May 1, 2015 ~ Get Up And Dance With Me!

Heading Out

Tonight Stu took Teagan to their first Father-Daughter dance.  Our school allows the Kindy kids to attend.  So sweet.

The PTA was able to get some students from a local salon to provide free up-do’s for the girls, if they wanted.  Teagan wasn’t sure about it, but decided she did want “fancy hair” and we went over.  She asked for twists, like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz had, but with a pony tail in the back, not on the sides.  I don’t think the stylist we were assigned to really knew how to do Dorothy Twists, but she did something that made Teagan happy.  With a little extra curl to the back.  Teagan asked if I could try to curl her hair too.  We’ll see, I said.  I’ve never had a curling iron.

Ash was very disappointed that she couldn’t go.  That is, once she woke up from the nap she refuses to admit she needs, and realized that she really wasn’t going to be able to go.

Stu had no idea what to expect.  He’s not from the US so is unfamiliar with the entire school system.  I did suggest he wear a tie.

They had a great time.  Teagan was well behaved (Yay!), introduced him to her classmates and the older girls she knew.  Stu said the DJ was probably very popular in the older-second-or-third-wedding circles, some of the music choices were a bit dated.  Dated enough to get the fifth graders to storm out for not playing Uptown Funk or some other requests.

He did play some slow songs, and Teagan and Stu danced.  He spun her, which was the best thing ever.  He bent over and danced at her height.  He picked her up and danced with her at his.  She loved it.

Teagan came home with at least fifty glow necklaces.  They said that she had more, but Stu made them into bracelets that she then traded with the older girls for swag for her classmates.  She didn’t hesitate to walk up to the “cool kids” and show them her bracelets and then offer to trade with them.  They allowed her to join their circle for a bit.  I really wish I could have seen that!  My kid is so awesome.  The smile on her face as she was telling me she traded the bracelets for balloons and leis was just wonderful.

I really can’t wait to be able to chaperone.

 

August 14, 2012 ~ corkscrew

Look who is using a spoon! And can almost load it herself!

Watching signing time yesterday, she tried to sing along with the alphabet song. She’d get a bit stuck, and G was her favorite letter. She now walks up to you, asking to be picked up, ” Up. Up. Up. Up.”. She also asks for books, ” book-a, book? Book.”. She’ll kick her feet and clap her hands when we read Barnyard Dance, put her finger in the holes eaten by the Hungry caterpillar. She will echo a moo, baa, and woof, will roar like a lion on request.

So much is changing, growing, becoming less baby. She has at least one new tooth, maybe a second lower molar.

She also was given an awesome hairdo at daycare, with four little piggy tails all over her head. My favorite one curled up into a lovely corkscrew. I hope her curls stay for a bit more!

June 2, 2012

Look who got a hair cut today.

 

Well, a little trim.  Mr. Wayne just cut the long “funny” fringe she had.  All the curls in back are still intact!  She did a good job, was more curious than anything else.

She’s getting so big.

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April 20, 2012

Look what I made – finished – today!  One for each girl.

I did a blend of this design and this one.  Just need to hang them and we’re good to go! Frames were super-sale with coupon from Michaels.  Material was quilting pre-cuts from Joanne, along with a bit of ribbon.  Pretty easy.

I haven’t shown the girls yet, I”m sure Teagan will be very happy.  She did pick the material out for both hers and for Ashlin’s.

 

 

 

 

First thing to do was attach the batting.  I glued each corner down so it wouldn’t slip.

Batting

Then I centered the material to the frame backing, using a bit of tape.

tape

Then I used a glue gun to affix the material to the backing, making sure the material stayed tight.

Hot glue

I then laid out the ribbon, playing with order and spacing.

ribbon!

I did use a bit of tape to secure the ribbons before I turned it over to hot glue them to the backing too.  I tried to keep these taut too, and evenly spaced.

gluing ribbons

Finished boards before going back into the frames.

almost done

And back in the frames.

All done!

I can’t wait to see how Teagan likes her pink ribbon board!  It will be the first pink thing in her room.  The first of many, I think.

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March 20, 2012

Dada's first ponytail

This may be the first pony tail that Stu’s put in.  A very good first pony tail!  Stu’s combed her hair in the morning before, but always seemed to find something else to do when the elastics came out.  Somehow, I’ve always done the pony tails, piggy tails, braids, curls, whatever.

Yay!

Let’s see if we can get him to french braid tomorrow :D

~

PS.  Ashlin does not like ponytails.  Barrettes aren’t too bad, but ponytails?  No go.  So far, anyway.

PPS.  Happy Spring!!

 

February 19, 2012

In the chair

Teagan got her first real hair cut yesterday.  She’s had her bangs trimmed once or twice before, but I don’t really count that.  Those little trims were done while standing and holding her.  Quick little things.  This time, she sat in the chair, and had a drape.

When we got to the salon, everyone was surprised that we called it a hair cut.  Our saying that she  she would be getting a hair cut today.  They quickly called it a trim, a style.  They were worried that the word cut would freak her out.  Teagan, although sensitive at times, isn’t too phased by that word.  We had done all the prep work on hair cut.  Her first hair cut.  I had told her that it would be like getting her nails cut, that if she sat still and followed instructions it wouldn’t hurt at all.

She was still a little nervous.  And excited too.  She had been looking forward to having her hair cut, but now that it was time, I think she was having second thoughts.  If she even knew what second thoughts were.  Maybe she just wanted to go eat oranges or grapes.

Still so small

The hairdresser had her watch while I got my hair washed and cut.  Smart!  She got to see that it didn’t hurt, and that it really wasn’t a big deal.

Then it was her turn.

She looked so small in the chair, even with the booster.

But she toughed it out.  She followed the hairdresser’s directions, well, as well as a 2.5 year old can.  She didn’t cry, she was such a trooper.  You could see she was anxious, but she braved it out.

Back

First, he trimmed the back of her hair.  Mr. W asked her to look down at her shoes.  Teagan tried.  She would look down, and then after about 30 seconds would look up to the mirror.  I think 30 seconds is pretty good for a toddler, who’s never had her hair cut before.  I  crouched down by her feet and tried to talk to her, hoping to keep her attention to try to help her keep her chin down.  That helped.  A little.

Bangs

Then, the bangs.  She sat very still for those.  She didn’t flinch, much, when he cut her bangs.  He got so close to her with the scissors, and yet she stayed very still.  Such a good girl. You could see her concentrating on not moving.

Pretty braids

Then he did these lovely french braids.  It’s crazy how many different shades are in her hair.  It almost looks like it’s highlighted.  Unless she went back to the early 80’s, I don’t think she has a bottle of Sun-In at her disposal.  And she didn’t do a very even job at spraying it in either.  I wonder what color her hair will be, once it stops changing.  Ashlin’s is lightening up, while Teagan’s seems to be getting darker.

Teagan had no idea that she’dget a lollipop after her hair cut.  We hadn’t mentioned it to her earlier.  She loved the fact that she could actually pick the color/flavor of her treat.  At first, she wanted pink, no blue, no green…  wait, purple!  She was very excited by her lollipop.  It may have been the first one she’s had.

The Mr. W said she did a great job, as did the other people from the salon.  She was so happy.  She hugged the hairdresser afterwards, and said thank you.

My baby girl is getting so big.

Lollipop

And yet, still so small.

Sitting Pretty

Oh, and the braids lasted maybe an hour. She couldn’t stop touching them, playing with them.

January 25, 2012

Sick Baby

Ashlin got sent home sick today.  She was running between 101.4° and 102°F and was lethargic.  not her usual cheerful and smiley self.  She fell asleep in my arms after we got her home – all she wanted to do was snuggle.

I do wish she wasn’t such a hair puller, and that she didn’t seem to prefer mine.  She’s always twirled, or pulled, her hair as she falls asleep.  Swaddled, she couldn’t reach, but now that she’s no longer swaddled, she can do it again.  Sometimes she’ll pinch a bit instead, or will get distracted with my necklace.  Her hands just always seem to move until she falls asleep.

Anyway.  Her temperature went down with Tylenol, and she’s been sleeping for the most part since we got home.  Awoke once for a feed, and once to be laid back down (she was standing up in the crib in her sleep).  Hopefully, the rest of the night will play out in similar fashion, without the standing, and she’ll wake up smiling and happy without any snot.

Teagan was running a bit of a temp tonight.  I do hope she doesn’t get it.

~~

I have to say, the pop-up video thing that AMC is doing with Superman Returns tonight is very annoying.  Informative, but annoying.  I’d probably appreciate it more if I had already seen the movie.  But I’ve only seen pieces of it, never all of it in a row.  It’s been fun so far.

PS.  The opening credits made me giggle, they’re just like the ones from the first movies.

January 19, 2012

Hair

Ashlin woke up with funny hair again. She is a hair twirler, and must have twirled her way to sleep last night.  I may need to not bathe her on nights before day care days.  That, or actually brush her hair in the morning.

Now that she’s enjoying her baths, I may need to start brushing.

Maybe she won’t cry like her sister does.  Still does.  Sigh.

Focus

She’s absolutely fascinated with the musical table. I just pulled it out from the basement and put in fresh batteries. She’s trying to pull herself up, succeeding sometimes. It’s a bit higher than the fireplace. I give her until Monday to get it down.

I can reach

Tippy toes! She’s trying to reach across the table to play all the music.  But then she dances.  And it’s awesome.

 

September 13, 2011

I has a bow!

Teagan asked for a bow again this morning.  This time, I was ready.  Not like yesterday when she just melted into tears when I tried to put at least one pony tail (not piggy tails!) in her hair to keep it out of her eyes.

This time, I told her that bows were a two step process, one pony tail to prep the hair, and then the bow.  The bow wouldn’t stay without the pony tail.  This way she left with her hair out of her eyes for at least some of the day.

She loved it.  So excited.  Kept telling Stu that she had a bow, trying to touch it.

She didn’t come home with it.  I really didn’t expect her to.

**

Last night I checked the stats on the blog.  I do like seeing the visitor counter go up and up.  When I did, I saw some disturbing search terms used to hit the blog.  “Little girl pee herself” was the one that bothered me the most.  Did some sick person find pictures of Teagan?  Is he doing something that will make me shudder thinking about?

I am bothered by “little girls cute face,” as I’m sure that could be from someone just as distasteful as the other search term.  Somehow, it doesn’t have the extreme creep factor of someone looking for a little girl that wet her pants.

Up till yesterday, I never really worried about the pictures I posted, the links I shared, the stories I recounted.  I don’t know if I need to change privacy settings or not.  I do think I will double guess each picture I do upload, each story I share.

I really had hoped that the extreme creepiness that exists would leave me alone, let me play in my corner of the pool without splashing back.  I always did have rose-colored glasses.

I’m just not sure what to do right now.

June 6, 2011

Bubbles

So, it’s been a bit busy, and I can’t seem to stay awake (or up to date with my e-mail) long enough to write.  I know I need to.  Things keep happening, things that I want to remember.

Ashlin has a new trick – blowing spit bubbles in her sleep.  She was doing this during our almost-daily evening walk.  Teagan thought it was the bomb.  Bubbles!

Teagan’s been growing so fast.  Her vocabulary is exploding.  Verbal skills just zooming along.  Four word sentences, sometimes even five, are the norm now.  She remembers things!  And the thoughts – yes thoughts! – she comes out with.  So fun.

Whiskers are a “tickle mess.”  One sentence we hear over and over is “Ouch?  Kiss. All better, Teagan kiss.”   And then a big sloppy kiss is planted on whatever she deemed the”ouch.”  Curious George is a “bad bad monkey,” never just a bad monkey.  “Buggies” are “ewwww.”   I’m sure there’s more, but I can’t think of them now.

Fancy Hair

She’s now wearing 24/2T clothes – 34 inches tall.  Still 50th percentiles, but she’s so big now.  I know she looks a bit bigger, thanks to Ashlin, but still.  Her face has changed.  She’s taller.  Clumsy, as always, she’s not as bad as she was.  She may not ever be a ballerina  She doesn’t look where she’s going.

Her hair is getting longer, and it’s not quite as funny as it was.  Day Care will put it up in one top pony tail, I can do two cute ones on the sides.  She has amazing curls in the back.  Her bangs probably could use a trim.

She was a bit sick yesterday.  Mystery fever.  Poor kid.  Woke up from her morning nap with a 101°F fever that soon became as high as 103.9°F.  We knew she didn’t feel well as she sat still on Stu’s lap, for almost two hours, watching videos on the laptop.  Yay YouTube.  She napped again, early, for another 2.5 hours.  Five hours of nap?  She’s a sick kid.  After the afternoon nap, she snuggled with me for another hour or so.  She didn’t want to eat.  There was no argument about bedtime either.

She did wake up at 3am or so.  I was up nursing Ashlin, so went to her, checked her temp.  It was 98.8°F or so.  Better.  Stu and I let her sleep this morning, and she woke up almost an hour later than normal – around 8:30.  She was hungry and a bit subdued, but almost her usual self.  Such a relief.

Isn’t this a lovely view for lunch?  Friday after my (weekly!) beach walk, I got to watch the ocean while I ate :)  It doesn’t get better than that.  Ashlin wasn’t very impressed:

I can see forever

So, anyway.  I’m going to try to post more often, better.  Hopefully when I’m awake.