Swim lessons rock! My 1st lesson was last Tuesday. Oh, I was so excited. Mama should NEVER tell me about something really exciting too early in the day. I was a wreck until we got there. I really liked it all except falling face first into the water when Mama was watching Mrs. Debbie (my teacher) & not me. But everyone clapped real loud which was neat. We sang songs & played with toys. I even pp'd on the potty after my lesson.
Having my sister & kids stay with us was awesome. Margaret is up for anything. Heck, she brought a tent to sleep in our backyard (they didn't!). We all headed to the World Aquarium before they returned to Austin. If you haven't figured it out yet we have year passes to the Arboretum, World Aquarium and Zoo. They have paid for themselves many times over.
Friday we strolled to the Arboretum. Ellis came with us to enjoy the gorgeous day. It really was amazing. On our way there we encountered a very friendly cat. All kiddos were anxious to escape their respective strollers for the neighborhood petting zoo. Not a great picture. They were all excited & scampering everywhere.
Danijela asked for pigtails Thursday morning. She actually pulls at the hair close to her ear to indicate a pigtail requirement. I obliged. She wandered into our room with the combs. I followed her shortly after and she said "Mommy go. I no poo poo." If this was a scratch-n-sniff picture you wouldn't want to scratch. I promise.
Grammy made a surprise visit which was great. Danijela was very excited. Grammy brought me a American's Test Kitchen Cookbook. Danijela 'read' it to Grammy with her standard gusto. I love her crossed feet in this image. You'll notice many a pigtails in the coming images. It's her new favorite hairdo.
Today we painted. She's mentioned painting for the last day or two. I thought it might bring a little sunshine into her heart. She & Kiley really enjoyed it. Today wasn't without its major bumps, but Mommie kept it together. And I feel certain Danijela knows she is deeply loved. I take time to thank her for specific things she has done & express how much I enjoy being with her. We love you, sweet girl. 
Can you find our helper? We ordered a Little Tykes toy box some time ago. After it was assembled I noticed a strange pink blotch across the front panel. And the lid had what looked like worn areas across the surface as well. I sent an e-mail to the company & they quickly sent replacement parts -- no questions asked. Miss D so enjoyed helping reassembling the toy box (especially using the screw driver) & it looks great to boot.
You'll notice (once again) it's getting difficult to keep Danijela's clothes on her body. She wants her pants & shirt off most of the time. Go figure. I prepared homemade baked chicken tenders for dinner this week (quite yummy). She decided to wipe her hand across the plate, stick them in her class of milk & lick. There is a part of me that's glad she wasn't wearing clothes!
She certainly was pleased as punch with herself. Heck, she ate well so I wasn't going to complain nor correct her table manners. Plus, look at that smile!
Our family could not have asked for a more positive outcome from the high risk sonogram. The sonogram technician & doctor quickly concluded the placenta shouldn't prevent a vaginal delivery. The report was being sent to my OB that day. Hopefully she'll be in agreement. The doctor spent the majority of time checking all other Luka parts. He received rave reviews & provided some kicking entertainment.
They had placed a baby chair on the table & perched themselves up there too. Getting on the table is a no-no but, of course, grabbing a camera doesn't provide much of a discouragement. I'm impressed no one got hurt.
The day was not all flip outs in our household. Kiley & Danijela did some serious bed jumping & giggling. There's irony in the fact that we encouraged them to continue so I could grab my camera. Something tells me I'll regret this one day! Then the inevitable happened. It was time to wave bye-bye.
She finally fell asleep on our bed. I was about to pass out myself. The she woke screaming & fussing all over again. I was able to keep my composure this time. I've yet to figure out what causes the outbursts or what to do. Trust me I've tried everything. She finally took some water & then bear hugged me. Sweet girl, I love you. No matter how crazy you get I should never raise my voice at you like I did today.
We actually met a Luka in Serbia when on our month long journey in 2004. I was pregnant with Danijela & this was a name we considered if she had been a boy. It is a simple, strong and meaningful name. Luke, author of the third Gospel and Acts, was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle Paul. Wow. So there is a doctor connection after all!
Danijela received her first Cabbage Patch Doll while in Austin. Her adoption papers are somewhere. I honestly had no idea Cabbage Patch Dolls still existed. I recall when parents fought over them in stores at Christmas decades ago. I asked Danijela if I could take her picture with the doll & she gladly obliged.
Recently Danijela started asking for a blanket. I'm guessing she heard this from one of her friends. She's never used a blanket either to drag around or sleep with in bed. That's all changed now. Luckily we have a couple mini quilts handed down to us with her crib set. Pretty sure they're intended as decoration.
She covers up her dolls and plays "night night" with Tata & Mommie on the couch. We all get covered by the blankets. She'll pat our backs & whisper so we don't wake up her dolls. I so appreciate this stage of her life. Her imagination is really kickin' in.
We went to the zoo on Tuesday. Each time it's actually more fun because the kiddos get a little more excited. Sundee captured some cool images that she shared. These are a few of my favorites. Thank you for sharing, Sundee.
