Addison & Isla: August 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Drunken Sailor

Yippee! Isla started walking over the last two weeks, at around 14 and 1/2 months. Little Isla began by taking a few lumbering steps, and is now at the point of waddling around like a drunken little sailor. This feels so early to us considering Addison didn't take her first tentative steps until she was almost 18 months old. It's amazing how fast they pick it up once they get going. Isla is also climbing up stairs and learning how to back down as well. Can't believe our baby is no longer a baby! She says "please", "thank you", "mama" "daddy", "Isla", "Nana", "Ba", "ball", "yeah", "no", "night night", "cheers" and tons of other words. She also makes all the basic animal sounds (and names the animals) and can even mumble the alphabet and count to 10 right along with Addison. There's a lot to say about having a 3 year old sister to look up to and mimic. She loves to dance along to music and attempts to sing any song, especially Old MacDonald.

It's been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks with Gramma Pam here to watch the girls while Brenda was on vacation, followed by a visit from Logan for his 16th birthday. Gramma had a great time and so did Addison and Isla. Amidst all the action, Gramma was even able to give a little facelift to a dollhouse for Addison that used to belong to DJ's sister Joel. It's the sweetest little house and just needed some TLC - TLC that I don't have the time or creativity to give it. Addison and Isla absolutely love it, and it's filled with furniture and people that Gramma provided as well. It was like Christmas in August! Thank you Gramma!

Logan's visit was brief, but fun. He's so grown up now, it's hard to believe I met the little guy when he was just 7 years old! He's learning to drive and plans on getting his license in January of next year so we're thinking he might be able to come and visit more often. He tried sushi for the first time and thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He loved it! It may just be the extra incentive he needs to get to the big city more often! Addison and Isla just glomb onto him - another new person to play with.

DJ left for Nicaragua at 3am yesterday, which marked the beginning of my stint as solo-mom for 2 weeks. I'll admit - the day was tiring, between Isla's clinginess (it's like she knows something is a miss and DJ is gone) and Addison's 3-year-old-ness. At one point she hit me, for which I placed her into a time out, wherein she told me to go away. I learned by watching the movie "Tangled" that this is where she got that lovely phrase. Nice. In any case, the weekend is one thing, but it will be interesting to see how the hectic weekday routine plays out, both in the morning and in the evenings. Luckily I have help from Ba and Nana lined us, as well as from some of the neighbor girls here and there. Callie is actually staying with Ba and Nana, so that takes a huge load off - thank you!

I figured I'd better get a posting up for the family to peruse because it might be a while before you hear from me next. Send me positive vibes and a ton of patience! We're looking SO forward to our trip to California just days after DJ returns. Perfect timing for some quality family connect time.

Silly girl

Playing with the dollhouse

Dollhouse details

Enjoying a smoothie after a morning walk around Lake Harriet

The drunken sailor walk

Dollhouse play time

Just when you thought she couldn't find another place to scoot!

Splashing in the rain

They love this thing - Bird is the Word - an Easter gift from Gramma that's still going strong!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

We've had quite an eventful couple of weeks around here, between tornado-like conditions ripping our neighborhood's trees to shreds and causing a more than 24-hour power outage, to a certain 3 year old sticking a peanut up her nose requiring an urgent care visit, to that same 3 year old's very first (of many if she's anything like me!) manicure at the nail salon!

So yes, on Monday of last week there were "straight line winds" ravaging our neighborhood which tore limbs from trees and uprooted large pines from the ground. Trees in both the front and back of hour house were damaged, leaving several large branches on the lawn, and others hanging over the roof of our house. Needless to say we had to have a tree service come out and clean everything up, which was a nice, unexpected drain on the old bank account. Gotta love that! The storm that accompanied said straight line winds left our neighborhood without power for about a day and 1/2, which I don't do well with. I lose all reason and rhyme, causing me to freak out inside my head and not be able to sleep or think straight. I don't know why it happens, but every time we lose power I lose my mind! Luckily we only had to get ourselves and two kids ready in the dark ONE morning. Poor DJ stayed home on Tuesday to deal with securing the tree guys and pick up the yard and I went into work late looking like the cat drug me in. We were so glad to get everything cleaned up and vowed to put the beginning of the week behind us!

The day prior was a lovely Sunday on which DJ played golf with his college buddies while I spent a super fun day with the girls, who were VERY well behaved. We played dress-up, went to Target went out to lunch, then hit the YMCA splash pad for some playtime. All was well and we were in the car on our way home for nap time around 2pm when I heard a little voice say "Mommy, look what I did." I turned around in my seat and saw that Addison had shoved a piece of the chewy peanut granola bar she was eating up her nose. All I could think was "Oh shit, I'm going to have to take her to the emergency room." I pulled over and tried to pull the bar out of her nose, only to cause it to recede further up her nostril. Then the blood started flowing, and I started to panic. Attempting to remain calm, but likely not doing a good job at all, I wiped up the blood and peered up her nose. Yup, a little peanut chunk was way up there, way too far for me to try to dig out. I headed to the urgent care clinic which is in the same building as the girls' pediatrician, and what ensued was a clown show. Both girls had fallen asleep on the ride there, but promptly woke up as I razzed them out of the car. Both were on fire from that moment on. We walked into the clinic and Addison immediately ran up to the first person she saw and started talking to her - everything from "what's your name" to "here, read this book", to "look what's up my nose", to "this is my mommy and this is my baby sister". She was the hit of that damn urgent care, causing every Tom, Dick and Harry in the joint to laugh and coo. She was hopping all around telling people she was a kangaroo and was especially latched on to some guy named John who was attempting to read a book, but to no avail. Wow, talk about exhausting. When we finally got called into the room (and the nurses practically fighting over who would take her vitals, etc. because she had hugged all of them by now and told them she loved them), she was all smiles and dried blood. Isla said hi to everyone and finally the doctor came in. He was an older man with kind of puffy hair in the front. What do you think the first thing Addison said to him was? She patted his head, laughed and said "Doctor, I ike your hair, it's funny." Oh boy. Anyway, by the time he examined her the peanut had dislodged itself, so it was a painless, though time-consuming, adventure.

This weekend was MUCH more pleasant, with time spent at the beach, the park, in the yard and last but not least, at the nail salon! I knew I was only going in for a quick polish change, so I thought I'd take Addison along because at least she'd entertain the nail ladies as well as all the patrons getting their toes polished. And she did just that, prompting the owner to claim that Addison could have a free polish WITH a flower next time she came in. :) It was a riot. Orange was her color of choice, but by the time we got home she was screaming to have it removed. Oh well, baby steps.

Grandma Pam arrives late tomorrow night to spend the week with the girls since Brenda is on vacation. Addison can't wait to see her, and I'm sure everyone will have a blast!

At the dryer