Left To Her Own Devices

This is what happens when you leave your 17 month-old alone with the Sunday paper...

Copycat

The routine in the morning after P wakes up and I change her, I turn off her nightlight that's right outside her bedroom in the hallway. Usually, I'm holding P, so it's just easier for me to turn the nightlight off with my foot. So, the other day, I asked her to turn the nightlight off and I see her lifting her foot and trying to turn it off like I do! These little inquisitive minds are working overdrive, so this just goes to show how our actions and what we say are being soaked up quickly!

Center your balance...

Then click, turn the light off!

Exploring More Food Options

We are coming to the point where P isn't as interested in my lovingly-prepared purees. Although they are very nutritious, the purees have been my go-to because it is so easy and I can prepare them in batches. But now, she is really liking to eat foods with texture and wanting to try different things.

It should be easy, since she's a really good eater and tries everything. Lunches are starting to be more difficult to pack. So, we've been trying to expand her palate. She just recently tried chicken and peanut butter.

I know that we're lucky that she is not finicky. So far, her least favorite seems to be lima beans and hummus (she likes plain garbanzo beans, though). She really scarfs down tofu, gardenburgers, watermelon, and appears to be partial to breads (pancakes, tortillas, etc.) just like her Daddy!

Daycare: A Trial Run

I was asked to watch a friend's baby for a couple of days. I readily accepted because for one, we owed them a babysitting swap and secondly, I didn't think it would be all day for both days. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It was from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. Holy cow! I've never babysat longer than a 3-4 hour stint and usually not by myself.

Yikes! Those were going to be some long days.

Lily came and she and Miss P got reacquainted (they were both at the same daycare as infants). They played and for the most part kept each other occupied. It was fun to see how they interacted with each other.

Not that it was hard, because it wasn't but boy, was I exhausted by Friday evening! I don't think I'm going to be opening up a daycare business anytime soon (or EVER for that matter).

Shall I pour?

Monkeying around.



Monkey see, monkey do!

 

Oh yeah, and then what happened?



Trash or Treasure

I heard some rustling in the direction of our recycle can. I looked over and saw Miss P with her hands in it. So, I called her over and told her to get out of the trash--not giving it another thought.

When her Daddy came home later that day, he exclaimed, "Hey, who put her shoes in the trash?"

We started laughing because I had no idea she had done that. Even funnier, when RT was a baby, he used to throw his shoes away, too! The story is that his mom couldn't figure out why his shoes kept disappearing until she figured out he was throwing them away!

Hmmm...like father, like daughter!

Sit & Color

When I was pregnant and visiting a friend, whose little toddler (boy) was running around, she told me that I'm lucky to be having a girl because from what she's observed, little girls are so sweet. They sit and color and seem to be less boisterous than boys.

Well, I think she jinxed us! Our toddler is definitely not one to sit and color. We would not have it any other way, but, there are days when I wish she would just sit and color!

I introduced the crayons and a coloring book to Miss P. She's done finger painting a lot at her daycare, so I figured she'd be ready for this.

Lo and behold! She was! Hope is not lost. While she is more interested in packing away the crayons at this point, maybe she will be able to sit and color for longer periods of time as she gets older! We'll see...

Daddy & Me Swim Class: Lesson1

We finally started our swim lessons. After a couple of failed attempts to get it organized with a couple of friends and then a few week of delays (RT's knee surgery, friend's new daycare, etc.), and a recent illness, we got in the water!

P had been sick for a few days with a fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash associated with the virus. She missed daycare for a couple of days and just wasn't her usual self. So, today everyone was back at work and "school" and immediately after that, we took off to 5 Cities Swim Club where she was going to get her first swimming lesson with the Goldfish group.

We missed the first class but it probably wasn't a big deal.

When we got there, it was pretty loud. Lots of kids splashing about and lots of things to look at. You could tell that P was overwhelmed. She did not smile once throughout the entire lesson--which for our smiling baby, that's so rare!

She did great and didn't cry. She was really focused. I think because she was recovering from being sick and it was an especially long day for her, it was a lot to take in. P even went underwater and "swam" to her Daddy twice! We're so proud of her! Daddy had to sing lots of songs, and even had to "fake it" since we didn't know all the songs. Our friend Jen and son Bode were singing along. I know that Jen was giggling and winking at me during all the singing!

As the next few lessons progress, we think she's going to love it!

Whoa! What is all this?

This is a pretty big bathtub!

Swimming to the instructor.

London bridges falling down--pool style!

Pancake song?

Ring around the rosy! Splashes. Splashes. We all fall down!

Walking across the hippo...nice balance P!

More jumping...

Coming up from under water!

More jumping and she's done!