The Fireplace Fiasco and other adventures

Following our trend of bangs and bruises, Bailey and Daddy were playing during some evening last week, possibly Wednesday, and Bailey ended up crashing into the fireplace corner, the one we also dread being an issue, but had so far avoided severe collisions.  The aftermath looks awful and some tears were shed, mostly ours.

Last Tuesday, Bailey had her very first ice cream cone.  She's an expert multitasker because while eating it, she was also trying to destroy McDonalds property.  If it had been a hotel, I would wonder if she had a career as a rockstar in her future.

 

The other night at Walmart, I won Bailey her first stuffed animal out of one of those machines.  I wasn't expecting it, but was thrilled.  My child?  She wanted another one, but settled with just the one bear.

 

We have new neighbors.  Bailey and Daddy met them last night.  We're pretty excited about that.  Two of the kids were playing in our back yard with Bailey.  New neighbors with kids is VERY awesome news.

I'm not sure what else I have to report...I'll think about it, but probably won't get back to it.

 

The Fall of The Shoe Goddess

Last Tuesday was one of those hectic days I probably should've avoided.  Sometimes, I fit way too much into a day, but in the end, it worked out okay.

We started out Tuesday's life at gymnastics class.  This was Bailey's first time.  Coincidentally, she is not the only Bailey in the class.  With a total of three kids, two are named Bailey. Bailey wasn't sure she wanted to participate.  She tried a couple times to follow directions, but this was a completely new environment and with all the fun things surrounding her, she didn't think she needed to be limited.  Of course, I disagreed.  During one of these disagreements (while she could've been waiting her turn to jump on the trampoline) she tried to bite my face!  She had this evil look in her eyes too and that's when we were ready to depart.  She was determined to bite me and she's never acted like that before...so vicious.  She never bit me, but we did get her shoes back on and head for the door.  At the same time, Mister Tony, the class instructor, asked if she wanted to get a ribbon and stand on the podium.  Finally, a photo opportunity for our first class, so naturally I took it.  The lighting was off though, but Bailey was proud of her ribbon.

We were actually very late to gymnastics that morning.  I called him to let him know we were late and that didn't mean we weren't going to do the class, just perhaps another week.  Apparently, they hadn't started yet, so he told us to come on in since we're only two minutes away.  Starting late meant finishing late meant instead of getting out by 11, so B and I could drive to meet Daddy for lunch, we were leaving closer to 11:20.

Surprisingly, we got there almost in time and had a picnic.  It was too hot for a picnic which made me question why I stressed myself getting the picnic together (which was Daddy's suggestion) before gymnastics.  This is possibly the death of the Tuesday picnics, but Bailey liked playing at the park. 

We were there only briefly, something about the heat, and we then went to Target and then to Wonderscope.  Bailey always has such a fabulous time at Wonderscope and she's really learning her way around the building.  She knows which rooms are which and we played in quite a few of them, some longer than others.  We were there for a while and then left to do more shopping.  We didn't buy much, but I still like to look and so does the little miss. 

During our last shopping expedition of the day, Bailey fell in love with the shoe section at another Target, and I do mean in love.  She insisted upon trying some of the shoes on and running around in them, even if the shoes were still tied together.  That was mildly humorous.  Bailey's favorite pair of shoes were some ladybug rain boots.  She really want those ladybug shoes!  She kept testing them out in the form of running around the shoe department.  Finally, after a really long time playing in the shoes, we needed to wrap it up.  Bailey had one final lap and in the process, ran right into the edge of shelving at the end of the aisle.  It was awful.  She cried so hard she made little to no sound and I knew it had to hurt.  by this time, I'd already grabbed her, started my initial lecture on how this is why we're not supposed to run, then assessed the damage.  I felt so bad for her.  That mean, nasty shelf corner left an imprint on her forehead.  I felt the need for revenge, but I controlled my bitter urges.

While you're saying "Poor Bailey," please note that this was a day of constant bumps and bruises, mostly falls, that all could have been avoided, had she been careful.  We've been discussing this very seriously lately.  She refused to hold onto the stair railing on the way to gymnastics and fell down a step face first.  Ouch.  Where was I?  Hands full of picnic supplies, camera and diaper bag and trying to reach for a hand she wouldn't continue to let me hold on to.  She scraped her finger in a Target cart being rough.  Ouch.  She's still picking at that one.  She fell off her play structure as I was getting after her for how and where she was climbing.  Oh, and something about her shoving her ankle in the chair backing and getting it stuck...then screaming at me because we couldn't get it out.  Luckily I avoided the panic time and found a way to get out, all the while saying, "and we're not going to do this again...right?"

At least she has my grace, eh?

Pictures I have yet to share...

...Captions to come.

So much to update, maybe later

I'm exhausted this week.  Don't ask why because I don't know, but with a busy two-year-old, I think I'm entitled to be tired just occasionally.

 

I'll try to update more later; luckily I've been keeping notes.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Yesterday was a busy day for us.  We went to the Kansas City Zoo and the Royals game both in the same day.  The changes to the zoo's barn were phenomenal and as for the game, we had Mike's seats and if you know where those are, you'd be jealous.  (They're actually worth going to a game just to sit there, plus, it was a Build-a-Bear game.)

 

Bailey loved the zoo.  She says the word, "animals" with perfect pronunciation that it amazes me.  She also liked climbing the things inside the Discovery Barn.  She walked along side the foam logs, climbed an ant hill, and walked through a rope obstacle course with ease.  She also liked the huge tree outside that had a slide.  As for her favorite animals at the zoo, it's a toss up between any monkey and the birds.  It is not unusual to hear her say, "tweet tweet" while in the presence of feathered vermin.

She fell asleep instantly once we left the zoo and she woke up to sitting up close at the Royals game with a brand new white and blue bear staring at her.  She embraced him instantaneously and then checked out the environment.  The largest highlight was being grabbed by Sluggerrr and swung around.  You should've seen her glowing afterwards.  I've never seen that child smile that large before, and well, she smiles largely anyway.

 

Hmm...what else?  Tonight we went swimming.  She loved that, of course.  She really does think she can swim. 

 

Oh, and tomorrow morning?  We have our very first gymnastics class!

A thought

So many people have told me they'd love to keep having babies and one of their largest reasons is because of that feeling when the baby kicks you from the inside.  Based on that alone, so many women could be pregnant forever and would do it if they could.

 

For me, I don't know about all of that.  It was surreal, sure.  There was a magic about it, but you know what?  Something even more magical?  It's that feeling of your kid grasping just ONE of your fingers with absolute trust and walking beside you. 

 

Now that's awesome.

Beautiful Conditions

After what feels like ages of awful humidity and over 100 degrees, we've been experiencing fantastic weather here in Kansas.  And since it won't last, we've been taking advantage of it.

Friday evening, we spent some time at the park nearby, and then we returned this evening as well after we came back from visiting the fair.  At the fair, we just walked around, smelled the livestock (which was impossible to not do, eww), and gazed at the carnival rides.  We didn't do much, but Bailey did enjoy the cows.

We also did a little bit of shopping today.  We allowed Bailey to spend some of her birthday money.  So far, she's loving spending time with her farm animals we found at Toys 'R Us.  And our little animal lover also found a veterinarian kit.  Doctor Bailey has a nice ring to it, even if she is operating on critters.

 

...Tomorrow will be a fabulous day too.

Pictures are in!

The online version of Bailey's second year photos are in! 

 

I'm still updating her page and putting in birthday party pictures, so please be patient with me.  We don't even have them dated or any captions.  It takes a while.

 

The last thing, make sure you take the time to watch the video on the front of Bailey's page.  Hopefully, it works for you.  If you have dialup, be patient.

 

Oh happy day

Okay, okay.  I'll share.

 

...editing to come later...

The Birthday Princess' Day

Well, some of you have already asked me where birthday party pictures are and why I haven't updated.  Considering her birthday was Thursday, her party was Saturday, and today is Monday, I think I'm doing okay. Yesterday was my day of rest and I think I needed it!  (I think too many of you abuse my typical efficiency. :))

Late Thursday night, I updated Bailey's site with pictures from her big entry into the world of everything that is two.  That day included her waking up and looking out the living room windows to spot her brand new car.  Sixteen, two, eighteen, it's all the same, right?  But low and behold, Bailey had her very own pink car topped with a bright pink bow.  And the day had barely begun...

We had an appointment to have her pictures taken and we weren't thrilled with the time we had (11:50) but we went anyway to discover a long line, a completely full waiting room, and the girls claiming the wait to be 20-30 minutes when we knew that was laughable.  We opted to skip that and go ahead to our intended destination, which was Chuck E. Cheese where our two year could be a kid, since she's officially no longer a baby.

First, before we could do so, we took Bailey across the street to a Walmart to purchase a cake.  I detest store-bought cakes, but we thought Bailey would enjoy picking out her very own cake.  She spent a long time debating this task, and possibly questioning our motives since we've never allowed her to do this before, and finally chose a "rabbit cake" with the proudest of expressions.

With cake in hands, and properly titled with her name on it, we went to The Cheese.  Bailey was adorned with a crown and birthday balloon and we found a table quite close to the dancing, singing, robotic mouse.  Bailey was in awe of this critter on stage and she would constantly wave at him, and run to the stage and just look up at him like a crazed little fan.  She was definitely a groupie, but it was very adorable.

While waiting for our pizza, Bailey warmed up to her stimulating surroundings:  rowdy rugrats and noisy gadgets.  Bailey was far too overwhelmed to enjoy much of her pizza once it did arrive, but never too much to visit her mouse.  When he would sing, she'd dance a little jig right up front for anyone to see.

Bailey was very excited when it came time for her cake.  She immediately knew what to do once the candles were lit.  We sang to our little ti and savored her impatience as we went to cut the cake.  She devoured every last shred of the frosting and was ready to visit her rodent hero once more.  It was marvelously sweet.

She opened the present we brought and played with it for a little bit.  It was a magnetic puzzle.  There was a net with a magnet on it that you used to "catch" the buggy puzzle pieces.  Like so many other tasks we've witnessed, Bailey knew exactly what to do without any instructions.

Daddy went and asked if Chuck E. Cheese himself would be making any appearances, and immediately following, there he was!  Bailey saw him , but had to glance back at the stage version before running to him with haste and determination.  She followed him around intently, proclaiming, "WAIT, MOUSE!"  He patted her head several times and I could've sworn she reconsidered ever letting her hair be washed again.

After spending several hours at the Mouse Headquarters, Bailey was worn out (with good reason).  We cashed in our tickets, picked out some prizes and the second we pulled out of the parking lot, she was off to slumberland. 

Since she was napping, we decided that perhaps we could make our rescheduled photography appointment after all (we were never certain whether we would bail or not) and we let her continue her nap.  She woke up just in time to go inside and wait a little longer, while she gathered her energy together again (and that really didn't take long).  Our photographer was a bit pushy, pushier than we ever liked (she expected our two-year-old to pose exactly how she wanted, and all of her bright ideas cost herself more time and several adorable chances at fabulous sales.  I let her be until she had Bailey upset, and then we said we were done, went through what she had taken, picked out a couple and called it finished.

We had Bailey's favorite breadsticks for dinner (Fazoli's) and came home to play some more.  It was truly a memorable day for us and I think she had a little bit of fun herself.

Oops.

For Bailey's birth date, there is no blog entry, and that's an oversight of mine.  I was too caught up in the day to think about working on the computer...darn.  (And that was a sarcastic "darn" in case you missed it.)

 

It was a wonderful day though.  Maybe I'll share details someday...

Maybe.

An Education in Disappointment

Some lessons cannot be avoided, no matter how hard you try.  There are certain inalienable truths.  Disappointment will eventually arise, no matter how much avoidance you attempt.

 

On Sunday, we went to the Royals game.  They were giving away baseball bats and playing Toronto, the only two reasons to be at the ballpark.  Bailey had a third reason: to see Sluggerrr.  She's obsessed with that plushy/furry.  She wants him for her very own.  Heck, she even has her own miniature version, but alas, that's not the same.

We kept our eyes out for Sluggerrr the whole time we were at the stadium, we even saw him a few times, but we never actually made it to him and Bailey was crushed.  You could see the look in her eyes.  Disappointment was lingering and it was almost heartbreaking.  She never had the chance to visit with him during that visit to the ballpark.

Today, she once again tasted disappointment.  (She somehow avoided it during most of her life.)  I asked her if she wanted a snack (and she's become accustomed to "snacks," meaning "fruit snacks") and was given a rude awakening when she discovered Spongebob animal crackers in the foil bag instead.  You should ha seen the growl in her eyes.  She wasn't growling, but the thought was there, so was disappointment.

As for other news, we had lunch with Daddy, per usual Tuesday fashion, and then we headed ot the 'Scope.  We weren't planning on staying long, but Bailey decided to have a poopy diaper which sped up events.  She was angry about the poopy diaper.  She's going through this phase where she denies having a dirty diaper and tries to stay away from me.  We would've changed then returned into the 'Scope (and no, I do not take diapers in with me because the Bailey and the camera bag keep my hands full enough the way it is) but Bailey decided to scratch and pull, kick and yell.  There was no way we were going back in after that performance.

We did however stop by a Target.  Good clearance sales!  I love fabulous clearance prices.  There was absolutely no disappointment there.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I'll love you tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow is the last day my Bailey will be one.  That's big.  HUGE, even.  Mind boggling.

Mother, Mother

Now I suddenly remembered what I felt I had to share!

 

This evening, Bailey repeatedly started calling me, "Mother," and ever since, I've had that Tracy Bonham song in my head.  I'm not sure I wish that on even my worst enemy, not that it's that terrible of a song, but it's almost like singing, "It's a small world," or "It is the song that never ends." It just doesn't go away.

 

Oh, and you're welcome for the songs you're now singing in YOUR heads.

Random...

Bailey has chosen the beginning of hot July to decide that snowmen are very cool.  On Friday, she took the two ends from the blinds' strings and stacked them and told me it was a snowman.

Also, ever since the second spider incident, Bailey has been torturing me by asking, "where did that spider go?"  I'm waiting for the day that I discover she has actually found a new spider and isn't still going on about the flushed one.  Notice, I didn't type that I was looking forward to it...

 

At approximately the same time each evening, Bailey goes into the entry way and perches herself onto the back of the blue chair and stares out the window longingly, then will get down and ask me where Daddy is.  On Friday, I asked her if she wanted to go see Daddy and to the door she went.  (We met up with Daddy in Gardner and I went do some shopping and visit Brooke.)

This morning, we asked her if she wanted to go see Grandpa and she ran to get her shoes and socks (in the blink of an eye, and that never happens), returned to us with socks in one hand, both shoes in the other and told us, "Here they are!"  We couldn't have gotten out the door fast enough.  (And trust me, she wasn't happy when we realized ten minutes out that we'd forgotten to do something important and had to return briefly.)

She spent the afternoon with her Grandparents before they journey to New Jersey tomorrow.  She had a splendid time and Daddy and Mommy escaped to spy on pirates.  Then we had dinner with them at the very high-class (and yummy) Hi-Boy and Bailey was the proudest sitting next to her Grandpa in the booth.  (Maybe it was because she could easily steal his fries.)

 

I'll try to make another update tomorrow...

Where are the pictures?

I figured that at least one person has been wondering this for a few days:  Where are the pictures from the Fourth of July?

 

Here they are!

 

We spent the day in Independence, Mo., Bailey festive in her "Miss Independence" shirt.  We watched the Sugar Creek parade (where Bailey captured way too much candy) and then went over to Grandma and Grandpa Hudson's for lunch and playtime.  Bailey then opened her birthday presents from G&G H and Uncle Jeff, Aunt Christy, and Cousins Kona and Trevor since they will all be in New Jersey and unable to attend her birthday party.  Her Grandparents gave her a dollhouse she's quite fond of.  She received a Cowgirl Dora doll and a ladybug dress from the other set of Hs.  Thanks guys and have a safe trip!

 

Enjoy the photos, Bailey definitely enjoyed the day.

The girly girl

I'm used to my daughter liking cars, mud, trains, balls and blocks.  I'm okay with that, I really am.  But at some point this afternoon, Bailey decided she wanted to wear one particular super-frilly pink dress, its matching hair band, and a pair of white shoes.  She then deemed herself "a princess."  She was quite impressed, admiring herself in the mirror.  She then said, "a PINK princess," and suddenly I felt like I had the frilly little girly girl that almost every woman on this planet yearns for.

 

...And she's all mine.

A Second Chance

I had a chance to redeem myself today.  We don't always get those chances in life, but I had my very own opportunity to take a "do-over" and I did it.

Bailey was taking another bath, then started giggling really loudly and to my shock yet again, it was indeed a spider.  She says this word now and was very excited.  I scooped her out of the bath and we watched as the spider crawled on top of her bath toys with determination.  Just as I wished I had done last time, instead of crushing his very life away along with every hope and dream he's ever had, I took her cup and scooped him up and she was beyond enthused.  With this cup full of a very true fear I have, I dumped its contents into our toilet and flushed her latest bath buddy.  We both waved goodbye and I told her about all the friends he would find during his journey.

Hey, it could happen.

Happy 4th.

I'll type up a more proper entry at a later date, maybe.  We'll see.

 

As for anything else:  I'm not sure there will be a holiday e-mail as I am not in a holiday e-mail sort of mood right now.  Cards?  Cards were mailed out on Monday.  I actually was going to hand out three cards today but they're still in the car, so the next time any of you are in Ottawa, well, I have your cards.

Oh, and Happy Independence Day.

God Bless America, God Bless Family

We're really fortunate people.  Not only do we have a Bailey, but we are blessed with having family relatively close.  One idea of close may be five minutes away, but two hours away is pretty close too if you want it to be.  After all, it could be over 1,500 miles away instead, like it is for some of our relatives.

On Sunday, we went out to my Uncle Daniel's new house.  Uncle Daniel and Aunt Patsy spent a year of their lives working on their beautiful place and you can tell.  We were really excited to go and we weren't left feeling disappointed by any means.  And since they have cats, a dog, horses, cows and a duck, YOU KNOW Bailey had a good time!  (She also had a fabulous time with their straw?)

Per usual, I took a lot of pictures, but they're well worth skimming (in my opinion) and I hope the rest of my loyal readers have opportunities to visit with family too this holiday weekend.  It could be well worth the drive.

Something Cuddly

Not all children need teddy bears.  Not all children beg for toys in Walmart stores.  Some children actually find other things to hold onto and cherish and hug with all their might.  My child happens to be one of those children, and today, she found solace in a roll of Scott's Disney paper towels.  She squeezed it tight and carried it around the store, fought to keep it away from the cashier, and then squeezed her roll harder.  She rode with it in the car, holding it safely in her car seat.  She was protective of her new baby.

Scott's should be paying my child for her advertising campaign.

Belated Entries

I've been busy, but I owe any potential readers these following anecdotes:

 

On Wednesday, my little creature was playing outside in the water and then started pouring water from her bucket onto the ground and then stomping in it.  Of course, by this time it was quite muddy.  She had her fingers in it having a fabulous time, then suddenly, without warning, she went into hysterics about mud being on her fingers telling me the mud was sticky.  We had to immediately wash it off and I told her as nicely as possible, but still being blunt that it was indeed HER fault.

 

On Thursday, she kept talking about Grandpa.  She talks about Grandpa constantly and she saw the screensaver on the computer that just randomly shows pictures and one of them happened to be of her Grandpa.  She asked "where did the Grandpa go?" and really was upset that his picture did not return.  So, I had this bright idea of printing a picture of Grandpa and giving it to her.  She carried this piece of paper around for a long time and during part of this experience, I caught her with her paper, dropping it then  saying, "where did that Grandpa go?," picking it up, and saying, "there he is!"

 

On Saturday night, we were making cupcakes and Bailey saw the muffin tins and without any instructions, took each muffin cup and put them in the pan in their designated spot. 

 

I feel like I've missed some important entries.  I'll think about them and get back to you.  Hopefully.