Rachel took "papa's" glasses and put them on. It was hilarious!
Yummy cupcakes from Caroline!
Our new roller coaster!!
The messy, but adorable, new kitchen!
Yes, lots has happened in the last month. It was another whopper of a busy one. Jason's parents were generous to come up and stay with me while he was in Pennsylvania camping for a week and brought Howell with them. It was a great time! The following weekend we stayed in Avon with some friends to help them with a garage sale and fighter practice afterwards, all of which Rachel was present. This past weekend we had not only Jason's parents and his grandfather, but one of his aunts and all 3 of his male cousins come visit! I personally love having a house packed full of family and/or friends to enjoy their company and visit. It was like a mini family reunion and everyone had a good time. Rachel was surrounded by her family, which gives me great joy. I treasure the time I spent as a child with my family, so the fact that we all live close enough to be able to share that time with her is very special to me. She's building memories and able to warm up to people very quickly. Her attitude and demeanor has brightened quite a bit. Even though we could tell she was a little overwhelmed and didn't feel very good (I think allergies) she was still pleasant for the most part. Not to mention very entertaining. Her imagination is kicking in along with her own "Rachel Language" which leads to some hilarious phrases and mannerisms.
It true Aunt Gail style, she'll pick up her dolls to have them play and say, "Well HELLO!" She also has her memory starting to show. Her Aunt Heather came and, in typical toddler style said, "Do you have my kitty?" instead of saying hello. "Kitty" is an app that Heather downloaded on her phone. Rachel will take her phone and talk incessantly to it. I have no clue what the app is called (nor do I care as I have no desire to have it on my phone, lest I never see it again), but it's a little kitty that if she touches the screen will poke the kitty. Anything Rachel says the "kitty" repeats back in a high pitched Alvin the Chipmunk voice. Apparently it also sings songs and if you touch the screen gently (which Rachel kept kissing) the kitty begins to purr. Friday morning when Heather woke up and handed her the phone, Rachel turned on the kitty and said, "Well HELLO kitty! Did you miss me? Where've you been?"
She also has resorted to saying "Thanks" instead of "Thank you", but has also added "Yes please!" as a response to a question. I'm thankful that even with a house full of people and her schedule completely thrown off she still remembers her manners more often than not.
So the above roller coaster and kitchen....let me explain that. As I said, last weekend all 3 of us stayed with some friends in Avon and helped them host a garage sale. (I of course packed up as much crap as I could to try to get rid of it). Since it's so far away and I knew we needed to get there early, I decided to stay all night. Since Jason's friends with them and their house is monstrous, he wanted to stay too! So we all 3 stayed and all of us had a great time. Rachel climbed all over creation at their house and by the end of the day her bare feet were literally black. This family is preparing to move back to Arizona and had LOTS of toys their kids didn't play with. One being the roller coaster, which she generously just gave to us. It's in great condition and it's perfect for Rachel's age. The little cart is light enough she can pick it up and put it back at the top of the "hill" herself. But it's also sturdy enough for her to ride whether it's on the track or just on the floor. And she loves it! Even if the cart could fall off the track (which would take some doing, it's pretty safe), and she fell, she's mere inches from the floor so she really can't get hurt. She loves it and it's adorable!
The kitchen....well, just look at that thing! It's huge! Not to mention came with a shopping cart and cash register. I had found a really nice Kitchen toy for her, but this one was awesome. I bought it from the lady before the garage sale even started. Several people inquired about it, so I'm glad I made up my mind early! It fits perfectly in our living room and it's at the perfect side for her right now. (I'll just sell her other one....2 kitchens is plenty). But the stove makes noise depending on which pot/skillet you use. If you put the pot on the burner, it makes a boiling sound. If you put the skillet on the burner, you hear a sizzling sound. (And if you don't remove the pot or skillet, the thing just keeps making noise forever more amen). It's also got a foam mat for the floor that looks like hard wood. If I had been a kid, I would have loved something like this. So I had to get it for her. I'm glad I gave away a LOT of her toys to make room for that!
She incorporates her Dora house, Strawberry shortcake, and kitchen all together and plays with them. She's now to a point where I can sit here on the couch and update my blog while she happily plays with her toys and lets her imagination run wild. I've also noticed she'll talk a lot more if I step away and just let her do her thing. Her toys were cheap enough that if she breaks them (on accident....on purpose will get her in trouble) it doesn't bother me quite so much. So she can just hang out in that area and do whatever she wants and she doesn't hear "No don't do that!" or "pick that up!" which I think she enjoys. It's like that little play area is her "freedom" space to do whatever she pleases and we don't really have to worry about her getting hurt or destroying something.
One new phrase she keeps using, and appropriately is, "HELLO?! Anybody here-d?" She'll say that when we walk in the door in the evenings or if she opens the door from the house to the garage and it's dark.
She will tell me she wants to take a nap. Sometimes it's just an act to be able to get her pacifier, which we really have been successful in limiting to just when she's going to sleep. Sometimes in the morning we struggle, but on the weekends I can ask her to give it to me because she's awake and most of the time she complies without a fuss. I'd prefer for her to choose to give me the pacifier rather than trying to sneak it away when she puts it down. This way she knows where it is and I hope it helps her to feel she has more control over the situation with her pacifier. However, other times she'll actually say she wants to take a nap and crawl into bed and go to sleep. I LOVE IT.
Bath time is also really nice right now. When we announce in the evening it's bath time she'll say, "I want hot water-t and bubbles" and then saunter on in to the bath tub. Recently I've had to have her get in the shower with me for convenience or just for fun and she really likes that. I don't think she gets as clean, but in a pinch, it's one way we can use to get her clean!
Her personality is growing and I feel the "Terrible Twos" has started to wear off. PRAISE THE GOOD LORD! That phase was A-W-F-U-L for us. I'm noticing that she's thoughtful, sweet, clever, and daring. She enjoys adventure and thrills. Yet I can tell her cares about everything around her. She'll ask when someone leaves, she'll ask where they went in a concerned manner. She's asked where Monty is several times.
I have really worked hard (and it's been difficult) to foster a sense of independence in her. What I mean is, I want her to feel she has some control in her little world, even though she really doesn't have a lot. I feel it shows that we respect her and it allows her to make up her own mind and determine what she wants/doesn't want. And that's tough. I see her struggling to open a container and I'm instantly inclined to go help her and I find I have to hold back to wait until she asks for help. (Sometimes I have to intervene if she's going to end up hurting herself, like dropping the container on her foot). I've put drinks and snacks in the refrigerator at her level so she can choose what she wants to eat and drink (and keep the junk food at a higher level). And this isn't always easy. I really want to give her ice cream and sweets all the time because she asks for them. But we've had enough tummy aches for us to know better and not give in.
I desperately want to spoil our child with toys, games and just about every luxury that we can get our hands on. But we've both agreed to draw a line and say no more. I've noticed that when we take her somewhere she likes to look at the toys, but so far (knock on wood) she doesn't demand to take a toy home with her. We can finally tell her "No" and the fit she'll throw is minimal compared to what it used to be. And we no longer have to placate her by saying "No.....but we'll do something else!" No means no and even though she doesn't like it, she does at least recognize that "NO" isn't the end of the world. Don't get me wrong, it's not always pleasant, but at least it is SO much better!
Potty training? Well.....I've pretty much decided to just back off. We bought the potty. I take her in the bathroom with me. They work with her at school. She is interested and sometimes will tell us when she's soiled. She can do all the mechanics and actions that go along with using the potty....except peeing in it. I've tried to put her on it every hour one weekend and she would have nothing of it. So.....I've decided to back off and just let her tell us when she's ready. And that's tough. I'm tired of changing diapers. I'm ready to be done with this and she won't even let us get started! But.....like I said....trying to give her respect and independence....I'm just going to let her tell us when she's ready. And if she's 16 when that happens......well.....we might need to have an intervention.
No comments:
Post a Comment