So we are gearing up to be 3! She says she is excited for her baby sister to get here, however, not before her birthday. We told her she would have her birthday and then baby sister would be here. Well for a while I didn't think that was going to happen, but now who knows!

Just a few notes to myself mostly so I don't forget (that is actually why I started the blog!):

Maci loves to wear dresses. She did not get that from me. It is all her Aunt Chris. Also, she loves to do her nails. And scarily pink seems to be a favorite color. She does not get any of those traits from me.

Her imagination is going like crazy all the time. She reenacts all kinds of princess stories. She blames bad things on beast.

If something is torn up she blames it on the wicked step-sisters. My favorite is when Grandma Jane brought dress up dresses from our "work-out" friend at the hospital. The Tinkerbell dress strap broke after a couple minutes of having it on - she comes running around the corner distressed shouting "the wicked step-sisters tore up my dress!" We all were laughing - which by the way she didn't find funny. Thank goodness Grandma Calista was able to whip it back into shape! Only Grandma Calista has Tinkerbell thread color apparently!

She LOVES popcorn and a movie time. Since she has had to be an inside kid most of the year, she has been exposed to lots of movies. Her Aunt Chris also has a Disney movie obsession and gave most of her VHS collection to Maci. So she has plenty to choose from. We did have a tragic moment when we moved her VCR quit. Again Grandma Calista came to her rescue with a VCR she wasn't using. In it's first life I think it mostly recorded basketball, but I think technology phased it out! Good for Maci.

I love how she tries to get phrases right, but they are so not. For example, "Dad how you like that?" She is asking how do you think she looks.

She is drinking juice FINALLY. The last time she was sick I bought some juice boxes trying to sell any kind of liquid on her. Now she will drink all kinds of juice. I still don't know what her deal was with juice, but she really did not like it.

AND FRUIT we finally have adapted to most fruit. She has always liked grapes and apples. We have gradually progressed to strawberries. I think it was Aunt Mary's strawberry jam (I mean seriously who wouldn't like it). Tonight Aunt Amy brought her some strawberries she ate them! We couldn't get her to touch them last year. So now I have committed to make her some jam, since we ate it all on pancakes (aka pampakes to her).

That reminds me that her vocabulary mostly is scarily accurate and clear. It makes it really hard to pretend what she said is not what she said. She spent the day with her Grandpa Brad and Grandma Jane this weekend. We went on the yard tour and were on the front porch checking out the flowers plain as day she said "those damn flies." I was thinking surely she didn't just say that... And then grandma said well I believe she did. So I was giving her that is a bad word speech and she said papa told me that it was not a bad word. She spends most of the time telling him not to say that word so I am assuming he was tired of not being able to talk. He claims she won't let him say anything without reprimanding him. So we can't say shut-up, hiney, butt, or hell - but damn is fair game. I forgot to take up that matter with him before I left.

She still prefers to sleep with someone. She has no problems going to sleep on her own at daycare, but at home she thinks we need to snuggle! She will tell you she is spoiled. So now we start her in her own bed and depending on the night she comes into our room. It might be 3 hours or it might be 6. If we had more energy, I am sure the correct thing to do would be take her back to her own bed. I opt for my own selfish reasons to let her get in bed and go back to sleep. I know sleep is overrated.

I am sure this should have been a post itself including pictures, but I still haven't found my camera cord. She had her FIRST haircut 2 weeks ago. I have to admit I don't like it as well. We had never cut it so it was all different layers and really long. Now it is all shaped and mid back length. Of course I think she is still cute, but I think I was attached to the long hair. I was just preparing for summer.

Every time she sees a cat in a book, on TV, or in real life. Her comment "I am allergic to cats and mold" It cracks me up.

This is a sporadic unorganized post but as I said it is mostly for myself to remember all her quirks at almost 3!

Oh I almost forgot my favorite reason for having her. She keeps her dad in check. She doesn't let him wear his shoes in the house, makes him pick up his socks, and has him wrapped around her little finger. He is such a sucker for her. They are best buddies if you ask her. (boys are buddies - girls are best friends)

Big Day

As we all know Maci spends most of her winter time exposed to very few public places. She doesn't get to do much. So now that we are letting her out she tries to talk me into going anywhere every day. So yesterday was a HUGE day for her. I had a doctor appointment late afternoon in Columbia. Derek normally comes home and gets her, however, he has a job in St. Louis he had to visit. So he couldn't make it back to get her in time. Maci got to go to the doctor with me. Another concept she had lots of questions about. Normally she is the one going to the doctor. She asked 4 billion questions.

After the doctor visit, we went to the library. I have been bribing or what I think most parents call the award system her with a trip to the library. She had to be good at home and at Jeanne's all week and she could go to the library. Originally I was thinking the library in Macon for a preschooler reading night. However, we went to the Columbia library. She had a fabulous time! I think I might have messed up though, because now she is going to want to go to that library every time. The Columbia library has all kinds of puzzle, doll houses, special kid chairs, & a kitchen. She had a hard time leaving all that stuff to pick out a couple books to take home. AND then to pick out a couple books was difficult, because there were SO many to choose from. I think they need a wall display of books at the kids level and rotate the books in that display. Then the kids wouldn't have SO many to choose from on the shelves. She kept gravitating to the books at her level on the end of the isles that were on display. And for some reason they were all cat books. She would then comment I'm allergic to cats I don't want to read that book. I kept cracking up. I tried to explain she wasn't allergic to cats in the books, but it was a lost cause!

After the library mind you she didn't want to leave and we had been there for almost 2 hours, we met her dad for supper. Derek has been wanting to take her to the Japanese hibachi grill place. He thought she would love all the activity and they serve her favorites in food - shrimp, noodles, rice and vegetables. She did really good - I thought she might get intimidated by all the attention she was getting from the chef. She did not like the BIG huge fire in the beginning, but all the cooking was great entertainment. Her dad told her the big fire was like when mommy cooked a comment that made her laugh (I however didn't find it as funny). She ate with chopsticks (or bread sticks she kept calling them) and did really good with them. Derek and I were impressed. I think I was impressed that she never gave up using them. Of course they fixed them up to stay together for her. She ate all her noodles, shrimp, & vegetables with her chopsticks. The rice was a bit hard for her to get, but seriously it is hard for anyone.

After all that I was worn OUT! So we headed home she wanted to go shopping, but I was NOT doing it. I told her all the shopping I was going to do last night would be online, and I was even too tired for that!

Been a long time...

I noticed it has been a long time since we posted. Maci had a great Easter today. She got lots of stuff. The Easter Bunny did bring her flashcards that she has played with all afternoon. She likes to have me quiz her and then her quiz me. The flashcards cover all kinds of things I didn't think she would know yet, but I guess she picks up on more than I realize. I thought the ones that would trick her would be the beginning sounds - which one in the picture starts with the same sound. Or the which one in the picture is different. I thought she would struggle with those things, but I struggle more than she does! I sometimes try to make it harder than it is...

Needless to say she got LOTS of candy. And Uncle Dan always comes through with the toys that parents would never buy....silly string who buys that for an almost 3 year old? She also has about every bubble toy they make and then some. So I hope a couple of these days we have off will be nice outside. The Easter Bunny left a basketball for her and she can't wait to play with it. We told her if the weather was not nice we would let her play with it in the garage, but she doesn't think that will be the same.

She still really likes to write in notebooks (or checkbook as she calls it). She has been writing in her little books the Easter Bunny brought all day. I can't believe how long that can entertain her.

We did take Grandma Calista with us to have lunch for Daniel's birthday. Obviously Grandma is feeling better and was able to wear her shoes for more than 20 minutes. The last time I had been to visit she had put her shoes on for the first time and had them on for 20 minutes, but today she had them on for a couple hours! After lunch Maci made Grandma Jane take her downstairs to watch a movie. Then we headed home - Maci fell asleep about the end of the gravel road. She took a big nap today.

I want that...

So today Maci was watching icarly and a commercial for polly pockets came on:
Maci: "I want that, I am going to buy it"
Me: "really how are you going to do that?"
Maci: "I am going to drive your car to the store and buy it. You can go with me and ride in the back."
Me: "where are you going to get the money to buy it?"
Maci: "Papa gave me some money"

She has an answer for everything doesn't she.

No More Bath Time Fights!

When we started the bath time it was always a fight to get her out of the tub. The water would be freezing and she would still want to play. And really we don't have many bath toys, so you would think if you were cold you would get out. Now we don't have to fight with her anymore. Her dad and her negotiated the end of bath time. Now when her fingers are wrinkly it is time to get out. When she sees her fingers are wrinkly she gets out.

Rationalization and evidence seem to get her to agree with us.

Baby Sister

Tonight Maci was discussing her baby sister. She started with "when my baby sister gets here she is going to dance with me" So I told her "your sister won't be able to dance for a while." She says "that's right I can hear her say goo goo ga ga right now." She then proceeded to tell me she was going to help her sister up when she fell out of my tummy. Interesting...

YIPPEE!

Last night Maci decided that she was going to bed by herself. She wanted me to come tuck her in and turn on her lamp, but then she was going to sleep alone. She has been sleeping in her own bed, but usually one of us has to lay down with her until she falls asleep. AND she really likes her dad to do this job, because he falls asleep too! She went to bed on her own at 8 p.m. I told her I would be in the living room if she needed me. It took her about 15 minutes to be out - I know I couldn't not keep checking on her. I just couldn't believe that she was going to do it all by herself. She woke up about 9 p.m. for a second (I think I might have over blanketed her because she was all sweaty), and then right back asleep. She didn't get up until 6:30 a.m. However, she proceeded to get in my bed while I was getting ready and fell back asleep.