Tickle, Tickle?

It doesn't happen often which is why it takes me by surprise every time she does it.  Yesterday, I was sitting in my chair and all the sudden I start to feel a little hand pinching the soft bits around my hips.  I look down and ask her what in the world she is doing... and she looks up at me with an adorable little grin and says "Tickle tickle!"

It just amazes me how fast time flies and how quickly things can change.  In the  past couple of weeks Gwen has decided that she likes her shoes... well, not just likes them, but likes to wear them.  Originally it was a battle to get her to let me put shoes on.  It didn't help that every time I turned around it looked like her shoes were too tight and I'd have to go get new ones.  Finally I broke down and went to a real children's shoe store and had them measure her foot.  Well, no wonder the Wal-Mart shoes weren't working... it appears that someone has inherited her daddy's wide feet.  Honestly though, I can't say that it would have been any better for her to have gotten my narrow ones.  Anyhow, once she started walking she disliked the shoes even more.  I think it was just too different for her.  Even the weekend of her birthday she wasn't too sure about them.  Out in my aunt and uncle's backyard I made her wear them, but she wouldn't walk unless she was holding my hand for support.  She'd go out in the grass and just sit... not move from that spot... not go chase the ball even though she obviously wanted it.  Now its a complete 180.  When we get ready to leave the house and she sees that I have her shoes and socks, she comes running.  She sits there nice and still while I get them on and everything... and then she won't take them off.  Usually once we get home she just stays in her shoes til bed time when I have to take them off to do bath/jammies.

I can't believe how early it is... its just now past 6am and I've been up for a while already.  The little critter is cutting more teeth so she started fussing at about 430 this morning and by the time I got her back to sleep I was wide awake.  I just don't seem to be getting a break at all between teeth.  So far she has the 4 up top center, 4 on bottom center, and is starting to finally cut some of the back teeth she's been working on.  She won't let me see exactly which ones they are and considering the 8 rather sharp little consequences of my trying to do some unwanted prodding, I figure its good enough to know that she's cutting some at all.  I did catch a glimpse of white where one is finally breaking the surface up top, but I didn't get more than a split second.

Speaking of a little pain... not sure if it counts as a black eye, but my little wrestler in training has her first big bruise... well... bigger is a relative term.  She has taken to playing a very cute little version of hide and seek.  She tries to hide behind the sofa, the coffee table, the end of her crib or pretty much anywhere else she thinks I won't be able to see her.  She even seems to have caught on to the fact that she needs to hide her whole body, not just her face.  Whenever she thinks I'm not looking, she'll run to one of her hiding spots and duck down low so that she thinks I can't see where she is.  Then, if I don't start looking for her right away, she'll peek her head up top or around the side of her chosen piece of furniture to check on me and then dart back into hiding while giggling wildly.  She thinks this whole process is hilarious.  Well, her favorite spot to run and hide is on the far side of my bed.  Anytime she catches my bedroom door open, its not long before I hear her giggles coming from in there.  Well, the other day she was doing this and I went to go "find" her and as I come in the door way, she's just stood up to peek over the top of the bed...  and as she sees me, she goes to drop down low out of sight... and wham!  She hits her face on the edge of the bed frame... no more giggling, cue the screams.  She managed to give herself a pretty good bruise just below her right eye brow that has since turned a lovely shade of purple.  She was fine in a matter of seconds once I distracted her with a toy, but I have gotten some funny looks while running errands since then... oh well!  Bumps, bruises, and scrapes are all part of the territory of being a toddler and I have plenty more of them ahead of me. 

Well, I hear a critter stirring for real now so I'd better wrap this up.  Until the next adventure!