Why?

We knew it was coming but we didn't know when.  Now we know and the answer is this week.  It's that question the toddler asks.  Why this, why that?  Why, why, why?  The question can get tiring but then you see that she's asking it, not to be a pest, but because she truly wants to know the answer.  It's her little inquisitive mind at work.  Still, it can only go on so long so I finally have to end it with a question of my own - - why do you like to ask why?  And then she gives a nonsensical answer and that's the end of it.  Until a few minutes later when it starts again!  I think the biggest reason that we adults are so bothered by that question is because it's so hard to come up with the answers much of the time.  Just you wait until you fall victim to her questioning and then you'll see what I mean!

This week found me at the Family Health Center to take care of an ear problem.  This may be kind of gross but apparently I'm one of those people that has excess ear wax.  About two years ago I went through a similar situation when it felt like I had water in my ear that wouldn't come out.  Something is blocking the ear canal and you can't hear clearly.  This time I knew exactly what it was and how to fix it.  So off to the FHC with the girls in tow on Wednesday morning.  And sure enough, after a bunch of water being streamed into my ears and then draining out, the wax was gone and I could hear again!  It took about five whole minutes to do that but we were there almost two hours.  It was a VERY long wait in the waiting room needless to say.  That is not your favorite combination with two small children.  Fortunately Calleigh found a little friend to play with and then the rest of the time we played games like Simon Says, Hide and Seek, and I Spy.  She was very well-behaved.  Speaking of games...she's really into Hide and Seek right now.  She mostly likes to seek.  Every now and then she'll do the hiding but she always tells you were she's going to hide.  Clearly she's not exactly clear on the concept.

Last night we had one of those incidences that you hope is just a one time deal.  At least it was with Calleigh.  The girls were in the tub enjoying a leisurely bath.  Everything seemed normal.  And then Calleigh raises her hand and has some foreign substance on it and asks "Mommy, what's this?"  Yup, you guessed it.  Aubree had decided to go # 2.  Obviously Calleigh wanted out of the tub pronto so fortunately Daddy was downstairs and was able to come to the rescue.  But boy, it's a whole operation.  First you have to clean the "substance" out of the tub, disinfect the tub, and then the whopper is cleaning the million and one toys you had in the tub.  To top it all off, Calleigh, of course, wanted to know WHY Aubree decided to go # 2 in the tub.  Apparently my "because she's a baby" answer didn't really fly because she kept asking why over and over again.  Hopefully this is it or Aubree will only be getting bathed once a week.  

It amazes me sometimes on how soundly the girls can sleep.  I tiptoe when I'm upstairs during nap time because I'm so worried that a little sound will wake Calleigh up (and it has in the past).  And if she wakes up, she typically doesn't go back to sleep and then you're whole afternoon is shot.  This afternoon I'm sitting on the couch working as I usually do and I start hearing these sounds coming from Calleigh's room.  She had been asleep for about 45 minutes so I didn't think she was awake already.  I quickly recognized the sounds as those from a toy bus that repeats the letters from the alphabet (if I hear "an upside down Z is STILL a Z" one more time, I may scream.  But seriously, it is a cool bus.  We got it at a consignment sale on Monday. I wouldn't have gotten it but when one of the characters on the bus said "Hi, my name is Callie" I knew we were bringing it home).  So the bus keeps going, and going, and going.  I finally went up to investigate.  It turns out that Calleigh had fallen asleep with her head pressed against the side of the bus.  She must have shifted in her sleep because she was now pressing on the letters and it wouldn't quiet down.  There it was as loud as can be right in her ear and she was sleeping blissfully through it.  If you've seen her crib I know it's hard to believe that she would be touching something like that while sleeping.  That was a very sarcastic sentence by the way.

Aubree is still sweet, smiling Aubree.  I really couldn't have asked for an easier kid when it comes right down to it.  She naps every time when she's supposed to and I haven't had to get up during the night in weeks (I'll excuse her from the night a few weeks back when she was in our room while we had company in town.  That would throw any one off).  As I put her down for her nap this afternoon, I couldn't help but marvel how good she's been about napping.  I haven't had her miss an afternoon nap one time in the months that we've been on this afternoon napping schedule.  When I say miss, I mean that she's fallen asleep every single time.  Calleigh had numerous occasions where she would either not sleep in the morning or not sleep in the afternoon.  

As far as food goes, we added a few new things this week.  I gave her very tiny chunks of peaches and watermelon.  She hasn't perfected her pincher grasp yet so it was difficult for her to get the fruit off her tray but once it was in her mouth (often with my help) she did eat it.  I also gave her a Gerber Bitter Biscuit while we were in Walmart for our groceries yesterday.  My recollection on the end result of those biscuits was right on target.  She was covered practically head to toe in the sticky remnants of the biscuit.  But it did keep her occupied pretty much the whole time so I guess the trade-off is worth it.  And let me just say, she is a very vocal little camper when it comes to eating.  Once she's in that high chair, she wants to be eating.  She'll start carrying on as she watches you mix her cereal together as if to say "Why aren't you feeding me already?  Don't you see me sitting here?"  Once I finish with her cereal and fruit/veggie mixture, I give her a few puffs.  Once she's done with those, and there are still other people sitting around her eating, she gets very upset.  You pretty much have to make sure she always has something to munch on.

This morning we went to a few yard sales.  The pickings are slim this time of year but we did land a globe.  I've been wanting one for a little while and I found one for a couple of bucks today.  There's something about a map or a globe that's very exciting.  Does that make me a nerd?  Maybe it does but I hope to pass it on to Calleigh.  Of course, we showed Calleigh where Florida is but she was a little befuddled about the globe because on the globe, Florida is orange while on another map we have, it's green.  It's sort of like Goliath.  She's into this pop up book about David and Goliath.  She recently discovered another book that has Goliath in it but she INSISTS that it's a different Goliath because he's not wearing the same outfit as in the original book.  That's a 2-year old mind for you I guess.

That's all for now.  We have an exciting weekend ahead.  Duncan and I are going out for my birthday tomorrow night (a little after the fact but that's how it worked out).  Now if Aubree will just take her bottle...