She knows so much more than she lets on!

We were all out in the yard last night, admiring the paint on the house and making improvement plans. We're talking about putting in a large patio with a firepit. Libby was digging in the dirt, and I didn't think she was paying attention at all. As soon as I mentioned roasting marshmallows, she perked up to attention! She jumped up and started hopping around.

LIBBY: "oooh! Me Me!"
LIBBY: "TENT, Mama?"
ME: "You want to sleep in a tent? Ok!"
LIBBY: "And sheeping bag? me peee-lo, Mama?"
ME: (laughing)"Yeah, you want to go camping?"
LIBBY: "Yeah! Yeah! Tent, Mama? Sheep Reagan's tent?"
ME: "Well, Reagan's tent is too small, but we can get a bigger tent"
LIBBY: "Mama's tent? Sheep mama's tent? Sheeping bag? MALLOW???"
ME: "Yes, we will get a tent, and sleep in sleeping bags, and roast marshmallows"

The child was glowing! I didn't even know she knew about camping, or tents, or sleeping bags, much less that she knew all of those words! Just three months ago, she was still doing most of her communicating in her own invented language, ala 'Nell'. Her language skills have taken a quantum leap forward in the last few months.

She is so adorable. I was laughing and feeling so proud and happy and excited for the future.

She gives regular stage performances on the raised fireplace hearth. One of the stones juts out a little further than the others, and this is her microphone. She puts on her 'dance shoes' and her 'dance hat' and sings for us.

I'm starting to feel a glimmer of hope concerning potty learning. She's going for longer periods between wet diapers, and promptly alerting me when she needs changed. Whew, Finally! I was a little worried she be content to sit in her dirty diapers until forced to change for the next year or so!

Big girl

I haven't posted in awhile because I've been sick. Sick with two babies just means that I don't get free time or sleep. I just stagger around doing the bare minimum.

Libby announced that she wanted to spend the night with Grandma "Leela" last week. So, Grandma took her home. She went to sleep late, but without a fuss, and without a bottle. The next day she played hard, swam a lot and got sunburned. She wanted to stay another night, but changed her mind around 6:00, and Grandma brought her home.

In the meantime, I had the brilliant idea to get rid of the bottles while she was gone. I ran to the store and bought some cool new bedtime props: new "big girl" blankie, new pjs, and a Whiskers the Mouse. Whiskers is filled with soothing aromatherapy herbs, and can be heated in the microwave. Since her "hot baba" was her comfort thang, I thought that having something that could be warmed would be a good transition. I put everything in a shiny gold gift bag, and made her card from the Bottle Fairy:
Yes, it was manipulative and deceitful. I felt desperate times called for desperate measures. I had managed to get her to take water-only bottles, for fear of bottle caries, but she insisted on at least one refill every night. That meant I washed crib sheets and blankets (depending on her mood, up to 3 at a time) every single day, and sometimes after naptime as well.

I left the bag in her crib, and threw the bottles away. When she got home, I showed her the empty place on the counter where her bottles used to be kept, and told her that the bottle fairy had come and taken them and left her a present. We ran to her room and "discovered" the bag together. I read her the card, and she was very excited. She adores her new blankie, and has gone to sleep without bottles ever since. She has asked for them though. She even went so far as to ask for one of the baby's bottles. We just keep reminding her that she's a big girl. However, she has insisted on having a cup of milk at bedtime, which brings dental worries back into the picture. I'm hoping that eventually the cup of milk will lose its appeal. At least she doesn't stay awake, asking for refill after refill, and she doesn't actually go to sleep drinking the cup.

Now we just have to deal with potty training. She still isn't interested. My older two trained late, so I am not pushing it, especially not with her temperament. She still doesn't quite get the signals, and is content to sit in a dirty diaper for hours if I would let her.

I will end with the top ten cutest Libby quotes from this week:

1. "I luh me Mommy"
2. "I teach me Ari baby talk"
3. "I happy me Ari baby luh me"
4. "I need me mommy, me baby" (when she was crying to come home from Grandma's)
5. "I like me dance shoes" (white patent leather mary janes)
6. "Daddy Paul toe hurt, me step daddy toe me dance shoes"
7. "I make Bubby blue pie" (stirring dirty dishwater in a Dutch oven at the sink)
8. "I have bad dream" ( 5 minutes after naptime started)
9. "Mommy get check up? Mommy hurt toe?" (when I had to go to the Dr last week-NOT a toe problem)
10. "Yummy daddy moon bread!"(Croissants that Paul bought for sandwiches)

Busy busy

We tried out a playgroup on Tuesday (first time ever in 15+ years of mothering), and Libby had fun. There were lots of little babies there to 'play' with Aristotle. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I'd like to push out of that and make some friends for both the children and myself.

Yesterday we caught a $2 movie and saw Nanny McPhee. It was very cute, although I missed the ending. After that we went for a picnic at the park and played on the swings. Libby had a ball. It was a fun day.

Stupid Mommy Moment

So! Libby woke up this morning about 7:00, and I planned to go outside and work in the yard when the baby woke up. Well, the baby woke up a few minutes later, but Libby asked to go to the park. I checked the outside temp, and it was only 73, so it seemed like a good idea. I'd get a walk, and the babies would get to spend some time outside before it got unbearably hot, right?

Well I have lived in Oklahoma for over 30 years and didn't think to consult the forecast. Durrrr. As soon as we walked outside, I saw that it was overcast. It hadn't been 30 minutes before, but the time it took to dress all three of us, slather us all with sunscreen (hahaha), and pack the diaper bag was enough time for storm clouds to roll in!

It started raining about 3 minutes into our drive and we had to turn around. I decided to stop at the grocery store for some fruit, and then I had to explain to a very put out Libby that we couldn't go to the park with it raining and storming. I offered her bananas, and asked what other kind of fruit she would like. She said, "Broccoli!"

Well then we got our bananas and broccoli, and I thought I'd buy her some cha cha milk to make up for missing the Weees. That was all good, but then when I hit the freezer section for frozen strawberries, she saw a display of cha cha donuts (donkas) and I couldn't say no. She insisted on getting Yay ya and Bubba something too, which was very sweet.

So...my healthy morning trip to the park to get us some exercise and burn off some energy turned into loading her up on sugar and sitting in front of the tv.

Libby wants to play outside

We were going to play in the backyard, but Mommy got stung by a wasp as soon as we walked out the door!

So Libby is playing in the front, just in front of the porch. We have some flowers out there. She brought me in a petunia she picked. Paul mentioned that we have some different flowers in the same spot. I said, "yeah, they're Four O'clocks.

Libby: "No four clocks! Tunias!" I didn't even know she knew that! So I told her that the purple flowers are petunias and the pink ones are four o'clocks. She had to bring me one of each, saying, "Mama tunia, four clock" She melts my heart sometimes.

Fun at grandma's

We went to "leela's" house today for a family get together. We got to meet our new baby cousin Aubrey. She is only 6 weeks old and so cute! Libby sat on "pa's" lap while he held baby Aubrey. They were both so sweet.

Libby played and swam all day. She was really well behaved and had a great time. She got chacha cake and a little sunburn. She's really starting to warm up to other people now. She really liked Aubrey's mama, Diana.

Libby's account of her day while I changed her for bed:

"I come Leela's home. Party cake. People, Aubrey come Leela's home. I swing, I swim. I come me home."


She just recently learned to say her own name. It's adorable.

It's a good thing she's cute

Yesterday she spilled cereal all over the living room. Only she knows what game she was playing. I made a rule that she needs someone sitting at the table with her to eat, rather than be allowed to graze as she always has. We shall see if I can actually enforce this rule. I'm just so tired of cleaning up food messes, and I'm worried she'll leave something out that the baby can choke on.

Yesterday she was the only one who could reliably make Ari happy. He loves her so much, and she him. It's amazing to watch them together. They both light up around each other. She says, "Awww, me Ari baby so floop (cute)" and he waves his arms like a madman when she enters a room or starts dancing around acting goofy.