I did get on my treadmill yesterday morning but skipped it today.:( Aleyah had a doctor's appointment and Alexa's last day of sew camp prevented me from walking this morning. I always say I'm going to do the treadmill in the evening and it just NEVER happens. I don't know what it is, but working out at night is so not enjoyable. I do hope to sneak out for a walk around the neighborhood when the weather gets cooler. Unfortunately, it has been HOT and HUMID so the treadmill will have to do for a while.

I felt good finishing the two miles that I did yesterday and the day before. I was a bit miffed because it has been way too long since my last "date" with the dreadful conveyor belt. There was a time when I was actually running on the thing. A year and a half later all I can do is a brisk two mile walk. Tsk tsk. So I've set a goal for myself. I hope to get back to a decent three mile jog by the time my birthday comes around. That is about two months away. Hmmm...maybe I should think that one over a bit. I will be another year older so it might take a while longer.;) But the goal is to reach the three mile marker. Just talking about it makes me want to get on that thing right now...but then I would get all sweaty and have to take another shower and...yeah, that thought was a brief one.

Aleyah's first doctor's appointment was, well...a one hour wait in the lobby. Aleyah was doing great for the hour that we waited there, but with several more people ahead of us, I knew a round of the Cranky Butts was approaching. Why do doctor's insist on making children wait so long for a check-up? Do they seriously expect a child to wait an hour and a half in the lobby and another half hour in the room without a meltdown? I wasn't about to find out just how cranky Aleyah would get. I guess you can say I "chickened out." Lol! So we rescheduled. Aleyah was dumbfounded. I had prepared her all morning about her doctor's visit. Trust me, that is not easy when English is very limited. We also talked about the doctor the night before and even played doctor with stethoscope and all (thanks Shannon for that stethoscope). So when we told her we were leaving she looked confused. "Doctor?" she said. I simply said, "Doctor's sleeping." I knew she understood sleeping so that made the most sense. At the rate they were going, I thought the doctor could possibly be napping.

Let me tell you about our experience in the waiting room. I made sure to have Aleyah's water, a couple of books and her Magna Doodle to keep her occupied. When we first entered the waiting room, we were greeted by a very friendly little girl, probably Aleyah's age, named Becca. I know this because she told me her name as she started doodling on Aleyah's Magna Doodle. Well as you can probably imagine, Aleyah wasn't too down with that. She raised her hand and very gently laid it down on the Magna Doodle covering Becca's masterpiece. I was a bit tense to say the least. Aleyah now has her "own" things and wasn't about to share with Becca. Becca had one thing on her mind, Magna Doodle. At one point she tried to take it out of my hand. I gripped that thing tight. How was this going to unfold? "Can I hold it?" asked Becca. Aleyah stood next to me giving Becca the "staredown," which she is very good at, by the way. "I will hold it." I said with a smile as my blood started rushing. "Can I hold it?" she repeated. Dang it, does this really have to happen now? "I will hold it?" I repeated. Just at that moment Becca's mom intervened. At first I was thankful, but Becca's mom began scolding Becca which made for a very awkward moment in that crowded waiting room. Becca sat on her dad's lap and stared enviously at the Magna Doodle that Aleyah ignored. I stared in the opposite direction and sighed in relief when Becca was called back to her awaited room. Aleyah rifled through a basket filled with disgusting, germ ridden toys. So glad I remembered to bring wipes.

She played contently with a bead apparatus thingy. Sorry, that's all you're getting because I really don't know what you call those things. Anyways, she was having a great time...until a little boy walked in. I looked around the room and saw that the only available seats were the ones next to us. Another Dang It moment. Of course he spotted the beads and of course Aleyah spotted him. Enough said. Aleyah pulled the apparatus closer to her and managed to pull all the other toys closer to her. After some coaxing from Steve and I, Aleyah allowed him to touch the toys, but not without the infamous "staredown."

The clock kept ticking and we kept waiting. I told Steve to reschedule. Little Boy's mother asked how old Aleyah was. I told her and went on to tell her that we just got back from Ethiopia a month and a half ago. She asked if Aleyah already knew English before we got her. I proudly said no and thought to myself, 'I just have a pretty darn Smarty Pants'. And I mean that in more ways than one. :)