'Good Bye' Old Friend

Can a plug be a best friend?

Today will be our toughest day as parents (to date). In an hour, when Laura wakes up from her nap, she will no longer have a plug. 

Mom and I have made the decision to cut the plug, severing ties with arguably the most important thing in her life. This is so hard on Mom that she refuses to be the cutter and won't watch it happen.

The time is right. Laura is nearly 3 years old and we are starting to see the effects it has on her teeth and mouth formation. 

I can't believe I am about make my poor little girl cry hard for a long time. I am sad for her. Mom is sad for her. 

Good bye, plug.

UPDATE
The unpredictability of kids is absolutely amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be so easy. NEVER! The moment I showed Laura that her plug was "broken" she didn't want it anymore. Not to hold. Not to look at. She didn't cry, fuss or whine. In fact, she told me to throw it in the garbage. Mind you, this plug was essential for sleeping and calming down situations. Not to forget, Laura would frequently put herself in time-outs so she could have that plug during non-sleeping hours. Little Shizzer!

The first night had its moments - as it should have. It took about two hours before she fell asleep. In the middle of the night she woke up confused. Laura said to Mom, "I'm looking for something but don't know what it is." Obviously, in a dazed, dreamy way, she kind of remembered that the plug was gone but also reacted by instinct to look for it. The next day she didn't take a nap but after that it has been clear sailing!

Yes the sample size is small (5 days) but I believe we've made it. Geez, hope I didn't jinx myself.

Laura's final time with a plug.

Special Announcement

Three years ago, Mom and I happily announced that a special addition was on the way. Today, we're just as excited to do it again. This time, we will allow Laura to share the big news (watch the video below). Yes, Baby Bonanza is back.

Mom is doing great and so is the baby - heartbeat seems to be normal. He or she will arrive late May/early June 2012.

Laura is so excited to be a big sister. She is playing with her babies more than ever. She wraps her baby in a blanky, holds and rocks, and even pushes them in a toy stroller. 

New Tradition - Christmas Tree

"Oh my goodness, it's almost Christmas!" - Laura

I may have just landed on a new family tradition - cutting down our own Christmas tree. Mom and I found a nice tree nursery less than 15 minutes away.

On Sunday, we met Papa George at Revak Nursery in Elko. While Mom and I looked for a tree, Laura took her sweet time walking and chit-chatting with Papa. With a sea of trees to choose from, we found a perfect one within 15 minutes. Laura said, "It's beauuuuutiful!"

I hope this will be a fun family activity for years to come.

Laura picking up sticks. Why? "Because I do that." 

Someone doesn't want her picture taken.

Here is our freshly cut tree. Now it's time to drag it quarter of a mile. 

A cute Laura and Mom Snowman posing for a picture.

Mom's Great Ideas

Lately I have been full of great ideas, according to Laura.
Practically anything I suggest has been met with, "Sure mom, that sounds like a good idea!" I'm smart enough to know I have a good thing going here, and that it's only a matter of time before my every suggestion will be met with the "you're so dumb" eye roll.

Tonight dad was trying to give Laura a suggestion of his own, and she was not quite as receptive. Her response? "No dad, that's not a very good plan."

Oh, Laura.

UPDATED BY DAD
Laura has clearly defined a pecking order of authority and voice of reason in this house. Of course, Mom is at the top. Sadly, I fear "plug" has passed me in the ranking.

My suggestion to Laura was that I would read her bedtime story on the floor in her old room (instead of in her big girl bed). She started walking out the door and turned and said in a polite, matter-of-fact voice, "No dad, that's not a very good plan." It's hard to describe in words why this is noteworthy. Just have to be here, I guess.

Laura is 2 Years and 7 Months!

Likes: CANDY! (s)kittles in particular but anything chocolate plus good old "emmy-nemmas" still do the trick, Halloween specials of her fave Nick Jr. shows, hiding, riding her bike down the driveway to get the mail, sharing pieces of cheese with mom, H is for Haunted House, sleeping in her big girl bed, babies at daycare, "playing" board games, using a glue stick, her new (old) Little Tikes playhouse, requesting us to "king a kong" about daddy, Laura, mama, and plug, knowing what other people are doing right now, looking for school buses on the way to Carla's, bathtime

Dislikes: 'piders in the basement, daddy being a monster and chasing her, creepy witch mask from Michael & Kaitlin

Any new tricks? She figured out a new soccer trick where she throws the ball in the air and then kicks it. Also not a new trick but a funny conversation - Mom: "It smells kind of stinky in here, did you just toot?" Laura: "Maybe it's the garbage."

Lately, with the Bagooz...

I have just spent the last four days at home with Laura; they have been interesting! Some new things of note:

1. She is crying all the time about everything. An exaggeration, obviously, but she has never been one to sob hysterically and lately it's happening a lot. Injuries, not liking an answer you give her, etc. Kind of feels like "being 2" is finally starting to kick in. We haven't had a lot of that.

2. Board games are slowly becoming the new "Little Blue and Little Yellow." I don't know how we got started with this, but she will stand at our game shelf and request board games to "play" with - Scrabble, Sequence, Blokus. She mostly wants to get in the box and see all the pieces, maybe set them out a bit, and then she'll say, "I'm done with this now." Ugh. It's all the worst parts of the board game with none of the fun of actual playing! We need some age-appropriate games, stat. Grandma Barb is working on digging out some from our youth.

3. She has been sleeping in her "big girl bed" at night for a little more than a week now. It's going great except it takes her a lot longer to fall asleep. She hasn't figured out that she can get out of it at night, or she's too nervous about trying it because it's dark. Naptime is a different story (light coming in the window = party time) so we've still been napping in the crib.

4. A few cute things she says: "Mom/Dad, you're my best friend ever." And not only when she wants something! Also when discussing what she wants to be when she grows up: "A 'kokker' (soccer) player or a boat driver." The boat driver thing comes from when we went on pontoon rides at Ruttger's this summer, I think. I have promised to support her by cheering at her soccer games and riding on her boat.

That's all!

S'mores Anyone?!?

Graham crackers sandwiching 

chocolate and melted marshmallows

Laura's first fire and first s'more. She found her stick during our last walk in the woods. She is very excited!

Reeeaaach! Laura wanted to hold the stick but mom had to help.

We're almost done! Time to put it together.

Yummy treat! Laura eats an entire s'more and says, "It's delicious!"   

Laura is 2 1/2 Years Old!

Likes: Skittles, playing soccer, hide and go seek, watching Dora/Diego/Jake & the Neverland Pirates, reading books, (s)nacks

Dislikes: getting dropped off at daycare

Any new tricks?: She somehow has learned about the concept of "best friend," and will frequently love one of us up and say, "You're my best friend, mom/dad." We are saving these memories up for when it switches to, "I hate you mom/dad!"

Laura and the Garden

Tomatoes!

It is the end of the growing season, my first year of gardening is in the books. The most memorable part of this experience was spending time with Laura. It was so much fun watching her get excited about picking tomatoes, eating peas and watering plants. She would ask me almost every day, "Daddy-yo, can we eat peas?" or "I go pick tomatoes."

Things we planted...
Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Kohlrabi, Potatoes, Peppers, Lettuce, Peas, Beans, Onions, Garlic, Zucchini, Pumpkin and unfortunately/mistakenly Gourds.

Before I go, I must thank Grandpa George for his help, guidance and expertise throughout the growing year.

Chewy Things

A conversation between Laura and her dad tonight re: "chewy candy" aka Skittles. He was handing a few out for an after-dinner treat.

Dad: "Let's count these in Spanish. How many do you have?"

Laura: (in a very polite voice) "Not enough."

Oh, Laura.

Laura is 2 Years and 5 Months Old!

Likes: suckers, repetitive viewing and listening to tv episodes or books, playing Hide and Go Seek, new tennies, the big park at mom's new school, soccer - talks about her "soccer team" and that she is a "soccer player," doing things HERSELF, chewy treats (Skittles)

Dislikes: "scary things" - crocodiles, Captain Hook, [Big] Bad Wolf, 'piders, monsters, hearing "no" - She shrieks, "You said NO to me!!!"

Any new tricks?: counting - can correctly count in order now from 1-12, and actually counts items accurately rather than the random pointing and numbering she did earlier this summer. Also her knowledge of Spanish exceeds her mother's (minimal) and father's (high school) as she will regularly tell us to vamonos or escondete - this would be courtesy of Dora and Diego.

Singing

We learned a valuable lesson yesterday. Never, ever, ever tell Laura that something exciting or fun is going to happen after her nap.

The mention of party, cake and playing with the cousins was too much to digest before nap. Might as well have given her a spoonful of sugar.

Taken earlier in the year...Here is her rendition of "Take me out to the ball game" and "ABC's."

No hablo Espanol

Congratulations Dora, I have no idea what my child is saying!

For the longest time we thought Laura was making up words. Little did we know she was talking in spanish.

This realization came after watching an episode of Dora. Not only was she speaking in spanish but Laura was using the words in the proper context.

"Ayudamen" - Help
"Abajo" - Under
"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco.." - 1,2,3,4,5

It's time for dad to dust off the ol spanish cobwebs taught in high school.

GET JASON GOING

 

Laura is 2 Years and 4 Months!

Likes: Picking peas in the garden with dad, suckers, stuffed animals, no shirt/no shorts, Dora and Diego, pretending we are "Jake" and "Captain Hook" (see: Jake and The Neverland Pirates), using "fake sleep" when pulling naughty moves, asking about people's names - i.e. "What Matt name is?" "Matthew David Mason", typing on the "pewterer" (computer)



Dislikes: Ants, garbage trucks, eating meat and/or veggies

Any new tricks?: Pottying (although another new trick is "wait until the nap/bedtime diaper to poop"), drinking out of cups or water bottles, counting - current sequence is 1-6, 11, 12, 13, "eleventeen," singing - both made up songs and real ones like "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Laura is 2 years and 3 months!

(Laura with Bapa on Father's Day)

Likes: Suckers, rice cakes, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Little Einsteins, Dora, Diego, going to the park, washing dishes, the pool, princess blocks

Dislikes: Taking naps without the plug, Nick Jr.'s change in their late afternoon lineup, garbage trucks - if she is outside when they go by

Any new tricks?: We are working hard on potty training right now and are proud to say she has been pretty successful! Laura can put her sandals on by herself. She likes to self-narrate her physical endeavors ("First you stand on the pillow, hold your arms out, then you jump!") and sing in a microphone (one of those snot-sucker things you use when they are babies).

Wanted: Repetitive Reader

So one week and 2 days ago, we went to the library and picked this book out, among others. Ever since then, I have read this book twice a day (nap time and bedtime) and I am getting REALLY SICK OF IT. Even Laura could tell you most of the words! And there's one page where little blue and little yellow play "ring-around-the-rosie" and we have to stop and go do one round ourselves before we can continue.

The educator in me knows exactly why she wants to keep reading this same book and that is probably why I keep doing it, but the mom in me wants to conveniently lose it somewhere. Thankfully it gets returned soon, but I did find out (oh joy) that I actually own a copy of this book while cleaning out my room at school. I think it will stay hidden for a while. We are also reading "Where's Spot?" every time along with "Little Blue and Little Yellow."

So, if anyone's free at 1pm or 7:30pm every single night of the week, have I got a deal for you...

Dad is back from fishing!

I thought I should document this "Laura and dad moment." What you are about to read defines our relationship (at this moment in time).

The night before I left on my week long fishing trip to Canada, I took over night-time duties. I wanted to capture one final moment with the Bagooz before I leave. It was just me and my little girl, alone in her quiet, dark bedroom. I held her in my arms like a little baby and rocked back and forth. I told her that I loved her, will think about her and miss her every day. I then asked, "Do you have anything you want to tell me before I leave?" She replied in a whisper, "I need a sucker!"

Arrived tonight just in time for Laura's bedtime. She was so happy to see her "Daddy-O" walk in the door, just in time to do night-time duties. Again, I told her how happy I was home to be home with her and how much fun we will have together tomorrow. I sang a song about all the fun things that happened on my fishing trip. When finished, I asked if she would sing a song to me? Oh, she sang one all right. "Poopy, poopy, poopy, (giggle), poopy, poopy, poopy, (giggle)..."

Where do they come up with this?

Stall Tactics

The bagooz is definitely two now, and giving us a little more run for our money than she has before. One piece of evidence is the various stall tactics she has learned to employ in certain situations, generally involving bedtime. Ever since our early months of sleeping troubles, she has generally been a gem about falling asleep. This is probably due to her BFF, the "plug" aka pacifier. Lately, however, the process is taking much longer because she has figured out some nifty bedtime tricks to avoid sleeping.

Tactic 1: "I need a gink!" (gink = drink)
I don't know how she learned this one, as we had never voluntarily offered her a drink before she went to bed, but one night she asked for it and I complied. Ever since then, she will usually wait to request this one until after we've put her down for the night. Once I arrive on the scene with some H2O, she will dink around with the cup and generally draw out her "gink" as long as she can until I threaten to take it away.

Tactic 2: Pants Removal
She doesn't usually use this to draw us in but it's definitely part of the bedtime horsing around. Lately she's figured how to take her jammie pants off, and she throws them over the side of the crib. When we find her without them in the morning and ask "What happened to your pants?" She says, "Umm...they fell off."

Tactic 3: Select the Longest Book You Can Find
Tonight's choices were "Go Dog, Go!" (50+ pages) and The Bible. Thankfully hers is an illustrated version with New Testament stories only; Mom gives a one sentence summary for each story. Many nights Dad and I will tell her, "Choose a book...but not the Bible tonight!"

Tactic 4: Lure Them In/Fake Sleep
Often times Laura will lure us in with one of the following:
A - Running/jumping around in crib
B - Throwing the plug overboard and then calling, "Ah need mah PUG!" (sounds like a southern accent)
C - "Mom mom mom mom mom mom mom"
Upon entering the room, she immediately hits the mattress in a textbook fake sleep, because clearly she knows that's what she SHOULD be doing. Fake Sleep Tactic has also been used in other handy situations, such as the other day when I asked her to go pick up something that she had thrown. She snuggled up on the floor in a fake sleep and said "I can't hear you mama, I'm sleeping."

I will not be in a hurry to move her to a big girl bed - she's already figured out most of the shenanigans; just think about adding the ability to get out of bed! Ditto for ditching the plug at night. We are currently trying to nap without the pacifier (since somehow she has done this with NO troubles at daycare for about six months) and it is NOT pretty - imagine a combination of the stall tactics with hysterical sobbing. So far we're 2 for 4; napped on Thursday and Friday, cried for more than an hour and didn't nap on Wednesday and Saturday. Wish us luck!

Laura is 2 Years and 2 Months!

Likes: blueberries, suckers, treats, fries, ketchup, cereal with milk, playing outside, going to the park, watching "Go Diego Go" and "Dora the Explorer," spinning in circles, her new purple sandals, messing around in her crib when she should be sleeping

Dislikes: Daddy scaring her with the spider, not being allowed to have her plug

Any new tricks? Laura must be learning shapes at daycare because the other day she was looking at her shape flashcards and said "triangle!" She is getting very good at running around and kicking a soccer ball, and at parks she can climb up the equipment and go down slides by herself. She's definitely getting more independent and will tell us all the time, "My do it" or "I do it myself." At night she likes to take her diaper off herself which is hilarious because her little two-year-old belly makes it hard for her to see the tabs, and she almost falls over because she has to bend so far down to see the diaper. We've heard her count to 13 without getting mixed up, and she can sing some songs by herself now too like the ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Vocab is exploding

Laura's vocabulary has increased immensely since she turned 2. So much so, she has picked up a naughty word and knows how to appropriately use it.

A week or so ago, Little Miss Laura was struggling with peeling a sticker out of her book, got mad and said, "damn it." Since then, we have heard it several more times.

Now I have to admit, I am guilty for saying this from time-to-time but have made every effort to avoid dropping it in front of her. We have no idea where she picked it up from?

Mother's Day (Year 2)

Lost in Translation

The plan was to have Laura wake mom up with a whisper and kiss and give her cards/presents. The two year old attention span was put to the test.

Just prior to the wake up, I coached Laura to whisper in mom's ear, "Happy Mother's Day" and give her the gifts.

Laura walked up the stairs and decided mid way she needed a drink. Try #2. She walked up the stairs and stepped on a cracker crumb and it was stuck inbetween her toes. Had to stop to dig that out. Try #3. Walked up the stairs, walked passed her bedroom, she stopped, turned around and ran into her room in search of her plug.

Try #4. After all that monkeying around, she finally ran into the bedroom to wake mom up. Unfortunately, Mom was already awake and Laura said, "Happy Birthday Mama." Oops. Still very cute!

The mind of a two year old!

Laura is 2 years and 1 month old!

Likes: Going to the park, playing outside, watching other kids play outside, bubbles, Easter candy, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, hiding, reading books

Dislikes: Rainy and cold weather, not being able to go outside or go to the park

What's new and cute: Laura always wants to know what's going on and will ask you, "What doing?" Somewhere she learned to be reassuring and keeps telling us "Don't worry." "Don't worry mama, be all right."

Singing in the Tub

Singing in the Tub

Here Laura is singing "Happy Birthday" to Uncle Matt, "Wheels on the Bus" and her take on "One, Two, Buckle my Shoes..." Pay attention to 5,6 and 7,8!!!

2 Year Photos

Last year we hired Stacey to take Laura's one-year photos and she did a great job, so it was a no-brainer to hire her again.

How to best describe the photo session? Short. Lousy. Tantrums. Tears. Plug. Get the picture?!? Couldn't even bribe her with emmy nemas, candy or a plug. Now that should tell you something!

Laura started off OK but quickly descended into meltdown mode. Which is fine. Have to remember she is two years old. We were prepared for this since she hasn't cooperated with any picture taking from us for a long time.

I felt bad that Stacey drove from Minneapolis to Prior Lake for less than a 30-minute photoshoot. Good news...She will come back to finish the pictures in a couple of weeks.

Here is a link to some of the pictures from this session. I like 'em! http://staceylcordesphotos.blogspot.com/2011/04/calling-prior-lake-mn-child.html

Birthday Party Recap: The Emmy-Nemma Party

Laura's second birthday party bash was yesterday and we are in recovery mode today! Lots of our MN relatives/family were able to come and celebrate Laura turning two, and we celebrated by holding an "emmy-nemma" (M&M's) party in honor of Laura's favorite treat.

We were seriously doubting her ability to "party" at all when she woke up from her nap - she was a fussy, crying mess for a good 20 minutes before party time! Luckily Uncle Mike & Auntie Kaitlin arrived first and they were able to work her into a good mood. The weather was nice so people could spend time outside, and we had plenty of M&M's for everyone to snack on.

Grandma Nels & Papa George gave Laura a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe for her birthday and it is a big hit. In fact, she chose to sit in it during present opening time...luckily cousin Lilly was a great helper and would entice Laura out of the car to open a new gift every now and then. Once she saw a present she'd say "Oooh! Oh yeah, ok!" Lucky Laura opened up lots of fun gifts perfect for outside weather.

She is able to handle crowds much better now but still isn't quite sure about being the center of attention. Laura had a very serious face as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she blew out her "2" candle. Her birthday treat was an "ice keem" cake with "emmy-nemmas" on top - 2 of her favorites, can't get much better than that! To quote one of her fave shows, The Fresh Beat Band, "We had a great day!"

Laura's Birthday

Laura's second birthday has arrived! We cannot believe we have a "big girl" on our hands...not literally as she is still such a peanut, but 2 years means we really can't call her "baby Laura" anymore.

To celebrate the day, Mom & Dad took off of work and we had some fun outings! In the morning, we took Laura to the Minnesota Children's Museum. Even though we arrived pretty early, it was one wild and crazy place! Laura liked all the climbing and sliding in the Habitot room, and wanted to climb up and down all the flights of stairs in the museum. Right now she is very excited about "kool bus" (school buses) and was very happy to find a "kool bus" (technically a city bus) that she could ride in! She liked to sit in the seats while all the crazy kids ran around and it was hard to get her to get off the bus. We also found a room with water tables and bubbles that she liked quite a bit. We'll have to return on another day when it's a little calmer there - I was proud though that she could hold her own in the crowds and was not intimidated by all the bigger, noisier kids and all the action around her. (Thanks, daycare!)

After a non-existent nap, Mom had finally come to terms with the fact that Laura needed to get a haircut...it was so hard for me! I told Mike on the way there that I felt like I had to throw up; somehow the idea of cutting off that baby hair was kind of tough for me. So she had her first haircut on her birthday, just a trim as there really wasn't a lot to be cut. We expected her to be very fussy, but thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine and Dum-Dums, she did pretty well. In the end, her hair looked much better "cleaned up" and I do think she looks a little older.

Laura knew after the haircut was over...we were going for "ice keem!" We stopped by Dairy Queen on the way home to pick up one of Laura's favorite treats. At home, we shared a Blizzard and sang Happy Birthday to our very favorite two-year-old! We love her.

Fun with new friends

This past weekend, Mom and I met up with some friends we haven't seen in a long, long time. Laura was introduced to new kids and reunited with someone she hasn't seen in awhile.


Friday night we visited Scott and Connie and their children Nathaniel and Chelsea in Oakdale. Another couple, David and Rachel and their kids Ava and Colin were there as well.

I don't know what it is but I am very intrigued on how Laura interacts with other kids. I like to watch how she responds to new people because I was rather shy and quiet as a kid and can clearly see those qualities in the Bagooz.

At first, she was quiet, shy and played by herself. After dinner, she opened up a little bit and ran around with the kids but for the most part she kept to herself.

The next night, we hosted a dinner with Jeremy, Lindsay and their son Evan. Laura has played with Evan before but again she started out the evening quietly watching Evan play with her toys from a distance. Unlike the night before, she slowly warmed up and played the rest of the night with Evan. As you can see from the pictures, it didn't take too long before she was her fun, little self!

Potty-time

The Start of Potty Training

Good news, Laura went on the potty! We have been talking about it to her for awhile, she has tried a few times but last night actually had results. Mom, it's time to buy a kid seat.

Great job, Babes!

Laura is 1 Year + 11 Months!

Height:

Weight: 22 lbs. according to unofficial bathroom scale?





Likes: Dora & Fresh Beat Band (All 10 episodes that they show OVER and OVER...Mike & I practically danced with excitement when we saw a commercial last night - ALL NEW episodes next week!), "nack" time, being "nakey nakey," playing with her "hoop" in the basement, babies, blueberries, "ice keem," reading books, playing with her "princess blocks"

Dislikes: Daddy dancing (gives a firm command to "Top it, Daddy!"), leaving Carla's at the end of the day, putting caps back on markers, when mom wants to put a "pretty" in her hair

Any new tricks? Laura really likes singing more and more, will sing along with me if I start a song, or can fill in the rhyming words of a song. Counting is getting a little better, she's added "11,12" to the end of her "8,9,10" sequence, and today I did hear her count #'s 1-5. She can run and kick a ball without losing control of it and throws a ball pretty straight. She identifies several letters and a few numbers when she sees them on clothing. And, she's learning to take her pants off! (One step closer to potty training?)

*Picture is from daycare.

Laura meets Baby William

Tonight we went over to Mom's friend's house for a visit with Baby William and family. Laura LOVES babies and talks constantly about the daycare babies "Ah-nee-nah-na" (Adriana) and Kenton, so I knew William would be a big hit.

Without any prompting, Laura requested to "hod" (hold) him, and since he is the third baby in the family, his mama was not worried about saying yes to Laura (Not so nervous the 3rd time around...)! She thought this was pretty awesome, liked to pat him and give him his plug. As she was doing this, she says to me, "Brother." I said, "Yes, William is Sadie and Madeline's brother." Then she says, "Yo-wah brother."

Don't go getting any ideas, Laura!

Bagooz Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

We have some serious love for the bagooz (Laura) around our house. Nearly every night after we put her down to bed, Dad looks at me and says, "I love that bagooz." I think that is one of the surprising things about becoming a parent, how intensely you love your kid. It makes me understand why parents sometimes are a little bit ridiculous about their kids from a school standpoint - you think they are the most beautiful, funny, intelligent, wonderful child in the world, and it's really hard for someone to convince you to see it any other way.

I love pretty much everything about Laura right now. Listening to her verbalize her thoughts and needs is absolutely fascinating. Watching her sit with a book on her lap and "read" a story melts my book-loving heart. Her energy and enthusiasm for her interests, whether coloring, running around, or watching a favorite show is so fun to watch and be a part of. It all keeps getting better as she gets older! I just love the bagooz. - Mama B

I can't add much more to what Mom stated above - it is a perfect summary. I am very proud that she is a 'good girl.' Sure, she is a little defensive about her belongings but she gives hugs and kisses, says "please" and "thank you," picks up her toys, and doesn't push or hit others. With that said, I am no idiot, I know this won't always be true. I am happy that she has developed a good base of goodness.

One of my favorite times of the day is when I come home from work and Laura runs to the door so excited to see me. I remember my mom telling me stories about when I did that to my dad. Another thing I love about the Bagooz is that she is soaking up what we say and do. The other night I watched her read a book and repeated the same words over and over in a satisfying and 'I get it' tone, "ok, ok, ok" and "one more page."

THE FUNNIEST THING right now is when I annoy or (sorry for my language) piss her off, she walks to the kitchen and says, "daddy kitchen." This her way of saying, "leave." In fact, tonight I annoyed her so much she told me to go upstairs. Apparently, the kitchen wasn't far enough. -Dad

Laura is 1 Year + 10 Months!

Height: 32 inches


Weight: 20 lbs. (Thanks a lot, gastrointestinal bug and a stubborn unwillingness to eat!)


Likes: Returning to 6am wakeups (mom = dislike), Dora the Explorer, Fresh Beat Band, snacking, being "nakey nakey!" before pajama time, playing "games," coloring, singing, talking about daycare friends, "boo-bees" (blueberries)

Dislikes: Not being able to do everything she wants (frustrated girl!), eating dinner

Any new tricks? We have had to do time outs occasionally, mostly for the times when she gets frustrated with a toy or person and resorts to hitting, throwing, or screaming. Lately she has decided to put herself in "time out" - a lot. Most of the time we don't even get why she thinks she needs a time out, but she'll suddenly announce "time out" in a sad voice and proceed to go downstairs and sit on the floor. We don't want her thinking she's being "bad" all the time when she's not, but on the other hand if she's recognizing she needs to remove herself from a distressing situation, I guess that's good.

She continues to do well with learning letters, colors, and numbers - although everything is pretty much "8,9,10" - and she can sing parts of the alphabet song. A lot of her talking is coming in short phrases now. "No Daddy!" or "(s)Top it Daddy" are probably the two most common, but I do like "Hab it" for "have it," or "Yo-wahs how" for "Laura's house!"

A Taste of the Terrible Twos

My goodness have we seen a change in Laura.

This past week has been quite unusual. A week full of hysterical meltdowns for little to no reason at all. She's had a difficult time falling asleep and is restless throughout the night. Very vocal when it comes to discipline or when we question her. Not to mention, she is even more determined to have a plug in her mouth outside of nap and night time.

With that said, I am not saying Laura is a beast all the time. She does smile, giggle, hug and say "thank you" and "please." Also, she continues to amaze us with what she can say, repeat back to us, recognize and remember.

As long as we see flashes of the happy side, Mom and I can get through this meltdown phase.

Cheers!

Happy New Year to all! Laura likes to say the word "happy" but stringing three words together was proving to be difficult, so today she was just wishing us "happy new!" You can see Laura and Daddy doing "Cheers!" last night, Laura with her teacup and Dad with a cocktail.

Be sure to check out the other 2 new posts below that I posted today, one for Christmas and one for Laura at 21 months.