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.