Ya Ya Ya

That's what Tori was singing this morning. She also said "uh-oh" about a thousand times before that when Ollie dropped some of his aliens. She is getting louder and more verbal. You definitely know when she doesn't want something because she screams and shouts "No!" Two chatterboxes. How ever will we ever get in another word edgewise?

The Bear

Tori came downstairs this morning with her big polar bear. "Ahh," she said as she stroked it. The polar bear watched her eat her oatmeal and may have even got a bite. She would give the cats all the bites and attention they want if they would just stand still. Silly cats keep running from her! Of course, she can be mean every now and then and push them off couches and chairs.

All Moved In

Tori is now in her room, and boy was it a fight, not with Ollie but with her. She got very upset when we started moving Ollie's bed into the office. Cried and cried and cried some more. You would have thought we were throwing out Ollie. We got her moved in, I hung up the rest of her stuff, and presto, she was happy and playing with everything.

All Snowed In

It snowed a lot yesterday, and because the winds were so bad, Huts and I were both let out of work early. Huts picked up the kids from Sharon's early and Ollie and Tori seemed happy to come home. Tori, apparently, even tried to walk through the snow but didn't make it far. She took a long nap, and when she woke up, she found her brother sleeping on the couch. She left him alone for a while and then finally she just couldn't take it any longer and crawled up by him and woke him up. Little booger didn't want her brother sleeping!

In Need of a Little More Rest

Tori is not a morning person, and this morning, she was a real crabcake. Tonight, we are contemplating putting her to bed a bit earlier. The problem is she doesn't sleep well no matter when you put her to bed. She wakes up two to three times a night and moans or screams. Sometimes, we have to get her a drink in order to get her back to sleep, and if it is really early in the morning, she may not go back to bed at all. Ollie was a terrible sleeper too. Time will hopefully improve her sleeping.

Static Head

It's freezing outside, the furnace is running a lot inside, and Tori's hair is full of static. She wakes up with it on end and goes to the sitter's with it on end. I've been thinking about rubbing her head with a dryer sheet, but I don't know if it will help. I'm not sure if she'll let me do it either. Oh well. Guess that flyaway hair will have to stay that way until spring.

Ice Cream for Breakfast

That's what Tori, Ollie and I have had the last couple of mornings. We sure like those dips, but now that they are nearly gone, we're going to have to go back to oatmeal. Tori loves the stuff! She can eat one bowl and part of another all by herself. Blueberry, strawberry, peach, banana, she doesn't care. She just likes oatmeal, and the best part is it doesn't fall off her spoon.

Tired Girl

Tori seemed tired on the way home last night, and after a couple of hours at McDonalds on the playground inside, she came home exhausted. She went to bed at 8, but still fussed during the night. The girl just cannot sleep all the way through the night. This morning, she was crabby but managed to gulp down some ice cream cubes. She wouldn't touch the sausage biscuit, though. She's not even two and she already knows what's good.

Mimic

Watch what you say around Tori, because chances are she will say it back to you. "Sweet" is what she told her Aunt Annie after hearing her say it. 'No," "Ollie" and "Yes" are constantly repeated. Motions are too, like waving of the arms, etc.

Up, Down, Smack

And that's how Tori fell down the stairs. I was grabbing milk for the two, Tori was climbing up the stairs and Ollie was at the top waiting. I don't know where or when, but Tori lost her footing and ended up on her ear. She cried and then climbed up the stairs. I checked out her face and ear and followed her around a while, but she seemed fine. Ollie, meanwhile, was non-plussed. "She fell", Mom, was all he had to say about the matter and didn't scramble to get to her like I did. Calm, cool and collected, as though falling down the stairs was no bigger than flying off the bed, as he likes to do.