a.d.d.i.s.o.n

She told me she wanted to write her name.

I only helped her with the "s". She said it was too hard.

tennessee aquarium - addison's view

Addison has been wanting to borrow my camera lately. And I figure, why not? I can delete them. While at the aquarium she wanted to take some pictures. Her favorite:

Things were going well until we got to the alligator. She doesn't quite have the hold of the camera down. Most of the pictures have a finger in them. So when I tried to show her how to hold it the correct way the world stopped rotating, hell froze over and she became possessed. Right after this we spent 15 minutes in the bathroom staring each other down until the tantrum stopped. Last time I try to help, at least in a public place.

I'm not even sure what to say about this one. It's a little too early for "the talk" so I just let it slide.

I'm hoping the fascination with the camera will work to my benefit and she'll start letting me take pictures of her again.

tennessee aquarium - my view

We made a day trip to the TN aqauarium while we were visiting a couple of weeks ago. I knew Addison would love it and figured Morgan would have a good time pointing and chatting at the fish. The stingray exhibit puts the zoo exhibit here to shame. The wall between you and the rays is an inch thick making it really easy for kids to have access to petting them. They also had shallow areas so Addison had no trouble reaching in. The free shrimp they gave away to feed them was a bonus. (Michael is feeding one below.)

They had a really cool butterfly garden. We tried to get Addison to hold one but she wanted no part of it. There were so many of them and all of them so pretty.

Nemo was a highlight for Addison. Anything that moved was a highlight for Morgan.

We went on a Wednesday so it wasn't that busy and all of the volunteers were super nice to the girls. They tried to include them in on stories and demonstrations. Even the divers stopped what they were doing to give them some attention.

Look out for that shark! (I know. I'm a dork.)

Morgan then went home with the grandparents while we took Addison to her first IMAX movie, which happen to be in 3D. Michael and I would laugh everytime she would reach out for a fish. The three of us had a late lunch and called it a day. I know it was fun for Addison to have some alone time with us.

And because I love her I got her a stingray. At least I got her to pose for a picture.

recent trip - the important stuff

We spent all of last week in Tennessee. Our main reason for the trip was for the wedding celebration of Michael's brother, Rusty and his lovely wife Krista. They eloped in March during our fun ski trip in NC and decided to have a celebration for family in friends. But the highlight of the trip, for the kids at least, was the ice cream. They ate a lot of it. Sometimes twice a day. It was vacation so it's okay. Morgan liked eating hers from the bottom.

This past week they ate nothing but salads.

carwashaphobia

There isn't a medical term for it. I googled it. But there probably should be. I found there are a lot of people out there with this same fear.

Remember the little story I told about taking Morgan through the car wash on the 4th of July? And how terrified she was. Turns out she's still terrified. Addison really wanted to go through the car wash after getting gas one day. Both of them were in great moods so I decided it would be fun. As soon as the water started spraying the crying began. I happen to have my camera in the car. This first shot is pretty priceless.

It was downhill from here. The shaking and crying were pretty sad, but pretty cute at the same time. Good thing the whole thing lasted about 1 minute.

I know. I'm a horrible parent for taking pictures of my child when she's so upset and crying, but there really wasn't much I could do while sitting in the car wash. So I decided to make a memory. And learned to never take Morgan through the car wash again.

And when I got home I swooped her out and gave her a bunch of hugs and kisses. She forgave me.

(Can we just talk about her hair and her eyes? I'm in love!)

house divided

Addison is so brainwashed by Michael. I tried to dress her in Gator gear the other day and once she realized what she was wearing she made me take it off immediately. And when she saw Morgan in her Gator gear she about freaked.

I was teaching Morgan how to say "Go Gators" the other day and Addison starts yelling at me not to say that. And then she leans over to Morgan and whispers "I'll teach you how to say Go Vols when we get out of the car". I don't like it one bit, but it's still cute.

Morgan is all mine. She will bleed orange & blue.

thanks

A big thank you to everyone who posted here and on Facebook. It really is a big help to receive some advice and suggestions and also reassuring to know that I'm not the only mother who is about to pull her hair out. A couple of more points to make in response to your comments.

I've tried asking her what's wrong or why she woke up last night but I can't get a straight answer out of her. If I lead her into the question then she answers with what she thinks I want to hear. I had a talk with her teacher this morning at daycare and she's going to try and talk to her. Maybe if it comes from a third party she'll answer differently.

I am ALL about routine. The girls thrive on it and so do I. They stick to the same schedule everyday at school and her teacher said that she is still napping very well. One of the first out. She's always been a good sleeper and needs her nap during the day. Both of the girls are cranky monsters and completely overtired if they don't get their naps. I don't think the reason she is waking up is because she isn't tired.
 
Just over the last couple of nights she's been doing better. She is currently sleeping with her fan, a nightlight in her room and in the hallway, and the closet light on. She is still waking up and making her way to our room, but we immediately take her back. And the crying has lessened. The first time she was up last night she didn't cry at all. I took her back to her bed and she went straight down. I sang her one song and walked away. She was up again a second time and this time cried when Michael took her back instead of me. It lasted maybe  5 minutes and then she went back down without a fight. Maybe we're turning the corner.
 
I'm going to try a few things over the next week. I'm going to make a chart and give her stickers as a reward for sleeping. Then maybe she can trade in a certain amount of stickers for a new book. I'm also going to take her to pick out a stuffed animal that can only be used at nighttime. And maybe even give the music a try. Something has to work, right? Wish me luck.