First Nail Polish

I've been hesitant to put nail polish on Amelia because of all the harsh chemicals in there. I figure she's been exposed to so much already - like all that BPA in the rubber duckies she had in her mouth when she was an infant. (I didn't start seeing those articles until she was around 18 months old.)

Amelia has been putting marker on her nails whenever she can get away with it and then the other day she put Play-doh on her fingernails and proudly announced, "Look Mommy! I have blue play-doh nail polish!"

I've investigated "safe" nail polish and it's pretty expensive to buy on-line. I decided to check out our local health food store and found some that is supposedly safe but still has a scary sounding ingredient. We looked at all the colors and she decided she wanted pink. I told her she couldn't put her fingers in her mouth if we put it on and she promised she wouldn't.

It was a pretty day outside Saturday so when we got home we stayed out on the front porch and did her nails. She was so proud! (Can't you tell?) It's been a couple of days and some of it has already worn off. Since it's water-based and she has NOT broken her habit of putting her fingers in her mouth, there is noticeably less on her right thumb and index finger. That was one of my concerns about the toxins. I told her we wouldn't be able to put it on again unless she stops putting her fingers in her mouth. All she cared about was that I didn't take it off before today so she could show all her friends in pre-school.

[pictures dated 5/8/10]

Chah-walla

I remember having a book about dogs when I was little and reading on my own. The dachshund and chihuahua baffled me since I had never heard of them, although I had seen those types of dogs. Being a phonics learner, I was very literal and would wonder whether the 'ch' in dachshund was a hard 'ch' or a softer 'sh' pronunciation, and whether the next two letters went together for a 'sh' or were separate with the 's' being ssss and the 'h' making the beginning of the word hundred. But chihuahua, I had down pat, I was sure. It was pronounced cha-who-ah-who-ah, although I wondered why I never did hear that word out loud anywhere like I did beagle (as in snoopy) or german shepherd, etc.

Fast forward a few years to Amelia who isn't quite reading those words yet, but is trying to pronounce the words she hears. Her 'cousin' Hannah adores chihuahuas and after her last visit here I've heard a whole lot about cha-wallas, especially since there was at least one in the stash of Little Pet Shop toys that Hannah passed down to her. When Amelia says chihuahua, it sounds like koala with a 'ch' in front of it. And of course, I think it's adorable!

The things she notices

We were in Wal-mart this afternoon and Amelia and I went to the right so she could pick out a book to read while we shopped. Meanwhile, Daddy headed to the left with the cart so he could pick up some soda. Once the book was picked out (a Thomas the Tank Engine one), we headed toward the soda with Amelia running, which is her usual speed. We passed a PDA couple moving towards us - the guy walking behind the girl but in a tandem way so that there was no space between them. Amelia stopped with that gawking look on her face that she gets when something bothers her (like when a man isn't wearing a shirt or someone is in a wheelchair). When I caught up to her she said, "Those people were stuck together! I was going to fix them but they were going too fast!" And then off she went in the direction of daddy. It was all I could not to burst out laughing as I imagined Amelia trying to separate the two lovebirds.

Happy Mother's Day

I ran an 8k race this morning with my friend, Karen. Daddy brought Amelia to me as the race ended so he could go pick up his train ticket. Amelia had fun running around the pavilion, enjoying a brownie while I stretched and drank some much-needed water. After about ten or 15 minutes we headed to the car so we could follow Karen to a nearby bakery. Once we were in the car and headed out of the lot Amelia says, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" It was such a nice thing to hear that I didn't tell her it wasn't until tomorrow, I just said, "Thank you!" She then asked if Mother's Day was tomorrow and I confirmed that it was. Then she said something about a card and I said, "Yes, you made me a very nice card," and I held up the one she made me at preschool yesterday that was still in the passenger seat of the car. Then she said, "No, do you have the one I bought with Daddy?" Hmmm. "Was that this morning, Amelia?" "Yes!" she said.

There are no secrets with children!

Bird Baths

Tonight Amelia was taking her bath. She had a bunch of her rubber ducks and some little containers that she filled partway with water. She then put a duck in each container and said it was their birdbath.

I love her imagination!