Emily Post would be proud...

Anna Claire is consistently saying, "Please," "Thank you," and "You're welcome!"*

I love how she does sign language for "please" while saying, "Please." (Thank you Red Barn family!)

Occasionally, she will say, "You're Welcome," when she really means, "Thank you." But more often than not she gets it right. Anna Claire even says, "Thank you," to the checkout person at Walmart.

What's more is Anna Claire has a smile for everyone. When we go out in public, it's as if she thinks everyone is there to see her or to entertain her. She has never met a stranger, and people are just naturally drawn to her. I see this as a trait that will serve her well.

*Note: She pronounces these, "Tank oo," "Wecome," and "Peas."

On the flip-side, our almost two-year-old loves slang: "Later!" "Cool!" "Dude!" are favorites right now.

Parent of the Year: Me

Parent of the year moment: Today AC was enjoying her post-nap snack, and I thought it wise to fix her hair since she was stationary, as I do not particularly enjoy the challenge of chasing a moving target.

Anna Claire has natural curl, but it looks best after spritzed with a little water. Well, the spray bottle of water was sitting right next to spray cleaner. Guess which one I picked up and sprayed in the child's hair? Repeatedly.

I say to Anna Claire, "Whoa! No I didn't!"

She repeated back, "Whoa! No I didn't!" with a big chocolate chip cookie smile on her face.

LUCKILY, we use GreenWorks which is made from 97% natural ingredients. Lord knows what the other 3% is made up of.

I immediately went to work rinsing her hair out, and am happy to report that none of her hair fell out, nor did it turn green, as my wild, twisted imagination predicted.

The Constant Gardener

Since introducing Anna Claire to our small container garden on the deck, and berry patch on the side of the house, that is where she wants to be! All the time.

We may go inside for "dink" or potty, but then it's back to the "matoes".

Anna Claire is learning so much so fast, and it's fun because then she has to go inside and tell Daddy and Paw-Paw about it.

We watered the marigolds and talked about the different colors. We smelled them and I talked to Anna Claire about how they keep the rabbits and squirrels from eating the tomatoes so WE can eat them!

Today we tasted rosemary ("mary") and thyme. She loved both! I showed her the baby tomatoes, just beginning to sprout. They are so tiny and green. We talked about the whole process from seedling to flower to green to red. To eat! I could also show her the process because we have seedlings on the side of the house, and larger plants with flowers, and even larger ones forming small green tomatoes already.

I love that Anna Claire is not afraid of bees, and sees that they are not afraid of us. She understands that they help us and the flowers and that we need them. We laugh when they hover in front of our faces and talk to them. Note: I did NOT talk to bees and laugh when they hovered in my face as a child.

H & S Strawberry Farm

Today was a prime time to visit H & S: perfect weather, beautiful ripe strawberries, and a child who is strawberry-crazy.

Anna Claire wasn't into the long drive out to Seven Mile Ferry Road and back, but it was well worth the ride. Her daddy and I DID enjoy the ride, however. Very scenic and nostalgic - it had been a long time since either of us had been to that side of town.

Anna Claire picked every berry ("beddy") that she ate, and ate every berry she picked (of course we GUIDED her to the good ones). Our "seal of approval" seemed to make the berry even more delicious for her.

US: This is a good one, Anna Claire!
ANNA CLAIRE: Good one!! Yummy one!

Here are a few pics from our visit:

Typical five minutes at home with Anna Claire...

AC: Hiya!
Me: Hiya!
AC: Hold you.
(I pick up Anna Claire and hold her)
Me: Hold you!
AC: Out.
Me: You want to go outside.
AC: Yay, yay. Coat!
Me: We don't need a coat baby. It's warm outside.
We go downstairs.
AC: Hanley! Kitty! (Stanley and Kitty are our cats.)
Me: Stanley and Kitty are asleep.
AC: (pointing to her eyes) Shhhh! Sleep. (whispers) Paw-paw?
Me: Grandpa is in there.
(runs to refrigerator)
AC: Pickle! Pickle! (This is apparently the password to open the refrigerator. I open it.)
Me: You want a pickle?
AC: No. No. No. Cheese?
Me: You want cheese? K. (I give her an orange square. Notice we still have not been outside yet)
AC: (Points to stove) Cook! Hot! Daddy!
Me: That's right, Daddy cooks. Sometimes the stove is hot.
AC: Lone!
Me: Good, Anna Claire. When it's hot we leave it alone. Thats's right.
(Anna Claire and Mommy go outside)

Awesome Mother's Day! Lots of FirstsToday!

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day, than to share experiences for the first time with your child? We had many today:

1. First time pooping in the potty - (Her idea, not ours! Right after bath, so that could have been BAD NEWS otherwise. Ha!)
2. First time seeing, smelling, and TASTING honeysuckle. Very fun.
3. First time trying honeydew, watermelon, and canteloupe. Verdict? I think she can take it or leave it, like her mom and dad.
4. First time STYLING her own hair and mine.
5. Named 8 out of 12 friends in her class, on her own  after simply being prompted: "Who are your friends, Anna Claire?" 
6. Blew kiss and waved "bye-bye" to Meme TO Meme's face. (she normally waits until Meme has pulled out of the driveway and is at the end of the road before waving, kiss-blowing, and saying "Meme!")

Rambling Monologues, Then Answering Hersefl

Anna Claire has been going through a phase this week where she will sit and look at a book or just sit with NOTHING and talk to herself. She just talks and talks, and it's in too low of a voice for us to hear what she's saying. She looks so intense and passionate - it's very cute.

My favorite part is how the "conversation" ends: "No, no, no, no, no."  She cracks me up.

Mother of the Year, I'm NOT

So, we were driving home from The Red Barn, just like any other day. I look in the rearview mirror and see Anna Claire completely leaning forward and laughing. I think, "how in the world is she managing that with her seatbelt on?"  Ding-ding-ding - her seatbelt ISN'T on!!

I have been beating myself up over this all day: I forgot to fasten her safety harness. We were only a few houses down the road when I realized it, but I am sick at my stomach over it.

She's fine - nothing happened. But what if something did? I have got to slow down and keep focused. I have NEVER forgotten this before, but you know what, I bet I don't forget again!

Telling Us All About It

Anna Claire loves looking at books with me and retelling the stories herself. She does a great job recalling details from those I've read to her previously.

Aside from retellings, her favorite thing to do with books right now is to point out a picture or word and tell us everything she knows about it. For example, today she saw a grandma with cookies and a cup of coffee:

"G'ama! Coffee! Cup! Hot! Daddy drink! Yummy (she can only imagine - ha)!"

Grandma also had cookies, "Cookies! Eat! Chew! Sweet! Chocolate!"

She likes it HOT

Anna Claire likes it hot, just like her folks.We rarely give her spicy food, but when we do let her try some, she LOVES it.

Tonight, Larry made fried crawfish with a spicy remoulade to dip them in.

Anna Claire was liking the crawfish fine, but she is always wise to what we have on our plates, especially anything we have that she doesn't.

"Dip! Dip" I hear her cry.

She had been eyeballing my remoulade (ketchup, mustard, mayo, cayenne, lemon)  in its shiny silver container for some time. I finally poured a tiny bit on her plate, and she licked it clean in seconds. "Mo, mo! Dip!"

By dinner's end, the child had more "dip" than I care to admit.

We are just SO excited that she loves food as much as we do. There are very few things she won't eat now! I love our good eater!

Ear Infection: Take six.

Today we calculated that Anna Claire has had 6 ear infections in 6 months time. The nurse that we spoke with today said that 6 within 4 months is generally when they begin looking to tubes as an option, but the topic did come up today. I am open to it! With just a few days of relief between cycles, it's becoming unbearable. AND we notice SUCH a difference in her disposition when she is well. Such a sweet, happy, gentle child. Not that she is a monster now, but she is SPIRITED! Ha.

The good thing that has come out of all of this is that Anna Claire was terrified of going to the doctor. Now it's nothing to her. She just sits there and lets them do whatever. I also explain to her that we are going to get more "milkshake" to help her ear feel better. And then we do, so she gets it.

She also enjoyed her first Dum Dum lollipop today, or "pop pop". (WITH supervision, of course.)

No!

Ahhh..."no,"...our favorite word for the past two weeks.

Referring to Self in Third-person
What's funny is how Anna Claire uses it. She continues to refer to herself in the third-person and will say, "Ah-nah eat," (pointing to play-doh) then she will answer her own question, "nooooo...."

Likewise, she'll walk over to the baby gate, and say "Cwaire, o'en," (Claire open) then reply to herself, "nooo...."


(And don't you just love how she is in limbo over whether to refer to herself as Anna or Claire?)


We Can't Win
Of course, like any toddler, Anna Claire enjoys using the n-word to assert herself. Sometimes to the point we can't win. At bath the other night, Larry asked her if she wanted out of the tub.
Anna Claire replied, "Nooo...."
Then I asked, "Do you want to stay in the tub?"
"Nooo...."
Then I asked, "Anna Claire, can Mommy and Daddy win?"
"Nooo..."
I love it.