hat for breakfast

while enjoying her breakfast of waffle, avocado, and banana this morning, madelyn paused to request a "hat". i thought that i had misheard her since this was an unusual request, but she pointed at her head and said "hat". once the hat was place upon her head she requested "shoes" (another new "s" word). i explained that she couldn't wear her shoes yet, but i could get her some socks. she agreed to the substitution. but once her socks were on the next word was "go" as she headed for the garage. i had to explain that we couldn't leave in just her pjs because it was too cold out, but maybe we would head out later.

after breakfast and a diaper change, i stripped her down to get ready for the day but she wanted to play first. we must keep the house warm enough because madelyn loves to just run around and play in her diaper lately - in fact she insists on it. she was giving me a "ta-da" every time she made the credit card noise with her register toy (a difficult skill because you have to slide the plastic card with just the right touch) so i was taking some pictures. i was really trying to get a good picture of the scratch on her neck that i posted about yesterday but couldn't really get one. this is the best picture and if you enlarge it you can see a little the scratch on her neck; it is at least three times as long as the part you can see and just as wide.

since she was in good spirits and it was the warmest day of the week (high of 41) i decided we could both use some fresh air after more than a week of wet and cold keeping us indoors 24/7. the other reason i decided that we needed some fresh air is that yesterday my consistent 2 hour napper (sometimes 3-4 hours) only slept for 50 minutes - all day! she did fine too, which made me worry that she was starting to think about giving up napping. i knew that it was most likely all the indoor time, but it was enough to freak me out a little. as a reward for the outing today, madelyn slept for more than 3-1/2 hours! yea for mommy getting lots of work, work done! the outing was two hours of my day very, very well spent.

as you may have guessed, we went to the zoo again. madelyn gets so excited when we get to the parking lot and starts running through all the noises she has for the animals we will see. today we saw a new animal that we normally don't go near - mountain sheep. they have a real name, but i can't remember what it was; the point is that they hop all over the fake mountain in their exhibit, have the big, curly ram like horns, and were very active because of the cold. i think i noticed them because of their white coats as they were jumping all around. madelyn really enjoyed them so they might become part of our normal circuit through the zoo.

she has also taken an increased interest in the bird aviary. she will stand at each display listening to and looking for the birds. she points them out for me when she finds them too which is fun. the picture is from the shoreline birds and it just struck me as funny because the aviary is very warm in general (except for the penguin area) and this was a beach scene with madelyn bundled up in her heavy coat and gloves. today she wasn't that into the ducks that are loose so we didn't really spend any time there except for just passing through on our way out.

madelyn walks more and more of the time we are at the zoo. she really only rides when taking the time to eat a snack. today she was talking non-stop, running, and dancing as we made our way on the long outdoor portion from the fish and reptile building to the big cats. i would say that we are walking outside for at least 15 - 20 minutes - longer when madelyn stops to check out other animals on the way.

her main source on entertainment on today's walk were the "sticks". she was just ecstatic about the sticks she was finding on the ground! i kept wanting to get video, but was too cold to slow us down any more and i didn't think that i could walk and push the stroller while taking video. you can see in these stills from when we stopped to see the zebras, madelyn has a fist full of her beloved "sticks". she kept showing them to me and calling out "sticks" the whole time as well. it was very cute to see her so happy to be outside. like i said, the fresh air was really good for both of us.

as we were leaving the big cats building i was waiting for madelyn to push the handicapped button so that the doors would open automatically (a must when she is walking while i am trying to keep up with the stroller - it gives me a free hand). normally she runs right up to the button and pushes it. not today. she ran over the opposite side of the room towards the bathrooms and then started grabbing at her diaper. i asked her if she wanted her diaper changed and she said, "yes", as she turned and ran into the women's restroom. when i got in with the stroller she was standing next to the changing table waiting for me! i really was surprised that she knew where the bathroom was, would stop her zoo fun for a diaper change, and that her diaper was only wet. this girl is going to be ready to potty train before the winter is over i am afraid... i am really excited to have her potty train, but with all the winter layers, i was hoping that i could wait until summer. time will tell.

in addition for "shoes" as a new "s" word of the day, i remembered another recent "s" addition that i had forgotten in yesterday's post - "stop". i wonder what letter will be the favorite next... love.