Fun in the sun!

We went to San Diego for five days in mid-August. We stayed with my cousin Shana and her family and had a great time. Isabelle, in particular loved the carousel at Balboa Park (she insisted on riding on the kitty....all 8 times). The carousel is awesome--Kristine and i used to ride on it for hours--and if you sit on the outer ring you can try to grab the brass ring and win a free ride. Clearly, Isabelle was too small to try, but as you can see below, she like pretending to be grabbing for it:






She also liked walking in the little fountains and tributaries at the park, which I allowed, despite the fact that they looked about as clean as a sewage treatment plant. I suppose its good for her long term immunity, right?




And what stream isn't made better by a lack of clothing?



We also went to my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. Isabelle had fun, especially with Emily and with the bread sticks.





She got to experience some real rides at Sea World, which was fun too. And she got a new llama from Grammy. A fluffy white llama, aptly names While Llama. White Llama wasn't readily accepted and spent the first few nights in another room after being unceremoniously removed from her room by Isabelle. White Lllama joins other creatively named "friends" including Oldie Llama (also from Grammy), Girl Llama, and Newie Llama. Oldie has all of his hair picked off and has been relegated to second string. For some unknown reason Newie, never really was accepted (although never deliberately removed as WL was). WL has now become the favored llama, the alpha llama if you will, and is cherished by Isabelle and must travel with her at all time. Girl Llama runs a close second.

It was a great trip!

Fears.

I am not sure exactly when it started, but a few months ago Isabelle started having dreams. She talk in her sleep occasionally and her dream usually seem to encompass Molly in them. We have heard her say "no Molly, put that back" or "Do it again Molly." Those little dreams are quite cute. But the other thing that seems to have happened right around the same time is Isabelle's development of scary dreams and fears.

A few time she has woken up crying for no apparent reason and seemed very clingy and distraught. She has also started to want to sleep with a night light. of course, from reading various parenting books I know that Isabelle's fears and request for a night light are completely age appropriate...if not very worrisome to her Mama.

One of her newest fears is a common, yet surprising one: bugs. As you know I have cultivated a very bug friendly environment for Isabelle. I catch spiders to return them to the outdoor wild, we let ladybugs crawl on our arms, and we watch the bees collect nectar to make honey (Isabelle likes to tell me, very teasingly, they are going to make juice...this cracks her up.). Anyhow, when we were in San Diego last week we went to the beach and a big June bug landed on my hand. it was shiny and green and although Isabelle didn't want to hold it, she did touch it.

The next day, however, a June bug apparently landed in her hair. She was outside with Markus and freaked out. Markus carried her in and I held her, but ever sine then she has been totally paranoid of bugs. Just seeing a bee now will make her whine and get agitated. We tell her its just Barry B. Benson and making honey and that bees are our friends, but that seems to only momentarily placate her.

I understand the June bug incident must have been scary -- but her reaction just seems so extreme, poor little thing. Luckily, we already have several buggie books (since she used to like them) and hopefully we can work through this. Fears are tough to deal with, even when you are two.