Photo Catch Up!

Makena didn't nap today. That's not unusual, typically when we're out and about she won't nap, and that just means she falls asleep without a problem at 7pm. It's lovely! The hour from 6-7 is usually pretty rough though, she has meltdowns from pure exhaustion and fights us on getting in the bath and then getting out of the bath. Screams when it's time for brushing her teeth, then screams if we forget to brush her tongue or floss. Runs around the bedroom crying about not wanting to put on her diaper and pajamas, then suddenly needs us to help put them on.

It's not the most fun part of the day, but the only fix is to turn off the light and close the door. Well, actually she demands she needs to do that stuff, practically shoving Pam out of the room while giving her a goodnight hug and kiss then runs to the bed and nurses to sleep. It tends to take about 5 minutes until she's asleep. If she does take a nap, I get a little one hour break in the middle of the day and Makena is much more pleasant in the evening. We can go out to run errands or enjoy a meal out and she has time to play with Pam without rushing to eat dinner and start the bedtime routine. But then she typically fights her sleep. Especially if she took a nap longer than an hour or slept past 2 pm. If she wakes up just ten minutes past 2 o'clock, she'll be up until 10pm. Her sleep habits continue to be my main source of frustration!

We have been talking about changing things up a bit. Well, changing things up a lot. We wanted to wait until we were settled in our new home. It's been almost 6 weeks now, and I think we're about as ready as we ever will be. Night weaning is on the horizon... and that's a post for another day.

So now it's time for a photo catch up!

Makena finished her dance/tumbling together class, and she drew this picture for Andrea. I especially like that she put herself in the middle next to Andrea with Pam and I off to the side. And I like the 2 blue mats. Andrea gave her a copy of the songs from the class and Makena just loves that CD!

 Here she is doing one of her favorite songs. "Reach to the sky like you're climbing a rope!"

She's really into hiding and pretending that she's asleep. The sleeping thing is fine by me, it gives me a few minutes to zone out and play on my phone. The hiding thing drives me bonkers. She'll be in the bathroom on the potty and call out that she's all done, and when I go in there she's covering her face with her hands. If I go get the mail and come back inside she's hiding. When anyone comes over she makes a frantic run to hide when she hears a knock at the door. Even when she's nursing on the couch and Pam comes home from work Makena will turn her face into me and hide... while still nursing. It's pretty amazing how long she'll hide, eventually she starts to do a fake laugh to entice us to find her. The game was cute at first but it's been going on for a bit too long. The other day I called her inside and she didn't answer. I looked into our little back yard and didn't see her, and then realized she was hiding. So I tried explaining when it's okay to hide and play, and when I need her to respond so I know she's alright. Here's a photo of her pretending to be asleep when we were about to have a picnic.

We went to the Silicon Valley Duck Race a couple weekends ago. I wish they had this big walking duck character last time, it would've made for a fun photo comparison. We went 2 years ago, when Makena was just 5 months old. It was more fun this time, we walked around the game booths and Makena won some prizes.

She asked to go in the bouncy house, so I paid for her and then she wouldn't bounce. She can be slow to warm up to things, and she wanted one of us to go in with her but there were other little kids in there. Eventually she had fun but she only lasted a few minutes. I really want another baby. I think Makena would do great with a sibling, and she'd be the sweetest big sister! Most of the games were too hard but when she did the mini golf game she got a hole in one!! They all cheered and said that was the first hole in one the whole day, lol.

Then she saw the sparkly temporary tattoos and at first she picked out a chihuahua dog but thankfully decided on a mermaid. The lady asked if she wanted Ariel, and Makena said yes. She sat still the whole time and was beaming when she saw how cute it looked in the sun!

We watched the rubber duckies float down the creek then had a picnic and played at the park. There was a huge family reunion group next to us and the most annoying little boy who kept walking onto our blanket and grabbing our food and stuff. And I don't think he spoke or understood English. I have a high patience level with kids, but this kid rubbed me the wrong way and I was pissed off that none of the adults were watching him. He was so insistent, like a fly that won't stop buzzing around your face. I'm sure that sounds so harsh, and he was little, about Makena's age. And honestly my issue was with the adults. But he was freaking Makena out and driving us crazy. Finally he ran off and the next thing we knew a group of tween girls decided to have a water balloon fight right next to us, and one hit Makena and exploded water all over her and our blanket, and she was terrified and burst into tears. I shouted at them (again, my anger was misplaced- I really wanted to shout at the completely irresponsible adults) and they didn't apologize but moved away, and then and only then did one of the adults yell over to us to say they were sorry. Ugh! We were so frustrated and left. I can't stand when people aren't respectful and are oblivious to common courtesy things. Language barriers aside, you should be aware of where your children are and if they are trying to steal food from strangers. Anyway, rant over.

We stopped to walk in the creek on our way to the car. A few teenage boys showed up with fishing poles and one said to the others that they couldn't fish there because there were kids in the water. The other boys tried to argue with him and I'm glad he convinced them that throwing sharp hooks into the extremely shallow water where people were walking barefoot was a bad idea. My mama bear power was in full force that day and I probably would've turned into the Incredible Hulk if they cast the line into the water by us.

This is Makena's favorite hiding spot at home. And all the books she wanted to read before her nap. We narrowed it down to 2 and read most of the rest later. (See that painting on the wall? She painted everything that's out in the back yard. My hanging plant, the garden boxes, her yellow and orange water table, her red slide with red steps, the little blue table...it's actually a pretty accurate picture!)

And here's what it looks like behind the recliner. We put pillows and blankets in there and she plays with her dolls and reads books.

 I really think we have like, the cutest kid ever. I mean seriously.

Makena and her moms, walking across the street to buy a new garden hose. When she reaches up to hold my hand it's one of the best feelings in the world.

Showing off her plants. She loves watering them and watching everything grow. I'm so happy we have an outdoor area for her to play.

We woke up one morning and started to play with the new wooden blocks Pam brought home. Makena was separating them into different color piles, so I decided we'd make a rainbow and find as many colorful things around the house as we could. It took us a little more than an hour, and we had so much fun! She decided the plain wooden block should go in the purple spot since we didn't have too many purple things. And since the stuffed duck is yellow and orange she laid it across both colors. Then we dressed her up in rainbow stuff for the photo. :)

Putting on a puppet show for me at the library. We checked out a bunch of bedtime books and then she found this Octonauts book. We stopped at the park on our way home. I'll say again how much I love having a library within walking distance!! There was a little branch library near our old apartment but the hours were short and we only went twice.

She wanted to blow bubbles for Donte but he wasn't interested. So she walked around holding his tail like a leash. I know in this photo it looks like she's pulling his tail but he was fine, he's such a good cat. And she was just following him where he went. The second he had enough he meowed and she let go. Then she wanted me to blow bubbles on her tummy like they do in her gym class.

 In addition to living close to the library and having an outdoor area for Makena to play, we are loving the pool! We had a few hot days and it's great to go swimming around 3-4pm when it's mostly shaded. The pool is heated, so it always feels great. Then again, I'm sure when we have a heat wave it won't feel too refreshing. Makena asks to go swimming a lot, and I wonder if the novelty of it will wear off. Probably not, what kid doesn't love being in the pool?!

Last but not least we had somewhat planned a trip up to Seattle next month to visit some of Pam's family, but we can't really afford it, and a 2 day road trip doesn't sound fun at all. So we've decided to have a staycation instead! We'll spend the week Pam has off work doing the local stuff we've been wanting to do. I'm really looking forward to it. :) I'm also looking forward to next week, the boys have been away on vacation and we've missed them!