Tickling and Teething

Having a bad day? No problem. Take two minutes to watch some video of me tickling Eli. It'll make you smile. Promise.

"Annie"

Tali and Jackson watching "Annie" this morning.

Tali's new favorite movie is Annie, probably because it has a dog in it. She requests this movie often and sings the songs all day. But, like any other three year old, she doesn't know all of the words correctly. Her favorite song is "Dumb Dog." But since Tali has never heard the word "dumb" before, she sings it as "Dog Dog." She sings this song to Jackson at least five times a day and it makes me laugh every time.

But First...

Before her nap, I read Tali a book about moving. In the book, the family has their house painted and carpet installed before they move. When we finished the book, Tali started a conversation about it. The conversation went like this:

Tali: Tali has a new house.
Me: Yes, you do have a new house. And we will be moving soon. But first, we have to paint and put in carpet.
Tali: We will paint the new house. But first, we have to put on a smock.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Last Tuesday it was raining. I decided we would stay inside all day. Tali insisted on going out. She really wanted to wear her rain boots, rain coat and carry her umbrella. So I let her play out back. She had a blast!

Because

Tali recently learned the word "because." Unfortunately, she doesn't always use it correctly. It seems as though any time she wants to make a compound sentence, she throws the word because in the middle.

A good use of the word is when she says "Eli is crying because Eli is hungry." or "Tali is punished because Tali did not listen to Mommy." However, there are just as many misuses of the word. For example, today we were stopped at a light and there was a painting of a dog in a meadow in the store window. So Tali says, "A dog says arf because the dog is in the flowers." I would love to capture this on video but not sure I will be lucky enough to do so. It's just so funny!

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.

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.

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...

Tali TV

This past Friday we got a new baby monitor for Tali. Up until now we had been using an old-fashioned sound-only monitor. We had originally purchased a video monitor but it interfered with our Internet so I returned it. But since she's doing a lot of thumping with the crib, we wanted to make sure she was okay in there. H found a monitor that doesn't interfere (made by Lorex) and it is working great. Honestly, I was perfectly happy with our sound-only monitor, but now that we have a video one, I don't know how I did without it. It's priceless entertainment.

For example, I put her down for her late afternoon nap on Friday and, although she acted tired, she was wasn't ready to go to sleep. So she played quietly in her crib for 45 minutes. First she sat up and played peek-a-boo with her blanket. Then she crawled to the other end of her crib and played with her rattle. Next she played with her soft book. She then brought the rattle and the book to the middle of the crib (where her blanket was) and decided she wanted to play with the ribbons on her bumper. So she leaned over and untied one ribbon and pulled it into the crib. Then she went to the other side and untied that ribbon. Now she had her blanket, a rattle, a book and two ribbons all around her. She played with everything for a little while longer and then finally fell asleep for 30 minutes. It was so much fun to watch! As H commented, she's much more active in her crib than we thought.

Bad Hair Day

Tali's hair was normal this morning. But when she woke up from her afternoon nap, it looked like she'd stuck her finger in a socket. I've been trying to figure out how she slept to make her hair do that. The only position I can imagine is that she was in a crawling position with her forehead on the mattress (child's pose in yoga). Regardless, this was too funny not to take a picture. Enjoy!

Sit n Spin

Tali displayed a new trick (skill?) yesterday and she did it over and over again all day long. I'm calling it the "Sit n Spin" because that toy was just so much fun when I was a kid.

Peek A Boo!

Like all babies, Tali loves peek a boo. It makes her laugh when I hide behind her favorite blanket. But even more fun than seeing Mommy disappear and reappear is doing it herself. After about three or four times of me hiding behind the blanket, Tali reaches for the blanket and is ready to be the hider. Where's Tali? Peek a boo!

Revenge of the Nerds

Tali now snorts when she laughs. It's a loud, mouth fully open snort. H and I think it's hysterical. 

Two Spoons

Tali's favorite thing to do in the high chair (besides eat) is to suck on the straps and buckles of the harness. I didn't mind this at first but they've already begun to get moldy (gross!) and I've had to order replacement straps. So in an effort to break her of this habit I decided to distract her with something else she loves to put in her mouth - a spoon. At the beginning of last night's meal, I gave her a spoon to hold and play with. Luckily, she loved this and she barely went for the straps at all. But Tali couldn't be satisfied with just one spoon (nothing is that easy with this child) and she continued to help me feed her with her free hand. From time to time she didn't want to give that second spoon back.  So, she played with both spoons. It was very funny.

Note: The squeaking in the background is Jackson playing with a toy.

She Knows What She Wants (Already)

Last night Dan decided to read Tali two short books (soft ones with about four pages each) before Goodnight Moon. After the first book, Tali decided she was ready for bed and leaned over to her night table and started grabbing Goodnight Moon! No second book for her. It was time for her to go to bed. She was so determined to get that book that she kept grabbing at it until Dan picked it up. It was so funny to watch. She's speaking her mind already. Wonder where that came from...

Best Abs in Town

Tali must have the best abs in town. Since she was about one month old, she has been doing leg raises when on her back. Now, she has begun to lift her head and neck up when laying down. It's like a mini stomach crunch. (I think she does this to signal that she wants to be picked up.) She could make her own work out video: Baby Abs of Steel. 

I've Got Your Nose!

Today Tali has made it her mission to eat my nose. Yes, you read that right - eat my nose. Every time I hold her, she opens her mouth up wide, leans in and goes for my nose. She's gotten it a few times and thinks its absolutely hysterical. It was cute the first time but now my face keeps getting wet. But if it makes her laugh then I'll let her do it. Anything to keep this kid happy.