So I think you feel you're from England. Or Canada. You pronounce certain words with a thick accent, particularly 'book' and 'boat'. You say 'book' as if you're British and 'boat' as if you're Canadian (don'cha know?). It's enormously entertaining. You've said a lot of new words this month including 'people' (peeeeeeee-pohhhhhhl), 'gobble' (obble gobble), 'buoy' (yes, you say 'buoy'. You don't say 'cheese', 'I love you', or 'hi', but you say 'buoy' ...), 'bike', 'wow', 'I know', 'table' (teeee-bohhhhhhhhhl), 'duck', 'duckie', 'hippo' (heeeep ... [long pause] ... pohhhhhh), 'diaper' (deh-pohhhh), and 'bob' (you're a huge fan of VeggieTales). [FYI: Gramma Lu has considered changing her name to Gramma Book or Gramma Boat or even Gramma Bob since you show no desire to actually say 'Lu'].
You like to play with my hair. You think it's fun to pat it, to scrunch it, to finger-comb it. Perhaps you'll become a hairdresser when you're 40 ... because by that time, you might have picked up on what it means to be gentle. Ouch.
Now that the weather is cooler (yay!), you're wearing long sleeves all the time. Which brings me to your current favorite game: Where's My Hand? You love this game. The rules are simple. I put a long-sleeved shirt on you. You tuck your hand inside your sleeve and get a distressed look on your face. In response, I say, 'Oh no! Your hand is gone! Where'd your hand go?' Your distressed look immediately turns into a delighted look as you poke your hand through. You giggle and I breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of your hand. We play this game about 2,183 times a day. And it never gets old.
You know what you DO think gets old? Clothes on your dolls and stuffed animals. You have a stuffed Corduory bear who should rock his trademark overalls-with-a-missing-button. This, however, is not the case. YOUR Corduory bear is naked. Which defeats the whole PURPOSE of the story of Corduroy. Perhaps it's time for a lesson on how you shouldn't take creative licenses with your teddy bears. Your baby dolls have clothes sewed onto them. And you take that as a personal insult. And you're very distressed that your Cookie Monster toy has a cookie permanently attached to his hand. Maybe you feel that you could do a better job clothing/accessorizing these toys. Maybe you feel that the clothes/accessories stifle the toys' personalities. Maybe you like nakedness. Who knows.
I graduated with my Masters this month. I started it before I got pregnant with every intention of finishing it before Daddy and I had a baby. Obviously God had other plans. I took five semesters off when I had you, and started back in January. Back then, December seemed so far away and I had no idea how I'd manage school and a toddler. But I did it. And I'm so glad I did. I want you to value education. Even though I'm a stay-at-home mom, I don't not value education. And just because I don't work outside of the home doesn't mean this degree was a waste of money. I've always wanted a Masters to fall back on should the need arise. I love being a SAHM, but I'm glad I have this degree in my back pocket in case I need to whip it out.
We took you to Disney World for the first time this month. Daddy and I were planning to wait until you were at least 4 or 5 before we took you to Disney, but some friends of ours happened to be there, had room for us, and are Disney experts. So we decided to go for it! It turned out to be the coldest weather Orlando had seen since the late '80s which made it a little crazy at times, but it was still fun. You love Mickey and Minney. You love Pooh. You love the princesses. You do NOT love, however, waiting in line, sitting still, or being patient. And those three things are requirements at Disney.
I think you're in a growth spurt. Which I hope will taper off soon. Because I simply can't feed you enough. For breakfast, you have oatmeal mixed with half of a banana, a glass of milk, and anywhere from 1 to 4 more pieces of fruit (usually clementines or apples). And you sign for more food. Ridiculous! I really shouldn't complain though. You are a fantastic eater. You're good at trying almost everything. You may not like it, but you usually try it.
You're now in a toddler bed. The first few days and nights were easy-peasy. We put you in bed, you slept. End of story. It didn't take long before you realized that you could get out of bed at will. And you did. For your quiet time, I don't care if you're in bed or not. You can read, play with your toys, sing to yourself, run around your room, whatever floats your boat. For naptime, however, Daddy and I have decided that you have to stay in bed. We tossed around different ideas for you, such as not caring if you slept during naptime or not. But we decided that for the sanity of this house, you need a nap. Several times, you've gotten out of your bed during naptime and started playing with your toys. I quickly put you back in bed a la Super Nanny and leave the room. Usually I only have to put you back in bed once or twice. But Christmas Day? Oh my GOSH. I didn't keep count, but it had to be upwards of 50 times. And you were MAD. I stood outside your door on the other side of the baby gate and waited for you to open the door and holler for someone to get you. You'd see me standing there and get even madder. Thankfully I was in the kind of mood to where it was almost funny, how determined you were to out-stubborn me. Let me tell you something, little love. I will NOT be out-stubborn'd by a toddler. A saying I've adopted over the past few months is "I do not negotiate with terrorists!" And at times, you're a little toddler terrorist. A cute little toddler terrorist. But a toddler terrorist nonetheless. And I mean that with all the love in my heart.
And since you've been born, the love in my heart has grown exponentially. We'll talk about what 'exponentially' means next year.
Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy
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Headlines for January 1, 2011:
- World Welcomes 2011; Million in Times Square
- US dollar seen rising in 2011 after rough 2010
- 6 Dead in Rare New Year's Eve Twister Outbreak
- Brazil to swear in 'Iron Lady' as first woman president
- Lindsay and Mel top worst moments
- Oprah's network announces host contestants
- Christmas trees bum non-Christians out, study shows
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