Lions and Tigers and Eeyores Oh My!

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I know it has been awhile.  Lotta has been ailing for almost the last 2 weeks.  This was the worst cold/flu bug she has had.  Usually she just keeps running around, this time, she actually lethargically SAT through a movie.  Not to fret, she is finally on the up and up!  I think she is as ready to get out of the house as I am!

One of Lotta's most recent tricks, she stops in the middle of doing something to say, "More" in baby signs.  Yes, I do realize she could just continue doing what she was doing, but she has to show off her skills somehow doesn't she?  Always makes me smile.

Sometimes when Lotta is angry, she jumps at me with

[caption id="attachment_4552" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Sitting on the shoe step, trying to wear one of Bens shoes and one of mine."][/caption]

her mouth open, like the little Lion (Leo)/Tiger (Chinese year of the Tiger) she is.  Also, makes me smile, even though I know I shouldn't.

Lotta has inherited other of Ellie's habits. (I mean besides the closing of opened cabinets and drawers).  She likes to sit on the "shoe step" to put on her shoes, just like Ellie.  She likes to pull her socks off an run around with naked feet, even when those naked feet are freezing cold.  She likes to pick up Ben's legos for him.

Surprise of all surprises, Lotta now ADORES the bath.  I presented it to her as a big puddle and suddenly the whole thing shifted for her.  She now asks many times a day to take a bath, swinging her little leg over the side in an attempt to hurl herself in.

On Valentine's Day, we did our traditional making of a Valentine's page.  This year we challenged ourselves to come up with a tribute

[caption id="attachment_4549" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Visiting Thom at work."][/caption]

to each person in 6 words. The one that Thom came up with for Ellie to me was samazing (so amazing)--"Always saw the best in me."  We both teared up over that one.  Ben told me the day was a "Yes" day, a day filled with wonderful yeses (there was a class party).

Last week Ben came off the bus feeling quite gloomy.  It seems he had overheard some of his classmates discussing play dates they were having (or planning to have).  He felt quite left out.  This was after he had been having trouble running on the playground (he too has been stuffed up and coughing).  When he tried to tell his classmates that he couldn't run, they ran away from him.  (I think Alanis would call that ironic, don't you?)  He had that feeling, as we all do at times, that EVERYONE but EVERYONE was having a party without him.  We talked about it and he still felt gloom (Eeyore-ish as Ellie would say).  We tried watching a movie and having a floor picnic, making our own party. He felt slightly better.

Apparently what he needed was a Daddy antidote for his gloom. When Thom arrived home from work, all the gloom fell away as he ran to embrace his "Very favorite person in the whole wide world." Maybe I was trying too hard?