20Oct2008: Day 147: Wonderful

Wonderful! That's Makenna's new word for today. I think she picked it up from grandma Jones. They left on a trip up North today so Makenna and I tried to get back into our normal routine. Unfortunately, Chris took the car keys with him accidentally and it wasn't until I was trying to leave to go to the gym that I called and asked why would he do such a thing! I was frustrated and decided I would just walk, even though it was going to make me late for Makenna's nursery time. As I walked around looking for the stroller, I realized it was locked in the car...Wonderful!

So I called the nursery to cancel and reschedule for tomorrow and Makenna and I went to the park for a bit. It was a Fall day in that it was windy and a bit chilly but not too bad. I had her winter coat on her (thank goodness that still fits from last year). She actually climbed up the slide holding onto the sides all by herself! Even though she shouldn't go up that way, I couldn't help but be impressed that she did it. She even got on the swings and said "push, push".

Yesterday, I had agreed to meet Hannah's mom in downtown Gillingham, so this afternoon we went down. I had to carry Makenna on my shoulders like Chris does. All I can say is that I am not an Ox Mule that is for sure. My shoulders and neck were killing me by the time I made it down. It's about a mile walk from the house and her bouncing up and down on occasion didn't help matters. I knew she wouldn't make it walking all that way and I also knew that me carrying her in my arms wouldn't work either. Luckily the pain quickly subsided. I don't know how Chris does it.

We had to go to stores and ask for empty shoe boxes. They do a Christmas Shoe Box campaign where they fill a shoe box full of different things that someone in a third world country may need. This is what we're doing this Wednesday night at church, and I had agreed to get the shoe boxes and some stuff to fill it from the Pound Store (like our Dollar stores). I said I would try to get 10 shoe boxes. Well, I got 3 today...pretty pathetic. These places don't really sell shoes with shoe boxes. They put them on racks and break down the boxes pretty quickly. The one store I did find, like a Foot Locker type store, says they couldn't give me any because they give them to the customers with their "trainers" (sneakers). I did have one store who said if I came back Wednesday morning, they would save a couple for me as that's when they get a shipment in. I wanted to ask, "you get a shipment of two pairs of shoes?" Anyways, I'm hopefully going to try tomorrow in downtown Chatham as they have Pound Stores there and not in Gillingham.

I was able to buy a few things when we were in Brighton last week, at a Pound Store we found as we were walking back to the car, but I ended up buying more for us then for the shoe boxes. Plus, it's pretty restrictive what you can buy. No candy that can melt, and nothing that can leak. I think it's a pretty neat idea though and I had never heard of it, although they tell me it's a world wide campaign.

Well after the shoe box trip, Madonna told me she has an extra stroller she would lend to me to get me home, and her house was somewhat closer, and up less of an incline than it would be back to my house. So we went over there and the girls played for a bit. On the way, Makenna took over Hannah's stroller and sat in it, and I pushed her (and Hannah's baby sister,) and then I traded and carried Hannah, who is much lighter than Makenna. When we got to their house the girls laughed and played ball together. Hannah has a bouncy zebra toy that Makenna has back in the states and Makenna loved playing on this. When we were back in the states, Makenna wouldn't get on it for more than one second, by the time we get home, she'll be too big for it.

We stopped back at the park on the way home and Makenna climbed up the slide again, and even went on a part of the playground equipment that is like a balance beam in that it has a strip of metal that you walk across but it's enclosed by other metal bars. I usually helped her on this but today, she walked across it all by herself. It's neat to see her grow and learn and do things on her own, but hard to imagine her growing so quickly! One week from today and she'll be Two!!!