Monday, August 29, 2011

August 29-E has been playing with this bag and these skeins of yarn for weeks now. She picks them up, puts them in the bag, dumps them out, picks them up, and so on. Tonight, she was carrying the light purple one around like a purse.

Today was E and dada's last day of summer vacation, they had errands to run and E helped to set up dada's classroom. She was something of a handfull, refusing to nap, and pretty clingy. Tonight, she showed off her knocking skills, when dada was grilling, she knocked on the patio door, and from her booster seat, she knocked on the table. She and her friend A had a nice long walk, tonight A took the lead, and E chased her, not their usual.

We had another parenting first tonight, we put E to bed, and things were going well, she was quiet, and we assumed asleep. But, about 45 minutes after we put her in her bed, all of a sudden there was a scream-cry, so we went upstairs to see what was wrong. Turns out that in the course of falling asleep, E had removed her pants and diaper (a Cookie Monster one, not a favorite) and wet her bed. With a new diaper and sheets, milk, and a reading of the Moon book, she went back to sleep quickly.

August 28- This is E and dada's new mode of transportation. It gives momma heart attacks every time. Overnight, E seem to have a foot growth spurt. Nothing else changed, but her shoes gave her owies when we put them on, so it was off to the shoe store.

E and I took a walk to the park in the morning and had a great time going down the slides. E went down the little kid slide by herself, and a medium sized slide holding my hand. She wanted to go down the biggest one alone, but we went down in tandem. E spent a few hours in the evening with Ama and Ada (and wasn't sad to see her parents go). They kept her busy playing at the park, taking walks, and swinging. Ama and Ada were trying to wear her out so she'd sleep through the night. Although she was exhausted when she got home, E woke up twice at night.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

August 27- I was checking my email, when E decided she needed some milk, right at that second. I particularly like the way she's got her feet through the neck of my shirt. E has been nursing much longer then I anticipated, and at nearly 18 months doesn't show any sign of stopping.

We had a pretty busy Saturday, E spent some time with Ama and Ada to help her get used to her dad and I leaving, and coming back for her. She didn't have the same level of anxiety she had on Thursday, so hopefully we are moving in the right direction! After her nap, we took a nice walk, and went swimming with her friend A. We also played a few rounds of a game E calls "bumb" or "boom" where she and a parent bounce on our bed, and then she bonks people with a pillow.  She loves it, and can't walk past our room without saying "boom, boom" or "bumb, bumb."

Friday, August 26, 2011

Adjustments

Although the first day of day care went fairly well, its become clear as the week went on that E was having some separation anxiety. At day care she gets sad each afternoon, and on Thursday she wouldn't eat. She was even nervous to be at Ama and Ada's house and tried to use the phone to call her "mommy" (a new word). The anxiety has also affected her sleeping, which makes things worse, since she is more tired.

August 26- This has been E's new thing lately, whenever she sees the camera she comes running to see the "baby" in the pictures. This has been making it hard to get he nightly picture. Today day care was closed so she and I went to our baby group at Happy Bambino, it had been a long time since we'd see some of the other kids, and it was great to catch up. After that, she and dada did some work at Grandma and Grandpa's house and spent some time together. We capped off the day with two walks, one with E's friend A, and the other with just momma and dada.

August 25- Today was a little bit crazy. First, we took E to day care, and later got a call asking why she was there on a Thursday. Turns out that they thought she was only going part time, and we thought she was going full time. We're still not sure how we'll resolve this. Day care also told us she was just not acting like herself. So, we brought her home, and she started to calm down, and get herself together. She spent a lot of time today sitting on her potty, no success, but she likes the potty, which is a good start. After spending a little time with Ama and Ada, E came home and started calling herself by her name! She now points to herself when you ask where E is.

August 24- E has loved playing ball this week. Rather then putting the balls in through the top or through the net, she likes to put it though the hole on the back, or try to push it up the bottom. Mostly, she likes to say "wee" as it goes down the ramp at the bottom. It was another lazy evening with a long walk with the neighbors, tonight both girls got to carry racquetballs, which added tot he fun.

August 23- Here we are having a snack and reading our new Elmo book. The book was a gift from Titi and E loves it. She accidentally tore the corner off the cover, and it really bothers her, each time we read it, she points out the rip and says "uh oh." Her favorite part is a page with lots of muppets, she always point to them for us to identify, and its a good test of her parents memories of Sesame Street.

Monday, August 22, 2011

First day of school

August 22- Today was E's first day back at day care after spending the summer with her dada, she is now a "pumpkin seed" and is in a class with many of her friends from her other room. She did great at her first day back, she ate a good breakfast and lunch, and her new room has lots of music, balls, and art projects to help the day go faster. They are also going to help E start trying to use the big girl potty, since she's been showing some interest in that. 

We took one of our walks with her friend A today, the girls hadn't see each other for a few days, so they were pretty excited to see each other. We watched football practice again, and each time a player fell down, E said "oh no."

Family weekend

We had a busy weekend, Ted, Nate, and Annie were all in town to visit. E loved seeing her uncles, and can say both Teddy and Natie. She can also say Annie (yesterday she say a picture of Abby Cadaby and called her Annie). So, most of our weekend was spent with family.

August 21- This morning, E decided that I should go nite nite, she gave me a small cloth to put my head on. One I was nite nite, she would climb onto my side and bounce up and down like she was riding a horse. As the morning went on, she started putting her blankie down as a saddle. After a morning around the house and a trip to the park, we went to Ama and Ada's house for some swimming, cherry tomato picking (she eats them now) and some play time.

August 20- E is preparing to "dive" into the pool. This is the stance she takes prior to diving, jumping, or hopping. Its nice, because we can always tell what's coming. E loves pouring water out of the pool and is getting good at watering Ama's flowers. She went for a very long walk with Ada at dinner time, all the way around the block, and got to eat pizza, one of her favorites, for dinner.

We bought E her very own big girl potty today. We were at Target and she walked right over to it, took it off the shelf, and sat down (with her clothes on, of course), so we figured it was a sign. No potty success yet, but she's still pretty young, so we'll just have to see how it goes.

August 19- Zonked out, E got to see Ted, Nate, and Annie for the first time tonight, and she had a great time playing with them, she showed them her swimming, and some of her favorite toys. All that playing wore her out, she was asleep shortly after we got home.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Jumping Bean

The new words for the week are: Walk, Water (pronounced Wa-Wa), Ernie (as in Bert and Ernie), and Heart. She also knows where the heart is located on a person.

She's also learned to jump this week. From the ground she's not very good at getting into the air, but she loves to jump off things, usually when there is someone to catch her.

E really has two main nick names, Belly and Bean (or Beanie), so jumping bean describes her perfectly right now.

August 18- Today was the last day of swimming lessons, I think E will really miss the other kids and the songs and other activities at class. After her lesson, she got to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch, play time and a nap. Then, she got to go to Ama and Ada's house for some time with Teddy and a quick swim in the pool. To top it off, she ate dinner at a restaurant and stayed in her chair almost the entire time.

August 17- E loves bushing her teeth, she loves using the tooth brush, dipping it in water, and brushing her teeth and sucking water off the brush. E, dada, Grandma, and Grandpa went to the zoo this afternoon and had lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's. E got to spend the evening with Rora and her parents when her parents had a date night. The girls listened to music and colored lots of pictures.

August 15- E got these tunnels for Christmas and we just got them out this week. She had a good time crawling through them, but her favorite part were the large squares. We had Rora over to play with the tunnels too, and she had a great time in them also.

August 14- I was lucky to get a visitor at work today, she was exhausted when she first got there, so took a little snooze in the archives. She was adorable sleeping near my desk, and most of my co-workers commented on how peaceful she looked. After her nap, we visited with my co-workers and had lunch with Ada. E and dada went to the Memorial Union and looked at ducks, then went out for ice cream. E had her usual, a plain cone, no ice cream. When I got home we took a nice long walk with Rora and her dad.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

August 14- An early morning in Black River Falls with cousin A. E was a little confused all weekend over who exactly Titi was. She called both her cousin A and her Titi Willy Titi. Here the two girls are together having a little snack and watching Sponge Bob. Her cousin explained several times what her name was, but E kept up calling her Titi. We left Black River Falls earlier then planned because E fell asleep in the car. Immediatly after she woke up, E was calling for her Titi again. Hopefully next time, she'll stay up a little longer so she can say bye-bye. Another note about the above, E is eating Froot Loops, she only gets them when we stay at hotels (or when she's at daycare) and she loves them. When I took her down to breakfast, she spotted them and yelled "Os" across the room.

We we got home E and dada went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for some play time. They blew bubbles, played in the sink, and ate blueberries. E had a great time playing with her farm, and shared her water with the animals and the scarecrow.
August 13- We got to go swimming at out hotel, E was a brave little girl, she kept jumping off the side of the pool to me. It was the first time I've ever seen her do this. She was so excited to get in the water that it was hart to wait for the 1-2-3 jump. After swimming she got to get in the tub with cousin A, which was lots of fun. The girls loved playing together in the hotel room and even shared their snacks and cookies. Cousin A was also so sweet when E was trying to fall asleep, at one point when E was crying, A starting asking her very sweetly what was wrong, and then came and got me because E needed her mommy.

August 12- E hasn't played much in the kitchen with me lately until today when she climbed into the cabinet. She was trying to get the door shut, but couldn't quite manage it. Today was a double grandparent day, both were back in town after some time away. She loved it. She got to play outside with both and blow bubbles. Later, she got to go the ba with her Ada.

August 11- Under the blanket is Elmo. One of E's favorite ways to play with Elmo is to put him nite nite. Elmo has his own blanket. Hawaii dolly is right next to Elmo, sometimes they go nite nite together. E's love of Elmo has continued to grow, she loves to watch Elmo's World on Sesame Street, but fortunately is little enough to believe us when we tell her that the TV Elmo is napping.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011


August 10- Dada says that E is getting tired of being with him every day, but I don’t believe him. She calls for him before she falls asleep and when she wakes up from naps. Every morning the read Dada’s kindle together and watch Elmo. E was very caring for her babies today, and spent a little while looking at her own baby pictures on the computer. I’m not sure she knows that baby is her, but she loves to look. We played with A again this evening, taking time to watch the big kids play football. Tonight’s game was to throw the bubble container into the prairie and laugh.

 


August 9- We tried to let E cry it out during the night (from midnight to 2am) and it was a disaster. She screamed for two hours before we broke down and let her nurse. After some milk, she went to sleep like nothing had happened. That made for a tired dada and a tired E all day. In the morning the effects of the night were evident and she wanted to snuggle and be held. But, later on she warmed up and they got to go about their normal day.

E is showing her new favorite part of bath time above, washing her belly with soap bubbles.

She and I took a very long walk with A in the evening, we went looking for woo woos, we found a few, but didn’t want to get too close. We walked all the way down the block, and back again along the prairie. Then A and her mom came in to play for a little while too, both girls played at going nite nite which was adorable, and played with E’s bike.

 


August 8 – Dada is very generous sharing his toys with E, she spent a good deal of time tonight driving Optimus Prime and saying vroom vroom. The weather was beautiful today so Dada and E went to play at a park. After I got home from work, we took our normal walk, we now include a stop at the circle garden where E demands to go barefoot, and practices trying to put her shoes on, she’s not quite successful yet, but soon it seems like she’ll get it.

We saw four dogs, and one of the owners offered to let E give her dog a treat. E held the treat very nicely and got close to the dog, but the dog licking her fingers was a little too much and she got scared.

Monday, August 8, 2011

August 7- Today we picked blueberries at Grandma and Grandpa's house and then tomatoes at Ama and Ada's house. E absolutely loved the blueberries, dada would pick them, and E would take them out of the container and put them in her mouth. It was funny though, we we got home, she refused to eat any of them. I guess they taste better fresh off the bush. E was intrigued by the cherry tomatoes, and took bites of several of them, but didn't end up liking them, so she's spit them out. She's learned to spit things out into my hand, which is both good and bad in my opinion.

After our harvest, E and I played with her friend L. We went to his house and played in his pool and with the sand table. I think it was one of E's first times with a sand table and she loved scooping the sand and water into each other. L also had a little slide which she loved, she could go down it without holding hands, a big change, and a cozy coupe. She loved turning the steering wheel and beeping the horn.

E was a little bit of a dada's girl today, she called for him after her nap and she wouldn't go to bed without a hug and night night from dada.

August 6- E has been all about babies lately, she points them out when you seem one on the street, she identifies them in books and magazines, and wants to play with her babies. Now, she has her snack sitting in a chair with one of her babies. Her favorite baby is her Hawaii doll, but Cinderella will do in a pinch.

We took E to a few garage sales today and she came away with a big prize, a stuffed Elmo toy, she loves having her own Elmo to carry around. We've had to come up with a code name for Elmo, since she's always looking for a chance to read the Elmo book or watch some Sesame Street.

We also went swimming to beat the heat, and E's favorite part was standing on the edge and throwing balls to her dada and I, she had two footballs and a boat, and she'd throw each one into the water. She swam a little bit, but mostly wanted to be on the edge.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

August 5- Tonight we had E's friend A over for a few hours as part of a new babysitting exchange. The girls had so much fun together! First, we went and blew bubbles and watched high school football practice, then we had dinner, then we went on a long (for one year olds) walk to the park where both girls loved going down the slides and climbing on the little kid structure. Its funny to watch the two of them together, E, being smaller and faster, finds ways to squeeze around A to get to do things first, and if one of them has something, the other needs that same thing. I had two bubble wands, which I thought would be enough, but then they were both trying for the pink one, and no one would use the green one! E got pretty wound up, so she and I sat on the stairs for a little bit. Ever since E was a baby, the stairs have calmed her down, I don't know if its the light, or the way the sound works there, but when she was tiny and wouldn't stop crying, we'd sit on the steps and things would be ok.

E is turning into a very affectionate little girl, she gives A lots of hugs, and tries to hold her hand when they are out walking. She also kisses owies better, kisses her animals, and is very interested in babies (dolls and real kids) and gives her baby dolls pats, hugs, and kisses.

August 4- Look at all that hair! I always joke that her hair is the thing that has grown most since she turned one. From this angle you can really see it. Tonight we had family portraits taken at Olbrich Gardens, it was lovely. E loved the photographer, and left the gardens holding her hand, it was really sweet. But, by the time we were done, E was exhausted. She and dada also had swimming lessons today, it was one of the last classes, E is getting really brave in the water and loves all the swimming songs.

August 3- E has a new fixation, Elmo. She can even say Elmo and knows when her dada and I spell it. She and her dad have been watching a little Sesame Street after breakfast, but now she wants Elmo all the time. She asks for Elmo diapers and has to inspect the diaper before you put it on. She'll still accept her Luvs diapers so long as you tell her its a monkey diaper and make money noises.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Back in the swing of things

August 2-
Another busy day for E and dada, they ran two errands and had E’s friend, A, and her mom over the play. In the mid-afternoon E had an attack of missing momma, and I got a very sad call at work. But, she recovered, and we got to go for our nightly walk. Our walk has changed, now we carry our bubbles over to the circle garden, E takes off her shoes, and spends a good 15 minutes trying to put the shoes back on. In the meantime, we look for dogs and blow a few bubbles. After dinner, we got to play with A again, and blow bubbles and do sidewalk chalk.