Catching up

Hellloooooo!

Well, perhaps this can help those without toddlers begin to understand the delay in posting of late:

http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/06/10-reasons-having-toddler-is-like-being.htmlc

(Thanks to Ellen Thelen for the link. I have laughed nearly daily about this.)

Pics from a family get together just before Liv's birthday:
http://ritaquinnphotography.zenfolio.com/livbday

Since February...
Liv started pulling up, standing, and has taken her first steps. She's a maniac with the crab walk (feet and hands on the ground to avoid surfaces like the hard patio) and wants to be outside all the time. If you say "out" or "outside," she turns to the back door and dives, crawls, or reaches for the doors or windows.

Liv started climbing aggressively this week. She has climbed onto the coffee table, the outside table (pretty low), and into Morgen's small Adirondack chair. Yesterday, she climbed Morgen's two-step stool to try to wash her hands at the sink. Wha???

Liv seems to think that she can do whatever M does and loves Daddy's wrestling and gentle pillow fights. She likes to tease a ton - sneaking Mommy's glasses off with a triumphant hooray is a favorite game.

Words include: Mama, Uh-Oh, Agoo (I suspect this is Morgen and was likely her first word, despite Jeff's belief that it was Dada.), Ahhh (open mouth as at the doc office)

She will use a sign similar to milk for "I want that," and signs for more. She also shakes her head for no, and responds to requests for hugs and kisses, and clearly understands the phrases - "on your bottom," "wash hands," "out / outside," "hold your breath (for pool playing)," "Sadie (dog next door)," and more that escape me right now.

Liv adores music and will clap or bounce/dance when she likes a song. She enjoys food - sweet (apples, raisins, any fruit really) and salty (ham, booty, mmmmm). She would live off of sweet breads, as well, if allowed more than bits of Mommy's.

Livaroo certainly knows how to show displeasure (yikes!) and to laugh as intensely as M. Very little is as entertaining as the two of them feeding off of each other's laughter.

She just moved up to her big girl seat and continues to sleep from 7ish to 7ish with 1-2 naps (usually 1 these days). She'll take a book to bed and play with her lovies and flip through the book as she goes to sleep and/or wakes up and waits for us.

And Miss Morgen...I'll pick this up with her update tomorrow. She gave me hugs before bed tonight, and she's so tall that when she sits on my lap, it's like hugging a person, not a baby. Sheesh!

One quick story - I sing a sing that I made up to Morgen most nights - "I love you, Morgen" I finished her verse, and she asked me to sing, "I love you, Liv." She has been generous and sweet to her sister since Liv was born. I do my best to make sure it's a choice...that she doesn't feel obligated, but I can't believe how loving and generous Morgen is towards Liv most of the time. (Almost made up for her 15 minute freak out this morning when we dropped the car off for service. She thought we were giving it back and didn't like the loaner as much. Not sure I've ever seen her that upset. Guess she likes the "mom-mobile."

Until tomorrow.

asl