Thursday, July 28, 2011

I am a year and a HALF!



I am 18 months old and life couldn't be better! Summer is super cool: swimming, gardening, ice cream, fresh fruit and running around in my diaper. This is the life.
You probably heard- I FINALLY weaned Mommy. She seems a little sad sometimes so I give her extra cuddles and let them read to me now. I really love to see all the pictures in the books and imagine all the fun places and things I have yet to explore.
I am really into animals and their sounds right now. My favorite is ROARING like a lion. When there is an animal I don't know, I just roar and both Mama and Dada laugh so hard. Mom was trying to teach me new body parts and said "cheek" and I started to "bok" like a chicken. They get a kick out of me.
I am also really into spying cats when we are out and about.I usually don't get to pet too many though, they always run away. But BOY do I get to pet lots of dogs at the dog park. There are fluffy ones, smooth ones and ones with big teeth. (There is one with NO tail too, not sure what happened to him.) After I pet all the dogs and say "woof woof" to each of them I like to take a plastic bag and do what all the big people do, bend over, scrunch up the bag and then tuck in under my arm. I do this over and over and everyone laughs. Mama says it's because I am pretending to pick up dog poop. I'm just trying to be a grown-up. I like grown up things a lot and like to mimic, but I also love being a baby still. I guess that's what being a toddler is all about, I get the best of both worlds. When I don't want to behave I can still claim "baby" status!
I have lots of new words and the most useful ones are: help (they come right over), pool (used to denote any body of water), and spoon (for any eating utensil).
Daddy has been home a lot more this summer because his project at work is done. It has been so fun to spend lots of time with him. So far we went to New England, NYC, the Jersey Shore, Harrisburg, and to Nana and Pappy's. We are going to go camping in a few weeks and I can't wait to sleep in the tent and get super dirty.
Speaking of pools, Daddy bought me a HUGE deluxe pool for the backyard with a slide and waterfall. When Mama is around she doesn't get it out and says it's the "bane" of her existence. She gives me an old bucket to sit in. But if Dad is home he totally pimps out our backyard for me. One day my boyfriends came over to swim and I was the cool kid on the block. I like swimming at the public pools too. There is LOTS to watch there. I even put my face in on my own last week.
The other big change this summer is that Shirley now comes to my house!! We both miss Jona and went to visit him once, but I have a new friend- a BABY! It's hard not to take the baby's bobos, but I am learning to mature now that I am the older one. But when the baby isn't around, I can still sneak into her swing, it is soooo fun.
I am eating better now, still not gaining A LOT of weight, but Mom and Dad don't chase me around with food anymore. Sometimes I eat a lot but if I don't feel well I don't like to eat. The doctor says this is okay. I am 25% for my weight and 75% for my height.
My favorite foods are: cheese, pasta and ice cream cones. And juice boxes, especially when I am allowed to hold them myself.
Mama keeps talking about trying to call the Bobo fairy, but I keep hiding her number. I LOVE my bobo (pacifier) and lovey (blanket.)
Mom and Dad refer to them as "my friends" because they think I don't know what they are talking about, but I do. I usually only get to have them when I am sleeping. But if I get really fussy when they are trying to do something adult-like, I usually get my way.
I love playing "mommy" and feeding, dressing and rocking my baby dolls. I also LOVE shoes, jewelry and bags. Daddy says he is in trouble.
Yesterday, Mama, Miss Emily and I went to the mall and Whoah!!!! there was a shoe section that had shoes everywhere. As fast as I could, I sat on the floor, took off my shoes and started trying them on. I liked the purple sparkly ones best. I kept asking for the other shoe to the pair, but Mom said at the store there is only one out at a time. That's weird.
Speaking of stores, I don't like sitting the cart anymore, there is too much to explore. Mama says I am a hurricane. I like to think of it as creative, just like her.
One more thing before I go- I got a new toothbrush and for some reason it tickles me when Mama is brushing my teeth! I laughed so hard last night I fell down!

All Dressed Up!





Sunday, July 24, 2011

Nana and Pappy's Summer Adventure

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Baby and Mommy are officially weaned!

It' been almost 2 weeks since Nori nursed and I would call it official.
After 18 months, my body is not sustaining her. She has loved nursing since about 20 minutes after coming into the world. And who would blame her, warmth, comfort and always accessible. I, on the other hand, took some convincing. But after perservering through our rocky start and realizing how our child is not a cuddler, nursing became a favorite time for me too. The only time she still is when she is sleeping, pooping or nursing. The past two months she was still asking to nurse twice a day. And in the spirit of all hopeful hippie moms, I wanted her to nurse as long as we could.
But a few weeks ago, one thing led to another and I wasn't around for a few bedtimes, and she wasn't missing it. At the same time something miraculous was happening- Nori started to like reading!! After MONTHS of trying to get through a book with her focused attentino, now she wants to read several books at a time while sitting STILL.
SO, this was all Mama needed to be weaned herself. Mama steals her cuddles while reading and baby is too involved in her reading adventures to remember to ask!

What surprised me the most the first few days was how it matured and grew our relationship. I have never not nursed her, so to relate to her without this "need" being met, made our relationship seem more authentic. And I also saw more clearly a thread of obligation that I both loved (only I can nurse her) and hated (only I can nurse her.)
We are growing up together!

Monday, July 18, 2011

It's 8am. . .

It's a monday at 8 am and I have never been happier to see Shirley, our Nanny. You would think that at 18 mos Mommy and Baby would be able to get through a morning and out the door with minimal drama. Not so. Nori was up at 545 and for some reason 545 is MUCH earlier than 15 minutes from 600. She knows it too, as she is always a ball of fuss when she wakes this early. After diverting her demands to nurse, we go downstairs and over the next two hours there is boiled over oatmeal on a newly cleaned stove, a cup of tea for me that goes untouched, two bowls of spilled cheerios (along with one broken ceramic bowl that Mama gave without thinking,) a puddle of juice on the floor that the dog treks through (Dad forgot to put the plastic piece in that makes it nonspillable,) a kitchen cupboard's contents everywhere, a poopy diaper, injuries from trying to get dressed, (did I mention it was like 100 degrees in our house?) and then once out the door and in the car. . . the realization that I didn't brush my teeth. Think I was going back for that?! No way, it's 8 am on a Monday and I have never been happier to be on my way to work. This is why people don't have kids.

ps By noon I will be missing her!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

NYC= new friends!


Linda's Wedding


Family Photos from New England Vacation




This photo is in Falmouth, Mass (Lovie makes the photo again).


This Photo was in Salem, Mass. (note family member Lovie)

Why I LOVE summer. . .

#1 reason= ice cream!!!