Christmas Party

Evidently I am a CDC party groupie. (Really, I forgot to make the treats the night before and I was home anyway with babyP, so we went to pick her up and drop off the treats) Here are some picks from Peanut's Christmas party. I had some help taking these pictures so if they are askew, he can thank my little camera man.

I can't wait to see what this little girl is like when she grows up. She loves animals. She always has a least one plastic animal in her hand. She is also really strong willed. She didn't want to put her covers up, so for 20 minutes, she wasn't allowed to sit down and eat her treats. She is also going to be drop dead gorgeous.

Someone with lots of "curlies" just had a brother and "he has a head." This little girl is super sweet.

This is peanut's partner in crime. She has grown up a lot under their new teacher. She is a much more please little child. Peanut is always talking about her.

I would also like to see this little boy grow up. She is so funny. He really reminds me of this boy I knew when I was growing up. She was always smaller than everyone else but everyone liked him.

And of course, my favorite Reindeer. She had to wear her "candy cane dress".

Letting Go

Peanut stayed the night with her grandmother the other night. This is significant because it is the first time I have ever let her stay the night with someone other than me (if you don't count the baby's birth).

We talked it up all the week before. She would tell me "I want to stay the night at grandma's house tonight." or "right now" depending on how cooperative she was feeling.

So here she is getting ready.

And here she is getting ready to leave.

I am glad we waited as long as we did. There were no tears on either end. I was relaxed and enjoyed the evening. I didn't even start dinner until 6.

Peanut had a great time with her grandparents. We had a nice conversation before bed and another one when she woke up. It was great!

The Diaheria Diaries

Poor Baby P. He has had a rough go lately. He woke up vomiting Saturday night. It didn't last long, but the diaheria, man, that has lasted a while. The thing is, he doesn't seem ill. He was cranky yesterday morning, but I think that is because he woke up so early. ugh....

so he has been home all week. We took him to the doctor on Friday. They told me that it just has to run its course, which is what I hoped they would tell me. He is starting to eat a little off the spoon, but I think he would rather just eat with his hands. So today i am going to make him some stewed apples to go with his cheerios.

Poor baby. At least it never got too awful and he was never really all that cranky.

Notice his hand on the camera. He has been helping me take pictures lately.

About that little Girl

The hard thing about blogging is that I get all of these things in my mind that I need to write , but they are just really little tidbits of information that need to be formed into a post. I am pretty good at writing down conversations or instances, but I don't think I am very good at capturing the whole character of the short humans who lives with us.

So I am going to try.

This is a funny stage right now. Peanut is no longer a baby or a toddler. She is a little girl. She has opinions and fantasies. She knows exactly what she wants.

"I had a good nap. What should we do now?" she says to us as she bounds into our room in the morning.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?" we answer all blurry eyed.
"Watch TV, I suppose".

She is also starting to be all sass. If I ask her to do something that she doesn't want to do she says No. She doesn't say it in a way that is meant to hurt my feelings, but just wants me to know. No. "No, i don't want to." "Uhm, I didn't ask if you wanted to.", is usually my very clever reply.

If she doesn't want to do something, she will take a really long time doing what I ask. It is a bit of a game for her because we can't really say that she isn't listening, but she knows she is still pushing our buttons.

Then there is the milestone that we have all been waiting for, she has discovered her imagination. She will tell me, "you are the momma bee and he is the baby bee and I am the big sister bee.". We all get to act like little bees. She also likes to tell us funny jokes. "The cats says mmmooooo." There is also the various bits of items to be used as hats or to be stuck on her nose. "Oh sweet peanut, you are sooo silly," I say to her as she beams at me. The other side of her imagination is that she has started lying. I hear that they lie because they want something to be true, not necessarily because they are trying to deceive you. It does make me a little weary because sometime, I can't tell where the truth lies.

She has developed an independent streak lately. If she is hungry, she will get into the cabinets and get something out for herself. If she is done with a snack, she will put her snack bowl in the freezer. The independent streak is something that we will need to learn to manage. I can't have her reaching up on the counter and dragging things off all the time. I don't want her helping herself to snacks, because I don't want her to ruin her dinner. I also don't want her to turn on the TV and just sit in front of it. The upshot of her independence is that she is starting to be able to entertain herself better downstairs while I get things together upstairs.

She is also very helpful around the house. If we want her to do something, she will. She loves to help me cook, almost to the point that it is annoying. (sometimes you just want to fix dinner without also being a coach). She will help me with Baby P and get clothes or things when we have a spill.

She is very crafty and likes to make things and paint. The crafts are something we have had a fun time with lately.

She shows great concern for her brother, but I can see that she is starting to get a bit more competitive with him. I am hesitant to say jealous because I don't know if it is that or if she just wants to be in control. She has started taking toys out of his hands. He will protest, and eventually she gives them back. She tries to help with him in any way she can, but it is hard for her because he weighs so much. She does like to cuddle him. She fell the other day and wanted a hug from her baby to make her feel better.

"Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, did that man do that?" Oh the Whys. I find it endearing (right now). I think it is fun to answer the 20 questions that I get asked on the way to school Maybe it is the scientist in me that loves to explain why things are the way they are. Sometimes, she stumps me. Sometimes I don't want to answer "WWHHHHHHHHIIIIIIeeeee, are those men throwing rocks at that house?" She asked when we were listening to NPR, who was running a news clip about the house in Palestine that some settlers bought. "I don't know, honey. I guess there was a fight..." I try to answer all her questions, but somethings are better danced around.

It is a weird age because she is so big yet so small at the same time. She has a fiercely independent streak, but she also needs me to kiss owies and keep a routine for her. Sometimes, I want her to just leave me alone but other times I can't get enough of her constant questions and loving pats. She is a funny little girl. She makes us smile, even when she isn't trying. I am so glad she is mine.

Love Letter to a 7 month Old

Dear Baby P,

I can't believe you are 7 months old. I can't believe we have known you for only 7 months. On the other hand, I can't believe how time has flown. I was looking at pictures the other day of you after your birth. You were so little. Now, you fill out most 18 month clothes, have a smile that can brighten a room, and a laughter that is infectious.

You love to laugh. My memory of your early days will always be a blur of laughter. You stare at your sister to see what she is doing, and then you wait for her to make you laugh. She says "BOOO" and you erupt into giggles. You laugh and look around the room before settling your gaze back on your sister again waiting for the next "BOO". She always obliges, because she adores you. She also adores being told how great she is when she makes you laugh.

I wouldn't say you are mobile yet, but you are getting pretty close. You like to roll and turn to reach stuff. I can tell that you know there is something more you can do to reach stuff. You shimmy and turn from side to side to try to reach the object of your desire. It makes me proud to see you working so hard. I don't encourage your mobility, but I do love to see you trying so hard.

This month also marks the beginning of the boo-boos. You have bonked your head on the floor numerous times this month. You are pretty tough about it, which is good because at this house, we don't make a fuss over little owies. Your sister will sometimes be a little rough with you and cause you to hit your head. You usually end up crying when she is trying to "help" you. "Helping" you entails squishing your or choking you trying to get you back up into a seated position.

You have also become incredibly vocal this month. You are pretty polite about it. You won't talk if someone else is talking. You still don't say mama or dada but I do hear a lot of other sounds like L's and B's. I figured you would be a little late talking, especially when compared with your sister. You seem to exhibit a lot of the same personality traits as your father, and your father is a man of few words. Lord knows we could use fewer words around this house.

As always, you continue to be a joy to be around. You love to laugh and do things that make us laugh. You have a curiosity that insatiable, which I hope you never lose. You are always grabbing everything and trying to mouth things that shouldn't be put in your mouth. I know the good days are only beginning, but I think I will always miss this happy, laughing, staying in one spot phase.

Lots of love,

Your mum

Early Christmas

"The FEA has determined road conditions are hazardous today and the Federal Building will be closed.

We will meet again on Wednesday morning to determine the status for tomorrow."

HURRAY. I was going to have to stay home with Baby P anyway. HURRAY!!!

Vomitor Strikes Again

Poor Baby P. He was up last night vomiting. He went through 3 pairs of pajamas all around 10. Then he was up again early this morning with the same sour stomach. Luckily, he wasn't too aware that he was sick, so he was in pretty good spirits today. He was a little grumpy but nothing too horrid.

And my sweet Peanut. That is the one that has been pulling at my heartstrings. It is a sad day when my rowdy little girl would rather lay down on the couch than build a ginger bread house with CANDY and ICING. She was the one I was really worried about because she was so hot and lethargic. I was finally able to tempt her to eat with some popcorn.

So we did a lot of... cleaning today. All the bed linens newly washed in hot water.

Somehow Mr. T. and I aren't sick. We will see if it stays that way.

In other news, all the doors have been painted white covering the hideous green that was painted all over the house. Even with two coats of KILZ, there are still streaks in the paint. I don't care anymore. I just don't want to look at green doors with purple walls. Mr. T. also made another dent in the kitchen installing some lights in the cabinet with glass doors.

Baby P is all over the place these days. He can cover a lot of ground with his rolling. He has pulled his knees up under him, but doesn't quite know what to do. I am not encouraging his crawling.