Alice's favorite books

Alice loves to read books. Her favorite books are: Happy Baby Words (she points to things and knows what all of the objects are ie/ Alice, where is the flower? And she will point to the flower), Baby’s First Christmas book (she also points to the various objects and knows what they are)- and it dosen’t matter to her that it’s a Christmas book and just taken a liking to it in February- hey, we’ll sure be ready for next Christmas!, No Ordinary Olive (she’s even colored in this book which makes it extra special), Wheels on the Bus, Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots and Alice the Fairy.

Alice's expressive language and other developments

Over the last week Alice had made many developments in her expressive language; she has learned to say “No” very clearly (it’s sure cute now, but what about in a few months? yikes!). The other words she can say clearly are wow, da da, ma ma, baby, uh oh, whoa. The other words she can sort of say (ie/mommy and daddy know what she’s referring to) are bunny, puppy (both of these come out as a version of “baby”), please (pa), thank you (dad do), hi (aye), Chase (da), up (pa pa), soother (ba ba), bye bye (ba ba), night night (na na). When she climbs the stairs, she often stops and lays her head down and says night night, and makes a snoring sound (how adorable!). We’ve also taught Alice how to turn on her movies (she loves to watch her baby einstein movies). She picks one of the four, then turns the sound and dvd on, puts the movie in and can turn on the tv. She then usually sits in her little pink chair with her drink; sometimes she wants to sit on the couch with mommy or daddy (she used to love watching the movies in our lap, but refuses to do that now- she’s a big girl not a baby!). She can also drink from a cup by herself and is very good at using her spoon now, she eats cereal often for breakfast now, and can eat soup easily. We love her so much, we are very proud of our little girl!

"Mmmaaaaa!"

Alice is so precious- she’s a very loving little girl. She loves to give kisses to mommy and daddy, her aunties, cousins, grandma and grandpa, and even her cat Chase. She leans in as to give a kiss, and says “maa!”. She even does this to her favorite toys and to certain animals and children on her baby einstein movies- mostly bears, puppies and cats. She also likes to kiss the bunny on the back of her high chair. How do we stand the cuteness? We kiss her!

Photo Friday - Blur

Alice reading a photography magazine. Quickly.

Alice's 1st word on the phone

Last night Auntie Chrissy called, I put Alice on the phone and told her to say “wow”, and she did! At first she said it quietly, then I told her to say it again, and she said it much louder, Auntie thought it was very cute, as did mommy. Normally when we give her the phone to talk to someone, she just listens and doesn’t say anything. I know one day we’ll wish she would stop talking on the phone, but we’ll relish in the cuteness for now!

Enter the naughty mat, exit the night time bottle

A couple of changes in Alice’s life: last weekend we introduced a naughty mat and Feb.1st was her last night time bottle with daddy. I’ve had to use the mat 3 times in a week; each time I use it it’s very traumatic (for Alice and mommy!). Alice sits on the mat for one minute. During that time, she has her hands over her eyes the whole time, and a pouty mouth; she cries quietly until I tell her she can come off the mat; I look at her and ask her if she knows why I put her there, and then I tell her why and ask her to say sorry to mommy and give me a kiss and a hug. Twice she’s been on the mat for pinching mommy, once for throwing toys. Each time she has to go on the mat she’s good for the rest of the day- it really hits home, I think. Poor daddy, no more bottle! Instead of the bottle now we give her a sippy cup with milk, and daddy goes into her room with her and reads a story while she drinks her milk; she isn’t drinking as much as she did with the bottle, however. This doesn’t seem to affect her at all, which is good (she still falls asleep quickly and sleeps through the night).

Alice's 497th Day

7:45AM Alice wakes up cheerful, after just over twelve hours of beauty sleep. She can be heard in her crib, jabbering away, and saying ‘Uh oh.’ Presumably she’s dropped one of her five soothers on the floor. 8:15AM I come into her room to find her listening to her Ocean Wonders – she has it set to the sounds of a babbling brook. For many months now Alice has been able to change the settings on her Ocean Wonders depending on her mood. I take Alice out of her crib and change her into her daytime clothes. “Alice, can you put your sleeper in your laundry please?” She picks up her dirty clothes and puts them away. “Alice, can you give me your soother please? It’s not time for your soother.” She hands me her soother. Alice and I go downstairs and she plays with her toys while I make breakfast. Alice brings me two matching pieces of her puzzle – ‘yellow’ and ‘banana’. I’m not sure if they were together in her toy box. Like any proud parent, I’ll claim she knew they were a match. I scramble up one large egg with some cream and salt, in a well-buttered pan. Once this is finished I quickly toss it onto a plate and into the freezer – the fastest way to cool it down for her. I put Alice into her high chair and ask her to put on her bib. She’s been doing this for some time now. If she could reach behind her neck and do up the snaps she probably would. I give her 1/3 of a banana and her milk, then toss an Eggo into the toaster. The eggs have cooled off enough, so I put them into her dish. Alice likes to eat her scrambled eggs in very large pieces – best to fill up your cheeks all at once. I butter her Eggo, spread it with peanut butter and grape jelly, and cut it into small pieces. Once Alice is finished her eggs I give her some of the Eggo. She’s starting to get full, so she only has about 1/4 of the Eggo. I wash her hands and face, take off her bib, and it’s time to play. 8:45AM Chase comes up from the basement. Alice follows him around, trying to give him a kiss. He eventually runs up the stairs, and the chase is over. 9:00AM Chase returns to the main floor, Alice gives him a kiss. More playing. 9:06AM Alice catches up on the latest Calgary foodie news in City Palate. 9:11AM Alice asks me to open the ark for her. Once the top is off, she can open it the rest of the way herself. 9:30AM Alice plays with her minivan. She puts the baby in the driver’s seat. Is she trying to tell us something? 9:45AM Alice reorganizes the tupperware drawer. Plastic is everywhere. 10:10AM Alice hears a sound at the front drawer. Mommy helps Alice investigate. When they see that nobody is there, Alice says, “Ooohh.” 10:15AM Mommy makes herself a bowl of Cheerios, then sits on the couch. Alice sits on Mommy’s lap and shares the cereal, using a big person spoon. She’s quite good at using a spoon now, and even feeds Mommy. It’s not clear who has more of the cereal, Alice or Mommy. You’d think I didn’t give her any breakfast this morning…. When the cereal is all gone, Alice drinks the milk directly from the bowl. Now that the bowl is empty we take it away. Alice is frustrated by this, and clenches her fists really hard. 10:45AM Playing with her toy cell phone, Alice jabbers away. She never talks when we put the real phone to her ear, but is starting to on the toy phones. 11:00AM Crawl up the stairs and pick out a Baby Einstein movie (Baby Van Gogh). Sit in her pink chair, briefly, before asking to sit on the couch next to Daddy. Learn about colours. Jabber away throughout the movie, saying, ‘Baby’ whenever one appears. Alice is now able to identify a few colours (red, green, purple, yellow), probably because of this movie, her crayons, and some of her books. Or because she’s spectacularly advanced for her age (sound like a proud parent again?). 11:30AM Movie is over, Mommy returns from the grocery store. Alice and I go downstairs, Alice plays with Mommy’s Personal Thyme supplies in the pantry. Seems quite interested in the lemon reamer, until she puts it in her mouth. While Mommy makes us lunch, Alice asks for something to eat. Mommy gives her sliced ham, some cheddar cheese, and some bologna. You’d think I didn’t give her any breakfast this morning…. 11:45AM Lunch is ready now. “Alice, can you please go to your high chair for lunch?” Alice dutifully walks over to her high chair. “Put on your bib please.” On goes the bib, I snap it up behind her neck. All the morning eating seems to be catching up to Alice – not much appettite. She eats a little bologna and tomato, washing this down with some milk. She doesn’t like the cheddar cheese after it’s been melted, and spits this out. We move onto fruit: 1/2 pear, a couple strawberries, and some blueberries with yogurt. Alice does a really good job eating the blueberries and yogurt with her spoon. 12:15PM Lunch is over now. Mommy takes Alice upstairs and changes her clothes (a little blueberry on the white diaper shirt). Alice goes to her crib for her nap. This is a pretty typical time for her nap, and usually lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. 2:06PM Alice wakes up. I hear her on the monitor, almost immediately she says, “Uh oh.” I go in to see her. She’s having trouble waking up, and her right cheek is red. 2:30PM Now really upset, Alice is inconsolable unless she’s being held. We suspect her fourth tooth is on the move, but we can’t see anything. Mommy begins making peanut butter cookies. Alice cheers up a little, especially because she gets to help. Alice plays with her Aqua Doodle – a water-filled ‘pen’ and a plastic and foam board that changes colour when wet. Alice uses her Aqua Doodle on the wall as well. See why we bought her an Aqua Doodle? 3:00PM Snack time. Alice ate a little of the fresh-baked peanut butter cookies and some strawberries. She’s not as upset as she was, but her appettite is poor. After her snack, Alice and Mommy played, watched a little bit of Food TV, and a little bit of a cartoon with Bugs Bunny. Alice enjoyed both programs, though she liked the cartoon more. 5:00PM Alice played with her Aqua Doodle some more. Alice also played with her walk and stride, looked at some books, and rolled around on the couch. 5:30PM Supper is almost ready: Mommy is not cooking tonight so we’re having Swanson’s Hungry Man TV Dinners. Simulated turkey-flavoured pre-formed slabs, complete with all the simulated side dishes. Not exactly Personal Thyme, but no need to call the fire department either. Alice plays with the tupperware drawer again, ensuring everything is out on the kitchen floor where it belongs. 5:40PM Alice slips on a plastic lid, landing on her bottom. Not a hard landing, but Alice is pretty upset. Eye rubbing suggests that she’s getting tired, or teething, or both. Alice doesn’t eat very well, is cranky, and really getting tired now. 6:15PM Mommy takes Alice upstairs to put on her pyjamas. Once she’s changed, Alice wants to play with her Ocean Wonders. She shows Mommy and I how well she can switch the settings, changing from the sound of running water to some nice relaxing music. We give Alice a little bit of Tempra (baby pain reliever), to help her feel a little better. Alice wanted to be up on our bed – she likes rolling around up there. I obliged, since it’s soo cute. It’s lots of work rolling around on our thick comforter. 6:50PM Bed time now. Alice seems to be feeling a little better now, but she’s still pretty tired (some eye rubbing). I heat up Alice’s bottle (200ml of homogenized milk, heated for 52s) while Alice and Mommy put away the toys. Alice holds her bottle by herself, until she gets tired, then I take over. Because she didn’t have much for supper, she finishes most of her milk. I told her to have a good sleep, sweet dreams, and put her in her crib with two soothers, her bunny Thumper, and her elephant Cuddles. She looks pretty wiped out. Asleep almost immediately at 7:00PM. 9:35PM Mommy and I check on Alice before we go to bed. She’s sound asleep, laying on her back next to the crib rail, beneath her Ocean Wonders. Her right leg is sticking out straight but her left is bent with her foot against the rail. Precious. We cover her with a second blanket, put an additional two soothers in her crib, and leave her for the night.

Photo Friday - Vanity

Just upgraded to Wordpress 2.0, so I thought I’d throw in a photo for Photo Friday. Today’s theme: vanity. Alice is much too young to be vain, of course. Are we teaching her to be vain by always telling her she’s beautiful? Probably not. As you can see, Alice kept a cellphone nearby during her first haircut. Can’t miss any important calls, don’t you know. As you would expect, Alice’s first haircut is fully depicted in my gallery.

Alice Goes to Work

Today Alice and Mommy made a surprise visit to my office. The timing was pretty uncanny. When they pulled into the parking lot, they saw the Red Sled. While they were parking and coming into the building, I was leaving by a different exit. I hopped in the Sled and drove to ‘Bucks. Sorry girls! I returned 20 minutes later. It was wonderful to look down the long hallway and see Alice sitting on Mommy’s lap in my office. Alice waved as I approached. I was soo happy to see them! While I was out, Alice walked around and watched everyone working. She interrupted Ash at just the right time – he was opening a bag of chocolate Oreo cookies. Mommy told Alice to ask him nicely if she could have a cookie. Who was he to refuse such a cute little girl? Alice liked her first Oreo cookie very much, though it soon became quite messy. The chocolate filling and the wafer got all over Alice’s chin and her shirt. Mommy had to get Todd to help – he got some wet paper towels (and some water – the Oreo made Alice very thirsty). By the time I returned with my coffee, Alice was nicely cleaned up again, though she had to dress down to just her diaper shirt and pants. The outer shirt had too much chocolate for that ‘business casual’ look. Alice enjoyed walking around the office with me. She walked and walked and walked. She even looked at some of the artwork on the walls. Luckily for me, she didn’t get cookie on anything (other than her shirt). When I gave Alice her bedtime bottle she was pretty tired. I put her in her crib and she was almost asleep before I could leave her room. She found all that walking around at my office exhausting.

Alice at 16 months

Alice is a big girl now, and can do many big girl things, like sit on the couch. She used to sit on our laps ie/when watching a Baby Einstein movie, but now she wants to sit by herself on the couch. She also has a pink fuzzy foam chair she likes to sit in, and her rocking chair that used to be daddy’s when he was a baby. Alice is in the dayhome 2 days/week and finally seems to be adjusting. She doesn’t cry anymore when I drop her off and is eating better. Alice still likes to play on our bed, but doesn’t do “avalanche” anymore, she likes to roll around and also look at our alarm clocks; I’m trying to teach her about time…. Alice’s receptive language is excellent; we always joke that she understands everything we say, but she really does understand a lot; we’re always impressed! Alice is good at saying “oh, oh” and can say other words like “wow” and “ooohhh”. She can kind of say “baby”, and we’re trying to teach her how to say “please”, but so far we’re only at “pah”. She’s very good at saying “no”, but doesn’t say the word, she shakes her head vigorously “NO!”. She still eats well, but has her days when she isn’t into much; and other days when she eats more than mommy! Her nose has finally stopped running- it was going on for over 2 months! She’s got 3 teeth and a 4th coming- all the front teeth. Her hair grows like a weed; she almost needs another hair cut as it’s getting long over her ears and will soon be in her eyes. She wears size 4 shoes and diapers, and size 18-24 month clothes. She naps once/day, usually after lunch, but sometimes not until late in the day (big girls can go long times without sleep!). She still sleeps at least 12 hours at night; she sleeps with her elephant, Cuddles, and her bunny, Thumper. She really loves Thumper! Sometimes she’ll go to her crib and want him, and when you give him to her she hugs him and walks around with him in her arms. It’s so precious! Before bed time we get her to help us clean up her toys (she has a lot now since Christmas); she knows how to put toys in her toy box, dirty clothes in her laundry, and garbage in the garbage can. She still has a bottle, at night; daddy can’t seem to give it up….