I bought a training potty for Addie last weekend. She's still too young to start potty training but I thought she can become comfortable with it between now and when she's old enough to use it. She comes in the bathroom with me anyway, now she has a potty to sit on too. She's fascinated with opening and closing the lid and putting things in the little bowl in the middle. 
I have no idea what the name of these flowers are (come to think of it, I never know the names of flowers). I call them fire flowers.
Sunday was rainy and gray, a perfect day for indoor play. We took Addie to the Gymboree at the Manila Polo Club. This was her second time to Gymboree and she was a little more adventurous this time. She spends quite a bit of time observing everything before she decides its OK to try it on her own. We practically had the gym to ourselves so it was really fun. I took lots of pictures. 
Addie might as well have been on a runway with this little jumper on. So cute. It didn't stay on long though because like all great fashion pieces in one's wardrobe it's more for show not function. 
Addie still loves bath time. She plays in the water now with all her toys. She likes to balance the rubber ducks on the surf board and look up to me for praise when she successfully balances more than one at a time. It's funny how she already knows that if she does something correct like fit a puzzle piece correctly or get off the couch on her own she knows to look to me for praise. She's very proud of herself and loves when I acknowledge her successes. The picture below is how her hair looks after we towel dry it after her bath. 
The slipcovers are done and turned out pretty nice. Now I just need some throw pillows. That's going to be my first sewing project. 
Yesterday afternoon, Addie and I hosted our Mothers and Darlings (MADS) playgroup. We baked Cheerio krispies for the kiddies and a sour cream pound cake for the mommies as a snack. Five of our friends and their mommies came to play; Hugo, Guillermo, Poppy, Lily, and of course Addie. Addie had a few issues initially sharing her toys with other children. As the afternoon went on she was feeling a bit more generous with her things. Lucy turned out to be the hit of the afternoon, all the kids loved her and she devoured the attention. The most coveted toy was by far the Fisher Price car, everyone wanted to take a ride. Lily was the smart one and sat on it hidden in the corner so she wouldn't have to share. There is nothing like another child playing with your toy to revive interest in it. Suddenly Addie's favorite toy was the car as well. When 5 PM came and went we started to have some baby meltdowns due to it being dinner time after a long afternoon of playing. So we said goodbye/ciao/adios to our friends. The play date was kind of like a meeting for the United Nations; Spain, Australia, Japan, Thailand, and the U.S. was represented. We had a blast and Addie slept really well that night. 
Happy Birthday Grandpa! We wish we were there to celebrate with you. We love you.
The Legaspi park was wonderfully lush and green. I captured some of the scenery on camera. 
We needed some quality family time this weekend. Addie and I finally had Justin all to ourselves on Sunday. We went to the Legaspi market for more locally grown and roasted Tong coffee (amazing and only 250 pesos for a pound) and then explored the Legaspi park. Addie's cutting her canine teeth on the bottom so she hasn't been her usual energetic, perky self the last two days. Luckily the playground and park were just exciting enough to get our girl smiling. 
My new favorite thing is to buy fresh flowers at the market on Saturday. They make the house smell wonderful. I wasn't really into flowers much at home and am surprised at how happy they make me. These are from the last two weeks. 
The title of this post is one of the many Aussie slang terms that my husband brought home from his trip to Melbourne. I'm still not sure I completely understand it's meaning, although it makes Justin laugh every time he says it. 
Addie sat on the floor looking at her books for almost 45 minutes. I just left her alone and she'd pull out a few and then a few more and flip through the pages. She was perfectly content. She's a reader like her parents. 
I'm a complete sucker for my daughter. She makes it very difficult to be mad at her and discipline her. When I say no she usually looks at me, smiles, and giggles waiting for me to smile indicating I was playing. It's almost impossible to keep a straight face. Anyway, today during lunch Addie didn't eat much and I had to throw away a big pile of perfectly good vegetable stir-fry, bananas, and black beans. I tried the "there are starving children in this world (around the corner)" line on her to no avail. I'm such a sucker that 10 min later I gave her a few bites of chocolate pudding. I gotta work on this stern Mama thing.
Justin is in Melbourne, AU this week saving the world like usual. Our days are longer without our evenings with Justin coming home from work and helping with bath time and bedtime. But all in all I am managing just fine alone. Addie is definitely missing her papa. So here is a little glimpse of what we've been doing while you've been away Daddy. Hurry home, we miss you!
Addie loves the game where one of us (including Lucy) is underneath a blanket and I say "where is Addie/Mommy/Lucy? Where could she be?" She always wants me to put the blanket back over her head after I "find" her. For me the next obvious step was to build a blanket fort Addie could hang out in. I have many fond memories of rearranging furniture and raiding the linen closet to make forts with my sisters. Sure enough, Addie crawled right in and started playing.
This is a good example of the rain clouds rolling through Makati. They typically roll out as fast as they roll in. I took these pictures this morning. 
Addie has discovered that her finger fits nicely up her nose. She's also discovered her belly button and that her parents have one too. I don't think I'm going to be one of those mom's who forbids nose picking all together. That would mean as a family we'd have to give it up. I can't very well tell Addie she can't pick her nose then continue doing it myself. That's right I admit it, I pick my nose sometimes (daily). Anyone who says they don't pick their nose is a total liar. Manila and it's pollution is a terrible combination for your nose. So anyway, there are some really important discoveries going on for Addie.
