Amazing Development...

10-11-2006: Today we went to the Carlsbad Outlets and Kristen was such a trooper. I wanted to note a few things that she did throughout the day. When we were at dinner Kristen continually said thank you to the waiter each time he brought something to our table. Also, Marmee gave her a piece of a pickle and when Kristen was done with the first piece she pointed and said, “ More, please”. Each time she wanted a pickle she did this…it was so great to see her mind connecting and processing.
Kristen is very into electronics and has somehow figured out how to turn clock alarms on, take batteries out, turn the time back on cell phone, and so on. She just amazes me each day and how much her brain is working and processing.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, boom!

Daddy loves to throw Kristen (gently I might add) onto the couch or bed and hear the roaring laugh come straight from her belly! Now, when Kristen wants to throw herself down or have someone throw her she says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, boom" and then will proceed to throw herself to the ground. She is too cute! I love watching her grow up and just be so silly and goofy!

The CUP

The past couple days, Kristen has wanted to drink by herself out of my cup. So today I thought I would let her have a "real" cup at breakfast...with of course just water in it. She did so great! A couple of times she got really excited and spilt it all over herself..but we just kept on trying to get it right and take small sips. I am hoping with a little practice, everyday, she will be a cup master!

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes..............the best food to give your child when they are trying to learn eating by themselves with a spoon. Kristen did awesome at feeding herself tonight! She pretty much ate the entire bowl...without my help! YAY!!

The first REAL Tantrum

Today I filled up a water bottle with water and decided that I was going to use that instead of a glass. Well Kristen loves to drink from water bottles so eventually we were sharing the bottle while she was sitting in my lap. When we finished the water I gave Kristen the water bottle to play with. She had a great time trying to give Raleigh some and pretend drink from it herself. She then realized that I could fill the water bottle with water at the sink. She begged and begged for me to fill it up so I did and then screwed the top on it. She cried, and cried, and cried. So I took the cap off, emptied the water, and gave the bottle back to her. She cried, and cried and cried! This went on for about ten minutes or more. I tried to explain (the best you can to a 15 month old) that she couldn't walk around with a full water bottle because the water would splash out all over the place. It didn't work. She stood at the sink crying for me to fill it up with water. Eventually I took the bottle away and tried to distract her by dancing with her. She laughed a little bit, then cried, and then soon enough she didn't desire the water bottle anymore. I thought the tantrum would never end...I learned that in time they do end.

Dance, dance, dance!

Today we went to try a dance class, but the instructor for Kristen's class was sick so they put her in the class that is one step ahead of the class that she was supposed to be in. Anyway, she was very interested in what all the other little girls were doing and not so much tapping her own toes...she had a great time..especially toward the end of the class. Next week we will try the class that she was supposed to be in, and then decide between dance and gymnastics...

Bath time and soap

Tonight I was giving Kristen a bath and all she wanted to do was lick the Dove bar of soap..no not chocolate but Dove bar soap! She enjoyed it so much that she took a little nibble of it to really see how great it tastes.

Play Dough...

A few nights ago, Kristen brought me a small tub of playdough that I had been hiding from her. Somehow she found it and immediately wanted it open. So, I got out the mushy stuff and sat her in her high chair and began to sculpt with her. We made snakes mainly...Kristen enjoyed taking small bites of the snakes when I wasn't looking...I could tell because her mouth was all of a sudden turning colors. I tried to explain to her that she can't eat the salty dough, but she insisted. She loves to eat PlayDough...so much that when I went to take it away from her when she was putting it in her mouth, she would grab a hold of it very tightly and shove it all into her mouth as fast as she could before I could get it all out of her hands. It was almost like I was taking drugs away from someone who was seriously addicted and just couldn't get enough...she was (or maybe is) addicted to PlayDough!