watercolors

as her prize for walking around target without crying about not riding in the cart, madelyn got a little set of watercolors. (she was so good. after a few tears at the beginning of our trip she chose to pull it together instead of leaving.) she asks to paint at least once a week and since she had the easel already, i decided that some washable watercolors would be manageable.

she was speaking so softly in the video that i was able to get that i tried to repeat everything she said. she isn't really interested in talking while trying something new and was asking me not to use the camera on her so i am lucky to have gotten the responses that i did. i think that she liked the dipping more than the actual painting.

she is so good about managing her crying. we will often give her the choice to stop crying (really its just a form of whining, not pain or real crying) or to go to her bed because we don't want to hear her cry. she will tell us that "maddie/i stopped crying" when she does turn it off or she will be whining/crying and tell us that she is going to her bed/room or that she is tired and going to sleep. i have to suppress laughter sometimes because she really makes a choice about how she wants to handle each situation. love.

some things i have learned...

here are two insights that i have recently come to that i thought i would share:

1. mylanta is the greatest!

2. products marketed as "mess-free" really mean that they are messier than the regular option.

i finally broke down and called the doctor's office about my acid reflux. they told me that i could take any of the over the counter options but suggested that i start with mylanta because it will coat my esophagus and give me the most immediate relief. while the taste and texture almost gave me heaves, the relief was amazing! i am always hesitant to take anything while pregnant, but i can pretty much guarantee that i will take it a few more times before baby boy arrives.

now for my second insight about "mess-free" products. we haven't had a lot of luck with the lidless markers and other mess-free products, but i thought that i would give the finger paints a try. i just wanted a new craft for rainy days inside. we have have had a few inside days in a row this week, so i decided to give it a go.

now madelyn had a great time, but i was a mess trying to slow her consumption of the clear gel-like paint. she didn't really get the color selection part of it because the color markers are on the lids and when they are open you can't tell what color is being selected. not only that, but it takes a little while for the color reaction on the paper to occur.

i took a picture of the three masterpieces she created in about 10 minutes and with more than half of the paint. i think that a topographical picture would have better captured how much paint she used without spreading around.

it actually took madelyn a little while to get into the finger painting. she kept asking for a brush. and, honestly, she is a much neater painter with a brush. she even understands rinsing her brush between colors - not so much with the "mess-free" paints. it was everywhere! she did do a great job wiping off the table when i finally called it quits. i had hoped to get an hour or at least a half-hour out of this activity, but didn't want it to be a one time thing because the paint wasn't really cheap.

the moral of my tale - just get the regular art supplies. maybe consider the washable formula, but skip anything labeled "mess-free".

posting note - we are heading out to celebrate madelyn's great-grandma's 90th birthday this weekend so it might be a while before i post again. unless i can find some internet access... love.

rainy day inside

yesterday, madelyn woke up in a labeling sort of mood that has carried through to today. she has been identifying every item she can see or do. it has been a little entertaining because she carries around her little stool to reach things to identify - like "daddy's wallet".

since we would be inside all day yesterday and madelyn was asking to "paint", i decided to let maddie do her first 'arts and crafts' at home. i didn't have any particular project planned for the day, but i did have a pair of safety scissors and a hole puncher from the dollar store. these items plus a glue stick and two sheets of construction paper kept her busy most of the day. here is a sampling of her arts and crafts adventure:

"my friends" posse has been growing. she can't even carry them all in a single trip. this picture is after nap time with all the friends she could carry out of her room with her. she then climbed up into this little chair that she has been sitting in for the past few days.

in addition to her labeling spree, she has been singing up a storm. she usually sings a few words of the song over and over, but she was actually singing whole songs. not only that, but she usually doesn't really sing in music class and on tuesday she was singing loudly. usually she just dances around and claps. it has been such a joy to hear her singing all her favorite songs without any help. she has even been singing her own compositions. her favorite has been a "humpty dumpty" tune and a song with all her grandparents 'names'.

tomorrow she and daddy are going to have a fun day together. matt is taking the day off from work - his first day off since last summer! they are going to have their breakfast out together before going shopping (for mother's day per daddy) and then working in their garden. i am so jealous that i will be working! love.