scale

Big things are "daddy."

For example, a full moon is a "big" moon is a "daddy moon."

Upon seeing the almost full moon this morning as we went to daycare, she said "Hi Daddy Moon Kiss Hug." Then she gave our neighbor's front door a hug and a kiss for good measure.

hipster stripes in echo park

On repeat

We read the same books. Over and over.
We play the same games. Over and over.

Current phrase on repeat?

"Daddy hide, Plex count!"

The Cat at Night

Someone gave me a copy of The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar when I was three years old. My name is written neatly across the inside cover. "Raphaelle, 3." It is still one of my favorite books. I took it to college with me. In my carry-on luggage.

The other night we asked P. what she wanted to read, and she said "Cat at Night, Cat at Night, Cat at Night." But we couldn't find it. So we tried other books, but she kept asking. "Cat at Night?" Cat at Night?"

Finally, I found it. She was very happy. We read it three times in a row.

I am usually impervious to the blah-blah-circle-of-life stuff of parenting (not really, obviously) but this time it got me. My daughter looking at the same pictures that I looked at with my mom, over and over and over again. 

Hard to tell from the pictures.

1. She has a wicked overbite.
2. She gives real hugs.
3. Sometimes the words "more Yo" are out of her mouth before she is awake.
4. She has dreams about her cousin riding a horse.
5. She talks in her sleep.
6. She thinks that all daddies work in a place called Itidili.
7. She thinks Grandma Charlotte is outside and will be coming in any minute.
8. She thinks the Ipad belongs to her.

the hat comes off

more FooFa!

FooFa!

sewing

further adventures of Orange Doll

dancing

Thanks to Grandma Charlotte and the videos of Odissi dancing, P. now calls dancing "da-ding-da-ding-da-ding-da." According to our daughter, dancing involves a lot of intricate hand movements and stomping.

More Yo? One more Yo?

I'm not sure how this happened, but the kid loves tv. She unlocks the Ipad, navigates her way to Netflix, opens Yo Gabba Gabba, and then sits in slack-jawed delight for 19 minutes of singing and dancing. The very moment it is over, she looks up in horror and starts this little chant. "Yo, yo, yo, more yo? One more yo? More yo? Little yo? Little bit yo? Unless things are really desperate, we limit ourselves to one episode.

No one intended for this to happen, but one morning I realized that if I put on Yo Gabba Gabba I could take a shower and brush my teeth before taking her to daycare. And then I started using it to cook dinner and/or lay flat on the floor with my eyes closed. And as a bribe to let me change her diaper, but only on the very darkest days.

Luckily, Yo Gabba Gabba is kind of amazing, and we have all found ways to enjoy it together as a family. I do a great Foofa impression. Mike specializes in Plex. Every night this week we have played an elaborate three-person game called "hiding" which currently involves Mike being Plex while P. and I "hide" Brobee, Toodee, Muno, and Foofa and then help Plex/Mike find everyone. It's even more fun than it sounds. Elephant has been known to join in, as has Hedgehog and Orange Doll.

what?

Tonight P. told us a story that seemed very involved, and we have no idea what she was talking about. There were lots of very clear words (Sophie, airplane, cars, pumpkin, up, up, go, higher, dinner, coffee, mommy, bubbles) and then a string of totally unknown but very emphatic words that clearly fit into the story. It was sort of like this: "Sophie up blerp no! Play, yeah, mine! Zoe berlp, snurp. Snurp! Sophie pumpkin! Yeah? Yeah? Yeah?"

We will never know...

walking to daycare

science center via bus

In case it wasn't already clear, the kid is no longer a baby.

"more candle!"

someone is really into stacking her toys

gate

playground

Pretty much sums it up

Hand Drill

A video for Grandpa Baba.

Baby Book

I wrote in her baby book pretty religiously for the first few months. Then once a month, then once every few months, and now she is 25 months old, and it's been year since I've made note of anything anywhere other than in texts to her dad and grandmas.

So here are some stats. Soft stats, because I'm the qualitative parent.

Favorite toys, As Of Today. (We are very fickle):
Plex the Magic Robot (tm) 
Blankies
Orange Doll
Buttons
Cars,
Stove Top Espresso Maker.

Favorite games, AOT:
Coffee for mommy (see stove top espresso maker)
Hug
Bubble bath
Up the Ladder (playground required)
Up the Slide (playground required)
"No Mine" (friends from daycare required)

New Expressions of Note:
"One minute."
"Poppy diaper on!"
"Poppy diaper off!"
"Don't want that"
"I can do that"
"Go away, please."
"I'm scared."
"Mommy shirt off?"
"Watch Yo?"
"Watch Cailou?"
"Waaaaatch Yooooooo!"

carseat carseat ok one minute

A video.

her favorite game right now involves putting this on her head and smiling.

dancing

related

for mike.

Only a dad, away for three weeks, could find this interesting.

no mine

The video.

new blankie with sheep

walk

Plex! Umami Burger!

Someone did not want to sit on the whale at the playground, thank you very much.

Alice Keck Park Memorial Park (is actually the name of this park)

redheads at the beach

hotel near ocean

santa barbara zoo!