Since I didn't blog over the Thanksgiving break, I have quite the collection of Lauren-isms:
- On Thanksgiving, we were killing a little time before dinner with her by playing air hockey. Without either of us calling it that, she said she was, "playing hockey with Mommy!"
- One of the evenings we were trying to get her into bed while she begged for another story. We refused (she'd had 3!) and had her get into bed. The entire time she was whining in her best New York accent, "Ahhhh....guys. Come on!" Has she been watching The Sopranos?
- She ran herself ragged playing at home on Saturday and was just wiped out by 6 pm. I was trying to encourage her to go upstairs and eat, which she was resisting. I don't think she knew what she wanted. I finally got her moving up the stairs, very slowly, when she suddenly stopped and laid down on one of the steps. She looked up at me and said in the clearest, most weary voice, "I think I need to go to bed." Yes, she certainly did!
- We took a walk around the block last night just to get her out of the house. A little over halfway there, she turned to her dad and said, "Pick up the little girl?"
- Last night we were putting her to bed, much to her displeasure. I started to sing, "Rockabye Baby" which normally is something she likes. Last night, though, she said, "No, Mommy! No song. Shhhh.... Quiet!" quite vehemently.
She also mentioned President Obama again when she saw Jeremy wearing his apron (and it is his apron!) to work in the kitchen, so she evidently links aprons and President Obama somehow. How strange!
She's really getting into the imaginary play, which is cute. The other day she fed Jeremy a meal several different times, telling him he had chicken nuggets, dipping sauce, peas, yogurt, and milk. She even wiped his mouth at the end. Tonight, she had me lay down, put pillows under my head and feet, covered me with a blanket and said good night. She then woke me up and offered me juice, pantomiming the action of pouring a drink and screwing the lid on a sippy cup.
On a similar note, she told me the other day as she was getting out of the car that she had a balloon. She even handed it to me as she got out so it wouldn't fly away. :) It's neat to see her developing!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Lauren's Most Random
Lauren said the most out-of-context, funniest thing tonight, and I just have to share it.
Jeremy was doing dishes and had put on an apron. Lauren said, "Daddy wearing a dress!" I told her it was actually an apron. She then said, in a sing-song voice, "Apron, apron, Daddy's wearing an apron! President Obama!"
Okay, then.
Jeremy was doing dishes and had put on an apron. Lauren said, "Daddy wearing a dress!" I told her it was actually an apron. She then said, in a sing-song voice, "Apron, apron, Daddy's wearing an apron! President Obama!"
Okay, then.
Monday, November 23, 2009
She found 5!
For the longest time, Lauren was skipping 5 and 6 when she was counting to 10. Whether she was counting objects or just from memory, she would always go straight through from 4 to 7 and keep on going. It was cute, but also a little strange. I mean, she could count all the way up to 20, which is pretty awesome for a 2 1/2 year old, but then would leave out those two numbers. Then, all of a sudden a couple weekends ago, Lauren magically started saying 5 and 6! I'm not sure what precipitated that, but suddenly there they were!
It's funny too, because right around that same time her colors suddenly clicked. She must have had a brain wave weekend. For the last 6 months at least we were really working with her to get her colors down and they just weren't sticking for some reason. It was almost laughable how bad she was at them; she would shout the most random color names for things. Actually, it would have been funny if we weren't so worried that she was color blind. It was that bad.
But then, just like the numbers, the colors just seemed to click. It was like one morning she woke up and totally understood the concept. She's still a little shaky with it sometimes, especially with the colors that have many different hues like blue and green, but for the most part, she's spot on. She's really accurate with red, pink, orange and brown and is hit-and-miss with yellow. Purple isn't there at all, but I'm sure it's coming. I'm just relieved she finally got it!
She was really being cute this weekend and said some funny and smart things:
- She was eating lunch in the kitchen and I was up there keeping her company. I was sitting on the counter when she looked up at me and said, "What'cha doing up there?" It was so cute.
- She suddenly has a whole bunch of new verbs. She told me this weekend that she "ripped" a piece of paper (which she in fact did) and this morning told me someone was carrying a bag. Both are things I've never heard her say.
- On that same note, she was narrating the actions of our cat, Thomas, on Sunday morning. "She's (it's a boy) sitting. She's walking. She's getting down. She's brushing. (?!?!)" He was in reality running away from her, but it was cute to hear her interpretation.
- I spent all weekend painting Jeremy's "man room" Carolina blue (hence the no posting). It really is quite blue. When I finally took her in to see what she'd been doing, she gasped, put her hands up to her eyes in a diamond shape and said, "I see it!" She looked like a photographer planning a photograph.
- Finally, the one thing Lauren has been really consistent with for a long time is shapes. She just got those really quickly, even more complex ones. This weekend I had put some short curtain rods in the family room as I moved things around. She arranged them into a perfect diamond shape and then told us what she had done. Smart girl!
It's funny too, because right around that same time her colors suddenly clicked. She must have had a brain wave weekend. For the last 6 months at least we were really working with her to get her colors down and they just weren't sticking for some reason. It was almost laughable how bad she was at them; she would shout the most random color names for things. Actually, it would have been funny if we weren't so worried that she was color blind. It was that bad.
But then, just like the numbers, the colors just seemed to click. It was like one morning she woke up and totally understood the concept. She's still a little shaky with it sometimes, especially with the colors that have many different hues like blue and green, but for the most part, she's spot on. She's really accurate with red, pink, orange and brown and is hit-and-miss with yellow. Purple isn't there at all, but I'm sure it's coming. I'm just relieved she finally got it!
She was really being cute this weekend and said some funny and smart things:
- She was eating lunch in the kitchen and I was up there keeping her company. I was sitting on the counter when she looked up at me and said, "What'cha doing up there?" It was so cute.
- She suddenly has a whole bunch of new verbs. She told me this weekend that she "ripped" a piece of paper (which she in fact did) and this morning told me someone was carrying a bag. Both are things I've never heard her say.
- On that same note, she was narrating the actions of our cat, Thomas, on Sunday morning. "She's (it's a boy) sitting. She's walking. She's getting down. She's brushing. (?!?!)" He was in reality running away from her, but it was cute to hear her interpretation.
- I spent all weekend painting Jeremy's "man room" Carolina blue (hence the no posting). It really is quite blue. When I finally took her in to see what she'd been doing, she gasped, put her hands up to her eyes in a diamond shape and said, "I see it!" She looked like a photographer planning a photograph.
- Finally, the one thing Lauren has been really consistent with for a long time is shapes. She just got those really quickly, even more complex ones. This weekend I had put some short curtain rods in the family room as I moved things around. She arranged them into a perfect diamond shape and then told us what she had done. Smart girl!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A New Trick
Through her "preschool" work at daycare, Lauren has learned to spell her name. For a while there she was getting off track and adding random o's and e's to her spelling, but she's got it down now. Every day when I get there, she shows me her paper for the day and spells her name at the top. It's really cute, especially as she finishes each time with "Law-WEN!"
Today I was taking a package of diapers into VJ's to restock. I had written her name on it, in cursive. As it flashed past her line of vision, she said, "L-A-U-R-E-N, Law-WEN!" I knew she knew her name on sight, since that's something we've working on for a while, but being able to read it in cursive and with some letters in upper case, is pretty impressive for a two-and-a-half year old!
Today I was taking a package of diapers into VJ's to restock. I had written her name on it, in cursive. As it flashed past her line of vision, she said, "L-A-U-R-E-N, Law-WEN!" I knew she knew her name on sight, since that's something we've working on for a while, but being able to read it in cursive and with some letters in upper case, is pretty impressive for a two-and-a-half year old!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Lauren-isms
Lauren has been really funny with her one-liners lately, so I thought I'd share a few.
- Last night, she was having a tough evening. She wanted a certain Play-Doh opened that I didn't since it was new. She proceeded to cry about this for nearly 45 minutes. At one point, I went over to her and said, "Lauren, would you like dinner?" She said, "No. I crying." and turned away from me. She eventually got up in her seat when she finished with her not-so-minor tantrum.
- This afternoon, there was a school bus on our street, which she pointed out. I asked her where it was going and she said, "It going shopping." That's my kind of bus.
- The other day we were coloring together. She handed me a crayon and said, "Color inside the lines." Okay, then.
- Tonight, we were at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. There were several wooden parrots hanging from the ceiling. She kept standing up and shouting at them, "Crock-a-doodle-doo!"
- She's also been repeating several phrases from her favorite TV shows: "Silly Max. Open the door." and "Busytown Bug News!"
- Last night, she was having a tough evening. She wanted a certain Play-Doh opened that I didn't since it was new. She proceeded to cry about this for nearly 45 minutes. At one point, I went over to her and said, "Lauren, would you like dinner?" She said, "No. I crying." and turned away from me. She eventually got up in her seat when she finished with her not-so-minor tantrum.
- This afternoon, there was a school bus on our street, which she pointed out. I asked her where it was going and she said, "It going shopping." That's my kind of bus.
- The other day we were coloring together. She handed me a crayon and said, "Color inside the lines." Okay, then.
- Tonight, we were at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. There were several wooden parrots hanging from the ceiling. She kept standing up and shouting at them, "Crock-a-doodle-doo!"
- She's also been repeating several phrases from her favorite TV shows: "Silly Max. Open the door." and "Busytown Bug News!"
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Lauren's Favorite Things
One of the great things about Lauren becoming a toddler and being more vocal is that we get to know more and more about her likes and dislikes every day. I've already talked about her love of sleeping and taking baths, so I thought I'd share some more things she loves.
1. Her blanket - She has a pink blanket that someone gave us as a baby gift for her. Like so many children do, she drags it all over the place and has a difficult time going to bed without it.
2. Her baby dolls - She has two baby dolls: one that was a gift from Papa and Suzie and one that was a gift from Deena. She keeps them naked for some reason, and loves nothing more than feeding them from those bottles that seem to empty as you tip them up.
3. Babies - Lauren is enamored with babies, especially Dylan at daycare. She always points out babies in a crowd and waves and talks to them if they're near enough. She has a certain voice that she uses to talk to them; it's really high-pitched and every sentence ends with a question mark. She always wants to make sure the babies are well-cared for and will bring even the tiniest baby books or toys to play with. It's really sweet.
4. Doing puzzles - She's a girl obsessed with puzzles. She started with her 9-piece Dora puzzle and two other similar ones. Once she did them once she could complete them really, really quickly. She then moved on to the hard Melissa and Doug puzzles of the alphabet and numbers. Again, she mastered those quickly. Her latest conquest is a 25-piece puzzle that's marked 3+! It's just amazing to watch her little brain work.
5. Chicken nuggets and "dipping sauce" - Lauren could eat her Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets with Ranch dressing from now until the end of time and not get enough. I can't tell you how many times I've fixed her a great meal only to have her look up at me and say, "Chicken nuggets, Mama? Dipping sauce?" Grrrr...
6. Water - I talked in my last post about how much she loves baths, but she adores swimming as well. Even as a three-month-old baby she loved the water and took to it immediately. Future Olympian?
7. Blocks - She has this set of wooden blocks in various shapes that she just loves. It's amazing to watch her build towers and designs on the floor. She seems to understand symmetry and really takes her time with the building. She never knocks her own work down, choosing instead to destroy mine.
8. Looking at pictures of herself - We have a slide show screen saver on the laptop and she just loves sitting in front of it, watching pictures of herself and of us. She narrates them too, "Baby Lauwen. Mama and Lauwen. Daddy and Mommy. Cute little baby."
9. Busytown Mysteries and Max and Ruby - These are her TV shows of choice now, and she asks for them every day on the way home from daycare. I think Busytown Mysteries gets the slight edge over the other on this one.
10. Reading - Lauren adores both reading and being read to. She has incredible stamina and can sit for up to an hour with a couple of books, just staring at each detail on the page. She really loves Richard Scarry's books and I think they've really helped her increase her language skills. She always gets two or three books read to her at bedtime and it's a nice time of day for all of us. Right now her favorite is "Babushka's Doll" though she also loves Mother Goose and a book about a baby panda. Next month it will be something else, I'm sure.
And finally, Mom and Dad - It's tooting our horn, I know, but Lauren really does love me and her dad. She loves to try to make us happy and loves playing with us and just revels in our attention. She's a pretty reserved girl around other people, but with us she's totally affectionate and charming. I feel lucky to get to be her mom.
1. Her blanket - She has a pink blanket that someone gave us as a baby gift for her. Like so many children do, she drags it all over the place and has a difficult time going to bed without it.
2. Her baby dolls - She has two baby dolls: one that was a gift from Papa and Suzie and one that was a gift from Deena. She keeps them naked for some reason, and loves nothing more than feeding them from those bottles that seem to empty as you tip them up.
3. Babies - Lauren is enamored with babies, especially Dylan at daycare. She always points out babies in a crowd and waves and talks to them if they're near enough. She has a certain voice that she uses to talk to them; it's really high-pitched and every sentence ends with a question mark. She always wants to make sure the babies are well-cared for and will bring even the tiniest baby books or toys to play with. It's really sweet.
4. Doing puzzles - She's a girl obsessed with puzzles. She started with her 9-piece Dora puzzle and two other similar ones. Once she did them once she could complete them really, really quickly. She then moved on to the hard Melissa and Doug puzzles of the alphabet and numbers. Again, she mastered those quickly. Her latest conquest is a 25-piece puzzle that's marked 3+! It's just amazing to watch her little brain work.
5. Chicken nuggets and "dipping sauce" - Lauren could eat her Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets with Ranch dressing from now until the end of time and not get enough. I can't tell you how many times I've fixed her a great meal only to have her look up at me and say, "Chicken nuggets, Mama? Dipping sauce?" Grrrr...
6. Water - I talked in my last post about how much she loves baths, but she adores swimming as well. Even as a three-month-old baby she loved the water and took to it immediately. Future Olympian?
7. Blocks - She has this set of wooden blocks in various shapes that she just loves. It's amazing to watch her build towers and designs on the floor. She seems to understand symmetry and really takes her time with the building. She never knocks her own work down, choosing instead to destroy mine.
8. Looking at pictures of herself - We have a slide show screen saver on the laptop and she just loves sitting in front of it, watching pictures of herself and of us. She narrates them too, "Baby Lauwen. Mama and Lauwen. Daddy and Mommy. Cute little baby."
9. Busytown Mysteries and Max and Ruby - These are her TV shows of choice now, and she asks for them every day on the way home from daycare. I think Busytown Mysteries gets the slight edge over the other on this one.
10. Reading - Lauren adores both reading and being read to. She has incredible stamina and can sit for up to an hour with a couple of books, just staring at each detail on the page. She really loves Richard Scarry's books and I think they've really helped her increase her language skills. She always gets two or three books read to her at bedtime and it's a nice time of day for all of us. Right now her favorite is "Babushka's Doll" though she also loves Mother Goose and a book about a baby panda. Next month it will be something else, I'm sure.
And finally, Mom and Dad - It's tooting our horn, I know, but Lauren really does love me and her dad. She loves to try to make us happy and loves playing with us and just revels in our attention. She's a pretty reserved girl around other people, but with us she's totally affectionate and charming. I feel lucky to get to be her mom.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Bathtime!
Lauren loves bedtime and hates getting up, so comfort seems to be her thing. It's not surprising, then, that she loves bath time. She always has.
When she was first born, we just did gentle sponge baths keeping her wrapped in the towel, holding her over the sink. Once she was a little bigger, we put her in the baby tub in the kitchen. She loved the warm water and kicking her arms and legs to splash us. It was definitely her favorite time of the day.
Once she got a little older, we transitioned her to the ducky tub. It's this blow-up tub that fits in the big tub, and she looked so cute in it. The duck's bill would quack when you pressed it, which scared her the first several times she heard it. She got used to it after a while and really enjoyed staying in the tub as long as she could. We had a couple of waterproof books that she liked to read and other little toys she played with.
Now that she's a big girl, she definitely has a routine. When it's bath time, we turn on the water and she strips off her clothes. She then goes in underneath the sink and gets out the same toys every time: some spongy letters and numbers and two bottles for pouring water. Once she's in the bath, she plays and splashes and has a wonderful time. She doesn't love it so much when I try to rinse her hair, but Jeremy has taught her to put her chin up when it's time to rinse. It works sometimes, but it's definitely still not her favorite thing to do.
Once she's washed, I drain the water and she pulls up the duck stickers that are on the tub bottom. She then lines them up in various formations on the side of the tub. Before I she turns into an icicle I get her out and wrap her in her kitty towel. Lately, she loves having me hold her in my arms and call her a little baby. Sound familiar?
Before I forget, a cute moment from the other day:
She noticed in the morning that the cat had scratched my finger. She took it and gave it several sweet kisses, saying, "All better?" She's such a caring little girl!
When she was first born, we just did gentle sponge baths keeping her wrapped in the towel, holding her over the sink. Once she was a little bigger, we put her in the baby tub in the kitchen. She loved the warm water and kicking her arms and legs to splash us. It was definitely her favorite time of the day.
Once she got a little older, we transitioned her to the ducky tub. It's this blow-up tub that fits in the big tub, and she looked so cute in it. The duck's bill would quack when you pressed it, which scared her the first several times she heard it. She got used to it after a while and really enjoyed staying in the tub as long as she could. We had a couple of waterproof books that she liked to read and other little toys she played with.
Now that she's a big girl, she definitely has a routine. When it's bath time, we turn on the water and she strips off her clothes. She then goes in underneath the sink and gets out the same toys every time: some spongy letters and numbers and two bottles for pouring water. Once she's in the bath, she plays and splashes and has a wonderful time. She doesn't love it so much when I try to rinse her hair, but Jeremy has taught her to put her chin up when it's time to rinse. It works sometimes, but it's definitely still not her favorite thing to do.
Once she's washed, I drain the water and she pulls up the duck stickers that are on the tub bottom. She then lines them up in various formations on the side of the tub. Before I she turns into an icicle I get her out and wrap her in her kitty towel. Lately, she loves having me hold her in my arms and call her a little baby. Sound familiar?
Before I forget, a cute moment from the other day:
She noticed in the morning that the cat had scratched my finger. She took it and gave it several sweet kisses, saying, "All better?" She's such a caring little girl!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Our Little Charmer
We're having one of those days with Lauren where she's charming us in a million little ways. 2 1/2 really is such a cute, expressive age.
This morning, she was awake before I went in to wake her, which in and of itself is amazing. I could hear her chatting to herself, and when I opened the door, she shouted, "Mama! I awake!" I said, "You're awake?! What are you doing?" She responded, "A really good job." I'm not sure what she was doing, actually, but evidently she's really good at it.
Fast forward to this evening, and she asked for some juice, even saying please. When I handed it to her, she said, "Fanks, Mama. I appreciate it." That just melted my heart.
She was also really cute with Jeremy this evening. He was getting changed after work and she helped him put away his dress clothes. She then picked out his shorts and belt and encouraged him to put on his flip flops. She then decided that she needed flip flops and so started rummaging through her closet until she found some sparkly sandals that evidently will do in a pinch. Properly shod, she started reaching for some clothes in her closet. Jeremy picked her up and she chose a dress. She wanted to put it on immediately, so he helped her do that. Once she had on her dress and shoes, she said, "Go to church?", and, grabbing Jeremy's hand said, "Let's go!" She got him to the door and put his hand on the doorknob and then the deadbolt, trying to encourage him to take her to church. No dice this evening, but it is sweet that she wants to go.
She's just such a loving, smart, funny little girl, and I enjoy her to no end.
This morning, she was awake before I went in to wake her, which in and of itself is amazing. I could hear her chatting to herself, and when I opened the door, she shouted, "Mama! I awake!" I said, "You're awake?! What are you doing?" She responded, "A really good job." I'm not sure what she was doing, actually, but evidently she's really good at it.
Fast forward to this evening, and she asked for some juice, even saying please. When I handed it to her, she said, "Fanks, Mama. I appreciate it." That just melted my heart.
She was also really cute with Jeremy this evening. He was getting changed after work and she helped him put away his dress clothes. She then picked out his shorts and belt and encouraged him to put on his flip flops. She then decided that she needed flip flops and so started rummaging through her closet until she found some sparkly sandals that evidently will do in a pinch. Properly shod, she started reaching for some clothes in her closet. Jeremy picked her up and she chose a dress. She wanted to put it on immediately, so he helped her do that. Once she had on her dress and shoes, she said, "Go to church?", and, grabbing Jeremy's hand said, "Let's go!" She got him to the door and put his hand on the doorknob and then the deadbolt, trying to encourage him to take her to church. No dice this evening, but it is sweet that she wants to go.
She's just such a loving, smart, funny little girl, and I enjoy her to no end.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Looking at the Bright Side
Lauren seems to have been possessed by a small, energetic demon this morning, so I have nothing cute or funny to report. Nothing at all.
I will, however, share some cute or funny things from the past. Let's go way back:
- When Lauren was just a few weeks old, it quickly became apparent that she was enamored of any and all lights. She would stare blissfully at the hallway lights as we walked underneath them, sometimes with a little half-smile on her face. We became convinced that she would grow up to be an electrician. Or a house plant.
- Once she got a little older, her next obsession was the bear mobile that hung over her bed. She would scream and babble at them whenever she was near them and eventually would try to grab them. I guess I would call them her earliest friends.
- After the bears became passe, Mom and Dad took center stage. We had the faces she recognized most readily and she would smile and babble at us to earn our smiles. Of course, that wasn't hard.
- Even from the earliest days, Lauren has been fiercely independent. She enjoys being around people and likes making others happy, but it's clear that she's really quite happy when she's on her own. The earliest evidence we had of this was when she had crying fits as a baby. Carrying her around or trying to soothe her only made things worse; once you laid her in her crib you could see her visibly relax. Lauren likes other people, but she doesn't need them, and I really like that about her. It's definitely carried over into this age, where she can spend an hour or so just playing and entertaining herself. We definitely won the baby lottery on this one!
I will, however, share some cute or funny things from the past. Let's go way back:
- When Lauren was just a few weeks old, it quickly became apparent that she was enamored of any and all lights. She would stare blissfully at the hallway lights as we walked underneath them, sometimes with a little half-smile on her face. We became convinced that she would grow up to be an electrician. Or a house plant.
- Once she got a little older, her next obsession was the bear mobile that hung over her bed. She would scream and babble at them whenever she was near them and eventually would try to grab them. I guess I would call them her earliest friends.
- After the bears became passe, Mom and Dad took center stage. We had the faces she recognized most readily and she would smile and babble at us to earn our smiles. Of course, that wasn't hard.
- Even from the earliest days, Lauren has been fiercely independent. She enjoys being around people and likes making others happy, but it's clear that she's really quite happy when she's on her own. The earliest evidence we had of this was when she had crying fits as a baby. Carrying her around or trying to soothe her only made things worse; once you laid her in her crib you could see her visibly relax. Lauren likes other people, but she doesn't need them, and I really like that about her. It's definitely carried over into this age, where she can spend an hour or so just playing and entertaining herself. We definitely won the baby lottery on this one!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I Got Scolded By A Toddler
Lauren is constantly surprising us with new words and phrases. Sometimes the things she says are really cute, some are just fun, and some just make you say, "Huh?"
The other night, Jeremy and I were talking in the living room and, I'll admit, I was raising my voice a little. After a couple of minutes, Lauren came over to me and said, "Mama, settle down." She used a tone that sounded curiously like mine when I tell her the same. Hmmm... wonder where she got that from?
Other linguistic highlights:
- Tonight she said, "I wan' juice please, Mama. I'm firsty." I had never heard her say "thirsty" before.
- Last week, she kept saying, "Silly Clipper!" and laughing hysterically. We had no idea what she was talking out, but it was so funny to see her crack up like that. I think since then that I've figured out that she was saying, "Silly Clifford!" as in the big, red dog. Still not totally sure what that's all about, but it's really cute.
- Today at Mass, she was acting up a little bit, which is actually pretty unusual. Towards the end, she was really losing it and started to kick the pew. Jeremy tried holding her legs to get her to stop. Her only response was to repeatedly say, "Sorry, Daddy!" as she continued to kick. I think she's missing the point.
- Last week, I could hear her saying, "Max... No, Max..." in the exact same tone as Ruby from "Max and Ruby." She's actually quite a mimic.
- She's been singing a ton lately. I've heard snippets of "Jingle Bells", "Old MacDonald", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "B-I-N-G-O" (though in her version, the dog is called B-L-A-C-K), the days of the week song, and something about being together. It's fun to hear what comes to her mind.
The other night, Jeremy and I were talking in the living room and, I'll admit, I was raising my voice a little. After a couple of minutes, Lauren came over to me and said, "Mama, settle down." She used a tone that sounded curiously like mine when I tell her the same. Hmmm... wonder where she got that from?
Other linguistic highlights:
- Tonight she said, "I wan' juice please, Mama. I'm firsty." I had never heard her say "thirsty" before.
- Last week, she kept saying, "Silly Clipper!" and laughing hysterically. We had no idea what she was talking out, but it was so funny to see her crack up like that. I think since then that I've figured out that she was saying, "Silly Clifford!" as in the big, red dog. Still not totally sure what that's all about, but it's really cute.
- Today at Mass, she was acting up a little bit, which is actually pretty unusual. Towards the end, she was really losing it and started to kick the pew. Jeremy tried holding her legs to get her to stop. Her only response was to repeatedly say, "Sorry, Daddy!" as she continued to kick. I think she's missing the point.
- Last week, I could hear her saying, "Max... No, Max..." in the exact same tone as Ruby from "Max and Ruby." She's actually quite a mimic.
- She's been singing a ton lately. I've heard snippets of "Jingle Bells", "Old MacDonald", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "B-I-N-G-O" (though in her version, the dog is called B-L-A-C-K), the days of the week song, and something about being together. It's fun to hear what comes to her mind.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Today Was A Good Day...
... but nothing really stood out. Lauren did her normal routine in the morning of not wanting to get dressed, but was of course pacified by being treated like a "cute little baby." She did great at VJ's, even taking a nap. On the way home she said she wanted to watch Busytown (Mysteries). When I said, "You want to watch Busytown?", she said, "Yes!" I totally walked into that one. Anyway, dinner was fine and she went to bed pretty easily, of course again using the "cute little baby" treatment she loves so much.
Since there's not much to report today, I'll share some memories.
- Lauren's first "word", aside from "da da da" was "tsss", which meant kitty. From the beginning, she always really loved the cats. Once she got a few more words, she started saying, "Killy (kitty), no barking!" I guess she was listening when I scolded the dogs. :)
- Lauren also really loved the word "no" from the moment she mastered it. The weird thing is that she usually used it to mean "Give that to me." She would pinch her pointer finger and thumb together and sort of point at the toy/cup of milk/book and say, "No. No. Nnnnnn No." Somehow we figured out that meant she was asking (demanding?) for it and it worked. Finally, she got other words and found more appropriate ways to ask for things. She even says please and "fanks" now.
- Lauren has always been fantastic about going to bed, but is a beast in the morning. Hmmm... sounds just like her mother. Anyway, you just stick her in her room and she goes to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. If it's still light out, she'll ususally read for a while or do a puzzle, but she puts herself to bed. She's always been that way, ever since she was tiny. How lucky did we get?
The flipside of that, though, is that she is absolutely awful in the morning. She just hates getting woken up and is a terrible grump for the first half hour or so. We finally have started going in and turning her light on ever so slightly just before we want her to wake up and then turning it up a notch every few minutes. Once she's awake, she needs juice or milk to get her going. Lately, she's been asking for a quick snuggle before she'll deign to be dressed, so I find myself sitting on the toilet (lid down), holding her all wrapped up in her blanket, while trying to do my hair with one hand. Whatever gets her going, I guess.
Since there's not much to report today, I'll share some memories.
- Lauren's first "word", aside from "da da da" was "tsss", which meant kitty. From the beginning, she always really loved the cats. Once she got a few more words, she started saying, "Killy (kitty), no barking!" I guess she was listening when I scolded the dogs. :)
- Lauren also really loved the word "no" from the moment she mastered it. The weird thing is that she usually used it to mean "Give that to me." She would pinch her pointer finger and thumb together and sort of point at the toy/cup of milk/book and say, "No. No. Nnnnnn No." Somehow we figured out that meant she was asking (demanding?) for it and it worked. Finally, she got other words and found more appropriate ways to ask for things. She even says please and "fanks" now.
- Lauren has always been fantastic about going to bed, but is a beast in the morning. Hmmm... sounds just like her mother. Anyway, you just stick her in her room and she goes to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. If it's still light out, she'll ususally read for a while or do a puzzle, but she puts herself to bed. She's always been that way, ever since she was tiny. How lucky did we get?
The flipside of that, though, is that she is absolutely awful in the morning. She just hates getting woken up and is a terrible grump for the first half hour or so. We finally have started going in and turning her light on ever so slightly just before we want her to wake up and then turning it up a notch every few minutes. Once she's awake, she needs juice or milk to get her going. Lately, she's been asking for a quick snuggle before she'll deign to be dressed, so I find myself sitting on the toilet (lid down), holding her all wrapped up in her blanket, while trying to do my hair with one hand. Whatever gets her going, I guess.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I Cringe Everytime You Do That
For the last year, I've been taking Lauren to Gymboree on Wednesday afternoons for open gym. She absolutely loves running around, climbing, jumping, and playing with the other kids. It's definitely one of my favorite times of the week with her.
Well, until lately. See, for about the last three months there's this dad who's been coming with his little boy and, in the last few weeks, their brand new baby. For whatever reason, Lauren is really attached to this dad. Really, really attached. As in, she calls him "Daddy." "Daddy, watch me!" "Daddy, over here!" "Daddy, come on!" And I die a little inside every time she does it. It's so freaking embarrassing, like when you have a person over that hates cats and your cat senses this and will not get off their lap.
Luckily, this dad is just the sweetest man and takes it all in stride. He interacts with her just enough to satisfy whatever attachment she has to him without really encouraging it, which is great. His wife comes occasionally and thinks it's really funny and his son doesn't seem to mind. Now if only I could get her to stop doing it, life would be perfect.
Funny, totally unrelated memory time. I figured since Lauren is 2 1/2 now, I'd better take a little time in each posting to relate something cute/funny/sweet from the past so I have it written somewhere, before it dissolves into the recesses of my brain.
Today's memory is from this summer, when we were visiting my dad, stepmom, and two sisters at their home in Charlotte. I had really worked with Lauren before the trip on the names of everyone and kept reinforcing that with practice throughout the week. For whatever reason, once we got there, she couldn't remember my sister Rachel's name, calling her "Suzie" or nothing at all. On the last night we were visiting my sister Claire at the drugstore where she worked. Rachel was carrying Lauren around on her back. As we all stood together, my dad asked everyone's name while pointing at each of us. "Name: Papa." "Name: Daddy." "Name: Mommy." "Name: Claire." "Name: Crocodile." What?!?! We all burst out laughing at Rachel's new name. How weird was that, right?
Then one of us realized that when Dad had pointed to her, he had pointed to an ad on the back of her shirt for Crocs shoes, so of course Lauren had said "Crocodile!" So of course after that, Rachel has a new name. Since then, though, Lauren has learned her name just fine and has said it often, leaving off all references to large reptiles.
Well, until lately. See, for about the last three months there's this dad who's been coming with his little boy and, in the last few weeks, their brand new baby. For whatever reason, Lauren is really attached to this dad. Really, really attached. As in, she calls him "Daddy." "Daddy, watch me!" "Daddy, over here!" "Daddy, come on!" And I die a little inside every time she does it. It's so freaking embarrassing, like when you have a person over that hates cats and your cat senses this and will not get off their lap.
Luckily, this dad is just the sweetest man and takes it all in stride. He interacts with her just enough to satisfy whatever attachment she has to him without really encouraging it, which is great. His wife comes occasionally and thinks it's really funny and his son doesn't seem to mind. Now if only I could get her to stop doing it, life would be perfect.
Funny, totally unrelated memory time. I figured since Lauren is 2 1/2 now, I'd better take a little time in each posting to relate something cute/funny/sweet from the past so I have it written somewhere, before it dissolves into the recesses of my brain.
Today's memory is from this summer, when we were visiting my dad, stepmom, and two sisters at their home in Charlotte. I had really worked with Lauren before the trip on the names of everyone and kept reinforcing that with practice throughout the week. For whatever reason, once we got there, she couldn't remember my sister Rachel's name, calling her "Suzie" or nothing at all. On the last night we were visiting my sister Claire at the drugstore where she worked. Rachel was carrying Lauren around on her back. As we all stood together, my dad asked everyone's name while pointing at each of us. "Name: Papa." "Name: Daddy." "Name: Mommy." "Name: Claire." "Name: Crocodile." What?!?! We all burst out laughing at Rachel's new name. How weird was that, right?
Then one of us realized that when Dad had pointed to her, he had pointed to an ad on the back of her shirt for Crocs shoes, so of course Lauren had said "Crocodile!" So of course after that, Rachel has a new name. Since then, though, Lauren has learned her name just fine and has said it often, leaving off all references to large reptiles.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I Didn't Know It Would Be This Easy
Lauren's been obsessed with babies for the last couple of months, but just in the last few weeks has she decided that she herself is a "cute little baby." She loves nothing more than a snuggle with Mom and her blanket in the morning and enjoys being carried around cradled in my arms. Luckily, this is still in the Adorable Things Toddlers Do phase and not in the Please Stop That phase.
Tonight I read her a story before bed (Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester) and she was clearly getting tired. I asked her if she wanted to get in bed, and she stood up and shuffled over to get in. As I stood up, though, she turned, blanket in hand, and said, "cute little baby?" How can you resist that? So, I picked her up and rocked her in my arms for just a moment before she said, "Put the baby in bed, Mama?" What? Okay, kid! I carefully put her in her bed with her blanket over her and covered her with her sheet. She said, "Fanks, Mom. Good night." and closed her eyes. And, with that, she was in bed and not a peep was heard out of her again!
I just wish it were always this easy!
Tonight I read her a story before bed (Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester) and she was clearly getting tired. I asked her if she wanted to get in bed, and she stood up and shuffled over to get in. As I stood up, though, she turned, blanket in hand, and said, "cute little baby?" How can you resist that? So, I picked her up and rocked her in my arms for just a moment before she said, "Put the baby in bed, Mama?" What? Okay, kid! I carefully put her in her bed with her blanket over her and covered her with her sheet. She said, "Fanks, Mom. Good night." and closed her eyes. And, with that, she was in bed and not a peep was heard out of her again!
I just wish it were always this easy!
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