Every day brings a new word!
I'm serious. It is completely insane at this point. Your sole purpose in life, right now, seems to be to monitor what your dad and I are saying, form your cute little mouth to match ours, and then... BOOM! New word! I got to thinking that I haven't really gone over all of the words you know at this point. Sit back, it's a loooooong list for a 17 month old!
"Da-da" - Of course you know who your dada is! I can point to him in a picture and ask, "Who is this?" "DA-DA!!!" I can tell you that dada is coming home soon and you get all excited! In the car, you belt out long strings of "da-da-da-da-da-da-da...." to get his attention and when we're out, just us girls, you remind me that you'd be a lot happier if only "da-da?" was around!
"Ma-ma" - But... you love your mama, too! When you're sad it usually comes out a bit closer to "Mee-mee" and when you want to get my attention, you also string together a bunch of "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mas." You can pick me out in pictures, too! I love hearing you say "ma-ma!"
"Da-da" - Hmm.... didn't we just cover this one? Nope. Sometimes "da-da" means "dog-dog." It's all a matter of context, really. If the dogs are around, you're probably saying "dog-dog." If you aren't looking at dogs, you probably mean dada! Dada wishes you would learn that darned "G" sound so he quits getting excited thinking you mean him!
"Nyeh-nyeh" - As we've mentioned before, "nyeh-nyeh" means "meow-meow" which means "cat." You totally KNOW that the word "cat" is the same thing as a"nyeh-nyeh" but you'd rather say "nyeh-nyeh" instead of "cat." Truth is, you've got ME saying "nyeh-nyeh" a lot of the time, now. Language is a funny thing, isn't it? "nyeh-nyehs" EVERYWHERE! You are so obsessed with them, it borders on ridiculousness at this point! You even "draw" "nyeh-nyehs" with your crayons and chalk. How do we know this? You point to your drawing, look at us and say "nyeh-nyeh." You aren't kidding either. We'll leave the room, come back later and you'll go up to your drawing and say "nyeh-nyeh" again!
"Na-na" - "Na-nas" are "bananas." For a while we could barely take you to a grocery store without you pointing out all the "na-nas" and, of course, wanting your OWN "na-na." Just the other day we were in the kitchen and you pointed to the bananas sitting on the counter, looked at me, and said... "Na-na??" Needless to say, we ate a "na-na" for snack that day.
"Hawk" - "Hawk" is your word for Jayhawk! Could we be any prouder that you already know the mascot of the college you're going to attend??? (wishful thinking...) You HAVE actually said "Jayhawk" at least once, but most of the time he's just called "hawk" for simplicity's sake.
"Hulk" - Your dada is SUPER proud that you already know the name of a comic book character! You've been pointing out the "Hulk" for several months now. You see him everywhere, too! Interestingly, any character that is green gets the "hulk" treatment.
"Sosh" - Socks! You don't actually LIKE socks, but you know the word for them!
"Beh-beh" - "Beh-beh" is your word for "baby!" It's said slowly and deliberately. Right now all babies are "beh-beh," even you! I will point to your picture and you'll say "beh-beh." I'll point to a picture of another baby on one of your books and that is also "beh-beh." It's very cute!
"Bruh-beh" - Brobee. He's one of the characters on Yo Gabba Gabba and you LOVE that show so much!
"Fah" - Foofa. She's another character on Yo Gabba Gabba.
"Dee-jah" - DJ as in "DJ Lance Rock" from Yo Gabba Gabba.
"Ga-ga" - Gabba... as in Yo Gabba Gabba. Are you noticing a trend here?? Sheesh!
"Ball" - SUCCESS!!! This word actually sounds like it's supposed to! YAY! We have other words that sound like they're supposed to, too, including: hat, egg, eye, and doll!
"Go-go" - You say this all of the time because you always want to go somewhere you're not! We use the word "go-go" when we're trying to wrangle you out to the car so we can actually go somewhere. Most of the time, you spring into action!
"Gall-gay" - "All gone" We use baby signs so you can communicate with us when you don't have words. However, you've also gained words for your signs so you use them at the same time! You say "gall-gay" when you're doing your "finished" sign when you're done eating. You mean "all done" or "all gone" when you're full or the food is gone. You're so smart!
"Guy" - "Guy" This one sounds just like it is, too. You call all sorts of things "guy" now. Most notably, the "guy" (Uncle Sam) who sits on the steps that lead down to your day care. Every time we go past him, you point and say, "guy." It's my fault, really. You've been asking for months who he was and instead of telling you his name is Uncle Sam, I told you "oh, that's some guy." Sigh... I think I've learned my lesson! When you want to know what something is, I should tell you the word I want you using because deprogramming you is nearly impossible!!
These are the ones I can think of right now, but you're always saying things that make your dada and I look at each other and ask, "Did she just say.... ??" The thing is, you absolutely know what you're saying to us when you rattle off a long string of words and look at us like you're expecting an answer. Truthfully, you're a lot more adaptive to learning OUR language than we are to learning yours, but we're trying! Clearly, you're trying, too!
You should go ahead and assume there will be more of these posts in the near future!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Update-o-rama-lama-ding-dong!
Oh my goodness, baby... things are soooo busy! I'm taking a time-out on the 100 things list to just do a bit of updating on some day-to-day things in our lives.
The cookie business is doing well! So far I have been "in business" for about 2 months and we already have a great start on your college fund! I've probably scooped nearly 400 cookies at this point and some days it seems like there is no end to the cookie madness! Just last night I scooped some to take to a buddy's birthday party we're going to tomorrow. They aren't for sale, but mama is ALWAYS trying to network! Today I'm scooping 4 dozen cookies to send with some extended family to their 4th of July event for the same reason. Over 40 people are going to be exposed to our cookies who wouldn't have been otherwise so it's worth it to do some voluntary baking now and then! At the end of the week your dad has an event where he's going to showcase his art skills and, because he's awesome, supportive, and wants you to have a good college fund, he's taking a bunch of cookies to sell alongside! Right now the only downside to the cookies is that I have to bake them after you go to bed or you spend all your time baby-birding (hanging around me with your mouth wide open!) for some cookies. You're a little sugar fiend!
A couple of weekends ago your grandpa came to visit over Father's Day. We celebrated Father's Day, his birthday, and your dad's birthday all in one weekend! We sort of have a funny way of celebrating around here. Grandpa spent most of his birthday trying to fix our garage fridge for me so I can have more space for cookies and cookie ingredients. It isn't quite fixed yet, but it works well enough to give me a few more options! He'll be fixing it fully next time he's back in town. He also spent most of Father's Day putting in a new faucet (that he bought, nonetheless) in our kitchen! Your grandpa is pretty handy to have around, don't you think? He taught me much of what I know about basic home repair; a skill set I also hope to pass down to you as the years go by. I'm sure he'll spend a lot of time teaching us both a few new things!
At the end of June we took another trip to Wichita to visit some friends and go to another kiddo birthday party! Our buddy turned 3 years old and he had a pool party and BBQ to celebrate! We got him a neat Captain America swim vest and swim trunks, a poster and some stickers... all Captain America, of course! You got to swim at his grandma's pool with him and a couple of his cousins. You enjoyed riding in the inflatable boat in the pool, but mostly you REALLY wanted to do the sidewalk chalk with everyone! You usually have a window of time that you're actually entertained by something that lasts no more than about 10 minutes but the sidewalk chalk kept you entertained for over an hour! You were so entertained, in fact, that we didn't actually realize you pooped in your swim diaper. Oh my gosh... that was... bad. Swim diapers don't hold as much as regular diapers. I almost recommended taking the hose to your bum, seriously! The trip was a success and you had a lot of fun! You also saw your grandma, your great-aunt, and your aunt! You spent some time sitting on grandma's lap, chasing the dogs around, climbing up and down on an old rocking chair made for little ones like you, and "talking" on the cell phone. Everyone thought you were as cute as can be!
The Wichita trip held one important "first" that I both love and, possibly, regret. You didn't nap on the way down and were getting VERY grumpy, so when we got to the pool party I asked if I could try to lay you down and nap you. You've never napped in a big bed before and, predictably, you had no idea what I was trying to get you to do. You barely had any of your sleeping comforts (only your binky and your Yo Gabba Gabba blanket) and you were more amused by the fact I was laying next to you than interested in napping, but after about 30 minutes of struggle, you finally dropped off to sleep and stayed there for an hour or so. You kept snuggling up next to me and it melted my heart into a little heart-puddle! So why would I ever regret such a thing? I want to nap with you all the time now! I don't because I know that you get better sleep when you're in your crib, but I can't wait until you're old enough to snuggle up to us on special sleep-over nights in the big bed!
It's so hard to document all of the little awesome things you do each and every day because they come in waves now. You're getting so big, learning so many new things, it boggles my mind! Overall, right now you are a pretty flexible baby who just rolls with the punches. Of course there's whining... you're a mini-toddler now and all of your teeth conspired to come in at once lately! There are mini-tantrums because you're learning your way around your new boundaries and don't like being reigned in. But, there are also unsolicited hugs (which are my new favorite thing EVER! I love it when you throw your arms around my neck and hug really hard. Your hugs are strong, last a long time, and rock my world!), new words, new understandings, new fun, new games, new adventures, and a lot of laughter in the house because of you! And dancing... did I mention dancing? Mama dances a lot more these days!
It isn't pretty.
But you know who is pretty? YOU! I can hardly believe sometimes that someone so beautiful and perfect came from me! It doesn't mean that I think poorly of myself, it just means you're that amazing!
The cookie business is doing well! So far I have been "in business" for about 2 months and we already have a great start on your college fund! I've probably scooped nearly 400 cookies at this point and some days it seems like there is no end to the cookie madness! Just last night I scooped some to take to a buddy's birthday party we're going to tomorrow. They aren't for sale, but mama is ALWAYS trying to network! Today I'm scooping 4 dozen cookies to send with some extended family to their 4th of July event for the same reason. Over 40 people are going to be exposed to our cookies who wouldn't have been otherwise so it's worth it to do some voluntary baking now and then! At the end of the week your dad has an event where he's going to showcase his art skills and, because he's awesome, supportive, and wants you to have a good college fund, he's taking a bunch of cookies to sell alongside! Right now the only downside to the cookies is that I have to bake them after you go to bed or you spend all your time baby-birding (hanging around me with your mouth wide open!) for some cookies. You're a little sugar fiend!
A couple of weekends ago your grandpa came to visit over Father's Day. We celebrated Father's Day, his birthday, and your dad's birthday all in one weekend! We sort of have a funny way of celebrating around here. Grandpa spent most of his birthday trying to fix our garage fridge for me so I can have more space for cookies and cookie ingredients. It isn't quite fixed yet, but it works well enough to give me a few more options! He'll be fixing it fully next time he's back in town. He also spent most of Father's Day putting in a new faucet (that he bought, nonetheless) in our kitchen! Your grandpa is pretty handy to have around, don't you think? He taught me much of what I know about basic home repair; a skill set I also hope to pass down to you as the years go by. I'm sure he'll spend a lot of time teaching us both a few new things!
At the end of June we took another trip to Wichita to visit some friends and go to another kiddo birthday party! Our buddy turned 3 years old and he had a pool party and BBQ to celebrate! We got him a neat Captain America swim vest and swim trunks, a poster and some stickers... all Captain America, of course! You got to swim at his grandma's pool with him and a couple of his cousins. You enjoyed riding in the inflatable boat in the pool, but mostly you REALLY wanted to do the sidewalk chalk with everyone! You usually have a window of time that you're actually entertained by something that lasts no more than about 10 minutes but the sidewalk chalk kept you entertained for over an hour! You were so entertained, in fact, that we didn't actually realize you pooped in your swim diaper. Oh my gosh... that was... bad. Swim diapers don't hold as much as regular diapers. I almost recommended taking the hose to your bum, seriously! The trip was a success and you had a lot of fun! You also saw your grandma, your great-aunt, and your aunt! You spent some time sitting on grandma's lap, chasing the dogs around, climbing up and down on an old rocking chair made for little ones like you, and "talking" on the cell phone. Everyone thought you were as cute as can be!
The Wichita trip held one important "first" that I both love and, possibly, regret. You didn't nap on the way down and were getting VERY grumpy, so when we got to the pool party I asked if I could try to lay you down and nap you. You've never napped in a big bed before and, predictably, you had no idea what I was trying to get you to do. You barely had any of your sleeping comforts (only your binky and your Yo Gabba Gabba blanket) and you were more amused by the fact I was laying next to you than interested in napping, but after about 30 minutes of struggle, you finally dropped off to sleep and stayed there for an hour or so. You kept snuggling up next to me and it melted my heart into a little heart-puddle! So why would I ever regret such a thing? I want to nap with you all the time now! I don't because I know that you get better sleep when you're in your crib, but I can't wait until you're old enough to snuggle up to us on special sleep-over nights in the big bed!
It's so hard to document all of the little awesome things you do each and every day because they come in waves now. You're getting so big, learning so many new things, it boggles my mind! Overall, right now you are a pretty flexible baby who just rolls with the punches. Of course there's whining... you're a mini-toddler now and all of your teeth conspired to come in at once lately! There are mini-tantrums because you're learning your way around your new boundaries and don't like being reigned in. But, there are also unsolicited hugs (which are my new favorite thing EVER! I love it when you throw your arms around my neck and hug really hard. Your hugs are strong, last a long time, and rock my world!), new words, new understandings, new fun, new games, new adventures, and a lot of laughter in the house because of you! And dancing... did I mention dancing? Mama dances a lot more these days!
It isn't pretty.
But you know who is pretty? YOU! I can hardly believe sometimes that someone so beautiful and perfect came from me! It doesn't mean that I think poorly of myself, it just means you're that amazing!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
100 things continued: numbers 70-61
Time to learn more new things! Today's list has a few items near and dear to your mama's heart.
70. Sneeze and cough into your arm: Girl... for real. Right now you're a baby so of course you don't know any better, but mama looks forward to a day where your sneeze doesn't end up all over her face, arms, hands, clothes, the dog, the furniture, etc. Just in general, practicing good germ control is a necessity.
69. Be confident: Confidence isn't something that comes naturally. I can't tell you the number of times I wish I could go back to Junior High and High School with the confidence I've gained over the years and re-do a whole lot of that stuff. It's really hard to have confidence during your teenage years when every little thing seems like a huge drama. Your mom and dad are going to do the very best they can to booster your self-esteem so you can create your own confidence! My best advice for building confidence is to realize that few things in life will turn out as poorly as you fear they will. Are you confused about something in class but scared to speak up and ask a question? Don't worry! As smart as you already are if you're confused about something chances are someone else is even more confused and even more scared to ask! You could help them out! Are you worried you will be rejected by a group of people you want to hang out with? Having confidence makes you attractive to other people. They'll likely want to be your friend just because you seem so cool and in control of things! Again, I wish I had the confidence I have now back when it would have made me the coolest kid in school!
68. Be independent: Having confidence in yourself naturally leads to independence! Confident people enjoy their independence and enjoy tackling the puzzles of every day life. I've said before that I want you to live on your own for a little while so you can learn how to manage your own life as an individual. Ideally, I imagine you would leave our home, go to college and live with roommates, then graduate and move out on your own for a little while before you find the love of your life and make a home with him or her. (Yes, I said him OR her. Your mama just wants you to be with someone who makes you happy and who treats you right!) Living on your own means you don't rely on anyone but yourself to make your way in life. Be strong enough to rely only on yourself for a little while. It will give you the confidence to leave a bad situation if you find yourself in one someday (knowing you can survive on your own).
67. Donate time to those less fortunate: I'm very excited to find out what things drive and motivate you as you get older because I think you can and will do a lot of good in your life. Right now it looks like animals are a passion of yours. I can't tell you how many times we have to stop and watch the birds or the squirrels while we're out and about! A trip to the pet store makes you giddy! I imagine someday you will want to volunteer your time at the animal shelter to help the puppies and kitties who don't have homes. I imagine us going together as a family to donate our time and our energies to helping the homeless animals. I also imagine us finding other projects to help with around our community! It is important to give back to the community you love and I'd love to do that together as a family!
66. Read a newspaper: Let's face it... news as a print medium is on it's way out as I speak. By the time you're old enough to read a newspaper, it will probably all be electronic! Right now, in 2012, I can subscribe to any major newspaper and read it on my Nook e-reader. Most people can do the same with their smart phones, too. Still, keeping up to date with the news is very important. We live in a global world where things that happen halfway across the globe can very well effect aspects of your day to day life. Also, keeping up with the world's news keeps you informed and educated on matters which may eventually have great importance. Do not allow yourself to be ignorant of global issues, nor should you ignore local issues in lieu of the grand scale. Keep a good balance and keep yourself informed. Oh... and for the love of all that is intellectual... be sure you get your news from an ACTUAL well-balanced source, not just one that claims to be well-balanced and fair.
65. Apply mascara: You know what... do this if you want but it is totally not required! There are times when I like the way it makes me look but most of the time it just feels heavy and annoying on my lashes. I'll show you how to do it, but only because I want you to know how to do pretty much everything. If it doesn't apply to you and your life, you can promptly forget it!
64. Tie a tie (bonus points for a bow tie): Being a child of a single father I learned how to tie a tie as a teenager. It's totally not hard to tie a good Windsor knot! As far as the bow tie thing goes... my skills are poor at best. Maybe we'll practice all of that together so we can tease daddy about his zip-up tie!
63. Remove a chocolate stain: Ok, we're going to change this to say "Remove a stain" because there are WAY more devious staining materials out there than just chocolate! Blood, ink, chocolate, mustard, wine, grass... these are just a few of the things lurking out there waiting to ruin your favorite outfit! Thankfully the internet is full of great ideas on how to remove stains from things. The most important thing I can say about stain removal is to be sure you don't run the outfit through the dryer until the stain is all the way out. Taking a tumble in the dryer just bakes those things in and it makes it MUCH harder to get them out! I'm a big fan of using Shout on all of your baby stains. It even got red sauce out of a white shirt (after several attempts, but still...)
62. Wrap a present: If you are even half as creative as your dad and half as determined as your mom you will want to know how to wrap neat looking presents. I can't say I'm a present-wrapping guru, but through the power of a little website called Pinterest, I have found a lot of neat present wrapping ideas that we can use as a family! Personally, I think the most important part of any present is the bow! Always use a bow!
61. Find a book in a library: As someone who works in a library I can't tell you how many times college seniors come up to me at the Reference Desk and have NO idea how to navigate the library. This will not be you. I plan to have you be the only kid in your entire class who is already citing scholarly database articles in grade school papers. It is never too soon to learn how to do proper research! I will have done my job as a parent and as a library worker/Reference specialist if you can find your own library books... in any call number system... on your own by the age of 5. Challenge ACCEPTED!
To be continued....
70. Sneeze and cough into your arm: Girl... for real. Right now you're a baby so of course you don't know any better, but mama looks forward to a day where your sneeze doesn't end up all over her face, arms, hands, clothes, the dog, the furniture, etc. Just in general, practicing good germ control is a necessity.
69. Be confident: Confidence isn't something that comes naturally. I can't tell you the number of times I wish I could go back to Junior High and High School with the confidence I've gained over the years and re-do a whole lot of that stuff. It's really hard to have confidence during your teenage years when every little thing seems like a huge drama. Your mom and dad are going to do the very best they can to booster your self-esteem so you can create your own confidence! My best advice for building confidence is to realize that few things in life will turn out as poorly as you fear they will. Are you confused about something in class but scared to speak up and ask a question? Don't worry! As smart as you already are if you're confused about something chances are someone else is even more confused and even more scared to ask! You could help them out! Are you worried you will be rejected by a group of people you want to hang out with? Having confidence makes you attractive to other people. They'll likely want to be your friend just because you seem so cool and in control of things! Again, I wish I had the confidence I have now back when it would have made me the coolest kid in school!
68. Be independent: Having confidence in yourself naturally leads to independence! Confident people enjoy their independence and enjoy tackling the puzzles of every day life. I've said before that I want you to live on your own for a little while so you can learn how to manage your own life as an individual. Ideally, I imagine you would leave our home, go to college and live with roommates, then graduate and move out on your own for a little while before you find the love of your life and make a home with him or her. (Yes, I said him OR her. Your mama just wants you to be with someone who makes you happy and who treats you right!) Living on your own means you don't rely on anyone but yourself to make your way in life. Be strong enough to rely only on yourself for a little while. It will give you the confidence to leave a bad situation if you find yourself in one someday (knowing you can survive on your own).
67. Donate time to those less fortunate: I'm very excited to find out what things drive and motivate you as you get older because I think you can and will do a lot of good in your life. Right now it looks like animals are a passion of yours. I can't tell you how many times we have to stop and watch the birds or the squirrels while we're out and about! A trip to the pet store makes you giddy! I imagine someday you will want to volunteer your time at the animal shelter to help the puppies and kitties who don't have homes. I imagine us going together as a family to donate our time and our energies to helping the homeless animals. I also imagine us finding other projects to help with around our community! It is important to give back to the community you love and I'd love to do that together as a family!
66. Read a newspaper: Let's face it... news as a print medium is on it's way out as I speak. By the time you're old enough to read a newspaper, it will probably all be electronic! Right now, in 2012, I can subscribe to any major newspaper and read it on my Nook e-reader. Most people can do the same with their smart phones, too. Still, keeping up to date with the news is very important. We live in a global world where things that happen halfway across the globe can very well effect aspects of your day to day life. Also, keeping up with the world's news keeps you informed and educated on matters which may eventually have great importance. Do not allow yourself to be ignorant of global issues, nor should you ignore local issues in lieu of the grand scale. Keep a good balance and keep yourself informed. Oh... and for the love of all that is intellectual... be sure you get your news from an ACTUAL well-balanced source, not just one that claims to be well-balanced and fair.
65. Apply mascara: You know what... do this if you want but it is totally not required! There are times when I like the way it makes me look but most of the time it just feels heavy and annoying on my lashes. I'll show you how to do it, but only because I want you to know how to do pretty much everything. If it doesn't apply to you and your life, you can promptly forget it!
64. Tie a tie (bonus points for a bow tie): Being a child of a single father I learned how to tie a tie as a teenager. It's totally not hard to tie a good Windsor knot! As far as the bow tie thing goes... my skills are poor at best. Maybe we'll practice all of that together so we can tease daddy about his zip-up tie!
63. Remove a chocolate stain: Ok, we're going to change this to say "Remove a stain" because there are WAY more devious staining materials out there than just chocolate! Blood, ink, chocolate, mustard, wine, grass... these are just a few of the things lurking out there waiting to ruin your favorite outfit! Thankfully the internet is full of great ideas on how to remove stains from things. The most important thing I can say about stain removal is to be sure you don't run the outfit through the dryer until the stain is all the way out. Taking a tumble in the dryer just bakes those things in and it makes it MUCH harder to get them out! I'm a big fan of using Shout on all of your baby stains. It even got red sauce out of a white shirt (after several attempts, but still...)
62. Wrap a present: If you are even half as creative as your dad and half as determined as your mom you will want to know how to wrap neat looking presents. I can't say I'm a present-wrapping guru, but through the power of a little website called Pinterest, I have found a lot of neat present wrapping ideas that we can use as a family! Personally, I think the most important part of any present is the bow! Always use a bow!
61. Find a book in a library: As someone who works in a library I can't tell you how many times college seniors come up to me at the Reference Desk and have NO idea how to navigate the library. This will not be you. I plan to have you be the only kid in your entire class who is already citing scholarly database articles in grade school papers. It is never too soon to learn how to do proper research! I will have done my job as a parent and as a library worker/Reference specialist if you can find your own library books... in any call number system... on your own by the age of 5. Challenge ACCEPTED!
To be continued....
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