Farewell

Josie and I took an unexpected trip last week. We headed back to western PA. The good news: We drove both the 7 hours up and the 7 hours back without stopping! My girl was able to survive a carseat for 7 hours at a time without getting out and without fussing and complaining. Big kudos to the big girl!

Now, for the sad news. We went home for a funeral. My grandma's. Josie's great-grandma's. It was a very sad week. My grandma, Effie Naomi Grossman, was one of the greatest, most incredibly generous and selfless people to ever walk this earth. She was such a wonderful lady. We will miss her greatly.

One of the best moments of Josie's infancy was when she went to PA to meet her great-grandma for the first time. The following two pictures show the immediate joy and elation that grandma was able to bring to this two-month old's face:

Firsts

It was a week of firsts.

Josie received her first bee sting and milked it for all it was worth!
(See, it's there in her left armpit):


Then, we went to our first Chuck E Cheese birthday party. It was fun, but it sure was crowded and semi-chaotic!



Finally, we had our first trip to Pump It Up - an inflatable party spot where you can bounce, slide, and play all day! It was a lot of fun, and we both have the "rug burns" to prove it!

Our little bookworm

Josie loves to read. Well, she can't really read yet, but she loves to look at books, have books read to her, and memorize books. She sees us reading often, and thinks the library is wonderful! So, I am never surprised to see her "reading" books and magazines she finds lying around the house. The other day I walked into my bedroom to find Josie curled up on my bed with a book she found on the nightstand. Clearly not her reading level or age-appropriate, but adorable nonetheless!

I'm a big kid now!

My three year old is finally a "big girl". We have been talking about getting a big girl bed for months, but, really, I have been putting off the inevitable. In her crib, she stays. She does not climb out, and each morning when she wakes up, she talks, sings, and plays until she is truly awake before asking to get up. Alas, a slight problem has occurred. Josie is almost too long for the crib. Had this not happened, I may have had the only five-year-old in kindergarten that was still in a crib. Seriously. I would have kept her there forever. It was a sad day when I finally came to the realization that she was ready to get a real bed.

All parts of the bed had been purchased and waiting in a closet for this day. So, on Saturday we went to the store and purchased Josie's mattress. We tossed around the idea of a side rail, but decided to take the "let's wait and see if she falls out" approach. We came home and spent the afternoon tearing down the crib and setting up the bed. Finally, Saturday night arrived, and Josie was ecstatic to go to bed. She continuously lamented, "I am so excited for my big girl bed!"

Night one: no problems. Morning one: hops right out of bed, ready to start the day - but not a problem since she slept in! Nap one: URGH!! Singing, playing, out of bed....yuck :( Night two: almost no problems - aside from falling out once around 2:30am. And, she was so discombobulated that I just scooped her up, put her back in, and she was sound asleep. Morning two: hops right out of bed, straight to the potty, then to my room to wake me up with an, "I am just not tired anymore." Nap two: Horror! Getting out of bed, reading books, playing with all of the "stuff" on her dresser, and knocking down the curtains! Finally, after the curtains, I very firmly reminded her that she would NOT get up until she napped, and an hour after it all started, she fell asleep....where she reminds at the moment!

So, all in all, a decent adjustment thus far, if I can just figure out how to convince her that a nap in necessary (for both of us!).

Here is the "big girl" on her first night in her bed:

Visiting

Josie's grammy, great grandma, and great grandpa were here this week. What a wonderful time! We went to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on Wednesday and saw the Butterflies Live! exhibit, played in the sprinklers, and explored the gardens. It was so amazing. Josie and great grandma were both enthralled. Check out some photos of the fun.



Sprinkler fun:


Check out the pretty butterflies:





Josie, Great-Grandma, and Great-Grandpa: