The beauty of your toddler's burgeoning language skills is that they're still at an age where they assume that any demand will be acknowledged and met. If only the world would comply.
So our daughter becomes frustrated and irrate when her proclomations of "Up!" are not complied with at every utterance. Say, for instance, when you're on the toilet or trying to pay for groceries or sound asleep. Her other favorite request is "Shoes?" which need to be replaced since she enjoys practicing taking them off every five minutes. Not to be outdone by her capacity for watching her favorite BBC claymation show, Shaun the Sheep, or taking walks.
Walks that normally took us ten minutes now take two hours or more because she stops to say hello to everyone, pet the lavendar bushes, chase bees, and laugh at dogs. Every walk needs to be marked with a memento as well. Normally a prized pinecone, an especially sharp stick, or a cancerous cigarette butt. Yard sales are beauty contests where she plays dress up with people's belongings, sprinklers are water parks no matter what outfit she has on, and flowers are for petting.
She's learned to eat with a fork in the past two weeks, sits at the table like a big girl, and pulls her pants up with a little bit of assistance. She listens intently when we're on the phone and mimics us by holding up a rectangular block to her ear and says "hi?...hi....bye" while nodding and smiling.
We setup a play kitchen in our kitchen for her so she can cook while mama does. She zig zags across the kitchen while chattering and singing to herself and dancing. Apparently I walk very fast while cooking and dance while standing in place in front of the stove. She helps put dishes away and picks up items that she drops and puts them back or in the garbage. The cats help eat the food she drops.
I love her prideful smile, eyes downcast and the slow rising of a smile from an expression of consternation as she achieves her intent. Whether that's setting a bowl on the table or managing to figure out how to put on a dress. She's incredibly intelligent and gentle, even forgiving her cousin for kicking her or stealing her toys away. Not once this past weekend did she cry or get angry with her older cousin but quietly watched her and tried to please her. I hope she learns to stand up for herself and I see signs of it when she takes her toys back or moves away from kids that are being rough with her.
But she still pats you when you pick her up, leans her head in your lap to check in periodically while playing, carefully sits in your lap after bringing you a book to read to her, and gives the most gentle kisses like the whisper of a butterfly wing ever so primly to you when you have to leave her.
She loves looking at her picture book of family photos and talks our ears off with gibberish stories after seeing her cousins. She's becoming a big girl, she's not a baby any more...I'm a little sad about that at moments but I can't wait to see her grow over the years.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Trip to Astoria: August 25th, 2012
Originally this was to be the trip out to Astoria to place Peter in his new home, the great outdoors, at Betsy and Colby's house. At the very last minute, as Jamie was hunkered down in front of Peter's carrier loaded in the back of the Subaru, as Peter yowled and dropped anxious clumps of sweaty fur, as I tried to console Jamie and gritted my teeth - he backed out.
With plans already made, a car and child already packed up and ready to go, and with a stomach full of fury - we were off! Biting your tongue for two hours while trying to keep your toddler amused on a car ride can work up a hunger. I did my best to eat my way through my anger for the next 48 hours and try to enjoy the time with extended family and friends.
Nora and her cousin, Della, are more like siblings than we anticipated. Nora gets beat up and Della gets in trouble all day for her abuse. They fight over toys, fight over who sits where, play tug-of-war over furniture and people alike, and generally terrorize each other at every possible moment. We attempted to put them in the bath together...it was interesting.
The most memorable moment was when Colby was playing the piano and Nora approached him in rapt attention and requested, "Up?" He gleefully placed her next to himself on the bench and this is what happened next...
Here are some additional photos...
With plans already made, a car and child already packed up and ready to go, and with a stomach full of fury - we were off! Biting your tongue for two hours while trying to keep your toddler amused on a car ride can work up a hunger. I did my best to eat my way through my anger for the next 48 hours and try to enjoy the time with extended family and friends.
Nora and her cousin, Della, are more like siblings than we anticipated. Nora gets beat up and Della gets in trouble all day for her abuse. They fight over toys, fight over who sits where, play tug-of-war over furniture and people alike, and generally terrorize each other at every possible moment. We attempted to put them in the bath together...it was interesting.
The most memorable moment was when Colby was playing the piano and Nora approached him in rapt attention and requested, "Up?" He gleefully placed her next to himself on the bench and this is what happened next...
Here are some additional photos...
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| Fruit leather, it's like a baby sedative. |
 |
| Our future virtuso...or at least our entertainer. |
 |
| Here let me help you... |
 |
| ...off the bench. |
 |
| On our way to Astoria's Farmer's Market... |
 |
| Oh, this was so cute! Della cuddled with Nora and kept her safe on the ride down... |
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| ...Nora was not amused. |
Monday, August 13, 2012
August 13th, 2012 - 17 months old today!
Nora is officially weaned but she's not going down without a fight. I don't think I've had to protect my breasts this much since high school. She Bugs-Bunnied me today into bending over so she could grab at me by luring me with a smile and a hug around my knees. Little did I know.
So when I left this morning to go volunteer and our friend Holly was watching her I had no idea of the day ahead. Her doll Polly was spiked on the ground, she flirted with Holly and said her name all to get her to give her a bottle and cuddle against her chest, and shouted for "sheep!". She was on the war path.
I got home and put her in the bath, read her favorite books to her, cuddled with her and even made a warm bottle of coconut milk. She refused to nap and was naughtier than ever. I thought to myself, "What helps me go to sleep?" I brought her into our bed, rubbed her back and her feet, and read her BBC news off my phone. It took less than 5 minutes before she was snoring.
_________________________________________________________________________
I love how relentless our daughter is these days. Did I say love? I meant I love to laugh about it later but in the moment I want to call in sick and ask someone else to fix the situation.
A couples months ago she became obsessed with her shoes. I started lining them up on her shelves at a height to where she could reach them and help pick out her outfit starting with her shoes every morning. I've created a miniature Imelda Marcos. She demands to have shoes on despite what we're doing or if we're going anywhere and cannot be deterred from her selection. She had picked purple shoes one day so I helped her pick out a purple outfit to match. If we survive the shoe selection we have the hat selection ahead of us to overcome. She once demanded to wear a hat two sizes too small because it was "pwetty". The green plaid sunhat was perched on her head like a Mason's hat.
Keep in mind it was in the mid-eighties outside when our pint-size dictator brought to me a purple winter owl hat to match her outfit yesterday. She insisted on wearing said hat, "Hep- hat?" Help was given and our mirth was contagious as we exited and the hat went flying. Did I mention she hates the heat more than myself? She begrudingly agreed to her sunhat being put on and promptly removed her shoes because they didn't match.
Wish us luck.
__________________________________________________________________________________
She's learning names and remembering faces. She says "hi" to neighbors that she's met before and is becoming weary of strangers. We look at photos of family for fun and she's starting to learn their names. Our niece Sophie is "-ophie", our niece Sydney is "nid-nee", Grandma is "mee-mah", Uncle Jim is "-im", Aunt Anjie is "-jie", and Unlce Sean is "-han".
I'm still "mama" and Jamie is still "dada" but our cat Simone is now "mrow" or "NO-NO!" I now have someone to help me yell at the cats, it's awesome.
Now I just need her to learn how to say, "Go away!" with authority to the door-to-door solicitors.
So when I left this morning to go volunteer and our friend Holly was watching her I had no idea of the day ahead. Her doll Polly was spiked on the ground, she flirted with Holly and said her name all to get her to give her a bottle and cuddle against her chest, and shouted for "sheep!". She was on the war path.
I got home and put her in the bath, read her favorite books to her, cuddled with her and even made a warm bottle of coconut milk. She refused to nap and was naughtier than ever. I thought to myself, "What helps me go to sleep?" I brought her into our bed, rubbed her back and her feet, and read her BBC news off my phone. It took less than 5 minutes before she was snoring.
_________________________________________________________________________
I love how relentless our daughter is these days. Did I say love? I meant I love to laugh about it later but in the moment I want to call in sick and ask someone else to fix the situation.
A couples months ago she became obsessed with her shoes. I started lining them up on her shelves at a height to where she could reach them and help pick out her outfit starting with her shoes every morning. I've created a miniature Imelda Marcos. She demands to have shoes on despite what we're doing or if we're going anywhere and cannot be deterred from her selection. She had picked purple shoes one day so I helped her pick out a purple outfit to match. If we survive the shoe selection we have the hat selection ahead of us to overcome. She once demanded to wear a hat two sizes too small because it was "pwetty". The green plaid sunhat was perched on her head like a Mason's hat.
Keep in mind it was in the mid-eighties outside when our pint-size dictator brought to me a purple winter owl hat to match her outfit yesterday. She insisted on wearing said hat, "Hep- hat?" Help was given and our mirth was contagious as we exited and the hat went flying. Did I mention she hates the heat more than myself? She begrudingly agreed to her sunhat being put on and promptly removed her shoes because they didn't match.
Wish us luck.
__________________________________________________________________________________
She's learning names and remembering faces. She says "hi" to neighbors that she's met before and is becoming weary of strangers. We look at photos of family for fun and she's starting to learn their names. Our niece Sophie is "-ophie", our niece Sydney is "nid-nee", Grandma is "mee-mah", Uncle Jim is "-im", Aunt Anjie is "-jie", and Unlce Sean is "-han".
I'm still "mama" and Jamie is still "dada" but our cat Simone is now "mrow" or "NO-NO!" I now have someone to help me yell at the cats, it's awesome.
Now I just need her to learn how to say, "Go away!" with authority to the door-to-door solicitors.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
August 7th, 2012
She learned to bounce a ball today, managed to almost climb into the goat exhibit at the zoo, and learned to say "woo-woo".
We discovered that she loves bean dip, will eat raw garlic, and has a fascination with the cat door (she kept shoving her stuffed puppy through it and wanted Jamie to retrieve it for her).
She ate an entire bag of dried berries at the zoo and looked like a zombie eating brains.
After almost three hours of chasing her around the zoo we both were exhausted. She napped from noon to 2:30pm. I napped on the couch and had a cup of tea. She woke me up screaming "Sheep, mama?! Sheep?!" We watched Shaun the Sheep for an hour and then "cleaned" her room. She chose an outfit of rainboots, winter hat, and diaper.
We discovered that she loves bean dip, will eat raw garlic, and has a fascination with the cat door (she kept shoving her stuffed puppy through it and wanted Jamie to retrieve it for her).
She ate an entire bag of dried berries at the zoo and looked like a zombie eating brains.
This was after she decided to pluck dandelions and twirl around with them. I missed getting that on video but I do have this unflattering photo instead. Nailed it.
After almost three hours of chasing her around the zoo we both were exhausted. She napped from noon to 2:30pm. I napped on the couch and had a cup of tea. She woke me up screaming "Sheep, mama?! Sheep?!" We watched Shaun the Sheep for an hour and then "cleaned" her room. She chose an outfit of rainboots, winter hat, and diaper.
Dinner was bean dip, zucchini, and pasta. Yes, we will pay dearly for it tomorrow I'm sure.
She went to bed without any of her babydolls tonight and put them in her toy basket before heading in to her room. She watches girls that are older than her and tries to mimic them, for better or for worse.
Sometimes it takes a babydoll and a cracker to help her sleep though.
If that fails, she'll count things until she drifts off or play in the bath until she's pruny.
Monday, August 6, 2012
16-17 months old
Every day is another surprise
We had lunch with Grandma today and wore our pretty ladybug dress. Photo? Oh no, no photo is available because I didn't get a chance to take one since the moment we got back home she decided to poop and pull her diaper halfway off and streak through the house like a poo-flinging-dervish.
The house is clean, the baby is asleep, and my sanity is mostly intact.
New developments for our 16 month old:
Nora reaches her hands out when she wants to give you a kiss and even puckers up now.
We have a game in the car of driving over the speed humps and I yell out "bump!" to warn her and we both shout "wee!" after each one.
She loves the underside of her chin to be tickled and raises it with a smile to invite you to do so.
She picks out her own outfits, starting with the shoes and then we go from there.
She's figured out how to put on her shoes and wants to wear them in the house now.
She understands requests and instructions well enough now to help pick up and bring you things.
If you call to her she runs away laughing. If you sit down at the computer she comes running.
She's fascinated with doors and loves to study how they work.
She can climb stairs with assistance, get into her carseat with a boost, and gets in and out of her toddler bed (unfortunately) without any help.
Baby dolls are her new favorite toy. She carries them under her arm and talks to them, sleeps with them, and shows them around the house. She mimics me when she's in a time-out and disciplines the dolls while pointing her finger at them and saying, "No-no, baby."
She brushes her teeth whenever you offer her the chance and loves to pet Simone with her toothbrush if you don't stop her. Simone and her are buddies.
Farts are funny, raspberries are hilarious, but Cookie Monster is the king.
She loves fruit as long as it is pureed, meat as long as it's ground up, and anything in a tortilla. Burritos and enchiladas are her new favorite along with beef stew and sweet potatoes with horseradish.
If you give her a wet washcloth she uses it to wipe her mouth, hands, and high chair tray.
She can count to five.
She loves saying "hi" to people and waving. It's sometimes delayed though and I noticed the other day she gets sad and stares at the ground if people don't respond. I make a point of saying to people now, "She's saying hello to you." A couple people seemed startled or embarrassed but I didn't care, they better say hi back or else!
When Jamie leaves in the morning she waves good-bye at the front door and gives him a kiss. The moment his key turns in the door to turn the lock she quietly says with a smile, "Dada." Then comes to me and asks for "Sheep?"
The house is clean, the baby is asleep, and my sanity is mostly intact.
New developments for our 16 month old:
Nora reaches her hands out when she wants to give you a kiss and even puckers up now.
We have a game in the car of driving over the speed humps and I yell out "bump!" to warn her and we both shout "wee!" after each one.
She loves the underside of her chin to be tickled and raises it with a smile to invite you to do so.
She picks out her own outfits, starting with the shoes and then we go from there.
She's figured out how to put on her shoes and wants to wear them in the house now.
She understands requests and instructions well enough now to help pick up and bring you things.
If you call to her she runs away laughing. If you sit down at the computer she comes running.
She's fascinated with doors and loves to study how they work.
She can climb stairs with assistance, get into her carseat with a boost, and gets in and out of her toddler bed (unfortunately) without any help.
Baby dolls are her new favorite toy. She carries them under her arm and talks to them, sleeps with them, and shows them around the house. She mimics me when she's in a time-out and disciplines the dolls while pointing her finger at them and saying, "No-no, baby."
She brushes her teeth whenever you offer her the chance and loves to pet Simone with her toothbrush if you don't stop her. Simone and her are buddies.
Farts are funny, raspberries are hilarious, but Cookie Monster is the king.
She loves fruit as long as it is pureed, meat as long as it's ground up, and anything in a tortilla. Burritos and enchiladas are her new favorite along with beef stew and sweet potatoes with horseradish.
If you give her a wet washcloth she uses it to wipe her mouth, hands, and high chair tray.
She can count to five.
She loves saying "hi" to people and waving. It's sometimes delayed though and I noticed the other day she gets sad and stares at the ground if people don't respond. I make a point of saying to people now, "She's saying hello to you." A couple people seemed startled or embarrassed but I didn't care, they better say hi back or else!
When Jamie leaves in the morning she waves good-bye at the front door and gives him a kiss. The moment his key turns in the door to turn the lock she quietly says with a smile, "Dada." Then comes to me and asks for "Sheep?"
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