Sleep Update

Things have been up and down with the sleeping. Lately she's been going to bed ok for Alan. He stays with her, but puts her in her crib and she plays then he leaves and she cries a little then plays some more and then falls asleep. The last couple of nights he only had to stay with her about 10 minutes or so then she played and fell asleep. Also sleeping until about 6:30 - 7 AM. We don't put her into bed until about 7:30 now though.

Shopping with Bubbe

We did go shopping with Bubbe on her birthday and had a nice, if not tiring, time. We looked around the Thornes Marketplace in Northampton, MA and had lunch in Paul & Elizabeth's. The food was good but the service wasn't. I asked to have steamed vegetables in place of the salad, thinking maybe Shara would have a piece of broccoli or something, and they said they didn't do substitutes. They went and asked, then said there'd be a $1 charge and I said fine. When my meal came, there was no rice. They said that the substitute was the vegetables in place of the rice & salad. Bubbe split her rice with me and then we got the check and it had a $2 charge for the substitute. They fixed it, but I think the chef got stinky and just didn't want to do it so made it much more difficult than it had to be.

After lunch, where Shara ate the cheese out of her grilled cheese, while sitting on the bench, until she had to sit on my lap, we went shopping. They have a great toy store and Bubbe got Shara a placemat, that Shara picked out herself. It's nice - a map of the USA. We then had some ice cream at Harrells. Shara had a kiddie cookies & cream and ate it all, unassisted and without any mess. We did have a nice time and Shara slept the whole way home, until we got to our exit. We then went to the market for a couple of things and wouldn't sit in the cart until the end, when I forced her in, as she cried, then stopped.

Bubbe's Birthday

Saturday was Bubbe's birthday party, which didn't start until 7PM - around the time we start getting ready for night-night. Well Shara was invited to this adult party and we had no idea how she'd do, but she had a great time. The trip out was rather uneventful - Shara mostly watched Pooh while I knitted and daddy drove. We had a bar in the car and Shara didn't like that I wanted to take the napkin and clean up so she grabbed the napkin and all the crumbs went all over the place. That was lovely. When we got to the area, we stopped for lunch at Jumpin' Jacks - let the tradition begin here. Shara wanted sausage, but was quite happy with a hot dog. Didn't touch the fries. I had a hamburger with grilled onions and onion rings, Alan had a Jack burger & fries. We all ended with ice cream. The we went for beer & ice, then to Bubbe's. Shara played a while, then fell asleep for a nice nap on Daddy for about an hour +.
People started coming for the party a little before 7PM and, as bubbe said, shara had been there all day so she was comfortable and didn't mind all the people. In fact, she was a little social butterfly. The beginning of the night was spend being held by Liz, who really enjoyed the time with Shara. Shara then moved on to visit with the other guests. She really liked Maxine! Maybe it was the way she talked to her - Maxine is very calm and has a melodic voice, or it could be the books she gave Shara, but I think it was Maxine herself. Shara kept going over to her and even gave her duck. Early in the evening we had to move the chocolate eggs off the coffee table since Shara couldn't help herself from taking them. She wasn't interested in the food but had so much fun scooping the ice for everyone. When the desserts were put out, her eyes got big and she spent some time around the table. We watched Bubbe blow out her candles and then, for dessert, Shara picked a lemon cookie with sprinkles and a big strawberry! She didn't really want the cookie but loved the berry. At the end of the night, we got ready for bed and Shara ended up falling asleep on Daddy. Daddy had a nice rest too. Mommy stayed up and talked & cleaned up with bubbe until about 1:30 AM. We all slept until about 8 AM the next morning - very unlike us!
I took Shara to get bagels around the corner - she was so hungry she started her cinnamon raisin in the car. She ended up eating a whole bagel with cream cheese and wanted more. Shara even had some fried egg, but not much, and a bite of a sugar-snap pea. In the car on the way home she had 2 mini bananas and 1/2 a kashi chewy bar. Later in the day she had some snack then 1/2 piece of pizza, some smoothie and a banana/chocolate chip cookie. She also went to bed at around 9PM, on mommy and I had to wake her at 7AM for school. Looks like we're back to not good night-nights! Oh well, it's just a phase (she says with hope in her heart!)
Today we're going to meet Bubbe in Northampton, MA for lunch and shopping for her birthday.

Pictures from Bubbe's Birthday Party

Lonesome Jukebox

We went to an evening concert of Lonesome Jukebox at the Norton Public Library. They have a great park with soft green grass. Though it was hot and steamy, we all had a great time dancing to the music and enjoying free pizza from a local pizza place (great marketing idea - come by with paper plates & a couple of cheese pizzas). Shara loved watching this couple swing dancing in the back and tried to imitate some of their moves. Very cute. 

Sandcastles

We went to see the sand sculpture competition in Revere. There were several firsts for Shara - her first time eating fried dough (loved it, of course), her first trip to Kelley's Roast Beef (too full from fried dough?), first time playing in the ocean (low tide is great).

Take a look at the pics - not in order and lots from the competition.

More Words

Cinderbella, lawnmolar, refrigabator. Yes is used for replying to a want question, whereas yeah is more of an agreement. When we do something together - someone helping shara to do something, it's teamwork - teamwork paste cover - the toothpaste cover.

Sick yesterday

Yesterday we had to have Uma & Jidor come to stay with Shara because she woke up rather tired in the morning but still laughed and I thought she was just catching up on some needed sleep. When we got to the car, I put her in her seat and she threw up the juice she sucked down when she woke up. She had a fever, but not lethargic - actually after she ate 2 pieces of toast & some yogurt. I was worried that she had a bladder infection because she hadn't pee'd, but the I figured her fever peeked in the early morning - she had drank all her water and all the refill and still a dry diaper. Before I left I checked and she was wet. When we got home from work, things were fine - she had napped and had a low fever but nothing significant. We had a fun dinner at Maguires.

Back & Forth

After a fairly good week of sleeping, Shara got a cold and we regressed a bit. Alan is now putting her into bed and she goes to sleep like she used to. Wednesday she woke at about 11 PM and wouldn't go back to sleep - ended up watching Cinderella with her downstairs to keep her upright & from crying, which produced more muccus. She then went back to bed for Alan, won't go to bed for me. But we still didn't get much sleep that night. The next night was almost the same thing, but this time she was testing. Wanting juice & snack @ 11:30 PM, then wanting Cinderella, etc. Classic stall tactics. I gave her a little juice and 2 animal crackers which she didn't drink or eat and tried to get her back to bed, but it had to be Alan to actually place her in bed and then she was fine. I think all this took about 1.5 hours. She's really testing. She pitched a fit over watching Pooh in the car the last 2 days, but you can't give in, I held my ground. She wasn't crying so much that she would have thrown up. I'm learning how to tell the difference. Last night was great - she'll get a big sticker to wear today to school - went into bed about 7:45 (for alan of course) and didn't hear a peep until 4:44 (one minute before my alarm goes off). I heard, over and over, water - more water, water - more water, until I went in and she handed me her cup, I filled it up, gave it back and got thank you mommy, thank you mommy, thank you mommy, and I told her to lay back down, which she did, and said I'd see her in the morning and left the room. She appears to still be sleeping.

We've been pretty busy lately. Last weekend Alan & I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean and to dinner @ not your average joe's. We left when the meals arrived - my stomach wasn't right, but that gave us leftovers for 2 nights and Shara loved the shrimp & scallops. It's nice that she can now eat all that without alergy worries. The next day we were going to go out to dinner for Chris & my birthday, but Thea wanted to cook for us instead, and it was a very nice time. Thea made salad nicoise w/ shrimp & hard boiled eggs - all things Shara loves, and we played a little outside, though Shara didn't want to walk on the grass - I think she didn't want to feel the grass on her feet? She also loved the brownies - how surprising!

Before we went to their house we went out to lunch @ Good days and it was fun - sweet potato fries & mac & cheese, then took a side trip to my work so I could swap out the backup tape and then headed to Lincoln Woods in RI. It was a gorgeous day and we relaxed in the car by the lake while Shara finished napping. After she woke we walked around - again, shara didn't want to walk, but was ok in the stroller. She also didn't want to leave, but obviously we did. We want to go back before the end of the summer for a picnic with Alan's family. They used to have bbq's there a lot when he was a kid and it's a fabulous place. The next day we did some shopping in the morning then out to lunch - Memphis grill in attleboro. Very yummy bbq. Shara didn't want to nap at all and was fine without one - we basically played in the house and I made muffins and dinner. We also started taking advantage of the nicer weather and went for a walk after dinner, which we hadn't done in too long.

This weekend is supposed to be really hot & sticky. We may head for the water or stay inside. Don't know yet. I have a feeling ice cream may be involved though. Not so much for Shara - she takes a bite or 2 but nothing significant. Usually the atmosphere is the great attraction for her.

one good night

Today Shara got a Cinderella sticker because she went to bed so well last night. Alan put her to sleep and she cried, but then settled down. Tonight I'm in the office writing this because Alan is now sitting on the floor of Shara's room, doing what I'm not sure. He played it the same as last night, but tonight she was crying much more and we're (I'm) ever fearful that she'll throw up again. She did this Sunday when we put her down for a nap - all over, really yucky. So I'm off to watch TV. I'm giving up. Wow, that sounds pathetic, but there's really not much I can do.

Just an update - about 4 minutes after I wrote that, Alan came out, Shara cried and then stopped. I'm off to relax in front of the TV now.

terrible twos

Well it seems we're not going to escape the terrible twos. Shara has gotten a few troubling new habits, the worst of which is not napping for us and not sleeping well. Actually she sleeps fine, it's getting her to sleep that poses the problem. She now has to fall asleep on one of us, and then we have to put her into bed asleep. This is something we haven't had to do since she was a month or 2 old. We don't get her to bed until well after8 now, een if she's tired. Tonight alan will go first because she plays and talks/sing too long on me.

July 4th

We celebrated July 4th at the mall. Shara had fun in the food court.