Villains

"Rainy Sog"

Dayna is four-years-old today.  She's been writing story books and wants to share one with everyone on the computer.  She was worried, at first, that when we scanned the pictures, they would physically be sent to the computer and we wouldn't have them to read the story at home.  "Oh, Dayna," she says now.

So here's book number one:  "Rainy Sog."  Illustrated in watercolor.  She tells me what words to write on them.

Little Monkey

Next week we go to San Diego! Woot! It's gonna be so fun watching Dayna try to take it all in. Disneyland Adventures, Universal Studios, and the San Diego Zoo are all on the list of stuff to do. Plus the beach, of course. So ready for Spring Break!!! So sick of this snow...

Dayna says a whole lot of words now. And animal sounds. Fish, Duck, appleju (apple juice), kiss, snacks, kick... those are the only new ones I can really think of off the top of my head, but really, she talks all day. Her and I communicate pretty well but other people don't usually know what we're talking about.

She says mooo, nay, cock-a-doo (missing the doodle-do), arf (or ruff, whatever a dog says), mow (meow), qack (quack). Yesterday we went and saw the baby cows, chickens and rooster, barn cats, and today she saw baby chickens and some ducks. She loves them all.

The zoo is gonna be sooo much fun. She makes monkey noises and sticks her tongue out for giraffees (we watched a youtube video of one sticking his long tongue out, so she thinks they'll all do that.)

Dayna's been climbing on the furniture. She gets up on her little Dora couch then climbs up onto the regular furniture. She's only fallen twice the past couple days and only cried for about 30 seconds, so I guess it's not too bad. This does mean though that we had to lower her crib completely. I don't know how long it will be before she's climbing out of it. Not looking forward to that.

For the trip, and because we've wanted one for a long time, we got a video camera. The battery only lasts about an hour and a half, but I cannot wait to use it. Videos of Dayna to come soon!

Books and a Growing Vocabulary

Dayna is full of new words. I don't remember all the ones I put up here before... but in addition she can say:

shoes
Poppy (what she calls her grandpa)
Bo (for book)
Ba (for bottle or sippy)
Night Night
Trooper (the dog)
Daisy (the kitty)
Mommy
Daddy
Kitty
Stop
No
Don't
Yes
Tickle
Easy (what we tell the dog instead of "gentle")
That
This
Baby

We probably read at least 20 books a day. But most of those are the same book over and over. She has a new favorite almost every day.

Next month the whole family is going to San Diego for a week. We're getting her a new umbrella stroller and already got her a swimsuit. Any tips on traveling with a toddler? We'll be flying but the flight is only two hours, luckily. And it's a direct one. We're doing to Disney Adventure Park, San Diego Zoo, and Universal Studios Hollywood. And of course the beach and some shopping.

Dayna currently likes headbutting -- aka "bonks".

She's anxious to do more playing outside, and frankly, so am I. We are SO ready for spring.

Pre-spring musings

Dayna is finally napping! The last two days saw very little of the parents' miracle otherwise known as "the nap," but she was tired enough today to go down before lunch. I hope she'll feel like another one later this afternoon too, but I'm not going to get my hopes up.

After my last post, I've been working harder to let her explore more. Now in the afternoon while I'm cleaning up the kitchen and getting dinner ready, I block off half the house, and then shut the doors for the bathroom and Auntie C's room. Then Dayna can wander around down the hallway (through piles of laundry which she likes to "sort"), into her room, in the dining room, and the kitchen. In the kitchen she has one cabinet that is "hers" filled with tupperware stuff, wooden spoon, metal ice cream maker can, odds and ends. She carries them around and "plays." I know this is very fun stuff, 'cause I used to do it too, and remember how cool it was to be able to play in the kitchen.

We're really looking forward to spring now, and I know she'll love playing outside. Even when she was very little she was a nature baby. Always happy as long as she was outdoors. But spring does not come early here. There's still lots of snow and ice on the ground and will be for awhile. Once it does start to warm up though, we can walk to the park again, and she has a huge backyard to run around in.

Her hair is getting pretty long. I'm thinking I'm going to have to start trying to find her some conditioner. Her hair is curly and just needs a little more moisturizer in it, I think. It's very cute though, and I love how it curls up so prettily after it's combed after a bath.

Didn't really have a main point to this post. Was just feeling the love for my precious SLEEPING baby.

Still January

I'm almost afraid to say this in case I jinx it, but, I think the horribleness that started the day after Dayna's birthday, and continued for DAYS, is finally subsiding. I hope.

Yesterday was pretty good. Long naps, she did eat some, and was generally angelic all day. Today has been good so far too.

Of course.... tomorrow she has to get shots. So it's going to be completely up in the air again. She gets vaccinated for chicken pox, and MMR. Fun. Two shots that she hasn't had before, so I don't know what to expect from her.

I really want to take more pictures of her walking because it is absolutely adorable. She is getting so big.

But I've realized that I probably do not let her explore enough. I still keep her basically fenced in the living room even though she can climb over the barrier if she wants to. And when we're upstairs, after lunch or cleaning up, she's always in her walker. I barrier off the hallway and the stairs and just let her go. The walker keeps her from being able to get into stuff like cabinets and bookshelves.

Discovery is such an important thing for babies her age, I know, but the prospect of really making very large spaces "baby proof" is really daunting. If it were up to me, everything would basically be cleared out. But it's not really my house, and that kinda takes away the whole "discovery" part, doesn't it?

So ideas and encouragement are welcome.

Where's the Line?

Dayna has been testing limits and boundaries. She'll throw food on the floor, wait for me to tell her "no," then take a bite, then throw it on the floor again. Repeatedly. But I know that she knows where the line actually is. Let me give you an example.

Today I was finishing up my lunch and she was wheeling around in her walker. (She had already let me know that she was done by first throwing all her food on the floor, and then standing up in her high chair.) I was in the next room and heard her saying "No no no no no." And then she brought me a phone charger. She knew she wasn't supposed to have it. So she told herself "No," then brought it to me.

Or yesterday we all went out to eat. She would throw food on the floor, look at me to see if I was watching, and if not, she would correct herself. "No no no."

Obviously I've been hearing this word a lot lately.