Pop Does!

In my haste to wrap up the last "novel"...uh I mean blog...I forgot to write about the things Inara says now that she learned from Pop. What I love is that Shawn or I try to say something Pop says, and Inara gets upset and yells, "NO Pop does." For instance, we will do the running gag "Inara do you want punch schnauzwola?" "No Pop does. "Do you want knuckle sandwich?" "No Pop does." "Do you want tickle bone?" "No Pop does." "Do you want tickle feet?" "No Pop does."


Here are few things Inara says all the time now that she learned from Pop:

When acting silly, she calls herself Silly Butt.

When she makes a mistake, she says wubba wubba.

When getting into her carseat, she sings "buckle up safety." (I remember Pop singing this song to Kylie. I love that Inara sings it now. Great lesson for her to learn too.)

Oompa Sumpa. (Pop's infamous saying is Oompa Sharumpa. Shawn and I say it ALL the time too. Seriously, where does my dad get these funny sayings?)

Sorry I forgot these in the last blog, Pop. Don't think this means I love you any less than I do. Look forward to see my family Oct. 10. I miss you guys lots and lots!!!

Boy do I miss my parents

When Shawn first told me he was going on his 10 day canoe trip this year, I freaked out. What the heck am I going to do without help for that long? Shawn suggested for my mom to come out and help. I am so grateful that my mom was able to come out for 2 weeks. I was counting down the days til she got here. Although Inara wasn't that difficult, I was sad being home alone. Plus, I'm a super big baby and hate being by myself at night.

Mom, Inara and I had a great week together. Even though we were just in CA, Inara has changed so much that my mom got spoiled watching all the new things she does. Plus, mom got Inara doing some new things too. My favorite was watching the two of them sit at the base of the stairs and play Wheels on the Bus. They pretended they got into a bus, started it up, and mom would start singing the kids' song when Inara would start bumping around with mom following suit. Mom also got her fill of playing marketplace. I swear Inara LOVES playing grocery store at least 3 times a day. It's a whole 30 minute process too, so it seems most of our playing time is dedicated to pretending we're grocery shopping. It was so wonderful to have my mom here so I could get a break from playing it for awhile.

As to be expected, my mom also taught Inara to say some new things. I think it was the first day or two and Inara said booby after my mom had said it. Before I know it, Inara was saying aye chi wawa. She loves saying it and now says it all the time. Thanks mom.

The first night mom was here was open house at Inara's preschool. I knew my mom would love going with us and would want to see the school Inara's going to. Then that Friday Inara started school. I'm SOOO glad my mom was here to go with me. It was rather tough dropping Inara off, especially since she was crying for me. Mom wanted to go in and get her after the first 30 seconds of her crying. But Inara stopped after only a couple minutes, and I was at peace. Mom and I ran a couple errands and then came back to the house. We sat and talked for 3 hours. Now I know my male readers are thinking "What? Talk for 3 hours? That's crazy." But it was great to have that time just mom and I. Plus, time went by so fast that I wasn't sitting at home worrying about Inara. Thanks mom for helping me make it through a tough day.

That night to honor Inara's first day of school we went to dinner at 3 Margaritas, Inara's favorite Mexican restaurant. Mom had fun watching Inara scarf down her cheese enchilada and rice. That night Inara decided she was going to become friends with the older Mexican lady who works there. She always comes over to our table and brings Inara a spoon and says hello. This night Inara kept turning around and looking for "nice lady" as she has so nicely named her. Inara had mom and I in stitches, and yes, the nice lady came over and talked to us as she always does.

The next day the 3 of us went to Boulder. I knew mom would love walking around Pearl Street and I was right. We had a great time shopping and walking around. We packed a sack lunch, so we found a nice shady spot and ate our lunch. There was a man playing a harp right next to us, and he was fantastic. Inara had fun teasing my mom and avoiding eating her lunch. It was beautiful weather and a perfect outing for us girls.

Shawn flew back home on Monday night. Inara was very excited to see him as was I. He ended up working from home on Tuesday so he could see Inara a bit more. Mom and I did take Inara to My Gym that day so Shawn could have some quiet to get work done. More on My Gym later.

A week after my mom was here, my dad flew in so he could be here for Inara's birthday. I'm so lucky that both my parents have been able to make it for her birthday two years in a row. I hope this will be the trend for every year to come. I can't imagine not having them here to celebrate her birthday. And she sure does love having NeeNee and Pop around. I love hearing them play with her. They can get her giggling so much. I love hearing Inara say "Come on NeeNee. Come on Pop. Come play." They are such great grandparents because they oblige her ever wish and play with her all the time. It's the best feeling knowing how much Inara loves them. And how couldn't she...they are awesome!

To back up for a sec, when we picked my mom up at the airport, as soon as she got in the car, Inara says "A Pop go?" Then when we picked my dad up at the airport, Inara sees him through the window and says "Where Toby?" She cracks me up when she does such things.

My mom thought it might take Inara a day to warm up to Pop. Not true at all. As soon as we got back to the house, she had Pop running around and playing. She did the same thing with NeeNee. Phew. It was so wonderful getting a break from being her one and only playmate.

Friday morning Pop went with me to take Inara to preschool. I wanted him to see the school she's going to and see her classroom. On the way to school, Pop and I were talking when all of a sudden Inara says Colorado. Huh? I wasn't sure where this came from and if I heard her correctly. I asked Pop and he said he heard the same thing. I then noticed in front of us was a Colorado state flag. Wow! I was so impressed that she remembered that was the state flag and that she said Colorado on her own without my prompting her. She really is sooo darn smart. As we got to the school, Inara had a hard time leaving me this week. Pop pretty much stood in the hallway because he could see the chaos with all the moms and screaming kids. One mom was even practically dragging her son who was yelling so loud. It took everything in me not to cry. I hate to see my baby girl crying. Again, thank goodness one of my parents was with me to help me throught it. Although Pop did mention that was a mess in there. Yep, it's hard seeing and hearing all those kids crying. I swear preschool teachers are amazing people! I don't know if I could ever do it that's for sure.

That night we went to 3 Margaritas for dinner again as a treat for Inara for doing well in school and for my parents since they love this restaurant as much as we do. Again, Inara had to say hello to nice lady and kept looking for her throughout dinner.

The next day was Inara's birthday party. We all were busy getting things ready that morning. I had ordered sandwiches from Corner Bakery and made mac & cheese (Inara's favorite). Kristi and Barb helped by bringing dishes too. Of course the party was Curious George theme. Pop even made Inara a banner with George on it. By the way, it's still hung up in the playroom, where I plan to keep it as long as possible. It's too cute to take down. I also got the crazy idea to make a tree out of streamers in the dining room entry and hung one of her monkeys so it looked like he was hanging out of the tree. We had a great party with family and the good friends we've made since moving here. All the kids seemed to have a great time as did all the grown-ups. Inara made out with some fantastic new gifts. Thanks to everyone.

Sunday we headed to Sweet Tomatoes (our Souplantation) for their Sunday brunch. Inara was picky that day and didn't want any scrambled eggs or french toast. All was well though when Pop got her cheese. I swear that kid is gonna turn into a big block of cheese. Hey, maybe that's what she should be for Halloween? JK.

Tuesday was Inara's actual birthday. Shawn took the day off so he could spend some time with my parents before they left and celebrate our little munchkin. Mom, Pop, Shawn and I all took Inara to her weekly My Gym class. It was great getting to show Inara's new skills off to all 3 of them. I know Mom & Pop were impressed with all the new things she does since they last saw her in class in April. She does A LOT better sitting during circle time when we sing songs, do stretches, and dance. She was all over the gym this day too, showing us how she jumps on the trampoline (which is more like a gallop still), climbs all over the apparatuses, and goes down the slides all on her own now. Afterwards, we went to The Counter for lunch. I knew Mom wanted sweet potato fries before she left and my parents both really seemed to like this restaurant when we went last time. Inara, however, didn't want to sit and have lunch. Instead, she wanted to look in the pond they have at the mall and look for fish. The girl loves aquatic animals. Wonder if that's because we chose the aquatic theme for her bedroom or because she loves Nemo? Either way, she didn't want to sit and eat her birthday lunch. Oh well, at least the rest of us got to enjoy our burgers and fries.

Wednesday morning Mom & Pop flew home super early in the morning. So early that I had to get up at 4am!! Yikes! I know mom was sad to leave and I'm pretty sure Pop was too although he always tries to play it cool. I know deep down inside he was sad to leave his Pahrumpa.One of the coolest things about this trip is what Pop introduced Inara too: Fly to the Moon (when he throws her into the air and catches her). She thought it was the greatest game. It's funny to watch because she seemed a bit hesitant at first, but after a few times, she kept saying, "Again, again, Pop." This is something Pop does with all the kids, so I was so excited he finally got to introduce my baby girl to it. Like I said, Inara sure does love her NeeNee and Pop. Understandably so, they rock!!! I miss you guys and hope you can come out again soon. (Christmas time maybe? Hint, hint.)

My baby girl is turning 2 years old!

I'm sitting here on the eve of Inara's second birthday thinking back to when I was pregnant, how much I LOVED being preggo, how anxious I was to meet my daughter, and how scared I was that I wouldn't know how to raise a child. Here I am now about to celebrate my baby girl turning 2. Has it really been 2 years already? All I can say is I am in awe. In awe of how amazing Inara Grace is. In awe of how comfortable I feel now as a mom. In awe that 2 years have already gone by. In awe of how much I 100% adore my daughter. She truly is the coolest person I've ever met.

During the last couple weeks, I've really taken the time to sit back and enjoy Inara and our relationship. 2 years have flown by. I can't imagine how fast the next 16 years are going to go. Before I know it, she's going to be graduating high school and going off to college and my baby will no longer be a baby. Well, I know I'm always going to call her my baby, but our lives will never been as simple as they are right now.

Inara has really started to blossom into an independent girl. She wants to do so much on her own, yet also wants to be just like mommy. She really is my shadow day in and day out, continuously wanting to help me with chores and daily tasks. Whether it be doing the laundry, sweeping, or picking out groceries, she's always eager to help. Along with this desire to help, Inara is also really starting to become more and more independent. Just the other day I had picked out an outfit for her, which she scoffed at and, instead, asked to wear her Mickey Mouse shirt. I then proceeded to find a pair of pants to go with the shirt and she responded with, "No mommy. Different pants." I obliged and asked her if another pair of pants met her approval. Finally after the third pair of pants, she accepted. This was a first! Inara picked out her first outfit. I didn't get frustrated but instead welcomed her expressing her own opinion. I was actually so excited that this happened. I want her to feel like she has a say in some things. I will reserve the battles for other more important issues, clothes not being one of them.

Inara has officially started imaginative play. For awhile now, we've been playing marketplace. She loves when I push her toy shopping cart and come grocery shopping at her little Fisher Price food stand. She's really starting to get more and more into playing kitchen and making food for me. When I'm making dinner, she loves to bring me something she's made in her kitchen. I always make a big deal about it and act surprised that she made me something. It's so important to encourage such play. The other big imaginative play she's getting into is babies. She loves to bathe her babies, feed them, rock them, etc. I'm so glad she got a few new babies for her birthday, because now is the time for her to really get into using her imagination, particularly with babies. I've also noticed when we play together, she's starting to show more and more concern for the well-being of her toys/babies and along with this me as well. If I hurt myself, she's so concerned and wants to know what happened. I LOVE that she's becoming such a caring, compassionate person. This is one of the most important characteristics to me and love watching her grow in this way.

A huge milestone was met two weeks ago when Inara started preschool. Yes, I know she's only two, but I strongly believe this will be a wonderful experience for her. She will be going one day a week from 9:30am-2:30pm. There are 10 students in the class. They have arts & crafts, music class, storytime, playtime outside and in the classroom, snack, lunch, and naptime. It's a longer day than I had initially wanted to start her off with, but the school she got into comes highly recommended, and we got called from the wait list, so I didn't want to pass it up. On her first day of school, I walked in the class with her and played for a few minutes in hopes of helping ease the crying. She did cry for a few minutes, but as I stood in the hall, I could hear her stop crying and the teacher's assistant peered through the door and told me all was well. When I picked her up after school, I could tell she had been crying, but she survived her first day as did I. I had forgot to mention to the teachers that Inara takes a pacifier during naptime, but Miss Kristina told me, "Oh Inara came up to us as we were getting ready for nap and said binky please." Thank goodness I had remembered to pack one in her backpack. (It's been about a month now that Inara is only allowed a pacifier for nap and bedtime and she's doing fantastic transitioning.)

Last Friday I took Inara for her 2nd day of preschool. This drop-off was much more tear-filled, but I had to just walk away and know she was in good hands. When I picked her up this time, she sobbed a bit when she say me, but then she gave her teacher Miss Steph and the assistant Miss Kristina hugs and waved good-bye to all her classmates. Both teachers reassured me and said she did fantastic this week and was getting much better. Hallelujah! Then Friday night something amazing happened. We were driving back from dinner when suddenly Inara says, "Papa Bear. Papa Bear." I asked her who was Papa Bear. She then told me, "Miss Steph read Papa Bear book." I was soooo excited: Inara was sharing with me something she learned in school. I couldn't have been prouder of her than I was at that moment. And I couldn't have been prouder of myself either for enrolling her in preschool. I think this experience is going to be fantastic for her.

Inara and I have been working on quite a lot of skills at home as well. I am so impressed that she can count to 10 before turning 2. This seems like such a huge skill for her to have at such a young age. I could be wrong, but I'm really impressed. We work on colors and the alphabet all the time. She's getting better and starting to memorize some colors and letters. Pink and yellow seem to be her favorite colors to call out. She can also tell me people's names that begin with specific letters. One thing we've been working on for awhile that I'm most proud of is manners. I love that Inara says please and thank you so often. When she makes a mistake, she always apologizes too, even if for the smallest thing. I'd rather her acknowledge her mistake and apologize, then not even be phased by it and be rude. Lastly, as to be expected, Inara's vocabulary is booming. I know a lot of this has to do with the fact that I talk to her non-stop and teacher her new words. I think it's important to take the time to sit and tell her what things are called. She totally surprised me the other day when she called out Colorado in the car. I then noticed the state flag was on a flagpole in front of us. I've been pointing out the US and Colorado flags for awhile now. This was the first time she identified the state flag all on her own. I was so proud of her. It's little things like this that truly amaze me. Inara is SO smart! Her range of knowledge seems so impressive to me. When we talk, we can have little conversations now and she demonstrates all day long that she comprehends new things she's learning every day.

I keep saying it and will say it again. I once thought that a lot happens from birth to one year old, but there's a thousand times more growth from one to two years old. I have absolutely loved all the changes Inara has gone through this past year and am excited for all the new experiences the upcoming year holds. I can't say it enough...I'm in complete awe of my baby girl. She is growing up so fast and becoming a truly beautiful girl inside and out. I feel so lucky and blessed to have brought such a wonderful person into the world and can't wait to see what amazing things she's going to do in her life. Happy birthday sweet pea. Know that Mommy loves you more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for being such an amazing daughter. Hugs and kisses forever and ever.

Some pictures my brother took during our CA trip

I love this pic of my mom, Inara, me, Kylie and Lisa.
Inara and Kylie hanging out at the OC Fair.

Who knew It's a Small World could be that fun again?

Happy belated birthday to me

I had a great 36 birthday, especially since our adopted brother/best friend Jason was in town that weekend along with his mom, Grandma Di as she's known in my house, and his girlfriend Lilli. I was so happy that we got to spend some time with Lilli and get to know her better. I can tell she's a very important person in Jason's life, so it's only fitting that we all get to know her better. I think she's a pretty cool lady if I do say so myself. Inara had fun playing with Yee-Yee as she called her. We introduced them to our favorite game, Survive, and now have one more couple I need to find a copy of the game for. We did our usual trip to Golden, lunched at Woody's Pizza, and got to take the Coors tour.

More importantly, I was so grateful that Diane was able to come out too given the tragedy she recently went through with the passing of her mom after her parents' house burned down. I knew this trip would be a good thing for her because what better way to de-stress and laugh a bit than to spend time with kids. Inara LOVED playing with Grandma Di. Plus, Grandma Di is a really good reader. Inara had her reading books all weekend long.

As they usually do, Jason and Diane spoiled Inara and bought her her birthday presents while they were here. They really do go above and beyond for my daughter. I greatly appreciate everything they do for her. Inara loves the baby doll and accessories and has to bathe and feed her babies all the time now. Jason found Inara Darby and Buster the dog dolls from My Friends Tigger & Pooh. I couldn't believe it when she started playing "catch" with Buster the other day. (She's really too smart I tell ya.) Thank you guys so much for coming out to see us, helping me celebrate my birthday, and for all the gifts you got Inara for her birthday. It meant so much to have you guys here. I miss you lots!

Our trip to CA...the final chapter

I've been sorely lacking on the blog updates, so I am determined to sit down and write the final chapter of our adventures in CA.

I'm so grateful we got to see a lot of family on our trip. I took Inara one day to go see Grandma Mary. I'm not sure if she knew who I was, but she was in a very good mood that day and seemed happy to see us. She kept saying how cute Inara was. We also got to see my aunt Jeri and uncle Dave and spend some time with them, along with cousin Kim and her daughter Mady, who has gotten so big in the last year. I swear kids really do grow up way too fast! Cousins Rob, Kelli and Alex planned a trip to CA the same time we were there, so we got to see them again. I just adore Alex and am surprised to see that she's no longer the little flower girl from my wedding but a beautiful young woman. I'm so glad she got to hang out with us a few days since Inara sure loves playing with her. Of course, we got to hang out a lot with Lisa and Kylie too.

The Saturday before we left the fam went to the OC Fair: mom, pop, Mikey, Lisa, Kylie, Shawn, Inara, and I. We had so much fun watching the two girls play together. Inara, of course, enjoyed looking at the farm animals, but she really loved going on her first carnival rides. She went on a kiddie roller coaster, which she wasn't scared of. Yay baby girl! I even got Shawn to take her on a couple. It was funny to see him scrunched inside the kiddie seats. I felt bad that Kylie got scared a few times on the rides. I hope Inara never becomes the big chicken I am when it comes to amusement park rides. Inara did well the whole morning and didn't get cranky until after lunch, which is when Shawn finally threw down the gauntlet and said time to go.

Honestly, the best part of the trip to CA was playing in the pool with pop. I loved watching Kylie jump from the diving board. You can definitely tell how much she loves swimming with Pop. Inara was more adventurous than she's been in the past, probably because she was watching Kylie and wanted to be just like her. Hanging out at Pop's pool totally reminded me of my childhood and hanging out at Nana & Paka's house in the summer. Boy do I miss them. My parents' house is definitely the fun place for the family to get together and hang out. I know Inara really loved getting to spend time with my parents and still talks about all the things we did on vacation. Several times now she's asked if we can go to Mickey's house again with NeeNee, Pop, and Mikey. Guess we need to plan our next trip out to CA soon. :-)