Two

C will be two in less than a month and just today, she has had at least four melt downs, if not more. They have been about important issues, of course.

I would not let her touch duck poop at the park (though it does look very interesting). I would not let her "watch Pooh" on our way home from the park (mostly because Pooh lives on my iPad and my iPad was not in the car). After dinner, I, once again, would not let her "watch Pooh" because it was time to take a bath; and then I made her take said bath without her blanky. As soon as I put her in the water, she refused to sit down and kept saying, "all clean" and waving to the water while she said "bye."

Hello, Two. We have arrived.

Her smile returned immediately upon exit of the tub, we snuggled and read bedtime stories, and she was asleep by 7:15. My sweet girl is still so very sweet; but I have no doubt we are approaching the "two's" head on.

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, our family of three headed to Atlanta for a little R and R. Husband was excited to get to see his Falcons play in the NFC Championship; and C and I were excited to spend the weekend playing at the zoo and aquarium. He booked us at the Ritz Carlton downtown, close to most of our planned activities, and we arrived to find San Francisco fans lining the sidewalk with cameras and memorabilia in hand. We were at the host hotel of the 49ers!

We checked in and then decided to go for a little walk downtown before getting dinner. The weather was perfect and we strolled while C chatted about everything we passed. We looked at sculptures and tossed pennies in a fountain. We approached a beautiful, large church and C exclaimed, "wow, a castle!" We agreed. It was most certainly a princess castle.

We had an amazing (and surprisingly kid friendly) dinner at Alma Cocina, a Mexican restaurant conveniently located next door to our hotel. The food was amazing, but C was distracted by a mounted cow's head directly above our table. She kept saying, "A cow! Oh no! It's stuck!" Husband and I just told her he was okay and that he was resting, but every now and then she would catch a glimpse of him and worry all over again. It was adorable.

We thought she was getting tired, so we decided to head back to our room and order dessert by room service. As soon as she was back in the room, she was jumping on the bed, playing with the phone, and "reading" every magazine in the room. We enjoyed coffee and dessert with our little night owl before I gave her a bath and wrapped her in the complimentary robe. I just couldn't resist.

C and I settled into the fluffy bed to watch Winnie the Pooh, and Husband kissed us goodnight and headed downstairs to hang out for a little while - a football fan's dream (even if it was with the wrong team). The funny thing about Husband is, he's never met a stranger, and ended up chatting with another Falcons fan all night and walking to the game with him the next day! One of the many reasons I love him.

We woke up early the next morning and headed to the zoo! It was a beautiful day and most of the animals were out. 

We saw so many animals, but her favorite (no surprise here) was the petting zoo. She could not get enough of all the goats and sheep. She petted and brushed them and tried to snuggle them.

Her favorite was a white goat that was sleeping sitting up. 

She looked at him thoughtfully...

and decided to hop on!

It was such a fun morning!

We headed back downtown to drop off Husband for the game and then C and I were headed to the Georgia Aquarium. The traffic was terrible, so he decided to just get out while we were stopped in traffic and walk the rest of the way. There was no time for a long goodbye, so he just made it quick and got out of the car.

C lost it.

She could not figure out where he went. She started to cry scream for Daddy over and over again. It was honestly the hardest I have heard her cry...ever. I could not console her. I stroked her leg while I drove through traffic. We called Daddy so she could hear his voice, but that only made it worse when he hung up. We parked at the aquarium, got out, and still, she screamed for Daddy. It was heartbreaking. Finally, after at least twenty minutes of milk and snacks and rocking in the parking lot, she calmed down enough to go inside.

Luckily, once she saw where we were, she was excited. We were able to meet my friend, Betsi, there and spent the afternoon with some of our favorites - whales, penguins, dolphins, and "fishies." 

The aquarium closed at 5:00, so we killed time in the parking lot with a snack and an Elmo dvd until Husband was ready to meet us. As soon as he got in the car, C was thrilled! We were on our way home, but stopped at Cracker Barrel for a quick dinner. She clung to Daddy like a koala bear and was not letting go. We have quite the daddy's girl on our hands.

We packed a lot of fun into our weekend getaway and enjoyed some time with just the three of us. I'm so grateful for a husband who plans fun trips for us and for a little girl who is becoming quite the traveler (as long as she has Daddy within reach)!

Snow Day

I am definitely a southern girl. I like it hot. Give me 102 degrees over snow any day. But, even I have to admit that the kind of snow we get it is a nice compromise. We get all of the fun and beauty with none of the hassle. It's pretty, enough sticks to play in it, and it's usually gone by the next day.

It snowed a little over a week ago. This was the first snow that C was old enough to enjoy. We got a little on Christmas day last year, but missed it because we were travelling. It was worth the wait because she loved it! We talked and talked and talked about it while we watched it fall. I opened the door to let her see it and touch the pile that had formed on our doorstep. Then, I tried to close the door. She was not having it. She pushed it back open and tried to go outside. So, I dressed her in layers while she cried (because we weren't already out there) and then we went outside, camera in hand, to make some memories!

She loved the snow so much. She touched it with her hands, she opened her mouth to catch it, and she ate TONS of it.

Of course, we built a snowman.

But she really wanted to eat his nose.

Twelve hours and a hint of sun later, and a puddle dressed in a crumpled pile of hat, scarf, and sunglasses stood where our snowman once was. It was the perfect snow day!

Freezer Fail

I make the majority of our food, the reasoning being twofold: I like knowing what's in our food and it's infinitely cheaper. That being said, sometimes Mommy needs a cooking break. So, today, I served C a frozen kids meal for lunch.

This was not your run of the mill crap. It was organic spaghetti and turkey meatballs (made from humanely raised turkey) that cost $5 at Earth Fare for a toddler sized portion.

She excitedly said, "pasta!" and climbed into her seat. She took one bite and said, "eeeww, yucky." So, I took one bite. Agreed.

Then, I made another lunch for her, which I apparently should have just done in the first place.

No more short cuts for Mommy.

Haircut

Last night, I attempted to trim C's bangs. There was absolutely no reason to attempt this myself, as our wonderful hairdresser cuts her hair for free; but, it's cold and gross outside and I didn't feel like driving to the salon.

So, I sat her on the bathroom counter, gave her a stack of toys to distract her, and went to town.

It went a little like this:

Snip snip

"Oh no!"

Snip snip

(Points to hair on counter) "Eeewwww."

Snip snip

"Ouch. I stuck." (her go-to phrase when she wants to be anywhere but where she is).

She's been getting her hair cut for a year, so I'm not sure why she was so dramatic. Overall, it wasn't terrible. They don't look perfect, but she's got a little curl/wave that beautifully disguises any mistakes.

I think I'll be giving the salon a call next time though.

On Baking Bread

I am new to the world of bread baking. Prior to my Christmas acquisition of the fanciest bread machine ever (thanks, Husband), I only attempted making bread from scratch a couple of times. The outcome was delicious, but I wasn't quite convinced that it was worth the time commitment. There was a lot of waiting. Mix...rest...knead...rest...shape...rest...bake...rest. I just wasn't willing to put in the time for something as simple as a loaf of bread.

Now armed with a machine to do all the resting for me, I was sure I could do no wrong. Follow directions, dump in ingredients, push start, and voila! I would have bread. But it's not that simple. A few nights ago, I attempted whole wheat bread. I measured, dumped, programmed the machine, and waited. About halfway through, I decided the dough looked too wet, so I opened the lid and sprinkled in a little extra flour. I was feeling quite perceptive, attuned to the bread's needs. I patted myself on the back a little, knowing that extra sprinkle had made all the difference; but, when the cycle ended, I found a loaf with a beautiful rim and a lifeless, deflated middle.

I tried again later that night. I once again measured and dumped; but this time, feeling extra savvy, I used the timer so we would wake up to the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. Brilliant, right? The next morning, I woke to an aroma, but it wasn't necessarily pleasant. I came downstairs to find the ingredients baked into a rock hard form, but completely unmixed.

I was perplexed. I googled. I searched bread making message boards to see what could have possibly gone wrong. I contemplated calling the "Baker's Hotline" (yes, that is a real thing), but was afraid of sounding like too much of a novice to ask the right questions. As I stared at the machine, vowing to only make white bread from now on, I saw them. 

After washing out my pan from the day's first disaster, I had forgotten to put the paddles back in. I had taken away my machine's ability to mix. It tried to run its course anyway, but without paddles, it was helpless.

So, tonight, I tried again. Third time's a charm, right? I made sure all the parts were in the machine. I followed the directions exactly. I did not open the machine at all during the three and a half hour cycle. I waited patiently. And finally, I produced a loaf of bread fit to be consumed.

It's funny how the smallest things made such a big difference. I couldn't help but think that raising a child is a lot like baking bread. As the mother of an almost two year old, I find my days are rarely as expected. C is learning so much right now. She is full of energy and vocabulary and wonder; and, if I'm not patient enough to let her work out her thoughts, to let her describe a color or tell me about her princess castle or brush her own teeth, then she won't rise to her best. If I don't step back and let her grow, I'll crush her spirit, leaving her deflated and lifeless.

She is a sponge, so eager to learn; but, if I don't provide her with the right tools, no matter how hard she tries, the finished product will remain unfinished. If I tell her to paint, but provide no canvas, she learns nothing. If I expect her to learn her alphabet and colors and numbers, but never read or practice or play with her, I can expect the lesson to remain on the surface.

It is easy to become frustrated when there are tantrums over teeth brushing and refusal to eat anything green and resistance to sitting still and listening during a story. It is difficult to fight the urge to help her put on her shoes; or to convince her that when the blocks are stacked that high, they will fall down every single time; or to stop her when she is counting to ten and skipping the number seven. She is busy and loud and excited and funny and soaking in every single thing around her. It is only when I am patient, when I fight the urge to help in the middle of the process, when I provide the right resources, when I let her take it all in and rest, that she will truly rise to her potential.

Because, when you have all the right ingredients and pay attention to the details, you can't help but smile at the finished product.

I may have this baking/parenting thing down after all.

Painting, Baking, and Memory Making...

...That's what rainy days are made of.

Monsoon season is upon us, which means our favorite outdoor activities are off limits and we are in desperate need of fun indoor activities to keep an active toddler entertained. Luckily, C has a million toys and dress up clothes; and she loves to paint and help me in the kitchen. She's so funny these days and has kept me thoroughly entertained while trapped inside.

We got some new finger paint and she had so much fun. She loved it so much, she asked to paint again while I was making dinner. So, I let her.  I had to put the paint out of sight because she asks to paint whenever she sees it and we aren't always set up for such a messy project! I love that she enjoys it so much though.

We have had so much fun with her new dress up clothes and dance outfits. The ballet outfits are for when she starts dance this summer, but she already loves to wear them. She brushes her outfit and says, "pink tutu," and smiles. We've already been working on ballet positions.

Aunt Mallory and Uncle Pete went to Disney World after Christmas and brought C a pink princess purse and gloves. She has recently gotten into "princesses," so this princess/ dress-up combo was right up her alley!

Baking with C is one of my favorite things to do. I love to cook, but am honestly not a baker. Knowing how much fun it will be to make a giant mess and taste test with my favorite sous chef makes me want to bake every day. 

I am so ready for this weather to pass so we can run around at the park again; but, until then, I'm enjoying our rainy day fun together. These are the days that memories are made of.