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Get a haircut and get a real job

Maddie could use a haircut. We all could, come to think of it. Ok, family haircut outing, coming right up! Hmmm...maybe tonight? Nope, doctor appointment. Tomorrow - well, Bob can take her, but I've got Back-to-School night, and I don't know how late the kids' haircut place is open. And Bob needs one too, and it would be a pain to make two trips to two different haircut places...would he be more comfy sitting on the horsey or the little car as his barber's chair? So not tomorrow night. Thursday is Bobby's B-day ...and his yearbook meeting. And our lesson kids. I'd like to take the hubby someplace for a birthday dinner, too! Friday? Who knows. I give up. Hasn't somebody started a haircut service that makes housecalls for families yet?

So, onto the job part:

Maddie's future careers, based on her present likes and achievements.

1. Librarian: We have a book kid. I just spent my lunch period at the Evesham library turning in 20 books and picking up 20 more. We left a few for the other kids, don't worry. We needed them, we had the set from the late August visit memorized. We have 3 baskets of books in the living room, a shelf piled with them in the family room, more in bins in the family room, and in her room we have "Basket Books" (board books) and "Show-Me Books" (books on the shelf with paper pages. We used to have her show us which one she wanted us to read, keeping them out of reach. She's better at turning page now, so they're currently within her reach. But they still go by that name.) If we can't find Maddie, it's because she's on the little rug in her room, reading to herself. *Unspeakably proud mama here!*

2. Dog Trainer/Doggie Bootcamp Instructor: She will tell Max what to do and where to do it. She says "No-no, Maxy!" when he's not even in the room. If he brushes by her, she goes into the defensive posture immediately (she's got her arm covering her face). He's a licking machine, it's a reflex - and she's not shy about inspecting his ears, tail, mouth, teeth, etc.

3. Lead vocalist: Songs she knows and can sing 90% of the words for: The Wheels on the Bus, Lullabye and Goodnight, Where is Thumbkin, Doe a Deer, ABC's...and lately there's this whole new genre of "Maddie songs" that she just makes up. Longer, sing-songy vocalizations, sung with some gusto.

4. Jetsetter/Traveling Saleswoman: Happy to go anywhere (especially the playground, but anywhere's good), if we've stayed home all day she'll ask if we're going shopping or on a walk or to Nana and Pop's yet. And lately, when we're coming home from a little trip, she'll have a fit when she realizes that travel time is done. Turn onto our street? Whine. Turn into our driveway? Shriek like somebody's stabbed her. "What? Don't we need to stay out and about? What gives?"

5. Naturalist: "Go outside. Go outside. Outside baby! I'm an outside baby! Come outside! Come outside, baby! Go outside. Out!" Nevermind that she's currently dealing with a leaf phobia. "Go outside please?"

6. Personal Shopper: Again, with the love of "go shopping!" (Well, she is my kid.) But she'll tell you where in the store to go. "Go see fishies." "Go see toys." Obviously she knows where to find the best merchandise. She'll also happily pull shirts right off the rack for you to try. Here mom, this sparkly pink one is SO your color!

Last Post of Baby D's blog: Re-Post of "Water Baby" 8/24/08

Driving down the road, I saw two little girls sliding down a playset slide into a baby pool. Never thought of this (mostly because we use the baby pool out front, usually while Daddy is weeding the garden, and the playset is out back). I had to try this the very same day. Maddie went down the slide enthusiastically 3 or 4 times and loved the splash factor. I thought, "I'll go get the camera, now that she likes it!" Yeah, she never did it again once the camera came out. But we happily played until it was too dark to see the pattern at the bottom of the baby pool... and we were all dotted with nasty bug bites anyway.

Maddie In the Baby Pool (with a Slide!)

Then Friday we went to Brigantine. Must say, we LOOOOOVE Aunt Laura's choice of residence. Thank you for the use of your awesome beach house, Aunt Laura! Maddie and Aunt Laura got lots of frolic-on-the-beach time. There were those jellies that look like clear Nickelodeon slime, and moon jellies, so we didn't get in the water much. See, I scream like a banshee when I come in contact with these critters. I'd like to blame it on a traumatic tenticled-jelly wrapping around my leg and stinging me repeatedly when I was like 10...but I think I'd still be a sissy about them anyway. (Our first shore trip this summer makes up for dozens of jellyfish-infestations, though. Amazing beach day, that one.) Then we headed to Ocean City and hit the boards. Maddie was mesmerized by the lights and sounds of Wonderland, just like last year. But THIS year, she was big enough to go on the rides. Bob and I have been waiting to put her on the carousel all summer, and nobody was disappointed. She loved it. She rode the firetrucks - gripped the back of the seat with a "this is slightly scary but moreso cool, so I'm liking it" look on her face. She rode in the boats too, and the little boy who sat in the front seat (we said he was her driver) actually looked a bit like Bobby as a kid. She was ok with him (she likes the older men) and she drug her hands along the outside of the boat pond. Bobby even took her on the Elephants (and she liked this more than Bobby did).

Shore Trip

Gotta love a good shore trip: