With a little help from Daddy, Alexa caught some waves at the Jersey Shore last weekend! From the smile on her face, it appears that this is only the beginning of many adventures in the ocean! That's sure to make her Daddy happy! He'll be thrilled to have a surfing buddy!

I received an email today from Pampers.com with "Your Preschooler: Month 41" as the subject header.  I'd like to share a portion of it here...

 Why Kids LieChildren approaching 3 1/2 see people, objects, and events as all good or all bad. Good people do good things; bad people do bad things. This explains a lot about the lies kids tell now.

GOOD NEWS

The good news about lying-yes, you should see it this way-is that it's a sign of intellectual growth and sophistication. It also shows the way a child wishes things to be. So your preschooler isn't a liar when she denies absolutely that she put the red handprints on the wall, though she's completely covered with red paint. Her thinking goes like this: "I am a good girl. Mommy thinks that red handprints on the wall are bad. Bad people do bad things. So no, I didn't leave those bad handprints, because I'm good." The most common reason for lying is fear of punishment.

 Alexa appears to be right on track because recently, I've noticed her telling me "stories" about events that have occurred. For example...recently I overheard her enter the snack drawer in Minna's house and empty the entire contents of an M & M's bag into the drawer. She came back into my room with a few pieces of evidence in her little hands. When I asked her what had happened she insisted Riley had gotten into the drawer and had spilled the M & M's out. The conversation went something like this...

Me: What was that noise?
Alexa: I don't know.
Me: Did something spill?
Alexa: Uh-huh.
Me: What did you spill?
Alexa: Ri did it. He went in the drawer and he spilled the snacks.
Me: Are you sure? It wasn't you who went into the snack drawer?
Alexa: No! It was Ri!

She was pretty convincing! You know, if you could ever believe that a dog could both open a drawer and make his way into a bag of M&M's! It was interesting to read that this is not only normal but that it indicates that Alexa possesses the ability to understand herself within her world. The email offers some ways to manage this behavior and discusses the importance of a child's development of morals... 

"At this age, your child's moral sense is still mostly based on the consequences of her actions rather than any abstract concept of doing the right thing. But slowly and surely, she's building a moral code through specific actions and your reactions to them."

 It's always helpful to read this type of information as it tends to help me stay sane and stop worrying about what I may be doing wrong as a mom!


Here's a pic of my perfect little darling...

July 4th weekend brought with it some unseasonably warm weather to our neck of the woods. Temperatures in the low 90's kept us seeking relief and the Waterbury Reservoir was just the spot to find it. 

We stayed cool in the water and built sandcastles on the beach. Several other kids joined in and Ptah helped explain to some of the local kids the art of digging moats in the heavy sand. Daddy joined us later in the day and, using his well honed sand castle building skills, completed the castle! Then "Hurricane Alexa" blew in and unfortunately destroyed many of the waterfront homes and businesses built aside the castle with her storm surge!  

Having missed the fireworks the evening before, we were determined to find a display that evening. After a break at home, we went to Hinesburg, a nearby town, to watch fireworks. Alexa was growing tired and I cradled her in my arms as she closed her eyes to rest. It was short lived as the show began with an impressive amount of fireworks, DIRECTLY over our heads! Needless to say, nobody wants to wake up to that. Alexa was not happy and it didn't take long before we were scrambling for another vantage point...one that took us further away from the thunderous noise! Mike, Minna and Alexa went back to the car and watched from inside the hatchback! No amount of convincing could change Alexa's attitude about the fireworks this year. She DID NOT enjoy them! 

Here's a photo of Alexa and Eva last year! Glad I hung onto that headband...it was super cute!!

I recently bought Alexa a Butterfly Garden Kit. It was a spur of the moment purchase, but one I'm really glad I made. The kit arrived in the mail containing two plastic cups of 5 tiny caterpillars each. The cups contained all the food the caterpillars need to survive until the become chrysalids. Because of my impulsiveness, I hadn't taken a close look at the calendar. This became an issue when Alexa and I had to travel to New Jersey at the end of June. I didn't want Alexa to potentially miss the change from caterpillar to chrysalid, or worse, the emerging of the butterflies! So they traveled with us and as it would turn out, they traveled back to Vermont, only this time as butterflies. 

I can honestly say, Alexa was thrilled when the first three "Painted Lady" butterflies had "hatched." She was so excited. She couldn't wait to get them oranges and she insisted that we bring them back to Vermont for Minna to see before we released them into the air. I'm not going to lie, I was freaked out as they rode in the passenger seat for the 5 hour trip. I was so worried about the possibility that they would not survive and the disappointment when I had to tell Alexa that we would not be setting them free. Luckily, they all made it!


It was a beautiful afternoon to set them free. We took the butterfly house into the backyard and watched as one by one the butterflies left the netted house and flew high up into the sky!  Alexa has asked if we can start again. Perhaps in another few weeks, we will begin again and watch as the caterpillars make their metamorphosis into beautiful butterflies!

Saturday, June 12th was an interesting day! Alexa had fallen asleep Friday evening just as she does most nights. At 1:15 a.m. she awoke and felt really hot! I did what I could to comfort her back to sleep but within minutes I noticed that she was shivering. It was warm in our bedroom, so it seemed odd that she would be cold. As it turned out, she was shivering with fear! I asked her what she was frightened by and she responded with, "The monsters are ripping through the walls." Alexa has a wild imagination, but this was different. She was sincerely afraid and she began begging me to get her out of the bedroom. 


I brought her into Minna's bedroom and placed a wet washcloth on her forehead. She continued to appear distracted and afraid and told Minna and I that she saw snakes on the ceiling and a frog on the hall light. I looked for Tylenol and a thermometer as Minna comforted Alexa.


My attempts to get an accurate temperature were failing, but one thing was for sure, Alexa was REALLY hot and was definitely hallucinating! My final efforts revealed a temp of 102.8 degrees. This after trying to convince Alexa to place the thermometer under her tongue and close her mouth. Any advice on how to get an accurate tempereading from a three year old would be greatly appreciated! I called our pediatrician. In the past, the doctors were not alarmed by high fevers. When Alexa was an infant, I was told by the pediatrician that a fever of up to 105 degrees did not alarm the medical professionals the way that it scared the crap out of parents! But by three years old, I wasn't so sure the same rules applied to fevers.


Our doctor confirmed that the hallucinations were probably real and that they occur most often between 103-105 degrees and up. She recommended Motrin and going back to bed! Easy for her to say, right?!?


The hallucinations continued, a dragon on the roof of the house and monsters "ripping" through the bedroom wall and "breaking our bed." Eventually we fell asleep again, only to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to find a pharmacy that was open to purchase ibuprofen. The Tylenol, despite two doses, hadn't worked to bring the fever down and Alexa was burning up. Ptah scoured the town for Motrin only to find it had not been returned to store shelves since it was recalled a couple months ago! Luckily, there was a generic option. At home, I called to doctor to make an appointment to rule out an infection.


Once the Ibuprofen kicked in and we waited what seemed like an eternity at the doctor's office, Alexa's fever had dropped to 100.1 degrees and she was beginning to get her spunk back! A quick check of the ears and a swab in the throat (NOT recommended for a 3 year old!) ruled out ear and throat infections. We went home with orders to continue Ibuprofen and rest. That we did. By 4:45, Alexa was passed out and woke up at 6:30 dripping in sweat! By Sunday, she had made a full recovery!


In the following days, Alexa spoke a lot about the monsters and the dragons she had seen and I worked hard to explain that she had a very high fever and that those monsters were not real. She was so convinced that she had seen them that she took Minna by the hand and said, "Minna do you want to see where the monsters broke our walls?" Upon entering the bedroom, Alexa looked in amazement at the unbroken walls and exclaimed, "Momma fixed the walls!"


She still remarks about her really high fever and she remains frightened of the shadows on the ceiling at night. She doesn't like to sleep too close the the corner of the bed where the dragons had "ripped through the walls." But we consistently remind her that she just had a fever and that she is safe and sound at night!

One of the highlights of summer are all the extra playdates now that are favorite friend's mom's are finished with school for the year! We got started a bit early with an evening barbeque at Denise's house a few weeks ago. Brianne and her son, Ryan and Sarah and Emma all got together for some yummy bbq and swimming!

While Denise was the only grown up willing to get in the pool, we all enjoyed watching the kids splash around! Alexa even watered Emma...so she'll grow of course!

Even though it rained, Alexa and I took up an invite to visit with Ashleigh and Blake for a play date. Despite a few tears (a result of missed naps!), it was still fun to visit the Starr family and Ashleigh's special horse was a big hit with Alexa! We're hopeful that next time the girls play they will both be well rested and the weather will allow for some outdoor fun!

Alexa and I recently went to visit our favorite neighbors, The Colquhoun's and Alexa played with Eva and Bailey. This was taken at the end of our visit when the boys, Will and Michael found some interesting music clips on YouTube. The girls were glued to the computer!

Alexa was excited to share her bouncy house with Jailee. After too many rainy days, we finally had a chance to set it up and Lisa, Baby Zoe and I watched (and worried...just a little) while Jailee and Alexa jumped and laughed! It was a beautiful afternoon!

It's been a while since we had visited the farm. In fact, the last time we were there, the lambs had just been born and we had to bundle up because the Spring was just arriving in Vermont. We met up with Denise, Sarah and Emma last week at the farm. Alexa was very attentive when the farmer explained how to milk a cow. That said, she isn't quite ready to milk one herself. Some fresh cheese and an almond croissant from thr bakery rounded out a beautiful day!

Alexa, Minna and I drove to NJ to spend the long weekend with Daddy. Here is the rundown of our visit. Minna, Alexa, Mike and I took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty on Friday afternoon. It was overcast and blustery on the water, but something different and new for Alexa. We took a drive to Pt. Pleasant on Saturday, where it was chilly as well. Alexa rode some rides, including a few new ones this time (airplanes, helicopter, and motorcycles)! On Sunday, we spent the morning at Van San Park, took in a pony ride and played at the playground with Brady-Lyn before an afternoon visit with Unity, Scott and Jess at Imagination Station in Roxbury. We spent Monday morning at the zoo at Van Saun Park with Brady-Lyn and Minna.

As the Summer weather makes its way to Vermont, we have made every effort to spend our time outdoors. Over the past few weekends, Alexa, Minna, Ptah and I worked hard in the yard, planting and watering in the garden, already enjoying the fruits (or vegetables!) of our labor! A few weekends back, we found two plant sales and both were supporting local charities so we purchased some unique additions for Minna's flower gardens. It was for a good cause after all! With all of the sunshine and warm weather, Minna's flowers are blooming beautifully!

We paid a visit to Eva, well all the Colquhons, upon our retrn home from Florida. Although it was difficult to see or old home for the first time since moving, it was wonderful to see great friends and catch up. Alexa and Eva played in this giant hole that Eva had dug! I especially love to see how these girls bring out one another's silliest sides!

In recent weeks, we practiced our baseball skills and Minna even filled the pool for the first time this season! Daddy treated Alexa to her very own Bounce House too!

On Saturday afternoon (May 22nd), Alexa and I went to Eva's house to share in her 7th birthday celebration. Alexa seemed to really enjoy the opportunity to play with the older girls. They played in the backyard, built a lean-to, ate pizza and watched "The Princess and the Frog! Alexa had a great time!

Later that weekend, Alexa picked out her first tent while we were shopping. She has been eagerly awaiting her frist night "camping" in the yard! She and Minna promptly set it up and Alexa collected all of the camping essentials, two sleeping bags, pillows, a flashlight, and a bug net. She must have been excited because she didn't even give me a hard time when it came to tooth brushing! Upon my first "check-in," I found lots of giggling, but as much fun as she was having, Alexa wasn't fully ready to spend the entire night otside just yet! I carried her back inside and before I knew it, she was fast asleep in my bed!

Alexa finished the music class she's been attending with Minna on Monday, the 24th. She participated in dancing and playing some of the instruments. She now has some new favorite songs to sing! She enjoyed dancing with some of the other children and she

Alexa continues to spend two mornings a week at her daycare, or school as we call it. She has made some wonderful friends there and often comes home with a special piece of artwork for me to display!

She also continues to love all things horse! She has made the Meadowsong Barn (Minna's neighbors) a home away from home, galloping around and feeding the horses their special treats! It is not uncommon to catch Alexa in her own horse play...She's Black Beauty and her sidekick, Penny, usually played by Minna, is always getting into trouble for something! "Penny, you go in your stall, Penny!" "Penny, quiet! I'm trying to sleep, Penny!" It's all in the expressions though...she keeps us laughing!

Alexa discovered a new favorite movie...about a horse, of course! Disney's "Spirit" has been all the rage here recently.

May 9, 2010
Alexa started to write in a journal today given to her for xmas by Ptah - a first! While she sat near me working on the computer - it was adorable. She was talking to herself, writing and drawing. She was making up a story - which she and Minna do constantly, anyway - she always says "make them talk, Minna" (the toys) and then she sings a song and Minna sings and they make up the words and it's always about stuff going on in real life... with a fun twist.
Like -
we ate Elephant noses for breakfast, spots on butterfly wings for lunch, and some bat and lady bug wings for dinner... but with real stuff mixed in too - today she mixed in that when she gets her new house, she's having a birthday party (I hope it's not that long) and she's having cake and cupcakes, no ice cream. She also said "no lady bug wings Minna, I like lady bugs!"

P.S. (from Liz) Alexa has mastered writing the letter "A" and she is recognizing several more letters, especially, M, D, and S.