(no subject)
Feb. 3rd, 2007 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kcobwebI'm listening to squirrels scuffling (hot-n-heavy squirrel sex?) on the roof directly over my head, and contemplating sending an email to the Powers-That-Be at work, saying, "gee, I couldn't help but notice that the mileage reimbursement rate you're using is several years out of date." (I may get in trouble for being a shit-stirrer. Oh bummer.)
Elena is going to be 23 months old in just a few days. We got invited to a birthday party next weekend, and these kids (twins) are only a few weeks older than she is! Ack! How did this happen?
This morning's rendition of Green Eggs and Ham, in Elenese, with translation of what the book actually says:
Sam [I am Sam]
Sam [I am Sam]
Sa-am [Sam-I-am]
Ah Sa-am [That Sam-I-Am]
Ah Sa-am [That Sam-I-Am]
Ah no ah Sa-am [I do not like that Sam-I-Am]
Egge, hammm? [Do you like green eggs and ham?]
No egge, hammm. [I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.]
We thought that version would stand as a great summary of the book, but she had me read on from that point (here, there, house, mouse, et cetera, et cetera and so forth).
She said "Hi Gram" on the phone to my mother this morning (first time she's actually talked on the phone, as opposed to listening). She actually thinks every time I'm on the phone that I'm talking to my mother, and starts bugging me for the phone. Every phone call I make is with a small child at my knees saying "Gram? Gram?"
She knows so many words - I keep thinking I should make lists, but I never have the time, and now I think it's exploding beyond my control/ability. houma=phone. map=milk. buh-sick=breadstick. tatters=crackers. Ta' nap means lying down. gunk=fall/drop. (gunk cup! is "I dropped my cup/the cup fell") One of her books has pictures of a slug (sugguh), a chainsaw (chuh-saw), a checkbook (keck-boop), and a calculator (tatalator, or something like that - all the syllables are there, so in context it's pretty recognizable). Chocolate=kunk, which sounds a lot like cake=keck. Keck also stands for cookies, as in Keck Natter (Cookie Monster). natter also = number (as in, letters and natters, which she loves). vulva=baba (yeah, really). pum=thumb (and also plum - I'm not sure we've had to distinguish between the two). tat=cat. soh=snow.
She can count to 20, more or less. She used to get hung up on 3 and 4 - she has now learned "three" and has 4 and 5 confused. From there, she zooms up to 12, and 13-20 is vague, but recognizable. We were watching the Weather Channel this morning and the forecast for tonight was 17, and she recognized that on the screen.
Everything is imitation right now. At lunch she asked for a breadstick, and I said "breadstick, please" and she repeated that, and then I gave it to her, and then explained that after someone gives you something, you say "thank you" and she did. This also means we're trying to watch our language, with varying degrees of success. Some days that's easier than others. ;)
This past week, her doll has become really central to everything - she wants it with her in her high chair, the doll points to the pictures in books, the doll is taking a nap.... Sometimes E picks her up and swings her back and forth in her arms, shushing her. Diaper changes have become a power struggle between us, so I made a diaper for the doll (out of an old T-shirt sleeve and a little velcro) - first we'll change the doll, and then it's your turn - but the doll has clothes that are hard to get on and off, so I think my next quick project might be some easy-off doll clothes. A little loose dress perhaps. Doll does not have a name, just Doll.
And yes, the power struggles. This is just with me, not with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
galagan. The car seat and diaper changes are the major ones (though there are tons of minor ones too). Whenever we go someplace, she'll get in the car, but won't get in her seat, won't sit down. If I try to lift her into the seat, she screams and writhes. So I often try to wait her out, while pointing out that we can't go anywhere till she complies (and she doesn't understand cause-and-effect yet, so this does not work). If I act bored enough, sometimes she'll do it. Or sometimes I have to make her. Whatever it is, I've spent too much time this week sitting in my freezing cold car parked in my driveway or a parking lot, waiting for her majesty to sit down. Sheesh.
So as not to end on a down note, I'll mention that she built these amazing towers last night with her blocks, which went as tall as she is! She's getting the sense that you can't put big blocks on top of smaller blocks, or it will all fall down. Her sense of balance is getting really good too.
Four and a half weeks till her birthday!
Five weeks till we close on our house!
ETA: I know one I forgot! Suggle-samwich=snuggle sandwich. As in, she lies on the bed between us and we snuggle.
Elena is going to be 23 months old in just a few days. We got invited to a birthday party next weekend, and these kids (twins) are only a few weeks older than she is! Ack! How did this happen?
This morning's rendition of Green Eggs and Ham, in Elenese, with translation of what the book actually says:
Sam [I am Sam]
Sam [I am Sam]
Sa-am [Sam-I-am]
Ah Sa-am [That Sam-I-Am]
Ah Sa-am [That Sam-I-Am]
Ah no ah Sa-am [I do not like that Sam-I-Am]
Egge, hammm? [Do you like green eggs and ham?]
No egge, hammm. [I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.]
We thought that version would stand as a great summary of the book, but she had me read on from that point (here, there, house, mouse, et cetera, et cetera and so forth).
She said "Hi Gram" on the phone to my mother this morning (first time she's actually talked on the phone, as opposed to listening). She actually thinks every time I'm on the phone that I'm talking to my mother, and starts bugging me for the phone. Every phone call I make is with a small child at my knees saying "Gram? Gram?"
She knows so many words - I keep thinking I should make lists, but I never have the time, and now I think it's exploding beyond my control/ability. houma=phone. map=milk. buh-sick=breadstick. tatters=crackers. Ta' nap means lying down. gunk=fall/drop. (gunk cup! is "I dropped my cup/the cup fell") One of her books has pictures of a slug (sugguh), a chainsaw (chuh-saw), a checkbook (keck-boop), and a calculator (tatalator, or something like that - all the syllables are there, so in context it's pretty recognizable). Chocolate=kunk, which sounds a lot like cake=keck. Keck also stands for cookies, as in Keck Natter (Cookie Monster). natter also = number (as in, letters and natters, which she loves). vulva=baba (yeah, really). pum=thumb (and also plum - I'm not sure we've had to distinguish between the two). tat=cat. soh=snow.
She can count to 20, more or less. She used to get hung up on 3 and 4 - she has now learned "three" and has 4 and 5 confused. From there, she zooms up to 12, and 13-20 is vague, but recognizable. We were watching the Weather Channel this morning and the forecast for tonight was 17, and she recognized that on the screen.
Everything is imitation right now. At lunch she asked for a breadstick, and I said "breadstick, please" and she repeated that, and then I gave it to her, and then explained that after someone gives you something, you say "thank you" and she did. This also means we're trying to watch our language, with varying degrees of success. Some days that's easier than others. ;)
This past week, her doll has become really central to everything - she wants it with her in her high chair, the doll points to the pictures in books, the doll is taking a nap.... Sometimes E picks her up and swings her back and forth in her arms, shushing her. Diaper changes have become a power struggle between us, so I made a diaper for the doll (out of an old T-shirt sleeve and a little velcro) - first we'll change the doll, and then it's your turn - but the doll has clothes that are hard to get on and off, so I think my next quick project might be some easy-off doll clothes. A little loose dress perhaps. Doll does not have a name, just Doll.
And yes, the power struggles. This is just with me, not with
galagan. The car seat and diaper changes are the major ones (though there are tons of minor ones too). Whenever we go someplace, she'll get in the car, but won't get in her seat, won't sit down. If I try to lift her into the seat, she screams and writhes. So I often try to wait her out, while pointing out that we can't go anywhere till she complies (and she doesn't understand cause-and-effect yet, so this does not work). If I act bored enough, sometimes she'll do it. Or sometimes I have to make her. Whatever it is, I've spent too much time this week sitting in my freezing cold car parked in my driveway or a parking lot, waiting for her majesty to sit down. Sheesh.So as not to end on a down note, I'll mention that she built these amazing towers last night with her blocks, which went as tall as she is! She's getting the sense that you can't put big blocks on top of smaller blocks, or it will all fall down. Her sense of balance is getting really good too.
Four and a half weeks till her birthday!
Five weeks till we close on our house!
ETA: I know one I forgot! Suggle-samwich=snuggle sandwich. As in, she lies on the bed between us and we snuggle.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 08:07 pm (UTC)And, of course, in-person glimpses too. So glad we're going to see y'all tomorrow for Superbowl etc!
no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 09:04 pm (UTC)Power struggles are tough, but sounds like you are doing a good job with them. The doll diaper is a super idea. For the car seat, what if you keep a special book or two that only comes out when she's buckled into her car seat? If she doesn't like to look at books on her own, it could be a special toy instead. Cause and effect get learned pretty quickly when you can pair a dreaded event with something fun. It will take a few days to get it to work (and it doesn't work at all sometimes), but it might save you some headaches in the long run.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-04 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 10:50 pm (UTC)I can't wait for potty training to be over though- Sammy's figured out how to get her diaper off during naptime and throw it overboard- yikes! My neighbor's niece has twin boys who started doing that, and they resorted to duct-taping the zippers on their jammies shut- I may need to try that :)
Counting to 20 is pretty impressive; recognizing numbers on tv is AMAZING. Very cool.
I should make Sammy some diapers for her stuffed animals- she has a game where she'll lay them down on the changing pad and check them carefully to see if they're poopy or not.
making doll diapers
Date: 2007-02-03 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-04 08:30 am (UTC)Wow, Elena sure is good with numbers! Sarah barely learned to count to 20 like, last week.
Hunter is putting up huge fights on diaper changes now. Car seat, not so much, although he does get a little cranky sometimes if we take a short trip somewhere and then he has to get right back in his car seat again.
Sarah never names her dolls. Her stuffed animals, though, that's another story. Lately she's gone in for names that are long strings of nonsense syllables and that never seem to come out the same way twice. Before then she gave them sensible but sometimes hard-to-distinguish names (e.g. Teddy Bear, who is someone different from My Friend The Bear, who is different from Patches the Bear and Sammy Bear.)