thankful#128: dagny's vocabulary

It makes me smile. She is communicating more and more and is so proud each time we understand something new that she is trying to convey. Sure, a lot of her words sound the same since many of them are only the first sound of the word, but the distinction comes in context.

At 17 months, she now says:

Mama & Mommy
Dada & Daddy
Kiki
Dagny = "Daggy"
Yaya
Papa
Baba
Gramma & Grandma Billie are both "Bee Ah Yee"
Boo Boo
Althea (our neighbor friend) is "Ah Tee"
if we point out a lot of people quickly in pictures, she will respond with "pbetah pbetah pbetah"

hi
bye bye
swing = "swee swee" and she will sway her head back and forth
rock (as in on a rocking horse) = "rah rah"
um ... often drawn out as "ummmmmmmmmmmm" as though she's really got to think about it
yeah ... often drawn out to "yeeeeeeeeeee ah"
"no", typically "no no no no no"
more = "mo" and she will do the sign for "more"
help = "ep" and she will do the sign for "help"
"up" and she will point up
mine = "my ee"
Owie is "ah ee"
"Bah" is either bonk (as in she bonked her head or other body part) or ball
"boo" is balloon or boot depending on context
book = "boo" (different than above - makes the sound of book without the k)
bike = "bi"
binkie
hair bow = "ah boh"
cheese (for pictures) = "geeee"
eye
nose = "no" pointing to nose
mouth = "maw"
hug = "ug"
"eat"
if she wants her shoes on or a doll's shoes on, she'll point to her feet and say "beet"
Back (as she's walking backwards) = "ba ba ba ba"
Bath is also "ba", but she will point to the bathroom
"poo" as she grabs her diaper means that she wants her diaper changed, though not necessarily a poop
potty
"aaaaaaah boo" means she's about to jump off of something ... !?
"ha" or "ah" = here ... as in "ah, mama" as she hands me something
kitty
dog = "oof oof"
baby


apple = "ahpoh"
banana = "bee" while pointing to where the bananas are
orange = "oh" or "oo" while pointing to where the oranges are
peanut butter = "pee bee"

She knows sign language for "please", "thank you", "i'm sorry", "more", "help", and "up".

I am sure I am forgetting something and she definitely understands an amazingly large amount more than she can say. My favorites are her little combinations, though. Topping the list is "mama? mo pee bee?" I can hardly stand the cuteness when she says it.

thankful#127: kinsley's kick-ass immune system

Last night Kinsley started acting a little under the weather. Not sick, but just not as energetic as she normally is. She had a tiny bit of a cough - it almost had a hint of the barkiness of croup, but it was also productive and it was very infrequent. The only thing that Kinsley said about not feeling well was that her belly was really warm. I took her temperature and she had a fever of around 101.5 - but still not ACTING like she didn't feel well other than being calmer than normal. Overnight was a little bit rougher, though. She woke up crying because she couldn't get comfortable - she was too hot and she was coughing more frequently. When I took her temperature around 2 in the morning it was up to 103. I finally got her comfortable and I slept the rest of the night with her. She slept in until 8:30, which is unheard of for her. When she did wake up she was still a little slow moving, but much better than during the night and her temperature was down to 100. We obviously kept her home from school and told her we were going to have a lazy, restful day. We read tons of books, watched Madagascar 2 while Dagny napped, and just took it easy. By midday she had taken a 180 degree turn for the better. Her temperature was around 99 and she was playful and happy and energetic again. She still has a hint of a cough, but it is almost unnoticeable.

I have no idea what she has/had, but she kicked it's ass. She has always been so great at fighting bugs off and I'm so thankful for that. I know some kids who struggle with bug after bug and it wipes them out for days at a time each time. Kinsley has had a handful of colds that have never lasted more than a couple of days and she's had what I know was definitely croup twice - and she fought that off in a day. Her immune system is so strong and she has had no problem combating what's come her way so far. It's still scary when she gets a fever or cough because we don't know what's caused it and we just don't know if this will be the one that puts her on her booty, but so far ... her kick-ass immune system has kicked into gear when she's needed it.

thankful#126: clean, warm sheets

I got a break in our day and was able to get a couple of loads of laundry done today. The girls helped - they picked up any stray dirties that they found in their room, got them to the basket, helped me load the washer, put the money in, and pushed the buttons. I love that they want to be involved. When it was time to transfer stuff to the dryer, they were right there again - taking one item at a time from the washer to the dryer. Luckily, there was no one waiting and we were able to take our time!

I wasn't able to get all of the laundry folded before we had to leave for Kinsley's evening swim class, but when we got back everything was still warm. I put the sheets on all of the beds, got the girls in their jammies, and they are now tucked into their nice clean, warm beds. It was extra nice because Kinsley is feeling a little under the weather - I think she's about to kick some croup booty - so she got some comfy sheets to snuggle into.

thankful#125: this beautiful day

oh.my.word. Today was SO beautiful. We spent nearly the entire day outside just enjoying it and soaking as much of it up as we possibly could. The only time we were inside was to make and eat some lunch and hang out with Taya and Baby Isaac for a little bit before heading back out. We literally spent HOURS outside. When Kevin got home I went for my run ... in shorts and a t-shirt.

The forecast is calling for rain the next few days so this was even more welcomed. I am so ready for this weather to be the norm again.

thankful#124: a good progress check today

I was hoping to get a good idea of where I'm at with my fitness today in the medical fund run. My plan was to go out as hard as I could and just see how long I could hold it - not exactly a smart race tactic, but it was merely to see exactly where I'm at right now in my training. I probably could have gone out harder than I did, but I'm glad I didn't because I'm not sure it would have been pretty. It was a beautiful day, but there was definitely a wind that hit us when we turned off of the first bridge and headed West. There was a small group in front of me that was clearly in way better shape than me, but I was hoping to at least hang on for a bit just to have someone to chase. I was also hoping that if anybody did pass me, I'd be able to hang on enough to keep them in my sights and chase them. The lead group pulled away about the same time the wind hit and I got a couple of mere flashes of them in the next couple of miles - by mile 4 they were nowhere in my sights. There was one guy who passed me around mile 3, but he too took off and wasn't anywhere close enough to chase. So I was on my own. I ran almost the entire 6.2 miles by myself. I'm not sure if I was chasing someone that it would have made much of a difference, but I like to think that with someone in my sights it would have kicked me just a little. I got a sideache right around mile 4 that slowed me down for about a half mile, but I was able to run through it and finish hard. Since I had nobody to chase I told myself that I just didn't want anyone else to pass me - and I was able to do that. I ended up getting a nice PR of about three and a half minutes for my 10k (44:42), so overall I'm happy with the race. I needed 11 miles for the day in my training, so I ran home and added 5 miles on - I was able to keep those miles at a decent pace even though my legs were pretty heavy. It was a good progress check for me and has left me pretty encouraged for the half at the end of April!

thankful#123: medical fund run

I ran in the Drew & Michelle Medical Fund Run 10k this morning - what an amazing fundraiser. Drew and Michelle are a local couple that were vacationing in Mexico when they were involved in a hit and run accident leaving them both in critical condition. Drew works for the sheriff's department and has decent insurance for the both of them, but apparently his coverage ends soon and there is still a long road ahead of them. I don't know the specifics of their injuries, other than Drew had damage to his brain and lost one of his legs and Michelle also has to relearn how to walk. Drew just started speaking again slowly about a month ago and does occupational and physical therapy for 3 hours each day. Michelle was hoping to make an appearance at the race today, but came down with a sudden illness this week caused by scar tissue in her abdomen from the accident. Drew, however, was there and it was incredible. He participated in his wheel chair in the 5k with a group of what I'm guessing were his family and close friends. When they got within about 20 or 30 feet of the finish line, Drew stood from his wheel chair, grabbed tight onto a walker, and with the support of the family and friends that were with him he walked to and across the finish line. The entire crowd gathered along the sidelines cheering him on. It was apparent by the look on his face that it was quite a feat for him and that it was taking everything he had to do it, but you could also sense that he was humbled by the outpouring of support. It was really an emotional moment. I was getting choked up and I had never even met him and I saw the same sentiment on many of the faces of the people there. It was yet another example of the amazing way that people band together to show support when hard times hit. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of this event today. They are an inspiring couple.

thankful#122: next door friends for the girls

I'm am so thankful to have so many friends for the girls so close in proximity. Althea has been so great for Kinsley - she's just a little bit older so Kinsley can't be TOO bossy (even thought she still tries), but she's close enough in age that they still enjoy playing together. And Dagny and Leotine are starting to enjoy each other's company as well, which couldn't be much cuter. Toddlers sitting on the steps, eating apples and string cheese, and giggling as they look at each other and bounce up and down ... might be one of my favorite images. We are so lucky to be where we're at and to have such sweet girls for our girls to call friends.