Voices from Afar

Nook About Town

Development and Adventures in Eating

New Developments

1. I am signing friend at every opportunity. As soon as my parents unzip the swaddle, my fingers reach for each other. I sign friend at any person I meet when I am out and about.
2. Just this morning, I discovered I can walked backwards. I thought that was the funniest thing.
3. I like talking -- mama, daddy, papa, mimicky words. I babble a lot.
4. I have some new turn around dance moves. I have little floor moves too, like a good work out video.
5. From books, I know a cow is black and white. (Hence a zebra is a cow -- mooo!)
6. I know my grandparents' voices and their faces. I love them and ask for them.
7. I can eat with a spoon from a bowl by myself!
8. I can drink from a glass by myself.
9. I can play my recorder now.
10. When I hurt my mama and papa, I give kisses to say sorry.
Still no teeth......

Visit #2 to Malcolm's

Morning Play Session

Meeting Liza

My mama's former student, Liza, was in The Nutcracker, so she got to see Liza dance for the first time. They decided to have lunch yesterday after three years. I had a nice enough time. Liza is an amazing young lady. My mama says she was just as amazing when she was 11. I hope to be as compassionate, insightful, reflective and open as Liza is. On top of that, it takes a lot of talent and hard work to be a young professional dancer!

Sleep Update

I am a big girl now. I usually sleep more easily and deeply than I used to. My mama has been putting me down and going to another room to sleep till I wake up and want milk. By the time she gets in there after she does things, sometimes its 45 min, an hour, or on a lucky night two or three hours. Well, last night I got to bed late, woke up soon after for milkies and went back to sleep before midnight. My mama went to sleep in the other room. (Sometimes we both sleep better apart, though my daddy can snore and turn away and I am undisturbed.) Well, here it is almost 8 hours later, my mama got a full night's sleep for the first time in over a year, and I am still sleeping away! Sleep is strange.

Morning Routine

Wild Hair

Chatty Chattington's Variety Show

Sign of the Times

I am quite conversational at mealtimes. I sign, talk about where the dogs are, ask for juice, and ask about daddy in this short conversation with my mama. In fact, my daddy realized that I ask where daddy is and then want to call him. Yup, my daddy figured out that when "sleep" is up to my ear that sometimes I am talking about the phone. So, rather than talking about sleep like my mama is making up, I am saying "Where's daddy(unicorn)?" "Mama (milk), can we call (ear) him?"

I Like Juice

Another Visit from a "Friend"

I love my friends. My mama can tell because I worked to learn the sign for "friends" as soon as I saw it. I have been signing it since! When my mama told me the night before that my friend Anjali was coming, I went just drank my milk and went to sleep. I woke up excited about the day, singing my nook songs and talking to my parents early. (Lucky for my daddy I went back to sleep soon after a brief play session.)

Later that day, after my first nap, my daddy told me Anjali was going to be coming. While we waited for the next hour, every now and then I would remember that my friend was coming and sign "friend" to ask my daddy when she was coming. Sometimes I would look around to see if I could see her. I love my friend Anjali.

We are learning more about each other. Now that we are older and stronger, we can both steal each other's items of interest. Anjali is starting to give me some boundaries, which I am so far respecting. We also work up an appetite. We ate three bananas!

Dinnertime

New Developments

1. I played the recorder for the first time yesterday! I have been handing it to daddy or mama to blow in because I love the sound. When I tried to blow in it myself, I make the noise with my mouth and blow, but nothing happened in the recorder. Yesterday, I blew in the hole at the top, and it made the beautiful sound! I was thrilled and played and played.

2. I signed friend yesterday. Now that I'm older, when my mama signs something new, I am staring right at the sign and trying it right away. She started to sign friend to me more over the last week or two. With daddy, I have signed some hand holding version. Last night, with Aunt Natasha and Kelly, I was feeling fussy, so my mama picked me up and showed me the photos she was posting of me. She showed me eating an apple, figuring out broccoli, and then a picture of my "friend" (sign) Malcolm and I  eating oranges and more photos. She went on to do something else. I got fussy and pointed to the screen. She showed me the pictures of me. I smiled excitedly, and signed friend with my fingers! They were all surprised, and my mama scrolled to the picture to confirm that was what I wanted. I pointed and signed friend because I love my friend Malcolm!

3. Each morning my daddy and I go to the bathroom, and I poop there on my potty while my daddy goes to the potty on his potty. I poop on the potty most often now, unless I get caught in the carseat when we run errands.

4. I love to sing and dance. I brought back my interest in Mamama's Konkani song, a personalized version of the one my Papa's sister taught me. I do the hand movements and sing the first couple of syllables. Also, when my parents play music, I stomp my left foot and move my arms and torso left and right, or I bend my knees and bounce. Always in rhythm!

My mama and daddy are overflowing with love for me when I do these things. How do I know? They won't stop kissing me! Luckily, I don't mind kisses so much as I did, and I give them wet, soppy kisses regularly. We are having a good time together over here. I love my family!

New Sweater: By E-Ma

Hanukah with E-Ma and Tia Anjuli

Nookin' About