Taryn-isms

*

This is one of those ages where I just shake my head in amazement. It seems like Taryn's development, just like her physical growth, goes through spurts. Right now, the growth spurt is in her language.

In my family, we still say funny words that our family members used to mess up when they were little. We still tease my cousin Joey who was scared to death of the "DEBIL" (devil). To this day if I pout about something my mom will say "Don't yook at me and don't wap at me," which is what I used to say when I was a tot.

It is funny now to see the silly words developing that 20 years from now we'll still be using and joking about with Taryn.

Taryn-isms:

"Teetee" = Pretty (sometimes sounds embarrisingly like titty). She's doing better than me though. When I was little I said "Bree".

"Mmmm-bye" = this isn't a word, but it is a Taryn invention. She has combined a kiss and the word "bye". Really speeds up departures.

"MA!" = My mom is clearly not doing something for me. When Taryn does this one, sometimes Lee quotes Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers. "MOM. MEATLOAF."

"Papa" = Lee's Dad (Papa)

"Daby" = Darby, her favorite kitty.

"PPPPPPee" = Please. The first part of this word sounds like she's motorboatin' though.

"Oooo??? " = Shoes? She immitates the exact intonation that I use, but doesn't quite have the actual word.

"Ooooo" = Different from the last one. This is the sound that a cat makes. It is also a sound that a dog makes. I have noticed, though, that I think the dog version is a little lower toned.

"Up mmmm" = Up please. Down please. I want that.

"Up mmmm" is my absolute favorite. 90% of the day she wants to be picked up, so I decided to teach her the word UP. She learned that really fast and then it was "up" "up" "up". So, I decided to add some politeness to her vocabulary and teach her to say "Up PLEASE". She knows that there is a second word, but she also knows she can't say it, so she just says "up mmmm". She uses this phrase a TON. It started meaning that she wanted up. Now it also means that she wants down. It is often used as just a generic "I want that" as well. The funniest thing is when I am in a different room and I hear her say "Up mmm" to the couch. She kind of thinks it is just a magic request and she will levitate onto the couch when it is said.

While I love listening to her vocabulary spread like wildfire, I am a little scared of some of the things she'll tell everyone and anyone once she has a fully functioning vocabulary.

It it winter break yet?

*
Tomorrow will wrap up week 2 of school. For the most part, things are going really well. I like almost all of my students and I have been managing to get things planned, graded and all around taught. I keep in touch with a lot of my fellow teachers from Purdue and I seem to be doing a lot better than many of them. I think part of it may be that I have worked a career that was extremely demanding. Many of them are straight out of college and don't even know what work is! If they think this is tough, try valuation season!

The thing that is keeping me a little busier than I would like is cheerleading. I know very little about cheerleading since I was only a cheerleader once in like 6th grade (and I still wear the shirt). And there is just so much STUFF to go with it. Like there are so many outfits that they think they need... Uniforms, socks, crop tops, shoes, spankies, sweat suits, t-shirts, bows, cheer jackets, etc etc etc. And when you get the opinions of 15 high school girls together... Oh boy. In general, though, I don't mind it. The girls are really nice and it gives me a reason to get to a lot of the school events, which helps you get to know people.

I have a lot of students that I really enjoy. My first hour class is my tough class to handle, so once I get through that, it's all down hill. I have one 15 year old that is 9 weeks pregnant. I have one boy that really, truly, makes me want to punch him. But, when you have over 100 students, having only one that inspires violent urges really isn't bad. I have a class full of freshmen honor students. While they are nice and math-y like I'm used to in the actuarial world, they are freshmen. I don't know how Fubar does an entire school of these little buggers. This is the only class that I sometimes have to say "BOYS, TRY TO NOT TOUCH EACH OTHER." They are just so spazzy.

I do feel like I am running a lot and the weeks are passing really fast. I am looking forward to my first 3-day weekend next week. And then fall break... And then winter break... Ahhh. And just 34 weeks until summer break!

i finally saw some fat jillian michaels pics... awesome!

Farewell to Friends

Today was Taryn's last day at daycare. On Monday she starts at her new daycare place! She has been at the Play Place since last August, pretty much exactly a year. We were happy with the Play Place, but they don't open early enough, so we had to start looking. Finding a new daycare was really rough. It is hard to balance what you want for your child with what you can afford. I think we found a great balance though! I am excited for Taryn to be going to a daycare center rather than an in-home daycare. The daycare centers are much more like a school and are more educational. With the amount that Taryn seems to learn with each passing day, I am really pumped to get her in a place that promotes education a little more!

This is Tomika. She is the newest member of the Play Place staff, she started about 5 months ago. Taryn loves to make faces at Tomika and immitate her. Tomika loves Taryn because she eats all of her food with no trouble. She also tells me quite often that Taryn is just hilarious.

This is Heather, she is the owner of the Play Place. She has been great and I appreciate all that she has done for us. She was our first non-family member to watch Taryn, and she made it easy. She was really supportive of nursing Taryn which is always helpful! She helped us get Taryn's doctors to realize she had asthma. She has always been great with advice. She truly loves all the kids in the daycare and that is exactly the kind of person you want watching your child!

I couldn't get a photo with Taryn's favorite worker, Wanda, because she wasn't there when I went to pick T up. I have a hunch that she couldn't watch Taryn go. Wanda has a group of girls, Taryn, Cora (T's cousin) and Julietta that she is SUPER close to. Wanda cried the day she found out that Taryn was leaving, which made me feel like total crap. Fortunately, the Play Place gave Taryn this frame with a picture of all the kids (AND Wanda). So, she'll always have a memory of her first daycare.

Whenever I have doubts, though, I remember all this new place has to offer. Lee took Taryn to the new place to get her acquainted and she hopped right in to the fun with the other kids. So, I think she'll be AOK come Monday... Right? These parenting decisions are oh so tough!

Don't Deny Me My Milwaukee's Best Premium

*
I am not usually one to openly complain to strangers. But, today at the grocery store, I got pushed over the edge.

As we were walking into the store, I realized that I had forgotten my purse, so I made sure that Lee had his wallet. He did. We proceeded to shop, buying some beer and some wine. We get to the checkout and the lady said "I need to see your id's." I noticed the plurality of id's, but ignored it for the time being while Lee gave her his id. She said "Maam, I need to see yours too." Are you kidding me? You're going to card me WHILE calling me maam? That's like some sort of oxymoron irony BS, isn't it?

I told her my id was in the car and she made me GO OUT AND GET IT. "I'm sorry, but we have to card everyone now. It's a state law." That makes NO sense. So, if I am shopping with Taryn, are they going to card Taryn? She said "Well, we don't think that an adult is going to give their child alcohol." What if it was a sibling? A niece or nephew? Where is the line and how exactly are you going to enforce this?

The bagboy was confused and thought that Lee didn't have his id which really makes me think the cashier was just being a biatch. I begrudgingly walked out to the car in the 300 degree heat to get my id, but only after yelling out "I'M ALMOST 30 FOR GOD'S SAKE." (You know I'm mad if I am admitting to being close to 30!) When I brought my id back in, I don't even think she looked at it long enough to see the date.

As we were leaving, Lee said "You know, it doesn't help that you're wearing a West Side Cheerleader t-shirt." Yeah, but the thing is 18 years old. (Wow, that just made me take a hard look at my wardrobe. I have a shirt that could legally vote and buy cigarettes. And I wear it. Often.)

I guess in the end, we got our beer and wine and the only thing that it cost me was a trip out to the car and about 5 minutes of my time. But, for some reason, I'm still bitter. Perhaps one of those Milwaukee's Best Premiums would help calm my nerves... It's noon somewhere.

Love and Marriage

This weekend Jamie and Garret tie the knot! Then they are off to start a new life down in Nashville, TN together... Which I am uber jealous of. Don't get me wrong, I'm where I want to be for this point in my life, but I sure wish I could have worked in a couple years in Nashville back before having a baby. At least now it gives me even more of a reason to go visit. (And a spare room to stay in. SWEET!)

I met up with Jamie last night for a few beers. She is holding up pretty well and hasn't buckled under the stress of quitting her job, getting married and moving out of state. Things are set for an awesome weekend! As Lee and I approach our 4 year anniversary, I can definitely tell her that in 4 years, no matter what, her wedding will just be a great memory. You won't remember the little things that didn't go quite right. Or if you do remember, it is just 'cause it is a good story!

In other news, if anyone has an embarrassing story about Jamie that they would like to have worked into the maid-of-honor speech, just send it my way. (JUST JOKING JAMIE!)

There's Only One Place I'd Rather Be, French Lick, IN.

*
I probably butchered that quote from Larry Bird. Sorry Larry.

This Sunday my mom, Grandma, Taryn & I went down to French Lick/West Baden, IN. My grandparents have been watching the West Baden Hotel for about as long as I have been alive. They introduced my mom and I to the hotel when I was about 10. The West Baden was originally built in 1901 and was the largest freestanding dome until the Astrodome was built. It was a major place for mobsters like Al Capone to visit back in the day. However, it ended up in ruins and that is where my grandparents discovered it. Even in ruins, though, it was intriguing and amazing. We used to tour it regularly and check on the process. First they fixed up the gardens. Then they fixed up the porch. Then came the tile in the atrium. I must say, though, I NEVER EVER thought I would see the day I would stay the night there as functioning hotel.

On Sunday, we did just that! To say that this place is amazing is an understatement. I am not sure whether it is more powerful to see it now knowing where it came from or not. Either way, though, it is definitely worth seeing! The pricetag on one of these rooms is not cheap, it runs close to $300. My mom and Grandma hemmed and hawwed on whether to dish out the cash and finally decided it was worth it for a night. (And Taryn and I got to come along as mooches.)

I did a TERRIBLE job taking pictures and I hope that my mom has a few more than I got, but they really did a top notch job with everything in the place. They decor, the pictures, the furniture etc. They even do turn down service in the evenings and put giant cookies on your bed. YUM.

This piece of furniture was between the two beds. If you look closely, even this has a picture of the West Baden hotel on it. The detail is amazing.

Of course I did manage to get quite a few pics of someone short and cute. Taryn was quite enthralled with my Grandma's wheelchair. She was confused that an adult would have a stroller. For some reason, in the atrium, Taryn loved the floor. She kept wanting to lay down on the floor. Here I got a picture of her actually standing (for the moment).

For dinner Sunday night, we went to a bar/family restaurant because we couldn't afford the fancy schmancy restaurants at the hotel. Taryn kept trying to make her way from the family section over to the bar section. She is definitely a chip off the old block!

We read books, we explored, we swam. On Monday my mom and Grandma went and played some slots while Taryn and I walked around French Lick Hotel. Taryn borders on TOO sociable, so she loved the opportunity to wave to all the strangers and blow them kisses. Seriously, this girl is going to be trouble when she's like 14! At one point, we bumped into a couple and Taryn gave them a big greeting and the guy goes "Wow, no one has been that happy to see me in years!" I wonder if that was a hint to his wife...

I'm so glad that my mom and Grandma let us tag along on their girls' night in West Baden. Hopefully Taryn brought a few laughs as payment for our stay. It was definitely a day I never thought I would see, but I am so glad that I did!

P.S. We went to Denny's for breakfast on Monday. ($6 for a bowl of cereal in the hotel) I hadn't been to a Denny's in freakin' ever and it was DELICIOUS. My mom even had a Grand Slam!

Weekend in Review

*
This was a pretty good weekend. On Friday, we had a rainy day at home. Then, after Taryn's nap, my mom took T for a little while so I could make a trip to Target and a more leisurely time at Meijer doing the grocery shopping. Afterwards, we met up at my Grandma's house to eat pizza with my Mom, Grandma, T, Lee, Uncle Mike and cousins Maya & Macy. When I arrived, Taryn came running to me saying "MA". She had some blood on her dress and a bandaid on her thumb. Turns out Lee had lopped off a chunk of thumb skin while cutting her nails. Man, the tip of a finger can really bleed!! She went through a few bandaids and bloodied up quite a few things around the house. It is near impossible to keep a bandaid on a tiny little toddler finger!

On Saturday, Lee had to go to Fowler in the morning, so I was solo with a teething (canines) and slightly-annoyed-about-her-injured-thumb little girl. At one point, I atually gave Taryn a pacifier which has literally never been done before. She doesn't really know how to use them, but she sees other kids with them, so she knows that she is supposed to like them. She hated them when she was a baby, so we just never got her using them.

Saturday afternoon we got DirecTV installed. Adios Comcast cable! Unfortunately, we are still using your internet. A-holes.

Saturday evening Taryn stayed up at the lake with Lee's parents and some of her cousins so that Lee and I could celebrate Garret's 27th birthday. Seriously, 27?!? You ain't cool if you ain't counting down your final hours of being in your 20's, Garret!

I had the realization today... Yesterday was Garret's birthday, today is Bryan's birthday... And both Garret and Bryan are getting married on August 14th. Weird.

Sunday we went up to the lake to get Taryn. We had lunch and dinner up there, worked in a nap and a boat ride on the pontoon.

All in all, it was a good weekend. And now, I begin my last week of classes on Purdue campus... Only two weeks left until school starts!!! Eeek! I have so much to do!