Why?

Grace is always asking "Why?" these days. A typical conversation goes like this:

Me: Would you like animal crackers for your snack?
Her: Why?
Me: Because you might be hungry
Her: Why?
Me: Because you were playing all morning
Her: Why?
Me: Because you like to play
Her: Why?
Me: Because you are two years old
Her: Why?
Me: Because you were born two years ago
Her: Why?
Me: Because that was your birthday
Her: Why?
Me: Because God decided that was the day you were going to be born
Her: Why?
Me: Because God decided
Her: Oh.

The conversations usually end with a reference to God for the reason or saying "That is just the way it is". She will not stop until she gets one of these answers, but she wants to hear all of the reasons to get to that answer. If I give one of these answers immediately, she is not happy.

What a curious little soul....hopefully my patience lasts as long as this stage of her life.

Horsie

We bought the horse at a yard sale this summer and Grace likes it, but uses it infrequently.






However...since her friend Brendan played on it last month, she is playing on it non-stop.

Thanks Brendan for making Gracie interested in her horse again! I think you showed her how much fun it could be.
:)

Update on the toddler bed

Here is a picture of Grace's toddler bed. She has not slept in it lately as she has been sick...but this afternoon she crashed out on it...so I took a picture.

Hopefully, she will be sleeping in it soon....and I will have my bed back to myself again.

Frosty the Snowman

Grace is really into Frosty the Snowman this winter. She started singing the song daily about a month ago. This culminated last week in her using a banana as a microphone and standing on her Little Tykes picnic table and giving a concert for her dollies. I do not know where she got this from!

I found out that they have a Frosty book at school that they read daily. Grace and I went to Chapters to see if we could buy it. It was not in stock, but we ordered it and it arrived the day she was in hospital. She was so happy when I brought it in to her.

Gordie made her a "Frosty" on the day she came home from the hospital. Very cute! She loves to look out the window at it.

Home from the hospital

Gracie came down with a nasty stomach bug over the weekend. She quickly became severely dehydrated (totally lethargic), so had a 24 hour stay in hospital for IV fluids. The staff on the pediatric unit were so great with her that she did not want to leave. Too cute!
We are home again and Grace still has the flu symptoms, but it seems more manageable since she was rehydrated well in hospital. Mom and Gordie are helping out lots, and I am able to take some time to nap and work when needed.
Hopefully, Grace will be better soon! The pediatrician gave us some good suggestions for next time Grace gets sick. We can start Zofran right away....a powerful anti-nausea drug. He said that this helps kids who are "super-vomiters", like Grace. Whenever Grace starts to vomit, it quickly spirals out of control. The usual Pedialyte treatment does not help when she is sick. He also stressed that Grace's "super-vomiting" status is superimposed on her being a picky eater that struggles to stay on the growth charts.
All of this sounds terrible, but it validated what I have been saying all along about her. She needs quick medical intervention to help her when she is sick like this.
Fingers crossed that this passes soon!

Clinical Teaching

I am getting excited about starting clinical teaching again. I start on Monday and teach 2 days a week for the next 2 months. I did this before and really enjoyed it.

I think I will be a better instructor this time since I have all my Master's coursework and Diploma in University Teaching under my belt.

Wish me luck!

Happy Valentines Day

We had a lovely Valentine's Day party today with some friends this morning. Grace was in foul mood when she woke up so I was worried about having people over, but it turned out that was all that she needed in order to turn around.

We did the muffin tin lunch idea (recently made fashionable by my good friend, Siobhan). This made it easy to have a picnic lunch on the floor. We did a simple craft and exchanged Valentines.

Thanks everyone for making Valentine's Day fun!

Toilet Training

Grace has decided that she no longer wants to wear diapers....so we are in the midst of potty training. There is so much going on right now that I did not think it was the right timing...but she is determined not to wear a diaper.

We have done well this week with only a couple of accidents. She still wears diapers in the car and at nap and bedtime. We are using stickers as rewards and that is working well. She quite likes to empty her potty into the big flush as well.

House is for sale

Our house is officially "for sale". All part and parcel of Gordie and I separating. Hope it sells for a good price and fairly soon.

Separation

Most people already know this...but just in case you don't.....
Gordie and I are separated. We have been since before Christmas.

Grace is doing as well as can be expected. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She is the innocent one in this unfortunate situation and we hope to minimize the effect on her as best we can.