Family

Delphinium is big on organizing her toys. She likes to put the animals with the animals, the balls with the balls, and so on. She also believes that all people and animals can be categorized as either a "mimi" or a "dada" or a "baby". The other day she was playing with her little plastic farm animals, and she pulled out a mother sheep and her baby. She tapped the larger sheep on the head and said "mimi" with great confidence. Next was the tiny lamb who got the unsurprising title of "baby."


Here's where the trouble started. You see we don't actually own a "daddy" sheep. She looked all through her pile of animals saying "dada?" and shrugging her shoulders. I was wondering if this would end in tears, but she is a very resourceful little person. She pulled a large horse out of the pile, set it to watch over the sheep, and announced "dada!" with great satisfaction. My daughter is a very open-minded sort of person.

Christmas '11

A slow great time was had by all. For the first time in many years, it was just a few of us on the big day, and I think that actually worked out really well for Delphinium. She took her time with each phase of events, and I'm pretty sure that allowed her to enjoy things rather than having her get overwhelmed. As far as I can remember she didn't even cry once.


We got up when she did, eat some breakfast, and did stockings once Daddy woke up. That alone was exciting since there were so many little goodies in there! The look on her face was unforgettable as she pulled out wind-up babies, kaleidoscopes, animals, and even a chocolate coin. She would have cheerfully stuck with that for the rest of the day, but no, no there were bigger things in store. The stockings were hung in our family room near the fireplace. However, in our living room lived the tree and the presents.

We'd been working hard all morning to keep her out of the living room, so she wouldn’t see the major, unwrapped gifts from Santa. Once breakfast and stockings were accomplished, we could finally turn her loose. Speaking of expressions, the one she made for the bouncy cow was particulary interesting. "Cooooooow! Moooooo!" and then bouncybouncybouncybouncybouncy as she figured out its use.

The cow was eventually displaced by the glory of a tray of wooden food which could be "cut" by a wooden knife (think Velcro). A new baby doll came next "New baby! New baby!" which was very much loved and petted until it was literally thrown aside for a train booster pack (more track and goodies for her beloved wooden train). Things continued in this vein for some time, and that is why, at about noon, we had a break for lunch and naps. This meant leaving a good portion of the presents still wrapped under the tree, but what's the point in rushing?

A pesimist would say that this is proof of the crass commercialism of our age. A kid gets so many gifts that she can't even open them all, and when she does they just get thrown aside in an instant when the next thing appears. I have to disagree. Each of her new presents will be rediscovered in the weeks ahead as she takes the time to really appreciate what she has. Some things, like the baby doll and the trains, are already fixtures. Other items will take more time to make an impression.

On the whole I'm really happy with our Christmas experience. Of course it would have been nice to have our uncles, aunties, cousins, and grandparents there for the holiday, but since they couldn't come, it was good to find the silver lining in a small holiday. Who knows what next year might bring.

Advent House

Goodness, gracious we are so lucky to have our fabulous advent house!  Auntie C. gave it to us a few years ago (B.B. or Before Baby) and we always liked it and appreciated it as holiday decor.  However there is no way M or I could possibly enjoy the house as much as Delphinium does.  Now that she understands the idea behind it we are inundated with requests for "house?! house?!" every day.  We lift, we show the correct drawer, and then the baby does the rest by herself.  She pulls the tiny knob, peaks inside, and then uses her little hand to pull out the prize.  Sometimes it is a sticker (which is pretty good) sometimes it is a tiny animal (which is quite good) and sometimes it is a chocolate coin in a gold wrapper (which is REALLY REALLY good).   Thanks Auntie C!

Still Teething

Yesterday Delphinium was a bit fussy but nothing too serious. Little did I know what was lurking around the nighttime bend! She went down to sleep without any trouble, but after about an hour and a half, she was up and crying. I couldn't see anything wrong, so I rocked her back to sleep. Then she did it again ninety minutes later. That was the pattern for the WHOLE NIGHT! Only this morning could I see the swelling around one K-9. Poor baby.

Christmas So Far

I'm happy to report that we have a Christmas tree in our living room.  Not only that, but it's been standing there for several days, and Delphinium has not pulled it over even once!  Even better, she actually leaves the ornaments in place as well.  She has actually been better about it than the cat who has tried more than once to make low-hanging ornaments into toys.  A few times every day, the baby toddles to the living room, announces "tree!" and does a little giggle of appreciation. 

The process of getting the tree was quite exciting too.  Grandma and MD piled in the car with us, and we all set out for a lot near our house.  Last year we went out to a farm in the country, and walked up and down the rows, but this year we were much more in a lot frame of mind.  Delphinium did not mind at all.  She played peek-a-boo around the trees, and then watched in awe as they wrapped our tree and put it on the roof of the car.  Perhaps the most exciting part was going inside to pay because they had a selection of ornaments, and do you know what kind they had?  Butterflies!  Ever since the incident at the science center, Delphinium is obsessed with them, so we picked out a red "hop hop" to take home. 

These days I can tell which activities mean the most to the baby because she wants to talk about them at bedtime.  The tale of butterflies on her head is a near constant favorite.  However, the tale of the Christmas tree is running a close second.  Who knows what might happen when there are actual presents under that tree!  What fun.

Waterbabies Update

And then the gods said "ha!"  Shortly after I posted my satisfaction with waterbabies classes, a computer error cheated us out of our place in line to sign up for next session.  We lost out by about seven minutes (these things fill up in minutes) so we're waitlisted.  I don't forsee much chance of getting in given that there are only eight spaces in each class.  Waterbabies instruction might be good, but their management and computer system really bites. 

Waterbabies

This morning Delphinium is crying because of swim class.  No, no not because she dislikes it, but rather because it isn't time to go yet.  Swim class is one of those things that causes the baby to make her "Christmas face" of extreme excitement.  I've tried explaining that her teacher isn't at the pool yet, but all she can think of is how much she wants to be in that water. 

Waterbabies is a program that puts very young kids in the water from the age of six months.  Many people feel this is too young, but we started around that time.  Parents go in the water with the babies, so there's never much risk to the child.  The waterbabies program includes clever ways to get babies to practice swimming skills in the guise of playing, singing, and goofing around.  Of course there are a few kids, from time to time, who don't seem to be enjoying themselves, but that usually passes by the next lesson, and they're back to splashing their friends.

Of course our girl has learned many useful skills (swimming underwater, holding on the the side of the pool, jumping from the edge) but the main thing I like about the class is her enthusiasm.  Some kids, when introduced to water at the age of two or three, are too afraid to enjoy themselves.  It can take a long time to become comfortable. Whenever Delphinium gets the chance to play in water, she is immediately comfortable enough to enjoy the experience.

The Terror and Joy of Butterflies

While M. was on vacation, we had the chance to take Delphinium to many special activities.  Given that she's a pretty outgoing, curious sort of girl, she generally loved them.  However, one or two seem to have greater prominence in her memory than others.  The visit to The Experience Music Project, for example, has never been mentioned again.  The trip to the Pacific Science Center, on the other hand, gets mentioned at least daily. 

It was our second attempt to visit the science center since we learned the hard way that they are closed on Tuesdays.  Finally, though, we were in.  Being short on time, we skirted the children's play area since we figured those are available in many places.  Instead we headed over to see the snakes and naked mole rats.  The rats were not such a big hit (maybe they are too far away or maybe because they're just so darn ugly) but the snakes and amphibians were very popular.  Another big hit was a large suspended globe with the continents and weather patters projected on its surface.  Delphinium loved watching the clouds swirl.

Next up was the butterfly room.  We waited our turn, got a lecture about not walking on butterflies, and then entered the "airlock."  It felt a bit like walking into the bathroom when somebody's just had a hot shower which is a very nice feeling on a cold day.  The butterflies immediately came over to see what was up, and two huge brown ones flutttered all around us.  One landed on M's head, and the baby was amazed.  Then one landed on her head, and it was just a bit much.  She started to cry, and I had this weird moment of trying to shoo a butterfly off her head without touching.  It was strangely reluctant to leave!  Once the "monster" was gone, the Delphinium's spirits returned very quickly, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the garden.

The funny thing about all this is her memory of it.  She "tells" that story all the time (with help from me once I know what she's getting at) as if it was a funny thing that happened to her.  She makes her sign for butterfly, says "hop hop" (go figure), and then pats her head, and laughs and laughs.  I don't know if she's remembering it differently than it happened, or she thinks it's funny that it scared her.  Either way, the visit to the butterfly house is one that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Christmas Trees with Toddlers

We are just about to embark on that annual tradition (for some anyway) of finding and decorating our Christmas tree!  I am completely in love with this activity because of all the good memories I have from childhood.  My mom always made us wait until after her birthday (in early December) to get our tree because I think we were begging for one the moment Halloween was over.  It has to be a real tree, it has to be full-sized (as big as your room will allow) and it has to be a fir.  Now as a big, old grown-up I still get such a thrill from seeing the tree go up in the living room and slowly turn into a sparkling confection. 


This year, however, we have a toddler.  All my thrill is turned to trepidation.  What might she do?  Will she try to climb it?  Pull it over?  Shake the branches off?  Steal all the ornaments?  Do we have to anchor it to the wall?  Should we put it up on a table, hid it behind couches, or maybe tie it to the ceiling?  I just don't know what to expect.  I know it may seem like I'm over-reacting, but I've heard some horror stories of trees that came crashing down, so I want to be careful.  I'll have to do some research.  Any advice from parents of older children would certainly be welcome. 

No Napping but Fun with Trains

Well we are back from our big trip to visit the Oregon family.  We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and enjoying the charms of small towns.  The one tough spot was napping.  In five hours down and six hours back (we hit traffic on the way home) the baby did not sleep one skinny wink.  Several times we saw her start to nod and rub her eyes, and then she would actually begin pinching and slapping herself to stay awake!  I absolutely could not believe my eyes!  I guess she really, really did not want to miss one single moment.

Nevertheless, she was a superb travelling companion in every other way.  She really seemed to enjoy seeing everybody, and all the new places were clearly very interesting.  Perhaps her favorite part was being able to see the train station out the tenth floor window of our hotel.  She watched the "choo-choos" with great enthusiasm and would run to pull the curtains back whenever she heard the whistle blow. I even heard her falling asleep one night saying "choo choo choo choo" in the tiniest, sleepiest, limpest little voice imaginable.  Luckily we found a wooden train engine at the holiday market to help commemorate our trip.   

First Sentences

Our kid is one of those little people (are they all this way?) who prefers to work on one single skill at a time.  When she was learning to walk, nearly all talking was put on hold.  Now that she has walking (and jumping and running and wiggling) down to a science, verbal skills are really ramping up.  New words are appearing at a rapid pace, and I'm doing my best to keep up and decipher all that talking.

The very first sign language sentence the baby put together was "more fruit."  This is not surprising given that "more" and "fruit" are two of her favorite concepts.  She's used these words, alone and together, for some time now.  Then, just a few days ago, she said her first sentence using words.  This time it was "more peas." She prefers them left frozen thank you very much.

In other language news, the words of the week are "apple" and "car" and "happy."  The first two are used in the most obvious way as in when she wants the first or sees the second.  The third one gets used like this happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy!      

Baby Stays Awake

October 15th was the very first time in her whole life that Delphinium did not sleep during the day.  Not even five minutes.  She was teething, it's true, but she didn't seem uncomfortable at the time.  In fact, she didn't cry at all during her not nap.  Instead she sat up in her crib and read stories to herself and to her babies.  After about 90 minutes of this, I just couldn't stand it any more, and I had to go pick her up.  I don't want her to feel as if I've abandoned her in the corner, but usually when I leave her in the crib at naptime, she falls asleep!  Not this day. 

Oddly enough, she wasn't particularly difficult the rest of the day.  By evening she was certainly tired, but she did not become the tantrum monster or the whiner I thought we might encounter.  Luckily she went back to sleeping the next day.  This is a very good thing since I don't think either one of us is ready for the naps to end just yet.

Pumpkins at Jubilee Farm

Our friends recently invited us to meet up for a pumpkin hunting mission, and they're chosen destination was Jubilee Farm in Carnation. We were most surprised to find a farmstead full of activities tucked away down a rural road. The girls enjoyed the hayride (some are even pulled by great big horses!) and the pumpkin hunting almost as much as we did, but I think they're favorite parts were the pony rides and the chance to shell beans. The Christmas beans they had on the shelling table were a beautiful mottled purple, and I was amazed at their patience in shelling one long bean after another. We came away with a monster of a pumpkin and a real desire to go back again soon.

TV for Babies?

Oh dear.  Here are two articles about children and screen time that dovetail in a disturbing way.  The first is about the renewed plea by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit screen time among children and especially among babies younger than two.  Speech delays, cognitive delays, etc, etc, etc.  The second is about all the extra tech time kids are getting, and the forms it's begun to take.  It seems that poorer kids are much more likely to have a TV in their bedrooms where they often watch as much as they like.  The richer kids, by comparison, tend to use computers and handheld devices at much higher rates.  There is great debate about the pros and cons of each form of entertainment, but one thing is certain: kids are spending lots of time in front of screens.

18 Months!

Please inform the town crier; Delphinium is eighteen months old!  She's the sweetest little "wobbler" (though she doesn't wobble much anymore.  now we're more about running as fast as possible) that there could ever be.  She loves baby dolls (especially Bess) and stuffed animals and books, books, books!  She also loves to play in the backyard, go for walks, visit the park and the library, and play with her friends.  She especially loves when Dada comes home at night, and when her cousins and grandparents come around. 

Our girl gives the best snuggles and knee hugs you can possibly imagine.  Most of the time her personality is very sweet and easy-going, but she does have opinions about things, and does her best to let you know what she needs.  In the hour before bedtime she often becomes the silliest little person.  I'm celebrating Thanksgiving a little early this year.

School Search Part 4

Well this will certainly not be a very long post.  Schools number six and seven were nothing to write home about.  Okay nothing GOOD to write home about.  The first was an old place with an ancient director, and I'm sure it was lovely once upon a time.  Like perhaps in 1987 when it was last updated.  It was tired, grubby, and outdated, and the people who worked there looked like they were completely uninspired.  The oddest part about it all was the price.  This was the most expensive school we've seen so far.

The last school of the day was also the best deal of the whole week.  For only $1000 (har!) they will watch your child for ten hours per day (as limited by law) five days per week.  They will feed your child three meals and three snacks, put him or her down for naps, change diapers, arrange hair cuts, and in every other way take over the job of parenting for you.  In fact, you only need be responsible for getting them there in the morning, and putting them into bed at night.  Some people actually want that situation, but most are probably forced into it by circumstance.  Either way, it's pretty sad for the kid. 

The facility was open, airy, and even clean, but I still do not want to send my girl to a place that specializes in warehousing kids.  Also the teacher yelled across the room at one child, and that was when she knew we were there listening.  Can you imagine what she would be like when there was no one around but the kids?  Thus far we are not overly impressed with the schools on offer.  Only one seems like a real prospect to me.  It shouldn't be this hard to find quality care. 

Baby Sings!

As I've mentioned before, our baby is quite a fan of her Kindermusik classes. She's been bopping along to the tunes and dances since she was only seven months old, and now she's really able to participate. One of the songs they've been using a lot lately is "Ring Around the Rosie." She loves the way you hold hands, dance in a circle, and then all fall down.


She demands that we sing and dance with her (and at least one babydoll) several times a day. Then I noticed that she was actually singing along! She can't make the actual words yet, but she is definitely setting her babble to the tune. I know, I know, one day I'm going to wish she would just sit down and be quiet but not yet.

PA and NYC

We are just back from our trip to visit Uncle J! I was not at all sure if it would be fun or work (due to the vagaries of travelling with a tiny child) but I think a great time was had by all. We got to visit many exciting locales, get a sense of where he lives, and also get to spend quality time with the family. I'm absolutely thrilled with how the whole thing turned out.


First things first, Delphinium was a rock star on the plane. She did not cry coming or going (in large part due to Grandma interventions) and she was amazing about going, going, going for five days in a row. She ate mostly whatever we were eating (for the most part), stayed up late with the crowd, and amused herself in a grown up house with very few toys. She even skipped her nap one day without any terrible consequences (first time ever going without). Who knew our girl could be so flexible?

We got to see the town where Uncle J. teaches (so cute!) and even made it in to New York City. We only had a little time, but it was well used visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park. Delphinium seems to like museums, and she was especially excited about the recreated rooms from the palace of the Sun King. She kept ooo-ing and ahh-ing over the chandeliers, gold furniture, and rich fabrics. Who knows what she might be asking for in a few years when we’re trying to re-do her room.

M drove us the whole time including NYC, and it was amazing watching how fast he adapted to the cut-throat techniques used by east-coast drivers. I would have panicked when I saw such a mass of cars all trying their hardest to kill each other, but he was cool as can be. He's definitely the hero of the whole adventure. I have not forgotten that we all still need to club together and buy him a very expensive glass of scotch.

Another wonderful feature of the trip was the chance to get a feel for that part of the east coast. We saw some incredible examples of autumn leaves (you get a lot more of that when 75% of all trees are not evergreens). Plus a most memorable visit to a boulder field. It reminded me of a sandbox for giants because it was a huge open area filled with rocks varying in size from your fist to a small car. You couldn't walk between the boulders because there were too many of them, and it was necessary to step from rock to rock to get across.

It's always good to see Uncle J, and now we can actually picture him when he's far away. His house, his office, and his classroom suit him perfectly. Besides he (and K) are excellent hosts, and we were spoiled from beginning to end. We will have to make sure to return before too long.

School Search Part 3

I am very happy to report that school #5 DIDN'T SUCK!  Yay!  Not only that, but it does not require kids to be potty-trained either.  It's greatest downside seems to be that it doesn't open until 7:30am which is too late for me to take her and then get to work on time.  This is not a problem as long as M can take her.  I don't exactly know what we would do for those few days a year when he was sick or away.  With some careful planning, it has the potential to work. 

The classrooms were mostly bright and cheerful even for the littlest kids (why do some schools think that babies won't notice if their surroundings are grim?) and I actually saw baby dolls, books, and even a picture of a bunny!  They are big on napping (not all schools are), and the kids eat lunches provided by their parents (easier to ensure the vegetarian thing and avoid Ritz crackers).  The biggest, most wonderful part is the play yard.  All the classrooms open out onto a really fabulous play yard.  It's huge, it's full of trees and other mature plants, it has all sorts of great play equipment (some schools have none), and it just makes you feel like you would want to run around and play.  When we arrived, we even saw one teacher playing running games with some of the kids.  This is the first place we visited where I could picture our girl being happy there.

School Search Part 2

School #4 was frightening.  I wanted not only to clutch my child and run, but also to grab up all those other poor children who actually had to attend.  People often say that they didn't like the "feel" of a place, and I used to think that was such a painfully non-specific way to describe things.  Now I understand.  Waves of depressing were practically rolling out the door.  For starters, this school is housed in strip mall right next to a Chinese restaurant.  This means that the whole place smells of eau de frying mixed with old pee.  Add to that the poorly groomed teachers, their poor English skills (native speakers all), the huge tvs in every room, and the general air of disorder and grubbiness, and it was just not a pretty picture.

I should have known from the very first since the lobby attendant called ahead in the classroom to let the teacher know we were coming (no other school did this).  The teacher then had a chance to get the children together and give the most impressive activity she could muster.  It was listening to a book on tape.  At the end of the book, one child tried to sing along to the final song and was told by the teacher to be quiet.  Did I mention the menu?  Ritz crackers and "froot" juice constituted most of the snacks.  I could go on for hours.  This is what is wrong with America.