Silly, new boots, restful

1. Rachel pulled the boppy pillow out of her closet and has been lounging in it when she’s playing in her room. Diaper changes and dressing are often a bit of a challenge, so I asked her if she wanted to use the pillow while I changed her. She nodded yes, and I told her that she was being all fancy lounging in her pillow getting changed. Now every time I change her, she wants to lay in the pillow, and she giggles and says ‘fancy!’

2. Around and around Rachel and I went through the living room and kitchen, again and again. We bought her some rubber boots for wet days and she’s having trouble walking in them, so she clung to my hand and did laps until I got bored, when we switched to practicing taking them off and putting them on.

3. Going out in the cool of the evening and putting hawksweed from the front yard. It is satisfying to pull up.

Busy, fun, plans

1. Blueberry picking with Rachel was heaps of fun last week. She was so serious about it and kept picking them for her own little bucket. I kept hearing her softly counting ‘one, two, one, two’ as she dropped the blueberries in. She didn’t even start eating any until we were about to leave.

2. S telling me about Rachel sliding down a little slide at a park we were at recently, and even though her legs kind of stuck to the slide, she said ‘wheeeee’ on the way down.

3. Making winter travel plans makes me happy.

Messy, relieved, helping

1. Rachel offering one of her rare hugs and a kiss while she was covered in yogurt. I patted her on the back, but declined closer contact until she was cleaned up, when suddenly she wasn’t interested in bestowing affection anymore.

2. My feeling of relief that the lens hood seemed to take the brunt of the tumble Rachel gave it when she pulled my camera off the shelf. The hood broke, but it’s a cheap piece.

3. Rachel helping pick up toys in the church nursery and when story hour is over. I only gave her a little bit of encouragement and she joined right in. A few months ago, there’s no way that was happening.

Games, get stronger, overload

1. ‘Ammal!’ Rachel exclaims, followed by ‘tack, tack, tack’. I guess ‘you’re a duck!’, and on we go with one of Rachel’s favorite games. We kind of take turns giving the other an animal noise to guess, and she’s pretty good at it.

2. I’m not able to do my pushups with Rachel flopped onto my back. Also, she’s too tall to walk between my legs, especially when I’m in the middle of side lunges.

3. Library story hour was a little overwhelming today due to the huge number of babies, toddlers, and responsible adults. No wonder Rachel went to a quiet spot and laid on the floor.

Goofy things I don’t want to forget

1. This may sound gross, but she hasn’t actually used her potty chair, so it’s not so terrible. Rachel was in the bathroom with me the other morning. She pulled the bowl out of her potty seat, told me ‘pretend’, while nodding her head for emphasis, and started gnawing on the plastic. I thought she must not understand what pretend means, but upon further reflection, I think she may, after all, she can’t really eat it, so she is only pretending.

2. I’ll preface this story by saying I’m pretty sure Rachel does not have pica. I started hearing ‘yum, yum’ sounds from the front door area while I was in the kitchen preparing lunch. I had given Rachel a few crackers a while before, so I thought that’s what she was eating. She meandered into the kitchen, and the dirt around her mouth was not cracker crumbs. I took her hand and asked her to show me what she had been eating. She led me to the front door and pointed at the grime on the threshold, saying ‘yum, yum’. Then she started trying to chew on the waterproofing strip on the door frame.

3. Making faces at Rachel while she eats her lunch. Things geta little bit silly here sometimes, and she makes the best faces back.

Stall, dessert, more stalling

1. Rachel is getting quite proficient at stalling, especially at bedtime, by asking for more hugs. We love her hugs and I will go in for an extra squeeze if she asks for it.

2. Steve and I enjoyed delicious almond flavored frozen souffles after dinner. It contained raw egg, so I made Rachel some coconut milk pudding earlier in the day so she could be part of our dessert. ‘Yummy, yummy’, she said as she cleaned out her ramekin.

3. Speaking of stalling, Rachel wanted to sit on her potty after last night’s bath, and she didn’t want to get off. I don’t know how long she sat, trying to go, chatting with me and insisting that the shower head is a fan.