Yeah, it's been a while.

Well, Marissa had her weight check a few weeks ago now.
A little background info:1 yr - 17 lbs, 10 oz; 15 mo - 18 lbs, 13 oz
So her Dr. wanted me to start her drinking milk and adding olive oil to her veggies (weird) to help her gain weight, even though she's completely fine otherwise, and is developing normally. So she's still rear facing in her car seat, which is killing all of us. Lol. I figured she'd gain a lot because we've also been letting her have dessert a lot more, and she's generally just eating better. Or so it seemed to me.
So...drumroll please...




19 lbs 6 oz

So...still rear facing. Not sure what her Dr. thinks because he wasn't there, we just saw a nurse. But I have a feeling he'll be calling sometime. I don't know if I should be concerned that she's such a skinny mini, or annoyed that the Dr. is so concerned when it's obvious that I'm also a skinny mini.


Moving on...I finally have a few minutes to catch up. We had an awesome time in Chicago a few weeks ago. We left Tuesday morning and Dan had to go to 5 or 6 stores to install printers, and he had to completely set up a brand new store for work. Rissa and I either played with the toys in the stores, took naps in the van, hung out in the hotels, or spent 6 hours in a mall. Lol. It actually wasn't too bad, and Marissa did very well. We managed to time the long drives for during her naps most of the time, so she wasn't too miserable. And we pulled out all the stops for entertaining her when she was awake. Lol. We sang every little kid song imaginable, identified every body part visible, and threw every toy on the floorThursday was the last day Dan had to visit stores, so Thursday evening we went to Ikea right outside Chicago. I felt like the Griswolds going on vacation to Wally World...I was looking forward to it soooooo much, and was soooooo excited to finally see the signs and parking lot. But I actually got to go inside, and it got even better then! Lol. Marissa was asleep, so Dan stayed in the van with her, and I got to completely take my time walking through the whole store. It was amazing. I found about a zillion things I wanted. Once I went through the whole store, I called Dan and he came and I just showed him the highlights and the stuff I wanted. Hehe. We didn't buy anything, but in the spring, once we have a little more money, and the store in Cinci opens...oh boy, watch out! I basically want to furnish our entire house with stuff from there! My favorite thing is the little kids table and chairs. Absolutely perfect.

Friday, we got up and drove into the city, and went to the Museum of Science and Industry. The only reason we went there was so I could see the babies in all the stages of fetal development. Wow. That was just incredible. The rest of the museum was cool too, but Dan and Marissa were doing laps around the place while I studied all the babies. After the museum, we checked into our hotel, The Drake, and the lobby was really fancy. We were kinda disappointed in our room though. For the kind of money we had to spend on it, it wasn't even as nice as our rooms in the Comfort Inn. Lol. It was still cool though, cuz we were right downtown. Dan asked around for a good pizza place, and we walked to it - Gino's East. The pizza was ok, but I'm not really a pizza fan. Dan loved it, but we had to wait 45 minutes for them to just cook it. Geez. Again, we pulled out all the stops entertaining Marissa. Then we walked to the Sears Tower. Yes, walked. 2.5 miles - one way! I don't know how Dan convinced me to do it. Rissa got a nice long nap in the stroller, and I just about died. Once we finally got there, we saw the video at the top. During which, Marissa woke up hysterical (I think the loud movie woke her up) and nothing I did would console her. She was really upset the entire time we were up there, while Dan took a picture from every window - in the dark! Lol. Then we still had to walk the 2.5 miles back to our hotel! Marissa was awake for that walk, and loved every second of it - she just took everything in! We crashed that night!

Saturday, we got up and went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. We met a few guys that Dan knew from college there, and their wives. I had "met" one of them online because she also used to watch the triplets before I did. Weird! They just adopted twin girls from Guatemala who are two days younger than Marissa - they were absolutely precious! We had a great time visiting with them before we had to leave to drive home.

It was a busy little trip, with lots of driving, but it was really nice to get away for a while, and Dan really got to spend a lot of time with Marissa, which I sometimes feel that he doesn't get to do that often.

A week ago Marissa also turned 17 months old! I can't believe it! She is babbling like a maniac these days. I tried to compile a list of all the words she says on a regular basis:
her pronunciation = real word
tee = tv (oops)
boo = spoon
poo = poop (yes, she tells me when she poops! very convienent, but I'm really not ready for potty training!)
tish = tissue
shee = seat (carseat, or booster seat for a meal)
peas = please (she also usually signs it at the same time)
mah = more (she also usually signs it at the same time)
all doh = all done (she also usually signs it at the same time)
tank ooo = thank you
shoes = shoes (definitely her favorite, good grief!)
house = house
bah = ball (also sometimes says bah-bah for ball)
choo choo = choo choo train
baby = baby (another all time fav)
hi = hi
buh-bah = buh-bye
no = no
yesh = yes
puh = cup
ssssss = nurse
Dada = dada
Mama = mama
Ra-ra = Aunt Ra-ra
dee = ding (oven timer)
apple = apple
tash = trash
ell = help
nye-nye = night-night
Cheeeeeeze = cheese (for pictures)
She can also say Grandma and Grandpa, but I forget how she says them, and I think it changes every time we ask her. Lol.

Phew! I'm sure I am missing some of course. She also basically repeats anything we ask her to try. It's sooo cool. I love hearing her voice! Well, most of the time. Lol.

She can also identify her hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, lips, fingers, hands, feet, toes, knees, elbows, and belly button.Mealtime has become a circus. Depending on the week, day, or even hour, she might hate a food or love it. They say to watch a toddler's intake by the week instead of the day, and by the week she eats fine, but daily, it's ridiculous!

Ok, moving on...Last Wednesday after work, Marissa and I drove to Indy to visit my roommate from college, Laureann. She just had her baby boy two weeks ago, so I had to see him! He is sooo tiny, and sooo adorable! It was wonderful to hold a tiny baby again, and we had a fun visit til I had to leave late Thursday night. Marissa absolutely LOVED the baby, and said baby every two seconds the whole time we were there. She tickled his toes, rubbed his fuzzy hair, and kissed his head. She even got to hold baby Carter! It was soooo cute. She was so amazingly gentle the whole time. She also did this weird squint/smile when we ask her to give us a smile. She is turning into quite a fun little girl these days.

Well, I'd better run. I smell something funny...Lol.