Familly Traditions

We're trying to include as many of the family traditions we grew up with as we can. On Christmas Eve, we read Christmas story books and watched some Christmas specials on TV (one channel is playing A Christmas Story, back to back, nonstop for 24 hours!) We tracked Santa through NORAD, watching him deliver toys across the globe, slowly coming closer to us.

We ate tacos for dinner, a practice that started when I was still dating Steve. His family used to go to a friend's Christmas Eve party every year, and needed a quick dinner that was easy to make but filling. Three years in a row it was tacos. We dubbed it Feliz Navidad and continued the tradition. The friends have since moved away and the party no longer happens, but Christmas Eve tacos live on.

Before bed, we cleared the space in front of the fireplace, and left out a plate of home made cookies and milk. Now I'm looking forward to her first real Christmas morning!

Paging Doctor Summer

She came up to me and said "Your shirt hurt you, Mommy," and patted my arm. "You need medicine. And bandage." So I gave her a piece of tape and said "This is a pretend bandage. Will you put it on my arm, Doctor Summer?"

She did, then said I needed medicine. So she grabbed one of her wooden spoons, declared it be "pretend medicine" and rubbed it on my arm. She said my other arm was hurt and rubbed the spoon on it. I asked her if the medicine would make me feel better.

She replied "Of course. I doctor."

Bedtime Routine

We usually eat dinner around 7pm. After dinner, Summer usually plays a bit with Daddy while I clean up the kitchen, pack lunches and breakfast and in general get ready for the next day. At 7:30 we head upstairs. She is generally enthusiastic if we pretend to be bird climbing up our tree to get to our nest.

Once upstairs, we brush her teeth. This used to be fun and easy, until she decided she didn't like it. That was solved by making up a Tooth Brushing song. Now however, like many other things, she has decided "Do it MYSELF!". We can usually get her to compromise by letting her brush her front teeth, which she does a good job of, and then I guide her brushing efforts for her back teeth, with varying degrees of success.

We change her diaper and put on diaper ointment and then begins the battle of pajamas. Some nights it's easy as pie, other nights it involves her running around the room like a diapered banshee while Daddy and I try to reason with her, and finally just grab her and hold her down while we wrestle her into soft, comfy night clothes.

Diapered, brushed and clothed, we begin the winding down portion. We all snuggle together for a few moments. Some nights she had a drink of milk, either in a cup or a bottle, other nights she just wants a snuggle. When she's ready for bed, she gives Daddy hugs, then I pick her up and sing to her while Daddy heads downstairs. We sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, then I lay her in her crib. She gets comfortable and I cover her with a blanket and give her either her Bunny or her Whale Shark to snuggle with, then I sing "Hush A Bye." She gets a kiss on the head, I tell her that Mommy and Daddy love her very much and I assure her that if she needs us, she can call for us. Then I head down stairs. About once or twice a week, she calls for us once, but most nights she goes right to sleep.

Let's Play

What an imagination she has! So far this week she's been a princess, an astronaut, a pirate and a chicken. When we play princess, I have to dress in a "princess dress" which is actually my pink houserobe, and she needs "shiny armor." This ranges from my chain mail shirt to the remote to her Moon light (which apparently runs on gas, as she frequently tells me that it's out of gas).

Yesterday she told me that she wanted to dress up like a doctor. So I grabbed her lab coat and her stethoscope and she had a doctor costume. I'm pretty happy that so far we've been able to help her with all of her costume requests. We had to improvise a bit more with her pirate costume, since she's outgrown everything that we had already. I used a bandana as her pirate hat and her Daddy made her a pirate sword out of cardboard. She runs around the house waving the sword, looking for treasure and yelling "Ho ho ho!". It's supposed to be Yo ho ho, but she's getting it a bit mixed up with Santa Claus.

Oh, and she's got a big cardboard box that she uses as her sailboat.

Toddler Logic 2

Little one said her doll needed a bandage. I gave her some tape. She looked at it, looked at me and said "That not bandage, mommy. That tape."

Pixie Dust

Little one told me that I needed pixie dust, so she sprinkled some on me and said "Here you go, Mommy." I'm informed I can now fly.

Fun Day

We had such a fun day with the little one today! This morning, the Overlord and I played hide and seek. Then she told me "Dress like princess, mommy!" So I grabbed my pink robe and declared it to be a princess dress. I got one of my summer dresses and tied up the spaghetti straps so that it fit on her, just barely. It was ankle length on her. She was quite happy. When her daddy woke up, he looked at me with puzzled look, so I explained that we were dressed like princesses. He said "oh, that makes perfect sense."

Next she declared that she needed water for garden in the kitchen. Apparently the cat furniture is actually her plants. In the afternoon, we went to a jump house. So tired now!

Funny Colors

Summerism of the day: I asked her if she liked different colors - red, yellow, blue, etc. She said Yes to each of them. So I asked her if there was a color she didn't like. She was silent for a moment, then said "Gray. Gray not funny."

New Summerisms

"I a cutie pie."

"Where are you, cats? Where ARE you?"

"Can't find my letters anywhere!"

One morning, I asked her if she had good dreams. She replied "Play bouncy ball on Moon. On Moon, have big hats! Go there with rocket ship!"

This morning, she wanted to touch the Moon. Daddy told her that it was too far away, then asked "How can you touch it, if it's too far away?" She replied "Hmm, don't know. Maybe use rocket ship!"

Owl

Tonight Summer was an owl; instead of "flying" around the house saying "tweet tweet" she flew around saying "whoooo whoooo".

Croup

Little one had a slight fever a few days ago. Yesterday she was fine in the morning but SO grumpy and cranky in the afternoon!

Her daddy took her to the doctor and turns out she has croup. We have two medications for her, we're running her humidifier. Croup is usually not serious, but when it turns bad, it does so quickly, so just to be safe we're taking turns sleeping with her, on the advice of the doctor.

Update: after three days she's much better.

Little one wants to wear her Tinkerbell dress this morning. I offered the suggestion that she wear her pajamas to Ms. Sharon's house and change into the dress there. She told me "Good idea Mommy."

Ah Ha!

Yesterday, as Steve and Summer were driving home, she said "Summer have idea! Look at Moon through goggles!" So when they got home, Steve gave her a pair of binoculars and we all looked at the Moon together. Her response? "Wow!"



She then walked around the house, looking at things through the binoculars. "Ah ha!" she would exclaim. "What did you find?" we would ask. "Kitchen!" she replied proudly, or "Couch" or "Mommy!"

Toddler Logic

Steve pulled a blanket over his head and tried to sneak up on Summer. She said "Clearly Daddy."

Trick or Treating

The Overlord has had a Tinkerbell costume for some time now. She wore it at Dragon*Con and we're planning to have her wear it for Halloween. The weather has turned cold, so we bought a white long sleeved shirt and white pants. We were more excited than she was, at least at first. The first house we went to was a bust; the person walked away when we rang the door bell. It turns out that having your porch light on is a code 'round here that you participate. No porch light, no candy. Most of the people on our street are Halloween Scrooges and had their lights off. But between walking the whole street and a few houses on the main street in our neighborhood, she had fun and figured out this whole trick or treating thing.

We came in when we realized how cold she was getting. She was having too much fun to tell us that she was cold. She got to eat one piece of candy and then to bed, although she had a bit of a meltdown when she couldn't take the light sticks and a pumpkin into bed with her. Hopefully she has fun trick or treating dreams.

Simple Joys

We gave the little one a pack of magnetic letters - you know, the ones that you put on your refrigerator. She's exclaiming "Those Summer's letters! That a B! That a O!" with her Daddy. She is so happy and excited!

Little one can finally really jump - both feet off the floor. She can't stick the landing yet, but she's working on it.

Crunching Leaves

We were outside on a lovely autumn day today. We told the little one to go crunch some leaves that we had raked up into a pile. She obediently took a bite of one - after all, isn't that how you crunch apples and crackers and snacks? She didn't think it was as much fun as we had made it seem. I felt so bad!

We demonstrated how to make them crunch and rustle by stepping on them, and she did think that was fun.

Not Yet

Had to convince the little one that her Tinkerbell costume might not be the most comfortable for her car ride. She agreed to wait until Saturday to wear it. Can't wait for Halloween!

Summer Dragon

Summer has recently decided that she is a dragon. The Paper Bag Princess is one of her favorite stories. Like her father, she tends to be sympathetic to the to dragon in the story. She calls it the Dragon Book and often requests it by that name.

A few days ago she decided that she was a dragon. She refers herself as Summer Dragon and walks around saying "rawr". She has also started picking up small items around the house and referring to them as "treasure." Apparently Summer Dragon needs to increase the size of her hoard. Luckily for us, dragons seem to take lots of naps and eat snacks.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Today was one of those great days! Yesterday the wind really kicked up and Summer declared that she wanted to fly a kite. We didn't get a chance, so when today was still windy, we decided to take advantage of it.

We headed out to a local park, White Oak Park, which as it turns out is MUCH larger than we ever knew. We joined several other families out in a large field, all flying kites with young children. The field consisted of gently rolling hills, overlooking a creek and copses of woods. There was a birthday party in a pavilion close to us and down the hill a playground full of children. It was like an idyllic scene from some movie.

We flew a kite with long red tails. Summer didn't like the kite being up too high in the sky, so I pulled it down low. She had a great time chasing the tails and grabbing them when the wind make the kite dip down.

After a while, she wanted to go to the playground so we headed down hill. The playground was full of kids from another birthday party so we had to be careful around the larger kids. We found a slide that was designed for the younger set and she had a great time. It was at least twice as long as her slide at home, so she felt quite brave. We eventually moved on to a plastic pipe that she could climb through and then a large multi-level "barn" that had stairs and platforms and bridges, with another slide that she loved. She had to share this one with two other little ones, which was good for her. She had to wait her turn and practice being patient. For the most part she did a really good job.

We went down to the little creek and she splashed her hands in it, and threw a few pebbles into the water. Then we went back up the hill and flew the kite a little more. When we all got hungry, we packed up and headed to a restaurant. By the time we came home, Summer was tired and headed off to bed, an hour early. She was tired enough to be cranky, but all we had to do was to ask her "What was your favorite thing at the park?" and she was all smiles. We'll definitely be heading back to the park, maybe even every weekend while we're having the nice fall weather.

Tinkerbell

The Overlord LOVES Tinkerbell. We watch Tinkerbell movies, she has a Tinkerbell costume and a magic wand. She likes to go around the house and zap things. She also sprinkles us with pixie dust from time to time.

She's running around the house right now with her arms behind her. She says that she's flying. Can't wait for Halloween when she gets to wear her Tinkerbell costume again!

Note on New Words Posts

Sorry I haven't done one since June. The reason is simple; her vocabulary is so big I can't keep up with it anymore. Instead of individual words, what stands out now are certain phrases, or leaps in language.

She uses "too" now, as in "Summer wants that, too." And yes, that's a four word sentence. She uses them fairly regularly now.

She's starting to use verb tenses, which is the part that just floors me. "Summer pooped" is one of my favorites. It's pronounced "poop-ped" which just cracks me up. She'll also say things like "going" or "eating."

Fall Break

I had this week off of school, so we headed down south to visit family. We stopped halfway through the trip and got a hotel room, because the Overlord let us know that she was quite tired of being in the car. We had some play time in the hotel room, then it was lights out for us all.



The next day we finished our drive. All of the grandminions gave the Overlord her due praise, which she acknowledged graciously. Pimi gave her some blocks.



Papa Bob's trains were the star of the entire visit and she watched them over and over.



The next day we took her to the beach. She wasn't certain what the beach was, but she was getting excited from us talking about it. First we took her to the beach next to the inlet.



She walked out to the water, and after a bit of coaxing, she got close enough that a wave got her toes wet.



One was okay, but when the next wave came in, she yelled "Ocean coming back! Ocean coming back!" and ran off.



Since the entire ocean was a bit much, we took her to a little spot next to the rock walls of the inlet where there was a quite little pool of salt water. She was cautious at first but with some encouragement she eventually came into the water.



She quickly gained her confidence back and started to walk around, splash and play.



Throwing rocks was fun.



She even maintained a smile through a few tumbles.


What a character!



She played for quite some time before she got tired and it was time to head out. Quite an exciting day!

Ick

Recipe for stinky garbage: one poopy diaper and red cabbage that's been boiled to make pH indicator. At least I didn't feed the red cabbage to the little one...

Splotches

Beginning to think little one is allergic to something in bread; she gets red splotches on her face every time. So I'm going to try to go gluten free with her for a week or two and see what happens. If we get no red splotches, I'll gradually add foods back in, starting with organics. Not sure if it's the gluten or preservatives.

Home, and Tornadoes

Came home from D*Con to a tropical storm - watching tv and the internet for the tornadoes all around us. Little one napping downstairs so I can grab her & go if the need arises.

Update: More sirens here, and a phone call from the Code Red service. Have moved family into basement. Little one set up in her play pen and I'm on some blankets on the floor next to her. Looks like we'll be sleeping down here tonight!

Dragon*Con 2011 Sunday

Another D*Con morning. The Overlord and I dressed as fairies for the day and her Daddy dressed in his kilt.



After breakfast we went to a panel on "How to Raise a Mad Scientist". A nap occurred afterwards.Then we explored the dealer's hall at the Con.



After some wandering around, the Overlord insisted we return back to the hotel room. After dinner, we went with some friends to their hotel room and we all watched the costume contest which was broadcast over the tv in the con host hotels. The Overlord got tired so I brought her back to the room, while Daddy went out dancing with friends. Monday morning will be time to pack up and head home.

Dragon*Con 2011 Saturday

We woke up this morning, had an excellent breakfast at the hotel buffet, and changed into our costumes. Today we were all mad scientists. The Tiny Overlord had her own lab coat and goggles.



Afterward we headed out to the parade. Unfortunately, we got there a bit late and couldn't get close enough to see anything, and after a short time, the Overlord got tired and cranky. So we headed back to the hotel room for a nap.



After the nap, we met some friends at Max Lager's. This was the only time during the weekend when all of our friends were able to get together. While we were there, our friend Tom proposed to his girlfriend Kim. Everyone joined in the applause, even the people at other tables who didn't know us and the wait staff.



Between the excitement and the long wait for our food, the little one was tired after lunch and we headed back to the hotel room for a nap. In the evening we met our friends for dinner, then it was back to the hotel room.

Dragon*Con 2011 Friday

On Friday we headed off to Dragon*Con. We got into our hotel room, got changed and headed out to the Georgia Aquarium to meet our friends. The Overlord loves her fish and her favorite movie is Finding Nemo, so we were excited to show her the Aquarium.



This was her first glimpse of whale sharks. They have since become one of her favorite animals. She has a stuffed whale shark toy that she now sleeps with.



One of the best parts of the Aquarium is a single, huge window looking out on the Open Ocean tank.



And by huge, I mean really, really huge.



We watched fish, an octopus, and jellyfish, ate dinner, and petted sharks and rays.



There was a tide pool where she got to touch a sea urchin, a star fish and a sea anemone.



Finally even the excitement of the Aquarium wasn't enough to keep the Overlord awake and we headed back to our hotel.

Darn Cold

Little one still has a cold; nothing seems to be helping. She did have a low grade fever earlier and some acetominophen brought it down, but nothing is helping her stuffy nose and coughing. I've raised one end of her mattress, hoping that helps. She flops around a lot, though, so I'm not certain it's a good solution. I hope she gets rest tonight.

Little one has a cold of some sort. Took her to dr this morning for little red bumps. They're hives and nothing to worry about. Got some meds for her and a recommendation of a GOOD pediatric dermatologist instead of the crackpot we went to last time.

All Stuffed Up

Little one's allergies are really bothering her; she's sleeping but very fitfully. I suspect I'll end up on the floor in her room again tonight. Last night, when she woke up I was able to soothe her and get her back to sleep in minutes. Her allergy medication doesn't seem to be helping.

Deer

We had some deer visit our back yard this morning. The Overlord loved them and watched the entire time. Now she's telling me to bring them back and I'm having a hard time convincing her that I can't make the deer come any time that she wants to see them.

I Can Put My Diaper On Myself

Presented without comment, but with a lot of giggles.

Some days....

Just had the most worthless doctor's visit I've ever been too. The Overlord has some blotchy colored skin on her left leg. We went to the dermatologist and this person spent 10 seconds looking at her before declaring "It's eczema." I asked why it didn't look like her other eczema and she replied "Eczema looks like that when it's healing from the rash." I explained that this had never been a rash and it had looked like this for two months. She repeated that it was eczema. She handed me a prescription, two samples and a coupon for a discount on the prescription and walked out. She was in the room for less than two minutes.

More interestingly, I also just had to get a piece of cheese out of the Overlord's nose. Someone explain to me why she thought it was a good idea to put cheese up her nose? She showed it to me, quite proudly, as I stood there, dumbfounded at her actions.

Summer Walks

In the summertime, I like to take walks around our neighborhood. The Overlord rides serenely in her stroller and likes to get out and look at all of the flowers.

Since the tradition here is for people to plant flowers around their mailboxes, she does more looking than we do walking on some days. And that's okay.