9 May 2006
Raina LOVES the outdoors! She takes daily trips out at daycare -- and if she's picked up too early she has a fit because she missed outdoor time. In addition, if someone opens the front or back doors, Raina rushes over with the hope of going out too. She's just like a puppy. And if she doesn't spend enough time outside, then she might throw a fit. (An older baby means she's more likely to realize she's not getting what she wants AND that complaining about it might get her what she wants. Smart baby.)
Raina had her first birthday. It was sad that mommy was at a track meet all night and so didn't get to eat Raina's birthday dinner (cheese and bananas) but they enjoyed the day nonetheless. Grandparents White came up and we went to the Botantical Gardens. Raina looked at lots of things, played in the toddler area of the children's garden, and napped. A lot. Raina needs to nap, otherwise she becomes a REALLY grumpy miss and goes to sleep at 6 p.m. We also went to Creve Couer Lake park -- Raina napped again. She's been awfully sleepy as of late.
Raina is a TODDLER! She has even passed the "toddle" stage of toddler -- she's a rather accomplished walker and it's her preferred method of movement. She can walk laps around the upstairs and actively seeks a hiding parent. She is so excited that she can get from one place to the next, and is becoming more and more independent. She really prefers to do things on her own, and she gets frustrated if adults man-handle her too much. I can take off my own onesie, Raina says. (She really can't, but she likes to help.)
Raina received a hefty college fund check and a tremendously large yellow bear (and other toys) for her first birthday. Mommy and daddy haven't yet chosen a first birthday gift. Maybe Raina won't notice.
Raina made weight at the last doctor's appointment. She jumped from 3% to 34% in weight and 7% to 57% in height. Her head circumference is a whopping 70%!!! What's most miraculous is that Raina grew a TON the last few months. That coincided with Raina eating a TON each day -- the little miss was a little vacuum cleaner at the high chair AND she would come grubbing for food after she finished her own meal. Her eating volume has declined as of late, which might mean that her growing days are slowing. Stay tuned.
Raina goes to sleep on her own now. She rubs her eyes and yawns and tries to give clear signals to her parents that "I am a very tired little girl who would like to be in bed now." If the parents don't notice, one little incident will make Raina dissolve and no amount of consoling really makes her better. Putting her in the crib does. She's been going to sleep around 6-6:30 the last few nights which is a VERY early time for Raina. Maybe she's always wanted to go to sleep at that time and we've been forcing her past it. Who knows? But now Raina has found a way to tell us "bed, NOW!" and we're doing a better job of listening.
To continue with the independent strain:
Raina can hold her own bottle and drink from her own sippy cup. We didn't teach her how to do it, but she's very accomplished at it.
Raina will not take naps on her parents anymore. There was just one weekend, maybe three weeks back, when she refused -- REFUSED!!!! -- to lay face down on her parents' bellies. She would scream and roll and kick and generally communicate unhappiness. Disgusted, her parents plopped her on the floor, to which Raina replied "FINALLY!" and went immediately to sleep. On blankets. On newspapers. On whatever was around, as long as it was not her parents.
In addition, Raina had a fit in the bathtub the other day. We were doing everything and she wanted to help. We gave her the hair brush so she could tame her crazy curls and she really, really tried. It was cute, but again it was sad to see our little baby want to be a big girl. So bittersweet.
Raina had her first birthday. It was sad that mommy was at a track meet all night and so didn't get to eat Raina's birthday dinner (cheese and bananas) but they enjoyed the day nonetheless. Grandparents White came up and we went to the Botantical Gardens. Raina looked at lots of things, played in the toddler area of the children's garden, and napped. A lot. Raina needs to nap, otherwise she becomes a REALLY grumpy miss and goes to sleep at 6 p.m. We also went to Creve Couer Lake park -- Raina napped again. She's been awfully sleepy as of late.
Raina is a TODDLER! She has even passed the "toddle" stage of toddler -- she's a rather accomplished walker and it's her preferred method of movement. She can walk laps around the upstairs and actively seeks a hiding parent. She is so excited that she can get from one place to the next, and is becoming more and more independent. She really prefers to do things on her own, and she gets frustrated if adults man-handle her too much. I can take off my own onesie, Raina says. (She really can't, but she likes to help.)
Raina received a hefty college fund check and a tremendously large yellow bear (and other toys) for her first birthday. Mommy and daddy haven't yet chosen a first birthday gift. Maybe Raina won't notice.
Raina made weight at the last doctor's appointment. She jumped from 3% to 34% in weight and 7% to 57% in height. Her head circumference is a whopping 70%!!! What's most miraculous is that Raina grew a TON the last few months. That coincided with Raina eating a TON each day -- the little miss was a little vacuum cleaner at the high chair AND she would come grubbing for food after she finished her own meal. Her eating volume has declined as of late, which might mean that her growing days are slowing. Stay tuned.
Raina goes to sleep on her own now. She rubs her eyes and yawns and tries to give clear signals to her parents that "I am a very tired little girl who would like to be in bed now." If the parents don't notice, one little incident will make Raina dissolve and no amount of consoling really makes her better. Putting her in the crib does. She's been going to sleep around 6-6:30 the last few nights which is a VERY early time for Raina. Maybe she's always wanted to go to sleep at that time and we've been forcing her past it. Who knows? But now Raina has found a way to tell us "bed, NOW!" and we're doing a better job of listening.
To continue with the independent strain:
Raina can hold her own bottle and drink from her own sippy cup. We didn't teach her how to do it, but she's very accomplished at it.
Raina will not take naps on her parents anymore. There was just one weekend, maybe three weeks back, when she refused -- REFUSED!!!! -- to lay face down on her parents' bellies. She would scream and roll and kick and generally communicate unhappiness. Disgusted, her parents plopped her on the floor, to which Raina replied "FINALLY!" and went immediately to sleep. On blankets. On newspapers. On whatever was around, as long as it was not her parents.
In addition, Raina had a fit in the bathtub the other day. We were doing everything and she wanted to help. We gave her the hair brush so she could tame her crazy curls and she really, really tried. It was cute, but again it was sad to see our little baby want to be a big girl. So bittersweet.
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