All by Myself. Abby utters this phrase 10 times a day. At least. She has gotten so much more confident and independent, it is unbelievable. She wants to do everything by herself, whether she is able to or not is really not a concern of hers. It is heartwarming to see her try it all with close supervision of course, but it does take a lot longer to get going especially when I am trying to get out of the house to get to work at a reasonable hour. It is super funny at public bathrooms when not only does she want to do everything "all by myself", but she wants absolute complete privacy. Love that she wants privacy but I am not leaving my child in public bathroom unattended. I just tell her that I will turn around and face the door inside the stall. You should see the grins I get from the other people in the bathrooms when we meet up at the sinks after they have overheard a typical exchange between Abby and I on this topic.
Abby Loves Swinging from Anything - She Sees a Bar, and She Starts Swinging...
We had a 2nd playdate with M. at his house. We went swimming, played in the sandbox, went to the playground, and played soccer. M is a really generous kid who is good at sharing. I am hoping Abby will get better at sharing. It is one of our bigger challenges right now, at home and at school. Abby is very territorial with her stuff or stuff that she thinks should be hers (but is not). This is one of my concerns with an only child, so I am working on it with her. Some days, she is good. Other days, not so much.
Abby has fully mastered all of her letters as of a few weeks ago. Thanks to E's mom for the tip about Leapfrog Alphabet Factory. Two weeks of watching that DVD was about all it took. Abby loves letters (will she love books eventually, I can only dream!). She loves talking about them and making the sounds, even likes to wear letter stickers over anything else.
We met up with Abby's friends E and M for a lunch at a Guatemalan restaurant, La Mejor, that looked very appealing. M's mother discovered it, and we happened to go the day the restaurant was having its 15th anniversary celebration with free goodies and music. The food was amazing, and the girls had a great time eating and playing together. It was a great find, and I can't wait to go back again. I didn't eat much Guatemalan food when I traveled there because I mostly stayed in a hotel catering to business travelers on my trips to visit and pick up Abby, so it was nice to finally experience true Guatemalan cuisine.
M, Abby and E at La Mejor Guatemalan Restaurant
We were invited to attend a children's play at the Dallas Children's Theatre but couldn't make it because I had a dinner party (and I need my precious adult only time), so we decided to take Grandma instead and go a different day. Abby did so well sititng through a 2 + hour Sesame Street earlier in the year, so I thought she would be able to sit still for a play that I thought she would enjoy. The play, entitled Giggle Giggle Quack, is based on a series of books about farm animals who outsmart their owner that Abby really enjoys, so I didn't think the risk was too great. Abby loved it especially the singing portions. We had great seats which allowed her room to wiggle around when she needed to. She has left her formerly shy persona in the dust. She entertained all the other patrons before the show and during the intermission dancing and jumping around like the theatre was her own personal playground. Grandma got a big kick out of it as well, and it was a nice family outing for the three of us. Dinner after was equally entertaining although a bit exhausting trying to keep up with Abby the Acrobat as she scaled all the booths at the restaurant even when there were people in them. Fortunately, the restaurants and its patrons were kid friendly that day because we made one big mess. Glad it wasn't my house.
We were invited to attend a children's play at the Dallas Children's Theatre but couldn't make it because I had a dinner party (and I need my precious adult only time), so we decided to take Grandma instead and go a different day. Abby did so well sititng through a 2 + hour Sesame Street earlier in the year, so I thought she would be able to sit still for a play that I thought she would enjoy. The play, entitled Giggle Giggle Quack, is based on a series of books about farm animals who outsmart their owner that Abby really enjoys, so I didn't think the risk was too great. Abby loved it especially the singing portions. We had great seats which allowed her room to wiggle around when she needed to. She has left her formerly shy persona in the dust. She entertained all the other patrons before the show and during the intermission dancing and jumping around like the theatre was her own personal playground. Grandma got a big kick out of it as well, and it was a nice family outing for the three of us. Dinner after was equally entertaining although a bit exhausting trying to keep up with Abby the Acrobat as she scaled all the booths at the restaurant even when there were people in them. Fortunately, the restaurants and its patrons were kid friendly that day because we made one big mess. Glad it wasn't my house.
First Play - Giggle Giggle Quack at Dallas Children's Theatre
