It's One of the Grandma Privileges

I think all grandmas love to see their grandbabies in cute clothes.  I know Cora's grandmothers do.  (And Cora's mommy doesn't mind benefiting from their sewing and shopping expertise!)  Recently Yia Yia found this precious yellow dress to go with Cora's little white Easter shoes.  I love it!

(Clearly this picture was taken before the unfortunate rocking chair incident.)

Thanks, Yia Yia!

I Joined the Mama Bear Club

I'm pretty laid back when it comes to Cora.  I'm not particularly a germ-phobe. . .Cora broke me of that when during tummy time, she would let Penny lick her in the mouth.  I'm not particularly excitable as far as bumps and bruises. . .Cora broke me of that by being so rough and tumble.  I let her pick up lizards and bugs and climb up the slide (Shh!! Don't tell my teacher friends!).  I feel like I don't get ruffled too easily.  But, today, the mama bear woke up from hibernation.

After our VBS meeting this morning, Cora and I decided to lunch at Chick-Fil-A.  We decided to have a little food and then have a little fun.  After we ate, I took her to the playcourt.  There were tons of kids in there, but I feel like Cora needs to learn how to play and share with lots of kids around.  She took off and was climbing and playing with no problem.  As I was monitoring her, I noticed another little boy (probably about 4 years old) who was also watching her intently.  Suddenly, that little boy had Cora by the neck.  She was freaking out, and before I could stop myself, I was on that kid.  I had asked him to let go of her, but he didn't, so I physically removed his hands from sweet baby girl.  Never did I know I could move that fast!  The little boy's mom was so apologetic.  She seemed pretty upset that Cora was so upset.  But, Cora calmed down and all was forgiven.

In retrospect, I imagine the boy was probably trying to hug Cora.  But, my preference would be that he would let go when she started crying or at the very least, let go when I asked him to.  Fortunately all was soon forgotten.  Everyone lived happily ever after. . .mama bear is sleeping comfortably again, at least for now!

400th Post, 400 Things

I'm a little in shock that I've made it to 400 posts.  Especially considering my commitment to updating has been a bit questionable as of late!  But, in honor of this 400th post, I thought I would write 400 things about Cora.  Then, I thought better of that idea. Does a 21 month old really have 400 things about them?! So, I thought I would do 40. . .but, I'm too lazy for that.  So you get just 4!

So, without further ado, and in honor of my 400th post, here are the top 4 things about Cora:
4. Cora loves Jeppy (Jeopardy) almost as much as her mother.
3. When Cora wakes up, she likes to have some time (sometimes up to an hour!) to herself.  She will entertain herself and get fully awake alone in her crib.
2. She loves to pretend.  She will look for pretend animals all over the house, and she loves to play mommy to her babies.
Drumroll please. . . The number one thing about Cora is:
She is a chatterbox and will hold a jibber-jabbery conversation with anyone who will listen.  She inflects just like a grown-up, and she will even tell jokes in her jibber-jabber and laugh at them!

Happy 400th Post, y'all!  Thanks for making it through almost two years with me!

Mommy's Rocking Chair

When I was a little girl, I had a little rocking chair that I just loved.  The really cool thing about it was that as you rocked back and forth, there was a musical mechanism that would play.  The faster you rocked, the faster it played.  It was a built in lullaby machine - super cool!  I've had this rocking chair in my living room for a while now, and Cora never really paid it any mind.  Recently, she discovered it.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

She loves it.  (Notice the look of concentration?  It may or may not have anything to do with Blue's Clues.  I'll never tell!)

So, the other day, I'm cooking dinner, and I glance into the living room.  Cora has moved on from sitting and rocking, to standing in the chair.  My mom instinct is to run in there and immediately ask her to sit down.  But, as I have often established in this blog, my override switch is pretty powerful!  And I overrode that urge. . .What do I do instead?  Frantically try to locate the camera!

You see, I have a picture of myself at about Cora's age standing up in my brother's chair.  What perfect blog fodder!  A picture of me standing up in a rocking chair and a picture of Cora in the rocking chair.  Turns out that my 21 month old sense of balance was much better than Cora's.  Before I could say 'please sit down, dearest!' locate the camera, the rocking chair threw her over the back of the chair to the floor.  

Rocking Chair 1, Cora 0

Don't worry, I didn't override my mommy instinct this time!!  After hugs and kisses and lots of pats on the back (and maybe the promise of a graham cracker and some milk), she was back to normal.  However, when I turned my attention to the rocking chair, this is what I found.

Touché, Rocking Chair!

I have already figured out how to fix it, er make that, how John can fix it.  So, Cora will be back to flying over the top of it in no time!

Rocking Chair 1, Cora 1!

Bluebonnets, 2010

The bluebonnets this year have been amazing because of all the rain we have been blessed with.  Last year, we took professional pictures with my family in the bluebonnets.  So, of course, I wanted to make sure that we got some pictures of little missy in the flowers this year, too.  The challenging part was that I had to do the pictures by myself.  My new camera can do a lot of things, but it can't corral a 21 month old!  So, out of 107 pictures in 10 minutes, I only got a few that are decent.  Oh, well!

This picture is characteristic of many of my photographs from this session. . .Cora, walking away!

Trying her best to smile into the sun.

If I asked her to smell the flowers, I was able to get her to be (relatively) still for a moment.  I just couldn't get her to look at the camera and be still!

My favorite picture.  I caught my breath when I saw this one. . .of course, I'm a little biased!  

I'm thinking afternoon sun would have been a little better for these pictures.  Next year, I plan on taking her after she gets up from her nap. . . And, I'm bringing John to help corral her!!

First Haircut

Really, is there anything more traumatizing than the first haircut?  You're in a strange place; you're wearing strange garments; a stranger person is coming at you with SCISSORS!

Cora is at that stage where her hair is beginning to grow out and fill in.  But, it's still wispy and fine and kind of shapeless.  So, I got the brilliant idea to take her to get some bangs cut.  Naturally, Cora was her usual easy going self.  wink! She actually was quite happy at first.  She played with the toys.  She was excited about the 'teevees.'  But, it rapidly went downhill after that.  I ended up having to sit in the chair with her.  And, while she wasn't thrashing as much as she was during the playground/first aid incident, she didn't make the process any easier for the stylist!  Fortunately, it was over very quickly.

Appeased and posing for the camera with a straight fringe.

Easter Finery

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from Easter.  I promised a certain Yia Yia that I would have pictures of Cora in her cute little dress and her white patent leather Easter shoes.
Cora and Daddy

As you can see, Cora was so excited to be having her picture taken!

I love this little dress.  This was a shower gift that I got almost 2 years ago.  I was so disappointed when I saw what size it was.  I was so afraid that she wouldn't ever get to wear it because if Tiny-Might were 'average size,' she would have grown into it in December.  But, yippee-skippee, it still fits!! Don't be surprised if you see her in it quite often!

Cora and Mommy.

Not sure why I look so goofy, but I love the smile on little missy's face!  We hope you had fun getting all decked out in your Easter best!

Dear Lizard,

Clearly, this was your first experience with a toddler.  I commend you for your bravery.  You fearlessly held your ground as the deceptively quick, albeit chubby little fingers came toward you.  Know that your bright green coloring and just-right sized body make you the perfect target for a curious 21 month old.  Thank you for not letting go your tail and forever scarring my little scientist.  You wriggled just enough to surprise the chubby fingers into releasing you.  But, after the shock wore off, you must know that she was pretty proud of herself.  You may not escape so easily the next time.  Consider yourself warned!
Love,
 and 

Ice Pop

Cora likes to eat ice.  The other day when we were driving back home after a weekend away, I managed to keep her entertained by feeding her ice chips for the last 20 miles.  Like mother, like daughter!  Cora will be moving on to Sonic beverages in no time!

The ice cream truck came by again, and miracle of miracles, John had cashola.  So, we tried out scribblers.  It's a popsicle in the shape of a crayon.  Girlfriend took to it like a champ.  Like mother, like daughter!

A Dud Day

Thursday was our last day in Houston.  Since my researching was pretty minimal and my desire to research further was even less, we ended up at Hermann Park. . .next to the zoo and children's museum!  When I read 'playground for all abilities,' I thought it sounded magical and fantastic.  Turns out, it was pretty much just a regular old playground.  So, after battling Houston traffic and approximately 17 million cars and school buses for what amounted to about 20 parking spaces, I was a little disappointed.  And, because this was the way Thursday was going to go, Cora promptly skinned her knee and bled all over the playground!  Imagine my chagrin at having to tell the other mothers to have their kids watch out for my child's blood all over the slide.  For some reason, we had the playground to ourselves shortly thereafter! Hmm, weird!  Nothing like chasing after a bleeding toddler who is oblivious to the pain only to realize that you don't have any semblance of anything like a first aid kit.  I ended up bodily restraining a thrashing toddler who was still trying to figure out why I grabbed her off of the playground while I held a wet wipe to her profusely bleeding knee.  Good times!  I did manage to get a few pictures of the fun.

Up and down the slide.  Repeat ad infinitum.

Driving in Houston traffic.

In the tunnel.

After we'd exhausted the possibilities of the toddler park, I wanted to take Cora to ride the train.  I was sure she would love it.  She was so excited when she saw it coming.  We were making choo choo sounds and pointing and waving.  It was all smiles and unicorns until we actually got on the train.  She got so upset!  She was crying and screaming "Nokay! Nokay!"  (For those new to Cora vernacular, she made up the word 'nokay.'  It is the opposite of 'okay.'  Clever, no?!)  Suddenly I was having flashbacks to the zoo.  So, I shoved a paci in her mouth and held it there until she calmed down.  (Yes, I did force her to ride the train!  I'm mean like that!!)  She actually seemed to enjoy it after a while.  But, that doesn't mean she wasn't ready to get off when it was over.  So, Hermann Park gets no thumbs up.  Now, Houston people, here's my question:  Is the Downtown Aquarium worth the money?  I thought about going there, but it didn't seem like it would be that interesting for Cora, and I didn't want to spend that much money and chance her screaming 'nokay!' at all the sweet little fishies.  What do you think?

Houston Children's Museum

On Wednesday, Cora and I put on our big girl pants and again braved Houston traffic.  We were headed downtown (sort of) to the Children's Museum.  (Seriously, is learning to be rude and inconsiderate part of driver's ed in Houston??!!)  The aggravation was well worth it when we got there.  Y'all, if you're in Houston, the museum is awesome!

Cora had a blast because she could touch everything!  Most of the stuff was a little over her head conceptually, but she still had fun interacting (in her own way) with the exhibits.  Here are some of the highlights from the 'big kid' sections.

Then, we discovered the outdoor water area.  

She got soaked!  There was a huge bucket that as it got full would tip over and spill out all of its water.  The kids could aim water guns at this bucket in order to fill it up.  But, the water guns weren't calibrated correctly, and much of the water would shoot over the bucket to where Cora was standing.  She LOVED it!  

Here she is getting wet and screaming "OOH! Wayo (water)!"

After prying her soaked little body away from the wayo, we went up to the 3rd floor where they have a 35 months and under play area.  Super cool!!  Cora had a blast up there.

Sliding on a slide that is just her size.

Driving the car and honking the horn.  (She must know she's driving in Houston! ; )

Climbing and playing with toys.

Cora and I give the Houston Children's Museum 2 thumbs up!

A Little Family Vacation (of Sorts)

Last week John attended a safety training in Houston.  Since Cora and I had precious little on our social calendars, we decided to tag along.  (Well, not for the training part.  It was about electrical safety and was pretty gruesome at that!  Nothing will scare you into following OSHA guidelines like watching videos of people getting electrocuted!  But, I digress. . .)

What Cora and I did do was take in the kid friendly sites of Houston.  After a little research, we decided that we would spend Tuesday at the Houston Zoo.  I love to get my zoo on (lame, couldn't help it!), but for some reason, I wasn't expecting too much from this zoo.  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.  We got to the zoo shortly after it opened, and because it wasn't yet too hot, most of the really cool animals were still out.

And, for some reason, most of the animals were still asleep!  But, it was really neat to see a lion that close.  In fact, I am positive that this was the closest I have ever been to a cheetah.  If I had a little bit longer arms, I could have tickled that cheetah's ears!

Cora and I were also thrilled to discover that the Houston Zoo has her new favorite bird, the amango (flamingo).  She got a big wide-eyed look on her face when she saw them.  She said "Ooh! Amango!" over and over.  So cute!

After the amangos, we moseyed on over to the children's zoo.  We tried to participate in storytime, but Cora was too distracted by a big puddle of water.  So, we blew off some steam at the playground.

On the go, that one is!  

After we ate lunch, we finished off our visit in the primate area.  (Cora got to see her amangos, so it's only fair that I get to see my monkeys!)  Too bad she was DONE for the day!  Girlfriend was so tired, and did I mention that she gets CRANKY when she's tired?!  She gets it from John! ; )  

What is this picture, you ask?  Well, see that tiny green speck toward the middle of the picture?

That's Cora's paci that she chunked into the monkey cage.  I would like to tell you that she was being selfless and kind to the baby monkey that we were looking at.  I would like to tell you that I was not the parent who was pushing her screaming child around the zoo.  I would like to tell you that my child never throws tantrums in public much less in the privacy of our own home.  And, I surely would like to tell you that she did not throw her paci in the enclosure in defiance to me.  But, if one thing is exceedingly clear to me, it is that Cora has a mind of her own! And, clearly, I do not get to tell you any of the above things. We left shortly thereafter!! Cora has already been to other zoos in her short life, but this is the first time she really seemed to get something out of the experience.  So, despite how it ended, it was definitely a fun day!