Oxygen for Mommy and Daddy, Popsicles for Rotten Children

 Chloe: So, what was all that on Saturday?

Amber: I don't know.

Chloe: What do you mean, you don't know?  We had to abruptly stop shopping to take you to the emergency room!

Amber: Yeah.  Weird, right?

Chloe: YES.  So, I say again, WHAT HAPPENED?

Amber: Stop badgering me; I don't know.  We were in the cart at Target, Mommy took a corner too sharply or something and then a little while later, she looked at my ankle and started mad trippin' yo.

Chloe: Well, your ankle looked horrible.  

Amber: I guess.  This is like the time when I was a baby and a bee flew into my high chair and stung me and she all freaked out and called the nurse and when the nurse heard me giggling in the background, they prescribed HER with a sedative.

Chloe: The nurse did not do that!

Amber: Well, she should have.  Much ado about nothing.

 Chloe: At least they gave us popsicles.

Amber: Indeed.

***

Note from Mommy: Oh, my my.  I swear, the kid made NO SOUND... all of a sudden, she had cuts on her ankle and the whole thing started swelling like crazy.  We're thinking fractures and baby boots and x-rays... and so was the nurse who told us to go to the ER prontinto.  Yeah.  45 minutes later and the swelling was almost completely gone and Amber kept looking at us like we were high.

So, for those who are playing along at home, that's 3 trips to the ER in 4 months.  

Good times.

Chloe and Amber on Technology

Chloe: Amber, check out this book. It's about Grover being afraid of a monster at the end of the book.

Amber: Who's Grover?

Chloe: He's like Elmo.

Amber: Awesome.

Chloe: Yeah. Mommy said that she had this book when she was a kid, but it was an actual book.

Amber: Why didn't she read it on the iPad like us?

Chloe: Well, iPads weren't invented then.

Amber: Are you serious?

Chloe: Yeah. Crazy, right?

Amber: How old IS Mommy, anyway?

Chloe: I think really old.

Amber: Must be.

Mommy Post: Uh-Oh, Daddy. Uh-Oh.

The other day, I was watching "Biography" on A&E and the next show on was called "Private Sessions" or something... I guess the show features bands performing acoustic versions of their songs, interspersed with interviews. When I saw that the Backstreet Boys were the scheduled band for the hour, I picked up the remote, but when the music started, a curious thing happened.

Chloe stopped what she was doing, turned to the TV and stared for a moment. When she saw the cute boy (who Daddy said later is probably gay), crooning that he wants it "that way," she approached the screen and caressed his face. She stepped back from the TV, stared for a minute and then suddenly began to dance, turning to me and smiling as though she had just discovered the Beatles. Or Jon Bon Jovi.

All, I'm saying is We Got Trouble. It starts with a T and that rhymes with B and that stands for BOYS.

Wacky Wednesday: Slipper Day!

Yesterday was Wear Your Slippers to School Day as part of the Wacky Wednesday series, so Chloe was stylin' in her Spiderman slippers for the day. As you can see in this picture, she is now doing the cutest thing. Every day this week she has grabbed my keys when I come to pick her up. She then races to the door and tries to leave. When I open the door, she gets mad when I a) pick her up to carry her thru the parking lot and b) take the keys from her so that I may drive the car. There is then much fussing for half the ride home... then she forgets why she is mad and starts playing with her bears, only occasionally offering up an "eh, eh, eh" lest I forget that she was mad at me.

Mommy Post: Mother to a Panda

So, after multiple escape attempts from the Kangaroo/Baby room, Chloe has finally achieved her goal - she is a full-fledged member of the Panda room at school. I am in a state of advanced shock. She is a Baby no more.

I bought her a new outfit for the occasion. Of course.

When we got to school, she was her typical Chloe self - running rampant, grabbing her favorite toys, waiting for no one.

I couldn't even get a decent picture in because she was so on the run. Completely disinterested in Ed and I and whether or not we were leaving or staying. She had babies to find, etch and erasing to do, hot dogs to cook. Busy. Being a big girl...

...but, she's still a sucker for Miss Stella, so maybe I can comfort myself that she's not quite leaving for college just yet. Sigh.

That Kid is a Handful

She's totally cracking me up at this stage - she understands now when I say "Smile, Chloe" and she can point out her shoes, her baby doll, her hair. She can climb the steps in 30 seconds and she understands what you mean when you say "bring me a book, Chloe." She knows where the Yogurt Melts are, which room Daddy is likely in and how to see thru walls to find missing pacifiers. But earlier tonight, it became clear that she does NOT have control of balance. We were running a bath and while the tub was filling, she leaned forward to touch it, forgot that her head is heavier than the rest of her and she pitched in head first. Fully dressed. Christ. This is how babies drown!

This kid, I tell you.

Chloe Post: Look out world, I AM ONE

Can you believe it? Yesterday, I turned one year old. Mommy and Daddy can hardly believe it! They threw me a really fun party to celebrate. Grams and Granpa came up from North Carolina and spent the whole weekend with me. Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop came with a friend of theirs, plus Aunt Jo-Jo and Uncle Craig, Sam and Scott, Pattyanne and her Mom-Mom and friend Barb, Aunt Patty and Uncle Donnie, Kate and Sean, Aunt Barb, Uncle Chris and Mikey and Nik, Miss Stella, Aunt Jennifer, Aunt Lucy and Adam! We had a full house!

Everyone had a lot of fun visiting in our new house, eating the yummy food and eyeing up this neat cake that Mommy made. Mommy said she was sad to cut it! But she and Daddy made sure that I got the first taste!















I LIKE CAKE! This is great! I can't believe that M & D let me make such a big mess. When I got ice cream in my ears, they just laughed!


After my adventure with the cake, Mommy and Daddy said I needed a costume change, so I put on this pretty dress that Aunt Rachel sent me. Miss Stella said she liked it a lot. Miss Stella spoiled me and brought me lots of toys.















I especially liked this neat birthday cake - Mommy said I could play with it as much as I wanted... no icing to get in my hair!

I also really liked this dolly. Aunt Barb made matching princess skirts for us! I was the belle of the ball and I loved wearing my skirt. Everyone brought me such nice presents. I am a really lucky little girl.















I was so happy. Mommy and Daddy and I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives. We had a really great day.

***

Of course, my party was just one day and we were busy all weekend long! On Saturday, Mommy and Grams and I went shopping to prepare for the party. We also went to Panera where I had my first PB&J! It rocked!

I had so much fun playing with Grams and Granpa - they like to do all sort of cool things with me! I wish they lived closer so I could see them more... they should start a blog so I can see what's going on in the woods!

Chloe post - All the latest

Well, there is just so much to report! I learned to clap (finally, that was tough, but I have it down pat), my walking is improving every day and... there was something else... oh, right! Mommy, Daddy and the bank all got together to buy me a house! It's so exciting... I am less then 2 weeks away from my own room!

Mommy said it's a good thing, too... I am running out of room in our little apartment. I keep returning to areas that Mommy and Daddy want me to avoid. I like to try to spin the wheels on the laundry cart. And Daddy's bike. And the jogger stroller. Whenever I do it, Mommy says "that kid is BACK on the escalator," which makes Daddy laugh, but then I laugh at him laughing and don't believe him when he says I should leave those wheels alone.

Anyway, here are some awesome pictures of me on the move:

Still sick, but need to post some photos...

I've been a very slack blogger. I'm still feeling kind of yucky, but I can just feel Grams sitting in her cabin, just itching for new Chloe photos.

Miss Stella was the photographer at the zoo last week, so I still need her to send me her photos, but in the meantime, here are two that were on my camera:



When we picked up Miss Stella to go to the zoo, Chloe was so confused... "why isn't she at school where she belongs?"... but in the end, Miss Stella is Miss Stella! It doesn't matter where she is, Chloe is a fan.



Of course, we had to get all decked out for the NKF walk at the zoo since we were walking with the Phi Sigs! We ran into a bunch of collegians and they loved our matching letters.



I know I've talked before about how much I love the teachers at Chloe's school, but I also have to give a shout out to the other families. I've loved becoming part of this community and often bring in things that didn't work for us (i.e. peas, diapers she has grown out of) to see if they can find a home. I thought it was so cool that Zavier's mom brought us this little scooter. Her daughter is a bit too old for it and since it's so girly, she thought it would be better for Chloe than Zavier! Chloe doesn't completely get it yet - she's not quite tall enough to have both feet flat on the floor, but it does help as a walking helper when she pushes it...

...and speaking of walking, guess who has started it?!!

On Friday, I was greeted with "CHLOE WALKED TODAY AND WE HAVE A PICTURE OF IT!" I was so excited (a little sad that Ed and I weren't the first to see it... another cost of being a working Mommy), but so excited that she did it. Miss Lady was all sorts of giggly when I got there... she KNEW that she had done something really cool. It was so neat. And then she did it while I was there... and all weekend long. She can't do it for long, but she manages a few steps. So, it won't be long before she's just running thru life... and as Grams said when I told her, we are in trouble.

My girl likes to EXPLORE.

LOL

Chloe post: Sharing Toys is Good

It turns out that I am not the only one in the house with toys! Recently, I discovered that Mommy and Daddy have toys that they have not previously shared with me! When Mommy was cooking, she thoughtfully spread out some Chloe toys on the floor for me, but frankly I needed a change. I scooted around until I found a little cabinet with a bunch of things I had never seen before. These large items are musical instruments of unknown name. They have many uses. You can drum on the bottom of them with your hand, you can strike them on the floor, or my favorite - you can strike them together repeatedly. OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Mommy and Daddy are so excited that I have a new hobby! I like music!

My baby is bilingual... and also a ruler of the universe

Yesterday, on our way to school, Chloe sat in her car seat, casually chewing her bear and clearly stated: "Et da Boo." I think it's crystal clear that what she was saying is "Mother, I am eating the Pooh Bear."

It's incredible to me just how fast she is growing. All of a sudden, the child has begun moving at the speed of sound... I'm not sure how that is possible since she can't even crawl yet. She has perfected the inchworm, though, and I can tell you one thing: Daddy and I are SCREWED. The days of putting her on her playmat and leaving her there while I go do the dishes are OVER. Over, I tell you.

She's also starting to have her own personality. The other day, I smelled something vile coming from the direction of her pants and when I looked to confirm, I swear the kid smirked at me. On Tuesday, when I took her to school after having been gone for several days, the only other baby there was going to sleep. I sat Chloe down on the carpet with all the toys and she looked around, confirmed that she was the only one down there, and a look of sheer ecstasy came over her face. I am confident she was thinking, "it's mine - it's all mine!" Then on Thursday, she and Zavier chased their teacher around the room because she had the audacity to have Chinese food for lunch and not share.

She is simply incredible, but it has become abundantly clear: Chloe is in charge and woe to the Mommy or Daddy who forgets that.

PS. from Chloe: Mommy speaks the truth. And there better not be any more peas. You wouldn't like me when I'm confronted with peas.