Oh geez! Is it really almost October??! Alida hasn't had the busiest summer but her parent's sure have! I think I misunderstood what it meant to be two years old. For some reason I thought I was waiting for this moment so that I could once again resume cleaning the house, cooking meals and running errands. My excuse for the last two years for a dirty house, an empty fridge and the ability to accomplish little or nothing at all is still going strong!!!
Alida is still into everything...no exceptions. She has most recently painted her face with butt paste, painted her toys/stool/play room carpet with purple paint, "washed" out a poopy diaper in the bathroom sink, soaped up her baby dolls because they looked dirty, emptied a brand new bottle of perfume onto her Mom-Mom's bed, etc, etc, etc. You just gotta love her! Oh...and I swear that I never leave this child alone for more than a few seconds. She's like lightning!! If she's quiet you know she's into something she shouldn't be. The only thing that keeps her attention and gets her to remain still for more than a second is "The Fresh Beat Band" (on Nick...The Backyardigans have taken a back seat to this hip hop band!).
She is still making us the proudest parent's that ever existed. Since her stroke diagnosis several months back she has been receiving OT and PT through Early Intervention. She has been improving a great deal!! She's motivated to use that left hand no matter the challenge. She's constantly reminding us to use both hands or to "try the other hand". She has been singing songs all summer long including "God Bless America" (a song I sang at the top of my lungs as a kid!). She enjoys singing "Happy Birthday" to whomever she is able to and if it's not currently someones birthday one of her dolls will be a fill-in. She has named each of her dolls....I constantly ask her their names, it's just so freakin' cute! There's baby Tara, baby Regan, baby Doll, baby Riley, baby Baby, baby Maddox and baby Beth. Of course some of the dolls came with names...but she remembers them without needing reminders.
The little lady is currently passed out in her big girl bed. We had to switch over due to new climbing skills that daddy convinced Alida to start using to her advantage. So far...so good. She has not gotten out of the bed to date and still yells for mommy when she wakes. The only problem is that now mommy has to get up right away for fear the the first solo exit won't be the last! She's still cuddling with George (her favorite stuffed animal courtesy of Fran and Amy that she never lets out of her site) and her favorite blanket (a yellow and white star blanket that's fuzzy on one side and silky on the other). Sometimes we forget George and her blanket when we visit friends or family but she usually agrees that it's important for George to get a night out once in a while. I also figured out how to get the girl to brush her teeth without a fight!!! Did anyone ever hear of the cavity monster?! Works like a charm!
I had plans to do something fun and exciting several times this summer....my plan didn't work out so well. Alida was able to visit the beach once and she got to check out Sesame Place as well. She spent most of the summer swimming in Aunt Joan's pool so she was able to show us her swimming abilities by the end of the summer. I refrained from tossing her into the pool as I am told my mother once did when I was a small child. The excitement of watching her swim around the pool on her own (with the help of the arm floaties) would have been tainted had I forced her to suck water up her nose and fear for her life to get her to do it!! I still love you mom!! HAHA!
Alida has been spending some extra QT with daddy recently. I've been accepted to a weekend nursing program and have been spending Saturdays and Sundays in class so Alida has finally gotten the chance to bond with her pops. I know that she will one day appreciate this chance even though when I call during break time she always says "mommy, come over. I'm crying for you mommy!" She surely knows how to pull on my heartstrings!!!
Enjoying the boardwalk with her beau Noah!
Digging in OC, NJ for the day.
Sharing her lolly with Mason and Livvy at Sesame....she does share it eventually, I promise!
Attempting to get away from Bert and Ernie...she still regrets not giving them a high five and hasn't forgiven herself for causing them to cry.
