2nd Halloween

Last year you were Pebbles for Halloween. Although very cute, you didn't get to do any trick or treating. This year we thought we would attempt it. I searched online for easy to make toddler costumes and found this Little Lamb costume. It was perfect. Plus you are still really into animals and when asked, "What does a sheep say?". You reply, "Baa."

Aunt Les attached the hood and ears, and Mommy glued on all the cotton balls. (There were a lot!) Well you turned out to be one pretty cute lamb. (This is probably the best pic and you're kind of crying because there are "scary" dogs down below.The hood/ears were cute, but you wouldn't wear it. Maybe you would have worn it if it was cold, but it was 70 degrees!)

You couldn't say trick or treat. So we opted for "Baa" instead. Everyone loves a homemade costume and you received lots of compliments. One person even said it was the best costume of the night.

East Nashville might be covered in cotton balls, but I think it was worth it.

Post trick or treating after eating your first mini-bag of M&Ms ever. Happy Halloween!

1st Braid

Almost 20 months old and Aunt Robyn or "Bobbie" gave you your 1st braid. Pretty cute...

Maevy and Aunt Lesley's Day of Fun

Maevy,

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Nashville visiting you and the rest of the Wyckoff/East Taylor Clan. We had a blast! It took you a day or so to warm up to me but I don’t blame you – I’m the aunt who lives way far away in Minnesota so I don’t get to see you as much as Aunt Robyn or “Bobby” as you call her sometimes. I hate going 6 months or more without seeing you so that’s why I planned this special fall trip to get in some quality Maevy time. We had fun with the family on Saturday and Sunday but then Monday was the main event – a full day just Maevy and Aunt Lesley!

Maevy and Aunt Lesley at Lucky Ladds Farm

I think you were still a little unsure about me here….

Maevy and Aunt Lesley’s Day of Fun:

In the morning after dropping off Daddy at work, we played with blocks, crawled in your tunnel, and read lots of books. Funny story: Being obsessed with the show Gilmore Girls, I always seem to find it on TV. So just for some background noise, I turned the TV on and found Gilmore Girls on ABC Family. After a while, you noticed the TV and ran up to the screen saying “Mommy, mommy” while point to Lorelei (Lauren Graham. I said, “No that’s not Mommy, goofy- it’s Lorelei”. You didn’t seem to care and were pretty sure it was actually Mommy.

I’ve never thought of Mommy and Lorelei looking alike but maybe you’re right and there are some similarities….

Mommy and Lorelei

Then after you and I both took a nap (being a stay at home Aunt is tiring!), we packed up the car and headed to the Warner Park Nature Center to check out the Dirt Park. Yep, it’s a playground for kids full of dirt. It’s actually pretty awesome and a lot of fun. You were a little hesitant about getting dirty at first but after a few minutes, you got in the groove. Playing in the dirt/sand box

Hanging out on the huge pile of dirt

On the way home, we past by a Sonic and so I decided to treat you with some ice cream. I scooped up a little ice cream in a cup and enjoyed watching you eat it in the back seat with one of those really long Sonic spoons. It was pretty cute. I kept asking you if you were done and of course you weren’t but instead of saying no, you would just shake her head while scooping up another spoon full of vanilla ice cream. We made it home in one piece and then headed to the airport to say goodbye.

I think you had a pretty fun day with me and I of course enjoyed it as well. I look forward to future Maevy and Aunt Lesley Fun Days!

I love you Maevy!

Love,
Aunt Lesley

Pre-Terrible Twos

Maevy,

This week has been interesting one. I haven't heard any comments from school, but at home we have had some "situations".

Situation 1- On Tuesday night, you lost it. In retrospect, I think maybe you are getting your 2 yr old molars in,which might have made you cranky. You said you were hungry, but would not get in your seat or eat anything. You just crying and crying. Finally I just held you for a few minutes, and then you just stopped and pointed at the pictures of our families we have on the wall. You finally ate dinner and took your bath. Then I snuck out for a meeting. You went to bed ok, but kept waking up crying for the next hour or so. Again, I think it was your teeth. We should have given you some tylenol.

Situation 2- See Designer Diva post.

Situation 3- Food Demands
Last night during dinner you were doing great, as usual. You ate your ham and all of your broccoli. For some reason, you didn't want your vegetable orzo that you've been eating all week. You started pointing towards some pumpkin cookies that I made the night before. You've never had a pumpkin cookie, but you did have some pumpkin bread that morning for breakfast. I think you thought that's what it was. After lots of whining and crying, I offered you a piece of cookie. It was not what you expected and you lost it. This was kind of funny to me because what child cries over a chocolate chip pumpkin cookie. While you were crying with your mouth open, I put a little bit of the cookie on your tongue so you could taste it. After you composed yourself and realized chocolate was involved, you picked up the rest of the cookie and ate it. P.S. I snuck a pea in the cookie.

Situation 4- Mommy obsession
Right now you are obsessed with the Mommy. We have been doing the same routine in the morning for over a year now. Daddy gets you up, brushes your teeth, and gets you dressed. Mommy gets your breakfast ready and Daddy sits with you while you eat. Once Mommy is done getting ready for work, we head for school.

But this morning, you would not eat your food if Daddy helped and you pulled Daddy's hand to get him out of the chair he normally sits in. Then made Mommy sit down and help you eat. I love you Maev, but this is ridiculous. If we didn't have such a tight schedule, I don't think we would have given into your demands.We're a team and you're going to need to get on board with both Mommy AND Daddy.

I'm praying this is just a phase. Otherwise I see lots of whining and crying in our future.

Designer Diva

Maevy,

This morning was the first (I'm sure) of many fights over what outfit to wear. Daddy picked out an outfit last night, like always, and this morning while getting you dressed, he saw that the shirt was sleeveless. It's getting a little cooler out and it's definitely not sleeveless shirt weather. Daddy ran upstairs and grabbed you a long-sleeved shirt that matched your pants. I took off your shirt and started to put on the new shirt.

Well, you weren't interested. You started whining, wouldn't put your arms through, and kept taking the shirt off your head. So I thought ok...you can eat your breakfast without a shirt on. You'll forget about the sleeveless shirt and we'll be good to go.

Um...no. After breakfast I tried again with the long-sleeved shirt and you said "No." I asked if you wanted to wear the brown shirt (sleeveless shirt) and you said "Yes" or really you smiled and happily grunted. (We're still working on actually saying the word "yes") So fine. You got to wear the sleeveless shirt and we threw a white cardigan on over it in case you got cold during the day. At least this "fight" was still over age-appropriate clothing, I can only imagine what the future brings.

Tomorrow, you're wearing long sleeves.

Love,

Mommy