Bigfoot Sighting

This morning I took Sophia out shoe shopping. We ended up with a cute little pink pair of Pedipeds, size 7.5-8! When I measured her left foot it was clearly size 7 (23) but when I measured her right it was nearly a half size bigger (24!). The shop owner assured me that most two-year-olds are in a seven. That's reassuring, I guess. Since we already have 3 pairs of size seven shoes we are really going to have to keep an eye on that right foot to make sure the toes aren't getting scrunched.

In other news, I randomly found pee in Sophia's potty chair this evening when she went to sit down. She sits on it several times a day with her diaper, but without her diaper only at bath time. She must have gone last night and I didn't see it! Then, after I cleaned it out tonight, she went pee again before getting into the bath. That's two nights in a row!! If this keeps up, I'll be forced to actually potty train her.

Crafty Mama

I wanted to purchase Sophia a special "2" shirt for her birthday. Today I saw one in a little children's specialty shop for about $30. Ridiculous! I can make one of those with craft supplies. So, I bought a red shirt for $3.50 and some iron-on rhinestones for $3. Then I printed a big #2 on some card stock and cut out a stencil.



Here is my #2 where I plan to put it:



It took a little figuring, but (since they aren't "stick-on") I put the sticky paper on the #2 and started sticking rhinestones:





I was going to fill it, but I ran out (198 rhinestones!):



Reconfigure:



Now I peeled the stencil off and stuck the #2 on:



Iron and there you go:



This took a little longer than I had expected (still less than 2 hours after washing the shirt), but for $6.50 I made Sophia a heck of a cute shirt. Hers is unique, too. All of the ones at the store were pink and short sleeved.

Those little guys are on there pretty good, too. A few hours later I picked at them to make sure they won't pop off too easily. Nope. They're really stuck.

Broken TV and Other Nonsense

During Sophia's nap yesterday I decided to sit down with a snack and watch a few minutes of TV. About five minutes into my mindlessness I heard a loud pop... then the screen went dark... then the sound disappeared... then I could smell burning! I jumped up and switched off the power strip (after pulling the whole stand out).

Franco said the symptoms point to a burned out bulb. He called a couple repair shops and confirmed the suspected diagnosis. Apparently he can fix it with some online directions and a special order bulb. What did we do before the Internet?

Sophia doesn't seem to mind the TVs absence (mostly because she mainly watches cartoons in our room when I'm in the shower). I missed having the news on with breakfast. We still have the TV in our bedroom, but I don't actually want to eat breakfast in bed... too messy.

Favorite Phrases

Sophia used a new phrase tonight that I think I'll be hearing more of: "Mama, What's that?" She said it when I was washing a couple sweet potatoes. I think it was her first direct question.

Other people rarely can decipher what she is saying (sometimes I have trouble, too) but she has started using a lot more phrases. The one everyone understands is "me, too!" She says it constantly throughout the day. It is her way of asking/demanding to have or do whatever she sees (whether we are doing it or not).

She is also parroting things she hears. Two weeks ago she would probably pick out one word of someone's sentence to repeat. This week she seems to pick out about three words and is making a little more sense. We're looking forward to what next week brings.

Only one more month until Sophia's second birthday! :)

(This evening she also started pointing to airplanes flying overhead and saying "ooo, airplane." It's like taking a walk with Franco now.)

I Love Kirby!

Kirby is not my new boyfriend. I've got a new vacuum and I love it. Nope, not exaggerating. Our old vacuum was your run-of-the-mill, fine-for-an-apartment vacuum. It did not have great suction and it was a pain in the rear to push. The work-expended to cleanliness-achieved ratio was so poor that it was hardly worth plugging it in. You can ask Franco, I rarely did. He was the most likely to do the floors and it was a workout for him. This new-to-us Kirby is super sucky (and I mean that in the best way) and is self-propelled. When I cleaned this morning, it was like I traded my push mower (you know, the blades without an engine) for a riding mower.

Best of all, we bought it refurbished so we got it for a steal. :)

This site helped us decide on a Kirby, if you are interested in the specs.

A Trip to Grandma's House

On Sunday, Sophia and I headed up for a four night visit to my mom's house. This is the longest I've ever taken Sophia anywhere by myself... I detest all the packing and planning that any overnight visit requires. However, Sophia is a better sleeper than she used to be and we needed to get away while Franco was (is) gone at training. So I packed up the car, the kiddo, and the cat and drove a couple hours up the hill. Not really a bad drive, except for when Sophia dropped Baa on to the seat and she had to wait (cry/complain) until we got off the freeway for me to pull over and retrieve her.

First thing Monday morning Bella got to take a special trip up to my mom's favorite vet while we were visiting. She got her nails removed. I hated the idea of doing this, but it was that or get rid of her. I've been capping her nails for many moons and, instead of "getting used to them," Bella seemed to be getting more efficient at getting them off. I'm happy to say that she is recovering from the surgery very quickly and is running around the house as fast as she did before we left (not even on pain meds!). She is eating and drinking lots. I also discovered her "pawing" at the wall today -- it was nice to not have to scold her.

Sophia and I hung around with my mom on Monday and most of Tuesday (she took some time off from work). My grandparents came by for dinner Tuesday night, but Sophia wouldn't pose for a picture with anyone. This is as close as I got.



On Wednesday I took Sophia out and about to the park, then the library and then WalMart where we also caught some lunch. Like a rookie, I forgot to charge the camera batteries before the trip and didn't bring the charger. However, I did manage to get quite a few shots before the thing shut down completely.





The rest of the pictures are in this month's gallery. You can click on the slide show at the top of the page to get there, if you haven't already figured that out.

Overall it was a very nice trip. Sophia had fun and slept pretty well, which means I enjoyed myself, too. It was good practice for both of us for Disneyland in November. :)

Missing Bow and Garage Kitty

Two unrelated topics, one title. ;)

First off, we have a missing hair bow. I can pinpoint the hour it went missing yesterday. After nap I found it on the floor and put it back in Sophia's hair. As I put her in the high-chair to color a picture (30 minutes later?), I saw that it was missing. Not a big deal at first because I figured it was somewhere in the Pack n' Play with all of the stuffed toys. However, I checked there, and under the furniture, and in the couch cushions, and on/under/around the changing table... so on and so on. I just kept looking and looking because I know she couldn't have swallowed it. Did she swallow it? Oh my god, she might have swallowed it! When asked, she says "yeah" but I don't know how much I can count on her confirmation. All I know is that I can't find it. Since it is made with a metal clip I called the doctor. The nurse practitioner that finally called me back after I called a second time said to watch and wait since she doesn't seem to be having symptoms and I don't know for sure that she swallowed it. So I guess we wait.

In kitty news, Bella is sleeping outside in the garage tonight. I left her box, some food and water, and her travel crate (open). She has woken me up the past few nights around four in the morning when Sophia makes the slightest peep. The problem is that her nail caps have not been staying on and she is scratching to get my attention. I think the glue is bad. I'm not opening a new tube because that would require that I open a new package. I'm not opening a new package because Bella is getting her claws removed at the vet this next Monday. It's a last resort -- she chews the caps off daily (I change 3-5 every other day) and she is still freaked out when she goes outside. So, for the next few nights she will sleep in the garage (hope she doesn't scratch anything up or she'll sleep in her crate in the garage) and then we will go get this problem solved permanently. Poor kitty. She was much easier to discipline when she was an only child.

100 Posts!

As I got on to write this evening I noticed that this is my 100th post, which is probably more exciting to me than anyone reading this... ;)

Today I managed to pull a quick-one on Sophia. When she got up from nap she found a little block "castle" on the floor of the living room. She was very interested in it and began to pull it apart and move things around. Then she put Baa down... then I snuck Baa under my skirt... then I snuck backwards down the hall... then Baa got a bath in the washing machine! Yippee!! Baa has been filthy for days and she has been taking it everywhere, so I haven't been able to pull my "clean while we are shopping" maneuver. After Sophia played with blocks for about 20 minutes, she was ready for a snack. I pulled the high chair over to the TV and cleaned the kitchen floor while she ate. Baa was done drying and back on the table when she was playing again -- never the wiser.

Birthday Party Fun

Yesterday we took Sophia to a birthday party for our friends' little girl, Cloudia. The day began with Sophia sleeping in until nearly 8 o'clock, which is very unusual (I think she woke up for a bit during the night). Then, when we got to the party, it began to sprinkle. Luckily I was expecting nice weather with excessive sun at the park and put Sophia in a long sleeve shirt and pants. However, Sophia proceeded to get her pants wet and filthy. I think the bounce house was wet and she was sopping up all the water with her pants. She had to change into an alternate outfit (wearing the long sleeved shirt over the top).

Sophia loved the bounce house. She climbed in and out of that thing about 50 times chasing all the big kids. We were amazed at how good she was at bouncing and how long she lasted. The bounce house was what eventually sent us home because big boys started getting too rough and she (and others) got knocked around too much... it was time to go. She melted down before presents were opened. She slept about 40 minutes on the drive but did not manage to continue her nap when we got home (though she did rest). Bedtime came about an hour early last night (8 PM) and she still slept until 7:30 this morning. THAT was a good stretch.

I have absolutely no pictures because we forgot the camera. Ah well, next time.

The Reason We Have a Lock

I'm way late on reporting this one. On Monday Franco was coming home from the airport and we (Sophia and I) were getting ready to hop in the car to go to Modesto. We were doing great on time! I was showered, had Sophia dressed and ready, and was beginning to pack all the essentials for a day trip with a toddler. Sophia was in watching a cartoon when I ran into her bedroom for diapers and a back-up outfit when I heard her get into the pantry. I always groan to myself for not locking the darn thing when I walked out, but figured that there really wasn't anything on her shelf that could do too much damage. Then I heard a loud crack. I still wasn't terribly worried because she often drops things onto the tile without consequence. Then I heard "Mama, Help!" and I walked in to find Sophia standing next to a busted jar of baby pears. She has dropped these things in the past and they just bounced. Not this time... it was a glass and pears mess. Sophia went straight to the Pack N' Play and I proceeded (with caution) to pick up all the little pieces and thoroughly mop the floor. Good thing we were doing so well on time!

First Potty Success!

Let me first say that we are not really potty training Sophia yet. We are just now getting her used to the idea of sitting on the seat. A couple times a day I will use the hall bathroom so that she can sit on her seat (with her diaper on) while I sit on mine. She seems to get a kick out of it. I have offered it to her at bath time a few times and she has agreed to sit on it once before. Tonight, however, she starting whining about "poo!" after I took her diaper off to go to the bath. "Poo" seems to be short for any potty function. I offered her to sit on her potty while I sat on the toilet lid. She actually went pee!! I was shocked. I took a picture (the camera was right there). So here is the picture that I will show her future boyfriends:

"I can't believe you are actually taking a picture of this, Mommy."

It will probably not happen again for a while, but it is still exciting stuff around here.

Nap Interrupted

Sophia has been really good about taking a two hour nap for a while now. Some days it is a little more or less, but most of the time I can count on two solid hours. Today I planned on taking a little nap with her during the second hour (or else I sleep too much and mess up my bedtime). Unfortunately, FedEx rang the doorbell about a half-hour short of our goal. I forgot to put out a sign. Sophia woke up sad. She might have gone back to sleep if it weren't for the missing sheep. I had switched out the beloved Baa to give her a bath after Sophia fell asleep. When Sophia woke up I could hear her saying "No, no, no, no, no..." to the bunny she found cuddling with her. Oh well, I guess we'll sleep better tonight.