Music

I love music. I think I already told you that I love to grab Sissy's radio. I like to push the buttons and get it to play the fast music - you know, the kind of music you just can't resist shakin your tail feather to. It makes you just shake and shimmy. Here is a short video of me booging down - well, as much as a baby can who can't stand up on her own. :)

Fancy Dance Moves

Love to all,
E2

Sitting up

That's right - sitting up, not spitting up. I was rolling around all OVER the floor today when I happened on Sissy's radio. The problem with that was, as Mommy quickly pointed out, is that I was flat on my back and had a big, ole heavy radio in my hands --  above my head. Mommy yelled out for me to be careful and not drop it on my noggin. She had a good point. So, I decided to try a new trick. I sat up. That's right. Quick as anything, I just wiggled in a little circle until my knees were close to my chin and I wiggled my way up. I got skills - more and more every day.

Love to all -
E2

Penguin Pictures

Sleeping

My Mommy got a parenting magazine and do you know what it told her? That I needed to sleep more. What?!? I don't want to sleep more. I want to sleep less and PLAY more! I am not sure what silly baby is the source for this article... some snitch. It turns out, she is kind of right. I have been feeling better since I have been going to bed earlier. It turns out that I can wake up at my feeding times (9:30 pm and 5:30 am) and still get fed and put right back to bed.. Woohoo! There is one problem though - I am in there for about 12 hours. I get kind of lonely! Mommy has a cure for this, too (I think she also read this in that same article). She has a lovey for me. It is a cute lil penguin. I love to squeeze and chew on him! I also love it when I find him in the middle of the night when I'm feeling especially lonely. I holler and holler and then Mommy comes in, gives me the penguin pal, pats my bottom and I am back off into dreamland - at least for 20 more minutes or so (then we do the same thing again).

I'm also trying really hard to say words now. I have the "mmmmm" part down for Mama, but can't quite figure out the "a" part. For "dada", I am kind of saying "p-p-p-p". I guess you gotta hold your face just right to get those sounds right.

I really love music. I get a hold of Sissy's radio and play with it all the time. I especially love the alphabet song. Whenever Mommy is doing something that I don't particularly enjoy (changing diaper, putting clothes on) she sings this to me. The best part is that Sissy and Daddy know it too! I really love it when they all sing it to me. Yesterday, we went to hear someone called Ruditoonz sing and play the guitar. He was fantastic!! I was mezmerized by that guitar. How wonderful that you flick on the strings and out comes music! Mommy said if I loved it so much, she was gonna have to learn how to play.  Good idea, Mommy. :)

Love to all -
E2

Conner Prairie

We are SO lucky! Right down the street from a place called Conner Prairie. Mom said it is a museum, but it didn't seem like much of a museum today. We had SO much fun playing! Yes, that's right, playing! I put on a wonderful dress up dress with puffed sleeves and all. We played checkers, trains, market, food, and I even milked a cow (altho it was fake and just water that came out - it still looked real). What a great place! I can't wait to go back. Mom said that when the weather is warmer, we can go outside and see the animals there and run and play outside - woohoo!! Maybe we'll even get to take a ride up in that gigantic balloon they have. Yes, I am one lucky girl!

What a lovely dress !

Checkers!!!

Playing trains with the boys.

Playing at the market.

Oops, I fell down (again). It is hard to walk in this long dress.

Mom says that is probably why ladies

don't wear long dresses like that anymore.

Playing in the woodshop.

Cool Tractor!!

Video for Frustration blog

Here is the video of E2 and the hanging toys (this will take you to youtube)

Winter

I really do love winter. My favorite part is sledding with Daddy. I love it when he lays down on the super fast sled and then I lay on his back and we ride down together. When we get to the bottom, he usually has a face full of snow, which cracks me up! I even love to go by myself, too, although that is sometimes a little scarier. There are just a couple things that I am not really a big fan of. First is snow on my wrists. I can't stand it when it gets in there. It makes my entire body COLD! When that happens, I am done. I have to go in immediately and get some hot cocoa (I say it 'hot koka') - that's right - Mommy has figured out how to make some that is dairy free. And I LOVE it (especially the marshmallows)!! Back on the things I dislike. I also dislike it when I am trying so hard to show that I am a big girl now and do not need help getting up the sledding hill - and I can't make it. Sometimes, no matter how much broccoli I have eaten - my legs just aren't long or strong enough and I fall down. Daddy is so super that he lets me ride up the hill on the sled as he pulls it (now he IS strong!), but sometimes I even fall off of that. But loving Daddy is my knight in shining armor and always comes to my rescue. He is such a great Daddy! I bet all kids wish they had my Dad at home. :)

Frustration

My Mommy puts me in this contraption she calls a "bounce about". I know, sounds cool, doesn't it? Well, it is a misleading name because you don't bounce about - like bounce about the house.... You bounce in the same spot. I never move, except for up and down. It is very frustrating, especially when my dear family all leave the room. I have no way to chase after them. The worst part is that it has these hanging things. One will hold some of my toys, but I give them a good yank and pull them down with ease. That's right - I got skills! However, that leaves an annoying tie and another toy that hangs on that I have not been able to pull off yet. They are always swinging around right in my line of vision and they drive me crazy! I pull, and pull, and pull with all my might, and cannot break them loose. Drives me nuts! I have tried to shake the bar loose and break it free. I have tried to gnaw on it like a beaver and break it down. Nothing works - yet. But I will, I promise you, I will figure out how to break off the hanging toys.

I had my chance...

I was sitting on my favorite colorful blanket on the floor with a basket full of toys. What a great afternoon! Mom was kind of busy doing this and doing that (I can't really figure out what she's always doing because she runs from room to room just saying coochie coo to me on her way through). I noticed that when she unplugged the sweeper that she gave a little pat-pat to something under the quilt rack. It was Mindy, our darling cat that I've been dying to get a hold of (she teases me and sits in front of me with that wagging tail of hers). I had my chance. Mom was going to put the sweeper away, which wasn't much time, so I had to be quick. I flipped my bib around backwards like a cape, performed a couple of stealth ninja rolls and I had her! She was trapped and I had a hold of FUR! The next part is kind of a blur, but I screamed, Mommy came running and had me release Mindy's tail from my grip. Mommy looked all over me for a scratch and didn't find anything, so I guess I didn't get scratched. I guess having the cat by the tail is just kind of an overwhelming thing to a baby girl like me. After Mommy washed my hands (yes, there were tufts of fur in between my fingers), she held me on her lap. That silly cat kept walking back and forth, teasing me once again. I squealed and smiled at her....one of these days...

Love to all,
E2

Safety is so important.

The feeling of comfort and safety is tops on my list. That is why I love it when Daddy or Mommy hold me. That is why I tend to be a little anxious why Sissy is holding me – although she loves me (I can tell by the way she hugs me all the time), it makes me nervous because she isn’t much bigger than me. I’ve seen her flex her muscles too - they aren’t very big. In fact, I think I need to get MY magnifying lens out to see them. Anyway, back on safety. Mom had decided that I needed a bath the other day and she put me on her bed to get things ready. Mommy & Daddy’s bed is the ultimate place of comfort and safety – especially at night when I am lonely in my own bed and the shadows start creeping on the wall and I hear the howling meow of our scaredy-cat, Mindy. As Mom is getting the bath ready, I was my usual curious and wiggly self. I don’t know what happened, but the next thing I know, I’m flat on my back on the floor. It was like flying off of Mt Everest!!! I screamed as loudly as I could!!!! Everyone came running! Now, I don’t know what to think! I love Mommy & Daddy’s bed so much, but I am still scared about falling off of it. I cry out for them in the night, but I don’t want to go to their bed anymore, and I don’t think they fit in my crib (well, they might, but there wouldn’t be any room for my toys and I don’t want to give up my Woozit). So I just cry, cry, cry – just like Johnny C – all night long! What a state of delirium I am in! On top of all that, I have some weird feelings in my mouth again. It makes me pucker and rub my tongue on the top of my gums all the time. Life is getting pretty hard for this 7 month (almost 8 month) old these days!!

The good news is that I am sitting up on my own very well now. That means that Mommy puts me down on the floor more often and I get to play with toys in a basket. It is SO much fun – especially to chew on the basket handle. J Mom said she is sure it is filled with BPA and she is such a terrible Mommy – but I think she is the best Mommy I have ever had!

Love to all,
E2

So funny!

There is something going on in my mouth again that I can't quite figure out. It makes my mouth hurt, my head seem warm and all this mouth water (that's what Sissy calls it) just pour out of my mouth!! I mean it is a constant flow. It also gives me an uncontrollable urge to gnaw on things. I have found something that I think looks awesome to gnaw but Mommy won't let me at it (yet). It is the back post of the rocker. That yummy wood looks like it would taste and feel great! All this mouth water has caused my Mommy to put these bibs on me. They are kind of fun to chew and play peek-a-boo with. This morning, she put one on me that was so funny looking! It has a face on it and some green tag type things. She says it is for Halloween but I think it must be for a funnier holiday like April Fools. Everytime I see it, I just laugh and laugh - then Mommy actually put it on me - I couldn't stop laughing! Mommy musta thought it looked cute because she took a picture (see below). Mommy also included some more pictures of me and my wonderful Sissy. :)

Enjoy the snow! Love to all!
E2

I love to help

I know that my Mommy has a lot to do and sometimes (ok, most of the time) I make her job harder. Well, I am really trying hard to figure out ways to help her out.

One thing I have learned to do is to take my own diaper off. That's right. I can undo the velcro and if I were quick enough, I could even roll off of it. Usually Mommy stops me from rolling. I guess she doesn't want THAT much help.

I also help her out when I am taking a bath. I am really good at looking up when she is washing my neck (she says that it is hard because I have so many chins - not sure what THAT'S supposed to mean, but more is always better, right?) and lifting my head up when she washes and rinses my super soft fine hair. Yes, that's a lot of adjectives for my hair, but it is the truth. Not bragging. I feel it all the time. It is SO soft! It is also nice and short so my fingers don't get all tangled up in it. That happens all the time when I feel on Mommy and Sissy's hair. They squeal out so loud when that happens. It's not my fault that they have that long hair....

I also try to help Mommy when she feeds me. I try to help lean in for the bite from the spoon, but she is always moving around. It never fails...I lean left, she leans right, I move backwards, she moves backward. I move forward and GACK she moves forward at the same time (and I get the spoon jammed into my tonsils).

I'm really good at helping find all of Sissy's toys. Mommy is always telling her to pick them up when I am on the floor rolling around, but it never fails that she misses one or two. I love to find them and then shout out for Mommy (kind of a victory cry). I am pretty sure that if I lick on something it is officially mine, so I also try to hurry up and lick it a couple of times. Sometimes it works and I get to keep the toy. Most of the time, Mommy or Sissy make an icky face and take it away for a bath. Mommy says maybe when I'm three I can have the small toys....I think she lost track of time because I am 7....months that is. :)

The best way I help Mommy out is to love on her at night. I know she is lonely for me and misses me so much, so I holler out so that she knows she can come get me. She usually does, although I think she is hard of hearing because it is taking her longer and longer to come get me (so I have to yell even louder). The other night, I even held her cheek as she drifted off nighty night. The sacrifices I make for my Mommy. I give up my own bed with all my wonderful toys (she doesn't have any toys in her bed - can you imagine?!) just to let her be near me all night long.

I'm such a good helper!

Love to all,
E2