I'm finally off of crutches. I'm not too sure what the next step is for my knee. I'm waiting to hear back from Ortho, and we'll go from there. For now, I'm still taking it easy. I've started taking Addison outside, but it's difficult (and terrifying) to be on your own in town with a toddler who's faster than you are. Thankfully she's really good at holding my hand when I ask. The rule is that she must stay on the grass at all times, or we go inside immediately. Normally I'd let her wander a bit farther and give her one warning if she's too far, but at this point, I can't take the risk. If she were to run, I physically cannot run after her right now, so I keep her close by. It's only been a few days, but so far, so good.
I got a lot of (good) reading done while I was held up. I'm catching up on cleaning that didn't get done, and starting to conquer the house To Do list. So far I've painted the downstairs bathroom door, the Spare Room closet, and some of the trim. Baby steps.
I'm learning to garden. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyone who knows me probably thinks I'm kidding, but I'm enjoying it. It's not a full time favourite hobby by any means, but I'm starting to appreciate my new curb appeal. Mom has always loved flowers and gardening. It was never my thing. Now that we've done some landscaping and I've put together the two front gardens, I'm noticing a huge difference. I started small, with easy plants and flowers. I didn't want to take on more than we could handle. I'll see how everything makes out by the end of the Summer, and decide whether to take on more or less next year. So far everything is growing quickly and flowering nicely. This week I've had three people compliment me on the front gardens and our new plants. I've enjoyed brainstorming what could go where. It's actually kind of fun.
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| Mother's Day 2012: Bleeding Hearts, Hostas, yellow Lanium |
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| June 1 2012: Everything is growing! Hens&Chicks in the front, as well |
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| Hosta Garden (planted in 2011): Hostas, Flocks, white Lanium, and a random Lily that was here when we moved in |
Addison is growing like crazy, and learning something new every day. Lastnight she started saying "Ya!" and "Yaaaaay," which she claps along with. She knows all kinds of body parts and animal sounds. She loves to count from 1-10 in English and French. She favours numbers two, five, and nine. She understands simple commands like "Sit on your bum," "Wash your arms," and "put it in the garbage." When you ask her to clean up or put something away, she'll happily put things back in their proper spot, one by one. If it's time to go, she'll say "Coat! Shoes!" She gets everyone else's stuff and gives it to them, then gets her own. When she comes in from having played outside, she immediately sits down and takes her shoes off. Sometimes she doesn't even let the door close. She loves to read, and will point out things she knows in her books, such as cars and dogs. While reading about the Berenstein Bears going to bed recently, she said "Night night."
She's had a hard time with men lately, besides Isaac, and sometimes her Grandpas. She'll cry and turn her head, so as to not even see them. It takes her a long time to warm up to them, if she ever does. She's been a little more clingy and upset with small crowds lately as well. She sees other babies and young kids regularly, but I think I need to make a point of it more often. Now that I'm starting to venture out again, I think I'll take her to play group weekly. She'll also have swimming lessons again later this Summer. It's good for both of us.
I think that sums up our last few boring weeks. I leave you with this crazy picture from this morning, of my little toddler tornado. I went upstairs to get dressed. In that time, she managed to take her jumper off, empty the bin of baby supplies, empty a container of wipes, open and dump out a pack of diapers, dump her Cheerios on the floor, and pull a blanket off the couch. There's also a random measuring cup in the Living Room that was not there before I left.
