Fountain

We went to 101 today, me and the kids and Uncle Nate. Right outside the place is a huge fountain, one of those ones that just shoots out f the ground, no walls or catch pool, just jets of water squirting way up in the air in a variety of patterns. Well Gemma ran ahead of us to go see it, and we were wrapped up in picture taking. She was watching the water, getting closer than she should and just as we were walking to go get her, SPLOOSH! All the jets fired up and she got her one side totally soaked. Not to mention scared the pants off of her. What a way to start our trip. (I didn't have extra clothes. I packed extra for Guinness but not Gem.)

p.s. This is just a picture of it I found online so you see what I mean, and how easy it would be to get trapped in a sudden spray! Poor girl.

THEN, on the way home, she was talking to her reflection in the elevator door, and put her hands on it just as it opened...and got her little fingers sucked right into the crack. It was terrifying; Nate was trying to pull them out and get the door open and I was tryingto figure out what I should do. Grab her, push a button, which button? So pushed the door open button, duh wrong choice, her little hand was getting pulled IN, and Nate shouted DOOR CLOSE and when I did that the door came closed and released her hand. She was super freaked out; just clung to me and didn't talk for about 20 minutes. But they weren't bleeding and she could move all her fingers so I guess she is ok. It was so scary though, don't know what I would have done had I been alone.

potty training persistence

So the potty training continues. I didn't know it would take this long.

She does a great job as long as I am on my game. If I tell her every hour to go on the potty, she does. She will even hold it when we are out, but if I forget to put her on the potty when we get there, then she has an accident. So is she really being trained? She does announce, "I'm peeing!" and "I'm pooping". But by then it is too late. She especially can't poop on the potty. When we catch her in the act and then say, wait, go sit on the potty and do it, she loses her focus or whatever and can't go. So I don't like to interrupt her too many times lest she get bunged up. So anyway...

Do we keep going, hoping she eventually catches on? Or just give up for now, try again in a few weeks.

Logic

Gemma and I were channel surfing this morning and she says, "Let's watch this, mommy. 'Cause this is what's on."

Ahh, I see. Good idea.

Spaghetti!

We were the first at the restaurant for dinner yesterday, and as we were waiting for all our friends, Gemma kept trying to order. Anytime a waitress would get close to her she would look right at them and say "spaghetti!" She did this about 3 times, it was so funny.

She also phoned uncle Nate tonight as she was laying in bed. "Uncle Nate? You at my house? No, not yet. You get haircut like daddy?" (She for some reason thinks that Uncle Nate is going to shave his head like Chris, and that a shaved head is 'so silly')

Here is Gemma and her monster from McDonalds, and her monster face.

Precious

Tonight Gemma fell asleep with a stuffed dog in her arm, and clutching her Nemo bedtime book which she was listening and singing with moments before she fell asleep. Just one of those precious sights I hope and pray I never forget.

Easter

A little late coming, sorry. There were so many great pictures it is hard to pick. Gemma was really into it this year, and still talks about finding Easter eggs. She also loved her poofy slip, and didn't want to wear anything over it. Note the Easter tattoos; a present from the Easter Bunny:) And she wanted to put them right there on her leg, just like daddy. (Is tattoo a word common in a two year old vocabulary?)

Thinking about it

Gemma hardly ever uses real cups because she won't stop sticking her fingers in them and playing. But today she did, and as she was reaching her little fingers in there I said, "Don't even think about it!" So a few minutes later, she looks at me with this mischeivious grin, fingers 'pretending' to go in the cup, and she says,"I'm thinking about it!!"

Sicko

So the sicko has coughed on everybody and I think her cold is going to make its rounds through our family. Guinness its hard to tell, but he is snorting and coughing a bit too, so hopefully he can fight it off.

We made banana muffins tonight and she had to stick her finger in every ingredient to try it. Flour, baking soda, whatever. (to the best of my knowledge she didn't try any raw egg, but she did poke it). Then when we were sampling the muffins after, she kept digging the chocolate chips out. I told her, No Gemma, you can't do that, and she said very solemly, "I HAVE to mommy! I HAVE to." I replied, no you don't, and she grabbed my face with her hands and looked deep into my eyes; "I HAVE to, mommy!"

In other Gemma communication: the first time she saw me nurse she called it a bottle. So instead of correcting her, we've just been going along with it: "Yes, Gemma; those are mommy's bottles for Guinness." So today her dragon was the mommy to her baby, and she wanted the dragon mommy to give the baby a bottle. Have you ever seen a dolly breastfeed from a dragon? So cute.

Need new books

OK, so I did all the reading for the 0-2 stuff but now that she is 2 and a bit, I am so at a loss at what to do sometimes!! Specifically this week is naps. All of a sudden she won't nap. She will lay in the bed for an hour before falling asleep, and I just get more and more annoyed and tired myself (if I don't fall asleep!) And then nap time doesn't end until way late; it takes the whole afternoon because it doesn't actually start until late. So what do I do? Let her miss it? Except then she is a wreck by supper time. Let her sit in bed for an hour and then get up? It is so weird. Seriously though, any good parenting titles would be appreciated.

Also, she has been a terrible sleeper the last week; up so many times crying and carrying on... Last night was the first night she slept through since Guinness was born. Uggg! And she was up till 11pm before finally conking out.

Anyway, I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it, so lets change to cute things Gemma said this week:

Last night, as she was sitting on my lap WAY past her bedtime after coming out of bed, and Adrienne and Chris and I were getting ready to play a game. I said, "OK, who wants to play a game?" And she chimes in instantly "ME!!". Ha ha, yah right!

Reading her book to her baby this morning every page begins with Once upon a time.... Every time she turned the page she would start again, Once upon a time...

Chris was putting her to sleep and sitting with her for a minute and Baba and I were visiting in the living room, and Gemma told Chris, "Baba is too noisy!": So Chris called Baba in and Gemma told her, "Baba, you are too noisy! You need to speak more gentle!" So Baba came back out and we kept visiting, more quietly but only for a minute and then our volume got up again and Gemma told Chris again, "Now Baba is LOUDER!" So sassy; what am I going to do?


It's been a hard week; she's sick again and whiny like crazy and we can't really go out cause its cold and windy, and our playmates our sick too so we're a little bit cabin fever here.

New McKenzie Website

New website address: http://web.me.com/chrismckenzie/themckenzies

With the arrival of Guinness (our new son) I realized that we would need a new blog for the little guy. I also started thinking of you the readers (potential readers) and how bothersome it would be to jump back and forth between 4 blogs and a Flickr site. So what I've done is created a website that hosts all four of our McKenzie blogs and that gives us an opportunity to share so much more....like photos and videos. I'm using a hosting service that tends to be a bit slow loading, so I apologize for that, but I hope you'll enjoy the new look. Please remember to "bookmark" this page or save it in your "favorites".

From now on rather than going to our individual blogs just head to our one main website and everything you need is there.

Funny things Gemma said...

Like I said before, she says so many things now its hard to remember all her conversations. Also, I'm not sure if they are as funny to read as they are first hand, but I will try.

Tonight in the nursery at church, after asking several times for me (which she never does; so weird) she finally just put her hand on the volunteers face, and said in the most sincere, serious tone, "Ping, I want my mommy!"

Yesterday was marked with some impatient moments, which were reflected in how she put her babies to sleep last night. In a very stern voice, eyebrows raised and looking down she told them, 'You close your eyes right now and listen to Gemma.'

And her newest response to food she likes: "It's not too bad!"

Mostly she has been very good. She is getting used to the new baby, and always helps change his 'mustard poops'. She says nice things about him and kisses him. Tonight she said, 'He's so beautiful!'. She can be a bit unfriendly at times, and says NO! but we are working on it.

Going to Kaohsiung tomorrow. Be home Wednesday.