Adelline is NEGOTIATOR at 1 Year, 10 Months

It’s humorous that my child is fascinated with many things that I find rather disgusting like spiders, bugs, and snakes, as well as things I have no interest in like construction equipment and semis.  However, I am very happy that I’ve managed to avoid “projecting” any personal sentiments about these things to Addy.  I’ve done my best to be excited when we find spiders and cicada shells (ultra gross, by the way).  I do draw the line at mice and rats and will simply decline to comment on them.  EWWW!  Someday, Addy, you’ll read this and thank your mother for her tolerance for the sake of your curiosity and development.  Until then, I will paste on my best smile, and say, “Let’s go find an ITSY BITSY!”       

One day while Mommy was changing Addy’s diaper, she exclaimed, “Holy moly,” as she saw the natural disaster she was going to have to scrape out of the cloth diaper.  Addy immediately repeated the phrase and later entertained Grandma Vicky, Grandpa Mark, and Aunt Lyddia at the dinner table with a long string of extra dramatic “holy molys!” 

Addy loves the Henry Vilas Zoo, especially the monkeys, which are technically orangutans.  She has been able to feed the goats, who definitely have no manners as they jump up on the cement guardrail with their front legs and try to eat as many food pellets as possible.

Addy and Mommy went to Fired Up Pottery to pick up donated gift certificates for the Elvehjem Neighborhood Fourth of July raffle.  As Mommy tried to steer Addy toward the cheaper pottery items, Addy was intrigued by a miniature car priced at $12.  Knowing the quality of one-year-old artwork, Mommy was able to convince Addy to choose a $5 dinosaur.  After fifteen minutes of painting while propped up with a telephone book and using as many brushes as possible, Addy’s masterpiece was complete.  Stegosaurus turned out so cute in black, blue, and yellow.  It definitely had a “modern art” feel to it, and Addy is so proud of her creation. 

While Mommy and Daddy went to buy a minivan for our family, Addy spent the afternoon with neighbors Jamie, Kyle, and Andrew Meise.  She was thrilled to go swimming and play with “SOPHIE” and “TOEY” (Chloe), the “TATS” (cats).

Addy has been a little sassy lately as she says “NO NO NO” very adamantly when she does not want Mommy or Daddy making a certain noise or saying something to Stella.  We usually look at her with raised eyebrows and sometimes say, “Excuse me?”  After a couple seconds of silence, Addy responds with, “YEAH???” as if to ask, “Is that what you want me say?”

Addy loves playing with water, especially when she is able to pour it from one container to another.  She continually asks for cups filled with WA.  If Mommy and Daddy say, “Not now,” she then follows her request for WA with, “Wash hands…dirty?” in an attempt to get close to the sink where she can be sneaky and fill her cup at the same time.

Addy helped Mommy make brownies for the ENA Firecracker 5K Pre-Race Pasta Party.  She was devastated that she was not able to eat the CATE (cake) right away, but Mommy said, “We’ll have cake when friends come over,” thinking Addy would forget about it by then.  Addy asked for CATE at every meal and snack leading up to the party; when the first “friends” finally arrived, Addy yelled, “EAT CATE,” but by the time she was finished her spaghetti, salad, and watermelon, she had forgotten about cake.  Just as the last guests were about to leave, she spotted the brownies and enjoyed a delicious bedtime snack.

At our neighborhood Fourth of July Celebration, Addy was very protective of Stella.  When a neighbor started talking to Stella, Addy said loudly, “LEAVE STELLA ALONE.” 

Addy has learned that when her teeth hurt, we give her a little Tylenol.  She now enjoys self-medicating as she declares, “TEETH HURT…MEDICINE?”

Addy likes putting her stuffed animals in TUMMY TIME on the activity mat, just like her sister Stella.

Daddy suggested an adventure to a small, roadside farm on County Road Ab.  Addy loved watching the goats, miniature horses, and donkey.  We felt badly for the animals, who were having a hard time finding any grass in the desert-like field due to the drought this summer.  Addy began pulling flowering weeds to feed to the horses and goats.  Mommy said to Daddy, “Do you think it’s okay to let her feed them?” since we certainly weren’t at a sanctioned petting zoo.  Just then, Addy’s hand lingered a bit too long near the horse’s mouth, and he proceeded to chomp down on her pointer finger.  As Mommy struggled to pry open the horse’s mouth, Addy was screaming and in tears.  We’ll see how much she continues to love horses! 

Addy is into classifying everyone as “nice” and telling us what she “loves.”  For instance, she told us, “Aunt Sara…niiiice.  Tessa… niiiice.”  At dinner, she told Mommy, “I love Colby cheese.  I love Muenster cheese.  I love Swiss cheese.”  At church on Saturday night, she announced, “Mr. Greg (church music minister)…nice guy.”  The next day Addy told Daddy, “I love Aunt Betsey…nice guy!”

Addy loves to swing FASTER and HIGHER. 

Addy and Daddy went to Farm & Fleet to pick out seat covers for the minivan.  Mommy asked Daddy to avoid any camouflage or leopard prints.  Upon assessing the covers available, Addy asked Daddy, “Tiger in there?”  Apparently, there were quite a few of the animal print options available!

Addy’s painted pottery piece suffered its first injury when stegosaurus lost a piece of his tail.  Luckily, a little super glue did the trick.

Addy enjoys telling “stories” to her high school babysitter, Rachel Russell.  She recently shared with Rachel that she bought a new van.  She also likes insisting on, “ONE MORE TIME,” even when Rachel needs to leave. 

Add likes putting toys on Stella’s face and laughing hysterically.  Stella doesn’t find this very amusing.

Mommy told Addy she had a headache.  Addy suggested that Mommy, “TAKE NAP.”  Yes, wouldn’t that be nice? 

Addy loves PANES (cranes), SE-MEES (semis), DUMP TRUCKS, CEMENT MIXERS, TANKER TRUCKS, BUSES, and EXCAVATORS.  She is also enthralled with ANTS, ITSY SPIDERS, FLYS, SQUIRRELS, SNAKES, PEET PEETS (tweet tweets aka birds), and WOOF WOOFS (dogs).  When looking out the living room window, Addy spotted neighbors outside for an evening walk.  She noted in a very disappointed voice, “WALKERS…NO WOOFS…JUST PEOPLE.”

When we were home for Colby Cheese Days, Mommy attempted to take both girls to 4 p.m. church at Abbotsford.  The “golden oldies” were not ready for the Roltgen family circus that day.  Mommy was literally sweating by the end of mass, as she wrestled with Addy for 60 minutes.  It didn’t help that we sat in the “immobility pew,” so we were not even able to go up for communion for a little change of scenery.  And yes, everyone in the entire church knew that Addy wanted a SNACK and that apparently her DADDY [was] AT HOME, which was not even true, as Daddy was working a military weekend! 

Addy had a slight mishap with her toy wagon.  Daddy was giving her the usual ride down the hallway, followed by a whipped around turn at the end.  This time, Addy lost her balance and faceplanted out of the wagon onto the floor.  There were quite a few tears, and the wagon was put away for a few weeks. 

Addy is working on her negotiation skills.  Anytime Addy requests something, whether it be extra time outside or marshmallows, she asks for “TWO MINUTES PLEASE.”  One night she wanted to read “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel” for “TWO MINUTES.”  Since it was getting late, Mommy said there wasn’t enough time.  Addy asked, “THREE MINUTES?”

Addy can count to ten consistently.  She knows some of the numbers between eleven and twenty.  She can identify basic colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black, and white.