She keeps me laughing...

Annabelle's Mommy was supposed to go to work this morning, but she called and said she really didn't feel up to it. We left the conversation at that. Then I thought about it...why shouldn't Annabelle spend the day with Granddaddy and Grandmomma and maybe give Mommy some needed rest, so after running it by Granddaddy he thought the same thing I did, so I called Mommy back and made arrangements to pick her up.

Oh, and Mommy decided she was feeling better by the time we got there, so she did go into work after all and put in long hours after I had warned her she needed to take this time to be able to relax, but you know how we mothers are. We think we can do it all, sometimes.

I also suggested she put in some pajamas just in case Annabelle would agree to spend the night. Without her and knowing it was without her. So when we picked her up and headed back home all was arranged to perhaps keep her for the day and night.

Annabelle was a little later getting up this morning. I think she had gotten up earlier, but Mommy had put her back down and she had managed to go back to sleep, so I figured there would be no nap today for her. I was right. She wanted nothing to do with taking a nap, though she did agree to go lie down in the Pack 'N Play. She was tired by 3:30. I warned her she had to stay in the bed because she's been climbing out the last time or two. She agreed sweetly. We had already read all of our books, but of course we had to sing some songs that I had forgotten about. We had to sing about Jesus; Hush Little Baby; Up on the House Top; and I think we sang Away in the Manager and another one or two. I finally left the room. Then she started fussing. I had forgotten her juice. Trip back in for that. Still more fussing, a little silence, then "Grandmomma, need to go poopy, Grandmomma, need to go poopy." Of course, I jumped up and went in. Too late, already had poopied, but STILL had to sit on the potty to poopy. And she's a long sitter. She's actually a procrastinator who will use anything as an excuse to stay out of bed. Finally after probably 10-15 minutes of her grabbing my hands to "get down to doing her business" and after I threatened to leave her, she finally called an end to it, but she did tee-tee in the potty and earned her chocolates which today were not M & M's but Peppermint Patties, Chocolate Kisses or "Teetsy Rolls". Anyway there was no need to force the nap issue this late in the game, so she didn't get her nap today.

Here are a few of the funnies that happened today:
I've noticed even last time she was here, but more so today, she seems to be using her pen/pencil and seems to be concentrating on making smaller marks as well as the broader strokes. I have a lap desk that her Mommy got from her "Big Sister" when she was in college. It really came in handy when I broke my arm a few years ago when they were living in Knoxville, and before Little Bit came along.

She found that desk and on the back side which I had covered with contact paper which had leaves and flowers on it, she proceeded to try to write over the small
and leaves on it. She called me over and said, "See my picture, Grandmomma?" and insisted I sit and watch her as she performed her great work of art on my board which had no paper on it! But she was just too cute and busy concentrating on her work that I couldn't fuss at her for it. As a footnote: I'm sure she's going to be writing her name in full the next time I see her on Wednesday! She's a bright little girl, I tell you!

She recently got a Little People's Manager Scene which she apparently loves very much. (I really wanted to get it to keep at my house, but her Mommy thought it would be fun to play with, so she wouldn't let me get it. I guess we didn't both need one, but it sure looks like lots of fun!)

She brought over to our house her Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary. She used my Little People and brought them up to Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. I heard her say, "Hey dare, Baby Jesus!" as each Little Person was brought to meet Baby Jesus. Now that was the sweetest thing you could hope to witness from a little child. She said it so fast that it sounded like, "Howdy, Baby Jesus", but it wasn't really that. She loves her Manager and especially Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary. They had to accompany her to the nap she didn't have today. I finally was able to sneak them back into her bag so we could make sure they found their way back to her house. I love to see her play-acting and talking with her little toy people.

Also, Nonnie has been on her mind all day today. I'm sure she's on it every day, but she really carried on her conversations with her today. One time she grabbed the house phone (it was dead as a door knob, thank goodness)put it to her ear and got her Nonnie on the phone. "Hey, dare, Nonnie. Um hum, um hum." then she passed it on to me. "Talk to Nonnie," I was instructed and if I failed to talk to her at any point when she was watching she reminded me of it. Then she went over to where we keep the five million remote controls and picked up one of the "'Mote controls", put it to her ear, then added the telephone to the other ear and said, "Two Nonnies!"
She squished each phone to her face until those little lips pushed out. Where was the camera? Of course, she moves from one thing to the other so fast I would have missed the real "her" trying to get to the camera way too late, so I settled for real life for once. It was just too precious to miss.

When I mentioned that I needed to fix dinner tonight, she ran to the dining room door and pushed against it. It was fastened so she couldn't get in. She kept saying, "Gonna help Grandmomma, gonna help Grandmomma," over and over. I asked her what she was trying to do and she said it again then I realized she was trying to get to the stool she stands on to help Grandmomma.

When I realized she wanted to help me fix her Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip sandwich, I suggested she could help me by sitting in her high chair and she could help me spread the peanut butter on the bread and then add the chips. At first she pushed the high chair over to the counter and then started to get into it. I told her we could add her tray and I would let her help me that way. She climbed in and together we spread her peanut butter with a knife and I gave her some chips to finish putting on her sandwich. She added most of them, although she did eat some.

Earlier I had asked her Mommy if she let her put the chips on her sandwich to which Mommy replied very strongly, "NO!" When questioned why she said because she would eat more chips than went onto the sandwich. I don't understand the problem. Once the chips are gone, either way they go to the same place!

Anyway, Annabelle knows how to spread peanut butter on her sandwich and for the second time, both with Grandmomma, she's added her own chocolate chips to her sandwich.

But before climbing into her chair, of course, she had to protest just a bit before she gave in and then after I was putting the top on the chair she became quite animated holding that little head in a certain position and those little hands went up shaking around, fingers straight out as she began telling me in her determined little way, "No tee-tee, No poo poo." just as if she had made up her mind she would not ask to get down to tee-tee or poo poo this time. That's become sort of a habit with her. She has to run to the potty right in the middle of eating. I think it's just her excuse for getting down. She watches and when she sees Grandmomma is done eating, that's her que. The other two will be sitting there until the cows come home if she has to wait for them to finish eating, although, I have to say she can sometimes run them a race for long-time eating except when she really wants to get down and play.

As Granddaddy and I were eating our meal I mentioned I needed to bathe her, wash her hair and get her into her pajamas after we ate. She was ready to go as soon as she heard that. She wanted that bath and she would stop eating for that bath. She finally ate all she wanted, got down and headed out saying, "Bath, Grandmomma." I talked her into waiting until I had finished and then we would run her bath water and get her bath. She played around with her toys until we finally got her into the tub.

Granddaddy came to the rescue again and dried that long hair for me, but not before she went into a mini-melt down because after she got out of the tub and got back into the den she realized she hadn't gotten any of her favorite candy for tee-teeing in the potty, so it was a rush back to the potty. She came back into the den with those little lips pursed out and giving a smooching sound. She wanted her chocolate kiss for going potty. She's a mess, that Granddaughter of ours.

She had already made up her mind she wanted to go back to her house to spend the night tonight. She said, "Mommy and Daddy's house, not Grandmomma and Granddaddy's."
I don't want her to feel she has to stay her if she doesn't want to because that will just make for three miserable people added to the other one at the other house, so I started calling and e-mailing her Mommy with the news that we would be coming home for Annabelle to get her sleep there.

Her Mommy is having a hard time talking above a whisper, so she's not a lot of fun to talk to. I feel like I need to whisper, too. Annabelle's Daddy should have been out of town last week and in town this week. Bad planning. Just think of all the peace and quiet he would have had this week!

So after bath, diapering, drying her hair and dressing, she was ready to go home with all her goodies. She kept talking about seeing her "Mommy, and Daddy, too." She really wanted to see her Daddy, too. I kept telling her Daddy wouldn't be there tonight when she got home, but I'm not sure she really believed it. But at least she was going home to see one of the people she loves with all her heart.

Granddaddy wanted to ride around in the area to let her see some more Christmas lights before she left. She loves those Christmas lights and wanted to find more along the way. That's a difficult job since there aren't many lights along the expressway that count for Christmas lights. She did see a big Santa on a billboard drinking a Coca Cola. She was really excited about that.

Finally at home, I don't know who was happiest to see whom. Her Mommy met us at the car like she hadn't seen her in months and I think Annabelle was equally happy.
Maybe another time she'll feel more like spending time away. She's been lots of fun and I'm sure there are other things I'll remember later that were fun to experience being the Grandmomma of a little Princess.