Rachel now likes to drink her last bottle of the night while one of us is reading her a book. She is no doubt preparing for the day when we all sit around the breakfast table on Sunday, reading newspapers and commenting. Assuming there are any newspapers to ready by then...
Her new game is grabbing mommy's nose. Then I grab her nose. Then she giggles. Then she points at my left ear and I point at HER left ear and say, "that's RACHEL'S left ear!" Then she points at my right ear and I point at HER right ear and say, "that's RACHEL'S right ear!" This continues with my chin, nose, neck, throat and chest. It happens several times a day.
She is "talking" constantly these days, pretty much from the moment she gets up. Shannon, one of the daycare ladies, told Drew on Thursday that Rachel had been talking to herself when she suddenly started laughing. It was as if she was telling herself a little baby joke! She cracks herself up!
And last night when I came home from work she was on the kitchen floor while Drew was making dinner. I gave her the car keys to play with, which she did for a minute and then handed them back to me and said a garbled (but still understandable): "want your keys?" I was so startled that I said, "um, sure, honey! Thanks!" and stared at her in astonishment. Apparently she is skipping individual words and going straight to sentences and paragraphs.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Rachel develops a sense of humor
Last night while she was on the changing table, Rachel took Drew's glasses and tossed them to the floor. She did the same with his cell phone.
Then she looked him straight in the eye and laughed! "I definitely got the feeling she was laughing at me," he said.
The other night I was on the phone with my friend Dave from college and I told him that Rachel had said, "how you say dat?" in Rachel-ese. Then Rachel looked at me and said it AGAIN! Dave was very impressed. He gave me the best description of seeing a child develop:
"It's like watching evolution," he said.
Then she looked him straight in the eye and laughed! "I definitely got the feeling she was laughing at me," he said.
The other night I was on the phone with my friend Dave from college and I told him that Rachel had said, "how you say dat?" in Rachel-ese. Then Rachel looked at me and said it AGAIN! Dave was very impressed. He gave me the best description of seeing a child develop:
"It's like watching evolution," he said.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rachel's new game
invented on the spot as I was getting her ready for her bath tonight: She was on the changing table and I was standing next to her when she suddenly threw herself against my chest and giggled. I grabbed her and half-tickled, half-hugged her. Then she looked up, grinned mischievously, and threw herself against me again. It helped that I was wearing a blue Patagonia fleece that I believe is her favorite of all my soft winter clothes. She did this three times before I regretfully had to make her stop because I wanted to get her to sleep a bit earlier than usual.
Rachel woke up at 8:50 a.m. this morning, really late for getting to daycare and getting myself to work. So we are trying an experiment: Getting her down to bed 15 minutes early. In her case, that means starting to clean up the toys and drink her bottle at 8:20 p.m. instead of 8:40. The bedtime ritual -- bottle, stories, bath, lotion, sleepsuit, songs, sleep -- takes about 45 minutes. So the upshot of it was that I got her to sleep at 9:05 instead of 9:20.
I hope this doesn't permanently screw up her sleep schedule and make her wake up at 7 or 7:30. But it's getting darker and colder and by the time I changed her into her sleepsuit she was already rubbing her eyes. So if this works, I'll have a bit more time to myself at night, which would be nice. I could really use the time to catch up on all the boring grownup stuff that Rachel never sees, like paying bills, balancing my checkbook, going through all the issues of New York that pile up because I never asked for a subscription but the folks there have kindly decided to send me the magazine in the hopes that I will finally break down and subscribe...
It's also a good time to post to this blog. So, goodnight folks. Catch you soon.
Rachel woke up at 8:50 a.m. this morning, really late for getting to daycare and getting myself to work. So we are trying an experiment: Getting her down to bed 15 minutes early. In her case, that means starting to clean up the toys and drink her bottle at 8:20 p.m. instead of 8:40. The bedtime ritual -- bottle, stories, bath, lotion, sleepsuit, songs, sleep -- takes about 45 minutes. So the upshot of it was that I got her to sleep at 9:05 instead of 9:20.
I hope this doesn't permanently screw up her sleep schedule and make her wake up at 7 or 7:30. But it's getting darker and colder and by the time I changed her into her sleepsuit she was already rubbing her eyes. So if this works, I'll have a bit more time to myself at night, which would be nice. I could really use the time to catch up on all the boring grownup stuff that Rachel never sees, like paying bills, balancing my checkbook, going through all the issues of New York that pile up because I never asked for a subscription but the folks there have kindly decided to send me the magazine in the hopes that I will finally break down and subscribe...
It's also a good time to post to this blog. So, goodnight folks. Catch you soon.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A lovely fall evening
We spent it at our friends Klaus and Carrie's house with their two kids, Ani (4) and Elsa (2). Rachel loved being around them. She laughed and crawled and cruised and tried to climb up onto the coffee table. When we directed her to the ottoman, she fell and did a nasty bonk on her head. She cried for about two minutes, cuddled in Drew's arms, cruised along the table to get picked up by mommy, cuddled in her arms for a minute....and then she wanted down to go to Dada again.
We brought over Moroccan stew and chocolate covered toffee bars. We stashed Rached in a booster seat and she did quite well. It was the second time in two days -- last night we shared a pizza with friends of ours three blocks away -- that Rachel has been in a booster seat. So, Drew says he'll try to find one on a shopping expedition with Rachel later this week. A booster seat! I had sort of assumed that she'd go straight from a high chair to sitting at the table like a little lady in, oh, two years or so. Guess not.
It will be great to have her sitting in a grownup chair. We love her high chair and plan to keep it a while, but it's nice to have another dining option, as well. And it means our small eating nook will be (slightly) less crowded, which will make mealtimes a bit easier. Now if we can only get her to eat an all-grownup meal AND drink milk from a sippy cup....
We brought over Moroccan stew and chocolate covered toffee bars. We stashed Rached in a booster seat and she did quite well. It was the second time in two days -- last night we shared a pizza with friends of ours three blocks away -- that Rachel has been in a booster seat. So, Drew says he'll try to find one on a shopping expedition with Rachel later this week. A booster seat! I had sort of assumed that she'd go straight from a high chair to sitting at the table like a little lady in, oh, two years or so. Guess not.
It will be great to have her sitting in a grownup chair. We love her high chair and plan to keep it a while, but it's nice to have another dining option, as well. And it means our small eating nook will be (slightly) less crowded, which will make mealtimes a bit easier. Now if we can only get her to eat an all-grownup meal AND drink milk from a sippy cup....
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Words! Well, kind of...
I'm working my usual 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift today and Drew called at 9 a.m. with this report:
--He was reading a picture book to her called "Clip Clop" about Mr. Horse giving a ride to cat and dog and pig and duck. They go faster and faster, the animals fall into a haystack, Mr. Horse gets worried but the animals are OK and then they do it ALL OVER AGAIN. (Can you tell that I am really, really looking forward to the day when our reading will involve Greek myths?). Anyway, Rachel pointed to some random words and then said a very garbled, "a, b, c, d."
--Later in the same book, she pointed to a picture of duck and said, again in garbled Rachel-ese: "How you say dat?"
WOW!
I insisted Drew put her on the phone, and I said, "hello, Rachel! Mommy loves you! YAY! and blew kisses. She giggled and, Drew said, had a big smile on her face the whole time. Apparently she now realizes that Mommy lives in the phone, too!
--He was reading a picture book to her called "Clip Clop" about Mr. Horse giving a ride to cat and dog and pig and duck. They go faster and faster, the animals fall into a haystack, Mr. Horse gets worried but the animals are OK and then they do it ALL OVER AGAIN. (Can you tell that I am really, really looking forward to the day when our reading will involve Greek myths?). Anyway, Rachel pointed to some random words and then said a very garbled, "a, b, c, d."
--Later in the same book, she pointed to a picture of duck and said, again in garbled Rachel-ese: "How you say dat?"
WOW!
I insisted Drew put her on the phone, and I said, "hello, Rachel! Mommy loves you! YAY! and blew kisses. She giggled and, Drew said, had a big smile on her face the whole time. Apparently she now realizes that Mommy lives in the phone, too!
California dreamin'
Highlights from our trip to northern California to visit Mom & Dad:
--Mom & Dad's condo overlooked Mt. Tamalpais and was right over the water, so we had a stunning view. Rachel loved pounding on the sliding glass door (she doesn't have a lot of hand strength yet so it wasn't dangerous) and looking at herself in all the full-length mirrors in the living room.
--We found a fabulous playground in Tiburon. It had a spongy surface, a small climbing wall, a steam shovel built into the sandbox and a cooking play structure built into the concrete. Plus there were lots of toy cars to push around. It made me immediately want to relocate. Rachel gingerly sat on Mom's & Dad's laps at the park, then scared them by pitching head-first down the slide and crawling through a tunnel, which she did over and over and over again. It was like she wanted to master it before going on to the next thing.
--We spent time at the Discovery Center, a fantastic kid's museum complex that started life as an old Army barracks. Rachel had a great time splashing her hand in a raised stream bed, crawling up some cushions that had been fashioned in the shape of an ant hill, and pouring gravel into a hard hat that Mom held out to her.
--Rachel and Drew were sick with colds, but Rachel slept like a champ in an unfamiliar crib right next to us. We were very impressed! It appears that we may, indeed, be able to take family vacations together. Camping during the summer of 2010, anyone?
--Mom & Dad's condo overlooked Mt. Tamalpais and was right over the water, so we had a stunning view. Rachel loved pounding on the sliding glass door (she doesn't have a lot of hand strength yet so it wasn't dangerous) and looking at herself in all the full-length mirrors in the living room.
--We found a fabulous playground in Tiburon. It had a spongy surface, a small climbing wall, a steam shovel built into the sandbox and a cooking play structure built into the concrete. Plus there were lots of toy cars to push around. It made me immediately want to relocate. Rachel gingerly sat on Mom's & Dad's laps at the park, then scared them by pitching head-first down the slide and crawling through a tunnel, which she did over and over and over again. It was like she wanted to master it before going on to the next thing.
--We spent time at the Discovery Center, a fantastic kid's museum complex that started life as an old Army barracks. Rachel had a great time splashing her hand in a raised stream bed, crawling up some cushions that had been fashioned in the shape of an ant hill, and pouring gravel into a hard hat that Mom held out to her.
--Rachel and Drew were sick with colds, but Rachel slept like a champ in an unfamiliar crib right next to us. We were very impressed! It appears that we may, indeed, be able to take family vacations together. Camping during the summer of 2010, anyone?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day trip
Rachel and I zipped down to Eugene, two hours south, today to visit our friend Molly and her kids Calvin, Camilla and Marigold. Camilla absolutely loves Rachel: She says she's the cutest baby in the whole world. And today, for the first time, Rachel didn't seem uncomfortable when Camilla hugged and kissed her. She just smiled and laughed every time she got near her. I made sure to point that out to Camilla, who is almost 6. We decided that she will be Rachel's big sister, since Rachel doesn't have one. So, Camilla is now Rachel's "big sissy" in Eugene.
Calvin apparently is so smitten by his baby sister, 14-month-old Marigold, that he didn't show much interest in Rachel. That's OK, maybe next time.
We spent most of the afternoon playing on an air mattress in Molly's hearth room while a cozy fire roared in her fireplace. It was so comfy! And Rachel loved being held by Molly and sitting in Molly's lap. That's quite rare these days; except for the daycare ladies, Rachel is most comfortable with mommy and daddy. I tried to take naps twice today but she kept crawling all over me. I think she sees me as a big jungle gym!
I fed her an early dinner, put her in her jammies and then strapped her in the car seat for the long ride home, when I practiced Christmas music for my chorus's upcoming Christmas concerts. I got a lot of work done, plus I hope that Rachel gets an appreciation for music when she hears mommy practicing in the car. It was lovely on the way down to Eugene belting "Angels we have heard on high" as I passed the brilliant fall foliage heading down the southern Willamette Valley. It is so beautiful this time of year, and a reminder that I am lucky to be blessed with so much.
Calvin apparently is so smitten by his baby sister, 14-month-old Marigold, that he didn't show much interest in Rachel. That's OK, maybe next time.
We spent most of the afternoon playing on an air mattress in Molly's hearth room while a cozy fire roared in her fireplace. It was so comfy! And Rachel loved being held by Molly and sitting in Molly's lap. That's quite rare these days; except for the daycare ladies, Rachel is most comfortable with mommy and daddy. I tried to take naps twice today but she kept crawling all over me. I think she sees me as a big jungle gym!
I fed her an early dinner, put her in her jammies and then strapped her in the car seat for the long ride home, when I practiced Christmas music for my chorus's upcoming Christmas concerts. I got a lot of work done, plus I hope that Rachel gets an appreciation for music when she hears mommy practicing in the car. It was lovely on the way down to Eugene belting "Angels we have heard on high" as I passed the brilliant fall foliage heading down the southern Willamette Valley. It is so beautiful this time of year, and a reminder that I am lucky to be blessed with so much.
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