My baby's got a fever

Poor Peyton has her first real fever. Unfortunately we have been trying to find a decent thermometer for the past 18 months and have never been able to accurately check her temp when we thought she was feverish. I finally "accidently" brought home one from work and finally gave up with trying to get a temp from her armpit; instead I apologized profusely to Peyton and got a temp from a certain area that belongs in the diaper. Poor thing was so surprised and looked at me like "WHAT are you doing lady?" 100.2 - her first documented fever. Granted it's not much of a fever, but for someone who has never really had a fever, it counts. She has been pitiful all day. She did help me with unloading the dishwater but broke down into a dramatic tantrum when she couldn't get the door open to one of the cabinets. Poor thing isn't feel too hot.

So here we go with Tylenol and rechecking the temp in an hour. If it's the same or higher, time to call the pediatrician. I've got her settled on our bed with some water and popcorn, watching The Princess and the Frog.

Apparently Peyton is well-trained

Tonight I came home from work and was sitting on the couch watching Peyton play before it was her bedtime. Brad decided to use some leftover hot dog from Peyton's dinner to practice some commands with the dogs. As Brad told the dogs to sit, Peyton immediately sat down and repeated the command, adding the letter H in her version of the word (I still giggle every time, so sad). Brad told the dogs to lay down, and again Peyton followed the command and laid down immediately. This went on for a few minutes back and forth between sitting and laying down and my smart little girl got every command right every time and she was very well darned pleased with herself. I couldn't tell who was wagging their booty from excitement the most, Peyton or Ranger. I'm not sure if she ever realized Brad was trying to practice with the dogs, but hey, Peyton likes hot dogs - just like her momma.

So, apparently Peyton is well-trained.

After the mini training session, it was bedtime. Peyton recently has developed this oh-so-fun habit of screaming bloody murder till she turns blue in the face to announce her presence in the world in case you already didn't know. Well tonight as Brad was changing her and putting her PJs on, she decided it was once again time to remind the folks that a little girl named Peyton lived in Homewood, Alabama. She saw me about to say something to interrupt her screaming and then before I could even get a word out, she put her finger to her mouth and told me to "Shhhhhh." She thought it was so hilarious she did it again. Screaming bloody murder, followed by a very serious "Shhhhhh." She alternated between these two until her poor lungs cried "mercy!" Of course by then Brad and I were bent over in giggles, and once again, Peyton beamed with pride. My sweet angel could not be any cuter.

The Terrible Twos

That's right folks. Peyton has hit the terrible twos at 18 months old. At first I thought/hoping she was sick, but it's looking more like just a terrible phase of major grumpiness. There are very rare and very brief moments where she is a happy camper, but almost anything and everything upsets her and she launches into a full-blown temper tantrum. She gets so angry and frustrated if she can't do something by herself, or if a toy is laying the wrong way on the floor. It has gotten so bad at points, I just lay her on the floor and walk out of the room. That often surprises her and calms her down to a degree. But almost nothing is working to help her get over this stage. Her grumpiness has rendered people speechless, stunned by the dramatic flailing of arms and legs, her evil eyes, and her screaming. Who the heck are you and what have you done to my precious blue eyed blonde hair child??

I am really hoping this phase will end soon. I am exhausted between work, insomia, and not throwing up and often find myself with little patience. Thankfully Brad is around and helps with Peyton. She definitely is still a daddy's girl and I am pretty sure she always will be. Until it's time to start dating and Brad scares off all the boys with his gun.

Other than that, Peyton does love her new table that she is able to sit down at and color and eat. She loves the independence of feeding herself with her fork, so she has been more open to trying new foods and it has been going well. I desperately need to take her to the pediatrician this week for her 18 month check-up since I totally forgot about her 15 month check up. She has not been to the doctors in 8 months!

So, what do you think this means?

Snow day!

It snowed several inches on Friday, February 12th. Peyton hasn't been the biggest fan of the snow previously but today she was thrilled! She would have spent all day outside if I would let her. She loved walking around in it, digging her hands in it (yes hands, she wouldn't wear gloves), and tasted it several times. We walked around the block a few times and she could not have been any happier. She loves being outside, especially now when it is snowing! Here are some of the pics from that day:

Our Sweet Boy Murphy

We had to put our sweet boy Murphy to sleep yesterday. He would have been 16 in April - a truly amazing feat considering how lazy and stubborn he was, and how much he loved chocolate.
Murphy has always been my dog and after leaving for college, my mom took over and gave him all the love he could ever ask for. Though he stayed at my parents house for the remainder of his years, I always felt a special bond when I walked in and saw him. It was as if he knew I was his human and he was my dog. That special bond never once was broken. He let Peyton love on him, snuggle with him, and give him lots of kisses. He knew Peyton was my daughter and she was allowed in on those special moments. Here's a picture of Peyton with Murphy the day before he passed away. He's my sweet boy.

So big!

Peyton is just getting bigger by the day. She is talking a lot more, though most of it is in some foreign language similar to Japanese, and does the occasional sign for "more" and "water." Her speech is a little off but I am surprised (and so relieved) that I am able to understand most of what she says. When I was younger and used to babysit for 2-4 year olds, I would often have a hard time understanding what the kids were saying. Reading the lips of toddlers is no easy task, let me tell you. I was very worried I would struggle with Peyton when she started talking. But I guess, like it is with all parents, you know your kids well and understand what they are saying. She does love talking and is very enthusiatic about repeating words so I am excited about working on this with her!

She is still a full-blooded daddy's girl. The kid lights up when she sees her daddy, and the same goes for Brad. We both wanted all boys, but I think we are perfectly ok with having more girls. Brad sure does love his little girl and will do anything and everything in his power to make sure she is happy and well taken care of.

Peyton does tend to get frustrated easily and does not hesitate to let you know. The word "No" is not a very well liked word in this household. I have started a mini version of time out and I think Peyton understands it to a degree. I let her cry it out for a second, then we talk about it, and then we start playing with something else. She is incredibly smart and I can't wait to see how she does at Mother's Morning Out, which she gets to start in June (thanks to Mimi for getting us in!!!!). I also think playing with kids her age will help her out a lot. She does get to play with Evans almost on a daily basis which is great.

Other than that, Peyton is doing so well and growing so fast. I am looking forward to her 18-month check up to see how much she weighs and how tall she is!