickly realized that Grandma was here to have fun. The last two days have been spent wrestling, going for walks, reading, and playing with babies. Faith was literally trying to push Grandma off of the couch when they both were sitting on it. She then wrestled her to the ground where she continued to growl at her and climb on top of her. I have never seen her this way however she was having fun picking on Grandma. It is so comforting to have family around. It makes me wish we could have someone around all the time. However, life moves on and so do all the members of our family.

High Spirits

The household is high in spirits as Faith's joy of life lightens everyone's mood. After a long day, we came home yesterday from school and Faith just busted out laughing. She ran to the bedroom, got my old blanket, and brought it back into the front room. "Where is Faith?" I ask as she walks in with her head covered. She thought I really couldn't see her. "Where is she?" I ask again. The cover is then thrown from her head as she squeals with excitement. Bud came home and it started all over. "Where did she go? Did we lose her?" Faith runs across the hall and down the hallway. Stops and turns around. Runs back to the front room and pulls the blanket down from her face again. "Peek A boo" She heads to the our bedroom, gets up on the bed and Bud covers her with the big comforter. I hear her squealing and giggling all the way down the hall. I think that this joy lasted a good thirty minutes until it was time to calm down for bed. It is nice to see smiles finally around here. Life is hard when things are tight and a little one's laugh and smile makes it all worth it.

Remember the quiet days?

Since Faith is becoming so good at talking nowadays, her favorite words are #1 dadda, #2 ball, and #3 night night. I remember when she just kinda slept all the time. Where did those days go? When I look back on her, she has always been pretty quiet. Not now. She talks and talks and talks. Tonight Bud opened the door while we were rocking to sleep. Holy cow! She stopped sucking her thumb, threw Lamby to the side and said, "Da Da? Da Da?" No Faith, go to sleep. "Da Da? Da Da?" She loves her daddy. I knew the day would come when she would be excited to see him in the morning and in the evening after work and whenever else she could find him. I'm glad the separation anxiety phase is over with. She still would rather have her mamma if she had to choose.

Everything that is round is a ball to Faith. Even a circle on a paper is a ball. It is so cute. She says it with such enthusiasm. BALL!! She forgets to say mamma with that much excitement though. I think that if I took the time to find all the balls in the house she would have as many balls as Abby has mice.

Night night is by far the cutest thing imaginable to hear from her little voice. Her words are "Ni Ni" as she lays down on her big pillow with her Lamby. As she blows a kiss to Bud before bed she puts her little hand to her ear, "Ni Ni." She has the "I love you" sign down too so we will do that also.

I know the days will soon be arriving when she will be carrying on a conversation with the two of us at the dinner table. Until then I am going to enjoy hearing new words everyday.

Abby's storytime

Abby is Faith's cat. She used to despise Faith alot when she was just starting to move around however nowadays, Abby is getting used to her. Faith will spend some mornings trying to sit with her and pat her. Abby doesn't stick around for too long though. If Faith is drinking from her cup she will often offer Abby a drink also. She isn't mean to her like you would think. I think that comes from learning to pat her when she was 6 months old. The other morning I had opened Faith's window in her room. It is usually always closed because blankets are hung to keep the room dark for sleeping. So Faith was excited and so was Abby. I came back in after a little bit to find this adorable picture of Faith reading to Abby. She even tried to give her the book at one point in time. Faith loves to share and will share with anyone and anything including her stuffed animals. I caught Faith sharing her cracker with her bear, dog, monkey, and little bear the other morning. She would take a bite and then offer them a bite. Times are fun around our house these days as her creative side emerges.

First Sleepover

I just remembered something funny from the other day that I thought was cute and thought I'd share. Faith was on her cot at school napping yesterday when Kimmie, her teacher, left the room. Upon returning she found a little boy on her cot sleeping with her. Turns out that the little boy decided to roam around when she was gone and decided that Faith's bed looked pretty comfortable. Kimmie told Faith that she was too young for sleepovers and she was telling her mom. If I was a toddler and had to choose a bed to sleep on it would definitely be Faith's bed. She has a sheet, soft blanket, big pillow and Lamby. So her first sleepover went well, however it was with a boy.

A book worth a thousand hugs

Faith has always been into her books. She has had books read to her since the day she was brought home from the hospital. Recently she has taken a liking to "reading" them on her own. From the moment she wakes up in the morning till we leave for daycare, she is carrying around a book for me to read to her. She knows that she is supposed to sit on my lap when I read to her so she will try to give me the book and wait for me to sit with her. Here she comes and cuddles on my lap. She gives herself a little wiggle to get comfortable and listens to the story. After that one is done she will go find another one and then it is back to my lap. I really don't know how we ever get ready in the morning but somehow we manage and still read all morning. It starts all over when we get back home in the afternoon. Off to the bedroom to find her favorite story and then onto my lap or her daddy's lap. I love it that she enjoys them so much. I remember Grace , her cousin, reading and reading when she was little. I think they are very similar in a lot of ways. Today at school she was running down the hall to hug me. When I asked what she did she signed that she had read a book about a dog. She was so excited. Her teacher verifed that she did indeed read that story. A hug and cuddle for each story read; a total of one thousand for the day.

Bye Bye city

We have all been missing home terribly so we decided to leave the city and travel to a small town about 10 miles away. With the sight of trees and bean fields, we felt like we were home again. The sight of small houses, no stop lights and neighborly people made us realize just how unfriendly the big city really is. We found a small park in this town and decided to stop. With nothing but trees in sight and the river we realized that this is just what we needed. Faith found some rocks, played, ran across the bridge, watched for fish, rode in her stroller and climbed up and down a big hill. I didn't think that she would make it up the hill but the little engine that could chugged and chugged until she came up to both of us. When going down the hill I thought that she would fall on her face because her little legs were going so fast that I thought she couldn't keep up. She surprised me though and only fell a few times. I wish that we didn't have to come back to this city and we could stay in the country forever. However, now whenever we both need a break we know where to go. Anywhere, but here.

Our American Future

Looking at this little face yesterday made me realize she is our future. When she grows up the world will be different. What can I do as a parent to help her be all she can? I guess I can only teach her the right and love her with all my heart. The way she waved her flag yesterday with such enthuziasm reminded me of the day that her daddy came home from overseas. Faith flew that flag just as hard if not harder than I did. Her first flag..... I will always remember the smile on her face as she watched all the parade go by. God Bless this wonderful nation!

The quest for independence

How does a child learn so much and so fast. It seems like yesterday my little daughter was just beginning to roll over. My daughter, 15 month old Faith, is trying to become her own person now. Running through the house and saying, "Na Na Na Na." I think that means "NO" in toddler talk. Let's not tell her that I know what she is trying to say. She thinks to herself, "Now what can I do today that is going to want my mom to pull her hair out. Will climbing the shelf do it? Will standing in the chairs at church do it? Will avoiding bed time do it? Will pulling the pictures off of the shelf do it? Will emptying all the pots from the cabinet when they were just put in there accomplish the reaction I would like? Can I chase the cat and get her tail? My bed looks like a good jungle gym to climb on. I know that she doesn't really think this way and she is just trying to figure out what she can get away with and what she can't. It is hard though when I have told her "No" for the umpteenth time. I wouldn't change it for the world though. My little trouble maker will learn eventually. I may not have any hair left but it will be worth it when she learns what "no" means.