Hmmm...

William just did this...should be easy, shouldn't it?

16 months old!

Gemma was 16 months old yesterday!

I feel like this month has really produced a toddler child living in our house rather than a baby. I suspect this may have been true for a few months, I just wasn't ready to see it before now.

Gemma is taking and adding new words constantly. She is independent a d prefers to feed herself. She knows what food she wants and she will point to where EXACTLY on her tray she would like you to put it. She'll point to the bag of cheese on the counter, say "cheese" and then point to where she would like it on her tray.

She adores her red shoes more than anything. She will pitch a huge tantrum if you dare to put another pair of shoes on her feet. So, lately she wears just socks to the playground. Once we reach the playground, she still doesn't want tennis shoes, but the excitement of playground! is enough distraction she won't put up a huge fight.

Yesterday, she got up and decided it was time to change her baby's diaper. This required a huge number of wipes (10+) and a diaper. Also, a great deal of concentration.

You'll also notice she had a cute little ponytail yesterday for about 45 minutes before pulling it out.

Gemma feed herself potatoes

Gemma is the earliest of our crew to master the silverware. Maybe it is because the standard is lower and I don't care if she gets super messy? Maybe because she has to fend for herself at mealtimes?

Whatever the reason, she loves to feed herself with a fork and spoon. Right before John started recording, Gemma would feed herself a bite and the point for some more. If the food wasn't immediately forthcoming, she would bang and yell. Somewhere along the line, we gained another spoon and I'd load one spoon while she fed herself with the other. Then we'd switch.

She had already consumed a huge portion of potatoes and she had slowed down considerably at this point. In the background you'll hear William singing Take me out to the ball game.

Baseball!

We went to our first baseball game as a family last night. The son of our friends had a game and with such gorgeous weather, how could we say no to 1.free 2.local 3. A great kid we all love?

The funniest part?

Gemma was totally mesmerized by the game. She sat quietly for most of the game and just took it all in with short pauses to point out where the ball was on the field.

The other two were interested for about 3-4 minutes until they realized it was way more fun to run around chasing each other while screaming.

Gemma loves

...mashed potatoes! She loves to feed them to herself even more.

We love that she loves them because she is currently our only child who does not cry when we put the potatoes on her plate!

She moves like...

At dinner last week, we got to talking about what day of the week William has his "specials" (library, music, art, PE).  For the life of me, I cannot remember what day of the week is what special.  Even if he tells me what he did when he gets home, 15 minutes later I cannot remember.  To combat this, he always wears tennis shoes in case of PE, always has his art shirt with, keeps his library book in his backpack and wears play clothes that can get dirty in either PE or art or at lunch.

On this particular day, Amelia had preschool and her school has PE one day a week while she is there.  As I was asking William if he had PE at school that day (for the 40th time in five minutes), Amelia jumped in.

Amelia:  I had PE today!  I had PE today at school with Coach K_______ (seems unfair to put her name on the internet)!

Daddy: You did?
Amelia: Yes!  Yes I did!
Mama: What did you do in PE today?
Amelia: We listened to music about a silly guy!
Mama: You did? (I'm envisioning Raffi or the Wiggles or other preschool set type music)
Amelia: YEAH!!!   Did you know that Jagger is a funny guy?  He LOVES to dance and so do I*!

(((John and are looking at each other, participating in a silent volleyball game.  I am insisting he handle this one by raising my eyebrows.  He is slightly shaking his head and staying silent. We are also both struggling not to laugh)))

Mama: Really??? (this is all I can manage without laughing.  Laughing or ranting because my 4 year old is listening to music about a man who is.......perhaps not the role model I would want to expose my child to at this moment in her life.  I'm thinking more along the lines of when she is 30.)

Amelia: Yes!  He does lots of kinds of dance moves when he sings!

Mama: (the horror....they've taught my child how to dance like Mick Jagger.  I don't want to ask....) He does?

Amelia: Yes!  He dances like a choo choo train when he dances (circles her arms around).  He also climbs a rope (climbing move with her arms).  Then he walks like a duck (a very authentic duck waddle follows).  He also likes to point at people when he sings (pointing follows).

Mama: ........**
Daddy:......huh!  Wow Amelia!  That is a lot of dancing!


*Likely, similar to this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb0__W-02oU

**I want to ask about this at school.  I really do.  I just haven't yet because I worked so hard to find the right preschool for her and spent so much time researching and comparing......I cannot find out this kind of information and not feel a little disappointment.....



Which, I have to say I prefer this song over William coming home and singing this one last year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRsK9VKDoK8

Amelia!

Amelia found me in the bathroom on Friday morning.  I was doing my whirlwind pick up routine that ends up not making a difference in the overall cleanliness of the house.  It goes something like this:


pick up socks on the bathroom floor, bring to laundry room.  Find William's library book, bring it to his room.  Deposit dirty socks into his book box and pick up 13 of the missing spoons and forks from under the bunk bed.  Bring cutlery into the kitchen and put the library book in the dishwasher and check the clock.  28 minutes until we have to leave.  Gemma runs by.  Hmmm...she's poopy.  I need to remember to call the guy about the newspaper, return the email to my boss, pick up favors for the Halloween party next week, sort through the outgrown clothes for my sister's kids and donation to the garage sale next week.  Change Gemma's diaper and discover a fork poking out of my back pocket.  Wash my hands and retrace my steps (or try).  12 minutes until we have to leave. 

I am back in our bathroom, trying put away the new rolls of toilet paper while simultaneously trying to prevent Gemma from emptying the entire cabinet of other bathroom products.  Task accomplished (10 minutes until it is time to go), Amelia and I had the following conversation:

Amelia: MOM!  Guess what?
Mom: What?
Amelia: You are supposed to GUESS mom!!!!
Mom: (the thought of guessing exhuasts me at the moment as I am preventing Gemma from diving head first into the bathtub after a bouncy ball that clearly is a choking hazard).  I don't know Amelia.  Can't you just tell me?
Amelia: (pouts).  Fine.  I'll give you a clue.
Mom: (le sigh) Sure.  Give me a clue.
Amelia: There is something in my nose! (her eyes widen with excitement, my stomach drops with anticipation)
Mom: There is.  Huh!  Well that is exciting news!  Are you ready to get your shoes on?
Amelia: NO!  That wasn't my clue.  The clue is it starts with the letter R and ends with the letter K. (this announcement is made in a very dramatic voice).
Mom: (I quickly run through the list of items one might find in one's nose and cannot find anything matching this description.) Hmmm....that's tricky.  Is it a rake?  Or a Rink?
Amelia: No!!  It isn't!
Mom: Well, good, because I don't think those things should be in your nose anyway.  Let's get ready to go (pull Gemma off the toilet and away from the countertop with the enticingly full roll of toilet paper)
Amelia: Come on mom!  Think of something!  It starts with a "rrrr, rrrr" sound and ends with a "kkk,kkk" sound!  Don't you want to know?
Mom: (I think I don't want to know.) I have no idea, Amelia.  Why don't you just tell me?
Amelia: No.  I don't want to (suddenly she has a very panicked look on her face).
Mom: Is there something really in your nose?
Amelia: Uh huh.
Mom: What is it?
Amelia: I don't know (in that singsonging voice that leaves me unsure as whether to believe her).
Mom: Come on Amelia!  Is there really something in your nose?
Amelia: (looks down) I don't know.
Mom: (sinking feeling) Oh Amelia...
Amelia: (hopefully) Don't you want to know what it is?
Mom: ........sure.
Amelia: Guess!
Mom: I think we are beyond guessing now....
Amelia: It is something from the playground!  It is tiny and brown....
Mom: Wait.  Is this a ROCK?
Amelia: (fist into the air) YES!  You guessed!  Great job mom!!!
Mom: Wait.  This isn't great...
Amelia: What?  Why?

So, the short version of events is that I was horrified to realize Amelia had been trailing behind me and trying to tell me that she pushed a rock from the pea gravel up her nose and couldn't get it out.  I was getting ready to make a call to the dr office when she finally was able to blow it out of her nose on her own.  Then we put on her shoes and I took her happily to preschool.  On the way out of the school, I did ask them to watch her on the playground to make sure more rocks didn't end up where they weren't supposed to be.