First Body Part

For the past month, I've been trying to teach Tali where her head is. She finally got it in New Orleans. Now, I'm trying to teach her where her belly is. Sadly, she thinks her belly is also her head. Oh well. She'll get it eventually.

Help!

It's been about a week since Tali began signing "help" and she's now gotten pretty good at it. She asks for help when she closes a door and cannot open it, when she wants to play with the keys, when she wants her blankets from her crib, etc. Basically, she asks for help all day long (yes, it can get tiring). Originally, it was hard to capture video because I wasn't sure when she'd ask. But I did get some of her on Tuesday evening asking for help with her bathroom door. Enjoy!

Note: The sign for help is actually both hands hitting the chest, but clearly her other hand was occupied.

A Little More Fun in New Orleans

Tali had a blast playing with all of the Mardi Gras beads at Gran and Grandpa's house:

My budding interior designer. She spent the entire week moving these chairs around the kitchen:

What Does Your Child Do...

...when she wakes up three hours after her bedtime because she is sick with a bad cold?

Mine?

She begs for food and eats her weight in blueberries.

She rearranges the furniture.

She opens and slams (and opens and slams) kitchen cabinets.

But, most importantly, she does not go to sleep.

Trip to New Orleans

This past week, Tali and I took a trip to New Orleans. It was Mardi Gras week down there but we didn't actually go to any parades. Tali's too young to get it. Instead, we made plans to see family and friends of mine and enjoy the nice, relatively warm weather.

But, Tali had other plans. On Tuesday, Tali started to develop a bit of cold. By Wednesday evening it was awful. And that night it was so terrible that we called my cousin Michael at home (he's a pediatrician) to find out what we could do for her. After a nice chat, Grandpa went to the drugstore and came back with a bag full of tricks to help Tali sleep. We followed all of Michael's instructions and Tali was able to get a few hours of sleep. Tali's cold was just as bad on Thursday but by Friday she seemed to be on the mend. We flew back yesterday (Saturday) and Tali's cold was almost better.

Now Tali just has a bit of congestion in her chest and she's lost most of her voice from a combination of her cold and HOURS of crying.

So most of our plans in New Orleans got canceled (we did go hear Granny speak at the WWII museum about being a war bride - she was very funny!) and Tali spent a lot of time in Gran and Grandpa's house playing with Mardi Gras beads (from the parades and balls they went to over the weekend) and exploring. But because she was sick, Tali was very clingy to me and didn't really want to be touched or held by anyone else. Luckily, I was able to get out of the house a bit while she was sleeping since Gran was there to babysit.

It's no fun when babies are sick - no matter how much help you have.

Tali with Mardi Gras beads the day we arrived.

She pulled them all out of the bags right away!

Tali with Granny (and a Mardi Gras throw).

Tali with Grandpa.

Tali with Gran, at the airport before we left.

Gooooo Saints!

Tali with Aunt Judy at their Superbowl party.

It's a bit late to write this, but Tali's kept me pretty busy. I just wanted to congratulate the Saints on their Superbowl win! I'm convinced they won because of Tali's outfit (purchased by Grandpa).

Trip to Manhattan

Last Wednesday, Tali and I took a trip into Manhattan because I had a doctor's appointment. (She flirted her little heart out with twin male dancers in the waiting room.) Afterward, we went to visit my friends at my old job (in a new office that I had never seen) and Tali had a blast!

First, we went to lunch with my friend David and she took to him immediately. Tali wanted him to feed her lunch and kept asking him for "more." Reflecting on this later, I am convinced that she recognized his voice from the womb. David and I had lunch together almost every day and worked together on most of our accounts.

After lunch, we went into the office to say hi to everyone. Tali had a blast. Each cubicle (almost everyone is in a cube at this place) had a file cabinet with a key in it. They key was just the right height for Tali so she went around collecting everyone's keys. Tali won everyone over and was asked to come back and visit.

We left the office at nap time so she could sleep in the car on the way home. All was well until we were about two minutes from home. I heard her cough twice then throw up and cry. I decided it made more sense just to get home and then take care of her. Tali only cried for about 30 seconds and then got quiet. This worried me and I started begging her not to play in her throw up. Luckily, she didn't and I was able to clean her up before I got her inside. It took me an entire hour to clean her car seat, though.

Even though the end was a disaster, I think she had a great time in the city. Can't wait to do it again!

New Goal

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Tali's Great Aunt Sue. I now have a new goal for Tali - free roses (or a filet)!


Hi, Gia -

I just read about Tali flirting with the cashiers at Whole Foods and getting free stuff. It must be genetic, because her Great Uncle David also gets free stuff there - including a dozen roses one time! I guess he bats his big blue eyes, too, and people fall for it. It's a very useful skill to have. Next time, you should try letting Tali flirt with the butchers, and maybe you'll get a free filet mignon!

Love, Aunt Sue

Lesson Learned

(L-R: My bag, Tali's bag, Tali's chips)

For most one year old kids, it takes a long time for them to learn a lesson. For example, Tali likes to open the kitchen cabinets (no, we don't have child locks on them - yet) and then she shuts the door on her fingers. She cries, I calm her down and she goes right back to the cabinet! She'll do this over and over again if I let her. Because I know it's not actually damaging her fingers, I don't freak out.

But there's one lesson Tali learned early on: if you are cute and flirt, you get attention. Sometimes, you even get free things. In the past two weeks, Tali has gotten "gifts" from the cashiers at Whole Foods. Last week was a mini shopping bag to match mine and yesterday she was handed a small bag of Pirate's Booty chips. All Tali does is smile at, wave to and flirt with EVERYONE in the store and presto - free things! Those big blue eyes and big personality just win people over.

While this isn't a lesson I want Tali to take into adulthood (hopefully there's a big brain to match those looks), I'm very amused by the "power" she has over people. If only they knew what she was like at home...