Don't Forget

There are so many things I don't want to forget that Hattie is doing these days. Mike will remind me of something she used to do six months ago and I'll tear up.. I need to remember to keep those things here. My virtual baby book. 

Right now, she's testing the waters of independence and letting her feelings and opinions and wants known in a big way. When I say, for example, "It's not time to go downstairs now. It's time for bed." She shouts, "YES downstairs! YES!"  When I say, "You've been outside for a while. It's cold outside. Let's go inside. She shouts, "NO inside! YES outside!" Pretty direct, that one. 

When she sees me frowning for whatever reason, she'll stop and ask, "You happy, Mama?" with a concerned look on her face.

Her laugh is infectious. It comes from the gut. I'll do most anything to hear it. Except eat sand, like she wanted me to do in this clip. 

She's into wearing Dada's shoes and walking around the house. 

She loves hiding from us now. And hanging out behind the couch. 

This is her drawing on my kindle of a smiley-face guy and an apple on the bottom.  

Don't want to forget these ones:

If Hattie wants to sit on my lap, she says, "Sit-a-me?  Sit-a-me?"

Anything that looks exciting to her gets this... "Oh...my...good...NESS!"

Whenever she accidentally walks into me, she says, "Oh... sorry!"

If she can't find something, she'll say (for example), "Bib! Where arrrrrre youuuu?"  And when she finds it, she says, "Oh! There you are!"

She has a deep love for cupcakes.

At night before bed, she has been putting everything she can find into the drawer of the nightstand. 

Some recent pics:

I let her hold my coffee mug. She was pretty excited for some reason. ;p 

She has taken to crawling around in the car and 'driving fast'. She wouldn't get out of Dada's seat. 

Always wants to play in the rain 

Gathering water in her "beautiful!" ladybug nightgown

Post car wash

  

Flyaway feather hairs

Hattie and her teacher Miss Kristen at the Tender Care summer picnic

Fun in the Rain

My girl loves the rain. Even with thunder cracking and rumbling all around her. She begged to go outside even though it was going to pour. I'm so glad that we did. And it sure did pour. We splashed in puddles and ran up and down the driveway and floated leaves down the running streams on the street. She put her favorite rain boots to work, that's for sure. :) I would have taken more and better pics, but my phone kept getting wet! She knows how to have a good time and I'm so happy to be along for the ride.

"Go play, Mama?"

(After the rain. ^)

Recent Hattie stories:

Hattie and I were outside and she saw a bee. I said, "Don't touch. If you touch a bee, he may get angry and pinch you. We want bees to be happy." So she says, "Look, look, bee! Rollercoaster. Happy!" and points to her Step2 rollercoaster. Then, "Look, look, bee! Car!" and points to her car. Those things make her happy, so she thought they'd make the bee happy and not angry. Her face showed SO much concern for the bee. It made my heart melt.

Whenever Hattie wants to go back outside or wants something she can't have at that time, she'll point outside or to whatever she wants and say, "Right THERE!"  Like, "But Mom! It's right there! Why not?!?!" 

Her favorite thing to say right now over and over is, "Mommymommymommymommymommy!!!"   I LOVE hearing that. She's moving away from the "Mama" that is easier for babies to say and I love it. 

Hattie loves Summer. She's a warm weather baby for sure. This summer is already filling up with wonderful memories. :)

We had so much fun at the Mt. Lebanon Memorial Day parade. Hattie ran wild in the fire house. :) 

Recent pics:

"Gimme your phone, Mama!"

One of my favorites of Hattie ever. Simple and very "her." 

5 Things

Five things that I love:

1) The Suddenly Skinny Tummy Toning Cami by Maidenform. 

Got this at Target. It is the perfect length and really does it's job. I prefer it over the Assets brand cami that I also have. 

2) Lavender Vanilla lotion from Bath & Body Works

I looove putting this on before bed. It instantly relaxes me and calms my mind. I also put a tiny bit on Hattie after her bath. 

3) No-Touch Garlic Dicer & Peeler

Best way to prep garlic for meals. Easy peasy peeler and dicer. My fave kitchen tool. Simple, but awesome.

4) Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah 

I had a glass of this while out to dinner one night. Can't find it sold by the bottle anywhere near me. Big bummer. Maybe that's for the best, but it's so good! Smooth, but with a little bit of a bite at the end. 

5) Nike Women's Comfort Thing Sandal

Best flip flop ever in the history of ever.

This post has been a nightmare to format. I give up! 'Tis what 'tis.

Things I don't want to forget about Hattie at this age:

She is obsessed with the ABCs song. She calls the ABC song "aBcs" with the emphasis heavily on the B. She sings, "ABC *muffle muffle muffle* meh meh meeee! Yaaaay!" over and over again. When we listen to it in the car, as soon as it's done, she says, "aBcs!" until I play it again.

She is also obsessed with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She wants me to sing it when I put her in the crib at night and rub her back. She says, "Tinkle tinkle!" until I sing it. Lately, she tries to sing along... "Tinkle Tinkle. Little. ... How I... Upa...Tinkle Tinkle... Staaaah." It's the sweetest listening to her try to sing. That voice. Gah. I want it to change eventually of course, but I'm going to miss the heck out of that sweet little, toddler voice.

She loves drawing on her easel or the sliding glass door and then asking for a wipe and then cleaning it off. Immediately. She draws a line. Then cleans it off. Another line. Then wipe. She LOVES cleaning. I sooo hope that love remains over the years. We need more wipes all the time now though. Girl is wiping us out of wipes. ;p

She LOVES being "ouside" all the time. She points out everything that she sees out there every time. "Biwd! Tee! Couds! Airpane! Ants! Alcove! (we told her that's what the space under the steps where you put the garbage cans is called. Haha.) Cam-mie! (neighbor dog), Sand!" She loves "cleaning" with her small rake and scooping up the wood chips from the tree that they cut down near the power line in the back.

She also loves to go on the 'big kid' swings at playgrounds. She holds on really tight and never lets go, so we go with it. She's a happy girl when she's swinging.

At her request, we say goodnight to all of her little child care friends every night. "Night night, 'phia!, Night night, Amelia. Night night, Joey. Night night, Johnny. Night night, Juliana. Night night, Carson." etc. It's a long list. Lately, when we get to Colin, it's "Night night Colin. No!" I asked her teacher why the "No!" and she said that Colin is a notorious toy taker, so they taught the kids to tell him no when he grabs for their toys. ;p

Random shot of hummingbird girl petting my Aunt's dog, Bella.

Sometimes I wonder if she already wishes that she had 'normal' parents...

Random Hattie-isms

Ladybug = Bee Bug. There's a ladybug on one of her many hats and when she's wearing it, she pats it and squeals, "Bee bug!!!"  Also, there was a ladybug on the steering wheel of her Cozy Coupe one day. It flew away after a few minutes. Now, every time she's around the Coupe, she asks, "Bee bug? Where go?"

Twinkle Twinkle = Tinkle Tinkle. She requests that one a lot. When she's tired and crying, she says, "Tinkle tinkle!" and wants me to sing it to her and rub her back.

When singing Old MacDonald... "E I O!"  E I O" with the emphasis on the I.

When singing Wheels on the Bus, she makes the motions for wheels, then baby going wah wah wah, then doors opening and shutting, and then yells, "YAAAAY!" and claps. It's a very fast version of the song. Haha.

Anytime she draws on her easel, she says, "Wipe."  I give her a wipe. She draws and then wipes her drawing away, draws, wipes, etc...

She loves using her mini dustpan and hand broom to "cleaning."  Anytime Mike vacuums (because I don't. ;p), she wants to clean alongside him.

Puts her purse over her wrist or her bracelets on and waves and says, "Bye bye!"

Wants all of us (she, Mike, and I) to put "Baba" (blankets) on and lay down on a big, soft blanket in the family room. Then she says "Tinkle tinkle" and rubs each of our backs to help us sleep.

We had a great time at the zoo. Hattie loves elephants/"ee-phant."