I was going through some images I took this past month, and I found a picture of Carrie with her sunglasses on – the same sunglasses I bought her last year! On the left, Carrie at 4 months sporting her sunglasses; on the right, Carrie at 17 months with the same sunglasses. (They’re a little worse for the wear, one of the arms is bent so they’re a little crooked.) I wonder if they’ll still fit her next year?
Carolyn
Seventeen Months Old!
Dear Carolyn,
Spring is right around the corner, and you’re becoming so much more aware of the world outside our house that I can’t wait to share the new leaves on the trees and the bugs in the garden with you! Cars, trucks, buses and airplanes go by and you hear them and scream (and sign) “car!” or “train!” You hear the birds outside your window every morning and wake up earlier just to listen to them. It’s thrilling to go out on a cloudy day because then you can look up and shout (and sign) “cloud” over and over again. It’s like you want to be sure I don’t miss a moment of all the extraordinary things that happen on a perfectly ordinary day.
Speaking of your screaming and shouting, I can only think of 17 new signs you’ve learned this month (it must be time to buy a new set of Signing Time DVDs!) but you now at least attempt to say almost every one of the 117 words you know how to sign, and even some you don’t. The new signs this month are “stuck”, “colors”, “rainbow”, “alligator”, “friend”, “monkey”, “aunt”, “uncle”, “cousin”, “me”, “grandma”, “grandpa”, “no”, “cloud”, “my turn”, “excuse me”, and the letter “b”. I’m really even more glad you sign at this point, because most of your words sound like at least one other word (is “bah!” ball, block, bear, book, baby, bunny, bread, box or bye?!?) so the visual clue is pretty important. Speaking of clues, you can now ask for Blue’s Clues by name, by signing “blue” and saying “clues” at the same time. Also, you’ve learned some manners this month, generally signing “please” when you really want something without being prompted, and signing “excuse me” when you burp. We’re still working on “thank you” – you’ll sign it when we tell you to, but I don’t think you quite get when you’re supposed to say it yet.
Your absolute favorite activities at this point are coloring and playing with your set of Duplos. We got you a building plate for them, and you can put the blocks together pretty easily at this point. You can also take things apart pretty easily, and that seems to be your preferred method of playing with Legos: Mommy builds a tower, Carrie pulls it apart, giggling with glee. You also adore dolls. In fact, you now go to bed with three pink rag dolls (I call them the triplets) and you have two baby dolls that are your daytime “babies”. I’m pretty glad you don’t have a younger sibling yet, because you like to stuff your “babies” into a plastic bucket that doubles as a drum and put the lid on…although to be fair, I haven’t sewn the doll bassinet I’ve been planning to make for the last two months, so you don’t really have a bed for your dolls.
We’ve read the same book, Goodnight, Sweet Butterflies, before every nap and bedtime and every morning when you wake up for at least the past month. You love to point out everything on each page for me to label, and there are a lot of things on each page! And you’re convinced that the earthworms on the pink butterfly page are snakes. Either that, or you think that earthworms hiss. Luckily, when we’re not in your room you bring me a variety of other books to read. I’m pretty sure I’ve had dreams about that butterfly book lately, I’ve read it so often!
I’m fairly certain that you’re starting your “terrible two’s” a bit early. We’ve had some struggles just this past week with an overnight change to where you absolutely want to do everything yourself. This includes climbing into your highchair by yourself, washing your own face, and putting on your own pants. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, except the pants – you haven’t figured out how to do that just yet, and I can only allow you so much time in the mornings to try because we usually have something fun to go out and do, and you get really, really, angry when I finally do it for you. I’ve seen the glimmers of all-out tantrums, too, where you sort of melt into a puddle or start banging your head on the floor. I can understand how frustrating it must be, so you’ll get nothing but sympathy from me, although I can’t promise that I won’t laugh sometimes – it might sound mean, but laughing is better than getting frustrated myself, right?
I’m looking forward to seeing spring through your eyes this year. I’m glad I have you reminding me about all the fantastic things I never stop to see anymore!
Love, Mommy
And Now…
…Back to my regularly scheduled crafty blogging! Maybe. I haven’t really managed to get back into the knitting groove yet – I took a nearly two week hiatus from all things crafty and it takes a while for me to find the motivation to start back up.
So instead of knitting, I’ve been thinking about some sewing projects. First of all, I have Carrie’s Snoopy pajamas to finish, because if I don’t finish them soon she’ll never be able to wear them! And I bought a pattern to make a doll bassinet, which also has instructions for a kid-sized diaper bag. Carrie and I went shopping for fabric for the diaper bag (I already have the fabric for the bassinet.) I picked out a really pretty blue fabric with big bright daisies on it for the outside of the bag. And here’s what she picked out for the lining:
I kid you not, the child carried the bolt of fabric in her lap all around the store (she was sitting in a cart) while I tried to coax her into picking something else out. Sigh. I suppose, since it’s going to be her bag to carry, if she wants the interior of it to be dogs brushing their teeth and painting their nails, who am I to argue? (Although if I were a really nice mom, I’d make it the outside of the bag!)
Carrie’s Stage Debut
We did a teaser for the intermediate school kids today, for Sound of Music. Carrie came with me since it was the middle of the day, and the director and vocal director sat with us in the pit in order to watch Carrie. She seemed to have a good time, despite it starting right when her nap should have started.
I think she wants to grow up to be an accompanist like mom. Every time I played she came over and threw in a few extra bass notes. And then she decided she needed a solo and started playing a bit before I started one of the songs. I was a little worried that people would be upset about it, but everyone thought it was hysterical. After everyone left I let Carrie walk around the stage a bit. (Side note: I’m a bit sad about the theater, that’s the stage I performed on in high school, but they’re completely renovating the theater next year so this is the last show that will ever be performed in it. I’m going to be a little weepy at the end of this run…)
When we got home, Carrie fell asleep within a minute of me laying her in the crib – I now know how to completely tire her out: have breakfast, go to open gym, come home, watch Blue’s Clues, play for a bit, have lunch, go to the school, play piano, and wander around getting oohed and aahed over by Mommy’s old teachers. Reading all that, now I know why I’m ready for a nap, too!
Couch Potato In Training
If this was how Carrie always watched TV, she would never get to watch it at all. But she was having a super cranky no-nap day last weekend, and we asked her what she wanted to do. She signed “blue” and said “clue!” so we let her watch Blue’s Clues, and this was how she opted to watch it. Normally she’s up and dancing and signing along with the show, but I guess she just needed 20 minutes to be a couch potato. I think it’s pretty funny that she figured out how to slouch like this – I don’t think Denis or I do that while watching TV, but she has to have gotten it from one of us…
Today, though, I am not a couch potato: I joined a gym today! They have childcare, so I should be able to go some mornings and let Carrie play for a half hour or so while I work out. And lest you think Carrie is always watching TV, we also go to a gym for her – the building on the school campus that houses pre-K holds an open gym each week where they get out balls and blocks and mats and such. Carrie adores it, and it’s something of a workout for me as well, because I’m constantly chasing her or lifting her up to make a basket. I think I can get to my gym three times a week, and her gym once a week, and now that the weather is warming up we should be able to go for walks on some of the other days. Maybe by the time we go to Disney this July I’ll actually be in a little better shape?
Crayons Taste Icky
But they sure are fun to color with! Carrie adores coloring now. We’re talking borderline obsessive here. If she sees her box of crayons she absolutely has to color. Even when she doesn’t see her crayons she’ll sign “colors” and say “cuh!” to let us know that it’s time to get the crayons out. She’s actually getting really good at taking one crayon at a time out of the box, and putting it back when she wants to get another color. I can tell she’s trying very hard to keep it on the paper, but the 9″ x 12″ construction paper is too small – I’m going to have to find a big easel-sized pad for her to color on. (Good thing I bought washable crayons!)
Up until a few days ago I think Carrie saw crayons as just a neatly packaged snack. I had managed to keep her from actually biting into a crayon up until then, but that day she got a good chunk of orange crayon…and based on her reaction it was apparently quite disgusting. She hasn’t really tried to eat them since!
Diaper Duty
Carrie seems to be showing signs that she’s aware of having a dirty diaper. Last night when I got home from rehearsal, she went and got the receiving blanket I change her on very occasionally when we’re downstairs and I don’t want to bring her up to her room. She put it on the floor and laid down on it – and she did in fact have a dirty diaper. Then after lunch today, before I put her down for her nap, she signed “potty” – and once again she had a dirty diaper.
I don’t think she’s anywhere near ready to potty train, but just the fact that she’s aware of the fact that she needs a new diaper is a good first step! Maybe I’ll start looking around for a good board book on the subject to get her used to the concept.
Flashdance
I’m not sure why Carrie decided to wriggle half out of her shirt, but was really hard not to laugh when she did. So instead I took pictures! This is the first time she’s managed to extricate herself from any clothing that isn’t already part way off (besides shoes and socks). I figure she’s going to get really good at it right about the time the weather warms up. At least we won’t need to buy her any new clothes for the summer, since she probably won’t keep them on.
And for those who don’t have enough evidence yet that I’m a terrible mother since I allowed Carrie to run around half naked in order to find both the camera and the camera card, here’s more: Carrie sitting on the couch, watching T.V., next to big stinky dogs! Molly gave me the look that said (read in the whiniest voice possible) “Mom, she’s touching me again!” and hopped off the couch after this picture:
Murphy on the other hand was not only more than happy to take up the empty spot on the couch, he consented to being used as a pillow. I guess he likes watching Signing Time.
Sixteen Months Old!
Dear Carolyn,
In the past month I think I’ve entirely lost the little baby I brought home, but she’s been replaced by the coolest little girl, so it’s all good. You’re such a good-natured little person: you’ve had a cold on and off for this entire month, cut another front tooth plus two molars, and you’ve taken it all in stride and been a happy little girl despite it all.
I don’t even know where to start. You’re up to 100 signs now, having learned a whopping 30 this month: “please”, “thank you”, “help”, “leaf”, “train”, “bean”, “red”, “yellow”, “green”, “blue”, “purple”, “candy”, “surprised”, “boat”, “house”, “brush teeth”, “mouse”, “cake”, “grass”, “clean”, “dirty”, “love”, “I love you”, “hug”, “sorry”, “stop”, “go”, “time”, “sun” and “juice”. And just in this past week your verbal language has exploded too! You’re saying a total of 18 words now – the ones you’ve started saying this month are “ball”, “cup”, “duck”, “chair”, “bear”, “shoes”, “blocks”, “cereal”, “book”, “butterfly”, “hi”, “socks”, “bread”, “coat”, and “cookie”. That gives you a vocabulary (not counting duplicates of signs and spoken words) of 107 total words. That’s amazing! Of course, I’m about the only person who understands fully half of those signs and words, so I get to act as your full-time interpreter. Oh, and you’ve finally realized that dogs do more than pant. If I ask you what Molly says you say “wooo” (your version of “woof!”) and Murphy says “rarararar” (your version of “arf, arf, arf!”)
You’ve learned how to build lego (duplo) towers this month – you can connect a dozen or so of the 2×2 blocks before they get too unstable and start falling apart. And you’re very into mothering your dolls, giving them bottles and binkies and making sure they’re covered with blankets…that is, until you drop them on their heads to go do something else. Reading is still one of your very favorite things to do, and you have a dozen or so of your favorite books that you’ve made up names for, mostly in sign. You’re also starting to become interested in the actual words on the page, pointing them out to me while we read.
It’s amazing how much stuff you’ve learned in the past 16 months. You know where a couple dozen body parts are, including your elbows and your cheeks. I would estimate that you understand about 90% of what people say to you. You’ve learned that to watch Blue’s Clues or Signing Time you need the T.V. remote (and Mommy’s help) and that the cupboard next to the refrigerator is a seemingly endless source of snack food. You’ve even figured out how to push a little step-stool up to the sink so I can help you wash your hands before meals.
Speaking of food…you’re starting to be a little pickier about it finally. Not so much what you’ll eat, because you still eat almost anything we cook, but more how much and when you’ll eat. Some days you eat as much as I do at a meal, other days I wonder whether the dogs are sneaking you food when we’re not looking because you hardly eat anything. The dogs get a lot of extra on those days, and are now on a diet because the vet says they’re each 5-10 pounds overweight! The craziest new thing you’ve tried (and liked) this month is sushi – just cucumber rolls, no raw fish, but sushi nonetheless. We skipped the wasabi, but maybe we’ll let you try that next time.
It’s so much fun watching your personality start to develop, and seeing all the new things you learn every day. It’s amazing to look back at pictures from just a year ago and see how much you’ve grown since then. I’m sure I’ll never be able to record or remember all the cute, funny and crazy things you do, but I hope that these little glimpses of your life will make you smile in a few years.
Love, Mommy
See Spot Stop!
Apparently, Carrie has mixed up the words “stop” and “Spot”. She signs “stop” when we read books about “Spot”. It’s so cute I really can’t correct her. She’ll learn the difference eventually, right?
Tonight we had a birthday party for the older of my younger brothers, and Carrie was in a showing-off mood. She demonstrated all of her signs, and even came out with a new word just for tonight: “hi!” Then she proceeded to “help” Dan open his cards and gifts. Most of her helping involved wandering away with the pretty packages, but then he got her interested in bubble wrap. Instead of scaring her, she giggled every time a bubble popped. And then her Grandma fed her cake and ice cream, and made sure she scraped up every last speck of icing off the plate. No wonder she’s still up an hour and a half after her bedtime…