Plugging along...

Sorry that my posts have become virtually non-existent. Not much to say these days, I guess. We were all sick for a while last month, so that knocked us out of commission for a while. Adele had pink eye in both eyes and a never-ending cold, and Steve and I both got hit with The Colds From Hell. It was a rough 2-3 weeks, there. But we're on the mend now and doing fine. And even with the bad cold that she suffered, Adele still seems really healthy for a preemie that goes to daycare. Well, maybe it's not that she's really healthy, it's that she's not any more or less UNhealthy than any normal kid. I hope that makes sense. She doesn't get Synagis shots this year, so I did have a few moments of panic when I thought about what COULD go wrong. But then, she's always defied the odds and done better than anyone expected she would.

I'm really enjoying the stage and age Adele is in, for the most part. I love her little personality and it's simply amazing to me how she seems to learn something new every day. I hear her attempting sentences, or at least phrases, which is so cool. Some of the middle words are pretty garbled, but I can tell she's trying to repeat what I'm saying. "Daddy's at work" becomes "Daddy bljkjdajd wok." You get the gist.

She is becoming very proficient with her table utensils and can easily stab with a fork and scoop with her spoon. (She's not perfect, by any means, and still uses her fingers quite a bit.) She can eat rice and not make a complete mess of things, which is a big improvement! (Much to Skeeter's disappointment, as that means his Hoovering services aren't as badly needed.) Her latest accomplishment and joy is eating a bowl of cereal all by herself. Steve and I were pretty amazed when she dug right in and ate it all without any help from us. Someone (ahemSTEVEahem) also taught her how to drink milk from the bowl. She's definitely her father's daughter! Dinner time has become somewhat of a challenge, however, because she seems to be in a finicky phase. Foods that used to be favorites, like scrambled eggs, are pushed away uneaten. One day she'll eat a HUGE serving of green beans (and then eat Steve and my portions, too) and turn her nose up at them the next day. Not much you can do when they won't eat anything and they don't seem to care, so we just let it go.

One issue that might be contributing to the mealtime problem is that she finally seems to be getting some of her molars! And poor kid, all four (top and bottom first molars) seem to be coming in at the same time. But really, it's about time, I say! I'm surprised she doesn't have more by now, quite frankly.

Unfortunately, Adele is still in a major tantrum phase. I suppose I should get used to it, as it's unlikely to go away for a while. The hitting tendencies have been curbed, thankfully, but she's still prone to the "drop and flail" at any given moment when she doesn't get her way. We're also dealing with a bit of separation anxiety in the mornings when I drop her off at daycare. That's a new one, since she's never, ever had issues with daycare and loves Renee and all the kids there. Hopefully that is a short-lived phase.

So, I suppose she sounds like your average 21-month-old, eh?

Anyway, on to photos!

Adele got these boots as hand-me-downs from Steve's step-sister's daughter (Adele's step-cousin??). She looooves to wear them around the house. Steve always sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating or working hard, and someone else has picked up the habit, too.

The next two were taken when she was really sick, hence the puffy red eyes and runny nose.

She's thinking up her next moment of mayhem.

"Hello, SRS?"
The next two photos are part of a likely-ongoing series called, "Please Don't Judge Me as a Mother by What You See My Child Eating in Photos."

She is clearly enjoying her hambuger (from our trip to Beloit last month).

"Oh, cereal. How I love thee!" At least that's what it sounded like to me...