my little fairy and...
my little mermaid.
Adelie and Staley's World
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Toddler Time
There are many things that I love about toddlerhood. I love the imagination. I love the growing independence. I love the funny things they say. I love the unbridled enthusiasm about life. I love the wide range of interests. What I don't love? How LONG it takes us to get out the door.
This morning I was contemplating this as I was trying to get the girls out the door for music class. According to the clock, we should have had plenty of time to get ready, but each step of the process takes so much longer with a toddler. And as we were inevitably rushing out the door five minutes late once again, I thought back to our morning, to see if I could pinpoint what kept us from walking out the door on time. And that's when I realized that, as much as I would like us to be moving along on my time line, we now operate in toddler time.
1. Staley has to pick out her own outfit. She has to shoot down the first 2 or 3 outfits I offer, look through her closet and drawers, inevitably choose something inappropriate for the weather or the situation, and then start again. She also has to take her time choosing the perfect pair of undies, socks, and shoes. It's exhausting.
2. Once the outfit is chosen, Staley often wants to get dressed by herself. She is able to do it. And although it takes longer, she is able to get herself dressed in a relatively timely manner. (We do need to factor in the time for a few both-legs-in-the-same-hole, undies-on-backward, arm-through-the-neck hole situations.) But the real problem? She gets side tracked so easily. If I leave her to get dressed while I get Adelie up or get myself dressed, I often return to my daughter with her pants half on, no shirt, reading a book. If I stay to supervise, there are stories to tell, requests to be made, a baby sister to play with. I can't really win.
3. If getting dressed were the only slow thing about our morning, we could still make it places on time. Unfortunately, we also have to do hair. And although it takes a little while for Staley to decide how she wants her hair done and to pick out her bows, the real lull in the action comes when Staley insists on doing my hair first (using a pick, brush, comb, and bow) and when she needs to 'help' do her own hair.
4. Once dressed with hair done, we have to eat breakfast. Once I can get Staley to the table (again with the easily side tracked problem) and a decision on what to eat, breakfast is generally pretty smooth. And I'll admit, depending on how long getting dressed takes, sometimes I just give her a fruit squeeze and some dry cereal in the car.
5. Two final hurdles before getting out the door: 1.) The good ole potty try, inevitably dealing with the arguments about why she doesn't want to try or how she doesn't need to go OR when she realizes that she really needs to poop before leaving the house. There's no rushing that. 2.)We also have to pack up what we 'need'. "Where is Yellow Bear?" "Can I bring a blanket?" "I want to take this movie, this book, this train, this mermaid, these twist ties in the car." (Yes, this morning we did take a handful of twist ties in the car.)
6. When we're finally out the door, you'd think the hard part is over. Quick and easy now, right? Oh no. Staley has to climb into the van, getting side tracked again by leaves in the yard, toys in the garage, or just playing with whatever it is that was necessary to bring on this given outing. She has to put Yellow Bear and any other specific toy she brought into their respective seats. Yellow Bear always sits in the center console between the driver and passenger seats. Other bears, books, toys, or blankets have to be put in the back seat with a seat belt on. Then and only then is Staley ready to climb into her carseat and, of course, buckle herself in.
If any of these above steps are skipped or rushed along, then there is often the emotional fall-out to deal with. And so, my friends, the next time we tell you that we will be somewhere to meet you at a certain time and we are inevitably late, at least you'll know why. It can't be helped. We're operating on toddler time.
This morning I was contemplating this as I was trying to get the girls out the door for music class. According to the clock, we should have had plenty of time to get ready, but each step of the process takes so much longer with a toddler. And as we were inevitably rushing out the door five minutes late once again, I thought back to our morning, to see if I could pinpoint what kept us from walking out the door on time. And that's when I realized that, as much as I would like us to be moving along on my time line, we now operate in toddler time.
1. Staley has to pick out her own outfit. She has to shoot down the first 2 or 3 outfits I offer, look through her closet and drawers, inevitably choose something inappropriate for the weather or the situation, and then start again. She also has to take her time choosing the perfect pair of undies, socks, and shoes. It's exhausting.
2. Once the outfit is chosen, Staley often wants to get dressed by herself. She is able to do it. And although it takes longer, she is able to get herself dressed in a relatively timely manner. (We do need to factor in the time for a few both-legs-in-the-same-hole, undies-on-backward, arm-through-the-neck hole situations.) But the real problem? She gets side tracked so easily. If I leave her to get dressed while I get Adelie up or get myself dressed, I often return to my daughter with her pants half on, no shirt, reading a book. If I stay to supervise, there are stories to tell, requests to be made, a baby sister to play with. I can't really win.
3. If getting dressed were the only slow thing about our morning, we could still make it places on time. Unfortunately, we also have to do hair. And although it takes a little while for Staley to decide how she wants her hair done and to pick out her bows, the real lull in the action comes when Staley insists on doing my hair first (using a pick, brush, comb, and bow) and when she needs to 'help' do her own hair.
4. Once dressed with hair done, we have to eat breakfast. Once I can get Staley to the table (again with the easily side tracked problem) and a decision on what to eat, breakfast is generally pretty smooth. And I'll admit, depending on how long getting dressed takes, sometimes I just give her a fruit squeeze and some dry cereal in the car.
5. Two final hurdles before getting out the door: 1.) The good ole potty try, inevitably dealing with the arguments about why she doesn't want to try or how she doesn't need to go OR when she realizes that she really needs to poop before leaving the house. There's no rushing that. 2.)We also have to pack up what we 'need'. "Where is Yellow Bear?" "Can I bring a blanket?" "I want to take this movie, this book, this train, this mermaid, these twist ties in the car." (Yes, this morning we did take a handful of twist ties in the car.)
6. When we're finally out the door, you'd think the hard part is over. Quick and easy now, right? Oh no. Staley has to climb into the van, getting side tracked again by leaves in the yard, toys in the garage, or just playing with whatever it is that was necessary to bring on this given outing. She has to put Yellow Bear and any other specific toy she brought into their respective seats. Yellow Bear always sits in the center console between the driver and passenger seats. Other bears, books, toys, or blankets have to be put in the back seat with a seat belt on. Then and only then is Staley ready to climb into her carseat and, of course, buckle herself in.
If any of these above steps are skipped or rushed along, then there is often the emotional fall-out to deal with. And so, my friends, the next time we tell you that we will be somewhere to meet you at a certain time and we are inevitably late, at least you'll know why. It can't be helped. We're operating on toddler time.
Monday, October 28, 2013
The Difference Between Boys and Girls
This past week-end, our girls spent time with their Walles cousins. Staley and Elliott were playing with empty squirt guns, calling them 'blasters.' They both pointed their blasters at me. Elliott said, "This is going to hurt." Staley said, "I'm going to turn you into Tiana."
So Elliott's blaster was going to hurt me while Staley's was going to turn me into a princess. Given the choice, I'm definitely going with the princess blaster.
So Elliott's blaster was going to hurt me while Staley's was going to turn me into a princess. Given the choice, I'm definitely going with the princess blaster.
Pumpkins
We went to Ackerman Farms and got pumpkins last week-end. Staley was very excited about the prospect of carving pumpkins. That is, until she realized 1.) scooping out the pumpkin is very messy and kind of gross and 2.) she wasn't able to carve the pumpkin by herself. After those two realizations, she just decided to paint her pumpkin instead. (And lost interest in the pumpkin painting pretty quickly too.)
Staley's final product
Zach, on the other hand, had a great time carving our pumpkins. I'm sure the 'theme' for his pumpkins won't surprise anyone, but I'll admit, I was a little surprised at how well they turned out. Definitely the best pumpkin carving this household has ever produced!!
Happy Halloween!!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Number Four
Adelie now has a full compliment of top and bottom front teeth as we welcomed tooth number 4 (top middle left) on Friday. It doesn't make for much of a blog post, but it helps me keep track so one day when I have a baby book for Adelie, the "when you got each tooth" page won't just sit blank.
Car Talk
Lately Staley has been really interested in learning about how cars work, and Zach has been having a great time teaching her. Tonight he quizzed her about her car knowledge.
Zach: "What does an engine do?"
Staley: "Burns gas to make the pistons go up and down."
Zach: "And when the pistons go up and down, what goes around and around?"
Staley: "The crankshaft."
Zach: "And what opens and closes?"
Staley: "Valves."
Zach: "And what makes the valves open and close?"
Staley: "The camshaft!"
As Zach was telling me this and I was typing, he thought it was funny to stop and see if I could answer the questions before he told me what Staley said. And I'll be honest. I couldn't.
Zach: "What does an engine do?"
Staley: "Burns gas to make the pistons go up and down."
Zach: "And when the pistons go up and down, what goes around and around?"
Staley: "The crankshaft."
Zach: "And what opens and closes?"
Staley: "Valves."
Zach: "And what makes the valves open and close?"
Staley: "The camshaft!"
As Zach was telling me this and I was typing, he thought it was funny to stop and see if I could answer the questions before he told me what Staley said. And I'll be honest. I couldn't.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Seven Months
Adelie is seven months old. How quickly seven months can fly by!! Adelie is growing and changing and moving, moving, moving. She remains my happy, easy, active, lovey girl. She weighs over 16 lbs and is wearing her 6-9 month clothes and transitioning into size 3 diapers. Adelie nurses 5 times/day, eats 2 meals, and takes 2 naps. Her nighttime sleep is inconsistent, ranging from 5-9 hours at a time. She has 3 (working hard on the 4th) teeth. We've had to move her crib mattress down to the next setting. Adelie sits up like a big girl in her bathtub, rides in the grocery store cart, and sits in restaurant high chairs.
Pretty pleased to be emptying the toy shelf
Likes: Adelie remains happy and easy. She likes music, baths, being outside, and exploring. Her favorite toys are her activity table, Little People, monkeys in a barrel, stacking cups, mardi gras beads, the stethoscope from Staley's doctor kit, and anything that is new, different, or that Staley is playing with. She still loves her play mat and her mobile. But her favorite toys are not really toys--water bottles, Desitin tubes, wipes packages, spoons, tags, shoes, and church bulletins are great fun. Playing with (aka grabbing and pulling) necklaces and earrings that people are wearing is another favorite activity. Adelie loves looking at herself in the mirror. Peek-a-boo always makes her laugh. She gets excited about the cats. Adelie likes to eat and so far has liked everything she has tried, except avocado. Her favorites are squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, and pears. But more than anything, Adelie loves her big sister.
Two of Adelie's favorites: Staley and eating.
And one of Staley's favorites: Being a big helper.
Dislikes: Adelie gets fussy when she is hungry and tired. She doesn't usually like getting her nose wiped.
Skills: Adelie is my little mover. She rolls, sits, commando crawls, and transitions into and out of sit. She will crawl on her hands and knees for about 3-4 feet. She is trying to pull herself to stand and loves to stand holding onto things. Adelie activates cause and effect toys, bangs toys together, and empties containers like a champ. She enjoys dropping toys off her high chair tray and her carseat. She opens and closes books, rolls a ball back and forth, and is starting to pick up small things with her thumb and finger. Adelie makes lots of noises ranging from her low growl to her high-pitched squeal. She seems to understand routines, opening up for her spoon and her toothbrush. Adelie continues to brighten all our days.
Standing up like a big girl.
My 7 month old
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)