Vegas, Baby (or...well, not Baby)

Jeff and I are off and away in Las Vegas for our first real trip together away from Cecelia.  While we're missing her like crazy, it's also nice to have some together time.  We are celebrating our fifth anniversary in style.  We are staying at the Mandalay Bay Beach Resort so that I can pretend I'm just at a beach resort, but we're also planning to take in some sights while we're here, including all the over the top casino decor.  Maybe one day you'll see pictures.  Maybe not.

Danger Seekers: Episode # 1

Contrary to what it looks like, Jeff does not knock  Cecelia down as he plummets down the slide.  He went down head first with his hands and camera out in front.  What an artistic shot!

Putting Two and Two Together

Cece has been using two word sentences lately.  They generally consist of: "No, Daddy."  and "No, Mommy."  So, when saying, "Hello" I've encouraged her to add the person she's saying hello to as well.  It's funny as it's a halting hello.  Hello. Mommy.  Pauses galore, but progress, nonetheless.

Motivation

If you ever need motivation to speed clean your house, have a realtor office call you with less than two hours notice for a showing. Awesome.

Not a Fan of the Footie

Last night, and yesterday, it was officially chilly. So, I busted out the footie pajamas...for Cece. Sadly, I do not have footie pajamas. But, back to Cece. She has grown rather accustomed to having "free" feet at night. And anytime during the day that she decides that it is time to remove her shoes and socks.

So, we put on the footie pajamas and she was none too pleased. She tried, valiantly, to pull them off as she would socks. To no avail. I explained to her that these are footie pajamas, it's all one piece. She wasn't happy about it but she was also exhausted so it wasn't too difficult to coax her into a sleepy state. We will see if she protests in the morning soon enough.

Sleep Study

You may remember that not too long ago, we returned to a rigid nap/sleep schedule to ensure that Cece was getting the rest she needed. Over the last two weeks or so, she has pushed her nap back further and further so that it almost, and sometimes does, back up directly to dinnertime. Which made bedtime a transient thing. She was also having a great deal more difficulty falling asleep in her big girl bed. She was insistent that we lay down and sleep in the room too. And we did. In the beginning, we would lay down for, maybe, ten minutes. She would fall asleep, and we could walk out. No problem. Easy. Then, she started not falling asleep so easily, and freaking out when we left the room, springing instantly back awake. So, I was laying down for a half hour, an hour, an hour and a half, two hours. Do you see where this is going? Several nights, I would fall completely asleep and Jeff would come in to wake me up. So, bedtime was getting to be a bit much.

Then, it got worse. While we were at the beach, Cece started waking up early again, 5/5:30. Which isn't so bad. All last week (to add to the fun, it was my first week of school with students) she woke up early AND several times through the night. And she was no longer knocking politely on the inside of her door. No, she was screaming upon waking. Because we weren't in there, sleeping next to her. The first three nights of this, we took turns going in and sleeping on the floor. Comfy. On Thursday night, I was done. I talked to her about how things were going to go down tonight. We took a bath, put on pj's, read books, and then I tucked her in, said good night, kissed her, and walked right back out.

I listened to her fun-reak out for a while. Then, her voice turned. She was just asking, "uh...mom?". Then some more sad dramatics, then, "mom?", then nothing. For whatever reason, my great fear was that now that she was in a big girl bed, she could be anywhere in there, so when she did fall asleep, she could be on the floor. First of all, why this was my great fear, I'm not sure. Second, when I went in to check on her she was in her bed with her blanket. Perfectly fine.

She woke up once through the night. I think...it's all a bit fuzzy these days.

The next day, Jeff was able to get her closer to her normal nap time. We were hoping this would get her back on track. (foreshadowing: it didn't). That night, same deal. Bath, book, tuck, goodnight. 30 seconds of sad sounds, and she was out. Already, this was better. But then, she continued to wake up. I went in, said goodnight, she went back to sleep. The next time, she used the potty and went back to sleep. I decided that if this happened the next night, I'd let her use the potty. She's been staying dry at night, so that's sort of a step in the right direction. Next morning, still 5:30...not ok on the weekend, kid. Jeff decides that maybe she's ready to cut the nap. I agree that we will try it. I wondered though if she still needed that daytime rest. I'm pretty sure I still need that daytime rest, but I'll try it. Ironically, Jeff has this idea when I'm the one who has to carry out the plan. He will be at work all day.

I keep her busy, busy, busy. She falls asleep in the car twice, but not for a full nap time. She goes to bed on the early end of her bedtime range: 6:30. Again, about 30 seconds, and she's out. All night long. I am writing this 12 1/2 hours later. (for those of you confused, I wrote this on 9/11 at 6:30/7 but scheduled it to publish on 9/14) And she's still sleeping. We will see how she does today and tonight. Good hypothesis, Jeff.

Happy Birthday, Grandpop

My dad is celebrating a big birthday today. We were glad to be able to spend Labor Day weekend with him at the beach (even if it did throw Cece's sleep for an irreversible loop - see tomorrow's post for more on that). Happy birthday Grandpop!

Beach Baby

Last weekend, we went to the beach in Sea Isle City. Cece has been to the beach for short trips each summer. Throughout that time, she has had different reactions to the sand and water. You might say she has a love/hate relationship. Last summer, one trip, she wouldn't touch the sand. She was repulsed. By the end of last summer, she was running all over the sand. This trip, she was back to disgust. Her toes curl and she points and frets at the grains of sand. Aunt Sheila tried to lower her onto the sand and she kept her feet elevated by extending her legs into a straddle and raising her legs ever higher to ensure that they never touched the sand. Try it. It's really hard. Her musculature is amazing. On the love end of things, Cece enjoyed the water more than ever before. She was thrilled and kept signing for more. Even though she was fuh-reezing. She probably would have stayed in the ocean, with some willing participant holding her the whole time of course, all day long. I love that she enjoys the ocean. And hopefully next summer, she'll be back to loving the sand too.

9/11: Where were you?

It really is true that I can find it difficult to recall exact details of where I was on a particular day last week, and yet, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing ten years ago today. It is not particularly remarkable, but it is a moment stuck in time.

I was a Residenr Assistant in my Junior year at Shippensburg University. I lived in Kiefer Hall on the third floor. I woke up to get ready to go to class and tuned into the Today Show. I watched as they reported on a plane flying into the first tower, and thought like everyone else, "Huh, that's weird.". And riveting. That first plane got your attention. I sat and watched as they speculated, and sat and watched as, in real time, the second plane flew into the second tower. I sat on the floor in my dorm room. Residents streamed down and I comforted them. Then, we heard about the Pentagon and I froze. My sister. My sister had just begun her freshman year at Catholic University in Washington,D.C. I called my sister, I called my mom, I called anyone I could. But the phone lines were well past capacity and no one could get through. It was hours before I confirmed my sister was fine. Finally, we got news of the plane crash in Shanksville, PA. For students at Shippensburg, many of whom hail from rural Western and Central PA, this hit close to home, and lots of residents were in need of someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, and that's who I was. I had emailed my professors, telling them I wouldn't be coming to class that day. I organized a trip for residents who wanted to feel like they were helping, doing something, to go and give blood at a local hospital. Other people had the same idea. Since then, blood donation levels have dropped significantly, so if you are wondering what you can do. To help, to remember, stay tuned to your local blood drives and give often.

Walk On

Cece enjoys pushing her baby in her doll stroller. She also enjoys pushing her own stroller, empty. To the casual onlookers from the front, it would look like a stroller moving independently since she isn't tall enough to peek over the edge. Last week, Jeff pushed Cece to Storytime in the stroller. The whole time she wanted to get out and push, but he knew they would never get there in time. Remember, if you're late, you wait. So, he told her that she could push the stroller on the way home from Storytime. She did a great job during Storytime. Immediately after, she walked right to the stroller, and proceeded to the trail. An hour and a half later, they arrived back home. Cece walked the whole way. It's quite a walk.

Makin' Music

Following up from yesterday's post, our library also hosts a music class once a month on the second Thursday of each month. Last year, Jeff sent me a video of Cece going crazy with some rhythm sticks. I watched it repeatedly and loved it a little more each time. She was tap, tap, tapping on the ground along with the instructors but she was also flailing, which I think was "off book" and smacked herself in the head at least once in the process. What a wild woman! When I had the opportunity to go with Cece this summer, on her real birthday, it was such a treat to watch her enjoy the music. The group that turns out for this class is huge, so the room was wall to wall children. And yet, the instructors did a great job of facilitating participation and distribution of materials for a hands on experience for all. Yesterday was September's music class and Cece is already looking forward to next month's class.

Library Story Time

Cece goes to story time at our local library each week. There are different sessions through the year and different times through the week. Cece had always been a "Tuesday" girl, but Jeff switched it up this session and signed her up for Wednesdays. We love the programs at our library. And evidence toy so do a lot of other people. Storytime fills up fast at Horsham Library. Jeff always makes sure to sign up on the first day you are allowed and he was fifth on the list. There is usually a wait list and if you miss two classes, you're out and one of the wait listers is admitted. Its a tight ship. If you're late, you wait. Cece loves books, songs, reading, and being read to. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. She has been going to Storytime since she was about 5 months old. Miss Ellyn provides parents with lists of books appropriate for the age group and songs so that parents can use them at home and fully participate in the class. She does a wonderful job creating a great experience for kids and parents and setting them up for reading success. We feel so lucky to have such a great public library so close by.

Faux Meat

In our veg household, I've recently tried some recipes I'd been wanting to try for quite a while. Cheez-"steaks" and "Chicken" Paninis were both great successes. We had an encore of Sloppy Joe that was delicious, and tofu tacos are always a treat. Interestingly, I didn't like cheesesteaks when I ate meat. The real ones. And I live near Philadelphia, so that statement is akin to blasphemy. But I didn't. However, veg cheesesteaks made with Morning Star Farms bacon were delicious. I like to "surprise" Jeff. He asks what we're eating for dinner. I tell him it's a surprise. He doesn't like that. And then he does. Each time, he tells me I should have made two sandwiches for him. After cheesesteaks, he wanted to know what it was supposed to be. I asked him to tell me what it was most like. He guessed right! These new recipes were all a success. Most came from the Skinny B in the Kitch recipe book. The B rhymes with Kitch in case I've just confused anyone. I don't condone the title, but I do condone the recipes.

Girly Girl

Cece has always had an affinity for purses, her own and those belonging to others. She is not shy about rooting through the belongings of others, strewing keys, phones, and wallets all about. Cece will request a phone by saying, "Helloooooooo" with her hand cupped to her ear. When Cece has her own purse, she insists on slinging it over her shoulder. The other day, Cece discovered a pair of blue sandals with a flower on the top that she wore at the end of last summer. I was pretty certain they no longer fit. I was wrong. With some effort, we squeezed Cece's feet into the shoes. I told her to show daddy her shoes. She walked into the next room, placed her hands on her hips in a very diva-like pose and extended her foot, toe pointed down. What a girl! How did that happen? I do enjoy bags and purses, and always have. As a young child, I was bribed to continue with swim lessons by plying me with play purses. And I enjoy shoes, but not like most women. I don't wear makeup or give all that much care to my hair, but I think Cece will. Her tendencies seem to lean to purses, shoes, and phones.

Cheesy Smile

Cece has recently begun posing for most pictures with the cheesiest, ear to ear, face melting smile you have ever seen. It is awesome.

Her First Sleepover

Jeff and I are planning a trip to Las Vegas at the end of September. It will be the first time that we both are away from Cece over night. We have both been away as individuals but not together. My mom graciously agreed to watch Cecelia during the time we are away. But she, very wisely, wanted to try it out first, ease Cece into this. There are options. My mom can stay at our house during those days and nights, but we are going to try to get Cece comfortable with staying overnight at my mom's house. So, this past Wednesday night into Thursday, we had a trial run. Cece ate dinner and bathed at our house, got in pj's and then we headed over to mom-mom's. Cece was excited to be going over to mom-mom's but was not all that interested in sleeping over. At least not at first. Since Cece has moved up in the world, into a big girl bed, we wanted to try out something similar at my mom's house. There is a pack and play, but I was worried she wouldn't do it. So, we set a mattress on the floor, and put a sleeping bag down next to it (for inevitable rolling out purposes). While downstairs, Cece indicated that she and mommy and daddy should be getting along now, indicating that she would really like to drive the car back home. But we prevailed. We read our usual bedtime stories and talked a lot about what was happening. Cece waved bye-bye to the bed. I laid Cece down and laid next to her on the sleeping bag. I told her that I would sleep there and then I would sleep outside the door (it worked the night before at home...). An hour and a half later, she allowed me to do just that. After inching closer to me, half rolling off the bed while acrobatically sitting on my head, I told her we would sing one more song, and I would lay down with the pillow outside the door. I asked her how many songs? She put up one finger. I said, "And then where is mommy going to go?". She pointed to the door. So, we sang, and I went. When I got to the hall, Jeff was there. He had been worried that I fell asleep next to her. Which happens from time to time. It was quiet in the room, and we can only assume that she eventually slept.

As I'm writing this, it is Thursday morning, so my next post will follow this adventure with mom-mom's recap.

When Jeff and I left, we went to dinner (at 9:00, but still...dinner) at Iron Abbey. Then Jeff stopped at Wawa. I wasn't going to go in, but then I did. Because I could. When we got to the house and went upstairs, Jeff turned to me and said, I was being really quiet coming up the stairs. Because normally at that time he would need to. I looked into her room with its wide open door. Weird. She's getting so big - her first sleepover!

Sneaky

After dinner on Tuesday night, after my first day of in-service at school, I was finishing up dinner and daddy was explaining to Cece how they were going to (shhhh) sneak past mommy to get a cookie, don't tell mommy (mind you, I was right next to them). So, Cece turns to face me, puts a finger in front of her lips and, shhhhh. Then she stalked into the kitchen where she and Jeff got two cookies and took them to the living room. Cece didn't actually want to eat a cookie. So, graciously, Jeff ate two.

Leisure Diving

On Monday morning, the creators of leisure diving were showcased on the Today show. This was the first time I had heard of leisure diving, though I was also late to learn about planking. When I told Jeff about it, he immediately realized that a friend's Facebook profile picture had been an example of leisure diving. What is leisure diving, you ask...check it out here: www.leisure dive.com

Mostly, I wish I had discovered this sooner. As a diving coach, I feel confident we could have done a lot with this in the summer months. I no longer coach year round, but even if I did, I think the lighting quality wouldn't be quite as good indoors. In good news, I am going to the beach tomorrow, so if weather permits it, there are possibilities there. AND, Jeff and I are going to Las Vegas at the end of the month. And there will be a pool, so you just never know...

Speaking of planking, I'm planning to scope out the library for planking possibilities. Thoughts?

Fair Warning

Today is my final day of in-service. Which means that on Tuesday following Labor Day, I'll be back to teaching six classes a day in the library. Which means my posts here may become more scarce. Maybe not, but you all saw what happened last year, right. So consider this fair warning. I have all good intentions of carving out time to write, but, well, I know myself a little too well. Jeff plans to email me stories of he and Cece's adventures on the home front. Copying and pasting should be easy enough. Fingers crossed. I'm going to miss my love bug. And Jeff too. It's time to leisure dive back into the school year. More on leisure diving in tomorrow's post. Happy September!