We are moving around again

It's not often I publish two posts on the same day. But while I was busy posting the first time, I had left Bella to play on her blanket. By the time I got back into the room (8 minutes or so), she had rolled/moved around and somehow manage to get the sofa to recline. Not sure how she accomplished that, and the fact I didn't hear it, even though I was only one room away. Maybe she was playing hide and seek and trying to get under the couch!!

We have almost finished our master bedroom project, I posted pictures today on the renovation blog on our big reveal. We still have Jesse's closet to finish, but I have a feeling that will be a couple more weeks away before that is finalized. Enjoy the pictures!

There's been a crime

The scene of the crime = Bella's changing table.Casualties = Changing sheets and towels.
And one clean baby.
Crime = While changing a diaper, mom encountered poop. While wiping the perpetrator, a piece of poop flew in the air. Perpetrator catches poop in her hand. Normally perpetrator would not keep things in hand, and drops them. This time perpetrator decides so called poop in hand is funny. Perpetrator laughs as mom is trying to keep poop from spreading everywhere and must keep perpetrators legs in air with one hand, and with the other is trying to clean poop from the perpetrator's hand. Poop ends up everywhere.

PVC Play Gym

Bella hasn't been feeling the greatest the past couple of days. Luckily she has been in good spirits, but I believe her stomach has been a little upset.

But on a better note, Bella has started to pay more attention to some of her toys. She loves banging things. Her grasp isn't very good, so she can't hold on to things for long. But she is really enjoying hitting things, both when she is in her chair, or laying on her back. Jesse and I are going to build her a play cube out of PVC pipe, that we can attach toys to. This way she can be on the ground and she can either swing at them, or she can pull them down to her. But they will continue to stay in her view. Currently if she has a toy and she drops it, she doesn't really care to find it again. But if it's on elastic and goes right back up in her view, she will play with it again (or so we hope). Now we just need to make time this weekend to make the cube project

This is actually for a parrot, but it sort of gets the point across.

And this one was made for a baby, but we are going to do something bigger for Bella.

Accident at school

Bella,

When I showed up in your preschool room to pick you up....this is what you had on.It means you had some type of accident. The report was that pee had leaked out the back of your diaper during gym time. Bella I apologize I didn't have better back up clothes for you. The shirt is too small and doesn't even cover your tummy. Let alone it in no way matches the pants that I had there for you. I will do better the next time so that you don't have to wear this around everyone at school.
I also apologize for showing this picture. But you wonder why pee always leaks out the back of your diaper. You have the longest "crease" I have ever seen. I will although take this picture down after a couple of days. I don't want you to someday find this post and feel embarrassed.

Your always loving,

Mom

The Switch

This was breakfast this morning and we are using our new two communication switch. Basically I get to program in two different sayings, and depending on which button Bella pushes will give her the ability to make a choice. So using the two pictures I had taken earlier, Bella's choices for breakfast were "Food please" or "Drink please". She tends to use her right hand more, so she picked food more constantly. I had to help guide her hand to choose the drink. But she did hit it a couple times on her own.
Hopefully with lots of practice she can learn that she has the ability to choose. Only problem is that it's between two choices that we give her. But a choice between two objects is still better than nothing.

You'll also notice that she really followed me with the camera, which is great for her head control to be able to turn in all directions. We still can't get a smile out of her though. Something about that darn yellow light that comes out of our camera.

Oh and check out the wild child hair. We hadn't combed it yet this morning when the pictures were taken. I'm thinking it's really get near the time to give it a little trim.

Valentines Day

We had a very slow Valentines Day on Sunday. Jesse and I went out to celebrate with friends Saturday night, and were paying for it on Sunday. We mainly spent the day vegged out in front of the television, I know bad parents. But a funny thing occurred. Jesse was flipping between the Olympics, Nascar, news, etc. At one point Bella had just finished eating and was still in her chair. We noticed she was fascinated with the TV. Apparently Bella is a Nascar fan. Must be the brightly colored cars as they quickly go around in loops, but it completely held her attention. According to Bella, Baby Einstein is out..........Nascar is in!! I hang my head in shame.

Sometimes people rub you the wrong way

Bella and I went on an errand this afternoon. As we entered the parking lot I noticed it was pretty full. We have had a handicap sticker for Bella for about 6 months now. We only use it when she is with us. I would have to say that it's one of the "perks" that comes with Bella.

So I spied the only free handicap spot and turned into that lane. I noticed that another car was waiting to make a left turn into that lane and they also had a handicap sticker.

Now I know I probably should have let that person have the spot, they could have been some really old lady who could hardly walk. But I took it. It's cold outside and I didn't have Bella all bundled up (she hates that), I wanted a closer spot so that she wouldn't have to be so cold as we went into the store.

The lady in the other handicap car, glared at me as she waited in her car behind mine. I'm not sure if she thought I was going to pull out of the spot? I parked the car and hung up the handicap sticker and got out.

The lady quickly pulled into another spot (only 3 spaces down) and hurriedly runs over to me and says "Do you have a wheelchair sticker?"

To which I replied "My daughter is 2 1/2 years old and can't even hold up her head yet. I would love to carry her into the store and use a cart, but instead I have to put her in her stroller and awkwardly carry around all my items in my hand, because she can't sit in the front of a cart. What do you think? And while your at it....what type of handicap do you have that allows you to quickly walk over here before I have even gotten the stroller out of the back of my vehicle?

Okay so that's a lie, I didn't say any of that. I just said I have a handicap daughter and she replied that she was just tired of people stealing her spot that didn't have a sticker.

But if I could go back in time I might just decide to tell her off!

Fairy Tale Land

Bella's preschool class took a field trip to Crown Center to see the Fairy Tale Land display. They had lots of little buildings for the kids to climb through and see their favorite stories and characters come to life.

First we saw Pinocchio, he seems a little scary to me. But you could pull his strings and watch his arms and legs move about.
Then we visited Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother's house, but found a wolf in grandmother's clothes.
Next we went to see the Princess and the Pea.
Bella decided she wanted to see if she could feel the pea......or perhaps just take a nap.
Then we went to the Three Bears cottage.
Bella found mama's chair to be "just right".
Lastly we rode Cinderella's magic pumpkin stagecoach.

And out of all the exhibits, Bella favorite was Jack and the Beanstalk. Inside there was a picture of a giant and when you pressed the red button a deep voice said "Fee Fi Fo Fum". And she loved it and kept wanting more. Who would of thought.
It was a great exhibit, and a very tired Bella went to sleep immediately after getting in the car seat.
And she lived Happily Ever After!!

The games we play

Mom: "Bella what does a frog do?"
Mom: "That's right Bella, a frog sticks out his tongue to catch the flies!"

Colby: "Elle let's play tag"

Elle: "Okay but I'm already on home base, and you are going to have to come under here and get me. What your bad knee won't let you get under the pool table? I guess I'm not it!"

The debate of the big girl bed

Bella still sleeps in her crib. She still sleeps with the mattress in the highest position. We have no fears she will pull herself up and get out of the crib. The most she ever does is sleep with her feet propped up over the rail which most of the time causes her to wet the bed. We have no real reason to switch her bed from the crib to a toddler bed. Except after over 2 years of seeing her in a crib, I am ready for a change.

So today I decided to convert her crib to the toddler bed. I have no idea how she is going to do with the change. She is used to being surrounded by her bumpers, and now can look out into her room. Maybe it will be a good change, maybe it will be a bad change. I guess I'll let you know in a few weeks.

Picture Day

Today Bella had class pictures taken. This was the outfit she wore, and low and behold her best friend wound up wearing nearly the same thing. I hope to get pictures of the two of them together, as it was very cute.

The Run

Jesse, myself and friends participated in the ground hog run yesterday for Children's TLC (Bella's preschool). Jesse ran a good race, for not doing any real running in years. I myself was wondering why I decide to sign up for these races in the first place. I am not a runner, nor do I really enjoy it. I was at least a little satisfied when I noticed that other somewhat athletic people were finishing at the same time as me. I guess, like me, not everyone is cut out to be a runner.

But because I believe in these good causes, and because even though I don't like running, it is good for me. Jesse and I are signing up for the Trolley Run. The trolley run takes place at the end of April and benefits CCVI (Children's Center for the Visually Impaired). They are actually located in the same building as Bella's preschool, and use some of the same play areas, gyms, kitchens, etc as Children's TLC.

So this time around I do plan to do more training, so maybe I can run longer, and won't be quite as sore the next day. Because today I feel like I am about 80 years old, I can hardly walk. It's a sad sad world for the not in shape. But on a positive note, Bella must feel sorry for me and has decide she is going to be very active and roll around today.