Apple Picking

Dear Abby,

Side note:  You can’t say “apple” yet…but you try.  You say “a-ball”.  It’s really cute.

Grandma & Grandpa Berry came to visit you last weekend and we took them apple picking!  It was a long drive to Wallingford Farms in Lewiston but your father insisted we go to THAT orchard because he is obsessed with their apple cider donuts.  Seriously, he bought three DOZEN bags.  I got distracted and wasn’t watching what he was doing and he got rather carried away.  There are about 15 donuts rotting in our refrigeration this very minute.

Highlights from the day include picking out pumpkins with G & G.  You get REALLY excited about pumpkins.  You jump up and down, point and sputter with wild facial expressions “PUMPS!”  ” HELLO?  WHY ISN’T EVERYONE FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW?  THERE ARE PUMPKINS HERE!!!”  And then you run wildly toward them. Pet them.  Sit on them.  And then the pointing, sputtering, yelling thing happens all over again.

Grandma Berry, Mommy & You in the apple tree.

You also really loved the petting zoo.  You call all animals “Goats”.  You didn’t really warm up to Grandpa Berry much on this visit (you are going through I-hate-all-men except Daddy phase) but you did get in his proximity because he bought some grain to feed the animals.  You are still really shy around them and wont feed them by yourself, but you love to watch them eat.

We did manage to pick some apples as well.  You made Grandma hold you almost the entire time.  You are really heavy now (27lbs!), but she didn’t seem to mind.  I’m so happy you love her so much.  It’s really hard to live away from them.   I’m going to do my best to make them as much a part of our day-to-day lives as possible.  God lead us to live in Maine, so I’m going to trust His will.

We managed to take a half-way decent family picture as well!

Right as we were leaving we ran into a few friends from church!  Your BFF Kaiya was there!

We stopped in Freeport on the way home because Grandma HAD TO GO to LLBean and buy a doormat.  Don’t ask.  By this point you were suppose to be in nap time and were UGLY.  We appeased you for about a 1/2 hour by showing you the big tank full of trout at Beans, but after you were done with that, you were DONE.    You feel asleep before we left the parking lot.

Color!

Summer has turned into fall and you have turned into a little girl in the blink of an eye.  Where did my sweet baby go?   Lately you just can’t sit still!  Some of your favorite activities include:

• COLORING.    Anywhere, Anytime…..you want to COLOR!  You especially love your Yo Gabba Gabba coloring book.  I remember when you saw it.  Your Grandma Wheeler was helping me get some groceries one afternoon and she had you in a separate cart (you still find it hilarious  to throw things out of my cart).  We rounded the cereal aisle and you saw it.   You practically flung yourself out of the cart trying to get our attention.  Gabba!  Gabba! Gabba!   I apologize in advance for spoiling you, but I have a tendency to you know, buy you everything you want.  I need to work on that.
• BUCKET OF BEANS.  This month we’ve had an OT come to the house to help you work on some of your eating (non!) issues.  Part of the therapy entails testing you for all sorts of sensory problems.  Some kids have problems touching new things they haven’t experienced.  Clearly this isn’t you.  You not only touches the beans, you got IN the bucket.  Check that one off the list.
• DORA.   You will quite literally do ANYTHING for some screen time with that Spanish princess.  DORA, DORA, DORA the explorer!  Well you say DOR-UA.   It’s adorable.   If your father or I even say the work you run from any part of the house and park it in your little pink chair.  It comes in especially handy when you are screaming.   Not that we would reward that behavior to have 23 minutes of silence.  Nope, not us.

Trying on Mama’s heels

Sunday Sabbath

Dear Abby,

Today was just a normal Sunday.  We got up early, stopped for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and went to church.  This morning, per usual, we were the first ones to arrive.  Pastor E. dedicated a baby today so we go there early so I could arrange flowers and take care of all the details.  Your father fiddled with the sound systems and computers just like every Sunday.  You’re at an age now where I can just set you down and you follow me wherever I go.  You are really shy around men still.  Especially this man named Jim.  He LOVES children, but you aren’t givin’ up any love.  He tried to hold you today and you ran to me and wrapped your arms around my thigh.   I love this stage.

Yesterday we gave you a new toy:  a shopping cart full of play food.  Your occupational therapist suggested the idea to try to help you make the correlation that people eat food and it’s not unpleasant.  To say you loved it would be a understatment!  It didn’t hurt that the cart came with an infant seat AND a toddler seat for your dollies.

You’ve been doing a little better with eating this week.  Your starting to hold your sippy cup of milk and drink when we ask you.  Sometimes.  You’d still rather we do all the work, but hopefully we are turning a corner – slowly but surely.

It rained today for the first time in a while.  I was annoyed when we woke up to it because I had planned a nice picnic to Portland Headlight but in the end it was a blessing just to laze around the house a bit.  You took a long nap this afternoon and then played with your toys most of the evening.   We listened to your new CD from church – Sunday School Blessing by Little People.  You especially liked the song “Give me Oil in my Lamp”.