Random

I've been slacking on the blog for two reasons: I've been really tired lately, so dozing on the couch while trying to read is much more appealing (not sure if I should blame 3rd trimester fatigue or the fact that Mabes has been waking up at night this week), and I've only had little things to post. So here you go.

--First and most important: I passed the three hour test! Phew! I think Edy's (Dreyers for you westerners) shareholders breathed a collective sigh of relief. I didn't find out until Tuesday afternoon, but the nurse said that all 4 blood draws were great and well within the range for normal. I'm looking forward to ice cream tonight.

--Have I mentioned that Mabes likes bats? She woke up the other morning and came running into our room laughing, "Last night, I was sleeping like a bat! When I woke up dis morning, my head and arms were off my bed--I was sleeping upside down!"

--Ricecake is clean. I've known for some time that Ricecake was getting pretty dingy, but the tag said "spot clean only" so I was afraid to throw her in the wash. I wouldn't exactly call Ricecake a "lovey"; it's not like Ricecake is a security thing that helps calm and comfort her. Ricecake is her best friend, her sister, and sometimes nemesis. Even if I did buy a replacement (found it online--may have to order a backup just in case), Mabes would probably know that it's just another lamb, not Ricecake.But after several people assured me that they had laundered stuffed animals without problems, I decided to give it a try. She was getting so gray it was pretty gross.

"You want to do what to Ricecake?"

Mabes wasn't sure about it at first, but then decided it could be a fund adventure for Ricecake. Mabes had a chat with her beforehand and explained that she would get clean, and was pretty excited about it. So with great trepidation, I zipped her into a pillow case and threw her in the wash. She had no clue how nervous I was. When I pulled her out of the dryer, I was thrilled to find her in one gloriously clean piece:

Mabes and Ricecake happily reunite:

--Mabes' hair was getting really too long, so I suggested I cut her hair. She just looked at me, horrified. "But I don't want my hair to look like Daddy's!" Um, Mabes, I can do more than one haircut. After I pointed out that Mommy got haircuts, too, but her hair wasn't as short as Daddy's, she warmed up to the idea.

The before and after

Mabes was quite pleased with the result, and I have to say, it's really cute.

What about Batman?

So we're sitting around discussing names, and Dave throws out Batman as a suggestion.

Uhhhhh...for a girl or boy?

A momentary pause while Dave's face falls. "Oh, right. We're having a girl. I guess that would be a boy's name."

Yes. Because the fact that we're not having a boy is the only reason we wouldn't use that name. I had an appointment today and my doctor asked Mabes if we had a name yet. Again, she responded with Nickanoo. He was amused by that, as well as Ricecake (who also got to come to this appointment), and at the end of the appointment said something about how maybe Mabes will get to tell him the name next time.

Yeah, don't count on it. At the rate we're going, it'll be a while. I'm taking suggestions, since Dave's are...less than helpful.



To clarify on Dave's behalf, though, if we did name a kid Batman, it wouldn't be pronounced BatMAN, it would be pronounced BATman. Like Bateman. Or Goldman. (There should be a GoldMAN!) It's actually kind of growing on me.

Ricecake gets a timeout

Last week, Mabes came out of her room, very upset. "Ricecake isn't sharing my doctor's kit with me!" Really? I suggested that she ask Ricecake nicely. Ricecake still didn't relent. "I don't want to play with Ricecake anymore, she's mean!" Fine, don't play with your stuffed lamb. But Mabes still seemed rather broken up about it, so I asked her what she thought she should do about it. "I think Ricecake needs a timeout."

After timeout, a penitent Ricecake apologized to Mabes and they were once again friends. I thought this was the end of the story.

However, at church two days later, my friend Alisa was teaching a Sharing Time lesson on forgiveness in Primary. She told the kids what forgiveness was, and asked if anyone had an example of a time when they forgave someone. Mabes raised her hand and told the story about Ricecake and the doctor's kit, how Ricecake was so mean, but that she was able to forgive her and be friends again. Thankfully, Alisa reads this blog and has met Ricecake, so Mabes' response made perfect sense. Everyone else may have been a bit confused.

Sneaky

During Mabes' quiet time today, I had to make some phone calls. For the first one, Mabes was rather crazy, as she often is when I'm on the phone. I told her to please stay in her room, I need to make another call. I fixed a makeshift sling for Ricecake (evidently, Mabes had noticed another mom using a sling at the park and decided she needs one) and sent her on her way. I made the other call, and when it ended, I realized that Mabes was playing quietly in her room, as I had asked her.

So I went to the kitchen and washed some cherries, went over my to-do list, ate said cherries (by the way, I know it's not a pressing scientific need, and things like a cure for cancer or a teleporter certainly take precedence, but when are they going to make cherries without pits? They made seedless watermelons. I'm just sayin'...), folded some laundry, ate some more cherries, and then realized that Mabes had been in her room--quiet--for some time. Door closed. Locked. Never a good sign. I put my ear to the door and heard some plastic rustling, and weighed the options. I mean, could she possibly be doing anything bad enough to warrant disturbing the quiet? Curiosity got the best of me, and after some hesitation and more rustling plastic, Mabes agreed to open the door.

I walked in, looked around, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. A mess of toys, but no crayon or makeup or paint. She told me she was just playing, and I as I tried to figure out what plastic she was playing with, I saw this mat she has and asked if she had been playing with that. She said yes, I said okay and turned to close the door. And then I noticed 2 Rice Krispies stuck to Ricecake's sling.

I stepped back into the room and scanned it again--Mabes looking guilty--and this time noticed the well-hidden box of Rice Krispies peeking out from behind her book box. Don't laugh, Allison, don't laugh. But I couldn't help it. Mabes asked why I was laughing, and I had to tell her it was because I thought of something funny. I shouldn't encourage this, right? So picked up the box of cereal, and Mabes explained that Ricecake was hungry so she was feeding her. Though I don't usually let her have food for quiet time, I gave her a little cup of Rice Krispies to feed Ricecake. (It's been a rough few days, so a quiet hour was well worth compromising my rules!)

As I put the cereal away, I just giggled to myself. I mean, I know kids sneak food. I did it, though it was much easier and better to do at the Rawlings than at our house. Sometimes we lucked out with marshmallows or chocolate chips, but usually it was just handfuls of food storage wheat kernels. But should I be worried that not only is my 3-year-old sneaking food, but really good at hiding it?

And in case anyone is looking for birthday suggestions, Mabes informed me today that for her 4th birthday, she'd like a cookie machine. And by that, she means a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I told her that since mommy didn't get one until she got married, Mabes would have to wait a while. I do use my Kitchenaid for things other than cookies...

Happy birthday, Ricecake!

I think I may have mentioned that Mabes love birthdays. LOVES them. Some days, I think she'll grow up to be a waitress at Chevy's just so she can sing to anyone who might be celebrating that day (not to mention the giant birthday sombrero). So I wasn't surprised when I heard her singing to her toys, but I was curious as to whose birthday it might be. I mean, we all know Rocket's birthday isn't until August. I peek my head in, and see this:

It's Ricecake's birthday! She's turned two! Of course Ricecake is younger--none of her toys can be older and therefore cooler than she is. And what two-year-old's birthday party isn't complete without a cake (on the right--it's the pile of wipes smashed into the pan decorated with plastic ice cream cones) and new potty chair? Mabes informed me that that's what Ricecake is sitting on; it's not a wipes container. And the little button in the middle is the flusher. I'm just glad no one at the party felt awkward that Ricecake was sitting on a potty chair while blowing out the candles.

And more pictures of Mabes and her BFF of the week, Ricecake:

In matching dresses, but because Mabes is spinning, you can't really tell.

Eating breakfast together, while Rocket looks on enviously.

What's going on in that head of hers?

First of all, her vocabulary is crazy. Forget picking up new words, she's pulling things out from who-knows-where. Like yesterday, she grabbed a sash (from her pirate costume) and said it was her jump rope and kept attempting to jump over it. I have no clue where she learned about jump ropes. Nursery?

She talks non-stop. Not only does she wake up happy, all her toys do, too. Or so she says. "Mommy, wheh ah you! Mommy, I wape [wake up] happy!" Then when Dave or I go get her, she repeats that she's happy, then tells us that Ricecake (also called Lammy now, since that's what Dono calls his stuffed lamb) woke up happy, along with Winston, the giant stuffed dog my mom bought her last year. Her Little People house woke up happy, her airplane woke up happy, her cars woke up happy, her dolls woke up happy...you get the idea. Oh, and those toys also stay dry and poop in the potty, not their panties--her words, not mine. Fabulous, Mabes, but since your toy vacuum is so good at pooping in the potty, maybe you could just try?

In the last few days, she'd decided she's ready for another airplane trip. Specifically, a trip to see Ainsleigh and Dono. She'll randomly say, "Shoot, mommy, I need suitcase!" Why? "So we go on airplane, fly up up in sky, and see Ainsleigh and Dono!" She gets really upset when I tell her we can't go on the airplane because we don't have tickets. "But I want to fly airplane, see pilot, see Ainsleigh Dono!" She was dragging around a belt today and mumbling something about suitcases, then I realized she thought it was her suitcase and she was packed and ready to go. She also thinks she needs to drag her backpack around, undeterred when I point out its obvious lack of wheels.

And perhaps the newest addition to her vocabulary is the word "curly." We use it a lot to describe her hair, Dave always tells her how much he loves her curly hair. But we think she thinks curly means cute. She always talks about mommy's curly hair (?) and then tonight told Dave he was so curly, and then she dropped to the floor and wiggled around saying, "I curly, too! Look at me! I so curly!"