39 Months Old

Dear Penny,

You're 39 months old? Get out! I think you are also a smarty-pants. That's a good thing. Last summer, we told you that the annoying truck that drives around the neighborhood blasting music at unsafe levels was a "music truck," and whenever you'd hear it, you'd say, "There goes the music truck!" Well, yesterday, you saw it drive by while you were standing at the door and you could see the pictures of ice cream on the side. You exclaimed, "Hey! The 'music truck' is an ice cream truck!" There goes that illusion. I'm sorry we deceived you, but I can't support something that plays music (sometimes Christmas music, in the summer!) that loud through the neighborhood. Also, we have ice cream in the freezer.

You've picked up some of the expressions we say, much to my chagrin. The other day you informed me that you didn't want to wait to have a snack at home because "Our snacks at home are crappy!" When dad was teasing you the other night, you said, "You're killing me!" which is something he says. You say, "All. Right. FINE." And "Don't freak out." You have the attitude of a teenager, but at least you use these expressions in the appropriate context. I can't wait to hear what you pick up at school.

The bedtime ritual has gotten insanely long and drawn out. July was tough because in Utah, there are two holidays that involve excessive amounts of fireworks. The 4th, which the rest of the country celebrates, and the 24th, which signifies when the pioneers first came to the Salt Lake Valley. Anyway, this year, our state legislators (in their infinite wisdom) decided to pass a law allowing fireworks to be available for the whole month of July. So for many nights, the sounds of fireworks in the neighborhood kept you awake until 11:00 at night. So these days the ritual goes something like this: put on pajamas, brush your teeth, read a story, get a drink of water "from the fridgerator," get hugs from mommy, get hugs from daddy, turn out the lights, get another drink of water, ask to go potty, go potty, get back in bed, tell stories with daddy, and then another drink of water, or whatever other stalling tactic you can think of. I get a little exasperated because this all takes a while. But the stories you and Daddy make up are outrageously funny. Yours always start out like this: "Once about a time..." And Dad's stories make you giggle. I think this part of the bedtime ritual can stay.

You use the potty! I can't tell you how delighted we are. I'm sorry I complained about it so much, but I didn't think it would ever happen. You are a little gymnast! You are very skilled at balancing on the different balance beams. You try so hard in class and it makes me very proud. We are still working on not yelling and not having meltdowns about the little things. I'm not going to give up, because I think it might just be part of being three.

You are going to be a big sister! Yep. This has been a major development these past months. You came with me to the doctor and we heard the heartbeat of your little brother or sister. Sometimes you say you want a brother, and sometimes you say you'd like a sister. We won't know either way for a couple of weeks. But I want to tell you what a wonderfully, incredibly important thing it is to be a big sister. It's something your mom and dad decided we want you to experience. Our lives are going to change, again. And this time, you get to help us.

You and Daddy have been spending a lot of time together because I've been so busy and so tired. I went back school in June, so I've had homework and other obligations that interfere with some of our quality time together. I'm sorry about that too. You've handled it pretty well so far, and your dad has been helping a lot. I can't wait to be done, even though I just started. You have been a surprisingly good sport about all of this.

Even though you will be starting school next month, you will always be my baby. Even though you can put on some of your clothes by yourself and use the potty, you will always be my baby. Even though you're going to be a big sister, you will always be my baby. You will always be my baby.

Love,

Mom.

Artist at Work

The creative energy is flowing around here. I hope some of it rubs off on me.



"And sometimes I get hot and need some water and cool off."

30 Months Old

Dear Penny,

Wow, we have a crazy schedule right now. I'm doing some different things at work and I feel like I spend most of my time in the car, just driving around the valley. You started a Toddler Group in September, and it's been a lot of fun to go to "school" with you. Sometimes you don't want to sit in your seat, and sometimes you'd rather lie on your belly on the floor. Sometimes we have to go in the hall to have a "conversation" until you're ready to participate in circle time (but don't feel bad, you're not the only kid who doesn't want to sit). But mostly, you have a blast. You like singing all the songs and making art projects, and you REALLY love snack time. I think the other moms must wonder if I feed you breakfast, because you usually want seconds or thirds. You are learning to share toys with the other kids, and to take turns, and maybe by the end of the year, you'll be able to walk in the door without saying "Noooooo!" when the teacher says Hi to you or asks you a direct question.



You also like to come home and play school. You get out your little stool and sing the "hello song" to your dollies, one at at time. Maybe you will be a teacher when you're all grown up. It sort of runs in the family, you know. When you're not at dance or at school, you are usually at Grandma's house. When I picked you up today, you told me you didn't want to go home and that you wanted to stay with Grandma. You have no idea how much it thrills her to hear you say that. You keep Grandma plenty busy and she likes that.



I stopped counting the words in your sentences once you reached 8+ word phrases. I can have whole conversations with you, and tonight at dinner you asked your Aunt Emily what she did today. I love to hear you talk and pronounce new words and it always surprises (and worries) me how much you understand.

I bought plane tickets for us to go to Denver next month, just you and me. I debated whether or not to take you, and I could have nabbed the opportunity to have a trip by myself. But you're my best pal and I can't bear to be away from you for 3 whole nights. So we're going to have a girls' trip, just you and I. It's either going to be loads of fun, and/or I'm completely insane to take you by myself without Daddy's help. But I'm looking forward to our little adventure.

Penny, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm tired and stressed and busy. I am all of those things. It makes me simultaneously laugh and grimace when you pretend to take a shower and say to me, "You play by yourself, ok? I taking a shower." Or, "Goodbye, I going to work! I miss you!" But I relish my days off with you and my favorite thing to do is cuddle you and kiss your warm, sleepy face when we get up in the morning. Daddy has already started working longer hours now that the holidays are approaching and I know he'd rather be home playing with you.

You are two and a half! I'm a little shocked by this. But you will always be my baby, ok?

Love,
Mom.

Common Toddler Phrases, Explained

The past couple of weeks have been an enlightening look into my toddler's personality. Here are some of Penny's phrases, translated for the general public.

1. DON'T LOOK AT ME! — This means, "I'm doing something naughty and I don't want you to see what I'm doing. Because if you don't see me doing it, it's not really happening."

2. DON'T TALK, EVERYBODY! — This means, "You're trying to have a conversation that doesn't apply to me, and I like being the center of attention."

3. I NOT BORED, I HAPPY! — "I don't know the meaning of the word 'ambivalent.'"

4. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? — "Wait. You have other emotions aside from happy? Go back to being happy!"

And then today, when I went to pick Penny up from Grandma's house, she was still napping. She was lying peacefully on Grandma and Grandpa's bed, fast asleep, breathing slowly. I went to lie down next to her, and when I put my arm around her, she stirred, rolled her sleepy eyes open to focus on my face, then smiled and sighed, "I miss you, Mama." Then she closed her eyes again and let me hold her. And then my heart exploded.

Twinkle, Twinkle.

We're back from our trip and we've been busy trying to get caught up. We're also putting in a garden, which is a lot more labor-intensive than I thought it would be. Back-breaking is the correct term. I'm still trying to process all of the great things that happened during our travels, so while I'm doing that, there's this:



I like how she shoves the camera away, as though she's practicing for the paparazzi. Pay no attention to the colossal mess in the background, the mess that looks like the Easter Bunny was mugged, because we still have all of the Easter stuff out.

Opposites

Here's a belated clip of Penny explaining opposites, based on (what else?) Baby Signing Time.



Yeah, that whole "you" and "me" thing is confusing. It reminds me of Smokey Bear, from The Simpsons: "You chose 'you,' referring to me. That is incorrect. The correct answer is 'you!'"

Feelings

"Ing. Whee!"

A few months ago, I read an article about Emotional Quotient (EQ), which is like IQ, but pertains to the emotional side of intelligence and cognition. In other words, Emotional Intelligence is one's ability to assess and manage one's emotions, and some argue it might be more important than IQ. I am certainly not an expert in this area, and it is a facet of psychology that is not free from criticism. However, it seems rather important (to me) for a child to be sensitive about others' feelings and to be able to express how they are feeling themselves.

Penny has been thinking a lot about feelings lately. She used to laugh if she saw another kid crying or yelling or expressing an emotion, because it was unexpected, and (probably) genuinely funny. But now, if she overhears a baby crying, she says, with wide eyes, "Baby crying? Sad?" We were walking through a parking lot and overheard a woman yelling angrily into her cell phone. Penny looked at me for an explanation, and I told her the woman was mad. She thought about that for a little while, furrowed her brow, and said, "Mad." She saw a kid run into his sister with a shopping cart at the store, and overheard him apologize, saying it was an accident. So Penny has reviewed that incident several times at home, saying, "Elbow, cart. I sorry, ah-ee-dent."

She's also been giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. She grouped her blueberries together while she was eating them, saying the big blueberry was the daddy, and they were "walking" to the corners of her tray, because they were going "home." Later, she had two spoons, which were "dancing" and then "sleeping."

Anthropomorphism is not unfamiliar territory for me. As a child, I used to feel sorry for garbage in the trash, wondering if the discarded things were lonely in the bin. At restaurants, I used to pretend the salt and pepper shakers were getting married (the bride being the salt, obviously). This trait runs strongly in my family, so I suspect Penny has inherited the propensity for it. Or maybe she has a really good imagination? Maybe it is the same thing.

This may be related to the inordinate amount of time she has devoted to playing with her "House," which is the Fisher Price house my sisters and I had when we were little. I love that house. The garage door raises up and the doorbell is a little bell that really dings. Penny's little family of cats has moved in, so they have crazy adventures every day (which mostly involve sleeping and waking up), and I have to pry Penny from it to get her ready for bed.


Best toy ever, brought to you by the 1980s.

Other amusing things overheard this week:

"Oh, maaan!" (Heard at least 100 times).
"I hiding!"
"Ah want more cereal. Put milk in it."
"Uv you, mama."

It's getting really fun around here, and it almost makes me want to have another kid. Almost.

The Pet Store

We had some time to kill the other day, so I thought I'd take Penny to the pet store across the street from the grocery store. As we were walking, I thought, "This could be a gigantic mistake, one I might live to regret."

The first thing we saw (and smelled) when we walked in the door, were two ferrets, running around their enclosure. Penny did a little happy dance and watched every animal with rapt attention. She was fascinated by the animals and is still talking about them, especially the "Nake," or snake. It's hard to hear her hissing and saying "Nake" over the microphone noise on the camera, which is what she's doing when she scrunches up her face and shows her front teeth:



(She's not picking her nose there at the end, that's just her sign for "bird.")

There weren't any dogs or cats at the store, except for the ones getting groomed. Otherwise, the store had miscellaneous animals for sale - rats, mice, snakes, fish, turtles, parakeets, frogs, scorpions, and other "pets" I would never consider having in the house, and one bunny. When we left, the ferrets were sleeping on top of each other in a furry pile. I wonder if future trips to the store will result in visits to the animals across the street.

In case you were wondering, we didn't buy anything, because we have enough creatures to care for at the moment. But I'm amazed by her language, and her grasp of the present tense. I suspect that soon Penny will start asking questions about how the world works, and I really hope I have the answers.

Leaving Las Vegas

In our continuing efforts to make a seasoned traveler of our little one, we took Penny on a road trip to Las Vegas over Valentine's Weekend to visit some friends. It was wonderful to meet up, enjoy delicious food, go shopping, and relax. I love my girls. We've been friends for so long that getting together is one of my favorite things to do.

The weather in LV was so nice, it felt like early summer, and the consumption of mojitos added to that summer feeling. We also ate waffles with bacon IN THEM, at Hash House A Go Go. The portions there are larger than your head.


Behold, the Bacon Waffle. Served with powdered sugar.

Naturally, we were on vacation schedule, and Penny got to stay up pretty late, but by the end of the trip we noticed she wasn't eating much and she seemed a bit crabby. Well, she's probably worn out from all of the excitement, I thought.

When we were getting ready to leave, Penny said, "Sick," and pointed at her forehead, in an attempt to sign "sick" to me. I asked, "Are you sick?" and she didn't say yes or no, although she probably wasn't sure how to answer. So again, I thought she was just tired.


In her Valentine's finery, accompanied by a new friend.

Off we went, reluctant to leave, but ready to go home. As we drove, Penny became increasingly fussy, which we chalked up to being stuck in the carseat for another long drive. Britt stopped in Mesquite for a milkshake, so we ordered some french fries, thinking we could bribe Penny with them in the car. But she didn't want them, and she was adamant. That should have been another red flag, because the events that unfolded were a lesson in WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD.

We were only a few miles out of Mesquite, when Penny's fussing turned to crying, and suddenly there was a horrible sound, followed by what I can only describe as a waterfall of vomit.

Poor baby. You know how when you get sick, you can pretty much identify the culprit, that item that didn't settle? Well, in this case, it was bananas.

Poor daddy.

Have I mentioned how much Britt hates bananas? He hates them with furious anger. Therefore, True Love is your husband mucking the banana sick out of the carseat on the side of the road, while you sit on the tailgate, trying to clean banana sick off your toddler (and yourself).

Poor mommy.

We were still at least 4 hours from home. I won't describe the way the car smelled, but I was actually grateful she threw up something fruity and not something else, something savory, like chili. However, Britt's hatred of bananas has increased exponentially.

Penny felt so relieved, she slept for a while, and we managed to get home, as the warm weather turned to cold rain mixed with snow. Penny was sick for the rest of the week. She was lethargic and seemed depressed, and didn't want to do anything. She didn't throw up again, but she had diarrhea for three days, and I started to worry about dehydration, which prompted a call to the doctor.

Then, as quickly as it came on, Penny was back to her old self, running and playing and laughing and TALKING. We've had a language explosion around here. Gee, I'll take streams of words over banana sick any day, thanks. And in a way, it seems like the whole experience made for a more authentic road trip, because it wouldn't be a family trip without someone getting sick, right? Or was that just my childhood?

Rhymes with "Sock."

I came down with stomach flu this weekend, which left me weak and ill-humored. Blech. Britt came to the rescue and took care of everything while I stayed in bed, and Penny stopped in periodically to check on me, and patted me reassuringly on the head. She has learned the sign for sick, and says, "Sick," while jabbing me pointedly in the forehead.

Last night we all slept horribly. My stomach still hurt, and Penny woke up at least 3 times, crying out in the middle of the night. This morning, she had a yucky nose, so she's either cutting more teeth, or she has a cold. Today I felt a bit better, but I'm sorry to say that Penny's persistent demands tried my patience. The incessant, "Mommy? Mommy? MomMEE!" was a bit much. My fear is that we do such a good job entertaining her, for the most part, that she can't (or won't) play by herself, because that's not as fun. But there are times when I just can't do it, and that makes me feel crappier than the worst case of stomach flu.

Penny: "Ride?"
Me: "Mommy can't give you a ride, Mommy's sick."
Penny: "Sick." (Jabs me in the forehead).
Me: "That's right."
Penny: "Ride?"

Meanwhile, she's jumped from 2 word utterances to 3 word phrases, although she's probably only intelligible to us. "More biscuit, please," and "Wash your hands!" are music to my ears. But repeating everything you hear has a downside:

Penny's also been singing a song, a song which uses a word I'm not going to type here because I don't want this site to pop up that much on certain browser searches. Let's just say, the word is also the word for a rooster, and we have no idea why Penny is saying it so much. I blame Britt, because he's the one who's been going around the house singing about a "Cockney Geezer," in the spirit of "The Mighty Boosh," and I'm pretty sure that's where she got the idea for her new song. And he still sings his song, despite my "icks-nay on the ock-ney eezer-gay!" because frankly, that song is about a scary hitchhiker who stabs people, and toddlers don't need to hear that, no matter how humorously it is sung.


But Penny also just learned the "5 Little Ducks" song, so she could just be walking around quacking, and it just comes out...that way. "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

It's Dancey Dance Time!

I will admit that taking Penny to "Mom and Tot" dance classes is a glorified excuse to relive my childhood. And I'm pretty sure all of the other moms in class are in the same boat. I took dance when I was little, from the time I was a toddler on up to third grade, until my family moved to a remote area in Wyoming where classes weren't available. In Kindergarten, I told everyone I wanted to be a Ballerina when I grew up. My dad took me to a performance of the Nutcracker even though it was some distance away and he had to pawn part of his coin collection to pay for the tickets. I will never forget that.

Needless to say, Penny is in dance. We've been twice so far, and Penny prefers to watch everyone else before she participates, which is just about the time the class moves on to a new activity. Then she gets upset, and says "More?" "MORE?" Today, she was mad when the class started flying around the room (flapping our arms like wings), because we were supposed to be sitting on our spots. So I carried her a bit and we flew together. When I put her down, she took off, flying and running and shrieking. She was the noisiest, craziest bird. And when that song ended and it was time to move on, she became upset again.

Next came the parachute. She likes to walk with it, shake it, make it go up and down, but she does NOT like to be underneath it. The other kids seem to love it, but not Penny. Today she went under for a minute, while the rest of the class waved to her and said, "Hi, Penny!" to which she firmly replied, "No." and got the hell out of there.


Getting warmed up before class starts.

The rest of the time, she looks at herself in the mirror. I can't say I'm surprised by any of this, based on what I have heard about Britt as a child. Apparently, he didn't like to sing in school, but he wanted everyone else to sing because he just wanted to listen. Evidently, he wouldn't tumble in a gymnastics class until everyone left and he could do it alone. He also likes to look at himself in the mirror. A lot. So when I told him about dance class today, he just laughed.


Reading is easier than dancing. For one thing, no parachutes are involved.

Meanwhile, Penny says, "Too?" when she wants us to do whatever she is doing. If she is playing, she says, "Mama, too? TOO?!" This is how our conversations go:

Penny: "Watch?"
Me: "Do you want to watch something?"
Penny: "Okay." (Pause) "Too?"
Me: "Do you want me to watch too?"
Penny: "OKAAAAY!" (Cackling).

If she is doing anything, she will tap her index finger and say, "Too?" That finger cracks me up. It's the most understated, demanding gesture ever. TAP, TAP, MOMMY. And I feel bad when I'm in the middle of something, like cooking dinner. If I can't join her game, she mournfully says, "Up? UP?" because she feels rejected. And yet, she can entertain herself amazingly well when it's time for bed. Hmmm.

Nesting Doll

Sorry for the "shaky cam" on this one, I was holding the doll with my right hand and trying to operate the camera with my left. Penny prefers to see what's going on behind the screen of the camera, so she's been hard to film lately.



The littlest doll is her favorite, obviously.

Communication

Time keeps on slipping (slipping, slipping) into the future, and things around here are better than ever. Communication is getting easier all the time - when Penny asks for something, I can understand her, which she thinks is the greatest thing ever, to be finally understood, and I think it's great that she is communicating, and I get all excited, and then she gets more excited, so it's a nice little positive feedback loop. She's been trying to say everything we say, and sometimes she comes pretty close. Other times, she's not even speaking the same language, but has what we call in the business, "pattern perception," which means she gets the number of syllables right. It's so exciting for a speech nerd like me.

Speaking of nerdy speech things, I've been keeping track of the words Penny uses consistently (of COURSE I do!) and she has 50 words and 16 signs. The kid blows me away, and pretty soon it will be impossible to keep track of everything she says. Her "b" sounds are all "ds." So, "belly" is "de-yee," "buckle" is "duck-oh," "baby" is "deedee." And her favorite thing in the world, her binky, is "dink-dink." For which she will plaintively wail, when she's tired: "DINK-DINK!" (Yes, we still use the binky for sleep). She will say "Wok," and then I have to figure out if she's talking about her sock, a rock, or going on a walk? I can usually guess correctly, and she's thrilled, but I have the feeling Britt and I are going to be the only ones who understand her for a while. Meanwhile, she understands everything.


Don't read the opinion section, it will only make you angry.

And she can sing! And she follows commands! Penny can throw trash in the garbage or put clothes in the laundry basket when I ask. She's become my slave! And her songs sound like actual songs! She hums the alphabet to herself in the car, and when she's sleepy, she will hum the lullaby we sing to her every night. She doesn't have the words, but she has the notes and the inflection (what's the musical term for that?), and it's so sweet to hear.

Other things Pen likes to do:
Playing dress up with my shoes, and any other article of clothing (including underwear) she can put around her neck.
"Cooking" and feeding her menagerie of dollies and animals.
Stacking up towers of blocks or cups and knocking them down.
Taking apart the nesting dolls and demanding I put them back together for her, x1000.
Playing "whispering secrets," which consists of her lying on the floor and us whispering things in her ear to make her laugh. I don't know why she has to lie on the floor, but she won't receive secrets any other way.
"Talking" on the phone, or her toy remote, which she thinks is a phone.


Penny unlocks the secret of the cannibalistic nesting dolls.

I get lonely in the car when she's at her Grandma's. I'm so used to hearing her jabbering, laughing and singing, that when she's not with me, I feel like something is missing. I miss her and the sound of her voice. She's my little friend, you see.

Penny at Play

Penny likes Ring-A-Round-The-Rosy so much, she sings it to herself.



She also likes my old Cabbage Patch Doll, the one I hoped Santa would bring me back in the 80s. He's a bit heavy for her, and I have been smacked more than once by his hard plastic face when Penny spins around too quickly. Insert "Three Stooges" sound effects here.

Hey, look! My camera works again, sort of! I accidentally dropped it and now it's better. Although, now that I think about it, I think dropping it was what caused the problem in the first place.

P is for Penny

P is for Penny, and Peter.

This will be a brief post, since I have to work in the morning...LOUD SIGH. August ends with Penny trying to talk more, with some words sounding like honest-to-god words, like "awk" for "walk," and some that sound like she's speaking Klingon, such as "kkch-kcch" for "milk."

Her favorite activity is to spread a blanket on the floor, and play ring-a-round-the-rosy on it. I'm not sure why the blanket needs to be down, unless she is trying to tell me I should vacuum, which is true. She doesn't always wait for "we all fall down" either, she hits the deck and laughs maniacally as soon as we start singing. At what point do I tell her that rhyme is really about the plague? Later, I guess.

Another thing she enjoys is putting her toys to "sleep," by covering them up with a blankie (or a wipe, or a napkin), and then flinging off the blankie and yelling, to wake them up. She has also taken to drumming (thanks to Britt) on her stackable boxes, and I have to say, the kid has pretty good rhythm!



Penny got a surprise present from my extended family this month: A homemade blanket and framed Beatrix Potter needlepoint letters, one for each of Penny's initials. *sniffle* They are lovely. I can't wait to put them up in her room.


We immediately played ring-a-round-the-rosy on it.

September begins tomorrow; we have trips to Lagoon and Wyoming to look forward to, and hopefully another camping excursion before it gets too cold. Fall, here we come.

That's Entertainment!

When babies are learning to speak, do they make sense to themselves? Penny talks and talks, but she speaks in a language I can't interpret. She has prosody and inflection, and seems to be stringing 4 nonsensical words together, with the occasional "Uh-oh," thrown in for good measure.

Penny: "Uh-oh, dohdogdohdoggoi Eesh."
Me: "Oh, yeah?"
Penny: "Dohdogdohgoi, doh-doi-doh. Eeeh. Uh-oh!"
Me: "Really? Please continue!"

I believe this is called variegated babbling, not reduplicated babbling, which she still does, as in: "Da-DA! Da-DA! Da-DA!" For the record, she only says "Mama" when she's sad, never as an inspired chant.

Penny's been trying to sing the alphabet, and "itsy-bitsy spider." She sings in monotone, but you can tell by the timing of her syllables (or hand motions) what she's getting at. She could hear either song 100 times and never tire of it. (I beg to differ). But singing is also a good way to calm her down, so I often bust out the "Elmo's World" theme while trimming her nails, combing her hair, and brushing her teeth, which are all activities she finds particularly aggravating and insulting.

She also enjoys scolding the cats, which I'm ashamed to report she learned from me, because I'm usually yelling at Chupa when she tries to escape out the front door, as in, "No, No, Chupa!" Now, when we pull into the driveway, Penny starts shouting "No, No, No!" Poor kitty, she will forever be scolded. I think Penny obtains a certain level of satisfaction from bossing someone around. Fortunately, Chupa has a sense of humor bordering on acerbic, and more or less puts up with it.

The other day, we were walking through a parking lot, and Penny could see her shadow on the ground in front of her. We started dancing and kicking up one leg at a time, which made our shadows move in a comical fashion, and she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. Although, I'm sure the sight of our "dancing" would have been amusing by itself. She imitated us by picking up one foot, then the other, laughing at her shadow. But then she tried to walk around it, and when she realized she couldn't, she became a little unnerved. Unhinged, actually.

The last entertaining observation of the week is that Penny is developing opinions about food instead of serenely accepting everything I put in front of her. Further, she has caught the vision of sleeping all night, 10-11 hours straight. So she's gone from being a good eater and a mediocre sleeper to being an ok eater and a great sleeper. For now. Of course, now that I have jinxed myself, something completely different will happen tomorrow.


(I'm cheating a little, because these pictures are from June and are pre-haircut).

Over and out.

The Contrarian

Penny's current favorite word is "No." A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, she said "Yeah." Nowadays, if she doesn't respond with No, I take that to mean Yes.

The best is when I ask her for a hug or a kiss, and she ponders the question, and then says "No." At least she gives it some consideration first. And then I tackle her and smother her with kisses.

Oh, Baby!

It seems to me that Penny doesn't really need language because she communicates effectively without a formal communication system. She has inflection in her voice, she points, she gestures. And there is also the screaming, which is extremely effective.

For example, "Mmm?" with hands out, means "Can I have some more of that?" or, "Will you remove this cat fur from my hands?" or "Please take your phone from me? I know I'm not supposed to have it." She jargons while she walks around and says "Mmm?...Mmm?" all day long.

"Mmm!" with a nod, means "Yes!" or "It's about time, lady!"
"Mmm-mm" with a head shake, means "No way, Jose." or "I don't want that."

But she's starting to talk and use some baby signs, and it's really exciting to see her make the connection between words (spoken and signed) and things. She was reading Baby Beluga the other day, and signed "fish" and pointed to the fish on the page. I almost fell out of my chair. I have probably signed "fish" a hundred times and didn't think she was paying attention. Later, we were at a friend's house, and she signed "fish" when she saw their fish tank. At first I thought she was waving, but then it occurred to me she was signing "fish!"

Here she is, signing "baby," with a little help from me.


Other signs she has been known to attempt:
More
Milk
Finished/all done.
Dog (once, so I'm counting it)
Shoe
Ball

Her signs for "shoe," "ball," and "more" all look the same, but she attempts to imitate me when I sign them, so I am thinking they should all count. Babies don't pronounce words with 100% accuracy, so her signing accuracy will probably develop as her fine motor skills improve. To clarify, the reasons I am signing are not just because I happen to know some sign language, nor because I expect Penny to become fluent in sign (I'm not fluent). But I am interested to see if having a supplementary way to communicate will help avoid some of the tantrums that might be coming our way in the near future. The theory is, if children have a way to express themselves and communicate their needs, they will be less frustrated and be less likely to throw giant fits. Nice theory, huh? We'll see if it works.

Words to date:
Wow! (and Oh, Wow!)
Yeah!
No. (Nah.)
Uh-oh.
Doggie! (Gah-gee.)
Kitty! (Eeeee!)

The other day, I pointed to her shoes, which were across the room, and said, "Penny, go get your shoes." She walked over, picked them up, and brought them to me. Uh-oh. Now we're going to really have to watch the swearing around here.

Babies are Strange

Good morning, Starshine. The Earth says hello.

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but my baby is a little weird. Now that she can walk, she's figured out that she can crawl after all. And now that she can crawl and get into everything, she's decided that's a lot of fun, and now she doesn't have to go to bed, ever again.

She's also cutting more teeth, which doesn't help the sleep situation. So the past few nights, not wanting to be a total monster, I rocked her to a state of near sleep, which has worked in the past. But now, instead of falling asleep, she yells as soon as I stand up from the chair, and when I put her down, she rolls over, sits up, or stands and grips the bars of her crib, while scolding me in an angry baby language for being such a horrible mother.

One temporary solution was to hold her hand through the bars, while she drifted off to sleep. That way, I could get her to stay lying down. I felt this was a good compromise, because at least she was in her bed! But after 3 nights of sitting on the floor and holding her hand, it was taking exponentially longer for her to fall asleep, and when I tried to sneak away, she would clutch desperately at my hand and cry. Poor baby. And Poor Mommy! My heartstrings ache.

I'm realizing now how good the sleep has been, up until now. I'm hoping this is a phase, related to her new powers of mobility. Sigh. Last night, we restarted the sleep training, with regular intervals, which went something like this:

Me: Ok, it's time to go to sleep. (Lays Penny in bed).
Penny: Waaaah! (Rolls over, sits up).
(I leave the room, and return 5 minutes later).
Me: Honey, you need to go to sleep. Uh-oh, did you poop?!
(Pause to change diaper).
Me: Ok, seriously, it's time for bed. (Lays Penny in bed).
Penny: Waaah! (Rolling over, sitting up).
(I leave the room, and return 10 minutes later).
Me: Honey, I know you don't want to, but you really need to sleep. I will see you in the morning. (Lays Penny in bed).
Penny: Waaah! (Rubs eyes, sits up).
(I leave the room, and return 15 minutes later).
Me: I love you! Time to sleep! (Lays Penny in bed).
Penny: (Crying) I hate you! You're horrible!
(Repeat, ad infinitum).

And she screamed for an entire hour. An HOUR. There was a thunderstorm last night (and tonight), so her screaming was further punctuated by thunder and lightning. But tonight was much better. I thought we'd be in for at least 40 minutes of drama, but she gave up after 20. I have to give her credit. She's smart enough to know that it's more fun to stay up with us, and it's a lot more fun to walk around and explore, than to sleep alone in her room.

But I love the sound of her feet on the floor! And even though it's exhausting to try to keep up with her, she's really a lot of fun. Here she is, in action. She's gotten frighteningly faster since this video was taken.



Another amusing thing about Penny, is that she gets excited when she sees other babies. If she sees a baby at the store, she smiles, flaps her arms, and starts talking in this high-pitched voice. Most babies just stare at her, but she jabbers at them excitedly, as if to say, "HI! I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE SO GREAT!" She does the same to the neighborhood dogs and cats. And she greets our cats in her exuberant, high-pitched voice, every day. And then they're like, "SHIT! SHE CAN WALK?!"

Here's a not-so-amusing thing: Penny's into pinching (insert Penny-pinching joke here). I don't think she does it maliciously, but it is concerning. She pinches that tender, fatty place under my arms, or pinches my neck when she's feeling nervous or tired. It hurts! And it's not just me, she's been pinching Britt's mom as well. I'm trying to replace this behavior with patting, and she will pat me instead, when I remind her...Pat, pat, PINCH. I just don't want her to think that pinching is ok, but at the same time, if she finds it comforting for some reason, we need to find another way for her to feel calm.

Meanwhile, Penny had her one year check up a couple of weeks ago, and her doctor had me fill out a questionnaire about lead, and there were enough "yes" responses to indicate a possible risk. I am dreading the thought of a blood draw. Sheree, how bad was it? My doctor recommended going to the outpatient lab at Primary Children's, since they are the experts at sticking children with sharp needles. More on that to come, I guess.

In other news, Penny's head circumference is now within the 90th percentile. She has a giant melon! It's sure cute, though.

Shopping, Yeah!

The last time we went to play at Penny's cousin's house, all Penny wanted to do was play with her cousin's shopping cart. I was planning to buy one for Penny's birthday, but I decided I couldn't wait a whole month. She's really into taking things out of things, so playing with the cart is ALL SHE WANTS TO DO. I'm like, "Hey, Penny, want to do a puzzle?" And if I try to move her, she throws a fit.

She also tries to walk with the cart, which is highly unstable, so I can't leave her unsupervised. "Hey, Penny, can I go pee?" (Throws fit!) The recommended age is actually 2 years, so I guess it's my own fault if she gets hurt playing "Crazy Shopping Spree."


Hey! Doesn't it sound like she's saying "Yeah!" in the right context? I think that might be Word Number Two.