Well, what a month this has been for Amelie. Gone is the newborn baby with misfiring neurons that cause her to burst into hours of crying. We now have a round little butterball that loves to smile. This month Amelie began smiling all the time, and even laughs now, too! She is ticklish under her arms, and loves to be kissed....especially on her toes.
This month I began playing our favorite game nearly every night...."Tickle Baby". As I change her for bed, and while on the changing table, while she's in between outfits and in only her diaper, I tickle her with the lightest touches from head to toe. Her body wiggles and tingles and little baby goose bumps pop up everywhere as she coos and giggles in response. I could play Tickle Baby all day long!
This month, Amelie is now stable enough for toys. She sits upright in her Bumbo chair and spins the wheel so sweetly while making little guttural uh-uh-uh sounds. Amelie also is big enough for the ol' Jumperoo, which was brought out from storage in the garage. She loves to spin spin spin the little spinnies and smiles at the sight of the Jumperoo.
Finally, she interacts endlessly with her jungle activity mat....during the day she loves me to turn the music setting on, and at night she prefers the soft jungle sounds setting. Either way, she's happy under the dangling monkeys, elephants and other animals for quite awhile!
Amelie is currently a Mommy's girl...she tracks me constantly and smiles when we make eye contact. For the most part, she is immediately comforted when I pick her up. She is also sleeping better....she sleeps consistently from 7PM to 3AM, feeds, and goes right back to sleep.
Amelie is gentle, loves her sister, her panda bear, and holding things.
Something happened this month in my own heart...it's almost like my heart grew to accommodate a surge of love that I feel for Amelie. There's never been a lack of love for her, don't get me wrong. It's just that since she has come out of her cry-all-the-time infant time, I now have much more time to enjoy her and get closer to her. She is a sweetheart of a baby, and only seems to get sweeter.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Two babies, one Mommy
Life here at the Lalvanis is a little routine these days. Alia has hers. Amelie has hers, I have mine, Ajay has his. When the girls are asleep, we have ours. Some may find our routines dull and a lacking in excitement. And perhaps it's true. But when there's two of them and one of me, I manage the best way I can.
The girls are in bed at 7PM. We go to bed by 9PM. That allows Ajay and me 2 hours to cook, eat, catch up, clean up dinner, clean up ourselves, change for bed, and go to bed. And that's on a good day...a day that he's home from the hospital by 7PM.
There is an occasional date night. There have been two since Amelie was born....one for my 38th birthday (hmmmm, am I going to have to change the name of my blog when forty roles around...?) and then last week we decided to go out to eat just for the fun of it and met up with friends. Otherwise the weekends usually involve one night of take-out sushi from our favorite local spot and one night of cooking.
One thing that is constant is bedtime...for all of us. With Amelie now waking up again at least once per night, I have to get to bed early to offset the interruption of my sleep...and did I mention? Amelie gets up anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30am for the day with no predictability. And getting that non-sleeping outlier of a baby back to sleep? Ain't going to happen. She is still primarily a cat napper which makes things really tough....getting her to sleep is no fun task.
Speaking of Amelie and sleep...man. Am I frustrated. We have tried everything we know to try. According to the sleep gurus, there are many options, and we've tried them all. Dr. Weisbluth basically says sleeps begets sleep, and that getting enough sleep during the daytime and nighttime are imperative to raising a happy healthy child. Ferber condones sleep being totally routine and allows for no sleep crutches. Believe me, we try to implement everything we can, but what about the baby that can't sleep longer than 30 to 45 minutes per nap? What then? I've tried leaving her there to get back to sleep on her own (HA!). I've tried intervening and trying to rock her back to sleep. Hell, I've even broken every rule and tried feeding her back to sleep. But this girl? Not interested in sleep...she might miss something!
Alia, on the other hand, is a tornado, a comedian, a no-sayer, a penny-in-the-fountain-thrower. She is busy. All the time. She is a fantastic sleeper, although her nap times could use some tweaking. She spends so much energy growing and playing that she still needs a morning nap. By 11AM she is shattered. No way that girl is making it to noon...hell, 11 is a stretch. So that means if she naps for 90 minutes or two hours, she basically needs another lie-down for quiet time around 4 or 4:30. She never sleeps that late in the afternoon...she just needs to regroup, talk to her Froggy, roll around in her crib. And she does it with no fuss.
So that's where we are. I'm tired, happy, and yes, a little frustrated with the whole Amelie sleep-thing. Just thought I'd post and keep it real.
The girls are in bed at 7PM. We go to bed by 9PM. That allows Ajay and me 2 hours to cook, eat, catch up, clean up dinner, clean up ourselves, change for bed, and go to bed. And that's on a good day...a day that he's home from the hospital by 7PM.
There is an occasional date night. There have been two since Amelie was born....one for my 38th birthday (hmmmm, am I going to have to change the name of my blog when forty roles around...?) and then last week we decided to go out to eat just for the fun of it and met up with friends. Otherwise the weekends usually involve one night of take-out sushi from our favorite local spot and one night of cooking.
One thing that is constant is bedtime...for all of us. With Amelie now waking up again at least once per night, I have to get to bed early to offset the interruption of my sleep...and did I mention? Amelie gets up anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30am for the day with no predictability. And getting that non-sleeping outlier of a baby back to sleep? Ain't going to happen. She is still primarily a cat napper which makes things really tough....getting her to sleep is no fun task.
Speaking of Amelie and sleep...man. Am I frustrated. We have tried everything we know to try. According to the sleep gurus, there are many options, and we've tried them all. Dr. Weisbluth basically says sleeps begets sleep, and that getting enough sleep during the daytime and nighttime are imperative to raising a happy healthy child. Ferber condones sleep being totally routine and allows for no sleep crutches. Believe me, we try to implement everything we can, but what about the baby that can't sleep longer than 30 to 45 minutes per nap? What then? I've tried leaving her there to get back to sleep on her own (HA!). I've tried intervening and trying to rock her back to sleep. Hell, I've even broken every rule and tried feeding her back to sleep. But this girl? Not interested in sleep...she might miss something!
Alia, on the other hand, is a tornado, a comedian, a no-sayer, a penny-in-the-fountain-thrower. She is busy. All the time. She is a fantastic sleeper, although her nap times could use some tweaking. She spends so much energy growing and playing that she still needs a morning nap. By 11AM she is shattered. No way that girl is making it to noon...hell, 11 is a stretch. So that means if she naps for 90 minutes or two hours, she basically needs another lie-down for quiet time around 4 or 4:30. She never sleeps that late in the afternoon...she just needs to regroup, talk to her Froggy, roll around in her crib. And she does it with no fuss.
So that's where we are. I'm tired, happy, and yes, a little frustrated with the whole Amelie sleep-thing. Just thought I'd post and keep it real.
Alia is 20 months old!
Well, almost a week ago, Alia turned 20 months old. I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks, gathering mental notes about what was special about this month.
This month, Alia has begun to show fears...of the janitor at the mall that pushes the big trash can, the vacuum cleaner, and above all, the foot measuring device at any given shoe store. While some of these fears are cute, I have to say that the foot measuring device fear is downright sad. I have never seen a more scared baby-child. And baby-child she is. Alia is straddling the definition of both. She still looks babyish. She has chubby cheeks and legs and dimpled hands. But her chubby thighs are stretching out, and the fat fold that I have always loved is slowly vanishing. Alia's hair is no longer a short little fountain of a pigtail, but a true ponytail. Alia runs. Alia jokes. She is becoming a child in front of our eyes. And did I mention tall? Note the comical display of Baby Alia in Amelie's bouncer....wrong. Just wrong.
Alia is warming up to Amelie, and understands that she is a part of our family. In fact, when Alia is distressed, she will call for Amelie in between her sobs....Ahhhhhh-muh-neeeeeee! that's right....AmeNie. We're still working on L's.
This month, Alia has learned to say Purple, Yellow, Buddy (the neighbor's dog's name) as well as working on learning to say "Take Care"...right now she believes she's saying it right, but it comes out "Goe-dthee!". Here, Alia models her favorite shirt while reading with her pal Froggy...who has his own chair just like hers.
Alia has become a Starbucks addict like the rest of the world and cries for us to go in every time we pass....see, they have only chocolate or vanilla milk, so in a pinch at times, I've allowed chocolate milk to enter her world. And now she is a full blown chocolate milkaholic. Like Mommy like baby, I suppose...chocolate that is, not chocolate milk.
Alia enjoys going to the Irvine Spectrum, South Coast Plaza, and anywhere that has a carousel. She is a connoisseur, and currently prefers the one at the Spectrum above all. See, the one at South Coast? Switched the horses out for Easter Bunnies and that just ruined the authenticity for Alia.
Alia's favorite clothes are her two Snoopy t-shirts and her Hello Kitty shirt with matching leggings. If she has her way, we'd get rid of all the other clothes. I do allow her to pick out her clothes, and she is really good about understanding when something isn't currently available/clean.
Alia is still going through a picky phase when it comes to food. She may or may not eat what I give her, and the old stand bys are no longer reliable. One thing the girl loves? Cheese. Started out with string cheese, moved to cheddar, and then swiss, which she calls peek-a-boo cheese because she can look threw the holes and play peek-a-boo. She has now ventured into aged parmesano riggiano and french mimolette. The girl is a foodie waiting to happen...no big surprise considering her lineage, but right now, picky wins over adventurous. So I have to be patient and realize that she will eat, when she's hungry enough. And just when I'm ready to begin the force-feeding? She eats enough to sustain an NBA player.
Alia is still a Daddy's girl. She now tells me no no no, and points to Daddy. When I ask her "do you want Mommy to leave?" she replies with "Yeah! Daddy!" and points to him, just in case I'm not clear on who she prefers. But you know what? Although it pains me, it's okay. I want her to feel that she can choose him. I will still love her all the same regardless. Plus, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve...I can always get her to run to me by picking up Amelie and fawning over her!
This month, Alia has begun to show fears...of the janitor at the mall that pushes the big trash can, the vacuum cleaner, and above all, the foot measuring device at any given shoe store. While some of these fears are cute, I have to say that the foot measuring device fear is downright sad. I have never seen a more scared baby-child. And baby-child she is. Alia is straddling the definition of both. She still looks babyish. She has chubby cheeks and legs and dimpled hands. But her chubby thighs are stretching out, and the fat fold that I have always loved is slowly vanishing. Alia's hair is no longer a short little fountain of a pigtail, but a true ponytail. Alia runs. Alia jokes. She is becoming a child in front of our eyes. And did I mention tall? Note the comical display of Baby Alia in Amelie's bouncer....wrong. Just wrong.Alia is warming up to Amelie, and understands that she is a part of our family. In fact, when Alia is distressed, she will call for Amelie in between her sobs....Ahhhhhh-muh-neeeeeee! that's right....AmeNie. We're still working on L's.
This month, Alia has learned to say Purple, Yellow, Buddy (the neighbor's dog's name) as well as working on learning to say "Take Care"...right now she believes she's saying it right, but it comes out "Goe-dthee!". Here, Alia models her favorite shirt while reading with her pal Froggy...who has his own chair just like hers.Alia has become a Starbucks addict like the rest of the world and cries for us to go in every time we pass....see, they have only chocolate or vanilla milk, so in a pinch at times, I've allowed chocolate milk to enter her world. And now she is a full blown chocolate milkaholic. Like Mommy like baby, I suppose...chocolate that is, not chocolate milk.
Alia's favorite clothes are her two Snoopy t-shirts and her Hello Kitty shirt with matching leggings. If she has her way, we'd get rid of all the other clothes. I do allow her to pick out her clothes, and she is really good about understanding when something isn't currently available/clean.
Alia is still going through a picky phase when it comes to food. She may or may not eat what I give her, and the old stand bys are no longer reliable. One thing the girl loves? Cheese. Started out with string cheese, moved to cheddar, and then swiss, which she calls peek-a-boo cheese because she can look threw the holes and play peek-a-boo. She has now ventured into aged parmesano riggiano and french mimolette. The girl is a foodie waiting to happen...no big surprise considering her lineage, but right now, picky wins over adventurous. So I have to be patient and realize that she will eat, when she's hungry enough. And just when I'm ready to begin the force-feeding? She eats enough to sustain an NBA player.Alia is still a Daddy's girl. She now tells me no no no, and points to Daddy. When I ask her "do you want Mommy to leave?" she replies with "Yeah! Daddy!" and points to him, just in case I'm not clear on who she prefers. But you know what? Although it pains me, it's okay. I want her to feel that she can choose him. I will still love her all the same regardless. Plus, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve...I can always get her to run to me by picking up Amelie and fawning over her!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The ol' Rice Cereal in the Bottle trick
Just taking a moment to record my secret concoction. You've al heard putting rice cereal in their night time bottle helps in getting them to sleep through the night, and if you're like me and research everything to death before doing something, you've probably read that most doctors dispute this trick as the reason that babies begin sleeping through the night. I guess they believe that with or without the addition of rice cereal to the bottle, the baby would have slept through regardless...
Well, here's my experience...two weeks ago, Amelie woke up once in the night for a feed, either at midnight or 3AM. But the point is, she awoke every night, and required a feed to get her back down. Then a week ago, I began experimenting with adding rice cereal to her night time. On the first night I added a teaspoon of rice cereal to her normal 5 ounce bottle, and then added a tablespoon of water to make sure it wasn't too thick. It was a lot of work for her to drink the bottle regardless of the water added, because I still was using the Level 1 nipple. That night she woke up as usual. The next night I doubled the concoction, changed to a number 2 nipple, and low and behold she slept through the night for the first time ever...awaking at 5AM after a 7PM bedtime. Not bad.
But I figured, why night try a little more and see if we can get to 7AM? So the next night, I added three teaspoons of rice cereal (one tablespoon) and three tablespoons of water. On that night? She awoke again at 3AM, only this time not hungry, but seemingly gassy and uncomfortable. So we went back to 2 teaspoons of rice cereal per bottle with 2 tablespoons of water to dilute...and she has slept through the night 5 nights out of the last 7. I think it's working!
Oh, and a side note....why didn't I just add the cereal and skip the water? Two reasons...when doing this with Alia, I added the rice cereal without adding water the first time, and she got constipated. I also noticed it was too thick to fit through a number 1 or 2 nipple.
So that's all...just recording a trick that seems to be working so that when my friends with babies younger than mine ask, I'll be able to remember what I did. Because otherwise? I don't remember what I had for breakfast!
Well, here's my experience...two weeks ago, Amelie woke up once in the night for a feed, either at midnight or 3AM. But the point is, she awoke every night, and required a feed to get her back down. Then a week ago, I began experimenting with adding rice cereal to her night time. On the first night I added a teaspoon of rice cereal to her normal 5 ounce bottle, and then added a tablespoon of water to make sure it wasn't too thick. It was a lot of work for her to drink the bottle regardless of the water added, because I still was using the Level 1 nipple. That night she woke up as usual. The next night I doubled the concoction, changed to a number 2 nipple, and low and behold she slept through the night for the first time ever...awaking at 5AM after a 7PM bedtime. Not bad.
But I figured, why night try a little more and see if we can get to 7AM? So the next night, I added three teaspoons of rice cereal (one tablespoon) and three tablespoons of water. On that night? She awoke again at 3AM, only this time not hungry, but seemingly gassy and uncomfortable. So we went back to 2 teaspoons of rice cereal per bottle with 2 tablespoons of water to dilute...and she has slept through the night 5 nights out of the last 7. I think it's working!
Oh, and a side note....why didn't I just add the cereal and skip the water? Two reasons...when doing this with Alia, I added the rice cereal without adding water the first time, and she got constipated. I also noticed it was too thick to fit through a number 1 or 2 nipple.
So that's all...just recording a trick that seems to be working so that when my friends with babies younger than mine ask, I'll be able to remember what I did. Because otherwise? I don't remember what I had for breakfast!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Extra! Extra!
Big news!
Amelie Iman? Slept through the night last night! I mean, really slept through the night! Not the "if a baby sleeps 5 hours straight, that's sleeping through the night" bullsh*t! I mean, we're talking 7PM to 5:30AM, at which time I fed her, put her back down, and she went back down all by herself. No swaddle. No rocking. No patting her back just the way she likes...just plan ol' put herself back down.
Is it even possible that I love her more?????
Amelie Iman? Slept through the night last night! I mean, really slept through the night! Not the "if a baby sleeps 5 hours straight, that's sleeping through the night" bullsh*t! I mean, we're talking 7PM to 5:30AM, at which time I fed her, put her back down, and she went back down all by herself. No swaddle. No rocking. No patting her back just the way she likes...just plan ol' put herself back down.
Is it even possible that I love her more?????
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The jokester
Alia's favorite thing in the world? Froggy.
Alia's second favorite thing in the world? Yogurt. Yogurt, in fact, was one of Alia's first words...or maybe I should call it a verbal expression, because her word for Yogurt doesn't really sound like Yogurt at all...she calls it GOLKA.
Anyway, many mornings, Alia and I have a morning jaunt somewhere before her nap....to the park, to the beach, to the grocery store. And on the way up the hill returning home, I always begin preparing her for the nap to come. I tell her, "when we get home, it's time for a nap".
This conversation has evolved over time. Alia wants to know who will be taking a nap, so the conversation has evolved to "When we get home, Alia's going to take a nap"...and she replies "Mama?" and I reply, "Yes, Mommy is going to take a nap". She rebutts, "Dada?" and I say "Daddy's working, you silly girl" and she laughs. And then the kicker...the punchline...which is delivered as such....she asks, "GOLKA!!!?" To which we both laugh and I say "Yogurt does not need a nap you silly girl!!!"
Alia's second favorite thing in the world? Yogurt. Yogurt, in fact, was one of Alia's first words...or maybe I should call it a verbal expression, because her word for Yogurt doesn't really sound like Yogurt at all...she calls it GOLKA.
Anyway, many mornings, Alia and I have a morning jaunt somewhere before her nap....to the park, to the beach, to the grocery store. And on the way up the hill returning home, I always begin preparing her for the nap to come. I tell her, "when we get home, it's time for a nap".
This conversation has evolved over time. Alia wants to know who will be taking a nap, so the conversation has evolved to "When we get home, Alia's going to take a nap"...and she replies "Mama?" and I reply, "Yes, Mommy is going to take a nap". She rebutts, "Dada?" and I say "Daddy's working, you silly girl" and she laughs. And then the kicker...the punchline...which is delivered as such....she asks, "GOLKA!!!?" To which we both laugh and I say "Yogurt does not need a nap you silly girl!!!"
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Love, just pure love
Today I just have to jot down a note. Ajay worked overnight last night, meaning 7PM to 7AM. As he left for work, I was stressed about having both grumpy tired girls all to myself for the next 13 hours. And beyond that, I knew he'd come home exhausted from hustling all night and need as much sleep as possible, and the sooner the better.
Ajay arrived home somewhere after 8AM, and played with Alia until her late morning nap...when she went down, so did he. I was tired, having manned both girls all night...Amelie was up at 12:30 and again for good at 5AM, and Alia had a surprise wake-up at 3:45....so if you look at it, I actually didn't make a single 4 hour stretch of sleep, meaning I didn't make it to REM sleep, the most important kind. And the day sadly began at 5AM with Amelie.
And when Alia napped? Amelie was awake....and vice versa (so not a single break for Mom) until Ajay awoke at 2:30 PM. I was busy with one girl or the other all morning/early afternoon. But you know what? I handled it. I enjoyed it. I not only endured it, but I was actually good at it.
And Alia? She actually understood....and when I told her "Daddy's sleeping....remember? He had to go to work last night?", she replied, "Yeeeeeah!" in her sweetest most enthusiastic voice. And when Amelie woke up and needed me to tend to her, she didn't care too much for that fact, but she dealt with it.
Amelie? Today, she was pure joy...pure sweetness....pure Mommy's girl. When I was around, she smiled her biggest smile. When I tickled her, she giggled her best Amelie giggle. When I bathed her, she splashed and coed and kicked like the happiest baby on the block. And that's when I realized what I was feeling....just plain, pure love.
All day today, I was beat. I was pooped. But I didn't think about it once. I just filled the gap that my poor sleeping husband had left and for the first time, enjoyed it. I felt confident that I can do this. I felt 100% bonded with Amelie. I felt like Alia liked me almost as much as Daddy, which is saying a lot. I felt pure love.
Ajay arrived home somewhere after 8AM, and played with Alia until her late morning nap...when she went down, so did he. I was tired, having manned both girls all night...Amelie was up at 12:30 and again for good at 5AM, and Alia had a surprise wake-up at 3:45....so if you look at it, I actually didn't make a single 4 hour stretch of sleep, meaning I didn't make it to REM sleep, the most important kind. And the day sadly began at 5AM with Amelie.
And when Alia napped? Amelie was awake....and vice versa (so not a single break for Mom) until Ajay awoke at 2:30 PM. I was busy with one girl or the other all morning/early afternoon. But you know what? I handled it. I enjoyed it. I not only endured it, but I was actually good at it.
And Alia? She actually understood....and when I told her "Daddy's sleeping....remember? He had to go to work last night?", she replied, "Yeeeeeah!" in her sweetest most enthusiastic voice. And when Amelie woke up and needed me to tend to her, she didn't care too much for that fact, but she dealt with it.
Amelie? Today, she was pure joy...pure sweetness....pure Mommy's girl. When I was around, she smiled her biggest smile. When I tickled her, she giggled her best Amelie giggle. When I bathed her, she splashed and coed and kicked like the happiest baby on the block. And that's when I realized what I was feeling....just plain, pure love.
All day today, I was beat. I was pooped. But I didn't think about it once. I just filled the gap that my poor sleeping husband had left and for the first time, enjoyed it. I felt confident that I can do this. I felt 100% bonded with Amelie. I felt like Alia liked me almost as much as Daddy, which is saying a lot. I felt pure love.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Blah
Lately, I've been feeling blah. Not depressed, nothing concerning, just blah. Maybe it's long term sleep deprivation. Maybe it's the fact that I've caught my second cold in 5 weeks thanks to going to story time at the library. Maybe it's that I feel unappreciated when it comes to all the effort I put into raising Alia...She treats Daddy like the king and me like I have the plague when he's around when all the while I'm dedicating my life to making sure she thrives in every capacity.
I'd lie if I said I haven't second guessed my choice for my life's work. I was a career girl before, and happily made the choice to stay home and raise babies. I read in a chat room that we can't look to our kids for validation, and while my knee jerk reaction is that I'm certain I'm not doing that, then why do I have the blues after a weekend filled with King Daddy and Plague Mommy?
I'd lie if I said I haven't second guessed my choice for my life's work. I was a career girl before, and happily made the choice to stay home and raise babies. I read in a chat room that we can't look to our kids for validation, and while my knee jerk reaction is that I'm certain I'm not doing that, then why do I have the blues after a weekend filled with King Daddy and Plague Mommy?
The sleepless baby...again!
When Alia was little bitty, like Amelie is now, she was a cat-napper. Hardly ever slept more than 45 minutes. Guess what? Alia's baby sleep habits have been reincarnated in Amelie. While Amelie is making promising progress with her nighttime sleep, her daytime naps are pathetically short and hardly invigorating.
Take today for example....Four, yes FOUR 45 minute naps. Two this morning, two this afternoon. But none long enough to do much good. Basically I think her naps just take the edge off enough to get through the two-hours to come before the next nap. That's right...Amelie's maximum time awake is two hours, and usually it's shorter than that by day-end.
Take today for example....Four, yes FOUR 45 minute naps. Two this morning, two this afternoon. But none long enough to do much good. Basically I think her naps just take the edge off enough to get through the two-hours to come before the next nap. That's right...Amelie's maximum time awake is two hours, and usually it's shorter than that by day-end.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Alia is 19 months old!
It just so happens that Alia is 19 months today, on my 38th birthday. Well, more on that later, but this month can be synthesized into one simple thing that happened...one event that just personifies Alia's personality, confidence, sense of self, sense of humor, and outlook on the world.
This past week, we were at Main Beach park downtown Laguna. Alia was her normal active self, going up and down the stairs to the toddler slide, climbing through the peek-a-boo tunnels, and demanding to be pushed on the swing. Then I noticed two TWO big bright shiny firetrucks...gleamingly clean, sparkling red...big BEAUTIFUL firetrucks. And yes, Alia wanted to go see them.
So we ran over to them...her at full speed ahead, and me briskly walking beside her. Alia approached the trucks, the firemen, and the small crowd surrounding them with wide eyes and her most brilliant Alia smile. She was so happy that she pulled out all her best tricks....she twirled in circles. She did pop-ups which is where she bends down into a squat and pops up with all her might, in an attempt to jump up (but her feet sadly never leave the ground). And then her little maestro finger came out....directed at the firemen. When the fireman asked what it meant, I told him that she wanted them to sing her a song. Then she did the hand movements for the Incey Wincey Spider. So I passed along that information. And before we knew it, the Laguna Beach Fire Department's entire posse of firemen were serenading Alia with multiple renditions of her favorite song. And that's the way the world works in Alia's little slice of heaven right now.
This month, Alia thrilled both Grandmothers by learning to say their granny names....Noni for my Mom and Amma for Ajay's Mom. What's wrong with Grandma, you may ask? Well, we don't know...we just go along with it. So anyway, when Alia says Noni, she claps her feet together because she remembers that Noni loves to play pat-a-cake with her, (only from a young age I taught her that you play pat-a-cake with your feet because her hip sockets allowed and I thought it was cute) and when Alia says Amma, she wiggles her index finger like a worm, because when Ajay's Mom visited last, they went on lots of long walks together and looked for worms in the irrigation run-off.
This month we got out the training potty....but something tells me she is NOT taking it seriously....at all...
Alia is tall....35 inches. She weighs 28 pounds. Alia's previous outlook on food has changed from "put it in front of me and I'll eat it" to "guess what I'll eat today....no, not that". So the pride I took in her openness to wholesome and nutritious foods? Yeah, I've suddenly realized that most kids start out that way and then learn to exercise their control where they can.
Alia is coming to terms with her sister...she does not like to hear her cry, but she also does not want her near her most of the time. Alia's favorite person is still Daddy, second is Mommy, and third? Probably Auntie Carol...our neighbor across the street. NOT the nanny...she will not, under any circumstances, be pawned off on the hired help...that's for her sister.
Most days Alia is the sweetest of the sweetie pies. There are some days that she is showing me exactly how challenging the terrible twos are going to be. Happy 19 months, Alia, my love!
Here, Alia demonstrates the Incey Wincey Spider
So we ran over to them...her at full speed ahead, and me briskly walking beside her. Alia approached the trucks, the firemen, and the small crowd surrounding them with wide eyes and her most brilliant Alia smile. She was so happy that she pulled out all her best tricks....she twirled in circles. She did pop-ups which is where she bends down into a squat and pops up with all her might, in an attempt to jump up (but her feet sadly never leave the ground). And then her little maestro finger came out....directed at the firemen. When the fireman asked what it meant, I told him that she wanted them to sing her a song. Then she did the hand movements for the Incey Wincey Spider. So I passed along that information. And before we knew it, the Laguna Beach Fire Department's entire posse of firemen were serenading Alia with multiple renditions of her favorite song. And that's the way the world works in Alia's little slice of heaven right now.
This month, Alia thrilled both Grandmothers by learning to say their granny names....Noni for my Mom and Amma for Ajay's Mom. What's wrong with Grandma, you may ask? Well, we don't know...we just go along with it. So anyway, when Alia says Noni, she claps her feet together because she remembers that Noni loves to play pat-a-cake with her, (only from a young age I taught her that you play pat-a-cake with your feet because her hip sockets allowed and I thought it was cute) and when Alia says Amma, she wiggles her index finger like a worm, because when Ajay's Mom visited last, they went on lots of long walks together and looked for worms in the irrigation run-off.
This month we got out the training potty....but something tells me she is NOT taking it seriously....at all...
Alia is tall....35 inches. She weighs 28 pounds. Alia's previous outlook on food has changed from "put it in front of me and I'll eat it" to "guess what I'll eat today....no, not that". So the pride I took in her openness to wholesome and nutritious foods? Yeah, I've suddenly realized that most kids start out that way and then learn to exercise their control where they can.
Alia is coming to terms with her sister...she does not like to hear her cry, but she also does not want her near her most of the time. Alia's favorite person is still Daddy, second is Mommy, and third? Probably Auntie Carol...our neighbor across the street. NOT the nanny...she will not, under any circumstances, be pawned off on the hired help...that's for her sister.
Most days Alia is the sweetest of the sweetie pies. There are some days that she is showing me exactly how challenging the terrible twos are going to be. Happy 19 months, Alia, my love!
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