Big Deal Day

Scarlett went poop on the potty this morning!  I didn't even have to use my usual tactics of bribery and coercion- they don't work, anyway.  She just sat down like normal and, voila.  I know it's a gross thing to say, but it was a beautiful site.

Reading By The Fire

Stretch Dickerson

Guess Who Loves You?

Responses in order:

1. Mama!
2. Daddy!
3. Hope!
4. Daddy
5. Uncle Tom?
6. Aunt Sally!
7. Cooper
8. "I tossed him a cookie"

She love love loves talking about tossing Cooper a cookie.  All the way over to their house, she babbles about Hope and Cooper, as though the two of them live there alone.  She talks about how she's going to toss Cooper a cookie.  But then.  She sees Cooper, jumps into our arms, and says "Mama do it".

Same with the vacuum.  She's suddenly scared of it, but also obsessed with it.  She wants to go downstairs and look at the vacuum ALL THE TIME.  But when we get down there, she gets scared and wants to be held.  She talks about the vacuum, we make vacuums out of playdoh.  But she can't face the thing.  Loud noises in general seem to alarm her more than they used to.

Coop, being not tossed a cookie

The coffee grinder is loud, but she's still committed.

Also, she says noises are 'youd'.  ADORABLE.

Ah, reminiscing

Last year on this day:

What a young, short-haired little baby!  Lately, instead of pretending to be a tiny baby, she says 'Mama hold you like a normal baby.'  Today I asked which friends she wants at her birthday party.  She said wagon.  Then Hope has one.  I asked, what would you do with a wagon?  She said, take it to buy bananas.  So at least some things haven't changed in a year, this baby still loves bananas.

23 months

Dear Scarlett,

Today I am leaving you for two overnights, to visit baby Oliver and Ella. I hope that I don't miss you too much, and don't feel homesick for you the way I did when I first came back to work and left you for whole days. Until now, I have spent only 4 overnights away from you, in your whole life. So I feel sad.  But I admit I'm a little excited about getting to see Ella without also sharing the attention with you.

This month:

• Daddy asked you who your favorite Blazer is. You said 'Arnie!' and then 'Mama!' 
• You've been peeing on the potty, but we're having less luck with #2
• Two new baby boys were born, who will be your friends as we grow up.  
• Your favorite song is Happy Birthday.  You love singing happy birthday, so we have listed off all the people we know and their birthdays and then we sing to them.  You clap enthusiastically and smile big at the end.
• You shouted 'Christmas lights!' at every lit house.  So we took you to see lights at Peacock lane, at Zoo Lights, and at the grotto.  I hope these will become our Christmas traditions.  Celebrating the Christmas season with you was more fun than it's ever been.

One month from today will be your BIG DEAL birthday.  I love you and can't wait to celebrate it with you.
Mama

I heart toys

One thing that is extra fun about an almost-two year old is that we can play with her toys.  We've been building houses, skating rinks, walls and roads with Scarlett and her blocks for months.  Last night we made playdoh beds (complete with pillows and matching playdoh blankets) for her tiny friends- the gnome, panda, the train conductor, anyone under two inches tall.  She would pick up a big stuffed animal and say 'bed for [insert animal name]?' and I would say no, that one is too big, and she would giggle.  Then the toys took baths in the playdoh containers and got back in bed, then woke up to drink beer from playdoh cups. 

The point is, toddler toys are more fun than baby toys.  Like this sweet mat, that she got for Christmas from Ella and co.  I was tempted to write clever phrases, but I will leave that to Scarlett.  On Christmas day, we set it up and she pretended it was a swimming pool.   

Now it's being used as the carpet under her play house.  Ramona is using her newfound standing skills to peek out the window of the house.  

Gnome knows it's polite to knock before you enter...

 Okay well, I at least get to write one clever thing with the mat, right?

Bread and Jam for Scarlett

"Jam on biscuits, jam on toast

Jam is the thing that I like most....

Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, I'm very

FOND...OF...JAM!"

-Bread and Jam for Frances

(Actually it's apple butter.  She won't know the difference.)

Accomplishments

This weekend Scarlett and I made banana bread.  The three of us went on a 7 mile run- Scarlett ate cheerios and chattered in her jogging stroller the whole way.  We cleaned out a closet, made homemade ice cream, had a few tea parties, colored pictures, read A Pocket for Corduroy about thirty times, and visited a new park within walking distance of our house.

Art 101

Kelly and Johan had a more far productive weekend: Baby Oliver was born on Friday!  That night, Scarlett had a hard time falling asleep.  When I went to her room to check on her, I picked her up and quietly told her all about the baby.  After that she was happy.  Tonight as I was putting her to sleep she said 'talk more about baby Oliver', so I told her again everything that I know.  She is already very excited about her new friend.

Flashing gang signs already?!

Tea

Afternoon tea with Scarlett.