31 July 2014

Tony was reading "Where's My Puppy" to Alyson before bed.

Tony: Alyson, what does a dog say?
Alyson: Dank coo. (Thank you.)

30 July 2014

We ate lunch today on the deck of a restaurant overlooking the lake at Broadway at the Beach. Stunt speedboat drivers take people on rides on lake and were passing by where we were eating quite frequently. Every time the boat would go out of her sight, Alyson would say and sign:

"All gone!"

29 July 2014

When we were getting ready to leave the beach this morning, Alyson tried to start walking away from the blanket without her sandals and after being in the shade of the umbrella for a while. As she stepped onto the sand:

"Aaaaahhhhhtttt....."

Poor girl realized that the sand gets pretty hot. Don't worry, she was fine.

28 July 2014

We were listening to Disney songs on Pandora in the car. "Let It Go" came on. Instantly from Alyson before Madelyn realized which song it was:

"Deh dih doe! Deh dih doe!"

And she continued singing through the next song as well.

27 July 2014

We have taught the girls that when they are choking, they should put their hands in the air above their heads and take deep breaths. While eating dinner, Madelyn gasped about the possibility of having a cookie for dessert and choked on the food in her mouth a little. Alyson just looked at her and put her hands up in the air.

26 July 2014

We went for a quick walk over to the beach this evening after dinner. As we got to the beach:

Alyson, pointing to the beach: Eh! Eh!
Tony: That's the beach.
Alyson: Oohhhhhhh.....

25 July 2014

Reading "Moo, Baa, La La La!" by Sandra Boynton before bed:

Tony, reading: It's quiet now. What do you say?
Alyson: Mmmoooo!
Tony: Are you a cow?
Alyson: Yeah.

24 July 2014

Alyson learned how to say "good girl" today. After she said it a few times at dinner:

Madelyn: Alyson, are you a bad girl sometimes?
Alyson: Good girl!

23 July 2014

Part of dinner tonight was edamame that was from our garden. Madelyn was having fun inspecting her pods and pulling them apart to eat them. Alyson gets hers already out of the pods.

Madelyn, holding up an edamame pod with four beans in it: Wow! Look! It's a four podded edamame!
Alyson, holding up a single edamame bean to show us: Wow!

22 July 2014

Alyson was in the kitchen with us as we finished fixing dinner. Madelyn was in the playroom. Alyson noticed that we were about ready since we were dishing food onto the girls' plates. At the top of her lungs she yelled toward her sister in the playroom:

"MABIN!!!!!!"

21 July 2014

Check-ups are traumatizing, except for playing with her big sister while waiting for the doctor to come in after getting vitals taken by the nurse (and crying from the first time the nurse touched her). Madelyn was up on the train examining table in the exam room. Alyson was at the back of the train. She peaked around the side and up at her sister, and yelled, "Boo!" 

(And, when the doctor came in, she started out okay, but then randomly started crying when he was examining her. We think she just reached her limit of being touched by someone she doesn't know.)

20 July 2014

First

Alyson was trying to get up into her booster seat for breakfast.

Me: Alyson, can you say chair?
Alyson: Yeah.
Me: Then say chair.
Silence.

Second

While I was cooking dinner, Alyson noticed some water drops on the kitchen floor.

Alyson, pointing: Uuuhhhh!! Uuuhhhh! Uuuuhhhh!!!!
Me: Clean it up if it bothers you that much.

She grabbed a towel down from the oven handle and started frantically wiping them up.

19 July 2014

Before getting ready for bed tonight, Alyson went straight to the books in her room. I looked over and noticed that she had three books on the rocking chair.

Me: Alyson, are those the books you want to read tonight?
Alyson, yelling: Yeah!!

18 July 2014

Alyson had a little 8oz water bottle that she was carrying around today. She wouldn't let anyone take it and threw a fit if anyone tried. She even at one point hugged it and cuddled with it like a stuffed animal or doll.

Me: Alyson, what do you have?
Alyson: Baba wawa.

17 July 2014

We've been trying lately to get Alyson to say more words, so we are pretty frequently identifying things and trying to get her to repeat what it is. We were doing this at dinner and Madelyn decided to chime in:

Madelyn while flapping her arms like a chicken: Alyson, can you say "bawk bawk bawk"?
Alyson, copying her sisters arm movements: Bawk bawk bawk!

16 July 2014

Tony was tickling Alyson while putting lotion on her before bed. Alyson was laughing and squealing hysterically.

Me: Alyson, are you being tortured?
Alyson: Daaahhhddddeeee!!!
Me: Are you being tortured by Daddy?
Alyson: Yeah!

15 July 2014

While I was fixing dinner, Alyson started hanging out in the kitchen with me, which isn't abnormal. Suddenly, she disappeared into the living room. When she came back, she was carrying the Ergo.

Alyson, reaching the Ergo up toward me: Ehh?
Me, while making turkey burger patties: I can't right now. My hands are messy.
Alyson: Ehh?
Me, looking at the time left on the oven: Can it wait a minute until the oven is done? Otherwise, I need to put you on my back instead of the front. Do you want to go on my back?
Alyson as she started trying to wrap the Ergo around my legs: Yeah....

Little girl was happy in the Ergo on my back as I finished fixing dinner. I love that she still wants to cuddle up in the Ergo.

14 July 2014

After reading three short bedtime stories, Tony turned Alyson around to face him to get a good night kiss. As he did this:

Alyson, pointing to the books on the floor: Booh? Booh?
Tony: We already read three books.
Alyson: Oh...

13 July 2014

Alyson was playing with sound while being pushed in her stroller on the boardwalk. She would yell, "Aaaaahhhh!" to hear it change to "Aahya-aahya-aahya!" as bumped along the boards of the boardwalk.

12 July 2014

Alyson and I were in the garden when Bill and Amanda got to our house. I was working on getting her to come out and head around to the front door. She stepped out of the garden and started heading to the front yard. As she turned the corner around the rain barrel, she looked up and saw Bill and Amanda. That's when she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around, and rushed back to grab my legs and bury her face. The girl is fine now if we introduce her to lots of people in another environment, but if anyone invades her territory she is as shy as can be!

11 July 2014

More on Alyson's current obsession with the animal crackers.

We got downstairs this morning and she ran straight to the step stool that was still in front of the animal crackers and climbed up. She pointed to the container and kept repeating, "Ack-ah!

10 July 2014

After dinner, Alyson disappeared into the playroom. She came back with a plastic tea cup on her head, walking around, trying to balance it like a hat.

09 July 2014

There are three entries into our kitchen: one from the living room, one from the hall, and one from the back room where the stairs are. The back one has a baby gate up most of the time to keep Alyson from going upstairs. The other two are left open. 

Alyson was eating animal crackers, and the rule is that she has to stay in the kitchen while she eats them. She started walking toward the doorway to the living room.

Me: Alyson, stop.
Alyson turned to me and eyed me as if saying, what are you going to do if I don't?
Me: Alyson, you still have animal crackers. Stay in the kitchen.

She inched a little closer to the door while peeking back at me around the cabinet. I walked over to her and pulled her back into the kitchen. Since she was still trying to get into the living room, I put the other baby gate we have up in that doorway. It kept her from going into the living room, and she never remembered that there is another doorway she could have tried to use. (I took it down when she was done with the animal crackers. Plus, at that point, I think she remembered the other doorway because Madelyn went around that way.)

08 July 2014

Alyson and I were looking at Madelyn's photo album. I was pointing to the people in the photos asking her who they were. Her response for every single person I pointed to and the ones she started pointing to:

"Baby!"

07 July 2014

Alyson reached for her milk cup as Madelyn brought it to the table for dinner.

Madelyn: Can Alyson have her milk?
Alyson: Uh huh!

06 July 2014

Alyson was pushing around the toy shopping cart full of food.

Madelyn, standing in front of her: Sorry, this lane is closed.
Alyson pushed the cart full speed into Madelyn's legs. (Sigh.)

05 July 2014

Madelyn wanted to sit in the cart with Alyson at Sam's Club since they have the double seats. We told her she could if she wasn't too big to fit into it.

Madelyn: Alyson, are you excited to sit with me if I'm not too big?
Alyson: No!

04 July 2014

First

Trying to get more blueberry banana baked oatmeal at breakfast:

Alyson: Ehh!
Tony: Alyson, Mommy is bringing you more.
Alyson: Ohh! 

Second

While watching the fireworks, repeatedly:
"Wow!"
"Boom!"
Pointing to the sky and looking at anyone around: "Ehhh! Ehhh!" (Look! Look!)

03 July 2014

At Grandma's, Alyson dropped the ball she had and it rolled under the couch. She got down and tried to reach it, but couldn't. So, she walked over to where they keep one of those grabber things and pointed to it while saying "Ehhh!". Grandpa got the grabber, and they walked back to the couch to get the ball. Once Alyson had the ball, she purposely through it back under the couch and pointed to where it went. Oooh! Fun new game!

02 July 2014

After we got home today, Madelyn was sitting on the couch watching Doc McStuffins. I was sitting there as well checking email. Alyson was running around playing and disappeared into the playroom. She came back to the living room with a bottle of mustard and a can of something from the play kitchen. She walked over to me, gave them to me, and disappeared toward the playroom again. When she came back out, she had a bowl and a baby bottle.

Alyson, giving me the bowl and baby bottle: Ehhh?
Me: Thank you, but I need a fork or spoon to be able to eat it.
Alyson, looking at me like I asked for the most unreasonable thing in the world and then running back to the playroom: Aaahhh!

After a minute or so of rustling around in the playroom, Alyson came back.

Alyson, holding up a syringe from a play doctor kit: Ehhh?
Me: No, that's a syringe. I need a fork to eat.
Alyson, turning and running back to the playroom: Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!

Madelyn and I heard more commotion from the playroom.

Me to Madelyn: I think you should go back and help her.

Madelyn goes back to the playroom. Finally, they both come back to the living room and Alyson hands me a fork.

Me to Alyson: Mmmm.... This is delicious. Thank you very much!

Alyson looked at me very pleased with herself.

01 July 2014

While watching the US vs. Belgium World Cup game, after the US scored:

Me: Woo hoo!
Alyson: Wow ooo!