Forward Facing

Hooray! I'm forward facing now. After a week of fighting against the car seat, mom and dad finally turned me around. Now, I can see out the front window and have a chance at getting some AC on me. I'm enjoying our car rides much, much more now.

Easter Sunday

Spring was definitely not in the air here in Missouri. It was very cold, a bitter 30 degrees, so we did our best to look springy in pink. We had a wonderful morning at church and then spent the afternoon with Nana and the rest of the gang. No easter egg hunts this year, partially due to the weather. I'll be ready for them next year though!

 

Getting an Easter picture was no easy task this year. With Ainsley running around the house and never sitting still, this was the best that we could do. But the picture isn't nearly as important as seeing how happy she is. We are so thankful that she is happy, healthy, and hilarious. She brings joy to us every day in increasing measure.


Ainsley loved her Eatser bucket. Full of good things like spring clothes, bubbles, and best of all yellow paper grass. Who needs toys when you can make a mess with this. Thanks Nana for everything, including the homemade rolls!

Mommy's Cleaning Assistant

Start your engine's and get out the swiffers. Now that I'm on the move, mom expects me to pull my weight around here. So, she's shortened the swiffer and put me to task. I actually don't clean, I just drag the swiffer around and pound it on the floor. It makes a really cool noise.


I also help out by keeping my fort clean. I have to you know, now that it has furniture!



My new elmo chair travels with me from fort to family room. It works equally well in both places and sure beats sitting on the hard floor. I'm still not too sure about the fact that it giggles and shakes when I move it. So for now, dad's turned off that feature.

Welcome to Fort Ainsley

The weather here went from beautiful with lots of sunshine to cold and gray. Mom got a cold, dad got a cold, and then of course, I got a cold. So, since we have to stay inside to keep from getting a chill from the blustery wind, mom and I made a fort.

Here's Fort Ainsley in the afternoon after we got the car seat box out. As you can see, I'm loving it. I brought lambie through the peep hole and I added a phone.















Because I enjoyed it so much, mom and I went hunting for a bigger box in order to expand the fort. We went to the furniture warehouse in the underground storage caves by our house, it was spooky. But they had a BIG box for us. We couldn't even get it in our trunk! They had to tie it in, good thing there was a break in the rain. So, here's my new fort! Dad even added a door handle last night, thanks dad!


The fort has windows and everything. Mom was going to add curtains and a sign that it was Fort Ainsley but she's moved on to making my grocery book. She said we needed to leave room for improvement as I got older. I agree. This fort may take up the whole dining room but wait until the forts are made in the basement!

My Mom's not Funky

My mom's not funky, but funky mama sure is. Today, mom and I went to see Funky Mama, a local and very popular kids singer. We met up with my friend Henry and had a blast. We giggled and we jiggled. We stomped and clapped. And by the end, I was totally worn out! Mom said we could maybe get the CDs next time I saw her or at the wonderscope museum when we go there. In the meantime, I can check out her music online if I need a good laugh.

Check out the pout. I'm waiting patiently Funky Mama!


And here's Funky Mama. She's expecting a funky baby!

The Bathroom

A new discovery. As of late a favorite of mine has been to shut doors and then knock to get out. Dad and I were playing this in the downstairs bathroom the other day when I failed to knock to get out. Dad started hearing some sort of sound and came calling himself to see what I was doing in the pitch black. Toilet paper anyone?


I carried my stash around the house for awhile that day. I also ripped to pieces as I imitated mom tearing spinach. The house looked like a mummy had run through.

I'm an AquaTot

 

Today, I had my first swimming lesson and boy was it fun. It was a workout too! We went to the Liberty Community Center for my lesson and met some other kids there. Mom's hoping that over the next few weeks, we'll get to know them better. For my first lesson I kicked, blew bubbles, got thrown high in the sky and then dunked, swam on my back and on my tummy, and put my face in all the way. Overall it was a success.

Here I am getting ready to splash, splash, splash!


Here's mom and me getting ready to blow bubbles!


Here's me in my post swimming lesson coverup. The coverup unlike my suit will only make it one summer, it fits me just right. Oh well, Mom thought I sure did look cute though with my matching water sandals.


I was thirsty afterwards and drank almost my whole juice box. When we got home I ate like a horse and then went to bed. Sound asleep for the whole night (over 12 hours). Maybe I'll have swimming lessons every month!

Overall Ainsley

Here I am in my new overall shorts. Thanks Nonni and PaPa. Mom has discovered the joys of overalls. For a little girl with a tiny waist they work perfectly and save mom some sewing time on my new clothes, well at least for the moment. She's gotten to be a pro (along with Nana and Nonni) at inserting darts into the waistline. What a joy to be able to wear something right off the hanger!

Finger Painting 101

Mom thought we'd try bath tub finger paints before she got too creative with the pudding paint that John gets to do. Here I am smearing my nicely written multi-color name. Mom was more into it than I was at first.


Then, I realized the colored finger paint was actually soap and would make bubbles. My new favorite thing is to wash my hands so the paints did eventually become a big hit as they made yellow, blue, and red bubbles in my hands.

Indoor Waterpark

Again, the weather is cold and rainy so mom has found yet another activity for the two of us. Today, we went to the North Kansas City Community Center to the kiddie pool, playground, and waterpark. All of these activities are at the indoor pool and it was way cool. We invited along my friend Henry and his mom so we would have some playmates.

First though before we got started, I had to survey this wonderful playland. The lifegaurds even turned on the water features for us.



The pool was between 82 and 86 degrees but I still thought it was pretty cold. I wasn't quite as excited about it all as mom thought I would be. I can stand all by myself in the kiddie pool and was getting really brave walking around, then I went under and mom was there to scoop me up, from that moment on I was by her side. The pool was huge and I'm still pretty small.


They also had a lazy river and I loved it when mom held me and floated me around in it. She got some exercise and I relaxed and splashed. This is definitely the life and the place to be if you love the water and it's cold outside. They also had a whole bunch of toys and a bubble massage spot. I got particularly attached to thsis yellow nubby ball, I took it everywhere with me.


Here's Henry and me at the bubble massage spot.



Perhaps as we visit more often, I'll get more into it.

The Library

Today was cold, rainy, and wet, so mom took me to the library for storytime. We read a book called the "Crunching, Munching, Butterfly", watched an old-fashion cartoon movie, and mom and I made a craft. We made a butterfly! Well, actually mom made it after I picked out the supplies. The finished product was pretty neat, but by the time we got home, the butterflies head was missing! The purple pom-pom was just too tempting and I pulled it off.

We also got a library card and checked out two books! We got "Olivia's Opposities" and "Giggle, Giggle, Quack". I like the books we picked out, so I would say my first trip was a success.

A Mom's Paradise

Today the weather appeared nice, but the wind was blustery. After a week full of activities what's a girl to do? Well, I'll tell you...go to Paradise Park. A paradise for kids and mom's!

So that was our big field trip today. Mom took me to Paradise Park. They have all sorts of activities for me and older kids as well. I especially enjoyed the kid size replicas of the grocery store, a kitchen (complete with ovens), and a construction site. I also really liked the water table, getting dried off with the dryer at the end though was my favorite! Go figure.




Their were lots of kids there. All much bigger than myself. Some had their faces painted and it kind of freaked me out. But for the most part they were willing to share with me and do a few activities. We left before a real cooking class for kids started, I was tired. But oh the possibilities. I see a Family Fun Pass in my future as I get older.

Oh, and how could we forget the "soft room." Complete with soft floor, there was a mini ball pit and all sorts of cool toys for me. It was a 2 and under designated area which was great when the big kids were just too much.


And then the finale! A snoopy ice cream truck to ride on and steer. Mom was smart and did not put the tokens in that make it light up and move. But later that day at the grocery store, I pointed out the carousel. Mom says I'm pretty smart. I see some rides in my future, just not today mom said.


Mom especially loved it because it required no cleanup on her part. Tons of toys, rearrange, misplace, etc. and no work on her part to restore to the pristine, put away condition! Definitely worth the $3.25 for an 1.5 of playtime and the inevitable longer nap when we arrived home.

Body Parts Part Deux

Yes, I've discovered another one. Here's my belly. If you ask me "Where's Ainsley's Belly?", you'll get a big smile and without hesitation up goes the shirt and a finger to the belly (or at least the general area).

The Chariot

Well, I have a couple of chariots. A running chariot as you have seen in previous posts, mostly for just mom and me. The little blue chariot that is my shopping and exploring ride. The big blue volvo that takes us everywhere. And now, I have a chariot for just my dad and me. (Mom of course is welcome to tag along.)


Dad's knees aren't quite up for the running that mom does so he's getting into biking. We have a great bike trail about a mile from our house that we intend to go explore one of these days. Mom can even do her cross-training with us now. Check out the new ride. It's got a flag, a bug gaurd, a rain cover, and reflectors.

The Television

For all of mom's efforts, she has finally caved to letting me watch some television. Oh the though of it. As a mom I must say that the 40 minutes or so total a day Ainsley watches is a nice break for me. Baby Einstein doing the teaching instead of mommy, a while ago I would have been appalled by this idea. Not teaching her how to cook while I made dinner, I never would have thought differently. But then came the cute, curious, and ever so inquisitive toddler.

The television once in the morning and once in the afternoon has become a mommy's best friend. Although, the fact that this little toddler has no idea she has a timed limit has casued me to actually parent to avoid tantrums as she repeatedly points at the big black box.


You can see by the intent, almost not there stare how gripping this DVD is. The sign language and the places in the neighborhood have her totally engrossed. So much so that she has no idea I'm swiffering the floor right behind her.