No more sleeping late for us! It's back to school time!
One of the things that happened in Tampa, was the Ceci and Gabriella gave T seven bags full of clothes. The sizes ranged from 3 to 6x. I finally got to sorting them tonight, and getting rid of some of T's smaller things. Here's some highlights of some dresses that either fit now, or soon will.
Thank you Ceci and Gabs for all this great loot! T wasn't exactly cooperating in most of the photos, but they give you an idea of how some of the stuff fits.
Yep, I'm thrilled!!! All of the pictures I ordered for T's room came at the same time. This Ariel picture, I couldn't resist from Disney.com. It ended up being about 20.00, if I recall. 30% off the reduced price. Gotta love that! Especially since I don't think it's that offensive, as far as Ariel crap goes.
Meanwhile, the 2 pictures that I have been coveting for over 2 years arrived today as well. I can't say enough times how thrilled I am with them. They are so gorgeous. This photo doesn't even do them justice. Perhaps now I'll have incentive to paint that stupid spot on the wall, that I've been meaning to paint for almost 3 years.
Lastly, this is the nightlight I ordered. Ceci specifically asked for a photo of this, as she may start carrying them on her site. Its beautiful and very well made. The only complaint I have about it is that I prefer night lights that go on and off automatically, depending upon the room's darkness. That's ok, though. I already have one in the room that does that. I'll let T play with this one, and decide if and when she wants it turned on.
After all our fun at the 4th of July Party, we came home and grilled burgers and dogs. We admit to being exhausted (at least the adults were, the kids were still raring to go!). Since G and T were making a lot of noise marching around the house as if in a parade, I took them outside and let them parade for real. Those who know me well know that I'm the Queen of Parades...the Parade Master if you will...I've marched in more parades than their combined ages! So, they marched all around the neighborhood shouting out "Happy Fourth of July" at the top of their lungs to every house we passed and car that drove by.
In this picture, they're woefully out of parade formation, but having fun nonetheless. The dried-up old tree branches they found were handy pretend-batons. It was an odd parade of 2 drum majors, marching to a beat all their own. We then watched firewords across the bay from Aunt Ceci's back porch and called it a night.
Then came Saturday...
The plan was for the girls to go to visit their friend Emma, who just turned 6 in July. They got all dressed up, and went off with Dot. Or should I call her Calamity Dot? Yep, surprisingly enough, I suffered no great calamity on this trip. Can't say the same for Dot. Dot was taking a shower, bent over to pick up the dropped soap, and took a spill... litereally out of the tub, pulling down the shower curtain as she went. After untwisting herself from the curtain, she came downstairs to report a swollen wrist. Based upon my tragic experiences, I counselled her immediately to go to the ER, but she declined and the girls went off to the party.
The girls had a great time together. They had lunch and sang on a kareoke machine. Given T's ability to carry a tune, I'm frankly relieved that I didn't have to suffer through, I mean enjoy, that performance. How do you like this pose? They look like the next generation of Charlie's Angels to me!
Anyway, Dot met us at the mall, and was complaining about her wrist. Finally, she deigned to go off to the ER at around 3:00 p.m. The ER is just up the street from Aunt Ceci's house. Dot returned around 11:30 p.m.... well after Uncle Peter and S had to deliver provisions to her...diet coke and dinner.
Diagnosis? Broken wrist. Luckily, its her left arm, which is in a cast from her fingers to above her elbow. She's screwed for about 6 weeks. Luckily, it wasn't a bad break, and they didn't even have to set it, which hurts like the dickens. Plus, she can also drive.
So, between me and my pronounced limp and Dot with her casted arm, we're quite a sight to behold as we chase after T. Luckily, we returned to Miami without incident and are now happily nesting in our own homes. T, finally, is exhausted and is napping on the couch in her Ariel dress. I told Dot that T and I are at the ready. Just say the word and we'll move in with her and take care of her. So far, she's declined.
Nothing makes the Fourth of July better than a good race...Here's G and S (standing in the tubes) waiting for their turn in the relay-inner-tube races in the big pool. The boys won that one. The girls won the earlier race of pushing a greasted watermelon across the pool.
Shortly after the above races, G (pictured in the one-piece on the trike) and T entered the Tri-cycle relay race. Oh.My.God. I can't tell you how cute this was. G was the first on her team and gave them a good head start. T brought up the rear. What was hilarious about the whole thing, was that the toddlers' actually had the advantage. They were much quicker than the big kids, who were hampered in their riding by their long limbs. Well, if my T has learned anything in her time in daycare/school, it's how to ride a trike with the skill, speed, and lack of fear of a Nascar driver! 
My competitive little T was in her glory. The pool scare was a thing of the past.
Here's the video of T's portion and her team's winning of the race. The end gets blurry when I tried to zoom the camera.
Needless to say, T's team of 6 girls won. If you look closely, you'll see that they had a few more toddlers on their team than the others. Anyway, my scrappy little T employed a little strategy at the end of the race as she barrelled over the finish line. She "mistakenly" rolled right into another team's racer, foiling that racer's start. He.He. Hmmm, coincidence or by design? You be the judge!
Here's T working her magic with Uncle Sam who was charming her with his bubble machine. T was basically confined to the little girl pool, when I realized that she has totally lost her swimming skills.
We had a big scare in the big-girl pool. I was sitting on the top step leading into the pool. There are about 5 steps in total. T was busy standing on the bottom step playing. She went down to the last step on which she could stand, and was playing holding the railing.
Well, I was busy sitting on the top step, watching her and taking in the scenery. Literally, I turned my head for 2 or 3 seconds to look out over the bay. When I turned back, T was out about 6 inches out from that last step, fighting for her life. She was starting to drown. I'm sad to say that it took about 1 second (a lifetime in that situation) for me to realize what I was seeing. I thought I was going to throw up. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life, and without a care at all for my stupid foot. All was well and I was able to rescue her with no harm to either of us, except a few more grey hairs for me. We both suffered a bad scare. The 12 lifeguards who all looked about 16 - 18 yrs old? Standing around socializing with each other. No one except me noticed a thing, and the pool was crowded.
Needless to say, after that drama, T sayed in the baby pool unless actually in the arms of me or Dot. I was yearning for a stiff shot of tequila, but I still had a long time left to watch after T, as this happened as soon as we got to the club. I had to keep my senses about me. Interestingly, by the end of the day and after our swimming on Saturday afternoon in Ceci's pool, T was regaining her swim skills.
T still can't float on her back or breathe while swimming, but she was pushing away from me and swimming to the wall from about 3 or 4 feet out. I was so proud of her. She didn't let "the incident" scare her away from the water. She kept insisting on doing it over and over. Repeatedly demanding "AGAIN!"
Lastly, no T hasn't passed out under the table from sheer fun. The boys were playing a blistering game of pingpong, and T appointed herself the official pingpong ball chaser. As you can see, she did it with her usual enthusiasm for the task.
Good Lord, we have alot to post about from this holiday weekend. This is just one of about 5 total posts, detailed our holiday hi-jinx. We arrived at Aunt Ceci's, and T had a ball playing with the 3 kids. Here, she and Ceci's youngest are playing the Wii game. It is absolutely amazing how detailed the graphics of this game are. For someone raised on Ms. Packman, Pong, and Space Invaders, this was truely amazing.
What's even more amazing is how T just picked it right up and joined right in. With those things you see in their hands, they swing their arms and push buttons, to make the characters in the game move. Totally interactive. Here's a short video of them "boxing" each other. Its a riot.
Meanwhile, we woke up bright and early on Friday the 4th, and headed out to the yacht club to which Ceci's family belongs. Its actually on Tampa bay, and had a huge pool, buffet BBQ lunch, face painting, balloon making, stilt-walking Uncle Sam who was complete with his own bubble machine and juggling act, decorations and races.
T got her face painted with fireworks, and also scored a fireworks balloon hat. You'd have thought that she'd died and gone to heaven. In the background of this picture, you can see old Uncle Sam, and the many seats set up for the buffet lunch, to give you an idea how big this place was. The food? Yummy!!!
We have big plans on the 4th to go to a club they belong to, which has its own tot lot and pools and poolside cafe. We'll be in heaven....as long as the tricky Fla. summertime weather cooperates. We'll then return home for more pool fun and Fourth of July grilling. The perfect day. On Saturday, the girls have plans to go to a birthday party. Little Emma is going to be 6 and is very excited that "Baby Taylor" is coming to her party!
Sunday we drive back home.
I'm taking lots of pictures, but can't upload them until I get home, so stand by for that.
Meanwhile, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
p.s. In honor of the holiday and all of the men and women in the armed forces who are busy literally giving their hearts and souls to a war that should never have been waged, I've added the National Anthem to the musical playlist. Its my all-time favorite rendition and sung my Whitney Houston...back in her heyday. It never fails to make me tear up.
The books arrived today. I ordered 2 books. One for me and one to eventually give to T. I LOVE IT!!! While the first book doesn't go all the way through to T's first birthday, it does include the preparation and and culmination of her adoption. Pictures and all. Unfortunately, I wasn't explicit enough in my instructions on what to include, but that's my fault. Now that I'm satisfied with the product, I'm going to order up the first and second years home. Those will probably be 2 separate volumes.
I'll post a picture of the book when I get a chance.
GOOD LORD......WE HAVE BREAKING BLOG NEWS AS WE SPEAK.......
This picture here, is how T has always colored in the past. Quite free-form, with absolutely no regard whatsoever to staying in the lines. Her coloring motto has always been "Lines? I don't need no stinkin' lines!"
Well, while just passing by her table, I took a look at what she was so intently coloring. Much to my surprise, a new milestone has been reached! My baby is suddenly coloring WITHIN the lines! How did this happen? Where has my baby gone?
Ah well, just one more indication that time does indeed march on. There's just no stopping my baby from growing up.
Meanwhile, that goop you see on her arms is baby excema creme. Its starting to look like she's developing it at her elbows in the crack of her arm and on her legs, at the back of her knees. At first I thought it was mosquito bites, as she was itching them. Now we think its excema, since its lasted so long. Anybody got any other remedies to recommend?
I've posted before about my daughter's love of issuing orders. She does so with such command and flair, that she literally rivals Chairman Mao. Therefore, I lovingly call her Chairman Nan (her chinese last name) when she starts in.
So, to set the scene, faithful readers of this blog are well aware that Aunt Dot sacrificed about 2 months of her life, living here while I was incapacitated due to my stupid almost-broken ankle/foot. Poor Dot did everything for us. Well, this past weekend, Dot was over and I was busy sitting on the couch minding my own business. I was watching TV and quite content.
T came over to the couch, looked into my nearly empty diet coke cup. Chairman Nan then turned to Aunt Dot and announced to Dot, "My mama needs more soda!", in quite the commanding voice while handing her the soda cup. YIKES. Both Dot and I were slightly stunned at this edict and could barely contain our laughter.
Of course, this earned T quite the lecture on how its not Aunt Dot's job to wait on either of us. Privately though, I was quite proud of her cunning, since it was patently clear that she's the one that wanted more diet coke, not her mama. Little did she know that her scheme would have garnered better results, if she had just asked Dot for some for herself. Its widely known that Aunt Dot can deny her nothing. God help us if T ever figures that out.
Anyway, I'm suspicious that my lecture didn't make much of an impression. T also has a great capacity to ignore such things.
