It's COLD!

Mention the word "cold" and she goes, "OOooohhhOOoohhOOoohh" all sing song, like OOH, it's COLD! Last night we watched SpaceDaddy play softball and it was a beautiful cool night. It was already cold but add to that Anna's latest addiction to "ice, ice, ice" and her little hands were frozen while she guarded the team's beer cooler. I took every opportunity to warm them in mine and I remembered when people who cared about me used to do that for me too. I guess I'm growing up and it's my turn. It was sweet and I was happy to help.

Oh my goodness, the talking!

Tonight she was helpful and sweet. As I was cleaning the table and floor after her dinner, she took a wet wipe and started wiping down her chair! So she does pay attention when I'm cleaning up after her. It was awesome and actually helpful! She chatted the entire time.

She also chomped down her broccoli with Ranch dressing at dinner, which was impressive.

She talks almost non-stop. It's the cutest thing ever. Paul and I just look at each other and laugh. Sometimes we ask each other: Did she really just say that?

Sorry, it's just that even 19 months later I'm still new at this and amazed.

DeeSeeWah!

In Target (where there is plenty of groveries, I might add, including milk) Paul took Anna down the toy aisles while I looked for some new shoes for her. Aisle 1: choo-choo trains and dinosaurs.

Anna: DeeSeeWah! DeeSeeWah!

Paul picks up a moveable dino that also roars and presses the button while Anna tells us something about it being cool but we can't understand. We were debating buying one for her but Paul just got her one at home just like it and she runs from it.

We heard something LARGER with MUSIC right around the corner. We found a massive $129 Super Dino Dragon thing on display! Press the orange button and what a show!

Anna: One more, one more, one more.
Spacedaddy: You like the dinosaur?
Anna: DeeSeeWah! DeeSeeWah!
Spacemama: Just hit the button again, will you?

After like 10 rounds of roar and music, we needed to leave. We were getting hungry. We apparently aren't in the stage of "out of sight out of mind" anymore. As we walked down the remaining aisles, Anna shouted DeeSeeWah! OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER, as we acknowledged and repeated back to her. Finally it occurred to me to tell her that the dinosaur went bye-bye. That seemed to calm her a bit. But she never forgot that thing.
Guaranteed if we paid for that $129 creature, I could place it with me in the kitchen and make dinner without our toddler pulling on my shorts. She would be on the other side of the house.

Noted: ABC's (almost) perfected

She now knows her ABC's all by herself. It's her very favorite song. It's adorable and wonderful and clear, with the exception of "LMNO", as is common with the toddler species.

Today I told her not to touch her CD. She followed up with, you guessed it: EFGHIJK...

ABC's

I woke up to Anna's singing of the ABC's. The girl knows them up until the letter "P" all by herself! She is so cool. On the other hand she didn't sleep well last night for some reason...she kept wakinging briefly, disoriented. Could be all the snot that's been unforgivingly assaulting her nostrils for the past 2 weeks. I hope it's not a sinus infection. She was a clingy, little cranky bag of sunshine till her nap this afternoon...whew. She's still sleeping: GO BABY!

My Aunt J, my mom, my niece K, and I all worked to teach her to say her name when we ask her, "What's YOUR name?" She will gleefully shout out: ANNA! She's been able to say her name for awhile now but this answering thing is pretty darned cool.

She doesn't know we're stinky refugees (OK we're not stinky) because she has been having fun with Nana and her friends and family, and the dogs and cats. Her paradise!

Paul, LW, and CM just left to head back to Houston. CK lives in my neighborhood and the guy across the street from her has power but she doesn't. At least it looks like it's getting close!

TJ, the kids, and I are going to hang out here for another day or two to let the guys get settled back in over in Houston. We'll also let the potential Houston traffic influx die down a bit.

We are considering the Children's Museum today. These kinds of outings with Anna without Paul admittedly gives me anxiety. But I think she will have fun, especially with OM and MM.