Best Bed Partner Award Loser

Clayton isn't the greatest bed partner if you are intending on getting a good night's sleep.  Rarely will she lay still long enough to fall asleep, however in the slim chance that she does (wakes up in the middle of the night from a bad dream, she usually will go back to sleep if you give her a ba-ba), she will end up sideways and kicking you all night.  

This sequence of pictures, proves it:

10:11pm

 10:19pm

10:38pm 

 11:54pm (already sideways)

 

 12:25pm

 

 1:27am (placed her back like a normal sleeping person and fortified her with pillows...aka protected myself from her kicks)

Sadie's Progress

Sadie had surgery to repair her ACL at the beginning of September.  She has been quietly recovering over the last month with limited mobility and confined to our bedroom when we leave (thought locking her in a kennel would send her over the edge mentally as she is already sad knowing she isn't her 100% self).

She stayed in her bed either in the den or our bedroom the majority of the day and Harris carried her outside when she pottied the first two weeks.  

 
After two weeks, her wound looked much better.

  

She wouldn't eat for a week or so after surgery but would when Clayton gave her her food.   

 

Harris built a ramp off our front porch since she isn't supposed to tackle steps for awhile.  It's crucial that she doesn't overdue it and injure her good legs due to the added weight.  But someone else LOVES running up and down the ramp.  She actually thinks it was built for her.

 

You can kind of see in this picture, her poor leg is so skinny and has lost so much muscle mass.  Her hair is very, very slowly growing back.  I miss my yard buddy so much!

 

 Nurse Betty Clayton has taken the best care of her big sister although she gets carried away sometimes.

 

 

 It took awhile but Sadie is pretty much back to herself mentally.....still a tripod.  I threw away all her tennis balls around the yard but she found one and is really wanting to play.

I've been doing physical therapy with her knee but she only occasionally will use her leg.  We are taking her swimming starting next week so she begins building back the muscles in her leg and slowly gets used to moving her knee again.  We are trying to stay positive but really wanting our four-legged dog back to her ole self soon.

My Mower

1st Day at Mother's Day Out

Today was Clayton's first time to go to Mother's Day Out.

She clung to me like a monkey with her head buried in my chest.  I pried her off me and gave her to the nice lady (didn't even ask her name again...probably a big lesson in Mom 101 when you are dropping your child off with a stranger) who said she would call me if she still wasn't happy in a bit.  I went to the car and tried to decide if I should wait and check on her in 20 minutes through the window.  But figured if she wasn't ok they would call me.  I went to Connie's Chicken to get a chicken biscuit with gravy and cheese because what doesn't make you feel better than a nice fattening breakfast and a fountain Dr. Pepper?  I went back to the house and ran to my phone every time it rang hoping it wasn't MDO calling because she was traumatized.  I enjoyed my biscuit and am amazed at how fast I can clean the house without a toddler making messes as I go.  

After running to a store to return something, I hurried back to get her right at 12 (yes, 9 to 12 won't kill her).  When I went in the room, she was sitting in the lady's lap staring at the kid's playing hide-and-go seek.  I said her name and she turned around and her eyes lit up as she saw her momma who abandoned her a few hours prior.  She began crying and ran towards me arms open wide.  They said she did great and played with everyone until about 11:30 when she just started crying for no reason.  I said she didn't sleep the greatest and woke up early (8:15) so I'm sure she is tired.

I tried to comfort her but she said she insisted she needed a good cry.  So on and off the whole way to McDonald's (Clayton's comfort food) she cried.  

She stopped crying as soon as she got her french fries and chicken nuggets.  She overly screamed in excitement when she saw Sadie like they were reuniting after a few years.  After enjoying her McDonald's and attempting to destroy the house her mom had just cleaned, she took a much needed nap.  

I call the first time a success.....hey, they didn't have to call me to pick her up.  She is going again next Wednesday so we shall see.

Clayton's 1st Car Accident

We were packing to leave for Memphis for the weekend.  Harris had just taken a load down to his truck and left the door open.  Clayton saw it and decided she needed to accompany him.  So I watched/helped her down the garage steps.  I looked out the window and saw she had climbed in the back passenger door in his truck and made her way to the driver's seat.  She loves pretend driving and punching any and every switch on the dashboard.  To get her out of a car once she starts "driving" requires prying her fingers off the steering wheel while she kicks and screams.  Harris kept getting everything ready and kept an eye out for the pretend driver.  

He was in the garage and heard a noise that he said he instantly knew what it was.....the gears shifting out of park.  He took off chasing his truck rolling down the driveway as Clayton stood in the driver's seat with her hands clutched to the steering wheel wide-eyed wondering what the heck was going on.  His truck rolled into a small ditch along our driveway, running over some bushes, and then the open back door slammed a tree pushing it flat to the driver's door.

Although his truck needs two new doors, we are thankful the Lord was watching out for her because she was not hurt.  I cringe thinking what would have happened if the driver's door was open.

We assumed that the brake had to be applied before it would shift out of park.  On Harris' truck, she had gotten the keys off his console, put them in the ignition, turned the key short of cranking the truck and it allowed his truck to shift from park.  Shameful to admit but Clayton had already gotten my car out of park but we assumed it was a defect with my car and were cautious with her playing in it (not that it is a great idea that she play in a car in the first place).  However, after doing research, I realize that it isn't a defect and that the requirement of a transmission brake safety feature is only required in vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2010.  I am so thankful Clayton's "accident" didn't turn out tragic but hope others will learn a lesson as we surely have.

Source: NHTSA: Vehicle Rollaway

21 Months Old

21 Month Claytonisms:

• When Clayton decides she wants to dance, the majority of the time everyone needs to dance with her.  So she goes around to everyone and tries to push them up and says, "moooaan" or "ma-ma" or "da-da" (in a tone like you're being ridiculous by not dancing with me).  Harris and I will both get up and dance and then she goes over to Sadie and tries to get her up to dance as well.  It's cute but of course Sadie has no clue what she wants.  Also, when she decides everyone needs a high five, she doesn't think about leaving Sadie out and attempts to try to get Sadie to give her a high five.  Sadie is always laying down these days with her hurt leg so a disgruntled look is about all Clayton gets.
• Anytime, Clayton thinks she accidentally hurt us (running over our feet with a toy, jumping on our stomachs so hard that it makes you want to puke, etc.) she gives this wincing in pain face and holds out her arms and says, "Huuuugggg."  And many of her hugs now include pats on the back.
• At nap or bedtime, Clayton jumps on the couch or snuggles in the pillows on the bed when she sees you trying to put her in bed and closes her eyes and makes sounds likes she is snoring.  She also runs to the other parent who is not trying to make her go to bed or do something she would prefer not to do (put pajamas on, change her diaper, etc.) and tries to get us to "protect" her.
• Clayton's loves to get in a bed and get under all the pillows and hide.  She will go in our guest room and play with the blinds and then when she hears someone coming, buries herself in the pillows to hide.  Then giggles in delight when you let her know you have found her.
• Trimming finger nails isn't equivalent to murder recently.
• Her vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds.  She also tries to repeat more words that we say.  Thankfully I don't think she has picked up any foul words quite yet.....from the TV of course, although "sh*t" we think she says is "sit" (we're hoping at least).
• When Clayton is being told "no" she will either cry because that is the worst thing she could hear or will close eyes because she goes invisible and you can't see her and continue doing whatever it is she is doing.
• Clayton has figured out how to use a pump bottle of lotion.  She loves to pump an excessive amount in her hand and then apply it on my legs says, "oooooohhhhhh."  I have to admit that I don't mind having a personal lotioner, but when she comes towards Harris with lotion, all hell breaks out in the house.  He is severely phobic of lotionie things (lotion, conditioner, creams, etc). and I think he would prefer her bash a hole in the wall.  
• Clayton loves "bob-bee"(s), aka babies.  Every house in our neighborhood where children live, she says "bob-bee" as we drive or stroll by.  A stroller sitting in their carport is her signal that a bob-bee lives there.  Also, anytime we see any kids in a store, she calls them "bob-bee."  She loves being a momma to her "bob-bee" doll by strolling her around the house, giving her a bottle, and sharing her lunch with her.
• Open the fridge when Clayton is near and it is heck trying to get her out of there.  She likes to rearrange any of the contents that she can reach.  And her eyes play trick on her stomach because anything she can find in the fridge looks appetizing yet she won't eat it.
• She has discovered that if you put your fingers in your ears and scream real loud, it sounds funny.  So at random times, she is screaming, "ma-ma", "da-da" or "heeeeey" at the top of her lungs with her ears plugged.  

(Wasn't thrilled with the pictures this month but figured you win some and you lose some.)

Germantown Festival

Clayton and I headed to Memphis on Thursday for the weekend.  This is an example of her closing her eyes when I'm telling her "no" and she doesn't want to hear/acknowledge it.  This particular time, she wanted to pour all the hand sanitizer in the car seat latch.  She had already emptied most of it a few days prior in her cup holder.

  

 On Saturday, The Gaiennie girls went to the Germantown Festival.

 Mary, Clayton, and I stayed for the weenie dog costume contest and races.

Saturday night, we went to my sister's house to watch the LSU game. 

 Since the weather was so beautiful, all the girls decided to go back to the Germantown Festival on Sunday.

Triple sugar daze.

 

 

The girls loved the bounce house.

 

And the bounce obstacle course.  Clayton has no fear.

.....except after running through it 5 times, she decides she is too tired to finish and starts crying refusing to budge anymore, which then causes Ella to start crying.  So of course, it's me who has to go in after them and fight off banshee children who clearly can't see that they are running me over. 

Labor Day Weekend

We had been planning for months to go to Louisiana for one last lake weekend and for Harris to dove hunt but cancelled our trip deciding it was the best thing for Sadie.  So a Tupelo weekend it was with the intentions to complete a few tasks that have been on our to-do list for awhile.

We are excited that Saturday was the opening of football season.  

Geaux Tigers!

Clayton loved watching the Olympics and cheering on Team USA.  It amazes me that she can see any sporting event on TV and scream "goooooo."  I heard her screaming and went in our bedroom to find this.

 On Sunday, we joined the First Presbyterian Church of Tupelo.

 Monday, we went to a pet store to check out the animals.

 

and hang out with Da since he didn't go to work.

 
I'm not sure anything got crossed off our to-do list.  But family time was fun!