Even the Best Laid Plans...

I've seen it in action.  The frantic parent, searching high and low for the beloved stuffed animal.  The screaming child refusing to go to bed without it.  The consistent checking to make sure it is in the diaper bag, the vigilant care to make sure it doesn't get left at the baby-sitters, the sneakiness with which the mother has to pluck it away from the child every now and then to wash it.  These are all parenting scenarios that I am content with not experiencing.  And even though Staley is easy-going and generally drama-free, I didn't want to take any chances.  So I made a plan.  A good plan.  An easy plan.  A fail-proof plan...or so I thought.

We recently let Staley start sleeping with a stuffed animal at bedtime and naptime.  My plan?  Give her a different stuffed animal each time she lays down.  That way, she gets the enjoyment of going to bed with a stuffed animal without the attachment issues to one specific toy.    Brilliant, right?  Unfortunately, it only worked for the first few days.  And then Staley grew attached...to Pink Bear, Yellow Bear, and Blue Bear.  I tried to sway her.  I'd give her a cute little dalmation puppy before nap.  She would get in her crib, hold the puppy up to me, and sweetly say...'All done, puppy.  Blue Bear.'  Or getting ready for bed, I'd pick the cuddliest lion from the stack of stuffed animals.  Staley would respond, 'No lion.  Yellow Bear.'

And so we now have Blue Bear, Yellow Bear, and Pink Bear.  Staley doesn't throw fits if she can't find them, but she consistently asks for one or more of them at naptime and bedtime.  So now we take them to the baby-sitters.  They join us on overnight trips.  We sometimes take them in the car.  Blue Bear, Yellow Bear, and Pink Bear have a good life.  They get lots of hugs, kisses, and tickles from a sweet little girl.  They get to sit on her lap when reading books.  According to Staley, they sometimes lick her hands.  And I can't complain.  Staley doesn't get upset without them.  There are 3 of them, so we have options in case one of them gets lost or ruined.  And they are Beanie Babies, so presumably they are easily replaceable.

I do like Blue Bear, Yellow Bear, and Pink Bear.  And Staley likes them too.  But I liked my plan better.

Pink Bear, Yellow Bear, and Blue Bear

(Bet you can't tell which is which.)

Blue Bear getting a little extra love.

We Mowed!!

Our backyard last July

Our backyard last week

Chicago

We just returned from a fun overnight excursion to Chicago.  And just like everything I do as a first-time parent, I learned something new.  And this is what I learned...

1.  I learned that we don't HAVE to get a hotel suite when we travel, because Staley did great falling asleep and sleeping all night while sharing a room with her parents and grandparents.

2.  I learned that Staley enjoys watching the 'fast runners' finish the 10-mile race inside Soldier Field.

3.  I learned that saying 'good job, Daddy' and 'good job, Grandpa' are well within Staley's abilities.

4.  I learned that pushing a stroller allows you to use the accessible entrance at the Shedd Aquarium, thus avoiding the extremely long line to get in the front door.

5.  I learned that the $8 general admission fee for the aquarium allows you to see almost nothing...thus requiring you to instead spend $28/ticket.  Highway robbery.  But the $28 tickets did allow Staley to enjoy the sharks, the dolphins, the penguins...and her favorite, the beluga whales (that surface and spout water into the air).

6.  I learned that the sirens during the Memorial Day parade on State Street were a little worrisome, but not enough to keep Staley from enjoying the parade.  And I learned that the drums are AWESOME!

7.  I learned that even balmy, crowded, small hotel pools are super-fun!!

8.  I learned that a 20 minute nap in the stroller is enough rejuvination to keep Staley from napping in the car on the ride home.

9.  I (happily) learned that Staley can stay awake and entertain herself for a 2 1/2 hour car ride without getting fussy once.  All she needs is some catchy kid's music, 2 stuffed animals, several books, a few princess figurines, and her socks and shoes.

10.  I learned that traveling with Staley remains easy...and fun...and well worth doing again and again and again.

Double Digits

Top left molar.  Tooth number 10.  This little girl continues to grow up way too fast!!!

Let's Call It a Tie

When arguing with a 16 month old, it's hard to declare a winner and a loser.

Me:  Staley.  It's time to put on your pajamas.  Go pick out which pair you want to wear.
(Cue Staley opening her pants drawer.)
Me:  That's your pants drawer.  I want you to get your pajamas.
(Cue Staley closing her pants drawer and opening her hat drawer.)
Me:  That's your hat drawer.  You need to open your pajama drawer.  It's pajama time.
Staley:  Hat time. (As she removes a hat from her drawer.)
Me:  No, it's pajama time.
Staley:  Hat time.  (As she puts on a fluffy white winter hat with ears.)
Me:  Okay.  I'll pick out your pajamas, because it's pajama time.
Staley:  Hat time.

And that's why Staley drank her milk, brushed her teeth, danced with Daddy, and read her bedtime books while wearing her frog pajamas...and a fluffy white winter hat with ears.

Not Important

'S-T-Y' spells Staley.  At least it does when you ask Staley how to spell her name.  Apparently the 'A-L-E' are expendable.

Counting to 13.  Piece of cake.  The number 9.  So unnecessary.

Saying the alphabet.  Fun times.  Start with A.  End with G.  And who really needs 'E' anyway?

Learning your address is tricky.  The street name?  No problem.  The numbers?  Irrelevant.


Staley doesn't sweat the small stuff.  Dropping letters from her name, ending the alphabet at G, still denying that the number 9 exists.  In the grand scheme of life at 16 months, those things aren't really that important anyway. 

There's Always Something New

Top 5  (+ 1) Cute Things Staley is Doing This Week:

1.  Singing.  Staley enjoys sharing her singing voice with the world, and joining in with songs that we are singing or songs she hears on her CDs  is something she is starting to do frequently.  She sings along with bits of songs ranging from 'Home on the Range' to 'Happy Birthday' to 'Wheels on the Bus' to Justin Bieber.  And no, I am not at all only a little ashamed of the fact that I did buy a Justin Bieber song off I-tunes (and that I listen to it enough that my daughter knows the chorus.)

2. Climbing off furniture or down stairs.  As her overly cautious mother, I have been providing constant reminders to Staley about safety around stairs or on furniture.  So now, ANYTIME she is getting ready to go down the stairs or climb off the couch, she provides a verbal play-by-play.  'Sit down.  Turn around.  Feet down first.'  Good advice for all of us to follow.

3.  Making up her own word mash-ups.  Staley is a great talker, but pronounciation and pauses still require some fine tuning.  When Staley is asking for something, she will often use one of her favorite Staley-phrases-turned-words.  'Haveit.'  'Wantit.'  'Holdit.'  For example, 'Ipod.  Havit.' Or  'Cup.  Holdit.'  She gets her point across and leaving out the pause between words does save a little time, so that she can 'haveit' or 'holdit' a little more quickly.

4.  Taking turns.  Staley is understanding the concept of taking turns.  So if she wants to do something or have something that someone else has, she will say 'Staley's turn.'  But she is also good on the flip-side, and will readily let other people have their turn too.

5.  Pretending.  Staley enjoys pretend play, and she will now share in a tea party or a picnic (complete with sound effects), talk on her toy phones, rock and hold her babies on her lap, and make her princesses dance and jump.

6.  Loving her friends.  The other day, the 4 little neighbor kids were getting out of their van in the driveway next door.  Staley abandoned her toys we were playing with in our driveway and made a bee-line towards the neighbors house, all the while saying in her sweet little Staley voice 'Hi friends.  Hi friends. Hi friends.'  So cute!!


How fun would life be if we all just let our friends know how excited we are to see them, sang along with great songs no matter where we are, took a break from reality for a little pretending, and made up our own words.  Staley does it.  Now it's your turn.