For the Love of Dora

Sofia is obsessed with this little import from Mexico. I love Mexicans and people from all over, but I'm really starting to dislike Dora the Explorer. Sofia, on the other hand, couldn't be more in love. It's a girl crush of course. From the moment she wakes up, Sofia is asking to watch Dora. I know, I know...kids under two shouldn't even be watching television. Well, whatever sadistic nut thought that up hasn't ever been a stay-at-home-mom. So, Dora is turned on. Last Friday I wasn't feeling well, and Nickelodeon was running a marathon. A four hour marathon. And oh yes, you've guessed it, we watched the whole thing. I think I deserve an award just for watching all four hours. But you would just have to see Sofia's face to understand. It makes her so happy! She was smiling, singing, dancing...who could deny her such pleasure?

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

Wow, Sofia is 2. I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? Sometimes I forget that she is only two, because she acts so much older. I'm so proud of my smart, beautiful little girl. And that's what she is, a little girl. She's no longer a baby! It's only been two years, but I can't imagine my life without her!





Here are some pictures from the small party we threw!
Yes, Sofia has put herself in that little box.

The cool place to play!

Two wild girls!

Tantrums

Ugh...I am so sick of Sofia's tantrums. I was trying to sleep in a little this morning because Ryan was going into work later but all I could hear was Sofia crying. Why was he crying? No clue. I think it may have been because she got pissed about something and threw herself on the ground, resulting in her head banging off the ground. It's kind of hard to sympathize when she does it to herself. Silly child. I'm hoping that since she's not quite two, and has already started the tantrums, that maybe she'll grow out of them sooner. (I know, I can hear the laughter coming from all of you, but it's just a wish. It's what I'll be thinking when Sofia blows out her candles on her birthday.) Luckily for me, next weekend I am going away to Cincinnati all by myself. Did you hear that? All by myself! This will be the first time in two years that I have been away from Sofia for more than just an evening. I'm not trying to sound heartless, but damn am I excited. I think it'll be good for everyone...I'm sure Sofia gets sick of seeing me too, I would!

Terrible Two's

FYI: make sure you look at previous posts, I've added some pictures. I figured it was about time to stay on top of this blog.

Sofia is being a terrible two. Yesterday was one of those days. Sofia was a turd (and I'm not afraid to say it). She was whiny, yelling for Dora the Explorer, saying she had to use the potty every ten minutes (but not using it). The kicker was right when Ryan came home she decided to pee in the potty and then pick up the little bowl and dump it on the floor. I was pissed. After that I had to get out of the house for an hour. I had been home with Sofia for 1o hours while Ryan was at work and I needed a break. So, I went to Target, bought a portable CD player with headphones (and no, I don't own an I-Pod or MP3 player, I'm still stuck in the mid-nineties), then I took my new purchase to the gym for half an hour. I came home a much saner mommy.

Today, knowing I would be home with Sofia all day alone again, I made the decision to go to the zoo. This is the third time we've gone in as many weeks, but it is so worth it. Well, except for the over-priced food and annoying kids, but that's fine. Sofia was pretty good and it was a perfect day for it- 75 degrees and sunny. The animals were out and about. And finally, for once, I did not get pooped on by a bird. Sofia did. It was kind of funny hand of course it was right after she had a full outfit change, but that's Murphy's Law for you!

This weekend was fun. Sofia, Ryan and I went down to Mt.Orab to visit with family. There are so many new babies it's hard to keep track. There are 6 kids under the age of two. It's crazy but I love it! Sofia was really good. One of my little cousins wanted to play with her the whole time, which was fine with me. However, I think Sofia was getting a little frustrated. We stayed and watched some of my brother's soccer scrimage as well. I can't believe he's going to be a junior in high school. I remember when he was Sofia's age. We only lasted at the game for about a half an hour before Sofia started to have a major meltdown. I don't blame her, it was close to bedtime.

Sunday Sofia and I went to the park with Russ, Vanessa and Genevieve. Sofia and Genevieve are so cute together, and they play well. Russ was the impromptu daddy since Ryan wasn't there. At one point, Sofia wouldn't let me put her in the swing, it had to be Russ. The only snag of the morning was when Sofia and Genevieve were holding hands, walking in the parking lot. Genevieve tripped and went down, pulling Sofia with her. Sofia's hand was still in Genevieve's, so the only way she could catch herself was by falling on her face. I felt so bad! We went to Wendy's and got a frosty to make up for it (the power of the frosty!). So was fine, but she has a little mark on her face.

So, the whole potty training is going really well. Sofia kind of initiated it on her own, and we're just following. I started a potty chart for her yesterday. It has all of the days in August (starting from yesterday) and everytime she pees in the potty she gets 1 sticker, and when she poops she gets 2 stickers. When she gets to ten stickers, she gets a prize. Yesterday alone she went 6 times. Impressive. We're still a far cry from underpants, but we're getting there!

Potty News

It's sad when the most exciting part of my day is when Sofia pees on the potty. I need to get a hobby. But seriously, yesterday Sofia peed in her potty three times yesterday afternoon/evening. She's starting to tell us when she wants to go, and last night she went in her romm alone, took off her pants and diaper, and went to the potty all by herself. That's a pretty big feat I would think. Now I've got stars in my eyes and am counting the days until she is out of diapers.

It seems like forever since the last time I posted. You would think I had been incredibly busy or something, but not really. I do have more time now that classes are done for three weeks (yea!) and Summer Reading Club is over at the library (double yea!). Sofia has been hilarious these past couple of weeks. Today she was with Ryan all day and she decided she wasn't going to take a nap. When I came home at asked if she was tired she said,"I'm not tired." Just within the last week or so she's been talking in sentences. It's still a mix between her garbled language (Sofiaism) and English, but it's getting much easier to understand her. It makes it so much easier to get her what she wants, or deny her what she wants, when I know what she is saying. I just can't believe she'll be two in a month. Where has the time gone?

Sad News

Well, today we have some sad news. Our wonderful cat, Juliet, passed away this morning. We had no idea that she was sick or anything and it was really very shocking to find her this morning. I won't gross you out with the details. We are going to miss her very much. Ryan and I got her almost six years ago, a year after we first started dating and right after we moved into our first apartment together. She was our baby before we had Sofia. Juliet was the best cat ever, just ask anyone who knew her. She was sweet, even-tempered, fun, playful, and just really awesome. We'll always have a special place in our hearts for her.

Water Fun

Sofia and I had a lot of fun on Thursday when we went to a really cool park in Hilliard with some friends. Emily introduced this park to us and along with her daughter (who is pretty close to Sofia's age), Jenn and her two kids, we all had a great time. This park is pretty amazing. They have about three different playgrounds, a huge fort/water gun play area, and a place for 5 and under kids to play in the water without being demolished and run over by the older kids. Sofia had a blast in the water. It was funny because Abby, Jordan, and Jeremiah would play near each other, and sometimes with each other, but for the most part Sofia was on her own. We stayed at the park for over three hours, so needless to say by the time we got home, we were all exhausted. Oh, and did I bring a camera, of course not. Will I ever learn?

So, I haven't seen much of Sofia the past couple of days, but she is really starting to crack me up all the time! She still does her ornery things, but wow-she's got one heck of a sense of humor. Oh, and her dancing is incredible. Monday night we had a little dance party in the living room, getting down to some Paramour and Snow Patrol. Sofia couldn't get enough. "Up! Up!" that's all I heard. I was swinging her around like a deranged monkey, it was fun. She's such a goofball!

Beautiful Day

Today is a perfect summer day. Sofia woke up at 10:30 a.m. which was wonderful. Yesterday she slept until 11 am. I have no idea why she's sleeping so much, she's acting healthy so I'm not going to complain. I'm going to thank my lucky stars that I have a daughter who loves to sleep as much as I do. Anyway, today was so pretty when I got up that I decided it would be a good Zoo day. Sofia and I practically ran out the door and when I told her we were going to the Zoo, she got very excited. "Goin' to da Doo?" (For those who don't understand toddler, that means, "We're going to the Zoo?) As soon as she sees the sign, Sofia goes crazy. This time we stuck to the North America and Asia areas of the park. It was so much fun because Sofia gets more and more into the animals everytime we go. She loved the petting zoo with the goats. In fact, she walked around for about ten minutes with a brush, brushing every goat she could find. Sofia also really liked the bird aviaries. At one point I couldn't get over how much fun I do have with her when we get out of the house and go do things. Maybe I should do that more often instead of sitting at home. Hmmm...just a thought.





Here are some pictures from another Zoo trip, just not this one.


Here are some other random pictures I thought I would add. And yes, that is a beer Sofia is holding in the one picture, and no, it is not open. However, it does make for a good picture!


You can tell these are all pre-haircut. Unfortunately, Ryan and I haven't had a chance to take too many new pictures. However, if you want to see some new ones from the other day, check out my friend Mandy's blog. Mandy's so fancy with her blog, she even included a video link of Sofia. Even I can't do that!

So, I did vacuum and clean the bathroom before work. I'm not that gross!

To-Do List

So, last night I was bored in class (I'm going to Library School for my Master's degree, and yes, you need a Master's to be a librarian.) and decided to write up to-do lists for this week. I put down things to clean, go to the gym, go to the grocery store, clean my car etc. Today I had
-go to the gym
-clean the bathroom
-put away clean clothes
-go to the grocery store
-vacuum

What did I do today? I went to the Zoo. So, I get to use a dirty bathroom, sit among piles of laundered clothing, starve, and not lose weight...but hey, at least I got to see a monkey pick his nose and eat it!

Oh, from the mouths of children

I'm at work right now, and I just had to tell you the question an eight-year-old girl just asked me. She saw the picture of Sofia that is on my computer screen. "Who is that?" she asked. "It's my little girl, my daughter," I replied. "Does it hurt having a baby?" she asked. "Whaaa...," I replied.

What the heck do you say to that? I could have been honest and said," Why yes, it did. It felt like my uterus was being squeezed and a giant rubber band was being wrapped around my waist by a sadistic monster." But I didn't (although, what a great form of birth control). Instead, I said, rather meekly, "Yeah, but just a little."

Ahhh...sex ed at the library. Gotta love it!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

That spells vacation. Which, unfortunately, is over. Time went by way too fast but we had a lot of fun. I was so worried about Sofia and the plane ride and the time difference, but everything worked out great. Sofia wa really good on the flights, only having a couple of meltdowns on the way. It's taking her a little longer to adjust back to Ohio time, but we're working on it. As we speak, Sofia is softly whimpering in her room. However, that may have more to do with the fact that I put her to bed after telling her not to scratch the walls with her nails and when I picked her up, she proceeded to rake her fingers down my back repeatedly. OW!

We did a lot over the course of a few days in Phoenix, including going to the Phoenix Zoo, the Arizona Science Center, Tortilla Flat, swimming in the pool. Rather than me write a bunch of stuff, why don't I just show some pictures!

Sofia's first day at the pool. She is totally fearless, jumping off the edge of the pool into our arms and even letting me dunk her under water. We tried to go swimming almost every day, and the water was perfect.

Sofia really liked the Zoo, but I think in the beginning she was really hot. The tram ride around the park was fun, and we got to see a lot of animals. It's so hot in Phoenix that we were at the Zoo by 9 a.m. We rode the carousel twice and saw a really neat giraffe exhibit. Sofia was a bit whiny in the beginning. However, once she saw these fountains, she couldn't have been happier. It took a couple of minutes of standing there watching the other kids before she would venture in. However, once she did . . .

. . . she abolutely loved it!

Checking out the prairie dogs.

Enjoying the Arizona Science Center's Grossology exhibit. Yes, the sign says, "Toot, toot" and yes, it's talking about farts. You pump air into the tubes and then push down on the rubber stopper on top to create beautiful butt music...it was hilarious.

This is right before the wheel barrow tipped over, hitting Sofia in the head. She liked this little play area because it had a little house and tons of stuff to climb on. One of the neatest exhibits was a weather "immersion" theater experience. You stand with a bunch of people on a raised platform in the middle of the room, surrounding by theater screens, speakers, and lights. The screens talk about and display various forms of weather (tornados, thunderstorms, earthquakes) and while that is happening, you are able to experience it thanks to rain machines, wind, and heat lamps. It was pretty cool, and I was really afraid that Sofia would be scared, but she really liked it, especially the wind.

Our last day, right before we left for the airport.

Look at those smiling faces. All in all, we had a great time (thanks Mom and Ken!). Ryan got to take his first airplane ride and we all got to experience new things!

And now, back to the real world...sigh.

Countdown to Phoenix

Well, only 9 days until we all fly to Phoenix. I'm really excited to see my mom and get out of Columbus. Things have been a little rough around here. Ryan lost his job a couple of weeks ago, sowe've been going through that stress. Luckily those government economic stimulus checks came in around the that time, so things could be a lot worse. We've been enjoying our time together because it's been a long time since the three of us have been in the apartment together for an extended period of time. We've gone to the pool, made lots of good food, grilled out, played outside...everything that families should be doing in the summer.

This past weekend we went and saw my cousin play baseball. It was hot, but fun. Sofia really enjoyed herself and even learned a new word: baseball. She totally surprised us when we went to the game on Sunday and as we were walking torwards the field, she just pointed at the game and said, "Baseball!" clear as day. Pretty cool. We also took Sofia swimming yesterday. Well, I went swimming while Ryan sat at the side of the pool. Let me tell you, that little girl is fearless! She puts her face in the water, likes to float on her belly, you name it. Plus, she likes to stand on the side of the pool and jump into my arms. It's so cool! Also, she's addicted to playing outside, no matter how hot the weather. If Ryan steps outside to smoke, she freaks out because she wants to go out there too. We've been going out a couple of times a day plus every evening. Usually our neighbor Dan (Sofia's big crush) and our friend Tony are outside too. Sofia's just happy to be out there, pushing her baby stroller, kicking balls, or throwing baseball. What a fun time!

Potty!

So, this happened on Wednesday, but I think it is worth mentioning. Drumroll please....Sofia actually pooped in the potty! Cue the bells and whistles. We got the potty for her a few months ago because she seemed kind of interested, and I thought what the heck. So, we let her play with it and occassionally she'll want to sit on it. Well, now she's started to tell us when she has already gone to the bathroom. This involves one of two ways of communication. Either pointing at her diaper and saying something nowhere near, "I peed." or "I pooped." The other way is her pulling off her diaper and pants by herself. We prefer the other method. Anyway, on Wednesday Sofia started to making her usual grunting noises and I hurried up and put her on the potty and surprise! Sofia was only mildly freaked out. But we flushed it down the toilet and then she got a cookie. She hasn't done it again, but still. Pretty cool.

Wow. I never thought I would be so excited about, well, poop. I need to hang out with some grown-ups.

Memorial Day Madness

I must say, Sofia was a champ this weekend. We had people over on Sunday for a cookout and she just ran around talking to everyone. The day wasn't without its meltdowns, especially when Sofia had to come inside. Boy, was she pissed. The screaming and crying. She would live outside if she could.

What an Arm!

So, I'm really serious thinking about getting Sofia into the Major Leagues. They'll take an onery 20-month-old, right? If it's not her cup of milk or fork, it's everything else that is flying across the room. And for being so young, she has quite an arm. Plus, she's got some mad soccer skills. She kicks, she dribbles...I smell World Cup!

20 Months!

Wow, can you believe Sofia is 20-months-old?! Where has the time gone? Sofia's getting to be such a toddler, and I mean that in both a good way and a bad way. Yesterday, for example, was another one of those "bad parenting days." I think the big culprit was that I had been home with Sofia all day long for three days straight. Anyway, she started the morning off by dumping her eggs on the floor. It made me mad. Mad enough to give her a swat on the bottom (not very hard obviously, I don't need child services after me) and then I told her to go to her room and sit on her butterfly rug. She started crying and walked around the side of the couch and then stopped, so I took her by the hand and led her into her room and sat her little butt down on the rug. I told her not to move. As I was cleaning the yellow goop from the floor I could hear her crying and saying "mommy" over and over. As I was washing the dishes off, I could see her try to scoot off the rug but I told her to get back on it, and surprisingly enough she did as she was told. I only kept her there for about 3 minutes. After which, I told her she can't throw food and she needed to say sorry (or "sowwy as she says it) and then I apologized for yelling. Then we hugged. A true Kodak moment. I wish I could say the day got better, and it did a little. Of course today I'm at work and then class, so I'm sure she'll be perfect for Ryan. Of course.