I went to go pick up Babs a few days ago and as I reached down she said "up." I looked at her and asked "Did you just say 'up'?" And she repeated back "uh-p." Then she said it for her daddy. And now she says it when she feels like it. Uh-oh, and up.
Does this give us an insight to her priorities?
Saturday, April 30, 2011
why we live here
It may be more than a little non-traditional, but this is my girl's nursery. This is her world view. That's got to mean something.
spelling
Kiddo and I were playing scrabble yesterday. (Any one have some forgotten boxes they want me to sort through? I'm really good at it now.) I spelled her name, which she recognized. I was pretty excited about that. Then she told me she was spelling her new name.
ADHRIYETQ, except you read it from right to left. It's pronounced "ellie." She told me this, then Babs when she woke up, and then Daddy when he got home. Lest you think this new name signifies something, no, in fact you should not call her by her new name. Her name is "Kiddo" (or her given name at any rate.)
ADHRIYETQ, except you read it from right to left. It's pronounced "ellie." She told me this, then Babs when she woke up, and then Daddy when he got home. Lest you think this new name signifies something, no, in fact you should not call her by her new name. Her name is "Kiddo" (or her given name at any rate.)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
the doll
Inspired by Kiddo's present opening, we started Babs' presents early (note the jammies). This particular present was a request from me to my mom: a doll with hair.
Babs, being one, is a little weirded out by this box we're pushing on her.
In fact, she, unsurprisingly, was uninvolved in the opening.
And the present itself seemed interesting, but still boxed.
But then, as usual, the packaging proved tougher than the parents. This is when Babs lost all patience.
And now is somewhat mollified now that the doll is in her arms. She loves it.
Kiddo also got a doll for her first birthday, which was also very well packaged. In a sweet video, she is excited and anxious and helpful, hooting the whole time to express to me how much she wants me to get it out. Babs, being a second child, assumed that we weren't giving her the doll, as opposed to not being able to get it out, and thus made her cry of injustice that usually accompanies her toys being stolen from her. I like that she stands up for herself.
Babs, being one, is a little weirded out by this box we're pushing on her.
In fact, she, unsurprisingly, was uninvolved in the opening.
And the present itself seemed interesting, but still boxed.
But then, as usual, the packaging proved tougher than the parents. This is when Babs lost all patience.
And now is somewhat mollified now that the doll is in her arms. She loves it.
Kiddo also got a doll for her first birthday, which was also very well packaged. In a sweet video, she is excited and anxious and helpful, hooting the whole time to express to me how much she wants me to get it out. Babs, being a second child, assumed that we weren't giving her the doll, as opposed to not being able to get it out, and thus made her cry of injustice that usually accompanies her toys being stolen from her. I like that she stands up for herself.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
happy birthday baby
My Babs is one year old now. She had a really fun birthday, thanks to a visit from Grandma and Aunt M. Because they were here we got to go to the Aquarium, which really pleased both children. Who knew my Babs loved animals so much? And we also had cake, and dinner, and presents. Plus extra love from family? what could be better than that?
***Kiddo also loved the aquarium. Her favorite part, hands down, was "her walrus," which as you can see, is just a plaster statue. We actually went back to see it twice.
And this is a recent family photo, with the adopted walrus. It qualifies as "good" because we're all looking at the camera. And the birthday girl looks beautiful.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
she speaks
She (Babs) says "uh-oh." She even knows when to use it, but will repeat it happily in most instances. It's surprising to hear such a little person use words, but I like it. She also, in very specific instances, says "da-da." She will say it when he comes home, if she can crawl to him. If either of those conditions is not met, she won't say a word. (She will though, flap her arms wildly until he comes to say hi to her.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
the view from here
This is hands down one of the most common views in my life. A two and a half foot tall little person demanding my attention by hanging on to my pants. Note the well flared lips, a sign of whining. Oh, the whining...
Friday, April 15, 2011
bedtime routine
When going to bed, Kiddo has to go to the bathroom (which may take up to a half hour, depending on her day, and ours), drink a glass of milk, change into jammies (no more pull-ups, yay!), read scriptures, sing a song, say a prayer, and then have a few books read to her. Then one of us will lie with her for the five minutes or so it takes for her to fall asleep.
Unless she's had a nap. Then one of us reads her a lot of books, then leaves her to entertain herself with books, requests to use the potty, and requests for food (guess that's not so much entertaining just herself, is it?) until about 11 pm. We try to avoid naps. (But I need naps! So we still have quiet time almost every day.)
Babs has a much smaller routine. When we remember, we say family prayer together. My husband usually reads her two or three board books. She nurses (time varying from 5 seconds to 5 minutes). I stand next to her crib and sing her one song. She dives into the crib. She falls asleep. She may, start looking longingly into the crib while the song is going on. Do not be fooled. It is important to sing the entire song. Putting her in bed without completing the song will cause an unhappy baby, and thus the song and put into bed step will need to be repeated.
5 minutes vs. 45 minutes. No wonder we prefer the process for Babs.
***
The other amusing thing about Babs is that she goes to bed at 6 pm. She's a pretty short napper, so by 6 pm she has had it. She is often wailing while we put on her jammies. She then sleeps until about 7:30 (sometimes she will have a 5 am snack). We thought this would be a short phase, but it's been going on for a few months now, and there appears to be no end in the near future. It means that as a family, we don't go anywhere in the evening. But that's okay.
Unless she's had a nap. Then one of us reads her a lot of books, then leaves her to entertain herself with books, requests to use the potty, and requests for food (guess that's not so much entertaining just herself, is it?) until about 11 pm. We try to avoid naps. (But I need naps! So we still have quiet time almost every day.)
Babs has a much smaller routine. When we remember, we say family prayer together. My husband usually reads her two or three board books. She nurses (time varying from 5 seconds to 5 minutes). I stand next to her crib and sing her one song. She dives into the crib. She falls asleep. She may, start looking longingly into the crib while the song is going on. Do not be fooled. It is important to sing the entire song. Putting her in bed without completing the song will cause an unhappy baby, and thus the song and put into bed step will need to be repeated.
5 minutes vs. 45 minutes. No wonder we prefer the process for Babs.
***
The other amusing thing about Babs is that she goes to bed at 6 pm. She's a pretty short napper, so by 6 pm she has had it. She is often wailing while we put on her jammies. She then sleeps until about 7:30 (sometimes she will have a 5 am snack). We thought this would be a short phase, but it's been going on for a few months now, and there appears to be no end in the near future. It means that as a family, we don't go anywhere in the evening. But that's okay.
climber alert
Our first child was not a climber. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be a family thing, as I had hoped, but individual. The second seems keen on honing this skill as soon as possible.
(Yeah, I know, she's going to have to go mostly naked all summer just so I can love that adorable chubby body. How can I even think of covering it, even with the cutest clothes?)
(Yeah, I know, she's going to have to go mostly naked all summer just so I can love that adorable chubby body. How can I even think of covering it, even with the cutest clothes?)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
color blind
One thing I really desire for my children is sufficient exposure to diverse populations, such that they are color blind. But, I never really thought that would be possible until we arrived where we are for my husband's work. We are in the minority in our town, and at our church.
[Once we were eating at "the burger store." A white person walked in and I thought, now they look out of place, and then quickly remembered I was white too, and thus also stood out.]
Last night though, I knew we had succeeded. In a book we were reading, Kiddo found someone with her name. There were four children in the illustration: two boys, a girl with long braids who was black and a short haired blond girl. Kiddo looked at the children, knowing one shared her name, and associated herself with the girl with long hair.
Now if I can just help her keep this as we move to our next place.
[Once we were eating at "the burger store." A white person walked in and I thought, now they look out of place, and then quickly remembered I was white too, and thus also stood out.]
Last night though, I knew we had succeeded. In a book we were reading, Kiddo found someone with her name. There were four children in the illustration: two boys, a girl with long braids who was black and a short haired blond girl. Kiddo looked at the children, knowing one shared her name, and associated herself with the girl with long hair.
Now if I can just help her keep this as we move to our next place.
Monday, April 11, 2011
pre-conference brunch
Where we used to live, one of our friends invited us to a family tradition, a pre-conference brunch. Since general conference starts at noon out here in the East, there was plenty of time to eat, enjoy each others company, and head off to the conference experience of one's choice. When they moved, another set of friends took on the challenge, because they enjoyed it so much.
When we moved here, we took the tradition with us. This was to be our third time hosting, except our girls got sick that day, so we rescheduled for yesterday, after church. Life doesn't always work out as you planned.
Kiddo took some pictures, so you can see how much fun we had.
Our good friends, including Babs best amigo, with the two elders about to be double transferred out. (Both from Utah, so I figured they'd appreciate our brunch, where the main course is scones.)
Here they are again.
A woman my daughters, and I, dearly love.
Our fearless branch president, and the do-everything guy that manages to serve everyone.
Kiddo's cute friend, and her mom, my friend, who is also the tireless nursery leader, an important role in for our family.
And us. Yes my eyes are closed. Apparently Babs isn't the only one who thinks the flash is really flashy.
(Babs is not in any pictures. Shortly after the first guests arrived she insisted on going to bed. She slept through the festivities.)
When we moved here, we took the tradition with us. This was to be our third time hosting, except our girls got sick that day, so we rescheduled for yesterday, after church. Life doesn't always work out as you planned.
Kiddo took some pictures, so you can see how much fun we had.
Our good friends, including Babs best amigo, with the two elders about to be double transferred out. (Both from Utah, so I figured they'd appreciate our brunch, where the main course is scones.)
Here they are again.
A woman my daughters, and I, dearly love.
Our fearless branch president, and the do-everything guy that manages to serve everyone.
Kiddo's cute friend, and her mom, my friend, who is also the tireless nursery leader, an important role in for our family.
And us. Yes my eyes are closed. Apparently Babs isn't the only one who thinks the flash is really flashy.
(Babs is not in any pictures. Shortly after the first guests arrived she insisted on going to bed. She slept through the festivities.)
Friday, April 8, 2011
button up
When Kiddo was very young, she started holding the collar of her onesie while sucking her thumb.
She continued to do this more and more as she grew older. But only while sucking her thumb, and she only did that when she was tired, hungry, or upset. I loved that thumb sucking was a distress indicator, not just something she did.
The problem was, what would happen when she stopped wearing onesies? Obviously at some point, it is not convenient to have snaps across your bottom. She solved this problem herself. First she started holding onto the collar of either her jammies or onesies (they both have the same scalloped edges). And since we still put her in her warm jammies at night, with a pull-up on, we were still using jammies and onesies, which she started carrying all over the house. And needing an extra pair when she went to bed. Where most children have a stuffed animal, a blanket, my child has "jammies and onesie." (Which, for me, is way better than the child at the library who has a comfort washcloth... ) She would carry as many as possible. Laundry day was a blessing in her life, because they were all convenient.
When she outgrew them all, we put them away for the next child, except one pair. She still faithfully sleeps with them every night. And she still has one pair of jammies currently with the correct collar, her favorite pair, cupcake jammies.
And she has a name for it. One night she explained to me, "you hold the jammies like this, and button your finger in them." She has been sighted trying to button her fingers into Babs' jammies (while Babs' was wearing them) in a pinch.
While this is very important to her, don't try to button your fingers in her jammies. It's not allowed.
She continued to do this more and more as she grew older. But only while sucking her thumb, and she only did that when she was tired, hungry, or upset. I loved that thumb sucking was a distress indicator, not just something she did.
The problem was, what would happen when she stopped wearing onesies? Obviously at some point, it is not convenient to have snaps across your bottom. She solved this problem herself. First she started holding onto the collar of either her jammies or onesies (they both have the same scalloped edges). And since we still put her in her warm jammies at night, with a pull-up on, we were still using jammies and onesies, which she started carrying all over the house. And needing an extra pair when she went to bed. Where most children have a stuffed animal, a blanket, my child has "jammies and onesie." (Which, for me, is way better than the child at the library who has a comfort washcloth... ) She would carry as many as possible. Laundry day was a blessing in her life, because they were all convenient.
When she outgrew them all, we put them away for the next child, except one pair. She still faithfully sleeps with them every night. And she still has one pair of jammies currently with the correct collar, her favorite pair, cupcake jammies.
And she has a name for it. One night she explained to me, "you hold the jammies like this, and button your finger in them." She has been sighted trying to button her fingers into Babs' jammies (while Babs' was wearing them) in a pinch.
While this is very important to her, don't try to button your fingers in her jammies. It's not allowed.
comfort item
Kiddo has her jammies and onesie, Babs has me, or more specifically, my hair. Ever since she was capable, she wraps her little hands in my hair and holds on. She will do this especially when upset, but mostly whenever possible. When upset she also sucks on her bottom lip. She started doing this about the same time she decided not to suck on her palm.She definitely prefers me to everyone else, and has become quite protective of me. When she sees her sister cuddling with me, she crawls to me, then cries until I pick her up. She wraps her arms tight around my neck so that there is less room for anyone else. If other children are visiting, she will soon find her way to being held. Yesterday, Kiddo stood by my leg and pulled on my pants, asking me to pick her up. Babs quickly came to me, pulled herself to standing, then pushed Kiddo's hand off my leg. Kiddo laughed, and put it back. Babs pushed it off. This continued, with Babs getting increasingly frustrated, and Kiddo laughing (not realizing she was upsetting her sister) until Kiddo cries out "We're having fun!" Or at least one of them was.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
packages!
As previously mentioned, my goal is not move a single thing we haven't deemed valuable in one way or another, so this means going through every box of stuff we have. Given that everything we owned went into storage when we left our old home, and moved into a smaller home (with less storage space, no room for our washer and dryer, and we added a fourth person), some things are still in boxes. So every week or two I go to the storage unit and bring home another box or two. (We're almost through them all!)Kiddo thinks this is super fun. "Packages!" she yells. As if she never got one. But every box has at least one thing that is very interesting to a three year old. Like our old shower head. This is providing days of entertainment.
little fatty
Babs has seriously thinned out since she turned six months, then started crawling a few months later. But she's still delightfully squishy.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
wink and a smile
While shopping with my parents, we noticed Kiddo had found a mirror. (Her love of mirrors is intense, even for someone her age.) Then we noticed what she was doing. She was pushing up a cheek with one hand, and down on her eyebrow with the other in order to close one eye while the other was still open. "Look! I'm winking!" she announced. She pushed and practiced some more.
She's been practicing ever since then. She can now do it without help from her hands. She can also do it with either eye. She looks very awkward doing it, but she can.
My husband thinks that all her effort is a little odd, it's just a wink after all. I think it makes perfect sense, because I had to practice to wink with both eyes, and to do it with any degree of proficiency. I'm just glad she's practicing now, while she's young and it's easy.
Winking is important in our family, it's one of the ways we say I love you.
She's been practicing ever since then. She can now do it without help from her hands. She can also do it with either eye. She looks very awkward doing it, but she can.
My husband thinks that all her effort is a little odd, it's just a wink after all. I think it makes perfect sense, because I had to practice to wink with both eyes, and to do it with any degree of proficiency. I'm just glad she's practicing now, while she's young and it's easy.
Winking is important in our family, it's one of the ways we say I love you.
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