Major Shifts

When you were one year old, almost to the day, you began to get interested in your stuffed animals and you fell in love with the baby blanket I took with me down to Guatemala in July (thank you again Tina for the blanket). You love that blanket. When you throw yourself into it you act like an addict who has finally gotten a hit. It's pure extacy. You drag it around the house and it gets yucky and still you adore it.

Right before we went to California you started making signs and understanding what they meant.

About 3 weeks ago you noticed the frog statues in the yard and started pointing to them. You then noticed the dancing couple statue and pointed it out. You understood that they were something different than what was around them.

About 4 weeks ago you begain pointing to the paintings of the girraffe and elephant in your room.

About 2 weeks ago you made the leap from seeing the flowers outside to the flowers on your pajamas, and made the sign for flowers.

When you were 11 months old we got you a toy truck with duplos and a doll we named Lucie that makes kissing noises and says "I love you." Today you were kissing the doll by saying "Mmmm".

How Many Dogs..?

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Playing at Washington Square Mall

We went to Washington Square Mall for a Meet-up play date at the children's area. It is a great little area absolutely filled to bursting with Moms and kids. You ran around and climbed and watched and played for about 2 hours, and totally tired yourself out. You got a boyfriend who was holding your hand and showing you how things worked. Honestly, I didn't think it would start this early!


This is Isabel's friend, Chase.

You don't like to leave hats on, but you loved putting my on. I think it's just a tad bit too big for you.

Our Princess in her Dog Carrage

Robert has built a cart for Isbre to pull, and when Isabel came home he attached a seat for her on it. It gets us stares, comments, and in lots of pictures with camera phones.

Dirt Day

Yesterday was gorgeous here in Hillsboro, and since days like that come along as often as moments of chill-out time for a mom, we took advantage and worked out in the yard. You, of course, loved the dirt. You would live in it if you could. That and water. I was glad I put you in some heavy-duty Old Navy jeans because you got filthy, top to bottom. I remember that my favorite times as a kid were when I was covered in mud, so I let you go for it.

You have had a runny nose for about 2 weeks, and just developed a bad cough in the last couple of days, and I'm getting worried. I remember what it was like when you got bronchitus in Antigua, and this is seeming like the same type of thing. We're going to the doctor tomorrow.

California Ducks

Your "room" in the hotel. Your closet home. You would go in there to drink your milk and cuddle with your blanket.

This was the strangest goose I've seen. It was always by the same business on the creek walk, and one time it tried to bite my leg!

The walk by the man-made creek was beautiful, and walked it every day we were in California.

Here you're helping with the shopping bag, while two ducks watch and hope you'll drop some bread crumbs.

You liked to tote the camera around.

Looking super cute with a flower in your hair.

You and Dad hanging out watching TV. It's one of the few times I've seen you hold still for more than a few minutes at a time.

Spring Snow and Hail

It is April. Snow and hail do not belong on the ground. It is confusing the plants and making you wear mittens.

Anatomy of a Small Tantrum

You thought I was taking too long getting ready to go and you wanted to be held. RIGHT NOW! I was trying to explain to you that I can't hold you and put on my coat at the same time but you weren't-going-for-it. It's hard to see in the last picture because I am, obviously, still working to understand the whole shadows-in-pictures thing, but you are giving me a raspberry, showing that you're not just upset, but annoyed.

Fortunately you're cute even when you are having a tantrum. The noise can go straight to my small brain which wants to JUST MAKE IT STOP but you are still endearing.

I can feel that time-outs are in our future, and I'm dreading it. The first few days, the book says, can be hard if you have a headstrong child. Honey, you are writing the book on headstrong, with chapters on advanced crying and why you should do the opposite of what your parents ask because they must be wrong. I should be starting the training now, but I haven't gotten up the chutzpa yet.

Pictures, Playdates

All dressed up for church in the outfit her grandmother got for her. The sweater is one from when I was a baby, and I bet my Mom knitted it.

You love balloons. You can spot one from hundreds of feet away and point and wave your arms. You and your dad have a special language all your own, which is mostly raspberries. I would not have imagined that you could hold an entire conversation consisting of just spit-producing mouth noises, but I would be wrong. You two have intonations and different expressions and bonding through raspberries.

At a play date at Lorena's. From the left, Owen, Isabel, and Anika. You look like prisoners planning the great escape. At one point you climbed part way up the baby gate, so maybe you were plotting!

Somehow you talked Elena into pushing you around the house on her rider. You two must have done 6 laps, with you smiling like a maniac and Elena doing her best to keep pushing you. Lorena and I would perform a U-turn at the walls, and then off you two would go again.

This was a really cute dress I had just bought at the Pass-It-On kids used clothing sale. You look great in it, and I love clothing in denim because stains wash out.

This was a sweet Daddy-Daughter moment. I had to take the picture quickly, though, because you hardly ever hold still long enough for a good picture.

I LOVE this picture. I'm not sure what the expression on your face is, but it's full of meaning.

Pizza Play

We went to the wrong place for a play group (bummer) so instead you and Dad and I went to the pizza play place. You ADORE the little kids slides. You probably went up and down 15 times. It took you the whole time you were there to work up to it, but by the end of lunch you were going down the slide all on your own (we weren't even catching you) and sometimes you caught yourself on your feet and stood up. I was really amazed at that; I hate to think how long that took me when I was a kid.

Tonight you were using Dad as a jungle gym. You don't like to sit still at all and never watch TV even if Dad and I are both sitting and watching it. So for 45 minutes you had Dad help you up on the sofa, crawled over his reclining body, repelled down the sofa using his legs, and ran around to this head to do it again. We don't need the $1000 play structure, you just use your dad and I.

You've been eating and sleeping a lot (for you) over the last few days. I wonder if you're about to grow again. Probably, because I just got you a bunch of new clothes at the Pass It On sale, so you're working to outgrow them.

Lately you want to be held ALL THE TIME when we are home. (If we're out and there's something interesting to do, then you want down right then. Sometimes I feel a little like a transportation device to interesting places.) And I love doing it. I don't get very much done around the house, but I still really love doing it.

You've learned the sign for dance and for frog, and recognise the ceramic frogs in the garden.

Last Day of Gymnastics

Today was our last gymnastics class and I was thrilled with how much you remembered from week to week, even though the class was only once a week. By today, you would let me place you in the position for a forward roll and were willing to try the rope swing again (even though last time you fell/were dropped off it).

Going to Bed On Her Own (Mostly)

My friend Merzenka said that kids seem to grow in maturity when you take them for trips. I thought it sounded reasonable, but now I'm convinced it's true. Before we went to California, you still avoided sleep like the plague. We needed to give you a bottle and rock you for 15 to 30 minutes.

Kid Play Area with Pizza Attached

We went to "Out of this World Pizza and Play" this evening. Oh My Gosh, what a kid place. Serious kid stuff. You had a lot of fun, including going down the big twisty slide with Dad 4 or 5 times.

Everyone at Physical Therapy Loves You

The staff at MRI, the physical therapist practice I go to, LOVE you. The women practically steal you from me, they think you're so adorable.

Food Please!

Right before we left for California, you realized those funny motions I was always making with my hands had meaning (baby sign language) and you do a perfect "food" sign, complete with yum sounds. By the end of the trip, you were able to put that and "please" together, so sometimes you would sign "food, please". Manners are a truly great thing, and so is communication. Well, mostly. Right after you learned the sign for food you began using it. A lot. First thing when you wake up in the morning, you're asking for food. When I'm eating something, you ask for food. There's no question what you're thinking.

You can also sign for "flower", although the sound you make is more heavy breathing than sniffing. And you're almost past thinking part of the sign is to eat the flower that I put in your hand.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have started to have mini tantrums. They only last for a few seconds, but they happen pretty often. You stamp your feet, flail your hands, and add annoyed sputtering. It happens the most often when I won't let you go where you want to go, like ... up to the alter during the church service. Today at gymnastics, you could have 3 or 4 in the space of 2 minutes (of course, you were a little tired too). The mom next to me was staring at us, perhaps just hoping it wasn't catching.

You did well in gymnastics this time; you remembered the rolls and donkey kicks and let me move your body to the correct position. Every 10 minutes or so I let you just free range for a few minutes, then I'd gather you back up and we'd work along with the class for a while, then a break again. You like the running and hopping, but aren't sure what to do with the balance beam and would rather pick up the hula-hoops than do donkey-kicks in them.

Sunny California

We're in San Jose, California, trooping along with you dad while he goes to a radio frequency class for work. While he's relearning wave math and measuring rf electronics, you and I play in the bath and go to the pool and take walks along the duck stream. They have actual sunshine here, something that's in such short supply in Portland that everyone runs outside if we see some.

We are staying at a Residence Inn, so we have a little kitchen, but no seperate bedroom. So your room is the sliding door closet. That sounds terrible, but you love it. Yesterday, as a true first, when I gave you your milk, yogurt, and juice smoothy in the middle of the morning, you took it, went into your closet (room), drank it, and fell alseep. I was awe-struck, and then hurried to bed to get a nap with you because I knew there wouldn't be an afternoon nap if you took one in the morning.

To understand how truly amazing it was that you spontaneously took a nap, it's important to know that you hate sleep with a passion that makes Madonna's desire to stay forever in the limelight seem like a passing, feeble yen. You need to be tricked into sleep, so your body can take over and just fall over. When it's time for bed you we turn on the heater in your room, put on classical music, wrap you in a blanket, feed you warm milk from a bottle, and rock you in the rocking chair. While we're doing this, if you feel yourself drifting off you will begin to make odd mouth noises, wave an arm or a foot, or whack yourself in the head with your hand. You want to be involved in everything that's going on. So when you went to sleep on your own it was an awesome moment. And I think it's so cool that you like your closet. It's your own secure little spot.

The Ducks

We have a couple of pairs of ducks that come most days to hang out in the trees just off our deck.
Sometimes they eat food from the bird feeder, but generally they just hang out.

Pictures

You have started getting Dad's shoes for him when he's getting ready to go to work.

Our Little Helper

You are growing so quickly now, you change so quickly. Just this week you've started holding out both your hands, face up, when you want me to give you something. It looks like you're waiting for a fine cloth to be laid across your arms. You started doing this with your diapers after I put them in a plasitic bag and you now carry the bag to the garage door so I than throw it away. (Note to Linda, I do still use the diaper genii when there are people over :-).

You say please (in sign language) when you want something, which melts my heart.

We have started baby gymnastics and baby yoga. So far we've had one class of each and I think the baby yoga will be better than the baby gymnastics, which is a surprise to me.