Staley is learning how to get what she wants. I was cracking up today, sitting here listening to her through the monitor after I put her down for her nap. Some naptime snippets for your enjoyment:
S: "Mommy! Come here. Real quick. One second."
S: "Mommy! I tangled. My blanket tangled."
S: "I want different blanket. Mommy! I want different blanket."
S: "I want different bear. I want pink bear. Mommy! All done green bear. I want pink bear."
S: "Blanket fall off. Mommy fix it. Mommy!! Fix blanket."
After about 15 minutes of her running commentary, Staley is now napping sweetly in her crib...with green bear and her tangled blanket that is probably off her. Staley didn't get what she wanted this time, but I did...a soundly napping girl.
Adelie and Staley's World
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Speaking of Staley...
There are those things in life that I think are universal pet-peeves. Being interrupted when you are speaking. People who tell you the end of movies you haven't seen yet. And people who refer to themselves in the third person. There's nothing more annoying than the third-person speaker. (I think it's one of the many reasons I find Elmo so grating.)
Well, my daughter has always been a third-person speaker. (At least for as long as she's been speaking in sentences.) 'Staley playing in bathtub.' 'Staley want snack.' 'Staley's turn.' Of course, when it comes to the communication of my 21-month old, I don't find the third-person speech annoying. I find it one more cute little nuance that makes my daughter who she is. However, I want to make sure that this third-person talking doesn't continue past the point of cuteness, so we've been working on pronouns lately. And I think we've recently turned a corner.
In the past few days, Staley has really started using 'I' and 'my' more consistently and appropriately. 'I want waffle.' 'I get bowl for Daddy.' 'I go to circus again.' And her current favorite...'I do it all by myself.' Granted, she still sometimes gets confused with her 'you' and 'I' ('Mommy pick you up'), and her third-person reference is still present, but she's starting to get it. And Ellen is really proud of her.
Well, my daughter has always been a third-person speaker. (At least for as long as she's been speaking in sentences.) 'Staley playing in bathtub.' 'Staley want snack.' 'Staley's turn.' Of course, when it comes to the communication of my 21-month old, I don't find the third-person speech annoying. I find it one more cute little nuance that makes my daughter who she is. However, I want to make sure that this third-person talking doesn't continue past the point of cuteness, so we've been working on pronouns lately. And I think we've recently turned a corner.
In the past few days, Staley has really started using 'I' and 'my' more consistently and appropriately. 'I want waffle.' 'I get bowl for Daddy.' 'I go to circus again.' And her current favorite...'I do it all by myself.' Granted, she still sometimes gets confused with her 'you' and 'I' ('Mommy pick you up'), and her third-person reference is still present, but she's starting to get it. And Ellen is really proud of her.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Makes Me Thankful
Staley had a rough evening yesterday. R-O-U-G-H. Rough.
Yesterday was a great day. We spent the day with Liam and Melissa. Staley and Liam played with his toys and chased each other around the house. We went to the Children's Museum in Bloomington, where Staley and Liam had a blast playing in the water, shopping in the marketplace, cooking in the kitchen, building with blocks, driving the combine, and painting on the wall. Staley chose not to take a nap, instead talking and crying in the pack and play for an hour. After her non-nap, Staley enjoyed a fun trip to visit Daddy at work. She fell asleep on the drive home from Bloomington.
And that's when the fun ended. Staley woke up when we got home...and she wasn't happy about it. She cried...and cried...and cried. Books, toys, even some coveted TV time failed to bring her tears to an end. She cried through dinner (or as much of a 'dinner' as I could get her to eat.) She cried through her bath. She cried through pajama time. She calmed down a little with bedtime stories and was asleep in her crib by 6:45. The endless tears from the evening left me feeling worn down and frustrated and sad and tired...and thankful.
I am thankful that Staley is a happy little girl.
I am thankful that I can't remember a previous time when we've had an hour of tears.
I am thankful that Staley's tears are few...and very short-lived.
I am thankful that usually Staley eats what is put in front of her.
I am thankful that bathtime is generally fun and pleasant.
I am thankful that Staley usually naps without issue.
I am thankful that bedtime generally occurs without a fuss.
I am thankful that I have a partner to share this parenting journey with.
I am thankful that a rough evening is not a normal occurrance.
I know that some parents deal with 'rough' evenings or mornings or full days on a consistent basis. I work with children who have physical, psychological, emotional, sensory issues that cause irritability and sensitivity and behavior problems and sleep issues and eating issues. I know there are many parents who are navigating the parenting world alone. I know there are parents who deal with much worse than what I was faced with on my rough evening. I feel for them. I can't imagine the frustration of dealing with these issues day in and day out. And so I am thankful for Staley's rough evening...because it reminds me that I have it good. So, so, so good.
Yesterday was a great day. We spent the day with Liam and Melissa. Staley and Liam played with his toys and chased each other around the house. We went to the Children's Museum in Bloomington, where Staley and Liam had a blast playing in the water, shopping in the marketplace, cooking in the kitchen, building with blocks, driving the combine, and painting on the wall. Staley chose not to take a nap, instead talking and crying in the pack and play for an hour. After her non-nap, Staley enjoyed a fun trip to visit Daddy at work. She fell asleep on the drive home from Bloomington.
And that's when the fun ended. Staley woke up when we got home...and she wasn't happy about it. She cried...and cried...and cried. Books, toys, even some coveted TV time failed to bring her tears to an end. She cried through dinner (or as much of a 'dinner' as I could get her to eat.) She cried through her bath. She cried through pajama time. She calmed down a little with bedtime stories and was asleep in her crib by 6:45. The endless tears from the evening left me feeling worn down and frustrated and sad and tired...and thankful.
I am thankful that Staley is a happy little girl.
I am thankful that I can't remember a previous time when we've had an hour of tears.
I am thankful that Staley's tears are few...and very short-lived.
I am thankful that usually Staley eats what is put in front of her.
I am thankful that bathtime is generally fun and pleasant.
I am thankful that Staley usually naps without issue.
I am thankful that bedtime generally occurs without a fuss.
I am thankful that I have a partner to share this parenting journey with.
I am thankful that a rough evening is not a normal occurrance.
I know that some parents deal with 'rough' evenings or mornings or full days on a consistent basis. I work with children who have physical, psychological, emotional, sensory issues that cause irritability and sensitivity and behavior problems and sleep issues and eating issues. I know there are many parents who are navigating the parenting world alone. I know there are parents who deal with much worse than what I was faced with on my rough evening. I feel for them. I can't imagine the frustration of dealing with these issues day in and day out. And so I am thankful for Staley's rough evening...because it reminds me that I have it good. So, so, so good.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Smarter Than Her Daddy Too
You may remember this post from a few weeks ago when Staley proved that she was smarter than me when it comes to construction vehicles. Well, now Zach gets to join my club.
We have a zoo membership to the Peoria Zoo. When the weather is nice, Staley and I are frequent zoo visitors. Although the zoo is small, Staley never gets tired of going to see all the animals. On Saturday, Zach and Staley went to the zoo together. They were looking at an exhibit of meerkats when Zach looked down the hall and saw an exhibit with some birds. He said, "Staley. Do you want to go see the toucan?" Ever agreeable, Staley headed down the hallway with Zach. When they got to the exhibit that Zach had seen, Staley said, "That's hornbill. Where's toucan, Daddy?"
And, of course, she was right. Zach checked the exhibit sign and, sure enough, the bird he thought was a toucan was actually a hornbill. Zach knows about skid steers, and I would have known that the bird was a hornbill. But Staley wins. She knows both.
We have a zoo membership to the Peoria Zoo. When the weather is nice, Staley and I are frequent zoo visitors. Although the zoo is small, Staley never gets tired of going to see all the animals. On Saturday, Zach and Staley went to the zoo together. They were looking at an exhibit of meerkats when Zach looked down the hall and saw an exhibit with some birds. He said, "Staley. Do you want to go see the toucan?" Ever agreeable, Staley headed down the hallway with Zach. When they got to the exhibit that Zach had seen, Staley said, "That's hornbill. Where's toucan, Daddy?"
And, of course, she was right. Zach checked the exhibit sign and, sure enough, the bird he thought was a toucan was actually a hornbill. Zach knows about skid steers, and I would have known that the bird was a hornbill. But Staley wins. She knows both.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Domestic Goddess
Staley has always loved to be my little helper. But recently, doing 'chores' has become Staley's idea of a good time. Given the choice, she'd rather sweep the driveway than draw with sidewalk chalk. Washing dishes now trumps playing with refrigerator magnets. And helping Mommy cook or bake...well, there's nothing more exciting than that. I love that Staley finds such pleasure in these activities. It's also a little ego boost (however misguided) that my daughter thinks I'm quite the little homemaker. She likes to push her vacuum or cook in her little kitchen 'just like Mommy.' I wonder how long it will take her to realize that her mother's domestic abilities are about on par with her mother's musical abilities. (Probably around the same time she asks me to stop singing to her at night.) Let's hope we still have a little time to live in this make-believe world...because I like it here.
Staley can happily spend 20-30 minutes 'washing' dishes in the sink.
Taking a rest break from putting away groceries
Helping Mommy cook
My little domestic goddess
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
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