Toddler Log: 2 Years and 20 Weeks Old

How was your holiday? Mine was fantastically quiet. Just the three of us with chocolate chip kicking and flip flopping to Christmas music. We went to a banquet buffet at one of those fancy hotels for dinner. It was decent, but nothing to write home about. We snuggled on the couch to watch Love Actually, Damon's favorite holiday movie. I bought him the DVD for Christmas. It was definitely more appropriate than the South Park Christmas Special that he let Marlie watch a portion of the night before. Only after she asked why "they were tearing open the rabbit's tummy?" did he realize that it might not be a good idea to let her watch anymore. Where was I? Fast asleep and unaware that my toddler was being exposed to violent imagery. sigh

I woke up at 7 am on the day after Christmas and drove to the mall to score some deals. I was armed with a $10 off $30 coupon for Sears where I picked up new boots for Marlie (because missy outgrew her other boots sometime in the last 3 weeks) and I also grabbed some maternity clothes that were on sale. I get to checkout and was told that the coupon doesn't apply to footwear or the maternity line. Jimmy Cricket! I left with just the boots because baby girl needs them. Once home, I started dismantling the sorry-looking tree (we went back to Home Depot this year...when will we learn?!). Then I left to have lunch with a friend while Damon and Marlie stayed home for quality father-daughter bonding time, which probably included some kind of sports viewing.

Marlie has been spending the week playing with her Christmas gifts including a set of Clementine non-toxic, natural art products from grandma. She has been finger painting and making turtles with the modeling clay (and drawing on the floor with her soy crayons). She has been learning to use her balance bike (indoors at first since mom and dad forgot to buy a helmet...don't worry one has since been purchased). She also loves bowling with her Melissa and Doug Monster Bowling set.

We are also spending the week re-training on the potty. So far so good. Now if I can just get her school to meet us halfway. I have been pushing to send her to school in panties, but her lead teacher has been postponing it. The directors are okay with it, but the lead teacher seems to have the final say. What to do?

On Thursday, I had a visit to my OB for a sonogram because I was told, while we are free not to want to learn our baby's sex, doctor lady still needs to see that baby has two working lungs, kidneys and the like. So, we obliged. We told the technician upfront that we didn't want to know the sex anatomy. Marlie started to cry when the tech lady put the gel and wand on my belly. I have to say she has been more interested in my baby bump lately. She even talks to the baby and rubs my belly. Tech lady put the picture with the baby's sex written on it in a sealed envelope in case we change our mind. Damon says she slipped and used a pronoun at the end of the session. I didn't hear it though. I have not been tempted to look in that envelope either. I must say that I am glad we got the sonogram. I was awash in love looking at that baby's face. (S)he was making a sucking noise with his/her mouth. The face was the only part of the sono scan I would look at, afraid that I might be able to make out the genitalia on a full body image.

We wrapped up the week by celebrating New Year's Eve at home, munching on homemade pizza and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve show, me sipping on sparkling white grape and kissing hubby at midnight. Thank God you can't get pregnant when you are pregnant!

I don't do new year resolutions, but I always have a running to-do list and that's enough to keep me busy all of 2012. Happy New Year Friends!