All The Things

The past few days have been pretty uneventful. We've done the usual. Madeline is doing well..some days have been great where others have been a bit rough. She's testing and teething. I know this is all very normal for toddlerhood and we are trying to handle it appropriately. There's no discipline at this age since she doesn't understand the "rules" just yet and that's part of testing. She's just trying to figure out the limits. It's kinda funny and cute, though. We say no, and try to distract. As far as future discipline goes, there will be absolutely no spanking or swatting. We'll try time outs, toys taken away...the usual. But, consistency is key. However, I will never spank. Ever. And, I know when you're a parent you should never say never, but this is something I am extremely firm on. So, it will not happen.

Anyway, we've begun talking about preschool since the waitlists are a year plus here. Early next year I'll start interviewing a few places and see what seems like a best fit for Madeline. She'll start between 2.5 or 3 years old, probably 2 half days per week, then onto PreK at 4.

We went to Gammy and Poppy's on Sunday, and they came over for a visit on Saturday. Madeline loves playing outside on their patio...and also picking Gammy's lovely flowers. We've spent a few days outside and running our typical errands. Tomorrow we have class again, so I'll know it will be a fun day for her.

These molars are driving both me and Madeline nuts. This morning she was so cranky, kept putting her fingers in her mouth, and nothing made her happy until the onset of Advil. Then she was absolutely fine. I try to wait an hour or so to make sure she's just not cranky. Because let's face it, not everyone wakes up on the right side of the bed everyday, and she's a moody toddler. But, low and behold, 30 minutes after Advil...I had my sweet little baby back ready to play.

She's a lot of fun these days. She absolutely loves to play dress up with her clothes. It's so funny. She'll pick something out to put on, then I'll get her dressed and if I try to finally take it off....she's gets mad. Going to the mailbox just might be the highlight of the day. Now she's starting to have preferences of playing upstairs vs. downstairs..so it's usually up and down all day long. Great exercise, really. She absolutely loves to play outdoors if the weather is appropriate.

She loathes the stroller right now if I'm out shopping. I don't blame her. She sees all the things and wants to play with them. She's still okay in the shopping cart as long as she has something to fiddle with. Today it was deli meat. And, she's really good at restaurants as long as it's quick and less than an hour.

Here's a few recent photos over the past few days

Chillin' at Nordstrom

Big Girl Chair

Look, Mom!