Annada Marie Vergo

Playing in the Quad with Jess.

Annada makes me laugh or smile every day. Here are some recent quotes:

“That box has princesses in it. I can smell it in my belly.” (Looking at a present I was going to give her.)

“I’ve been looking for this all my morning!” (Upon opening the box and finding a Cinderella playset.)

I just can’t stop loving you!” (While giving me a hug.)

“Would you eat a french fry with ants on it?” (Playing a new game she made up called, Would You Eat?)

“No! Nothing can stop me from dancing!” (Upon being asked to move toward our table while dancing in the lobby.)

“This flower was crying. It wants me to take it home and love it.” (Preempting me telling her not to pick a flower in a garden.)

“I want to read all the Narnia stories. Except don’t read the scary part again. It hurts my head.” (After we finished a shortened version of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” over several days.)

“Please, I need ice cream Mommy. Please OOO Mommy, OOO Mommy.” (Begging for ice cream after running and literally bowing with her head to the ground before me.)

“Do you have crayons here?” Annada asked a preschool teacher we interviewed. “Yes, we have crayons and paint and scissors,” Ms. Jamie replied. “Okay, I want to play with her,” Annada answered.

On a side note, looking into preschools has made me nervous because some of them list being able to get dressed as a requirement. Annada has never dressed herself. She’s great at stripping, but not getting back into clothes. So today I gave her clothes and asked her to dress herself. A minute later she came running by me clothed. Apparently I just never asked before.

Speaking of preschools – it is CRAZY! I’ve been on a waiting list all year but wasn’t too concerned. Now we are 21st on the list for next year. I knew there was only one good preschool in my neighborhood so I started looking around.

It is a literal competition. Wednesday Annada is going to one preschool for 3 hours of testing and evaluation to see if the school will accept her. It has 3 children “competing” (because I really hope the kids don’t understand) for 1 spot and will pick the kid they think best fits their learning environment. At another school we spent an hour interviewing and will find out next week if they will offer us a spot. She just turned 3!! The schools are picky now and then grandfather in the kids already in their programs for VPK (in 2 years for us). VPK money is based on test scores, so having the right kids matters a lot to the schools.

For Superbowl Sunday our church invited everyone to wear clothes representing their favorite sports team. Annada represented Nebraska for us with style.

I took Annada to visit the fire station. One of the moms in our play group set it up. I was impressed! In Orlando the rescue truck is basically a mobile ER. It was reassuring to know that there is that much help close by. Did you know that a firefighting suit alone weighs 75 pounds? And with all the equipment it is 150 pounds!

When they showed us the medical truck, the paramedic talked to the kids about how they want to help them if they get hurt. Annada was clinging to me the whole time, but whispered in my ear, “I want to show them my ant bites so they can fix me.”

When I got Annada up to go to the firehouse, she insisted I let her wear her blue ballet dress. I did not understand why it was so important, but it wasn’t immoral (I have to remind myself to ask that question – instead of is it embarrassing?), so I let her.

When we got there she was shy but sure of one thing – the firemen would like her dress. I did still didn’t catch on until she began to talking to one – months ago at a fair she had worn the same dress. One of the firefighters at the fair told her he liked her dress. And Annada remembered! “I wore my blue dress for you,” she told the men and woman working at the station.

To end one of the firemen put on all his gear and crawled around on the floor. They encouraged each kid to run up and give him a high five. They told us children sometime hide from them (they do look scary!). When we got home Annada and I made up a game. Annada would hide in a room. Then I would come crawling in saying, “I am a firefighter looking for children to help.”

Annada would crawl to me (to stay below the pretend smoke) and then I would carry her out of the room and use her doctor kit to heal her. Then we would trade and she would become the firefighter.

Annada woke up early this morning yelling, “It’s February 14!!!!!!”

Marc gave me the best Valentine ever by letting me go back to bed. While I slept, Annada and Daddy worked on a special breakfast – egg scramble, potatoes and a new salad. Marc is becoming quite the cook.

Annada helped set the table with paper plates. In our family we break out the paper plates for special occasions. They are colorful so to Annada they are far more fun. And we enjoy the clean-up.

After breakfast Annada opened her Valentines’s Day gifts from Meme and Pepe and us. We gave her a Tiana dress.

Then Judah and Ms. Rose arrived. Annada ran out of the house to meet Judah with the valentine bag she made him. She LOVES giving gifts.

After work I came home to find Judah and Annada running around in their undies. Apparently they have been stripping a lot lately. They literally run up and down the hallway chasing each other. If one stops, the other one hugs them. I think they may be running so much they get hot!

Annada put the Tiana dress back on and we headed to the intern’s house for dinner. The men made us sushi and the women made dessert. Annada carefully passed out valentines to everyone. Then we had a “cheesiest valentine” competition.

Annada won in the “10 and under” category. She seemed to be pretty happy about that, even when she realized she was the only kid there.

My favorite moment? Opening a valentine’s day card from Annada. She had told Marc to write, “I love you more than pinkalicious cupcakes” for me!

Annada was having a hard time accepting no today. (It is a sad day: Meme left.)

So Marc told her if she said “May I please have some gum” one more time she would get a time out. (I’m sure she had asked 50+ times in a row.)

“I did not ask Mom. I will ask her,” Annada replied.

“No, asking Dad is the same as asking Mom,” I replied.

“Oh, May I have gum?” Annada said.

“Annada, as soon as we get home you are having a time out,” Daddy responded.

“No, I didn’t say please!” Annada protested. (Notice exactly what Marc had said.)

“Annada, it is the same thing. You know that,” Marc replied.

“Now I am knowing,” Annada returned.

I tried not to laugh as Annada paused… then broke out giggling. She knew. Then she gamely took the time out.

Annada is quite excited. She broke out in song during dinner and kept going so long we recorded her.

Update: As I was talking with Annada before bed, she was so excited she was sitting up bouncing. I asked her what she wanted to do with Meme, “I am going to bring her to my room and talk with her. Then I will go downstairs and make a big pile of all my toys and we will play together. And I will feed Meme. I will feed her meat and cookies.”

“Just meat and cookies?” I asked.

“Meat and cookies and pie and cauliflower and blueberries,” Annada replied.