Pull not push...

Now that Payton is walking so much better she no longer needs the help of the walker. But since it is still such a cool toy she still uses it but pulls it everywhere. She also just recently discovered that there is a cubbyhole under the seat.

Hat

Just when you thought that she couldn't get any cuter.....
I was having a 'I didn't think my hair was that dirty!' day so I put on a hat. Payton looked at my funny & that's when I remembered that I had a hat for her too. So I put it on her & it took a little bit of coaxing (by telling her how pretty she looked of coarse) & almost an hour later I took it off of her.
Yes we go everywhere without shoes. Actually Payton didn't wear shoes at all today, I wasn't so lucky.
Payton loves books so much that Yes we even keep some in the car. I just can't get over the hat!!!
I just had to include this one...

Payton's New Chair

I went to Walmart today & found this booster seat that makes a perfect sized chair for Payton for $10. Sweet!! She loves it. When she got up from her nap I don't think that she was ready to wake up. It happens a couple of times a week where she will just sit with me for about 20 minutes until she 'fully' wakes up. So we sat down & it only took her a few minutes to spot her new chair & then she wanted down. (Next time the chair will be hidden so as not to cut into our cuddle time!) She has been sitting up & down for the last 10 minutes & was just about to stand up when I took the picture below.
She got up & walked away from the chair & then, without breaking her gaze at the TV she felt around for the seat...
figured out sitting on the arm wouldn't work. She bobbled a little & started to get frustrated. It was actually really cute.
I so I turned the chair so that it was more facing the TV & ta-da success.
Check out those teeth! The vampire has left the bat cave. Oh yeah Payton is totally recovered. The bumps got a little worse the day after I took the pictures & were gone the next morning when she woke up. Other than discovering that maybe she just doesn't have to eat what I give her... :) all is well.

Roseola!!!

Payton has Roseola!!! I noticed a couple of red dots on her this morning when we were getting ready to head up to my mom's house. So we looked at them up there & after a while we came back Payton went down for a nap. Once she woke up I noticed that the bumps had spread & there were a lot more of them. When we went back up to my parents house that's when my mom said that she was sure (she mentioned earlier that she thought it was Roseola). I guess we were fortunate that I was able to catch her fever & give her Tylenol before it got up too high like it says in the description below. My mom said that all us kids had it.

Yet another normal kid thing... Even though she was pretty miserable it makes me...smile is not the right word but it is a calm feeling, relieved maybe... I'm getting off track here... In a way I look at it differently because it's a normal everyday kid thing & not a heart related special anything. I hope that makes sense!

So I looked it up & here's what it said. So all you mom's out there get ready cause apparently it's pretty common & it'll be coming your way!

Roseola (also known as sixth disease, exanthem subitum, and roseola infantum) is a viral illness in young children, most commonly affecting those between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. It is typically marked by several days of high fever, followed by a distinctive rash just as the fever breaks.

Signs & Symptoms

A child with roseola typically develops a mild upper respiratory illness, followed by a high fever (often over 103 degrees Fahrenheit, or 39.5 degrees Celsius) for up to a week. During this time, the child may appear fussy or irritable and may have a decreased appetite and swollen lymph nodes (glands) in the neck.

So that is Payton to a tea! Running nose (which for her lately has been pretty common) & then a fever (Sunday night to Thursday but luckily never over 101.2) & a rash (which doesn't seem to bother her at all). The good part is that as soon as the rash appears (which is usually when it is diagnosed) it is basically over. At least now there is a reason!!

Cardiology Appointment + Sick Baby = Baby Breakdown

Payton went to see Dr. Burke (cardiologist) yesterday & all is well. She didn't let anyone else touch her, which made it kinda tricky to do the EKG & take her pulse oz. So we didn't end up getting it but I check her levels every day so I wasn't worried about not getting it done there. When they take the EKG they have 8 to 10 leads that are stuck to her with these little gel stickers. It didn't go over very well but after it was on & we put a blanket over them so she couldn't pull at them she calmed down long enough to get a good reading. She also was not happy at all to see Dr. Burke. He walked into the room & she lost it. So I got her dressed & we went out in the lobby & Payton played (keeping a comfortable distance from Burke of coarse). So all is well & it looks like her next surgery will be between the ages of 3 & 4 , unless she 'forces our hand'. After she was happy & playing around for a while Dr. Burke said that he noticed that the residual swelling in her face (water log) that we were keeping an eye one seems to have gone down... aka a good sign of internal things working as they should. He also said that after seeing her play & have her color return that he felt better about not getting her o2 levels this time. We don't have to go back for 2 months!!! Yippee & maybe next time Payton will tolerate the visit next time a little better.

Another reason that Payton didn't handle the Dr.'s ofc very well is because she's runny a low fever. When she went to bed last night she didn't have one so I thought that we were in the clear. But this morning it is back. I gave Payton her medicine & she just sat there not wanting to eat. So I checked her temp & there it was again 99.8. Since she wasn't eating I took her tray off to get her out & she started crying. So I left her in there while I posted an ad for a vacant apartment & noticed how pitiful she looked & of coarse my first thought was to take a picture. I went over had her drink some water & I could tell she just wanted to be left alone so I did. About 10 minutes later I took the one below. Yeah no change. So this time I got her out & sat with her until Sesame Street was over. Oh my poor baby!

Art

We bought these canvases on ebay last July & finally got them framed. We found a street vendor at the Monrovia Street Fair that did them for us.I had them in the closet for so long that I forgot how much I loved them.
We also bought a piece of Gino's art. Gino a total artistic type name & he had the accent to go with it too.
I love it because he totally gobbed on the paint.
I feel like I'm living in an adults apartment now. It is amazing what putting up pictures does to your living space.

TV Faces

Payton has the funniest expressions when she watches TV. I zoomed in on this pic so you could see her teeth that are coming in, actually that are in. For the moment we are taking a break from teething. She still has several more that haven't come in yet on the bottom.The whole time that she watches TV she doesn't make a sound but makes these faces that you would think would be accompanied by some sort of noise.
She rarely ever sits & stays next to me in the rocking chair. So had to get pictures of the moment.
Hey mom get out of the way. I'm watching TV right now.
I don't notice her color until I look at pictures. Well anything would look colorful against my whiteness!
She cracks me up!

4 things about me...

...I got tagged by Janette Church & since I was at the top of her list I couldn't ignore it without guilt! So just for you....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Apartment Manager - Pasadena, CA
2. Receptionist - Automated Circuit Design - Richardson TX
3. Day Spa Manager - Frisco TX (Didn't last long but was fun)
4. Take out Counter Girl at Dominico's Pizza (I worked my way up to being able to cut the pizza!) - Pasadena CA

B) Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Tombstone - I can recite the entire movie from memory
2. Monsters Inc
3. National Treasure
4. Any chick flick w/o hubby there to make a cheesy comment at the end to ruin the nostalgia

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Pasadena, CA (Born & Raised)
2. Richardson, TX
3. Dallas, TX
4. Garland, TX

D) Four television shows I watch:
1. 24 - I love that they jumped to a different story line mid-season/day
2. Survivor
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. October Road (I haven't quite made my mind up on this one yet but it is one I'm looking forward to this week)

E) Four places I have gone on vacation:
1. Maui, HI
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Dallas, TX/Hugo, OK
4. My life is seriously pitiful. I have to get out more. HI was the only one where we didn't go to specifically visit family.

F) Four websites I visit almost daily:
1. Blogs - my own and my friends
2. Gmail - could live without it but it makes life so easy!
3. slickdeals.net
4. craigslist.org

G) Four of my favorite foods (only four?!):
1. Chinese food (Orange or Kung Pao Chicken)
2. Spicy BBQ (we just found a place at the Monrovia street fair that sells the best pulled pork sandwich. Reminds me of the awesome Texas BBQ I've been missing)
3. Sushi!!! And we just found a great place here in Pasadena, oh yeah baby!
4. Anything that I don't have to cook. Have you noticed how much better things taste when they are made for you?

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. A beach anywhere! With a play pin that would contain Payton & she would be content at least for a little while.
2. Shopping & have $$ to shop with.
3. In a movie theater watching a GREAT chick flick with popcorn...and NO teeny boppers in the theater!! (I totally agree Janette)
4. Away from home & Payton with a babysitter that I felt comfortable with. Especially cause she's cranky right now.

I) Four people who I tag:
1. I'm stopping the madness!

Cut and paste and fill in your own answers!

Laptop computer = perfect seat for Payton!

Yet another movie of her watching TV. I really wasn't lying when I said that she's been watching too much TV. She is using Donald's computer as a seat. Donald got it last week & I'm pretty sure that Payton has used it more than he has.

The Grind

In this video you need to listen for the grinding noise. Payton is GRINDING HER TEETH. This drives me crazy. She has to shift her jaw over to do this because her front two teeth aren't in far enough to do this with. Hopefully she will get over this & SOON!!!

Slow for Speed Bumps!

So these last two weeks have been very stressful on me in terms of managing. By the time that Payton goes down for her nap she has watched Sesame Street, Big World, Monsters Inc & possibly a Disney Sing-a-long song. I hate to admit that is roughly 2 1/2 hours of TV (bad mom guilt is creeping in right now). I have literally been run ragged by the time she suppose to go down for her nap. So I looked over, while on the phone with a tenant whose apartment caught fire early that morning (just to give you a little glimpse of my week) & she was just sitting there holding my shoe. Totally mesmerized by Monsters Inc. I am raising a speed bump! To be fare though she probably thinks I'm a speed bump right now too. Mommies tend to be boring when they have work to do. No matter what she did whether crawling over to the shoe bin & just stopping inches shy of head butting it, she was watching that TV.

*****

I had to include this one. I'm sure that she was channeling her cousin, er 2nd cousin (?) Mia. The next generation is bringing sexy back to the Grant family tree! YOU GO LADIES!!!

The Art of Distraction!

Lately Payton has had a bit of a runny nose & is less patient with everything. So one thing that I have done is paint her toes. She will start to 'loose it' & sometimes she will stop if I point out that her toes are painted. The more I do it the less effect it has but it sure is helpful & cute when it works.

I can feed myself

So now that Payton's teeth are coming in I have to start introducing new things to her. She can start to have things that required a little more chewing so it really opens up the things that I can feed her. Obviously noodles, like she has below, are one of those new chewy foods but it is a food that she has had tummy issues with in the past. So I have to remember to introduce things to her again. This time she liked it & didn't mind the texture. She would pick up the noodles individually & put them in her mouth. If I didn't help she would have been there all night. As you can see they stuck to her so she would have to lick them off her hand.
I'm sure that some made it in her mouth.

A lot of posts....

Yeah I realize that there are a lot of posts. My computer & I are on speaking terms again.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks & hopefully I can get things back to normal, well at least a little closer to normal than they have been lately. Enjoy & hope you all had a good Easter!

Put the egg in the hole.

She has such a funny laugh. She always has fun with her Dad.

The Hunt is On!!!

So we have been practicing for a couple of weeks & Payton just didn't get it. She would take the eggs out of the basket & put her sippy cup & TV remote in & walk around with that. I guess she figured why put eggs in when she could put something a little more useful in instead. So I half expected her to head inside & find her cup & a remote... but oh yeah, she's so smart & didn't even need my help.I think that it helped when she saw her second cousin Elise putting eggs in her basket. Then it clicked & she was a women on a mission. She was all the way down the driveway & spotted the egg below. She passed several eggs in plane sight & went for this one.
I was surprised, as soon as she would add another egg to her basket she would forget about it & concentrate on the next find.
It was so fun to see her so focused. Donald helped point some out but there were definitely ones that she found on her own as she pulled her Dad in an opposite direction of the one that he was trying to point out. She was so proud of her basket. She would put one in & look up to smile.
She actually found this one on her own. The bush was wet because it was a rainy day & she still stuck her hand in there. She doesn't really like to touch things like wet grass & stuff like that but today there was a higher purpose & she braved the unknown for that egg.
And it fell farther in when she tried to get it. So we helped a little.
Of coarse there were some that Dad definitely helped with.
And yes she even braved a strange man, AKA Drew. Payton doesn't like men right now. You can tell by the look on her face.
See the change in her face when she realizes that an egg is involved. "Hey there strange man, come a little closer & give me your egg!"
I'm so glad that I didn't confuse her by making her 'practice'. This was so much fun.
Check out the loot!

Easter Dress

Sunday could be the most relaxing day of the week if I didn't have Payton with me at church. She's just a regular 15 1/2 month old. Doesn't want to sit still & can't go to Nursery yet. So we have found a hide-away in one of the class rooms where we go to have a snack & let her walk around. She will usually sit thru RS but today we didn't even make it in time to go. So you would think that she would be good... with a lead in like that you guessed it.
And here she goes. It starts with her laying herself on the ground & rolling around. Whining & trying to get my attention (which when she starts to throw a tantrum I don't pay attention).
Then it's the stiff crazy face that you see below. She will strain & stretch making all appropriate noises to go along with it. And of coarse the face, I don't even know what to say about it. Possessed comes to mind.
And yes the loud & ever penetrating "DAAAAHHHHH DAAAHHHHH DAAAAAAAA". I'm sure someone would say something except for the fact that it would require them to enter a room where a child is making the most annoying noise they have ever heard & they would see a mother trying hard not to absolutely loose it. Okay well it may not be that bad, but when she starts that, ARGH, I want to tag Donald & say, "It's your turn!"

The Easter Bunny Loves Payton

Payton made out like a bandit on Easter morning. She loved it. She also slept in till 8:40. Church started at 9 so we were all late but that's the way it goes.She actually took her time looking at everything she got. I think she was delaying going to church as long as possible. As you can see from the pics about she was a little difficult.
Her first My Little Pony. This is the one & only time that she even touched it. I'm sure she will like it more later. I think that there was just so much there that she moved on to other things that she didn't have to figure out.
I love how she's holding the candy & checking it out. It's almost like she didn't want to touch to much of it. Hilarious!
She a binky! An Easter Binky! See the joy on her face. Well it's either joy or knowing that she's not suppose to have it yet she does.
But above all she loved the eggs. We had been practicing "hunting" with regular eggs all week long. She was so confused that this egg was looking back at her. She seriously stared at it for a long time then would drop it & pick up something else then notice it & pick it up again.
And there she goes again. In the other hand there was a bee egg but it didn't capture her attention like the lady bug.
I've got a video of her in the morning but I haven't uploaded it yet. I'll post it soon.