First Skinned Knees

Where: In New Orleans

When: Monday

Details: Since Tali wasn't walking (or even crawling) last summer and since her walking began when it was winter/pants season, Tali has spent the first four months of her walking life without a scrape on her knees. But that all changed on Monday. She skinned her right knee at lunch that day, running around an outdoor cafe while she waited for her food to arrive. Later that afternoon she skinned her left knee walking up and down the curb (she loves that little "hill"). Neither scrape was major and she kept on playing.

That night I put Neosporin and Band-Aids on both knees. The left knee was healed by the morning and the right knee is almost better. I'm sure this is just the first of many, many skinned knees. As long as no bones were broken, it's fine by me. Two of her other little friends have already fallen face down into concrete and had lovely scrapes across their faces as souvenires. I can live a few scrapes on the knees.

Papa's 90th Birthday

One of the few good pictures with Tali.

My favorite picture.

Tali eating the bread brought for the ducks.

Tali asking for some of Aunt Ilana's drink.



The goose that crashed the picture.

This past weekend we celebrated Papa's 90th birthday. Tali had a great time at the family events.

On Saturday, we had brunch at Commander's Palace, one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. Tali tried many new foods and enjoyed them all. She had garlic bread for the first time and couldn't get enough! Tali ate pancakes, which she liked once I added syrup, and she sampled my bread pudding - yum! But her favorite food was ice cream. Although she had never seen or eaten it before, she knew it was something good from the moment they put the bowl on the table. Tali was playing on the floor when the bowl was set down and she immediately ran over to her spot to sign for help and that she wanted to eat (yes, she's smart enough to make baby sentences at 16 months - as long as they involve food). Then she went to the corner to try and climb in her high chair! We put her in, strapped on the bib and Tali was in heaven. She loved the vanilla ice cream with strawberries.

Between courses at Commander's a group of musicians came in to the room to perform. Tali enjoyed the music and particularly loved the double bass. The first time they played, I walked her over to the bass and placed her hand on it to feel the vibration. The next two times they came into the room, she walked over to the bass herself. She had such a great time at Commander's and was very well behaved for the entire three hours.

On Sunday, Papa's actual birthday, we went to the park for family pictures. Tali wasn't so cooperative for the pictures as there were many more interesting things to see and do. About halfway through she told me she was hungry and thirsty. Since I was unprepared (bad Mom!), she had some ice from Aunt Ilana's iced coffee drink and some bread that Aunt Sue had brought to feed the ducks. Tali chased the ducks, walked up and down the steps, pet the dogs, played in the grass and dirt, and tried to take a swim in the water. She had a blast!

Half A Moler

Yesterday, when Tali was screaming because she didn't want to be put in the car seat, I discovered something fascinating. Tali has half a moler tooth on the top right side of her mouth. I'm not sure when it came in but it's there. I guess I've never seen it because I haven't really looked. She only has five teeth (well, 5 1/2 now) so it never occurred to me to check for molers. But with her head tilted back and mouth wide open to scream I had a clear view. Now we just need the rest of her teeth so she can eat everything and I can stop worrying if a food is soft enough for her.

Because It's Funny

The other day I purchased a frame for Tali's first artwork. We're going to hang it somewhere in our home. We're not doing it because we think she's some sort of artistic genius, but because we think it's funny. So if you come to visit and see her artwork in our living room feel free to chuckle. It's there for your amusement.

Small Animals

When it comes to dogs, Tali has no fear. She'll walk right up to a 75 pound dog to pet and hug her (as she did today). But smaller animals petrify her.

On Monday, Tali met her first bird - a grey parrot that lives at the liquor store. The cage was being cleaned so they brought the parrot over to us. I pet the parrot to show Tali it was okay. Then she pet the parrot and it made a noise. Tali got scared and held me tight, very tight.

Today we went to the pet store to get some food for Jackson. After Tali played with every dog in the store, I took her over to the bunnies. There were two in a clear plastic cage and she was very intrigued. She smiled, pointed and followed them around. So we took one out for her to pet. One quick touch and that was all it took. Tali clung to me. The guy who had taken the bunny out for us had a parakeet on his shoulder. Tali looked at the parakeet, he made a noise and she buried her head in my shoulder.

So for now, we'll just stick to dogs.

A Whole New View of the World

Today Tali and I went to get her car seat turned around. I was so excited for her to finally face forward and see everything. She, of course, had no idea what was going on. It took the guy about 30 minutes to do it and he ended up having to use a pool noodle (cut in half and taped together) to properly secure the car seat. Meanwhile, Tali dragged the groceries around the parking lot and then walked up and down a ramp about 50 times.




Tali actually pitched a fit when I tried to put her in the car seat. She was having too much fun in the parking lot! But once I got her secure, she realized something had changed. For the rest of the day, Tali enjoyed her new view and smiled every time I looked back at her.

Family Portriat

Last summer, H purchased a lot of fancy camera equipment so that we could take family pictures at home. However, there was one problem that he did not foresee: Someone needs to stand behind the camera to entertain Tali and make her smile. So after months and months of saying we were going to do it, we finally went and got our first family portrait.

Yesterday we went to the Sears portrait studio. Most of the photographers in this area are outrageously expensive (their sitting fee costs as much as the entire package we purchased at Sears) so I decided to give Sears a try. While it may not have been the most upscale place to go, it worked out just fine. The woman taking the photos got Tali to smile and took some good shots. And about 15 minutes after the pictures were taken, we were able to view them on the computer and select what we wanted. After we picked a package, we decided to become members and visit the portrait studio a bit more frequently. Now we just need a house to display all of this pictures.

This and That

• Tali loves to "talk" on the phone now. She holds a phone (either her toy one or my cell phone) on her shoulder and just babbles away.

• We finally baby proofed the kitchen and I thought Tali would have a fit. Instead, she tried to open the cabinets, realized they were locked and just walked away. Of course, she tried throughout the day but she didn't have a tantrum.

• Tali finally had her 15-month check-up yesterday. She's now 19.7 pounds (5th percentile) and 29 inches tall (10th percentile). Everything is good and we were given the go ahead to turn her car seat around, hooray!
  

• The toddler tantrums have come early, and, knowing Tali, will probably stay late. I just ignore them. Eventually, she calms down.

• Tali is a walking machine. All she wants to do is walk around, especially outside. It's hard to carry her because she wants down. It's also hard to put her in a stroller because she wants out.
  

• One of my favorite parts of this age is the hugs. In the middle of playing, Tali will come over to give me a hug. It's very sweet.
  

New "Trick"

Tali's now a toddler. And with that title comes opinions and stronger likes/dislikes. Each day she becomes more and more independent. Yesterday, she displayed a new "trick." When she doesn't want me to pick her up, she just sits down. I'm not sure of her reasoning here (perhaps because I have to bend over further she thinks I'll give up), but it's her way of telling me to leave her on the ground. It's pretty funny, actually. Too bad I win.

Her First Masterpiece

I've tried a few times to get Tali to color but every time I tape a piece of paper to floor, she tries to eat the marker and walks away. But yesterday morning I read that you should tape paper to the tray of their high chair. Genius! So after breakfast I taped a piece of white freezer paper to Tali's tray, got out the markers and bingo! Instant artist. Very Jackson Pollock, don't you think?