We took Alex to the library today to play. She was great the whole time, "sharing" puzzles and books with the other little ones. She ran in circles shrieking when the first kid showed up, dazzling him with her ability to run like the wind.
At the end of our trip, Jeff had just pulled her away from some stuffed animals when she loudly proclaimed something that sounded a lot like (avert your eyes if you dislike profane words) "Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch...." A woman nearby looked in horror as Alex said whatever it was she thought she was saying - I assure you that it was not what it sounded like, because that's a word we don't use in front of her. In any case, she managed to horrify both a complete stranger and her parents simultaneously.
Ok, maybe we were more amused than horrified, but still.....
And we have the letter Y to return to the library puzzle, as it seems to have fallen into her pants and traveled home with us.
January 31, 2009
January 29, 2009
Oh, and I was wrong about her new overalls from Grammy. They're not quite as long as I thought, and pretty much fit with a quick roll-up, or with shoes without a rolling. I "tried them on" by putting them in front of her, and apparently big in front of her means it fits on her. Who knew? Now I do, which will help immensely when we replace all the clothes that are getting small enough for even her to notice. (We had an issue with the brown flowery sweatsuit today - she freaked out because the sleeves were tight and short. We didn't bother trying to ride that one out, but quickly changed outfits instead.)
Freezer Candy
Oh dear, Alex just ate a coffee bean off the bottom of the freezer. The important question is, was it regular or decaf? Guess we'll find out soon enough.
Gerry our realtor came over today. Alex loves him, and repeatedly said his name, which sounded like "Jeh-ey". She also said "Goodbye Jeh-ey." when he left. She doesn't said "Goodbye Daddy." but I'm sure that'll be any day now. :)
We're only up to 2 clementines today, but she's been talking about them all day long at random times.
Gerry our realtor came over today. Alex loves him, and repeatedly said his name, which sounded like "Jeh-ey". She also said "Goodbye Jeh-ey." when he left. She doesn't said "Goodbye Daddy." but I'm sure that'll be any day now. :)
We're only up to 2 clementines today, but she's been talking about them all day long at random times.
January 27, 2009
More Dadoo Please
Today was a busy day for Mommy, so Alex was left to her own devices for the most part. She did very well reading to herself, throwing things around and generally keeping herself out of trouble. even stayed off the stairs, which is miraculous on any day, let alone a day when I'm doing my million necessary things. She must have known I was making bread that she'd eat by the head-sized pieces later......
Her shining moment today was when the neighbor pulled up to his house. She proclaimed "truck" from her spot at the front door, then turned, looked at me hopefully and asked "Daddy? Dad? Dadoo?" I told her that, no, that was not Dad at all. "Not Dadoo?" Now, I'm not entirely sure if I heard her right or just imagined that, but I swear that's most likely what she said. Heck, she told me later (I think) "That's mac and cheese!" but perhaps I'm adding the extra words in my mind. I don't know, she saw a stack of music books the other day and said "Music." so I think anything's possible.
Anyway, it was only 10 in the morning, and Dadoo was far away at work, so Alex had an anxious, long day waiting at the front door for him. Well, waiting at the front door, by the couch, on the stairs (yes, eventually she succumbed, but it took a long time) in her room, on our bed (her new favorite place to hang out, may she never ever ever ever ever ever ever sleep there) and everywhere else.
Dadoo did finally come home, a bit late. But she spent quality time with him finally, and was able to fall asleep secure in the knowledge that Dadoo is here to comfort her, should she need some love late in the night. Or, as Dadoo is likely hoping, late in the morning. :)
Her shining moment today was when the neighbor pulled up to his house. She proclaimed "truck" from her spot at the front door, then turned, looked at me hopefully and asked "Daddy? Dad? Dadoo?" I told her that, no, that was not Dad at all. "Not Dadoo?" Now, I'm not entirely sure if I heard her right or just imagined that, but I swear that's most likely what she said. Heck, she told me later (I think) "That's mac and cheese!" but perhaps I'm adding the extra words in my mind. I don't know, she saw a stack of music books the other day and said "Music." so I think anything's possible.
Anyway, it was only 10 in the morning, and Dadoo was far away at work, so Alex had an anxious, long day waiting at the front door for him. Well, waiting at the front door, by the couch, on the stairs (yes, eventually she succumbed, but it took a long time) in her room, on our bed (her new favorite place to hang out, may she never ever ever ever ever ever ever sleep there) and everywhere else.
Dadoo did finally come home, a bit late. But she spent quality time with him finally, and was able to fall asleep secure in the knowledge that Dadoo is here to comfort her, should she need some love late in the night. Or, as Dadoo is likely hoping, late in the morning. :)
January 26, 2009
Daddy Crisis
Alex realized around 11 this morning that Daddy was no where to be found. She started calmly asking "Dad? Daddy? Dadoo?" and ended up crying and yanking on the front door nob, assuming that he was just on the other side and waiting to come in. She began to get frantic as I explained that he was not outside but in fact at work. When I wouldn't even open the door to look, she got really mad and start flipping out, bouncing the back of her head off the door. So, I put on a cd, gave her some apple slices, and all was forgotten. She's been fine ever since.
She's had quite an animated day, actually. Lots more talking then usual. I was sure that was impossible. I was wrong. She's also been extra bouncy/jumpy/dancey. But now she's napping, or at least suspiciously quiet in her crib which anymore I count as the same as napping. And I plan on getting something done today besides writing, so I'm going to step away from the keyboard and into the "ki-CHEN" and get some baking done before this "nap" is over.
She's had quite an animated day, actually. Lots more talking then usual. I was sure that was impossible. I was wrong. She's also been extra bouncy/jumpy/dancey. But now she's napping, or at least suspiciously quiet in her crib which anymore I count as the same as napping. And I plan on getting something done today besides writing, so I'm going to step away from the keyboard and into the "ki-CHEN" and get some baking done before this "nap" is over.
A Visit With Zekey
Alex and I had our trip to Anne and Zekey's house yesterday. Zeke is one of Alex's many suitors - most of our friends have young sons, so she's got a long list to sift through. Twins even! Anyway, I prepped Alex for the trip by having her practice saying "Zekey", and she had that down perfectly. I still am not entirely sure that she knows who Zekey is, but oh well, she will some day for sure.
So, after an hour and a half in the car (15 minutes talking, an hour or so sleeping, and the rest of the trip talking again) we arrived at Zeke's house. Griffin, the Bernese Mountain Dog of the house was there to greet/terrify us when we came in. There was much crying, and Griff was rapidly escorted outside to spend the rest of the day in his preferred cool weather. Though I suspect he might have preferred being inside with two toddlers who drop food as often as they breath.
After the greeting had worn off and Alex was sufficiently calmed down, we settled in for a day of little kid mayhem and madness. We went for a walk to make up for Zeke's lack of nap, but while Zeke slept in his stroller, something he apparently does regularly, Alex was wide awake and crabbing about the mittens we borrowed from Zeke. She managed to yell/pull them off rather quickly, and then her hat. It was pretty darn cold and she was pretty darn crabby by this point, so we ran back to the cars, promising clementines for everyone when we would get back to the house. Alex sadly proclaimed her desire for clementines many times between frustrated yowls (she wanted to get out of the stroller and check out the woods. And eat dirty road snow.) we finally made it back to the car, and she was placated briefly by her music (she now also announces "music" when she hears her cds.)
When we got back, we (she and Zeke) ate clementines, apples, cheese, crackers and cookies of various baby varieties, cereal, milk, juice.........Refueled, Alex and Zeke bounced merrily around the living room, making sure to play with every plastic animal, block, car, truck, bus..................... there were diaper changes galore - thank you Alex for eating so very much the day previous - and while Zeke helped chop veggies for dinner, Alex played some more. She loved the Lego table and all of Zeke's "zebras" (everything that's an exotic-looking animal toy is a zebra, apparently) and she generally had a fabulous time playing with all the things that, if at our house, she would ignore for a crayon.
Dinner was quick and painless, and then Alex was inserted into her pajamas for a quiet, relaxing ride home. Only to wake up (or was she ever asleep? She loves watching things from the car, so maybe she was just super quiet.) right when we got into the driveway. I turned around, and she was blinking and sort of staring into space.
We went inside, said hello to Dadoo, had some cheese and juice, and then the real fun began. as witnessed via the phone by my Mom, Alex went temporarily insane when she got home. She literally ran in circles all over the house, falling and getting up, getting tangled in curtains, falling some more, all the while talking and squealing like she had had a steady stream of candy all day long. She does that when she has an atypical day, but wow was she wired last night. I swear she did the worm, and was doing carp kicks off the couch, all kinds of super-craziness. And finally, around 9:00, even the talking and rustling around in the crib stopped, and she's been asleep ever since. Well, I think she woke up once, but I'm fairly certain Jeff only started to go in to check on her and she fell back asleep.
So, I've declared today national stay-at-home-and-get-back-to-the-boring-old-routine day. Judging from the insanity of last night, I think Alex has used up several days' energy anyway, so maybe a return to schedule will actually happen. We can always hope.
So, after an hour and a half in the car (15 minutes talking, an hour or so sleeping, and the rest of the trip talking again) we arrived at Zeke's house. Griffin, the Bernese Mountain Dog of the house was there to greet/terrify us when we came in. There was much crying, and Griff was rapidly escorted outside to spend the rest of the day in his preferred cool weather. Though I suspect he might have preferred being inside with two toddlers who drop food as often as they breath.
After the greeting had worn off and Alex was sufficiently calmed down, we settled in for a day of little kid mayhem and madness. We went for a walk to make up for Zeke's lack of nap, but while Zeke slept in his stroller, something he apparently does regularly, Alex was wide awake and crabbing about the mittens we borrowed from Zeke. She managed to yell/pull them off rather quickly, and then her hat. It was pretty darn cold and she was pretty darn crabby by this point, so we ran back to the cars, promising clementines for everyone when we would get back to the house. Alex sadly proclaimed her desire for clementines many times between frustrated yowls (she wanted to get out of the stroller and check out the woods. And eat dirty road snow.) we finally made it back to the car, and she was placated briefly by her music (she now also announces "music" when she hears her cds.)
When we got back, we (she and Zeke) ate clementines, apples, cheese, crackers and cookies of various baby varieties, cereal, milk, juice.........Refueled, Alex and Zeke bounced merrily around the living room, making sure to play with every plastic animal, block, car, truck, bus..................... there were diaper changes galore - thank you Alex for eating so very much the day previous - and while Zeke helped chop veggies for dinner, Alex played some more. She loved the Lego table and all of Zeke's "zebras" (everything that's an exotic-looking animal toy is a zebra, apparently) and she generally had a fabulous time playing with all the things that, if at our house, she would ignore for a crayon.
Dinner was quick and painless, and then Alex was inserted into her pajamas for a quiet, relaxing ride home. Only to wake up (or was she ever asleep? She loves watching things from the car, so maybe she was just super quiet.) right when we got into the driveway. I turned around, and she was blinking and sort of staring into space.
We went inside, said hello to Dadoo, had some cheese and juice, and then the real fun began. as witnessed via the phone by my Mom, Alex went temporarily insane when she got home. She literally ran in circles all over the house, falling and getting up, getting tangled in curtains, falling some more, all the while talking and squealing like she had had a steady stream of candy all day long. She does that when she has an atypical day, but wow was she wired last night. I swear she did the worm, and was doing carp kicks off the couch, all kinds of super-craziness. And finally, around 9:00, even the talking and rustling around in the crib stopped, and she's been asleep ever since. Well, I think she woke up once, but I'm fairly certain Jeff only started to go in to check on her and she fell back asleep.
So, I've declared today national stay-at-home-and-get-back-to-the-boring-old-routine day. Judging from the insanity of last night, I think Alex has used up several days' energy anyway, so maybe a return to schedule will actually happen. We can always hope.
January 24, 2009
Dadurday
As is always the case with weekends, Alex stuck to her Dad like glue. The days of the weekend are official Dadurday and Sundad. She follows him around, hitting him with books until he reads them, begging for clementines from him and him only, and cries hysterically when he leaves the room. I leave the room, and she doesn't even notice.
I don't mind at all. She spends way more time with me, probably too much time some days, and needs to bond with Jeff when she can. I feel badly for him because he really has to hide from her in order to get a few seconds rest. But I can get things done! Anything I want! And it makes picking up half-chewed food from all over the house that much better, because at least she's not trying to eat it again, she's getting more from Dadoo!
She also attended a work party with us this evening, and was, of course, well behaved until the very end. She found a plastic orange, was convinced it was a clementine and gave it to Jeff to peel. That was a tricky situation to get out of, but we managed to distract her somehow and deposited the orange where she couldn't see it. She melted down a bit at "bedtime" (the time we want her to go to bed) but then lightened up after getting in the car. She talked, she hummed, she blinked, and then we were home. And miracle of miracles, she's now asleep. Dreaming, no doubt, of the slightly loud Playschool bus and myriad dolls she played with at the completely unfamiliar house with lots of stairs. Good times.
I don't mind at all. She spends way more time with me, probably too much time some days, and needs to bond with Jeff when she can. I feel badly for him because he really has to hide from her in order to get a few seconds rest. But I can get things done! Anything I want! And it makes picking up half-chewed food from all over the house that much better, because at least she's not trying to eat it again, she's getting more from Dadoo!
She also attended a work party with us this evening, and was, of course, well behaved until the very end. She found a plastic orange, was convinced it was a clementine and gave it to Jeff to peel. That was a tricky situation to get out of, but we managed to distract her somehow and deposited the orange where she couldn't see it. She melted down a bit at "bedtime" (the time we want her to go to bed) but then lightened up after getting in the car. She talked, she hummed, she blinked, and then we were home. And miracle of miracles, she's now asleep. Dreaming, no doubt, of the slightly loud Playschool bus and myriad dolls she played with at the completely unfamiliar house with lots of stairs. Good times.
Last night Alex was very wired, and didn't end up going to bed until 8, which has been determined to be the end of the line for her every night. She wasn't ready to sleep, though, and like many other nights this week, she entertained herself in her crib by talking to herself for about a half hour. She very rarely says too much that makes sense but goes off in sound tangents, making up words that begin with the same sound but end differently. Every once in a while her volume picks up dramatically too. It's very cute to listen too, especially when it's paired with the usual bouncing up and down. I wish we could set up a video camera in the dark to film her ridiculous can't-sleep rants and bounces. (No we don't have the surveillance-type baby monitors that you can set up so you can watch them sleep. Even Alex needs a little privacy, and if she's not screaming or on fire, or both, we're not worried.)
And last night before the talking in bed, she found Dadoo's sneakers. They're a rare treat, as they live in the closet all week until volleyball night and don't come out of the gym bag until he's ready to go. But last night they were mid-living room, and she took full advantage. Her favorite thing to do with them is grab one, stick a lace in her mouth, and run around with it dangling from her teeth. Needless to say, that gets me fearing for the integrity of her teeth. So, after much chasing (me doing the chasing) and giggling (her, obviously) I wrestled the shoes (repeatedly) from her mouth. They ended up as a strange mantle decoration until Dadoo put them one. Thwarted, Alex moved on to spinning in circles with an animal cracker. It was a fun night.
And last night before the talking in bed, she found Dadoo's sneakers. They're a rare treat, as they live in the closet all week until volleyball night and don't come out of the gym bag until he's ready to go. But last night they were mid-living room, and she took full advantage. Her favorite thing to do with them is grab one, stick a lace in her mouth, and run around with it dangling from her teeth. Needless to say, that gets me fearing for the integrity of her teeth. So, after much chasing (me doing the chasing) and giggling (her, obviously) I wrestled the shoes (repeatedly) from her mouth. They ended up as a strange mantle decoration until Dadoo put them one. Thwarted, Alex moved on to spinning in circles with an animal cracker. It was a fun night.
January 23, 2009
I'm almost to tired to write (Alex on the other hand is wide awake) but thought I'd mention that Alex was shouting "hot" today while pointing at the fire. HooooOOOOOOt! HoooooOOOOOt! This went on all through dinner. Very entertaining for her and us. :) Oh, and mice still hoot. Very loudly, apparently.
January 22, 2009
Alex and I had an argument earlier tonight about what sound a mouse makes. (And yes, she says mouse too. I beginning to think the keeping tabs of words thing is getting ridiculous since she says everything now. She even told Jeff to sh'up tonight....hmmm, add that to the no-say list.) She was convinced, for some inexplicable reason, that mice say "hoot", and we went back and forth for several minutes before she just ended the argument by leaving. She won, I think.
January 21, 2009
Gubs
Gubs - You know, the things you wear on your hands? Otherwise known as glubs. Not to be confused with mi-tens.
Today's snuggle target was the much-maligned fire tool set. The poker, brush, ash shovel and tongs have been the object of Alex's unending love ever since we decided to take down the dreaded fire cage - the glorified baby gate that wrapped around the fireplace and attached to the wall. That thing cut our living space in half, and was a bbit unsightly to say the least. So we've braved life with an accessible fire place, and the fire tools have paid the price. Sure eoungh, today was no different. Alex tried to touch the fire tools with her teddy bear, perhaps to diffuse any criticism between herself and the bear, but when that didn't work, she dropped the bear and snuggled with the tools, almost knocking them over with her head.
Now we have to work on the "don't snuggle either" command........
I've gotten lucky, and it looks like Alex will actual nap for a reasonable (to me) amount of time, which makes sense since I didn't wake up feeling frazzled today like I did yesterday.
Oh yeah, new words I haven't mentioned include :
cd, teddy bear (that ones she's been working on for a long time - she's probably trying to figure out "It's teddy bear's fault.") and chocolate. Can't think of any more right now. Well, maybe one - Daddy is now Dadoo. :)
Now we have to work on the "don't snuggle either" command........
I've gotten lucky, and it looks like Alex will actual nap for a reasonable (to me) amount of time, which makes sense since I didn't wake up feeling frazzled today like I did yesterday.
Oh yeah, new words I haven't mentioned include :
cd, teddy bear (that ones she's been working on for a long time - she's probably trying to figure out "It's teddy bear's fault.") and chocolate. Can't think of any more right now. Well, maybe one - Daddy is now Dadoo. :)
January 20, 2009
Snuggle - A Safe Bet
When Alex gets aggressive with the cats, "patting" them too hard, pulling their tails and such, we encourage her to snuggle with them instead. Which means that she buries her head in the closest fur. She frequently snuggles with us (our knees, arms, head, whatever she's close to) but today took it to the next level.
She was "reading" one of her pop-up books today (http://www.amazon.com/600-Black-Spots-Children-Collectible/dp/1416940928) and decided to get a little more interactive with it by pulling the spots and generally whacking the book. It's that kind of book, really, but won't last long that way, so I told her in no uncertain terms that she was to be gentle with the book. She announced "snuggle", or more like "suggle" and buried her head in the book. She did this for almost every page.
Then Alex was playing with the trash can - how dare I put dried up pony tail palm leaves in there without letting her slash herself to death with them first? - and I scolded her, intending to pull her away if(when) she didn't listen. But in a moment that horrified/amused me, she declared "suggle" and put her head on the rim of the trash can. So cute/gross.
She has also started crossing her fingers and sucking on them while crossed. I have no idea why. But her middle finger was swollen from all the sucking today. :(
She was "reading" one of her pop-up books today (http://www.amazon.com/600-Black-Spots-Children-Collectible/dp/1416940928) and decided to get a little more interactive with it by pulling the spots and generally whacking the book. It's that kind of book, really, but won't last long that way, so I told her in no uncertain terms that she was to be gentle with the book. She announced "snuggle", or more like "suggle" and buried her head in the book. She did this for almost every page.
Then Alex was playing with the trash can - how dare I put dried up pony tail palm leaves in there without letting her slash herself to death with them first? - and I scolded her, intending to pull her away if(when) she didn't listen. But in a moment that horrified/amused me, she declared "suggle" and put her head on the rim of the trash can. So cute/gross.
She has also started crossing her fingers and sucking on them while crossed. I have no idea why. But her middle finger was swollen from all the sucking today. :(
January 19, 2009
Y is for...
Well, she knows it's a yo-yo, but she pronounces it "no-no", so Y is now for no-no. And T is for choo choo.
As has happened every time it snows, it's about a degree too warm for the snow to hang around, as if there would be enough for Alex to play in anyway. Oh well, I guess there's still plenty of winter left for the snowsuit, even if it is less likely to fit every day.
Alex has had a fabulous day of dancing, spinning, cookie eating (cream cheese cookies fresh from the oven!) and generally being slightly naughty. Another bit of crayon was consumed - we've yet to find any remnants of previous crayons, and I don't know whether to be disturbed or relieved. Custard has found the ideal spot to "hide" from Alex. He perches on top of the couch, and she mostly doesn't notice him. Occasionally she sees him and comes up for a visit, but it doesn't last too long, so he's happy.
I think we're making sweet potato pancakes for dinner, so we know she'll eat dinner! No bacon though. :(
Alex has had a fabulous day of dancing, spinning, cookie eating (cream cheese cookies fresh from the oven!) and generally being slightly naughty. Another bit of crayon was consumed - we've yet to find any remnants of previous crayons, and I don't know whether to be disturbed or relieved. Custard has found the ideal spot to "hide" from Alex. He perches on top of the couch, and she mostly doesn't notice him. Occasionally she sees him and comes up for a visit, but it doesn't last too long, so he's happy.
I think we're making sweet potato pancakes for dinner, so we know she'll eat dinner! No bacon though. :(
January 18, 2009
If I Write a Book.....
As I discussed with my mom earlier tonight, if I ever write a book about raising kids, the title will be "Banana Poops Don't Smell". Because it's true. I speak from all-too-recent experience. Another reason to keep bananas on the menu? Heck yeah.
We've got a coating of snow outside right now. I'm hoping it'll be way more by tomorrow so we can finally use the snow suit!!!
We've got a coating of snow outside right now. I'm hoping it'll be way more by tomorrow so we can finally use the snow suit!!!
Alex ate a blue crayon tip this afternoon. At least a bit of it. The rest ended up in the trash, much to her dismay. And the crayons have been a huge success so far, other than the eating part which is inevitable. She hasn't actually drawn anything the last few days, but has gnawed quite a few crayons and delights in throwing them all over the living room. I'm finding crayons in interesting places all the time now, but mostly under the couch or in her hands at random times. We have gone back to using the snake (see the blurry action shot) as a crayon barrier, but they still sneak under the snake to find a hiding spot under the couch. We'll get them later - she has the 120 pack and I think we still have a while before she runs out. Assuming she doesn't eat the rest.
January 17, 2009
It's been a slow Alex news day or so. She's practicing her "jumping". She's very happy it's the weekend because then Jeff is here for her to cling onto - she follows him around all weekend long and throws books at him. To read.
We're all just trying to stay warm since it's so darn cold here. As soon as the heat goes off, it's freezing in the house, or at least seems to be. Anyway, that's what socks and fleecy things are for, and cats too. we always have warm laps. Well, Alex doesn't, but someday she will when she and the cats make peace with each other.
I'm hoping we'll get more snow tomorrow than they're calling for, because every day the snowsuit gets a bit shorter.
Oh, Alex has been working on saying Grammy and Pop-Pop. She's got Pop-Pop down, she just doesn't know what it means. Grammy is almost there. We probably should have pictures to use like flash cards so she can correspond the names with the faces. Auntie Lu and Adam too!
Hmm, can't tell for sure, but I think Alex may be waking up from a satisfyingly long nap, so I should wrap this up.
We're all just trying to stay warm since it's so darn cold here. As soon as the heat goes off, it's freezing in the house, or at least seems to be. Anyway, that's what socks and fleecy things are for, and cats too. we always have warm laps. Well, Alex doesn't, but someday she will when she and the cats make peace with each other.
I'm hoping we'll get more snow tomorrow than they're calling for, because every day the snowsuit gets a bit shorter.
Oh, Alex has been working on saying Grammy and Pop-Pop. She's got Pop-Pop down, she just doesn't know what it means. Grammy is almost there. We probably should have pictures to use like flash cards so she can correspond the names with the faces. Auntie Lu and Adam too!
Hmm, can't tell for sure, but I think Alex may be waking up from a satisfyingly long nap, so I should wrap this up.
January 16, 2009
We had lunch with Daddy - burgers and extra-yummy fries. Alex mostly ate the fries and tomatoes off her burger, with cheese of course. She was her usual well-behaved self, smiling shyly at everyone and only spitting out her food when we were watching. Again we got compliments from one of Jeff's co-workers about how good she is when she's out and about. We're very lucky that way, and try to enjoy every second of it just in case she suddenly realizes that she can act all crazy wherever she is. Though I doubt she'll do that too terribly often - we're not ones to let her go crazy without consequences, and that isn't any different when we're not home. Unlike some parents I've seen at the library, mall etc............stinks to be them.
Anyway, she's finally down for a somewhat forced nap. I imagine she has crayon in between her teeth from earlier. Pity it wasn't gold crayon, that would almost make sense on teeth. But no, pink is her flavor of choice. Ok, and a little black. She didn't have a very big lunch.
In litter box news, I've discovered that, as we suspected, the cats no longer use the litter boxes down in the basement but do all their deeds in the one upstairs, regrettably close to my computer. So I brought another litter box up (next to Jeff's computer) in the hope that they'll spread their business around and I can limit my litter scooping to once every other day. Yeah, that'll happen. In the meantime, it's more litter for Alex to play in, and that's always a fun time. For her.
Anyway, she's finally down for a somewhat forced nap. I imagine she has crayon in between her teeth from earlier. Pity it wasn't gold crayon, that would almost make sense on teeth. But no, pink is her flavor of choice. Ok, and a little black. She didn't have a very big lunch.
In litter box news, I've discovered that, as we suspected, the cats no longer use the litter boxes down in the basement but do all their deeds in the one upstairs, regrettably close to my computer. So I brought another litter box up (next to Jeff's computer) in the hope that they'll spread their business around and I can limit my litter scooping to once every other day. Yeah, that'll happen. In the meantime, it's more litter for Alex to play in, and that's always a fun time. For her.
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeep!
Hooray, Alex slept all night long!!!! Finally, it's been too long. I'll admit that Jeff and I are the ones who get the crankiest when she doesn't sleep. She's always happy except when she's not getting attention, which is almost never, so really I can't complain about being a little tired every now and again. But it's so nice to go to bed kind of late without having had to go in and pat her back to sleep, and then wake up 8 hours later and realize she's not even close to waking up yet. And then even enjoy a cup of tea and a quick blog? Wow, life is good. What's that, it's Friday too? Holy cow (I expect a moo here, that's what happens every time a cow is mentioned normally.....) I can't believe how spoiled we are today!
Anyway, thank goodness for happy, well-rested babies. Might have to take her out to lunch with Daddy to celebrate. :)
Anyway, thank goodness for happy, well-rested babies. Might have to take her out to lunch with Daddy to celebrate. :)
January 15, 2009
New Pants and an Old Sweatshirt
Alex is wearing her stylish new jeans today. Her old ones were pinching her milk belly, but these new ones had to be cinched in four notches so they wouldn't fall off. They're also rolled up a tiny bit - poor thing is all torso with no legs or waist!!! But she looks fabulous anyway, even with baked bean smears and clementine juice everywhere.
And she's wearing Jeff's old blue sweatshirt. Without the pull string - she had a brawl with it and it was removed before she could strangle herself over the frustration of not being able to pull it out and throw it around her shoulders. I out the extra-pointy hood up earlier, but she ripped it off as soon as it went up. For a baby with lots of hoodies, she sure hates hoods.
It's been an uneventful day for her so far. She ate two clementines, a hot dog, baked beans and a yogurt for lunch, so food wise she's eaten almost her weight already. She assaulted Custard, making him yowl incessantly while she said "dad" to him. Hmmm, wonder what that means? Other than that, and lots of reading, watching snow squalls and pretending to jump, not much to report. Oh, she really likes to pretend to jump. I predict way too much jumping in her future. It goes along with the dancing while waving a burp cloth thing - she might be a cheerleader some day.....*shudder*.
I forgot, the word of the day is push. She's pushing buttons (mostly mine) pushing doors, pushing the new tractor, you name it, she's pushing it. And saying push while she does it, of course. All actions are accompanied by the appropriate verb now.
And she's wearing Jeff's old blue sweatshirt. Without the pull string - she had a brawl with it and it was removed before she could strangle herself over the frustration of not being able to pull it out and throw it around her shoulders. I out the extra-pointy hood up earlier, but she ripped it off as soon as it went up. For a baby with lots of hoodies, she sure hates hoods.
It's been an uneventful day for her so far. She ate two clementines, a hot dog, baked beans and a yogurt for lunch, so food wise she's eaten almost her weight already. She assaulted Custard, making him yowl incessantly while she said "dad" to him. Hmmm, wonder what that means? Other than that, and lots of reading, watching snow squalls and pretending to jump, not much to report. Oh, she really likes to pretend to jump. I predict way too much jumping in her future. It goes along with the dancing while waving a burp cloth thing - she might be a cheerleader some day.....*shudder*.
I forgot, the word of the day is push. She's pushing buttons (mostly mine) pushing doors, pushing the new tractor, you name it, she's pushing it. And saying push while she does it, of course. All actions are accompanied by the appropriate verb now.
January 14, 2009
What Have I Done?
Alex is currently pushing the button on her brand new tractor so it plays all the sounds and most importantly the song. She's been doing it for a couple minutes now..........I think the tractor is a hit.
Dragon Bubbles
As I mentioned before, Alex has now added "dragon" to her word repertoire thanks to Cinder the Bubble Blowing Dragon". What I forgot to mention is that "bubbles" is also on the word list. She picked up that book yesterday, and alternated between the two words repeatedly, smiling the whole time. Too cute.
She has also, in the spirit of all the cartoons where the heroes announce what they're about to do before they do it, begun to tell us when she's about to bounce. She then says "bouncing, bouncing, bouncing" while bouncing. Her definition of bouncing is somewhat loose, and can apply to any sort of up and down motion. She also jumped with us last night. She really just bobbed her torso up and then down - there was nothing remotely airborne about her jumping. Well, maybe one foot left the floor briefly, but that's debatable. She does, however, very much want to jump, and I feel certain that she'll get it eventually. Now, if only it would thaw out enough outside for us to practice in the back yard.....
Alex also helped me yesterday with the eradication of the spider mites on our banana tree. I sprayed it with soapy water several times, and she made sure she was standing just where the droplets that shot past the banana would land, thus catching them with her eyes. Well, probably not, she wasn't rubbing her eyes or anything, just smelled a bit like Palmolive. I suspect that if I put her in the shower I wouldn't have to add baby shampoo. :)
She's still sleeping now, and due to her chronic lack of sleep and apparent growth spurt (1.5 pounds heavier - she's a beast) I'm letting her snooze it up. But we have to brave the cold to get her some new jeans - she's finally bursting the seams and it looks like we're going to hit the 18- month jeans at 18 months! How exciting that fashion-wise she's hitting the developmental mark!
She has also, in the spirit of all the cartoons where the heroes announce what they're about to do before they do it, begun to tell us when she's about to bounce. She then says "bouncing, bouncing, bouncing" while bouncing. Her definition of bouncing is somewhat loose, and can apply to any sort of up and down motion. She also jumped with us last night. She really just bobbed her torso up and then down - there was nothing remotely airborne about her jumping. Well, maybe one foot left the floor briefly, but that's debatable. She does, however, very much want to jump, and I feel certain that she'll get it eventually. Now, if only it would thaw out enough outside for us to practice in the back yard.....
Alex also helped me yesterday with the eradication of the spider mites on our banana tree. I sprayed it with soapy water several times, and she made sure she was standing just where the droplets that shot past the banana would land, thus catching them with her eyes. Well, probably not, she wasn't rubbing her eyes or anything, just smelled a bit like Palmolive. I suspect that if I put her in the shower I wouldn't have to add baby shampoo. :)
She's still sleeping now, and due to her chronic lack of sleep and apparent growth spurt (1.5 pounds heavier - she's a beast) I'm letting her snooze it up. But we have to brave the cold to get her some new jeans - she's finally bursting the seams and it looks like we're going to hit the 18- month jeans at 18 months! How exciting that fashion-wise she's hitting the developmental mark!
Alex was at the doctor yesterday, just to check that her ears were ok since we put her on antibiotics for an er infection. She's fine. We waited forever in the waiting room, during which time she amused me by being shy to all the other folks waiting. It was down to just us and one guy in the waiting room. He was busy reading something, so no attention for Alex. But suddenly, to her great delight, he cleared his throat. This gave Alex the opportunity to fake cough her way all around the waiting room. Big fun for her, and I'll admit I was giggling a bit too, because it's too cute when she does that. As long as we don't acknowledge that it's cute, though, because someday she'll imitate the wrong cougher and get in trouble. Until then...
She had another rough night last night. She slept for a half hour, then cried for and hour and a half, then finally fell asleep. I tried patting her, tried Motrin, and tried leaving her lights on so she could play in the crib, but nothing worked. She finally just exhausted herself, and luckily slept through the night. I'm hoping that this phase ends soon, because I feel bad leaving her in there to cry, but otherwise I'm too darn tired to tolerate her the next day! It's like having a newborn all over again, minus the spit up.
She had another rough night last night. She slept for a half hour, then cried for and hour and a half, then finally fell asleep. I tried patting her, tried Motrin, and tried leaving her lights on so she could play in the crib, but nothing worked. She finally just exhausted herself, and luckily slept through the night. I'm hoping that this phase ends soon, because I feel bad leaving her in there to cry, but otherwise I'm too darn tired to tolerate her the next day! It's like having a newborn all over again, minus the spit up.
January 12, 2009
Must be the Full Moon
Story time at the library was crazy today. Lots of kids, most of them cranky. Alex was all over the place - more than usual. She was in and out of the story room, but we yet again skipped the actual story part of story time. There was a lot of that going around.
A little boy we often see but whose name escapes me was there today, and he was also only in the mood to play with blocks, chalk and puzzles. He got a little punchy when Alex attempted a puzzle take-over and bopped her on the head. She didn't notice. His grandmother did, and I think she was horrified. How shocking that a two year old would hit another kid over a toy!
Alex found the Spongebob section of the library - all the episodes in book form right next to the kiddy keyboards! Oh boy! I'm sensing a theme with the last few days here.....Anyway, out of all the thousands of books she could grab, she found those. She was a very happy camper.
After the library, we've been just hanging out at home, wishing it was warm enough to go outside. She revealed to me the ability to say "dragon" repeatedly. Apparently "Cinder the Bubble-Blowing Dragon" has had a profound effect on her vocabulary.
Having a profound effect on my vocabulary was Alex's discovery that cat litter in a litter box is a lot like sand in a sand box. Oh dear. Yes, she was sifting litter through her fingers this afternoon. All over the floor too, as if it wasn't icky enough already. Thankfully, she only played with the "clean" stuff - way more sanitary than the poop she played with the other day - so minimal frantic scrubbing was required. It's so neat how she discovers new things every day. :l
Well, her nap has gone on forever, allowing me to make a batch of brownies and to test them thoroughly for goodness. They're pretty good, but might require additional testing just to make sure.
A little boy we often see but whose name escapes me was there today, and he was also only in the mood to play with blocks, chalk and puzzles. He got a little punchy when Alex attempted a puzzle take-over and bopped her on the head. She didn't notice. His grandmother did, and I think she was horrified. How shocking that a two year old would hit another kid over a toy!
Alex found the Spongebob section of the library - all the episodes in book form right next to the kiddy keyboards! Oh boy! I'm sensing a theme with the last few days here.....Anyway, out of all the thousands of books she could grab, she found those. She was a very happy camper.
After the library, we've been just hanging out at home, wishing it was warm enough to go outside. She revealed to me the ability to say "dragon" repeatedly. Apparently "Cinder the Bubble-Blowing Dragon" has had a profound effect on her vocabulary.
Having a profound effect on my vocabulary was Alex's discovery that cat litter in a litter box is a lot like sand in a sand box. Oh dear. Yes, she was sifting litter through her fingers this afternoon. All over the floor too, as if it wasn't icky enough already. Thankfully, she only played with the "clean" stuff - way more sanitary than the poop she played with the other day - so minimal frantic scrubbing was required. It's so neat how she discovers new things every day. :l
Well, her nap has gone on forever, allowing me to make a batch of brownies and to test them thoroughly for goodness. They're pretty good, but might require additional testing just to make sure.
January 11, 2009
Sleeping?
Hmm, seems like Alex may have actually gone to sleep this time. Last night was a nightmare. Well, ok, it was like an unpleasant dream or maybe just a really lame one where mundane things are happening and you wonder why the heck you'd be dreaming about doing dishes, but you know. It was not fun staying up til the almost wee hours watching Spongebob with Alex, though we are great Spongebob fans and normally would encourage her love of our favorite yellow square. But she was just wired last night.
My only thought on why she was wired, besides the chocolate chip cookie sugar recirculating in her bloodstream for 8 hours.......would be that she has discovered that she can "read" books on her own and pretty much entertain herself while simultaneously practicing her words, letters and numbers. She's been real big on the whole learning thing lately, and by that I just mean that she's starving for learning new things, especially with the letters and numbers. I think she was just thinking about letters, numbers, animal noises, babies (she says baby now, but it sounds an awful lot like "beebee" and she always says it quietly) and all the other things she's learning about, like standing on one foot and pointing her toes. It's almost as exciting for us, but we don't stay up late thinking about toe-pointed like I bet she does. Anyway, I'm chalking last night up to "learning overstimulation".
I amused myself tonight by getting Alex to repeatedly say "gosh". It's fun not only because she says it so clearly, but because she says it loudly. Nothing is funnier than hearing her say gosh as loud as she can while she's running around the living room frantically looking for the next toy to play with or book to surf on/read.
Well, I've got to wrap this up and go upstairs to enjoy the silence.
Oh, and how the heck is overstimulating a word (according to this spellcheck) but overstimulation isn't? Seriously, does that make sense at all?
My only thought on why she was wired, besides the chocolate chip cookie sugar recirculating in her bloodstream for 8 hours.......would be that she has discovered that she can "read" books on her own and pretty much entertain herself while simultaneously practicing her words, letters and numbers. She's been real big on the whole learning thing lately, and by that I just mean that she's starving for learning new things, especially with the letters and numbers. I think she was just thinking about letters, numbers, animal noises, babies (she says baby now, but it sounds an awful lot like "beebee" and she always says it quietly) and all the other things she's learning about, like standing on one foot and pointing her toes. It's almost as exciting for us, but we don't stay up late thinking about toe-pointed like I bet she does. Anyway, I'm chalking last night up to "learning overstimulation".
I amused myself tonight by getting Alex to repeatedly say "gosh". It's fun not only because she says it so clearly, but because she says it loudly. Nothing is funnier than hearing her say gosh as loud as she can while she's running around the living room frantically looking for the next toy to play with or book to surf on/read.
Well, I've got to wrap this up and go upstairs to enjoy the silence.
Oh, and how the heck is overstimulating a word (according to this spellcheck) but overstimulation isn't? Seriously, does that make sense at all?
January 9, 2009
F is for Sag
Since Alex can't say "f" yet, f is for ""sag" not flag. She positively identified the letters M, O, X, and D today in her "aybuhcees" book. She can also say octopus. If you count "hopitus" as octopus. And umbrella if you count "umbla" or something like that. We're definitely getting into the realm of debatable words at this point, but even highchair has entered her vocabulary, though I won't even attempt to type what it sounds like when she says it.
On another happy note, she had a great day despite last night's lack of sleep. She snuggled very aggressively with the cats, but there were no errant pats today, which is major. But tomorrow is another day, and she's sure to remember patting by then. Her only bad moments today were when Daddy was on the phone, but that's to be expected. Phone = naughty unless you're talking on it. And she did talk on the phone to Daddy, extremely quietly counting for him. Then licking the phone. I'll call it a kiss.
Anyhoo, I should really get tucked in for bed, since Alex will undoubtedly be up many many times again tonight, but is currently asleep (after having a bedtime conversation with herself for about a half hour.) Oh yeah, we started tucking her in at night because there aren't enough fleecy pj's in the world to keep her warm without a blanket. She's getting used to it, so much so that I suspect that she wiggles her way out by accident - habit, since she's quite wiggly all the time - and then she cries for us to come in and re-tuck her. We just have to get bigger blankets with more permanent tucking capabilities, I think. Perhaps a sleeping bag that zips up around her neck.......yeah, that would be fun when she tries to get up in the morning. Oh, and she says zip every time we put her in a sleeper suit. Or wear something with a zipper.
On another happy note, she had a great day despite last night's lack of sleep. She snuggled very aggressively with the cats, but there were no errant pats today, which is major. But tomorrow is another day, and she's sure to remember patting by then. Her only bad moments today were when Daddy was on the phone, but that's to be expected. Phone = naughty unless you're talking on it. And she did talk on the phone to Daddy, extremely quietly counting for him. Then licking the phone. I'll call it a kiss.
Anyhoo, I should really get tucked in for bed, since Alex will undoubtedly be up many many times again tonight, but is currently asleep (after having a bedtime conversation with herself for about a half hour.) Oh yeah, we started tucking her in at night because there aren't enough fleecy pj's in the world to keep her warm without a blanket. She's getting used to it, so much so that I suspect that she wiggles her way out by accident - habit, since she's quite wiggly all the time - and then she cries for us to come in and re-tuck her. We just have to get bigger blankets with more permanent tucking capabilities, I think. Perhaps a sleeping bag that zips up around her neck.......yeah, that would be fun when she tries to get up in the morning. Oh, and she says zip every time we put her in a sleeper suit. Or wear something with a zipper.
Sigh
Today Alex has been up since 5:30 after getting us (mostly Jeff, I admit it) up about 6 times last night. She has already gotten cat poop stuck under a fingernail and ran into the kitchen doorway with her head. And repeatedly slapped me in the face while we read her ABC's. Which she says now. The ABC part. Really fast. Anyway, looks like it's going to be a killer day today. Oh, she just fell off a book too. Good times.
January 8, 2009
Counting and the Letter M
Alex has several toys that count out loud when she plays with them. She was playing with her kitchen last night and the slow counting came up. After four I heard, "shive, shix, sheven, eight....ten." Holy cow, did she really just do that? Yes she did. No repeat performance yet, but she doesn't exactly do that stuff on demand, or rather, I really wanted her to, she knew it, and ignored me. I'm sure I never did that.
She also surprised me yesterday when we played with her alphabet blocks. I was picking out the next block to talk about (they have both letters and tiny things inside to represent the letters - lots to discuss) and she had a block already. She said M and I thought, "Yeah right, like that's really the M block. That would be....." Crazy, it was the M block. She did it again later, so I can only assume that she now knows two letters. X, which Mom says every kid learns rather quickly, and M. Must be the monkey inside that's gotten that one stuck in her mind. She's also working on H. At least she likes to say H.
She's still asleep, and the lazy part of me wants to let her sleep as long as she wants, but I guess I'm going to (shudder) actually wake her up soon so she goes to bed at a decent hour tonight. Jeff and I find our sanity to be much more intact when she goes to bed early.
She also surprised me yesterday when we played with her alphabet blocks. I was picking out the next block to talk about (they have both letters and tiny things inside to represent the letters - lots to discuss) and she had a block already. She said M and I thought, "Yeah right, like that's really the M block. That would be....." Crazy, it was the M block. She did it again later, so I can only assume that she now knows two letters. X, which Mom says every kid learns rather quickly, and M. Must be the monkey inside that's gotten that one stuck in her mind. She's also working on H. At least she likes to say H.
She's still asleep, and the lazy part of me wants to let her sleep as long as she wants, but I guess I'm going to (shudder) actually wake her up soon so she goes to bed at a decent hour tonight. Jeff and I find our sanity to be much more intact when she goes to bed early.
January 7, 2009
Alex's Words
milk - This is the word for all drinks. She knows "juice" but chooses to argue with us that everything is milk instead. More fun that way.
juice - Like I said, she knows it, but uses this word very infrequently. Why say it right when you can start a fight?
poop - Ummm, I won't elaborate.
cat - It took her a surprisingly long time to learn this one considering we have three of them...
Dies - Short-hand for Diesel. Not her favorite cat, that would be Custard since he talks and runs away ever so slowly.
Cust - Custard. Poor, poor Custard.
showowower - She likes taking showers. So much so that she adds extra syllables for emphasis. Never says Diesel or Custard's complete names though.
crotch - We're so proud of her for picking this one up. She has no idea what it means, but finds it fun to say. We don't say it much around her any more.
couch - She likes to jump on it/be thrown on it. It's a definite favorite.
cheese - She's an addict.
duck - One of her first words, and the word she often uses when she can't think of the right one or doesn't want to say it.
shoes - Her pronunciation has gotten much better - no more shoosh for her! Another first word, Daddy was a bit worried when she started using it with reckless abandon.
socks - Finally, the sock/shoe confusion has ended. Socks are her new favorite, and they're very different from shoes.
book - She's also a book addict. I hear this word all day long as I'm getting pummeled with them.
clock - She's got a picture of one in a puzzle, it's in books, she pays no attention to the time on the real ones.
hush - Thanks you quiet old lady whispering hush. Now she says it for you.
brush - She chews on them (tooth and hair) and brushed her own hair. Now if she could only put in her own pony tails...
nose - She still can't/won't point her own out, but knows where ours are and pokes them mercilessly.
eyes - She's almost got her own figured out, but prefers to gouge ours out instead.
plant - She had better know this one. She's very good at cleaning up our plants, actually. She routinely pulls of dead flowers and leaves, much to my amazement. Apparently the love of deadheading runs in the family.
meow - Ok, meenow, really, but it's what cats say.
moo - A very short moo, usually, but still a moo.
cow - Emphasis on the "w"
sheep - "Ship". The ships in the field....
dog - Still working on that one.
hoot - Cant' say owl, but knows what they say. She surprised me with this one a while back. Very pronounced "t".
truck - All vehicles are trucks. Don't argue with her, she's always right.
ouch - Dunno why she knows that one............
pouch - Sounds like ouch with a "p". Extra fun to say. And yes, she probably learned it from the books with kangaroos and pelicans.
coat - She hates putting it on, but is willing to talk about it.
up - She loves going up. In the air, up the stairs, you name it.
pat - Everyone and everything is a target for pats (smacks) at any time.
pups - A favorite toy, and a favorite thing to recognize on posters, calendars etc. She once ran half way down the mall to return to the calendar kiosk to looks at pups. It's almost always plural.
no - She might not care what it means, but she says it anyway.
shapeesh - No idea what it means, but she uses it like a word, so...ok.
cookie - Minus the "ie". We're working on it.
chalk - Thanks to the easel at the library she's familiar with this. And stealing it from other kids.
bounce - You say it, she does it.
kiss - She's stingy with them but likes getting them.
banana - Well, ba, really. She lets us finish it for her.
baa - It's what the ships say.
chick - Took her a while to figure out that they're different from ducklings, but know she's got it down.
cheep - More like "chip", but we know what she means.
neigh - "Nah". It's what horses say. Sometimes ponies when they aren't saying "ducks".
keys - She'll do anything for keys. Mostly whine.
mom - Usually a series of "mom"s in fairly rapid succession. Applies to Mom and Dad.
dad - Less frequently heard, this one usually has to be prompted. Why call us our titles when we're always watching anyway?
diaper - This one's debatable. She knows it, tries to say it sometimes, but you really have to listen and pretend a bit to catch it.
flower - Sounds exactly like shower. You have to know what she's looking at. She'll have her f's someday.
bee - She's a big fan. We would not touch bees outside all the time. She still asks for them in the same spot in the garden now.
touch - She prefers it to "no touch".
prune - It's another word she almost says. She knows where they are and loves to try and swallow them whole. Bad baby.
crayons - Sounds like cairns. Oh well. So she draws with cairns.
down - Opposite of up, but she still likes it.
soap - Though opposed to it in theory, she says it anyway.
hot - The oven is hot. We stay away from hot. For now.
cold - The fridge is cold. We go toward cold.
mustard - "Must". Thank you Grammy Y. It's the very first condiment she knows thanks to having it in her shopping cart.
ball - She prefers throwing them to talking about them, but occasionally says their name.
outside - This is a recent development. She's always preferred outside, and now can fairly clearly tell us.
blanket - For throwing one's self upon.
belt - For wrapping around one's neck. Not all the way, of course, just around the back!
pig - Those pink things Mom keeps pointing at.
oink - What the pink things say. "Ink" is more like it, probably the lingering "i" sound from "pig".
bra - *sigh* She likes to carry them around, mostly like a scarf, but all too frequently tangling her feet in them.
chapped - Her cheeks and lips are forever chapped, and she knows when we're moisturizing them it's because she's chapped.
pink - She's pink.
toast - Another one she doesn't like to talk about much, but eats every day.
purse - It's where the keys are.
mess - It's what she makes every day.
boss - That's her.
rock - It's what she tries to eat every day.
block - It's also what she tries to eat every day.
x - She recognizes one letter. Go figure it's the one that sounds like her name.
six - Sounds a bit like Alex too, don't ya think?
eight/ate - Who can say which one she's thinking of....
two - She surprised me a while back by saying this as I was counting arms going into sleeves. She says it very slowly.
ten - Only when counting. Of course.
sleeves - This one is sporadic, but she knows it because she hates them.
shirt - No love for clothes, but she can say what they are.
clothes - Again, no love.
Hmm, maybe I should stop here at 81 words and a "shapeesh". In any case, her vocabulary grows daily, and she repeats everything we say, much to our chagrin. But it's fun seeing what she'll say and how she says it, and we can't wait for her to start putting all these words together. oh yeah, she did also say "queen bee" a few times. How appropriate
juice - Like I said, she knows it, but uses this word very infrequently. Why say it right when you can start a fight?
poop - Ummm, I won't elaborate.
cat - It took her a surprisingly long time to learn this one considering we have three of them...
Dies - Short-hand for Diesel. Not her favorite cat, that would be Custard since he talks and runs away ever so slowly.
Cust - Custard. Poor, poor Custard.
showowower - She likes taking showers. So much so that she adds extra syllables for emphasis. Never says Diesel or Custard's complete names though.
crotch - We're so proud of her for picking this one up. She has no idea what it means, but finds it fun to say. We don't say it much around her any more.
couch - She likes to jump on it/be thrown on it. It's a definite favorite.
cheese - She's an addict.
duck - One of her first words, and the word she often uses when she can't think of the right one or doesn't want to say it.
shoes - Her pronunciation has gotten much better - no more shoosh for her! Another first word, Daddy was a bit worried when she started using it with reckless abandon.
socks - Finally, the sock/shoe confusion has ended. Socks are her new favorite, and they're very different from shoes.
book - She's also a book addict. I hear this word all day long as I'm getting pummeled with them.
clock - She's got a picture of one in a puzzle, it's in books, she pays no attention to the time on the real ones.
hush - Thanks you quiet old lady whispering hush. Now she says it for you.
brush - She chews on them (tooth and hair) and brushed her own hair. Now if she could only put in her own pony tails...
nose - She still can't/won't point her own out, but knows where ours are and pokes them mercilessly.
eyes - She's almost got her own figured out, but prefers to gouge ours out instead.
plant - She had better know this one. She's very good at cleaning up our plants, actually. She routinely pulls of dead flowers and leaves, much to my amazement. Apparently the love of deadheading runs in the family.
meow - Ok, meenow, really, but it's what cats say.
moo - A very short moo, usually, but still a moo.
cow - Emphasis on the "w"
sheep - "Ship". The ships in the field....
dog - Still working on that one.
hoot - Cant' say owl, but knows what they say. She surprised me with this one a while back. Very pronounced "t".
truck - All vehicles are trucks. Don't argue with her, she's always right.
ouch - Dunno why she knows that one............
pouch - Sounds like ouch with a "p". Extra fun to say. And yes, she probably learned it from the books with kangaroos and pelicans.
coat - She hates putting it on, but is willing to talk about it.
up - She loves going up. In the air, up the stairs, you name it.
pat - Everyone and everything is a target for pats (smacks) at any time.
pups - A favorite toy, and a favorite thing to recognize on posters, calendars etc. She once ran half way down the mall to return to the calendar kiosk to looks at pups. It's almost always plural.
no - She might not care what it means, but she says it anyway.
shapeesh - No idea what it means, but she uses it like a word, so...ok.
cookie - Minus the "ie". We're working on it.
chalk - Thanks to the easel at the library she's familiar with this. And stealing it from other kids.
bounce - You say it, she does it.
kiss - She's stingy with them but likes getting them.
banana - Well, ba, really. She lets us finish it for her.
baa - It's what the ships say.
chick - Took her a while to figure out that they're different from ducklings, but know she's got it down.
cheep - More like "chip", but we know what she means.
neigh - "Nah". It's what horses say. Sometimes ponies when they aren't saying "ducks".
keys - She'll do anything for keys. Mostly whine.
mom - Usually a series of "mom"s in fairly rapid succession. Applies to Mom and Dad.
dad - Less frequently heard, this one usually has to be prompted. Why call us our titles when we're always watching anyway?
diaper - This one's debatable. She knows it, tries to say it sometimes, but you really have to listen and pretend a bit to catch it.
flower - Sounds exactly like shower. You have to know what she's looking at. She'll have her f's someday.
bee - She's a big fan. We would not touch bees outside all the time. She still asks for them in the same spot in the garden now.
touch - She prefers it to "no touch".
prune - It's another word she almost says. She knows where they are and loves to try and swallow them whole. Bad baby.
crayons - Sounds like cairns. Oh well. So she draws with cairns.
down - Opposite of up, but she still likes it.
soap - Though opposed to it in theory, she says it anyway.
hot - The oven is hot. We stay away from hot. For now.
cold - The fridge is cold. We go toward cold.
mustard - "Must". Thank you Grammy Y. It's the very first condiment she knows thanks to having it in her shopping cart.
ball - She prefers throwing them to talking about them, but occasionally says their name.
outside - This is a recent development. She's always preferred outside, and now can fairly clearly tell us.
blanket - For throwing one's self upon.
belt - For wrapping around one's neck. Not all the way, of course, just around the back!
pig - Those pink things Mom keeps pointing at.
oink - What the pink things say. "Ink" is more like it, probably the lingering "i" sound from "pig".
bra - *sigh* She likes to carry them around, mostly like a scarf, but all too frequently tangling her feet in them.
chapped - Her cheeks and lips are forever chapped, and she knows when we're moisturizing them it's because she's chapped.
pink - She's pink.
toast - Another one she doesn't like to talk about much, but eats every day.
purse - It's where the keys are.
mess - It's what she makes every day.
boss - That's her.
rock - It's what she tries to eat every day.
block - It's also what she tries to eat every day.
x - She recognizes one letter. Go figure it's the one that sounds like her name.
six - Sounds a bit like Alex too, don't ya think?
eight/ate - Who can say which one she's thinking of....
two - She surprised me a while back by saying this as I was counting arms going into sleeves. She says it very slowly.
ten - Only when counting. Of course.
sleeves - This one is sporadic, but she knows it because she hates them.
shirt - No love for clothes, but she can say what they are.
clothes - Again, no love.
Hmm, maybe I should stop here at 81 words and a "shapeesh". In any case, her vocabulary grows daily, and she repeats everything we say, much to our chagrin. But it's fun seeing what she'll say and how she says it, and we can't wait for her to start putting all these words together. oh yeah, she did also say "queen bee" a few times. How appropriate
January 6, 2009
Minor Misunderstanding
I decided, recklessly, to clean out the upstairs litter box with Alex helping. The cats now use this one almost exclusively, and filled it to capacity over Jeff's vacation, so it needed a complete overhaul. Anyway, I dumped the festering contents of said litter box into a trash bag, as there was no litter left unsaturated. I also dumped a bit on the floor, because I can never get it all in the bag. Alex wanted to help, as she is as helpful as they come, and I instructed her on the things she could touch and the things not to touch.
Instructed perfectly as always, Alex chose her (my old) Bert doll as her grab-and-pat of choice. Better than a cat pee paper towel, so I was pleased. I further instructed her, "Don't put Bert in the litter box.". Seconds later I realized my folly, for in fact, what I said was not what she heard. With "Put Bert in the litter box." ringing in her ears, she waited until I whipped back around to watch and tossed Bert ceremoniously into the litter box. Not the middle where it was fairly clean, but in the end where there was the accumulation of two weeks worth of pee-ie cat litter. Not that it matters where, really. Bert was doomed to visit the washer anyway.
So, points to you, Alex, for putting something in something else. It was a heck of a time to "listen" to me, but I appreciate the idea. You're really learning to put stuff where I tell you to, and that's great. What's not so great? Besides the obvious, Bert has had his bath, and I'm sad to say that his unibrow paid the price. I found it at the bottom of the washer and now have to make the decision whether to draw a new one or glue the old one on. But he's fresh and clean (and sans pants, but I can fix that a bit more quickly) so he should be mostly ready to go by the time Her Heineyness has woken from her "map".
Guilty
A couple nights ago, Alex was doing her usual escaping up the stairs to run back and forth upstairs thing. We've sort of decided that without gates, it's a good idea to either hang out in a closed room or at the top of the stairs to prevent her from flinging herself all the way back down to the living room. So, I was on the stairs, and she was thumping back and forth, giggling every time she passed me (because there's always a possibility of a reverse thump-by tickling).
After a minute or two, she retreated to her darkened room - she apparently came with built-in night vision - and was completely and utterly quiet. If you've spent any time with Alex on her home turf, you know that she's never completely and utterly quiet unless something tricky is going on. So, my mom-stincts kicked in and I had to go check it out.
To my left, her door, and behind that her dresser. And, as I soon learned, she was there too. As I approached, I heard a gasp - the "Oh no! She caught me!" gasp - and I saw Alex running frantically - picture Fred Flintstone in his car and you'll have an approximation of what her legs were doing. Her shoulders were crunched up with the guilt of having opened a drawer she assumed was on the naughty list. But she was smiling and giggling and gasping and chortling too - she enjoys being naughty (or what she considers naughty - opening a drawer is ok by me...).
She proceeded to run into the wall by her crib, still laughing maniacally like she got away with something. She crunched up- against the wall, waiting for the inevitable tickle and/or toss into the air, which of course she got. Can't let her down!
Anyway, a bit of a had to be there kind of moment, but it was extremely funny, and also showcases what Alex considers naughty behavior, and frankly what we consider about as naughty as she gets -so far-.
After a minute or two, she retreated to her darkened room - she apparently came with built-in night vision - and was completely and utterly quiet. If you've spent any time with Alex on her home turf, you know that she's never completely and utterly quiet unless something tricky is going on. So, my mom-stincts kicked in and I had to go check it out.
To my left, her door, and behind that her dresser. And, as I soon learned, she was there too. As I approached, I heard a gasp - the "Oh no! She caught me!" gasp - and I saw Alex running frantically - picture Fred Flintstone in his car and you'll have an approximation of what her legs were doing. Her shoulders were crunched up with the guilt of having opened a drawer she assumed was on the naughty list. But she was smiling and giggling and gasping and chortling too - she enjoys being naughty (or what she considers naughty - opening a drawer is ok by me...).
She proceeded to run into the wall by her crib, still laughing maniacally like she got away with something. She crunched up- against the wall, waiting for the inevitable tickle and/or toss into the air, which of course she got. Can't let her down!
Anyway, a bit of a had to be there kind of moment, but it was extremely funny, and also showcases what Alex considers naughty behavior, and frankly what we consider about as naughty as she gets -so far-.
January 5, 2009
Alex, Bringer of War
Just listened to Mars, Bringer of War, and couldn't help but think that some days, that's Alex all over...
"Story" Time at the Library
Alex is strictly opposed to participating in the story portion of story time at the library. I'm kind of with her on that decision, I have to say. Putting aside the erroneous website information about times for the different age groups of children and what time story time actually starts.....
I don't know who chooses the books to be read, but they stink. No rhyming, complex pictures that the kids have to be close by to see properly (and they don't let the kids all sit on the librarian's lap - Alex has come the closest but been shooed away) and way too much Baby Einstein. Bleh. Albert is rolling around in his grave for sure, those books are pathetic. At least the ones I've seen. I haven't seen that many, if you love them, good for you. Go be happy with your crap books elsewhere. Anyhoo.......
They also do a few songs, also I believe from Baby Einstein, and the singer and musicians appear to have been sedated before the recording. So lame. How can you sway back and forth so slowly? It's a travesty, I tell ya. And all the songs are originals, ie., not anything familiar to any baby who isn't growing up in a Baby Einstein household. So, Alex. Now, she can hear music in the rumblings of the vacuum cleaner, so I won't deny that she kind of likes the music. But still. Doesn't anyone go round the mulberry bush any more?
Anyway, mainly, Alex is so not going to sit still to listen to a book that's better being looked at at close range, and certainly won't dance now that the cd player (Cd player? They still make those?) is broken. And the new librarian in charge of story time has a chalkboard-fingernail kind of voice, imho. Not good.
So, we'll be in the play area stealing puzzle pieces and blocks from the less aggressive babies whilst occasionally banging on the windows to the story room at a hopefully pivotal point in the day's horrible story.
Whew, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that story time is fun for Alex sans stories, and we plan on enjoying all the little people time at the library that we can, and will hope that the next library has a better program. Ok, and that Alex will be old enough to sit through even the most horrible of stories. Until then, we'll wear the pages of our books at home thin, and eat Legos that we've stolen from other kids at the library. :)
I don't know who chooses the books to be read, but they stink. No rhyming, complex pictures that the kids have to be close by to see properly (and they don't let the kids all sit on the librarian's lap - Alex has come the closest but been shooed away) and way too much Baby Einstein. Bleh. Albert is rolling around in his grave for sure, those books are pathetic. At least the ones I've seen. I haven't seen that many, if you love them, good for you. Go be happy with your crap books elsewhere. Anyhoo.......
They also do a few songs, also I believe from Baby Einstein, and the singer and musicians appear to have been sedated before the recording. So lame. How can you sway back and forth so slowly? It's a travesty, I tell ya. And all the songs are originals, ie., not anything familiar to any baby who isn't growing up in a Baby Einstein household. So, Alex. Now, she can hear music in the rumblings of the vacuum cleaner, so I won't deny that she kind of likes the music. But still. Doesn't anyone go round the mulberry bush any more?
Anyway, mainly, Alex is so not going to sit still to listen to a book that's better being looked at at close range, and certainly won't dance now that the cd player (Cd player? They still make those?) is broken. And the new librarian in charge of story time has a chalkboard-fingernail kind of voice, imho. Not good.
So, we'll be in the play area stealing puzzle pieces and blocks from the less aggressive babies whilst occasionally banging on the windows to the story room at a hopefully pivotal point in the day's horrible story.
Whew, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that story time is fun for Alex sans stories, and we plan on enjoying all the little people time at the library that we can, and will hope that the next library has a better program. Ok, and that Alex will be old enough to sit through even the most horrible of stories. Until then, we'll wear the pages of our books at home thin, and eat Legos that we've stolen from other kids at the library. :)
January 4, 2009
Christmas is Over
Alex and I took down the tree while Daddy stayed wisely on the couch. We took lots of pictures first, since this has been the first Christmas where she's actively involved herself in the tree decorating/undecorating process. As in, wrapped herself in garland. It's sad to see the tree go, but we had fun chopping it to bits. Alex mostly carried one sticky piece of a branch around, probably getting sap in impossible places, while I chopped the rest.
The rest of her day was spent surfing the stairs and generally supervising the routine details of our day. And reading lots of books. Knuffle Bunny several times, but -not- Knuffle Bunny Too.
Simple Day
Breakfast - toast.
Eat jelly the most.
No nap.
Crap.
Pat the cat.
Hissy spat.
Eat dirt.
Still a clean shirt?!?
Lots of books.
Longing looks.
Garlic spinach.
Messy finish.
Eat jelly the most.
No nap.
Crap.
Pat the cat.
Hissy spat.
Eat dirt.
Still a clean shirt?!?
Lots of books.
Longing looks.
Garlic spinach.
Messy finish.
January 2, 2009
Brownies
Alex and I both just made brownies. Which batch would you rather eat? Mine has chocolate chips in case you're having a hard time deciding...
January 1, 2009
Alex had a fabulous day with Grannie, Grampie, Auntie Lu and Uncle Adam. I have to say one of my favorite parts of the day was watching her snuggle face to face with Adam - too cute. And she had a great time being a monkey with Auntie Lu, even if she doesn't have the hand motions down just yet. Or the sounds, but hey, she tried!!!
What she also tried was the pork and sauerkraut. That didn't go so well either. She made a pinchy face and kind of shook it off. Then tried it again many times (lunch and dinner - gotta pile on the luck!) and generally just spit it all out. But Daddy came to the rescue with extra-buttery mashed potatoes, always a favorite of hers. So today, if Alex was what she ate, she'd be an animal cracker with mashed potatoes. Yum?
Overall, though, her second New Year's Day was very exciting for her, and she got in some great extended family time.
Oh, and last night was her intro to Uncle Mike's NYE party. She pilfered many, many grapes from the table. Dad gave her a strawberry that she took one bite from and then carried in a death grip until we wrestled it from her warm, sticky hand so she wouldn't get it all over Mike's house. Then Trevor, Josh and Theresa showed up, and after a bit of an acclimation process for Trevor, good times were had by all. While Trevor and Alex still haven't had their first dance, there's still a chance we'll get to see them sway back and forth in close proximity to each other at the same time. For now, Trevor chooses to quake in fear at the mere presence of our oh-so-intimidating daughter. He might outweigh her by 15 pounds, but she's scrappy. Don't mess with the baby in pony tails, she will mess you up good.
What she also tried was the pork and sauerkraut. That didn't go so well either. She made a pinchy face and kind of shook it off. Then tried it again many times (lunch and dinner - gotta pile on the luck!) and generally just spit it all out. But Daddy came to the rescue with extra-buttery mashed potatoes, always a favorite of hers. So today, if Alex was what she ate, she'd be an animal cracker with mashed potatoes. Yum?
Overall, though, her second New Year's Day was very exciting for her, and she got in some great extended family time.
Oh, and last night was her intro to Uncle Mike's NYE party. She pilfered many, many grapes from the table. Dad gave her a strawberry that she took one bite from and then carried in a death grip until we wrestled it from her warm, sticky hand so she wouldn't get it all over Mike's house. Then Trevor, Josh and Theresa showed up, and after a bit of an acclimation process for Trevor, good times were had by all. While Trevor and Alex still haven't had their first dance, there's still a chance we'll get to see them sway back and forth in close proximity to each other at the same time. For now, Trevor chooses to quake in fear at the mere presence of our oh-so-intimidating daughter. He might outweigh her by 15 pounds, but she's scrappy. Don't mess with the baby in pony tails, she will mess you up good.
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