Run, David!

This has been an eventful spring in terms of becoming connected to our community. While Rainer and I have lived here for several years, we worked/shopped/played in the city and really didn't meet anyone here for a long time. When Talia was born, the Public Health nurse mentioned something about a local Playgroup. It was something I was interested in, and had good intentions, but never actually made it there in the entire 1+ year I was off on mat leave. I also wanted to start going to the local library, but again, it just never happened - it's only open a few days a week from 4pm - 8pm, which around here is the period of time known as Witching-Hour-Making-Supper-Eating-Supper-Bath-Bedtime-Mommy-Recovery-Time.

A few weeks after Declan was born, one Tuesday I sent Tally off to daycare and had Declan all packed up to run into the city for groceries, when I happened to glance at the clock and realized Playgroup had just started. I decided to check it out, and we've been there almost every week since. And since we finally made it to Playgroup, once the weather warmed up we started walking to the library as well.

Talia loves the library. It's inside the school, and she loves to strut her way down the hallway like she owns the place. She insists on carrying our big bag of books all by herself, and when we get to the library she squeals "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!" and runs right to the back where the kids' books are. She fills up her bag with anything she can get her hands on and tries to con me into letting her take books from the big kids' shelves - last week she brought me an armful of Babysitter's Club books and proudly hollered "I want DISS!!!!"

This is currently her favourite book:

We've checked it out several times and she knows it by heart. As I turn the pages she points to the dangerous/silly/bad behaviour and squeals "NO DABID!!!!!" and other things David's Mommy is saying to him.

She also feels bad for David when he is in the corner and looking sad, and gives him smooches to make him feel better.

The only time she strays from the story is when my little nudist comes to the page where naked David is running away through the neighbourhood. Instead of saying "No, David!" Talia cheers and yells "Wun, Dabid! Wun! Wun! Wun!"

(That's when Daddy says she's going to the convent once she turns 12.)

Where My Baby At?

This is my baby, Talia Isabelle. She is tiny and perfect and has 10 fingers and 10 toes.

So who, exactly, is this little girl?

In the last 2 weeks, Talia has gone from being my amazing, adorable, independent, strong-willed baby to being my amazing, adorable, independent, strong-willed little girl.

I just realized this morning that I didn't have any idea where the paper towels or lysol wipes were because I haven't cleaned up a potty-training mess in a couple of days. In fact, I haven't even reminded her to get on the potty for a few days, she goes all by herself now. She cries when I put a night-time diaper on her ("Me no baby! Panties!!!") but we're nowhere near being night trained.

She is refusing to sit in her booster or wear a bib ("No beeb! No beeb! All clean shirt!") and anything that even remotely resembles a sippy just will not do - real cups only, if you please. She's been using a real cup at mealtime for about a year, but she has one of those straw-style sippies during the day so she can get herself a drink if I'm busy with her brother.

In my most sentimental moments I wish somebody would please come tell this child she is not quite 2 yet! That means she's 1! A baby! But at the same time, it's so exciting to see the little person she's becoming. So I'll just suck it up, get her a drink in a real cup, and invest in several bottles of stain-remover for those supposedly all-clean shirts. Because, you know, when Tally likes something, so does her shirt.

Thankfully, at 4 months Declan is more than happy to still be my baby for awhile. :)

The Ted Chronicles

Ted E. Bear was a gift Talia received when she was born from our friends Tammy & Kim. This is what he looked like when he was new:

This is what he looks like today:

How did he get this way? Behold, the Tedtime Snack:

Oh, Ted. How Tally loves to chew on your face. Your days are numbered, my friend. As soon as I can find a replacement, or two, or 17, you're outta here. Fortunately, Ted is a Ty bear, and has not yet been retired. Several Teds should be arriving at Scholar's Choice on Monday, I'll be waiting by the phone to hear that I can come and pick one (case) up. Perhaps I should stock up on replacements for Declan's George at the same time.

Welcome to the Swamp

It's been really, really wet here.

So wet that we take Talia out to play in the rain and puddles on a fairly regular basis, because otherwise, well, she would never get outside.

She loves it, and spends hours getting filthy and then explaining how everything is dirty. Boot dirty, rock dirty, puppy dirty, Daddy dirty, pants dirty..... you get the picture.

Tonight at supper, after she gobbled up the last of her delicious asian noodle bowl, she looked in the bottom of her bowl and saw a few bits of bocky (broccoli) and chicky (chicken) floating around in some broth. I thought she was going to do one of her standard lines that she pulls out for any empty bowl - either "Moe diss, pease!" (more this, please - very useful when she doesn't know the words for whatever she's eating) or "All done!"

Instead, she looked at the broth and then looked at me, announcing "Dirty water!" and gave me the stink eye for serving her dirty water for supper.

Didn't stop her from having another bowl, though. That's my little bottomless pit!