The Trauma of Santa

Not once...but twice!



We took Addison to see Santa twice. And neither time did she enjoy it in the slightest. I can only imagine what it's like for a child to be thrusted onto the lap of a portly white-haired stranger with a deep voice and white gloves while your trusted parent backs away leaving you all alone. At 2, she doesn't understand this at all, but we had fun. :) The first time we went it was in a small, we'll call it a cottage. Of course, as soon as we get ready to do pictures, the camera has some kind of malfunction. I'm pretty sure this happened last year too. Anyway, we had to hang out with Mrs. Claus, who luckily had an Elmo Christmas book, so Addison calmed down slightly before the trauma of Santa. Finally, they get the camera situated and we rush to put her in his lap so we might capture a tear-free moment. Ah, no such luck. I barely let go of her before she started crying. We fussed over her to try to calm her down. Santa gave her presents, we even tried candy, but she was having none of it. She even pushed Santa's hand away when he offered the candy. Finally she calmed down enough that we could get a couple pictures without active crying. I still like the crying pictures best.

The second time was at a party. He entered the room from behind her and immediately she sensed what was going on. We were coloring and I saw her glance at him out of the corner of her eye. You could feel the tension in the air. We remained coloring for a bit while the mass of children thinned out a little. Grandma and Grandpa stood in line with her. Then the time came. As you see in the second picture, it didn't go any better than the first time. She was clinging to me for dear life...but again, it makes a cute pouty picture.

Santa is everywhere. He was at Sam's last week by the checkout. She stares for a little while, then gets up enough nerve to wave at him...but she's not going close and we're not going to push it. 2 bad Santa experiences in one season is probably enough. Maybe next year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

The Art of Sharing

I took Addison to open gym last week and was very pleased with the way she plays. I think at (almost) 2, kids don't understand the concept of playing together. It seems like they will play near each other, but not with each other. The whole goal at the gym is to "get the toy". They follow each other like busy little bees waiting for the coveted toy to be left behind. Discarded. Tossed aside. It doesn't take long. At the gym Addison goes to it seems that baby dolls, baby buggies, and balls are the hot commodities. Oh, and the kitchen. I watched her get muscled out of playing with the kitchen when a couple of bigger kids took it over. Bullies in the making, I'd say. She didn't seem to be too upset about it. She just moved on to something else. She didn't seem to be too upset about much, but when she was, you definitely knew. Her displeasure is exhibited by jazz hands. Well, not really jazz hands, but she does put her hands up and move them back and forth, similar to jazz hands. You know trouble is brewing when this happens.

My philosophy at the gym is not to intervene unless blood is about to be shed. 2 year olds aren't generally vindictive. They are curious and full of want. The want only lasts until it's in hand, then the goal was acheived and it's no longer interesting. Here's a scenario that unfolded: I watched an older woman approach a little kid who wasn't much older than my own daughter. The woman says to her "you took the dollbaby away from my granddaughter and she was playing with it. Could you please give it back?" Okay, so she said please...but WHAT?! Seriously, you (a very, very big kid) are going to take a doll away from a child because your granddaughter didn't have the cahoonies to hold on to the doll that wasn't ever hers in the first place? Wow. That's gutsy. What kind of a message are you sending to this child? First of all, it seems to me that your granddaughter should be fighting her own battles. Secondly, this little kid that you took the doll back from only remembers that a big old stranger took a doll away from her. She forgot (or didn't care) that she obtained it earlier from an unattended doll stroller. Thirdly, oh yeah...I just saw your granddaughter yank a toy from under the nose of another kid when you weren't watching. Good job grandma. You're giving some valuable lessons there to your indulged little princess. Geez.

An amazing sight was watching my daughter approach a child on a see saw. I moved to the edge of my seat getting ready to back my child off of a kid she knocks off of a toy that she wants to play with...but that didn't happen. She approached the see saw with the boy hanging off one end. She thoughtfully considered the situation for a moment then decided she could sit on the other end. Did I just see that? For a moment I was a bit confused. This was the first show of cooperation to acheive a goal. I was amazed and proud! Is it embarrasing for a child if their parent cries at the gym? Probably. I held it back, but it was a proud moment. Of course then I waited to see if she'd climb off only to cause the poor kid to go slamming to the ground off the back of the see saw, but that didn't happen either. They teetered and tottered for nearly a minute straight. As soon as she made a move to get off another mom helped her down and neither child was worse for wear. Aw! Addison's first cooperative experience. Is there a line for that in the baby book? I think I should write one in.

Tinkle tinkle

Here's an ACTUAL video of Addison. Singing. The sweetest version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I have to admit, we use a version of this song I call "Tinkle Tinkle" for potty training purposes. It's pretty much the same tune, with the exception of the lyrics: Tinkle. You just sing "tinkle" over and over again. Hey, it works! Sometimes we switch it up and sing the ABC song, but I'm a little concerned that when kindergarten comes around, she'll have an urgent need to go to the bathroom every time the alphabet is sung. I said it works now, I have no idea what the long term effects will be.



Anyway, I think you can hear her singing "Tinkle...Tinkle...STAR!" in the video. It comes across a little more grainy with YouTube.

It's pretty amazing all the new words she's learning. She knows how to count to 2. She knows what 2 is. She knows pink and blue. She knows sockie. We had a discussion about which colored socks she wanted to wear this morning. Since her Elmo socks were dirty, much to her dismay, she had to pick a pair of colored socks. She wanted blue, but they didn't go with her outfit, so we settled on pink. She can also sort of tell you what she wants. Sometimes it's like a cryptic puzzle to figure out. In the car today, for example, she was singing again and we were mimicking her. Next thing, she says "momma" "dadda" "2". I think she wanted us to sing together. Did you get that? Well, when we sing together she thinks it's quite amusing. So we do. It's fun to hear her talking and figuring things out. Most times though, we're still shrugging and looking at each other while she cries because we can't understand what she wants. It will come. For now, she'll just have to settle on chips, hot dogs, and cookies until she can learn more words.

My Future!

I had to include this video as a reference because if you know my daughter, you know that this is a distinct possibility and I will need to look back so I know what to do. Enjoy. (and pray for me)

Halloween

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

The miserable baby and the happy toddler

A child holds all the cards. Pulls all the strings. Pushes all the buttons. It's amazing the power they have.

Addison just turned 21 months old a few days ago. Only 3 more months until she's 2. I can't believe I have a (nearly) two year old running my life. She's just starting to come in to herself too. What I mean by this is I really believe she did not like being an infant. She was born a do-er, not a be done to. She was mostly miserable from birth to, oh, I'd say about 9 or 10 months old. But now! Now is when she's really blossoming into her little body. She embraces toddlerhood. She can do things now, and boy does she ever!

Climbing is her new facination. The higher the better. She does her little Flying Wallendas acts by balancing on the middle bar of her bike...usually while wearing slippery socks and for good measure she will extend one leg out, so she's just balancing on one leg while holding onto the handlebars. My child of few words will say "fall" while looking at me with her huge blue eyes and grinning ear to ear. All the while I'm trying to ignore her. I used to say "no, you'll fall" and she just giggle and seem to stretch higher on her tippy toes just to show me that yes, she could do it and would.

Another trick of hers is to stand on the arm of the couch and slowly rise. She of course is looking at us to see our reaction and as soon as we get up she'll fall in a fit of laughter to the cushions. *sigh* A few times she has wiped out, cried, we kiss her boo-boos and off she goes again. "No" is definitely not a word that works with her unless she's the one saying it.

Anyway, that was a bit off my topic for today. What I wanted to write about is my miserable infant and the happy toddler. As a baby, Addison did not like to be held or cuddled. She wanted her space. Her personal boundary stretched very far away from her. She'd push you away. I could never hold her before I put her down to bed because she'd squirm until I'd practically drop her. She didn't want to be sung to either. I got the message that I was bothering her. You could never get a hug or a kiss. She was a tense mass whenever she was being held.

What a difference a year makes. My child has been known to kiss people she barely knows. In the mornings, Greg usually gets her morning routine going while I'm finishing up getting ready for work. I find myself waiting behind the bedroom door so when she's done, she'll bust into the room. I have my arms stretched out and she runs to me to give me a hug. She runs to me! The last few weeks she's even put her head on my shoulder and completely relaxes. I don't even want to put her down. At bedtime (as long as blankie is there) she will relax as well. She rests on me while I hold her and sing to her, sucking her thumb and holding on to blankie. She's learning how to give a proper hug and I cherish those few extra seconds she'll give me when I'm holding her. A precious moment when she'll stop from playing to come over and rest her head on my lap...and even more precious when you get the random kiss. It's the most amazing experience...the love of a child.

For the Love of Elmo

So, I find ourselves immersed in images of Elmo. We have Elmo on probably at least a dozen of Addison's clothes. We have numerous Elmo dolls, plush, plastic and even one she can take a bath with. The wallpaper on her computer (yes, I said her computer) has the huge fuzzy red guy. We endlessly play videos of Elmo for her on our iPhones.

Why?

The videos keep her occupied and happy. When we took her to Urgent Care a few months ago, she took a 5 minute breathing treatment like a pro...because she could watch Elmo. My child barely says any words, but I think one of her first was "Elmo"...though it sounded more like elbow. Everytime we see him in a store we have to head the other way just so she won't see him and cry for him. She sees him on the big tv and she stops what she's doing so she can watch. She'll point at him and say his name. Does she do this with anything else? Hardly.

Most of all, we bought the clothes because she was kissing him everytime we'd pass an outfit with his bright red image blazing. How can I not buy clothes that she kisses? She won't willingly kiss me...but she will kiss Elmo, no questions asked.

That is why Elmo lines my living room walls and Addison's closet. She loves him. Truly loves him. How could I not indulge her? She kisses him, for crying out loud. He has her wrapped around his fuzzy finger. Elmo is her God. Who am I to deny that? For now, Elmo will be everywhere as long as she breaks out in grins and giggles whenever she sees him. It's the most delightful thing.

Dilbert

The Absence of Time

I've been functioning without a watch or clock in my car for months now. It's a strange experience not having the time immediately within sight for me. I've always been very vigilant about keeping time. I hate being late for appointments and some part of me always had the need to have the time under control as much as possible.

Since not having it, I've had to adapt. Mostly, I've had to give up that control. I haven't felt as anxious going somewhere and making sure that I make it "on the dot" since I can't see the dot. Don't get me wrong, I still try to be on time, but I've had to rely on my inner clock. That absurd inner clock that allows me to know what time it is just by looking at the position of the sun and the haze in the sky. I don't know why. It's a weird quirk I possess. I get it wrong occasionally, but I don't think I've ever been off more than a half an hour.

Anyway, the clock is gone and I feel fine. I still make my appointments...it's okay if I'm a minute late and I actually can pat myself on the back for being close. It's a strange phenomenon. I miss my time sometimes, but for the most part, I'm okay with it. I know my child will make me late nearly everywhere I go, so I guess this is training for that so I don't completely fall apart later.

So, try it. Go without your watch for a week. Cover your car clock. (I don't recommend you turn your alarm off though - bosses aren't on board with this just yet). Just drive around for a day not knowing what time it is ever. It's a freeing experience, I'll tell ya.

Happy travels!

The Profoundness of Changes

It's always funny how everything has such profound meaning when you're making a big change. Friday was my last day at my current job. I've been there 13 1/2 years. That's a long time. It was rough and a little strange. I could feel my sadness coming on in my gut and it would only take someone simply asking how the day was going for me to completely fall apart. It was pretty ridiculous. I mean, how many people get emotional over the last time they may ever see that vending machine. Remember how it was before they switched to this one? And the water dispenser. I remember the days before we had the water dispenser. It was my friend while I was pregnant since I had to drink so much water. Ah, good old water dispenser machine. They probably won't have one like it where I'm going.

On my way to the going-away party my friends were having for me, I listened to my iPod to try to get my mind off things. All of a sudden, the words which I don't usually pay much attention to (I'm a melody kind of girl) start filling my ears. Uh oh. Here come the waterworks again. Natasha Bedingfield, who does not normally invoke much emotion in me other than the slight bopping she creates with her boppy sound, has made me cry. Here are the lyrics:

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

I guess when you're paying attention, it starts to make more sense. Now is where my book begins. I've closed one book which was my entire beginning adult life. I made all my major life changes at my (now) previous job. Made all my friends. It was all neatly compacted under one large roof. I lived there...except weekends and evenings, of course, when I had visitations with my own home...but my life was there. My memories were there. Now I'm writing a whole new book. All those beginning things are over. What's in store now? Just living my life? How odd. I guess I'm really an adult now. Isn't that a wake up call. Whew.

Well, I will miss the familiarity. I will miss all my friends. I will miss what my job used to be. I grieved what it was a long time ago. Had moved on emotionally, but was just stuck physically. Now, that physical barrier is gone and I've got a whole new life ahead of me. A frightening prospect, but I guess it's time.

Now my daughter wants me to read "Baby and Friends", so off I go.

"Three little ducklings say quack, quack, quack"...

Where to find my pictures

Where can you find current pics like this of Addison?
Why, it's as simple as clicking on this link: http://photobucket.com/xiemoon
I upload all my current pictures here so I can play with them. I like to edit photos and can do so easily with Photobucket and also Picnik.com. I edit them occasionally, so you may see new ones in a particular folder from time to time.

So, if you're looking for some good FREE ways to edit your digital photos, I'd recommend both of them. You can also upload your pictures from Photobucket.com to Picnik.com and I think you can do more at Picnik. Those are just my recommendations.

A Day with Chocolate

Today we went to the Chocolate Festival at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. It sounds much more delightful than it actually is, but it was Addison's first "festival" and how bad can chocolate really be, so we continue to go and probably will go again next year.
What makes it great, is obviously the endless supply of chocolate creations. We left with buckeyes, chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate covered banana, some peanut blossoms, and a chocolate covered rice krispie treat. Don't let me forget the chocolate malt ice cream and chocolate covered banana ice cream from Ritters. Deeelish!

What makes it bad is that it's at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds which is in serious need of a complete makeover. This is one of the dirtiest fairgrounds I've been to. It seems to be mostly local churches supplying the chocolates, which somehow yields a certain untrustworthy factor for me. Not so much that I don't trust the churches, but I don't know these people and I'm buying culinary delights from people who cooked them in their kitchens. Maybe not. I don't know. The point is, I feel a little weird buying food that I can't trust the source of. Put that in the ick-factor of the nearly decrepid fairground building, I just get a little uneasy. That does not stop my chocolate buying though.

The other bad thing about it is that it's so friggin crowded! This building reminds me of an old high school gym. There are 3 "aisles", we'll call them. There is no semblance of any order and it's kind of like being on Wall Street trading stocks. People reaching over people, calling out orders, tossing money (though I don't imagine they do much tossing of money on Wall Street). Forget if you have a stroller. Which reminds me that the Chocolate Festival also seems to bring the most old and decrepid people. People walking slower than a snail with their fun little walkers with wheels - complimented with yellow tennis balls to prevent scruffing. We danced around a man pushing a woman in a wheelchair while also pulling her oxygen tank which was also on wheels behind him. I think she might have even had some sort of something or other hanging from a bag. He was nearly touching the floor with his nose because he was so hunched over. *sigh* This Chocolate Fest must have been their yearly outing.

Anyway, we now have a few chocolate treats in the fridge awaiting our consumption later. And a stuffed chocolate moose for the child. Can't forget the toys, now can we?

FINALLY, I'm posting the latest and greatest video of Addison being crazy. She has bursts of energy where we just pin ourselves up against the wall just to stay out of her way. It's fun.

Beginnings

So, what better time to start blogging than right in the midst of changing jobs and dealing with a very strong minded, nearly 2-year old. Now! Of course! Actually, I'm hoping to be able to put all my updates and cutie patootie pics of my darling daughter in one place for everyone who asks about her to see.

Some may think this is a little impersonal. Perhaps it is, but anyone who knows me, knows I'm not good with details that I have to remember and I feel like I miss saying things that I should have said. I'm a much better writer than a speaker, so this way I can think about things. Get all the details right. Post at my leisure (which I'm finding I have less and less of).

Perhaps you can even share your thoughts as well. An indirect way to keep in touch, but not lose touch. You can keep in touch at your leisure too.

Anyway, I'll give it a shot. See how it goes.

Of course, the first plan of action is to include that cutie patootie picture of my darling daughter.