Holidays and beyond

Well, we're home. I think you were ready to come home, too. You came to be more clingy to mama, ate and slept less as the days went on. It sure is fun to go away and it's really wonderful to come home and sleep in our gigantor bed. I don't know if it was because we were in a strange place and you were uncomfortable, but you slept awfully for the three nights we were gone. Then last night you slept for almost twelve hours (not straight, mind you but from 7pm to 6:45am). Then you napped for an hour with Dad this morning after I went to work.


Christmas is over until next year. We just have a few chocolates left but enough toys to last you until you're two - maybe three! We packed up the entire van with your table/chair set from Grandma and Grandpa, your T-M-Elmo vibrating chair, your puzzles, books and squeaking shoes. Needless to say you are a very lucky and loved girl. And cute! (I just had to throw that in there.)

Kindersley was good, the weather was nice so we walked on xmas day. And with so many people and cats around as an audience, your mouth motored on and on. Great practice. Now your new thing is saying nu, nu, nu (no, no, no) while shaking your head. It's really quite endearing if not surprising that you are saying no to us, but any addition to your vocabulary is welcome. It's kind of odd - you didn't dance the whole time we were at Grandma and Grandpa's but as soon as we got home you were bustin' a move all over the rumpus room. You even incorporated such awesome new dance moves that there were tears rolling down my cheeks and I laughed at what I think was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. (Picture the bended knee groove combined with your arm as an elephant trunk.) It was that good.


I'm at work now and for the next couple days, then off for a three-day weekend over New Year's followed by a three-day week and another three-day weekend! If only my schedule was always like that, huh? So you are home with your dad right now and he's not answering the phone so I'm assuming you guys are sleeping. Wish I was there, but will be home soon.

Hello!

It was Daddy's birthday yesterday so we had Uncle Nigel and Nana over for ice cream cake. You were getting a little grouchy so Dad took you upstairs and threw you in the tub while I visited with Nigel and Nana. When you were done, you came out of the bathroom, your babbling directed at me. I said hello and you responded with a jubilant hull-oo back. It was very sweet. We also had you saying a handful of other words today so you are finally warming up to this communicating with words thing.


Your personality is blooming again. Your knack for humour is increasing that you even make yourself laugh. Your smiles are so bright, so warm that I can't help but kiss you when you are close enough.


The three of us went for a walk/sled ride this afternoon. The wind was kinda nippy, but the sun was bright so it helped. You kept trying to jump out of your sled. Seeing your mama and dada walking made you think you should be on your feet, too. But you hung on and we let you trudge through the snow in the backyard when we got home. You are a silly girl.

We leave for Kindersley in the morning. A four hour trip (straight driving) that should take us hopefully not take much longer than five hours. We'll stop for lunch so you can run around. I always get nervous before adventures with you. But it always turns out - after I get used to the screaming.

Fake Christmas

We had fake Christmas this past weekend with Nana, Nigel, Jessica and Skye. Lots of presents, wrapping paper, chocolate, drinks, turkey and toys! In eight days we get to do it all again at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Kindersley. Hopefully I'll get a chance to write something a little more lengthy before we go.

Keeping an eye on the shifty guy in red

No, mom didn't really want to sit with Santa, but you insisted. Loudly. And with tears. But you still got a present and we got this lovely photo!

High. Pitched. Squealing.

Ohmigod, child. We are all going to be deaf soon if this keeps up. Whether happy or sad, angry or frustrated, or just trying to get some attention, you have a penchant for screaming. Loud and high-pitched. Yesterday in the grocery store, you and I stood at the end of the tills while dad went through the checkout. Between calling "Da!" and pointing at the xmas tree, you squealed with glee - causing everyone to look at us. This wouldn't be so endearing if you were screaming in pain or frustration, but the big smile that accompanied your loudness took the edge off and thankfully didn't offend me. I'm not sure about anyone else, though.

Obviously your dad is home - finally. He got home during our nap yesterday. It was definitely a hard week for mommy. When you'd go to bed, I'd have to clean the kitchen and pick up any disasters that brewed during your awake hours. Well, I tried...but ended up falling asleep with you two of the nights and therefore didn't accomplish anything. I'm just not used to it. Usually I get to keep you fed and clothed and happy - that's my job. Dad picks up my slack. I can't even imagine not paying someone to come in and clean the base of the house, the stuff underneath the messes, but that's only every couple weeks. It's the day to day stuff that drains me. Anyway, you became even more attached to me in your dad's absence...if that's possible. You really weren't sure about dad when he got back, but a bit of rough play has gotten you guys back on track. Oh, and if I forget, someone should remind me that it's very hard to take you shopping alone and that maybe I should wait until someone can come with us.

What else? You are a fiend for drinks out of a can with a straw so I bought you little tomato juices and little V8s. You will drink almost a whole can in a couple minutes. This morning you ate tonnes of little frozen/thawing blueberries. What a staining experience that was. Your tongue and teeth were purple and both your hands and mine are still coloured a deep blue. And last night you had wedge after wedge of fresh pineapple. I know you've always liked fruits and vegetables, but you really prefer them over everything else. Except maybe ice cream...which reminds me, you have a DQ sandwich in the freezer calling your name.

This afternoon is the SGI kids xmas party. Of course I forgot the tickets at work so we're going to beg them to let us in. Maybe we'll bribe them with your cuteness! Should be fun and with your current obsession with Santa, this should be right up your alley today. We just have to change your clothes because I realized at Walmart this morning how much you had outgrown your outfit with that rolly belly and thick ankles sticking out. But hopefully you'll sleep at least another hour to ensure bright spirits for the rest of the day!

New dance moves

Here's a tiny movie showing off your waist twist and the lovely new arm swings in addition to your existing knee-bending dance moves. You're already a much better dancer than either your dad or me!



New dance moves on Vimeo

It was a cold and blustery day

You really impressed me today. From the first time you woodenly nodded to me to indicate yes, you agree with what I am saying to your ability to blow (make music) in the recorder your dad bought you yesterday. Unfortunately we don't have any new pictures of you this week; we're just trying to keep warm. Actually, it's been a busy week. Your parents have done something they swore they'd never do (or at least that's what I said) and we bought a minivan. Fortunately, it's not so mini and it handles like a car and not a bus. Still, it's a lame parent-type thing to do. I can't wait until you tell me all the things you will never do with your life. Auntie Sharon called me on it this summer, how I swore that I'd never get married and have kids. But then I told her how wrong I was - and how wonderful you were.

Anyway, you like the van. We can get you in your carseat without having to leave the door open and blast you with icy wind and snow. And you can walk around. Yesterday after groceries, you would not get in your carseat so we just hung out for ten minutes while you walked into the front seat, climbed into the seat, content to happily sit there until you got down, walked into the very back row, got up in that seat - anywhere but near me and your carseat. You finally were calm enough to get buckled in and we drove home. Luckily we weren't in a hurry, but the days when we are, Elmo in the DVD player will come in handy. That gets installed next week - when your dad is gone on a week-long photo shoot.

Yes, Dad leaves tomorrow way before the sun rises to fly to Halifax - or maybe it's Moncton. Anyway, he'll also get to go to Quebec City which should be beautiful and probably feel quite frigid because of the moisture down there. He won't be back until next Saturday, so it should be an interesting week. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get ready for work without your dad there to distract you!

Ugggh

I've updated this site with a new masthead, colours and even an option for your dad to post, but it's not viewing properly on a PC...what else is new? (But of course it still fabulous on the Mac.) Will have to work to make it lovely.

In other news, with the 13 cm of snow in the last 24 hours I decided a nice springy masthead would make me feel better. While not appropriate or proper, no one's even accused me of doing what I'm supposed to before. Maybe you take after your mom after all...

First snow and the onset of xmas

Considering it'll be December by the end of this week, we've only just gotten real snow. There was actual accumulation on the car and everything else when we woke up this morning. We went to Wal-Mart this morning so your dad could get some work done. When we got out of the car, you tried with all your might to jump out of my arms and onto the snow covered pavement. Luckily my grip was stronger. You choked a little on the cold air just before we got in the store, but you looked happy and refreshed from the cold. I can see now why Christmas is so intense for kids. Everything you saw in the store made you point and want to get closer. We looked at trees and lights and ornaments, but the cutest was when we saw a little plush reindeer from the claymation Rudolf show. Enhh, enhh, you demanded with pointed finger so I handed him to you and squeezed his ear to make him start singing. It must have been his child-like voice, but as soon as he spoke and then sang, you hugged him like you loved him and hadn't seen him in years. I almost bought it just to see you do that everyday... You must have really been in a lovey mood because you hugged everyone you knew - Dora and Pablo and Winnie the Pooh. It was so sweet.

Speaking of sweet, you've been such a good girl this weekend. The other night we pulled the plug in the bath tub and you waved to the water going down the drain. And last night, we were looking at an Elmo book. You pointed at Elmo and I said that he was laughing. You looked up at me, grinned and went, Ha, heh, ha. Then we asked you to laugh and you did. I don't remember discussing with you what a laugh actually was...

Anyway, you'll be waking up from your nap with your dad right away and we're going to go swimming. You kept forcing your bathing suit and swim diapers on me yesterday and I felt awful that we didn't have time to go then, so today it is.

Words

Words and phrase you can speak (or have spoken) - but only on your own terms when no one is pestering you to talk:
cheese, cat, mama, nana, Hi Daddy, Bye bye Da Da, gow (the sound a lion makes)

While you can understand hundreds or words and can point to what we speak of, you're somewhat stubborn in repeating them. But that would mean you were 'obeying' your parents and that's just not in your free spirit...

I wish my memory was bigger

You do so many great things, I feel bad that I can't remember them all. One day last week, you pulled a toque or blanket off of my head leaving my hair in my face. You so sweetly swept the hair out of my eyes like I do for you every day. For you to have such consideration for me really melted my heart. Your constant kisses are 'just because' you want to now, not because someone asks you to.

Your play has really evolved, too. You push around objects or your little plane and make vehicle sounds. You try very hard to imitate your dad's motoring sounds but it takes a lot of concentration to do that and play at the same time. A major breakthrough from the last couple days is your newfound ability to answer questions. Of course, when you do answer, the answer is always a head-shaking 'no' but it helps in our communications. (Yes answers are met with excitement or action or indifference.) You've even gotten to the point where destruction isn't first and foremost. For example, you will stack a couple blocks or put some mega blocks (big lego) together BEFORE you knock them over or take them apart!

Something I'm not super keen on is your ability to take off your diaper. Just because you tend to pee on the floor everytime you are naked for half a second. It's funny how that surprises you. I think you know how to pee on command because everytime I mention it, you do. (Whether it's in the tub or sitting on my knee when your bum gets very warm!) Anyway, I'm sure nana would remind me that I was potty trained by now, but she hasn't said anything about taking on the project of training you. Not that she would find much success getting you to sit still and read stories on the potty like your calm mommy did...

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's new second home this weekend. It is definitely not a cabin, even though it is on a lake. The ride home was much quicker than the Friday evening trip up - even though you didn't sleep a wink once buckled nicely in your carseat. Elmo kept you nicely sedated, so we're lucky for him. We tried to get you to nap when we got home at 2, but you just wanted to play. I set up the camera because the light was so beautiful and you, me and dad just played and relaxed. The pictures turned out really lovely, so all the ones from this post are from then.

To look at you tonight in the tub, I couldn't believe how big you looked, how long your legs were. (Oh, and at the doctor's office last week you weighed a whopping 19.84 pounds, up from a measly 18.01 pounds exactly two months earlier.) I'm already starting to miss you as a baby. You are getting so big and I can't slow time down, as much as I want you to stay small and cuddly and my baby forever.

Thankfully we got extra carpet padding

Lily climbs - under her dad's supervision on Vimeo

A wonderful/crabby day

I don't really have alot to say, but you are sleeping with your dad and I don't want to address xmas cards so I'm stalling. I suppose I could gush about how much smarter you are this week than last. So here goes...

Okay, you woke up so now it's seven hours later and you're back in bed. I just finished getting some photos ready to put into Flickr and wow, are you cute. Your hair, and subsequently your pigtails, are getting very long. But they glimmer in the sun and make you even more glowing than usual.

It was a pretty good day. You and dad let me sleep in until 9, which was great. I got up and you had a cookie for breakfast and me and dad had pancakes. Your dad really wanted sausages but we need to be more on the ball for that so tomorrow... Anyway, to occupy some morning time, we went to Rona to check out their fireplaces and xmas stuff. We've really been wanting a fireplace to keep us all nice and cozy in the family room for the winter. Since you were born, our thrifty heat consumption has turned into 'heat is no object' so we've been keeping the house quite a bit warmer so you don't freeze your little hands. But we can't crank the heat to make the family room (with only two registers) as warm as it should be.

Anyway, they didn't have anything we liked so we came home for a quick lunch, only to be interrupted by you pointing upstairs to be taken to bed. Luckily you are easily distracted and we packed back half a jar of lemon chicken and veggies. You slept with your dad from just before noon until about quarter to two when we decided to hit the road again and go to the art gallery. Well, we didn't get out until after you and your dad had some salmon salad sandwiches and I chased you around with the camera.

We went to the MacKenzie Art Gallery. While we've been taking you there since you were a few months old, I think you really appreciated it this time. You walked around and pointed in awe at how amazing and different everything was to you. And your dad and I got to walk around and look at art, something we used to do all the time. You laughed while you pointed, as though what you were witnessing was really absurd. But it was appropriate because all the exhibits were about humour in art!After we left the galleries, we went down to the lobby and hung out amongst the trees and concrete people sculptures for over half an hour. It's nice to be somewhere where you can touch everything and run around without getting in anyone's way. When we left the building, you walked across the grass with this lovely look of freedom on your face, like we hadn't been outside in weeks. (Please, let it be a mild winter. Hello global warming!) But then it all changed once we got home...

Oh boy, did we have a grouchy girl on our hands. I haven't seen you so crabby in ages. No matter what, we couldn't appease you. You wanted to eat the green beans and distribute them evenly across the floor, you wanted me to open a cereal bar and then wouldn't even take a bite, you were a little violent with the rice at supper time and ended up trying to stab me in the eye with my own fork. You had had it. I nursed you on the couch while dad finished eating and cleaned up, then you played hide and seek with dad and that also seemed to take the edge off. But once bedtime rolled around, you bit me. Not once, not twice but a third time after I said 'don't bite your mommy or dad will put you to bed.' Then I realized that it must be those molars coming in. Yes, hello. It took me that long to realize that there was a physical problem to your unusual ornery mood. So I filled up a baby-safe feeder with frozen brocolli stalks and you seemed so relieved to sink your gums into that. And a shot of Advil probably helped. You were asleep by 7:30 so hopefully you were feeling a bit of relief.

Sick days

Oh you poor girl. As I had mentioned, you were waking up every half hour or so on Halloween evening and night which made for a miserable baby on Wednesday. As the day progressed, though it became apparent that you had caught a cold. So, I stayed home with you on Thursday (and today, but I had already booked that off). It is so much harder to stay home with you when you are sick than go to work. You are moody and did not want to sleep in the afternoon yesterday which makes for a long time before dad gets home... Today you are showing signs of improvement, but not in your mood. There was a lot of pouting going on when I tried to get ready so we could all go to Wal-Mart after supper and while it's so very adorable in a sad kind of way, it does make me feel like toting you with me when I do everything instead of you hanging out with your dad while he was adjusting your new car seat. You always do adjust and quite happily play with the pliers and screwdriver, but you are still very much your mama's girl. And that still works for me.

Trick or Treat

Ummmm, definitely treats! We can't say your candy-deprived. Tonight was your first trick-or-treating experience. Dad took you out for about 25 minutes after our traditional Halloween perogy supper. Traditional because that's what I had every October 31 as a kid...and rekindled as an adult with your dad. Nana said it was to fill us up so we couldn't eat too much chocolate, but I don't know if it worked. Anyway, you apparently weren't too sure about going from house to house, but didn't complain in the somewhat bitter cold. When you, our little ladybug, got home with a tiny basket overflowing with treats, you were so excited that they were all for you. You immediately started going through it until you came to a full-size box of Smarties that you insisted I open. I had no idea what you would think of these hard little candied chocolates. They spilled on the floor and you bent over and picked one up, popped it in your mouth, then another and another and another until there were four in your mouth. Then the chocolatey green/blue drool started pouring out as you hobbled toward me to grab the box for more. All I can say is that you were very happy, so that lessens my guilt about feeding you all that junk. And the fact that I don't think chocolate has killed anyone... But it may be responsible for giving you a sugar rush and making it hard to stay sleeping tonight. Oh well. Lesson learned. Feed the baby chocolate, as long as it's before mid-afternoon snack...

What do we do now?

Well, you experienced your first power outage - while you were awake. And I wouldn't want to entertain you like that very often. It went out around 5:30 and didn't come back on until close to 7. While we killed the first ten minutes finding and lighting candles, you just wanted to watch Elmo and incessantly pointed to the t.v., then when we 'wouldn't' appease you, you reached longingly for the CD player to at least play you a familiar song... Books were out because we could barely see, so after some good flashlight-pointing time, we decided to hit the tub. You know, in case the power stayed out for a long time, we could use the hot water before the tank cooled off. While not exactly the romantic bath by candlelight you would expect, it sure passed the time. Well, only because I eventually got in the tub with you since just having me taking up most of the bathtub room seems to keep you interested. It's like swimming in a very small pool with a dolphin and a goldfish.

All the wonderful things

You are just a barrel of laughs these days. Quite an interesting week it's been. You've been saying ma ma ma when you whine to me and it's so sweet because you really mean me! You learned how to scream in a high-pitched, blood-curdling kind of way and it's out of pure glee, so it's not annoying - yet! And you learned how to stick out your tongue on command, leading us to see some white spots on the very back of your tongue and having to take you to the doctor to get that thrush treated. Not that it seems to be bothering you and not that we have any idea how long you've had it... And you've been so affectionate. Since learning to make the smoochy sound, you gave Creeson a birthday kiss this morning when we dropped off his gift and then when Uncle Nigel came over this afternoon, you gave him a kiss without anyone even asking you to!

Have I told you how cute it is when you are defiant, when I ask you to do something and you shake your head 'no' at me. And when you eat (macaroni or pudding) boxes and completely freak out when we take them away. Or when you kick the dog when you're laying down to go to bed or when she gets too close to your legs at the table when we're eating. You've really been power tripping over poor little Skye. You tease the poor dog all the time. Like when you are finished eating, I put you on the floor to run around and give you a piece of meat to specifically feed to Skye, you hold it tightly in your hand, hold it to the dog's mouth to let her try and bite it before taking in away and putting it in your mouth! Not nice, but amusing to watch. And you're so smart. The other night you were holding the heavy flashlight in one hand, a CD in the other so I told you to hold it with both hands. Obviously you knew exactly what I said because you put the CD on the floor and held the flashlight with two hands...but I don't remember teaching you those words!

You learned about clouds today and can point to them when asked, just like the moon and stars. A few mornings this week, we stood at the window and checked out the moon and stars to your great delight. It sure is dark at 6 a.m. I was hoping the darkness in the evenings might help you to fall asleep easier or maybe quicker, but no. I think your extensive naps with Nana during the day might be cutting into your bedtime. (You've been sleeping over three hours most days -even until 4:50 p.m. yesterday...I thought a girl your age could go for longer between sleeps.) Anyway, you've also been eating better than ever before and it makes your dad and I so happy. You ate five perogy insides and one whole one, along with Ukrainian sausage - after your baby food supper at 4:30. And you ate linguine with mushroom sauce for almost half an hour on Tuesday. You were still eating when the rest of us had even finished our Cheerio cake dessert. That's something new.

It's always so hard to remember everything, but I know there are so many more wonderful things about you from this week alone. Like how you've been colouring, how watching Elmo when we go to work distracts you so you don't howl and cry, how you run at full-tilt, how you lead us up to bed when you are tired...

Then and now

Oh my goodness. When we dressed you in your polar bear shirt and yellow pants on Saturday, you bore a little resemblance to the 6 month old baby on the left. But can it even be possible that you could go from a wee, chunky baby (who was practically bald on the sides) to become a little and very adorable girl (with pigtails) in the past 8 months - more than half your life ago? I can't even begin to imagine what another eight months will bring...

The quickest long week

Since getting home from Winnipeg last Sunday night, I can't believe how quickly last week has gone...all five work days of it. I even missed one evening because I layed down when you went to bed then woke up in the morning still wearing my jeans! This weekend, while always too short, was good and filled with groceries and a trip to the swimming pool and tonight to DQ for ice cream.

Our Winnipeg trip was good. That was definitely the longest you've spent sitting EVER. And you did awesome! It was a little dodgy at first. You wanted to sleep, but couldn't bring yourself to relax. We bought some new DVDs for the trip to fill time between colouring and reading books, but you got hooked on Elmo's World, one of the ones we bought when we went down to Minot in June. Anyway, 6 and a half hours after we left home, we arrived in Winnipeg at cousin Kim's house where we finally met cousin baby Isabella. What a sweet baby. And solid. You currently only weigh just over a pound more than her! We all got acquainted while you had no problem getting into all of their things. After a good meal of Chinese food, everyone relaxed and got ready to go out to Trevor's CD release party. Well, everyone but mom and you and Isabella. You had a bath and read books before falling asleep within a couple minutes of laying down.

Saturday was a lovely day. We got up nice and early and took it pretty easy in the morning. You kissed and nuzzled Isabella once in a while as you played. Dad took pictures of you running around with only your diaper. You and Isabella got some pictures taken. (You and Isabella will have A LOT of pictures, just like cousin Kim and I have since we were born.) It was a nice, easygoing morning. Since it was so nice out, we decided to spend the afternoon at the Forks. We walked around a bit and ended up down by the water. You were walking around when you approached the edge of the water, got down on your knees and proceeded to turn around to climb into the river! Huh? Whatever made you think that that was a good idea is so beyond me. We quickly scooped you up and found a grassy area about 30 stairs above water level where you could run around with less imminent danger. You, me, Dad, Kim, Mario, Isabella and Skokey enjoyed hot chocolate on the steps under the white, bright sun. You were getting a little owly from lack of a nap, so we thought it was time to go over to Uncle Terry and Auntie Brenda's house for a ghoulish supper. Nana and Auntie Brenda spent the afternoon decorating for Halloween and it really paid off. There were singing and dancing creatures everywhere and rubber bugs that you tried to amputate. Between handfuls of bugles and caramel kisses, you waved at Uncle Terry and Trevor through the window to the kitchen. You were actually very secure and comfortable with all the relatives all weekend which was nice that you didn't feel the need to cling to me. So being sleep-deprived all day, you fell asleep in my arms just after supper - at 6:15. When we went back to Kim and Mario's a couple hours later, you had a harder time falling asleep so I layed down with you and never got back up.

Of course, we paid the price for you going to bed so early by waking up at 5 a.m. Luckily it was 6 their time and cousin Kim was up, so we went upstairs and visited. Isabella got up shortly thereafter and we all hung out. Auntie Brenda and Uncle Terry brought Nana over so that they could send us off with a big breakfast, but you couldn't make it to breakfast and passed out in my arms and slept on the couch for a whopping 40 minutes before Auntie Brenda let out a loud holler, signalling that it was time for us to go. So we went on the long ride home, making it back at 5:30. All in all it was good, just too much car time. Next time, the Pereiras will have to visit us.

Good, got that out. Not too much else to say. Just that you are so sweet. We lounged on your Dora couch this afternoon, holding hands and watching new Elmo's World episodes that you and your dad bought on Friday when he stayed home with you. It's cold out now so we don't get out much these days. Today looked beautiful and sunny but barely teetered above 0. It doesn't help that you hate putting on your winter coat and mitts. You missed swimming lessons on Thursday because you and Nana layed down and slept for two hours in the morning and then another 1.5 hours in the afternoon. You slept good for your dad on Friday too. Cutting out your morning nap isn't working. You get so tired by 10:30 or 11 that you usually just pass out, so we'll hold off a while until you're more ready. You're still eating pretty good. You had trout and rice last night and again for lunch today and then we had stew tonight which was mostly exciting because it had carrots in it. It's still hit and miss though with most foods. One day if you devour yogurt, you will not even look at it again for more than a month. Needless to say, we have a lot of different food in the cupboard and the freezer with only a bit of it eaten. Oh well. Halloween is coming up and your dad has been sharing his chocolate bars with you. Okay, so have I. (This will be one of the many things you will be highly critical of us when you get older...just like I do with my mom!) It'll be fun to dress you up and maybe take you trick or treating to a few houses. Until then...

Lily - now with more giggles!

We just got home from Winnipeg tonight where we went to finally meet cousin Isabella. She's 4.5 months old and you turned 14 months old on Friday. While I'll get some pictures and a story up here later, this video I took on the way home of your dad tickling you is just awesome. (Have I mentioned you say tickle, tickle, tickle now?)


Giggles in the car ride home from Winnipeg on Vimeo

Giving thanks for cute babies

It is Thanksgiving weekend and obviously the thing your dad and I are most thankful for is you! It's the third day of my 4-day weekend; I took Friday off so we could hang out. We went to Superstore to look at toys and buy peanuts to lure the squirrels into our yard. The toy part was pretty exciting. There was a Wiggle and Giggle Elmo chair - a vibrating chair that cackles - and you were so into it, sitting there in the middle of the aisle with a big grin on. Pablo, the Backyardigan penguin, was a close second in popularity (first for me), as he sang their very catchy theme song. We ended up taking home a cookie monster doll (which was a 1/10 the price) that you seemed to like. Before lunch and after we took the recycling out, we spent about 1/2 hour playing with the ladybugs out on the boulevard. You did a good job of catching them, even though they got a little out of hand and there were five on you by the end. Too many bugs for me. Naptime was pretty short - about 35 minutes just after lunch, so we had to keep busy. There was a lot of playing and basking in the sun. It was really a gorgeous day, about 21, perfect for all the crazy Rolling Stones concert-goers. (I hope by the time you are old enough to read this, the Rolling Stones have stopped touring and perhaps have died.) Anyway, when your dad came home from work we ate supper then went for ice cream at Dairy Queen. That's always a great way to make your little tummy stick way out!

For some reason, we were all ready to go for breakfast by 7:30 on Saturday, then outta there by 8:30 and off to the grocery store. We got all our groceries and showed dad the toys in just under 2 hours! Yikes! You still ride in the carrier with mom and it's supposed to be good to 25 lbs. so I may keep you in there a while... Anyway, in the afternoon after a 1.5 hour nap (not good but not awful, I suppose...), you grabbed my hand to get out of bed, led me downstairs and got your coat, all ready to go outside. Unfortunately I had to explain that it was raining pretty hard so we couldn't go outside. You didn't look like you really understood so we decided to go to the pool instead. Oh, how you loved it! Even though Nana takes you to swimming lessons every week, I forgot how fun it was to go to the pool. I think you love it more than the park; you would have never taken the first step to leave. You were so brave, walking alone (because you wouldn't let me hold your hand) into the deeper water, making friends with a little 8 year old girl who really seemed to like you, pointing to the big pool to play in the falling water, going down the little yellow slide and the big frog slide with dad, sitting on the red ball that shoots water out your crotch, jumping into our arms from the side of the pool, sitting on the steps, climbing the steps and even going down the steps standing and holding the rail. Then we came home, Nana came over with pizza, we made perogies and turkey and ate our mish-mash of a meal. Mmmm...perogies. You've been loving anything with sour cream. Dad thinks we should just make perogy filling for you and maybe we will with our garden potatoes. So, you skipped your bath last night in favour of playing, but at exactly 7 p.m. you took my hand to go upstairs to bed. How predicable is that?

Today will be our Thanksgiving supper. The turkey is in the oven, complete with stuffing. You helped eat the celery so I'm guessing you'll like the stuffing with both celery and breadly goodness. I barely remember last year at Thanksgiving. You were so little. Even then you were very unimpressed to be put down so I held you all through the meal. You didn't smear food in my hair then, but you're much cuter now so it's very easy to forgive. Really, this cute thing is pretty overwhelming at times. I look at you and just fill with happiness. You're so happy, chasing dad around the living room and kitchen, yelling 'ahhhhh' when you find him. I really don't know what we did before you, how we made it through the day without so much laughter and smiles and love. It's really that wonderful. Thanks for being such a good girl.

Goldfish

While it seems so logical to us now, your dad and I were very impressed when we found Goldfish crackers floating in Skye's water dish...

Peek-a-boo

Well, you're getting to be a little talker. You've been imitating a lot of words we say to you, like cheese and hello but yesterday you said dek-a-boo (obviously while playing peek-a-boo) to Grandma and Dad. Quite impressive, little girl. Grandma and Grandpa came for a short visit, but you packed a lot of park action into that time. Me and your dad even went out for supper - for sushi, alone, not rushed - while your grandparents played with you, bathed you and put you to bed! How nice is that? Then today, they took you to the park (where else?) while we dug up thes rest of the carrots and potatoes from the garden. Oh, and lucky you - Grandma and Grandpa brought you Elmo TMX. Oh. my. goodness. He's insane. I can't imagine the engineering that went into making him do what he does... You were pretty leery of the little red spaz at first, but warmed up fairly quickly. Now he's good for a hug and lugging around, even though he's very heavy.

Again this weekend (today) we got some really nice pictures of you. Some in the tub after you peed on the kitchen floor - twice, then later downstairs on the carpet, then again at supper on your booster seat - some neat ones of you while you were napping this afternoon and a bunch in the park at the end of the street towards the university. Speaking of your naps, we skipped the morning nap the last three days and you seem to have done really well with a 2 - 2.75 hour nap in the afternoons.

The rest of the weekend was good, too. Friday after supper we went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. You shared my sundae and Dad's pumpkin pie blizzard - and we still had time to hit the park before bathtime! Saturday morning we were up early and at Smitty's by 8. You shared my ham, but that's about all you ate. Then we headed to the Farmer's Market and bought three purple carrots (which left a purple drool trail down your chin when you ate them today). Then we went to Cornwall Centre just before the stores opened so you could walk around. You love walking around stores and places like that. You sat on the stairs by Sears/SaskTel and just stood UP then DOWN and all over again and again and were very proud. When the stores did open, we went to Claire's or the other one that's like it and you tried on hats and sunglasses and looked at barettes. You liked HMV, especially the Pooh calendar and picking up CDs and bringing them to us and us not being able to find where to put them back... And you (and Dad) must have looked so cute that the Telus lady gave you bunny and parrot sticker sheets to bring home while I was buying a belt. It's really fun bumming around with you. Dad and I haven't done that in ages. Mostly since you wouldn't put up with it before. Luckily, we get to do all sorts of fun things with you now.

Hi Daddy!

You're getting pretty smart. I didn't think 13 months olds could be so brilliant, but this morning you took the remote from me, pushed the channel up button UNTIL YOU HIT A CARTOON and just as casually handed the remote back to me. And you love saying hi to your dad...



Hi Daddy on Vimeo

You ought to be in pictures

It's kind of sad that we don't get to take as many pictures of you now that I'm back at work. Today your dad and I tried to make up for it, though, by bringing the camera to the park with us. As I mentioned yesterday, you LOVE the park. You cannot get enough. You would spend more time there than anywhere else if we let you. Thankfully we don't. But we also can't lie to you when you get older, like saying the park is closed or there's a birthday party there and it's full... We can't do this because you can see the park from all of our south-facing windows. And not that we'd want to lie. Anyway, my point is that we got some amazing pictures today so as I type this, I am uploading photos to a Flickr account because this isn't really the forum for sharing all of your photographed cuteness and there is a lot of it. (You can access the photos by clicking on the fancy Flickr box in the white right-hand box.) And oh, again with the pigtails - and a butterfly shirt - you are SO DELICIOUS!!!

Pigtails

Finally this week is over! I've been in planning sessions and a conference for three days this week and had to miss three lunches with you. Fortunately, I had this super sweet vision of you in pigtails Monday through Wednesday. And oh, how adorable it was. Just when I think you can't get any cuter, you always do! I don't know why we didn't do your hair this way sooner. What a natural progression it should have been from the Pebbles ponytail atop your head from 5 months - 9 months old. (Pebbles was Fred and Wilma's baby daughter on the Flintstones - a cartoon you will likely never see...) Anyway, I just wanted to eat you up because of that really sticky, gooey sweetness.

The park has been a big draw this week. You FREAK OUT every night after supper to go outside. You excitedly get your coat and shoes and cannot contain your anticipation to run down the sidewalk. Thankfully, I hold your hand when you run or you'd be tasting the pavement everytime. Uncle Nigel babysat you tonight while your dad and I went for the conference supper. Once I mentioned the park, you went right to him, handing him your shoes, and weren't even upset that we were leaving at all. He took you at 5:45 and you stayed until almost 6:30. Apparently you would leave the park, but kept turning around to go back - 6 times. That's what happens when you call the shots, huh? Even though me and dad think we're in charge...

I should also mention that you can walk as good as anyone. I still can't get over it. I was looking through a bag in the living room when you took my pen, walked into the kitchen and by the time I came to see where you'd gone, you were 'colouring' on the fridge with the pen. Speaking of which, you learned to colour this morning. We've tried before but you had a hard time getting the hang of it. We got out some crayons, even though you prefer pens and Sharpees, and you went to town. Good job! Dad loves to draw so your interest in this made his day! (Here's a screenshot from some video I took of your first experience with crayons.)

So yeah, that's it for now. So tired. Can't wait to go to bed.

New, faster mode of transportation

Gone are the days of putting you down somewhere and it taking a couple minutes for you to find and get to me...


Walking to Mama on Vimeo

Squirrel call

Squirrel on Vimeo

Dirty rice

Maybe it wasn't dirty rice because that has ground beef, but it was of New Orleans flavour and it was very dirty. Here of some pictures of you eating supper tonight. Only the corn and carrots could keep your interest initially, but once me and dad were done you seemed to want to get into the saucy beans and rice. And get into it you did. First you had to feel it squishing inside your hands, between your fingers, then you tried shoving single grains of rice into your mouth but they would fall before arriving. So you tasted your hands and seemed quite intrigued by the spiciness and intense flavour. Then there was no going back - you ate straight from the bowl, you ate with your hands and when they couldn't hold enough, you ate with the serving spoon. Yummm! Needless to say you needed a bath - and to get the rice out of your nose.


We were at the pediatrician's office yesterday and while we were in the waiting room, I was looking a book that said finger paints or painting with pudding was an age appropriate activity for you. I imagine it would be similar to supper tonight...but with less nutrition. Anyway, the doctor was pleased with you. You weighed 8.21 kg so you are slowly starting to climb along the bottom of the growth chart - an improvement from dropping off it. So, we're to keep what we're doing and go back in two months to weigh and measure you again. (Also, we won't be going back to feeding therapy. After our session last Tuesday, they don't feel they can help us any further - that you have the skills needed to thrive. They recommended maybe a psychologist if problems persist.)

After the doctor's appointment, we picked up supper from Dairy Queen because we really need groceries. You got the kid's quesadilla meal which came with fries and a drink. (I got fish, Dad got a burger, both of which you also had bites of.) Anyway, you really liked everything and even dipped your own fry in ketchup! That was too good. Your dexterity is wonderful; I'm sure those skills will come in handy for other things than dipping! Obviously we are very proud of how well you've been eating - I can't stop talking about it.

I stayed home with you today. This morning we went to Tot's Café with Creeson and Molly. You thought all those kids and toys were pretty terrific. Dad and I will have to take you there sometime. This afternoon we had a super-long nap, 1:20 until almost 4 p.m. I love sleeping beside you; you're such a good cuddler. And tomorrow is Saturday which means we go to Smitty's for breakfast. It was rainy all day today and not supposed to be too much nicer tomorrow so no Farmer's Market like last weekend. (Did I mention you really liked the beets in the borscht I made?) The evenings are getting dark so early now, too. You think it's pretty bizarre that the cars are all lit up when they drive by. Well, I should hang out with your dad now. Good night.

Making friends

We walked over to the school yard after supper tonight. Well, actually you ran with a giant grin on and your head tipped back. You still held my hand, but it won't be much longer before you can run without me. Just these past few days you have been walking everywhere and doing a great job of it. Anyway, we were the first ones to the park; the other kids don't usually show up until closer to 6:30. You would squat, pick up handfuls of rocks, drop them and do it all again every few steps. It's so funny how those rocks provide so much joy for you - and so much dust for my clothes. After putting your rocks on the bottom of the slide, we went on the swing briefly before you approached a little blonde guy with a 'safari' shirt on. He was a little taller than you, much more stable and had much bigger hands - maybe 16 or 17 months old. You walked right up to him and touched his shirt, then his cheek. He was a little leary of your forwardness, but you persisted with some short little questioning jabbers. He responded by putting his hand to your chest and you falling down. You picked up a handful of rocks, stood up and tried to share them by putting them in his hand. Apparently, he felt you were too forward again and lightly pushed you down again. You stood back up, really fascinated by this little guy your size and he, too, thought you were interesting. While it was pretty sweet, we finally said bye-bye to the boy and headed for home. How wonderful it is watching you try to communicate with someone new. Just watching you learn to socialize, make friends on your own, just impresses me to no end.

In other happenings, you are the most affectionate, cuddly baby in the whole world. The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is crawl over and hug your dad - 'cause you haven't seen him in ten and a half hours. You are really full of love these last couple days, even hugging your toys. Even though you are horrified every morning when Nana comes because you know that means mom has to go, she said you were hugging her all day. And last night at supper, you would rather sit with Nana than me. (But that's okay because I know I'm still your favourite!)

You've been sleeping awesome for Nana. After getting up at 6:30 this morning, you napped from 8:15 until 9:45, then again from 1:15 until 3 p.m. And you were asleep by 7:30 tonight. I know that sleep begets more sleep and that makes a happier baby, so this is pretty terrific. Maybe all that walking around takes it toll on you...

You and me

Daddy stayed home with you on Friday, but took these pictures of you and me when I came home for lunch. That's a yummy lunchtime!

The first three months

I've been working on compiling some photos for your baby book and have pictures of you at one month, two months and three months so far. I doubt I need to point out how much you've grown...

One month old

Two months old

Three months old