Walking Feet

Our daughter is a lot of fun, but she also needs A LOT of boundaries. Strollers/shopping carts are her worst nightmare. She is starting to wise up and say things like, "Mama, I walking feet." It's cute, right? It was so cute this weekend that in a moment of weakness I let her out of the stroller in Old Navy. Gasp! What was I thinking? (To my defense, it was near the end of our shopping trip and I needed her to try on a coat.) She was free to walk around with her dad or sit next to the creepy dogs placed around the store, all I needed was for her to try on a coat. Sadly, it didn't go down that smoothly. She screamed, she cried, she tried falling to the floor anytime I got near her with the coat. People probably thought we were torturing her. What felt like hours later, we got the coat on, made our purchase and left. While I would like to be angry with her, she was true to her words and maintained walking feet the entire time.

Here I am at 17 weeks.

All of my doctor appointments have been good. The heartbeat has been 165 and 150. At first I was thinking it was a girl, but I now have a strong feeling it is a boy. We have an ultrasound on the 23rd, so I guess we'll find out then.

That hair

Mackenzie FINALLY has enough hair that requires me to do something with it. I'm not complaining, I'm actually very excited about it! Unfortunately, she is not allowed to wear any bows or clips in the pre-toddler room she is in at the daycare because there are some young ones that still put everything in their mouth.

This is what she looked like this morning.

And this is her hair after a nap, the poor thing has my wavy locks. You can just imagine what she looks like after a day at daycare. Note the new "cheese" face she's been giving me, I'm sure we'll be seeing this a lot.

We flew into Indiana yesterday and I swear all this girl has done is eat! Not that she is too upset about it. We're getting to spend some time with my parents before I return to work and life gets crazy again. Mac calls my mom "Gigi" and my dad "Bubba". I'm not sure where Bubba came from, but I think it is hilarious. Nathan flies in next week for our 10 year high school reunion.

Girly Girl?

It's been a long time since I've seen Mac looking so girly and I love it. The headband lasted about 3 minutes, but I'll take what I can get. Nathan's parents are in town for a visit and my daughter has turned into the little entertainer. Anytime Grandpa is in the room she falls to the floor and waits for him to "check" on her to see if she is okay. She has also been eating like a grown man and mornings wouldn't be the same if she didn't ask for a hot dog before 9:00am. Her favorite person in the world right now would be her dad; they truly have a special bond. Nathan had to work this morning and you could see the disappointment on her face when she walked around the entire house looking for him. Sorry kid, you're stuck with mom.

Birthday Antics

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks how difficult it is to do certain things with Mackenzie anymore. Outings that requires a stroller or sitting in a high chair ends up in a power struggle between mother and daughter. On Wednesday my family and I went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We had the kiddo with us and things started out smoothly. Mac colored, ate her snacks, drank her juice, looked at a book, you get the idea. I know things are heading south when she starts throwing items on the floor. This usually leads to her standing up in the high chair. Yes, she will stand up in it and attempt to crawl onto the table, but not before doing a little, "I'm so cute" dance. I have been very surprised to learn how many restaurants have broken straps on their high chairs. Surely, my child is not the only one that attempts this...right?

Now I must make a decision.

Option #1-Assuming the strap is broken; sit her back down in the high chair and listen to her whine. Sit her back down, again, in the high chair and listen to her whine. Sit her back down, again, in the high chair, listen to her cry and ask the waitress to box up my food because this will go on ALL NIGHT.

Option #2-Let her out of the high chair, knowing the grandparents will help keep an eye on her.

Option #3-This isn't really an option, but I will include it since my witty husband would surely point it out. Ask the waitress for another chair that has a working strap. Now, I will tell you why this isn't really an option at all. I would be required to take Mac out of the chair, and to a 15 month old, this clearly means they are about to be set free. Putting her in another chair AND strapping her in would not end well for anyone. Can you tell our child is a little on the temperamental side?

If I let her out, does she win? Or do I win, because now I can eat and enjoy my glass of wine?

So, which option did I choose?

Duh.....option #2. However, I did draw the line when she attempted to take off her shoes and socks. And since I was a teacher, I must reflect on this situation, to learn what worked and what I would do differently next time. Next time, I will make sure the high chair has a working strap before placing my kid in it.

This video was taken a few months ago, but it shows off Mackenzie's dancing skills she pulled out on my b-day.