Snow Day

Sunday evening was our first big snow storm of the season. The snow came down hard and the winds were hurricane strength. The bad news is that we're trapped inside for quite a few days as the roads are still pretty bad. The good news is that this was the first snow that Tali could really play in. Unfortunately, I don't have a snow suit for her yet so I had to improvise. I put garbage bags over her jeans and secured them to the top of her legs with rubber bands. And, somehow I managed to lose her gloves this past weekend (perfect timing, huh?) so I used a pair of her socks as gloves.


Even though she looked a bit ridiculous, she had a great time. H took her out to play in our backyard for about 30 minutes. He helped her walk in the snow, threw her in the snow, and taught her how to make snowballs. Her hands were a bit cold when she came in, but she had fun!

Baby D2

So if you couldn't figure it out from the title or Tali's shirt, another baby is on the way! He/she is scheduled to arrive June 13, but I'll be prepared in May just in case this one decides to come early like its big sister. I've barely had the time to tell anyone besides family so I figured this was the best way to do so. I'm sorry if I haven't called or e-mailed you personally to let you know, it's just that the big sister keeps me very busy!

This pregnancy has been a lot different than my last. I'm much more nauseous than last time and have also dealt with a number of other pregnancy symptoms that I didn't have before. And, like most women who are pregnant for the second time, I'm looking bigger quicker. They say your body knows what to do the second time so it does it sooner. The only good news is that I haven't had the asthma problems I had last time.

Some things will be a bit different than with Tali: last time, we chose to have Tali's sex a surprise, but this time we've decided to find out. And other things will remain the same: I am sticking with my doctor in the city, even though it's a bit of a drive (about 1 hour) to get to her. When it came down to it, she's a better doctor (and so are her colleagues) than anyone out here.

So the baby explosion in my family continues. Baby D2 will be the fourth child born in six months (five if it comes early). Poor Tali won't have any cousins/siblings exactly her age, but she'll get to be the older/wiser/bossier one to them all.

Happy Birthday, Tali!

Tali with some of her favorite stuffed animals.

Dear Tali,

Happy Birthday! You turned two today and you've become such a great little girl. It's been amazing to watch you grow this past year. You went from taking your first steps to running around the house and saying your first words to speaking complete sentences. There isn't a shy bone in your body and you are a very active child. In nursery school, your teachers say you are always up for anything and very adventurous on the playground. You are now full of personality and have distinct likes and dislikes.

At this age, your two big loves are food and animals. Luckily, you are still a very good eater. While you don't always want what I offer you, you are still willing to try new foods and eat everything from chili and red beans & rice to beets and broccoli. Your love for animals is a big part of your life. You've never met a dog you didn't like (thanks Jackson!) and will happily pet any animal you come across - in a house or on a farm. Speaking of Jackson, you love him dearly and have become very attached to him. If anyone takes him on a walk without you, you cry his name until he returns. You also enjoy petting him, playing with him, walking him and feeding him.

Some other things you enjoy at this age are:
Books (you know all your books by name and have most of them memorized)
Sesame Street
Stickers (your favorite place to put them is on the back of the sofa)
Stuffed Animals
Gymnastics with Mommy (mainly somersaults and headstands)
Bubbles
Coloring (with markers or chalk)
Sleep

I still remember the screaming baby from two years ago. It's incredible that you've turned into such a fun and happy toddler. You are very creative in your play and make me laugh constantly. Plus, you are very, very cute. Yes, you throw your share of tantrums these days, but the good times we share more than make up for it.

Happy birthday to my favorite two-year-old! I love you and hope you had a wonderful day today.

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Thanks for the three-hour nap! Sorry we had to wake you.

Birthday

Tali's was born on Christmas Eve. Yes, there will be many disadvantages to her actual birth date, but this year there's a huge advantage - she gets to celebrate three times! This past Wednesday, we had a little party for her and Eloise (whose birthday is a week before Tali's) with their friends in the complex. On Thursday, we celebrated her birthday at preschool. And next Friday, her actual birthday, we'll go out to dinner with all of her grandparents. Below is a clip from her birthday celebration at school. H and I brought in some mini-cupcakes for the class. Tali had a great time and, of course, was the last one to leave the table as she was still eating!

New Dog!

Tali's gotten some great Hanukkah/birthday presents this month but one of her favorites was a stuffed dog from my friend Jennifer. It usually takes Tali a couple of days (or more) to warm up to a new stuffed animal, but she took to this one within seconds - partly because it's a dog and partly because it looks real. Jackson loves it too and sometimes Tali has to fend him off.

Snow Boots

Tali got her first pair of snow boots earlier this week. Since they were a bit difficult for her to walk in, I decided to break them in while running errands yesterday. In order to get her to wear them, I had to tell her she was wearing boots like Mommy. So the whole time we were out, she would look at her feet and say "boots like Mommy." It was very cute. She can walk in them now. All we need is some snow!

PS Savta knitted the hat. Isn't it adorable?

Two Cousins for Tali

Twice in one week! Within three days, Tali's first two cousins arrived. What a busy time for my family.

On Saturday, December 11 at 5:15 a.m., Zachary Aiden was born to Judy (H's sister) and Adam. He's a tiny little guy (though bigger than Tali when she was born) at 5 lbs 13 oz. Tali calls him Baby Cousin Sat.

On Tuesday, December 14 at 10:57 p.m., Payton Victoria was born to Ilana (my cousin) and Greg. She weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz. Tali can say Payton perfectly.

We're so thrilled for the new babies in our lives and can't wait to watch them grow!

Nap Time

Tali doesn't like dolls. I think they scare her a bit. But she loves to play with her stuffed animals, which she treats like other girls treat dolls. This past week, she's been putting them down for naps. She tells me it's nap time and changes their diapers. Then she places them on the sofa - usually on their backs. Once they are lying down, I am not allowed to disturb them. If I get near them, she pushes me back (way back) and says "away, away." Sometimes Jackson takes a nap with them and that is allowed. But only Tali knows when they are done with their nap.

Happy Hanukkah!

Or, as Tali would say, Happy Camca!

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. H came home a bit later than normal so I had Tali bathed and ready for bed before we light the candles. Last year, Tali just watched us as we sang. This year, she wanted to hold the candle, she squirmed in our arms and just wasn't as into it. After she opened her present, she decided it was time to do headstands. So she did headstands for a good 20 minutes before H put her to bed.


Today Tali had her class Hanukkah party. It was very cute. We all sat in a circle and sang songs together. Then it was time to eat, which Tali did. She had fruit, vegetables, latkes, a donut, and an edible dreidel. At one point, her boyfriend fed her a carrot! Very cute. She was the last one to leave as she was still eating until they put the food away! But, she had a blast and it was nice to see her with all of her friends.

First Time Cooking with Mommy

It's getting cold up here and our outdoor activities are now pretty limited. So I'm coming up with some new things for Tali to do indoors. One of my ideas is for Tali to start cooking with me. Her nursery school teachers tell me that she loves cooking in class so I figured I'd try it at home. Plus, it's about time she pulls her weight around here. She's almost two - no more free ride.

Tonight, we made cottage cheese pancakes for dinner. She had a blast helping me mix everything together and she then devoured 5 1/2 pancakes in a matter of minutes. So now I'm on the hunt for recipes that Tali and I can do together. I welcome any suggestions with one request: I'd like to try to keep them as healthy as I can.

Teaching mise-en-place at a young age.

Tali mixing the "wet" ingredients.

Cleaning her table.

Yum!

Yum!

Potty Update

Since Friday night, she has asked to go pee pee in her potty each evening at the end of her bath. She's actually peed in the potty two out of those three times. On Sunday evening, she didn't pee. But she was determined to sit there until she did. I explained to her (over and over again) that it's okay if she doesn't pee in the potty. After about 10 minutes, I finally got her off. Tonight I saw her face light up as she was peeing. She definitely knows what she's doing and she's very proud of herself. H and I are still cheering for her each time she does it. (Guess we'll have to stop that sometime before she goes to college.)

I know this process will take time and I do not want to push her into it, but this is a good first step. Hopefully the actual training won't be too messy. I've heard horror stories.

First Pee Pee in the Potty

When: Last night, after her bath

Where: In her potty

Details: Tali's had her own potty (technically a small seat I put on the real potty) for about two months now. During the first month, I put her on the potty every evening when I ran her bath, hoping that the running water would encourage her to pee. It never did. After about a month, she didn't want to sit on the potty anymore so I didn't force her. I figured she'd want to go back when she was ready. Last night at the end of her bath, Tali said to me "poop, potty" so I took her out of the tub, put her on the potty and wrapped her towel around her so she wouldn't freeze. Then she sat, and sat and sat.

After about five minutes, nothing had come out so I asked her if she wanted to get off the potty. She didn't. And then few minutes later, I heard it - she peed! I immediately started cheering for her and telling her what a good job she did. As soon as I stopped, H came in and started cheering for her. Then Jackson came upstairs to see what all the commotion was about. Tali was so excited and proud of herself. She was cheering as well. Now I think she gets it. I know we're nowhere close to being potty trained, but it's a step.

Hooray for Tali!

First Real Sandwich

When H and I have sandwiches for lunch on the weekend, I usually give Tali a deconstructed version. She likes turkey and salami, tomato, cheese, etc. So I just put the pieces on her tray and she munches away while we eat the same items stuffed between two pieces of bread. But on Friday I decided to try and give Tali an actual sandwich. We picked up Subway for lunch and I got her a kid's meal. She had a salami, cheese, tomato and green pepper sandwich. Believe it or not, their kid's sandwiches are actually 6 inches so I cut it in half and gave her a 3-inch sandwich. She ate the first half of the sandwich just like a real sandwich. But then she saw a piece of tomato sticking out and that was the end of it. She opened the sandwich, ate the tomato and then ate the rest of the cheese and salami. I was proud of her effort.

Trip To New Orleans

About two weeks ago, Tali and I went down to New Orleans for a quick visit. We saw Gran, Grandpa, Aunt Cara, Granny and Papa. Tali had a blast and is still talking about the trip. Here's a quick recap:

Tali on the plane, in her safety restraint and listening to the TV.

Plane ride down: The flight wasn't that full so Tali had her own seat - hooray! The day before, I bought her a seatbelt/aviation restraint that mimics her car seat straps and it held her in pretty securely. Unlike last time she had her own seat, she couldn't easily get out. But, it's a long flight and my very active daughter couldn't sit in the seat the whole time. A very friendly flight attendant came over to chat with her and Tali took that as her cue to entertain him for the rest of flight. He saw her "happy feet," met her stuffed animals (lion, puppy) and her blanket, and she told him all about her life. There was only one meltdown the entire flight and no nap.

Tali playing with Grandpa at the zoo.

New Orleans: Tali had a blast. The weather was great so she spent a lot of time outside. Gran really wore her out and she took some pretty long naps while there. Tali had a lot of fun with Aunt Cara, Grandpa, Granny and Papa as well. But the best part of the trip was taking Tali to the zoo. New Orleans has a great zoo and a fabulous petting zoo area. That was the first place we took Tali when we arrived at the zoo. Unfortunately, about five elementary schools had the same idea and it was packed. So Tali played there for a little while and then we went to look at all the animals she sees in her books. After lunch, we returned to the petting zoo and it was pretty empty - she was the only kid there. Tali had a blast petting the goats and sheep (which she could tell apart). She hugged them, kissed them and sat next to them while they napped. The adults that came in were so amazed with how comfortable this little girl was with all of the animals. When it was time to go, she had no problem telling us goodbye so that we could leave her there with the animals! I actually had to carry her out, kicking and screaming.

Petting a sheep.

Chatting with a goat.

Kissing a goat.

Plane Ride Home: The ride home wasn't as eventful for Tali as the ride down. We flew during lunch time so she spent most of the flight eating. I brought some food with me and ordered two boxes of food for us to share - one cheese combo and one salami/cheese combo. The flight home was full so Tali sat on my lap and was pretty good. Near the end of the flight, she did get up to walk around the plane a bit but we spent most of the time in our seat. I was hoping she might nap on this flight, but no luck.

Ears

On Thursday morning, Tali figured out how to plug her ears with her fingers. We were in her room listening to music and while I was changing her diaper she stuck her fingers in her ears. She smiled, took them out, then did it again. She then did it over and over again for about five minutes, pleased with what she had discovered. Since then, she's been doing it often. She thinks it's very funny. So do I.

First Ride in the Front Seat of A Car

When it comes to Tali's safety, I'm a stickler for the rules. But yesterday I had to make an exception.

We were on our way to meet her friend Eloise for lunch when a light came on in my car and told me to check my engine coolant. I had no idea what that meant but was about 5 minutes from our destination so I drove, parked and started to look in the manual. As I'm reading, someone knocked on my window to tell me that there was smoke coming from the hood of my car. I knew there was a problem.

After 30 minutes of phone calls and Tali screaming in the restaurant the whole time, I had arranged to have my car towed to the Audi service station for repair. This is where the front seat comes in. I had no way of getting to the service station myself except to ride in the front of the tow truck and Tali would have to join us. So the driver kindly installed her seat into the middle spot and he and I sat on either side of her while we rode the 25 minutes. She loved it! Tali had such a great time that she didn't even notice there was no music (a must for her in the car). I'm sure she'll talk about and remember the ride for quite some time.

New Pada

Last week, Tali put on my shirt and immediately proclaimed it "new pada" (Tali speak for new pajamas). As if saying that the shirt is now hers makes it so. She proceeded to wear it the rest of the afternoon/evening and refused to take it off to eat dinner. I managed to get it back when it was time for her to undress for her bath. But now I'm kind of afraid to wear it again. She might get upset that it's on me and not in her pajama drawer.

Nursemaid Elbow

Today, Tali partially dislocated her left elbow for the second time in two weeks. The injury is called Nursemaid Elbow and is a common occurrence in preschool children and usually happens when the child is being swung by her arms or pulled up/away from something. It occurs more often in girls and usually with the left elbow. For some children, it happens often and for others it just never happens. The doctor said that her ligaments are simply more loose but that over time she will grow out of it.

The first time it happened, Tali didn't want to leave preschool and sat on the ground in the middle of the parking lot. I pulled her up and snap! We actually went to the grocery store and it wasn't until she started saying "arm" in the cart that I realized something was wrong. She wouldn't move her arm and complained when I picked her up or tried to move her arm into the car seat strap.

Today, Tali was trying to go to a puppy who I don't let her play with. This time, I felt it snap. We went home, had lunch (the doctor's office was closed for lunch) and then went to get her elbow relocated (and a flu shot, since we were there). On the way there, Tali was saying, "elbow," "doctor" and "again." It was kinda funny.

This time, the doctor showed me how to do it myself as it will likely happen again. It's very easy. So if you take care of Tali, please remind me to show you how to fix her elbow.


NOTE TO THE GRANDMOTHERS: This is really no big deal so please don't freak out! It doesn't seem to hurt Tali that much and is easily fixed. She will tell you when it happens by saying "elbow" and "doctor" and if you know what to do, then it'll be fixed in seconds and she's on her way. Just like putting a Band-Aid on a scraped knee.

First Hand-Me Down

Tali's the oldest (technically the "only" for another few months) sibling or cousin so she doesn't have anyone to receive hand-me downs from. But today she got her first hand-me down from her friend Autumn. It was a winter coat that Autumn received as a gift but never used as it was the wrong size for her last winter (funny enough, this was a hand-me-down for Autumn from someone who it never fit either). Tali got the coat today and it fits her perfectly. The sleeves are actually a teeny tiny bit short, but it's better than her current coat where the sleeves are so long that she had trouble getting her hands out (see today's preschool picture). Thanks, Autumn!

She's So Smart

Today Tali was given a Dora the Explorer sticker. It was the first time I'd explained to her who Dora was. (She's never seen the show.) Tonight, Tali was looking at her cup and started saying "Dora" because Dora is on her cup. I was impressed.

More about preschool

This was Tali's first full week at preschool. On Tuesday I left the room for a little while but had to go back in after about 15 minutes. I stayed for about 10 minutes then left again and she was fine for the rest of class. Today I left and managed to stay out of the room the whole time! Tali was great. She and Boden (see previous post) played together and the teacher said she had a good time. Next Tuesday I can officially leave the building after I've dropped her off. I'm glad she's adjusted well, especially being the youngest in the class, but now I'm a bit sad that I'm going to miss all the cute things she does in nursery school. They should have cameras in the classroom!

First Boyfriend

Tali has her first boyfriend. His name is Boden and he is the cutest boy in her nursery school class (she's the cutest girl, of course). The teacher told us that they played together for most of the class - kitchen, water table, Play-Doh, etc. When we (the moms) went to pick them up from the playground at the end of class, Tali and Boden were on a see-saw together having a blast! They then followed each other around the playground for a while and ended by playing in the house. He was playing peek-a-bo0 with her and poking her. She thought it was funny. We thought it was adorable. Tali calls him Boned.

Apples and Animals

On Monday H and I took Tali apple picking and to a petting zoo. We drove about 45 minutes away to reach the apple orchard/petting zoo. It was both my and Tali's first time apple picking and we had a great time. Tali enjoyed the ride up to the orchard and once there, we gave her a task. Her job was to put the apples that we picked into the bag. She happily did her job the whole time we were up there.

After the apple picking, we took Tali across the street to the petting zoo. Unlike the petting zoo I grew up with, you don't actually get to be in the same pens as the animals. Here, you can feed the animals but they stay in gated areas. I thought this might be a good thing for Tali as she is sometimes a bit scared of animals that aren't dogs. I was a bit concerned that Tali would eat the animal feed, so we just watched her closely and H held the feed cup. Tali LOVED the petting zoo! She saw deer, sheep, llams, peacocks, deer, goats, buffalo and more. And she had a blast feeding them all. Tali loved that they licked the feed right out of her hand. Each time they were done, she'd turn to H and say "more." Luckily, it didn't even occur to her to eat the feed herself. The only downside to this petting zoo was that Tali did want to get in the pens with the animals. A number of times, she started climbing the fences and saying "in." Guess our next petting zoo will have to be one where she can actually pet the animals.

Nursery School Update

I've been waiting to write an update because I wanted to get a few more classes under her belt before I reported on how she was doing. But, today Tali had a runny nose (each time it ran, she would come over to me and say "runin" so that I could wipe it) so I kept her home. Therefore, this post only involves Tuesday.

After all the kids had arrived and settled, the teachers told the moms it was time to leave the classroom. At the previous class, Tali was the only one who didn't cry. But when all the moms (but me) came back in to comfort their kids, she cried that I didn't join them. This time, only one girl cried - and she was hysterical. All of those tears made Tali cry so both moms were asked to come back in the room. (To be fair, Tali and this other girl are the youngest in the class and I'm sure that has something to do with it.) The other kids were fine, even with us there. I was hoping that today would be better, but now I'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out.

At snack time, all the moms were invited to come in as it was one of the kids birthdays and the mom brought mini-cupcakes for everyone. The kids were already sitting down with their apple and animal crackers when the cupcakes came out. One girl, upon seeing the cupcakes, poured her plate of apples and crackers on the table then held it out and shouted "cake!" Not Tali. She went right on eating her apple (which she'd been asking for during half of the class). Each kid picked their cupcake, ignored their fruit, and devoured every last crumb. Not Tali. She would eat a bit of the frosting and go back to her apple. After the kids were finished, the moms packed them up and left. Not Tali. She asked for more apple. Tali and I stayed in the room for an extra 15 minutes so she could eat all of the leftover apple that hadn't been served to her classmates. (The teachers were cleaning up so it wasn't as if they were waiting on us.)

In the end, Tali only ate the frosting (and mini M&Ms that were on top) of her cupcake. She was much more interested in the apple. I was very proud to see her make such a healthy choice at such a young age. Hopefully that will continue.

Meet Tati

Who is Tati? Well, Tati is what Tali calls herself. But it's also what she calls Jackson. She can actually say his name, but she chooses to call him Tati. I've tried and tried to get her to call him Jackson, but she simply wants to call him by her name. If you ask her "where's Mommy?" she'll say "mommy" and point to me. Same with Daddy and Tali (but she says "Tati"). If you ask her where's Jackson, she'll point to him but instead of repeating Jackson, she'll say "Tati."

She asks for "Tati" if he doesn't come into her room with me in the morning when she wakes up. She points to him and says "Tati" when she wants to pet him. And she'll say "Tati" when she's playing tug with him.

I can only assume that it's a sign of affection that she's calling him by her name but it is a bit strange. She'll grow out of it eventually. In the meantime, she might just give poor Jackson an identity crisis.

Bless You

This morning I was coughing while making breakfast (had a cold last week and the cough always takes forever to leave) and Tali looked at me and said "bless you" each time I coughed. It was very cute and made me smile. So, thought I'd share.

First Combined Words

Last night, Tali put two words together for the first time. Yes, she'll say please after she asks for something, but I don't really count that as it was something she was taught and not something she figured out on her own.

So, what was her first word combo? "Agua bye-bye." It was the end of Tali's bath and as the water was draining from the tub, she said it. Her words made complete sense in the context of the situation and she came up with them on her own.

First Day of Nursery School

Yup, that's right. Tali started nursery school today. I'm now the parent of a school-aged child. She'll go two days a week for about two hours. There are two teachers in the classroom and Dan and I met them at Parent's Night yesterday evening. This school has a great reputation for its academics as well as giving children a good Jewish foundation. I'm happy we're sending her there, even if it won't be for the whole four years. (Hopefully we'll buy a house and move at some point before she starts kindergarten!)

Tali's nursery school does a gradual separation process so the moms/nannys are in the room or school for about a month until the child is fully comfortable in the classroom. We sit in the back of the room and are there simply for support, if needed. We don't encourage or play with the kids. There are a total of seven kids in Tali's class (three girls, four boys) and today they were broken up into two groups. Tali came for the first hour with the other girls and one boy. The three other boys came for the second hour. It will be like this for a few classes before all seven kids are in one room together. So today I got to watch her and snap some pictures.

They started off with play time - didn't take any pictures as I didn't want to distract her. Tali went right to the Play-doh and put it in her mouth, of course. Once she realized it didn't taste good, she had a great time playing with it. She also played at their water table and had a blast. After playtime was over, there was circle time and the moms were invited to join and sing songs. Then there was snack (Tali ate everything) and it was time to go.

Tali's first day was very successful. No tears. She didn't cling to me. She only came to me once or twice to show me something. But, she went to my handbag about five times looking/asking for food even though she had a big breakfast. I think she's going to love nursery school. I've already picked out the girl who I believe is going to be her good friend. They're just alike - very outgoing.

At my handbag, looking/asking for food.

Snacktime - apples and graham crackers, yum!

Drinking (spilling) her water in a cubby.

Parrot

These days, Tali is a parrot. She repeats almost everything I say, whether I want her to or not. Since got back from vacation a week ago, she's learned at least three or four new words a day. It's impressive how many words she's accumulated and how she knows when to use them. Some of her favorite words are:

music (moo-see)
more
mama
toes
shoes
blanket (blah-tees)
puppies
no no no
light
help (hep)
mango (mamo)

Her vocabulary is quite large now, but these are the words I hear at least 20 times a day. This is such a fun age. We're having a good time together and Tali makes me laugh all the time. I wish I could just keep her at this age.

Vacation

It's been a while since I posted anything but that's because everyone went on vacation. H and I went to Italy (Amalfi Coast then Tuscany) and Tali and Jackson went to New York City. Everyone had a great time. Tali learned how to say "please" and Jackson learned how to guilt trip Savta and Saba into taking him out all the time. Above are some pictures from Tali's vacation. On her second day she went to lunch at Cafe Boulud and Savta snapped a few fantastic shots.

Coxsackie

Today I learned that Tali has coxsackie. It's a highly contagious virus in children under 5 years old and very prevalent in the summer. Her first symptoms appeared on Saturday. She threw up Saturday morning and in the evening she developed a fever of 102. By Sunday the fever was gone. On Monday, she developed an usual diaper rash that looked more like chicken pox than a rash. I was told to give it three days and then go to the doctor if it didn't go away. But yesterday she developed blisters on her feet. I thought it might be from her shoes but decided to take her to the doctor today if they didn't go away. I had a feeling that all of these things were related but just didn't know how. In about 5 seconds, the doctor told me Tali had coxsackie. Then she looked at the blisters (there's also one in her mouth) and confirmed that is what she has. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for this. It just has to run its course. It usually takes a week.

I am trying hard to figure out how she got this. It's most common in playgrounds and swimming pools - neither of which she's been to recently. My best guess is that she got it at the grocery store. I put a cover on her cart, but she often lifts it up and touches the handle. Guess I need to start disinfecting the handle before I put he cover on.

Shoes!

Tali loves shoes.

She likes to go in my closet and play with my shoes. She pulls them out, tries them on and even picks out which ones I should wear.

We recently went house hunting and had to remove our shoes at the front door. When it was time to go, she handed all five adults their shoes (with only one mistake).

This past week, she reached a major shoe milestone: she can now put on her shoes by herself! She still needs guidance as to which shoe goes on which foot, but she can get them on. She's very proud of herself when she does this and says "yeah" afterward. And, when asked, she can easily take her shoes off.

Words

The words have finally started coming. They started about two weeks ago and now there is a new one every day. Some words are things I've worked hard to teach her - such as go, shoes and yes - and others she just picks up. Yesterday's word was "Gia." She said it all day. Over and over again. She doesn't really know what it means but she just likes saying the word. (If I ask her to find Mommy, Daddy or Jackson, she'll point to the right person/animal. But if I ask her where Gia is, she just stares at me.)

Here are two recent words. The first one H taught her because she babbles a lot with the "g" sound.

A Great Compliment

Today I took Tali to Baskin Robbins to pick up my birthday cake. She went there for the first time last week, to order the cake, and we shared a kid's cup of mint chocolate chip (my favorite!). As soon as we walked in today, she remembered they have ice cream, went straight to the cooler and started whining for it. I wanted to get in and out quickly so I told her that we weren't going to have ice cream this time. That was not okay with her. So, for the majority of the 15 minutes we were there (it took forever!), she begged for ice cream. And I let her beg.

As we were leaving, one of the customers, an older woman, commended me for not giving in to Tali. She said she sees so many parents that just give in to their kids to keep them quiet and then they have bratty kids and don't understand why.

For me, that was a wonderful compliment. I often get looks that seem to say "just give her what she wants to keep her quiet" and it was refreshing to see someone who gets it. Yes, Tali, I am the boss. You can save it for your therapist.

Tucking it Away

Tali has a yellow security blanket that she sleeps with and often carries around the house. Lately, she has been putting it in and out of one of my desk drawers. The funny thing about this is that when she puts it in, she has to make sure it is completely inside. If there's a corner of the blanket sticking out, she opens the drawer to tuck it in. She isn't satisfied until the blanket is fully inside the drawer. Then, of course, she takes it out to do it again.

Unusually Cute

Yesterday I took Tali to the bank. She loves the bank and has a great time running around and climbing on the furniture. The staff and tellers all love her so she gets plenty of attention.

While waiting in line, one of the customers said to me: "Your daughter is unusually cute." I thanked her and answered her questions (age, name, etc.). But then I started to wonder what she meant. Unusually cute? Does that mean she's unusual looking but cute anyway? Or does she not normally find toddlers cute so she thought it was unusual that Tali is so cute? Hmmmm....

Punishment

This morning, I was giving Tali a snack (dried mango - her favorite) when one slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. Of course, Jackson was right there to catch it. Tali saw what he did, knew it was wrong and tried to punish him by telling him "too bad" (our phrase to send him to his crate for punishment) in her own words. Unfortunately, hers sounds like "mmm ba" so Jackson didn't understand. When he didn't go to his crate, Tali walked over to it, opened the door and said "mmm ba" again! The doctor says that she won't understand punishment until she's two. I beg to differ.

Proud Mom

Yesterday, Tali did two things that made me very proud:

1. I gave Tali a snack to hold her over while I made her lunch. When she was done, she opened the garbage can and threw it away!

2. At the end of the day, I play a clean-up song for Tali and try to engage her in helping me clean up. Usually, she just looks at the computer (where the music is coming from) and smiles/dances. If I try to get her to help, she'll do one small thing then go back to the music. Last night, I brought her over to the floor where her beads were and told her she needed to clean them up. She put every bead in the box and then closed the lid.

Now if only I could get her to do the dishes.

There Goes My Good Eater

When we went to the pediatrician for Tali's 16 month check-up, the doctor warned me that Tali's eating habits might start to change. She isn't growing as rapidly as she was so she might eat smaller quantities and become more picky. I listened to what she said but kept my fingers crossed that this wouldn't happen. Well, it did. The second part, at least.

I wouldn't classify Tali as a picky eater because she still eats a wide variety of foods. I would instead say that she's learning how to have her own opinion. For example, yesterday she loved baked beans and kept asking for more. Today, however, she spit them out. I know she likes them, she just didn't want to eat them today. (To be fair, I wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday either.)

This new ability, to create her own opinion about food, is making it hard on me. If I make something for lunch, how will I know if today is a day she'll eat it? She can't tell me what she's in the mood for. And there's no rhyme or reason for why she doesn't want something. She just doesn't.

A parenting decision I have made is not to enter fights that I cannot win. Food and sleep fall into that category. I cannot force something down her throat and I cannot force her to sleep. I can offer her food to eat and I can put her in her crib for a designated period of time, but if she doesn't eat it or doesn't nap, I cannot force her.

Regarding food, I try not to provide Tali with too many options. I don't want to get in the habit of making five meals to figure out what she'll eat. But now I'm trying to navigate this new territory and at quite a loss. I'm sure I'll figure it out. I just miss my good eater!

Jackson Takes The Lead

Up until recently, when Tali and Jackson played together, Tali was usually the instigator. But ever since Jackson recovered from his surgery, he has embraced Tali as a playmate and he often takes the lead.

(Most of you have never heard Jackson bark, but you will here. He only barks when he's really excited to play.)

Taking After Grandpa

Tali is quite the little magician these days. She loves to hide herself, her toys and her food. Here she is hiding her snack (freeze-dried peaches) last week.

Mess

Or, as Tali would say "meh."

I know toddlers are messy but today was just too much. This morning at the end of breakfast, Tali put some milk her in mouth then just opened her mouth to let the milk pour down her dress (she does this sometimes). So, I wiped her dress clean. At lunch, she got pickle juice all over her head and then let milk pour out of her mouth down her dress. So, I wet her hair to get some of the juice out and wiped her dress. At dinner, she put egg down the back of her dress, dripped rice pudding down the front and then let milk pour out of her mouth again. At this point, I just gave up and let her be messy.

Friends

Tali has three little girl friends in the complex - Eloise, Samantha and Autumn. They see each other regularly on walks and play dates. Today we went to the playground to meet Eloise and Samantha. When we arrived, the girls were in the back and we had to walk through quite a few kids to get to them. As soon as Tali saw them, she started smiling and waving. They smiled and waved back. It was so cool to see that she really knows and recognizes her friends.

It's 5:00 Somewhere...

This past week, Tali has figured out how to open the liquor cabinet. Unfortunately, this isn't a cabinet that can be childproofed so now I have to be extra careful with her. She seems to go there if she feels that I am not paying attention to her. And, she always goes for the same bottle - the gin. I'm not sure what this says about her as a person, but as a mom it makes me nervous.

Dress Up

I'm not sure what age it's supposed to start, but for Tali, dressing up her dog started this morning. Tali LOVES wearing Mardi Gras beads and plays with them almost daily. Today, after she put them on me, she decided to put them on Jackson. He was a pretty good sport. Poor dog.

More Freebies from Whole Foods

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Tali got a free shopping bag and mini bag of chips from Whole Foods. Today, she got a new gift - two chocolate chip cookies! This girl literally ate her way through the grocery store today with free samples (mini muffin, cheese cubes, chocolate cake, grilled salmon) and then the bakery thought she was so cute that they gave her two cookies. I only gave her one and she had a blast. Who knew that one little cookie could make such a big mess?

When She Grows Up

I find it funny when people try to predict what their young child will be when they grow up. My guess is very few of these predictions actually come true. But, for fun, I'm going to give it a shot. Here are my top three career choices for Tali, based on her preferences as a one-and-a-half year old:

Chef - Tali is a fantastic eater. With the exception of mushrooms and lettuce, she will eat almost anything you put in front of her. For example, on Saturday she had an olive tapenade on bread and today she had red beans and rice.

Veterinarian - Tali loves dogs. Loves dogs. Her new favorite place is the vet's office (we've been there a lot recently). Every time she's there, she plays with the other dogs waiting for their appointment. She gives random dogs hugs and kisses and giggles every time they whack her with their tail or kiss her face.

Actress - Tali puts on a show for everyone who comes over. It's hard to explain, but she simply shows off for guests. It's always very cute, and very funny.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The culprits.

Poor Jackson has had the worst week of his life this past week.

On Tuesday evening, he began hesitating when jumping up on the sofa. He also didn't want to go upstairs. So I called the vet on Wednesday and made an appointment to go in on Thursday. The vet determined that he had a bulging disk in his back so he gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and a prescription for the next week.

On Friday morning, Jackson threw up. Within the course of the next two hours, he threw up three more times. So off to the vet we went - again. The vet didn't feel anything large in his stomach or throat, and in order to avoid the unnecessary stress of an X-ray, the vet decided it would be best to assume that he ate something he shouldn't have. So Jackson fasted for the day. I gave him a bit of food (a chicken and rice formula - not his usual) and water the next morning and he threw up again.

We took Jackson back to the vet on Saturday morning and they did an X-ray. They saw something small at the top of his large intestine and determined that he needed surgery immediately to remove the blockage. The vet found a chapstick cap and two office-type rubber bands. He must've picked up these things outside since we do not have any of those items in our home.

Jackson stayed at the vet that evening, all day/night Sunday and all day Monday. I picked him up at 5:15 this afternoon, brought him home, offered him some food (which he refused) and water. At 7:45, he began throwing up the water (three times). I spoke to the vet and apparently he drank too much. He seems to be doing okay now but I must watch him closely tomorrow.

Poor little Jackson. Such a sweet dog. Such a terrible week.

Tali Speak

Tali is finally starting to say some words and it's very exciting. However, unless you are me, you won't understand most of them. So here's a little dictionary to help you out:

Done: done
Bah bah: bye bye
Zzzzz: vacuum
Nah bah: too bad (what I say to Jackson when I punish him to his crate - she repeats or says it if he goes into his crate on his own)
Uh ah: uh oh
Uh uh: this is naughty/wrong (but I'm going to do it anyway!)
Dah dah: dog
Da: what's that

Her Mother's Daughter

Meet Mini-Me.

Life Without

I know I've said this before, but I simply cannot imagine Tali's life without Jackson. She truly loves him. She gives him hugs and kisses all day, he has the ability to calm her when she cries (I simply ask her "where's Jackson?" and she stops crying to go find him) and they play so well together.

H took this video of them playing a few weeks ago but somehow it got lost in the shuffle and I never had a chance to post it. After about 5 minutes of playing together, H decided that he should capture a bit of it on camera. This session lasted 10 minutes - giving me lots of time to get the dishes done - yipee!

Bye Bye

Gran's in town and today she and Tali played a fun game. It made us laugh. Hope it makes you laugh, also.

First Animal Sound

For the past few weeks, Tali has been making a panting sound in reference to Jackson and other dogs. (Jackson doesn't bark, so, to her, that is what a dog sounds like.) Today, I decided to teach her how to do that on command. It took about two minutes.

Dancing in Circles

Over the weekend, H and I bought Tali some new toys. One of them is a piano, and it has quickly become a new favorite. She likes to press the music keys and dance in circles until she gets dizzy and falls down. It's very funny to watch.

Here's some more. Post fall.

Three Funny Things

1. When we're on a walk, Tali points out every dog we see. She gets upset if the dog doesn't want to play with Jackson.

2. Tali often drinks too fast and coughs. So, I pat her back. Now, she coughs and pats her chest.

3. If you ask Tali where her nose is, she touches it. Then, she picks it.

Bad Mom: Didn't Do My Research

About six months ago, I became friends with one of my neighbors who has a daughter a week older than Tali. One day we were having a conversation about diapers and she told me why she uses cloth diapers. As she's explaining this to me, I am thinking to myself "this sounds like something I would do, I wonder why I never researched it." I never bought formula, I never bought a can of baby food, why am I buying disposable diapers?

I never regretted my decision until now. Thanks to Pampers, I truly wish I had done some diaper research before we had Tali. Pampers recently introduced a new line of diapers with "Dry Max" technology. Unfortunately, many claim that this new technology (which Pampers claims is thinner and more absorbent) has a nasty chemical that is giving babies an awful diaper rash. Recently, Tali had the worst diaper rash I've ever seen. It was like someone burned her - ouch! This diaper rash, which happened about two weeks ago, lasted for four days. It was so bad that she cried when she sat down in the bathtub (I had to bathe her standing up) and screamed whenever I put diaper cream on her. After the rash was over, another friend told me that some people were complaining about Pampers burning their kids and it seems like exactly what happened to Tali. But as I had just purchased a huge box of Pampers I decided to continue to use them and see if the rash came back.

This morning, when I changed Tali's diaper I noticed the burn was starting to reappear. I put diaper cream on her all day but now it's getting worse. So tonight, after I put Tali down, I went out to buy organic disposable diapers. I'm just hoping it's not too late and that the burn won't be terrible in the morning. It's probably too late in Tali's life to switch to cloth but I'm not ruling it out.

The worst part about this whole thing is that Pampers is denying that there is a problem! They claim that all of these moms are lying. I'm angry. I'm not sure I'll ever buy Pampers again.

I burned my arm on the oven last weekend and it hurt for a few hours. I can't even begin to imagine what Tali's burn must've felt like. I was telling this story to a friend this evening and she responded by saying that Pampers should be accused of child abuse. I agree. If someone knowingly burned a child, that is child abuse. I feel awful for keeping Tali in Pampers after the first burn. No more. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of those diapers but I'll figure something out. I don't even want to donate them and risk another child getting burned. Any suggestions, let me know.

We Are Pacifier Free!

On her 17-month birthday, Tali went to bed without her pacifier - officially saying goodbye to one of the few things that could calm her during her first year of life. About 8 minutes after H and I put her down, she stood up in her crib and cried for 30 seconds. It took her an entire hour and a half to fall asleep, but she did it. She tossed, she turned, she talked but - except for that 30 seconds - she did not scream. Now we can get rid of all the pacifiers and find a new use for that top middle drawer in her dresser.

Congratulations, Tali. This is a major milestone.

First Real Word

Yes, Tali says "mama" and "dada" but I'm not sure that she really relates them to us on a regular basis. She also says "dada" every time she sees a dog or wants to know what something is.

Another word she says often is "done" and I am going to call this as her first real word. Although she says this throughout the day in relation to things that aren't done, she also uses it appropriately at meals.

When Tali is finished eating (either a type of food or an entire meal), she says "done" and raises her arms to her shoulders with her hands turned out (as if she's doing the sign for "I don't know"). If you give her more food after she says "done," she crushes it in her hand and gives it back to you. She's done. Tali will also say "done" when she sees that a bowl/plate of food is empty.

So, "done" is Tali's first word. I'm not sure what that means for her future (will she finish everything she starts or will she just declare things done when she's had enough?), but we will see.

Second Nap

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Tali took her morning nap, sans pacifier, without a tear. She was perfectly content to lay down without anything plugged into her mouth - only her blankets to soothe her. So I decided that Wednesday afternoon would be the first day of pacifier removal for the afternoon nap. When I put her down there were no complaints. But, she didn't sleep. She talked for an hour but no nap. I don't think this had anything to do with the pacifier. She took an almost two hour morning nap so perhaps she just wasn't tired. If she continues to be fine during the afternoon nap then I will remove the pacifier at bedtime this weekend. I have a feeling she might be upset about that one but we'll see. Either way, this might take less time than I had thought.

Pacifier Update

The pacifier removal is going better than I thought it would.

On day three (I left her with Savta that morning), she cried for 7 minutes then played for 30 minutes then slept for about 40 minutes.

On day four she cried for 10 minutes then went right to sleep. She slept for 1 1/2 hours!

Day five's nap was in the car on the way into the city to meet a friend so that didn't count.

And for day six (today) she cried for about 30 seconds and went right to sleep. She was laying down before I even made it downstairs to turn on the monitor. She slept for 1 1/2 hours again. To be honest, I cheated a little. She slept until 9:30 this morning (yes, it was nice; no, I didn't sleep in also) so I skipped her 11:00 nap and just put her down after lunch, around 1:30. She was very tired by this point so it was easy.

I think I'm going to wait to remove the pacifier from the next nap until Tali can go to sleep without crying for two or three days. I'm hoping that'll be soon. But, it's going well. So even if it is a slow process I can see it working and I'm proud of myself for sticking it out. Listening to your daughter scream is tough, especially if you know you can fix it.

Cool New Trick

When we first got Jackson, we taught him lots of tricks. The one trick I never got around to teaching him was to sneeze on command (yes, it's possible). The idea was to ask him if he was allergic to cats and then have him sneeze.

But now my daughter can cough on command. I didn't teach it to her, it just kind of happened. She thinks coughing is funny and will fake cough so that you mimic her. She now knows the word "cough" and will do it when asked.

Yum!

One afternoon during our trip to New Orleans, Tali was hungry (as usual) and was reaching for the tomato on the counter. So I gave it to her to see what she would do with it.






I finally got smart and took off her dress so that it wouldn't get ruined.