Dear Sweet Allie

Allie is 21 months and learning new things every day.  However, it has been a really rough winter for our poor little girl.  She has had fevers, colds, coughs, stomach bugs in an endless succession.  Most of them don't affect her ability to play and run around, but sometimes they affect her (and mine) sleep and overall just aren't fun.  Its also frustrating because I feel like we shouldn't do many things so that her immune system can get a break.

We joined the Y a few months ago, and were excited to be able to do some classes, and use the treadmills, and put the girls in the childcare.  Unfortunately Allie does not like it at all.  She was okay the first few times.  She moped, but didn't cry.  But then they told her she couldn't go up the slide, and since then she starts crying as soon as we walk in, and says she wants to go home.  Sometimes she's okay if someone holds her the whole time, but even then they have had to come get us because she's crying too much.  It is very sad.  So we'll take a break from taking her there for a couple months and see if she does better then.

Some of the things Allie is been up to, or says:

• If she hears the word crazy, she says, "Allie's crazy.  Mama's crazy.  Dada's crazy, Seenuhs crazy."
• She'll say something and then say, "Allie's joking."
• If she's mad she'll say, "I'm mad!"  I guess all the empathetic labeling feelings stuff kind of works. ;) 
• She runs around in circles when she gets excited.
• She knows most of her letters, shapes, and colors.
• She loves to go through books and point to stuff and ask, "What's that?"  But if you answer "incorrectly" she adamantly corrects you.  "Not n. U!", "Not panda, Bear!", "Not bird. Penguin!", "Not. j. i!" etc.  When you agree she nods, and goes on to the next one, "What's that?"  Floyd tries to argue with her.  I don't even bother. 
• If she gets bonked she has to come over and have me kiss it.  I have magical kisses. :)
• She gets very angry when Selena takes stuff from her, but is very good at sharing if Selena asks nicely.  
• She doesn't like it when Selena crys, and she always tries to make her feel better.  Sometimes she'll even give Selena the thing she was trying to take from her.  She'll also go and give her kisses.  
• She knows to say "Bless you" when someone sneezes.  Once she heard Selena sneeze in another room, and she looks up and says, "Selena.  Bless you!" then gets up to go tell her.  
• She likes the rhyme, "Round and round the garden."  Once I even caught her doing it to Dyna.
• She has taken over the task of feeding Dyna.  When she notices Dyna doesn't have food she gets the bowl and asks me to open the garage door.  She carries the bowl down the stairs and scoops the food, and then brings it back in, and puts it back where it belongs.  
• She is always trying to get Dyna to sit in her lap.
• When she first started talking she called all 4 legged animals Dyna.  Now she calls Dyna Dog.  
• She is starting to get into puzzles.
• She likes building.  She lines up and stacks all of our different types of blocks into complicated constructions.
• She likes to draw.  She'll draw pictures and then if I ask she'll tell me what they are.  Sometimes she'll draw a shape, that does actually look like something and she'll say, "Allie draw a boot." and sure enough the shape she drew looks like a boot.  She also is constantly asking for you to draw dogs, cats, and girls for her.
• She picks her nose and eats her boogers.  She gets mad if you tell her to stop.  Ugh. Sometimes you catch her with a finger in each nostril. 
• I bought a NookKids book, "Pete the Cat" for my Nook Color and now every time I have my Nook out she comes over and pushes the button to get the menu and then pushes the "cat book".  Then she enthusiastically "turns" the pages.  When I read it to her and say, "Did Pete cry?", She says, "Goodness no.  Keep walking."  It's very cute.