How Do You Not Laugh?

Tali's at the age where she picks up on things I (or others) say. Some things are so funny that it's hard not to laugh.

For example, if one of her stuffed animals, Lion for example, falls out of her stroller when she's pushing it around, she'll comfort it by saying "I know, Lion, I know."

If a piece of food drops off of her tray onto the floor, the first thing she says is "Jackson, leave it."

Currently, she is having some dried mango as a snack and Jackson is begging for some (pawing at her in the high chair). So she looked at him and said, "Jackson, I'm eating."

I just hope she knows I'm laughing because she's funny. I'm not laughing at her.

How To

How To Eat an Apple

By: Talia D.

Step 1: Ask Mommy for "real apple" (as opposed to dried apple snacks).

Step 2: Pick your piece off the plate.

Step 3: Bite into the apple as if it's an orange slice. 

Step 4: Continue eating the apple in this manner until most of the inside is gone.

Step 5: Break the remaining bit of apple and declare "apple broken in half." Then eat both halves, at the same time if possible. 

Step 6: Ask for more apple.

Funny

Tali was just running past me to get to the kitchen when she accidentally bumped into me. Without missing a beat, she said "Oh, sorry Mommy" and kept on going into the kitchen. I stopped and started laughing.

It's Personal

Although I keep a blog about my daughter, I consider myself a private person. I rarely share details of my relationship with my husband (known as H in this blog - he's even more private) and only include funny, interesting tidbits about my life with Tali. I graduated college a few years before Facebook took off and never really caught on to that whole trend of sharing every detail of your life with the world.

But, when you are pregnant, a big (and somewhat personal, in my opinion) detail of your life is on display. And many strangers feel they need to comment on it. For example, this weekend, H and I went to a wedding. As I was exiting the plane, the flight attendant said "congratulations." I immediately thanked her, not sure what she was congratulating me on and then I figured it out. I'm pregnant. I found it weird as the only other conversation I'd had with her was when she asked me if I wanted something to drink. Later that evening, the sister of the bride asked to touch my belly. I don't really know her that well and find it a huge violation of personal space for someone to start touching your body. I politely told her no and saved my snarky response ("only if I can touch yours") for a more appropriate occasion. 

The close friends and family members who ask how I'm feeling is fine. It's nice to know that people care. But the acquaintances and strangers who comment on my body just makes me a bit uncomfortable. Why does a doctor (not an OBGYN) feel the need to tell me she thinks I look huge? Is that a way to get a new patient to return (I did, actually, but only because I think she's good at her job). And why does the nail technician in a salon need to know if I've had morning sickness? Oh that's right, because she wants to share every detail of her pregnancy with me.

The only thing I actually enjoy about strangers commenting on my pregnancy are the dads. I find it sweet when they begin to tell me how much joy their children have brought them. It's a side of men, especially strangers, you don't see very often. It happened quite a few times when I was pregnant with Tali and has happened a handful times so far with this one. I consider it one of the joys of being pregnant.

But Mom, HE Started It!

I actually do think Jackson started this and Tali just egged him on. The whole thing had already been going on for a few minutes before I was able to compose myself (couldn't stop laughing at them) and grab the Flip for some video. Enjoy!

P.S. While editing this video to post, Jackson started whining and looking for Tali. (She's already asleep.) Guess he wanted to play again!

Go See Doggie

Yesterday we went to look at a house where a very large Samoyed lives. The homeowner had taken the dog with her so that we could view the house without distraction. I knew a dog lived there but I didn't say anything to Tali in case the dog wasn't home. But, she figured it out. When wandering around the house, she found the dog's food and water bowl. Once she saw them, it clicked that a dog lives here and she was on a mission. The rest of the time that we were in the home (a good 30 minutes, at least), Tali was looking for the dog.

She looked all around the first floor, saying "go see doggie" over and over again. Then she went upstairs. She looked in closets. She looked under the bed. She looked in the bathrooms. And she went into each bedroom. Each time she explored a new place, she said "go see doggie." When we went down to the basement, she didn't forget. She searched every corner of that house for the dog. If he was hiding somewhere, she was determined to find him.

In the beginning it was cute and funny. But eventually I started to feel bad for her. She really wanted to find that dog and I knew that she would never see him. We left the house without seeing the dog and, luckily, she didn't throw a tantrum about it. Maybe I'll take her to the pet store today so she can play with the animals. She enjoys them all - from the bunnies and chinchillas to the turtles and fish. I just need to block off about two hours since it's almost impossible to get her to leave that store.

Baby Boom

In under three months, the women in my family have popped out three babies. Tali went from zero to  three cousins (two girls and a boy) so quickly!

Last night my sister gave birth to a little girl, Ariel Jacqueline, and I'm so happy for her. I'm also very proud (and, to be honest, a little jealous) of her as she managed to do the whole thing naturally - something I had hoped to do but was unable to accomplish with Tali. I can't wait to meet my newest niece.

No Pillow!

This past week Tali's been protesting her naps a bit. Instead of quietly falling asleep, she's been screaming "Mommy" and rattling the crib (she has a wrought iron crib so it makes a lot of noise) for about 15 minutes before settling down. After about 30 minutes, she's usually asleep and then takes her normal nap.

Today, however, the protest escalated. Of course, this was an afternoon when H had to do some work and needed a nice, quiet afternoon to concentrate. After about an hour of protest (with H going in once or twice to try and soothe her), she banged her mouth on the rail and became hysterical. So, we both went in to soothe her. Once she was calm again, H asked her if she wanted a pillow or blanket - two items she refuses to have in the crib. She said no. He told her if she doesn't lie down, he will give her the pillow. She said "no pillow" a few times then put her head down.

I left her room, H sang her a lullaby, and then he left the room. Almost right after he shut the door, she sat up. So, he went back in and took the pillow out of her armoir. He told her to lie down or she will get the pillow. He told her this was her last chance. She repeated "last chance" a few times then back down she went. H left the room and she sat up again. He went back in, put the pillow in her crib and left. She screamed, threw it out and then put her head down for a few minutes before she sat up again. Once again, H went in, put the pillow in her crib and left. She screamed, threw it out and then went down for good.

Wheh! H's manipulation finally worked. He'd like me to point out that he's a super dad.

Cravings

Cravings are a strange thing when you are pregnant. You feel as though you really, really, really have to have it. And nothing else will satisfy you but what you are actually craving. I've heard of women having really strange cravings but I have yet to have any of those. It's mostly things like ice cream and hamburgers (the latter is today's craving).

When I was pregnant with Tali, it was pretty easy to satisfy any cravings I had. I was working in Manhattan so whatever I craved for lunch was available. And if I wanted something in the evening, it was easy enough to go out and get it. I can't even count how many trips I made to Carvel after dinner.

But this time, it's different. If I'm craving something for lunch, it just seems like too much trouble to go out with Tali and get it. Plus, I usually have food at home and hate to let it go to waste. If I crave something in the evening, I'm just too tired from the day to do anything about it. Plus, it's freezing outside! Once I've taken out the trash and gotten the mail, I can't imagine walking all the way to the car (it's around the corner - not in a driveway next to my apartment) and going somewhere to get what I want. So, I just make do. I eventually manage to get past it but it's usually not until I've gone to sleep. Luckily, I have yet to wake up with the same craving I had the day before (though now I'm sure I've just jinxed myself). Pregnancy was so much easier the first time around.

Math Wiz

Due to all the snow, we've been spending a lot of time at home lately. So this has given us the opportunity to teach Tali lots of "tricks." On Saturday, H began teaching her math. Although he'll probably tell you she understands what she's saying, the truth is that she's basically just memorized a phrase. Regardless, she now knows two math problems so I thought I'd show off our hard work.

Salad Spinner

I am a firm believer in the theory that if your children help you in the kitchen, they are more likely to eat a variety of foods. Once they have a hand in preparing their meal, they will want to try what they made.

Of course, I don't have that problem with Tali (yet, it could still happen!), but I still want her be very comfortable in the kitchen. Since she's too young to help with most tasks, I try to find things that she can do. Lately, her favorite "job" has been to spin the salad. This will occupy her for 10-15 minutes - it's great! She loves to spin then check the lettuce to see if it's ready. (In the video, she's saying "not ready yet" as she puts the cover back on the bowl.)

Until I started giving her this task, she'd try lettuce then just spit it out. Now, she'll take a bite, chew, swallow and then throw the rest of the leaf in the garbage. Hey, it's progress. And I guess that means the theory works.

Not That I'm Keeping Track

I know I write a lot about Tali's eating habits, but when you live with a child like this, food is a big part of your life. I'm sure some of you think I'm exaggerating about how much this child eats so I thought I'd give you a play-by-play of her food intake today (cup sizes are estimates). Before I do, there are two things you should know:
1. A bowl is a child-sized bowl. So my guess is 2-3 bowls equals an adult portion.
2. Yes, this is normal for any given day.

Breakfast (hooray! she eats breakfast now): Waffle
First morning snack: 5 whole wheat crackers and three bowls of pineapple
Second morning snack: 1/2 cup of dried strawberries and a piece of whole wheat/quinoa/flaxseed toast
Lunch: 4 slices salami, 1 Laughing Cow cheese wheel, 1/4 cup tomatoes and a few bites of my tomato/mozzarella sandwich (she asked for more lunch but I cut her off)
Afternoon snack: apple and clementine
Dinner: four bowls of whole wheat pasta (three with a sun-dried tomato and basil pesto)

Yes, that was all today. And there were times where she asked for food and I didn't give it to her as it was too close to a meal. I honestly don't know where she puts it. I guess she turns it into energy. The girl rarely sits still.

Four Sentences

This morning, Tali woke up and said an entire (short) paragraph to me. I didn't set it up for her. All I told her was that Daddy is home and in his office. She did the rest. It's amazing how fast her language skills have developed. She told me:

Get out of crib, please. Go see Daddy. Ask nicely. Play with keys, please.

To explain, we have a small box of keys in H's office that Tali likes play with. Specifically, there's an empty key ring that she likes to wear as a ring.