I went to a prenatal appointment with my mama and daddy. It doubled as a playdate and dinner party for me and Itzela. She showed me her fish and her awesome toys and instruments. I showed her how to climb.....although that probably wasn't the best. Itzela is a midwife helper; she helps her mama by listening to the baby. Sometimes her mama listens to Zela's baby. Itzela showed me how to listen to the baby, and we both had a listen. It was good times all around.

Language

I am developing my language skills. My parents are continually surprised for some reason. This weekend I started trying out the word "will" and the future tense. I sometimes emphasized the word when speaking to mama just so she noticed. When I watched my friends play fun music for children I stood still, watched their mouths intently and mouthed along with them. I also looked at a sign on a board the said a bunch of things written on it. I said "Good Night" and pointed the word "Midnight" on the sign. I read the book Pelitos to my mama, although I do a more accurate job of reading the What Does Baby Say book. I talk a LOT and am able to tell stories now with multiple sentences, like when I told my mamamma about the camping trip in a phone message daddy and I left. Sometimes I talk a lot and my parents are not sure what I am saying. They repeat what they think they hear me say. When they get it right, sometimes I smile and say "Yup!" or "Yes!" emphatically. It feels good to be understood.

My First Camping Experience

We went camping this weekend. Just a short trip, and it was during a festival so it wasn't really full camping. Still, I got to stay in a tent. There was a man who made his own bubble machine. I LOVED the bubble machine. He could shoot out hundreds of bubbles and blow them tens of feet away. My mama asked me how many bubbles I played with and I said without hesitation "Two."

I also spent a lot of time in the car, actually, pretending to drive and climbing all over the seats. For some reason, this was what I wanted to do when we were back at the campsite. At one point, I happened upon some girls in a hammock. I really enjoyed that hammock and could have stayed there forever. I liked the music and drumming and clapped when the music ended. I took my monkey almost everywhere. He got a lot of dancing and dirt in, too. I got to spend time with Aunt Natasha and Uncle Alex and others. [My Aunt Kelly's injured foot was hurting from all the walking around, my mama told me. "She needs ice," I responded.]

It was a fun but tiring whirlwind. Few photos were taken. Here are the random photos and videos from my first camping experience.

Me and the Fish

I go on a walks a lot in the neighborhood, but my favorite spot is the fish pond outside a house down the street. I sit on the rocks on the side and feed the fish with the pellets the owner leaves out (for me to throw in?). I just love to watch them swim around, and I always want to touch them. In the end, I'm always too scared. Recently, I took baby (the one I got from my mama's friend Rebekah before she moved to Chennai in India). I was so excited, I told my mama on the way there that I wanted to take baby to see the fish. I told her over and over. I hope baby had a good time watching me. She didn't do much. : )

Life Lessons

Now that I'm older and understand more about the world, I am learning some deeper life lessons. Here are a few:

1. Sometimes we have to have hard conversations with our friends.

My friend and I were having some troubles. He was hitting and pinching me. I didn't like it. I went over and told mama what happened "He hit me on the head. He pinch my arm." I wasn't crying, but I was a little upset and in need of help. My mama asked me if I told my friend “No, friend. That hurts" and she signed hurt. This seemed to satisfy me. The hitting happened again. I went back and told my mama “Friend hit me. Hurt” and signed hurt. My mama said “Yes, you tell your friend ‘No, friend. That hurts" and she signed hurt. I went over and told and signed this to my friend, but he had moved on. Later, he was trying to take a toy I was playing with. I said “No friend. Uma turn.” It didn't work, but I kept saying it was my turn. We moved on somehow, but later he hit me again. This time, I didn't walk over to my mama. I just told my friend "No friend. Hurt." And I signed hurt. I'm not sure if he understood, but I am trying to use my words.

2. Sometimes we just need to handle stuff ourselves.

My mama was swinging me around and set me down. Somehow I fell down. I cried and cried. My mama wasn't sure if I hurt myself or not. She got down and put an arm around my back to look me in the face. She asked me “Did something happen? Are you having feelings? Are you hurt?” I pointed to my nose while sucking in air. It was a bit red. “Did you bonk your nose?” mama asked. I shook my head yes. “Oh, you got an owee on the nose. Do you need a hug or a kiss?” Saying nothing, I pushed out of her embrace and walked off, crying loudly to myself. After a few minutes the crying lowered a few levels. 

I sat down and said, “Mama, I have feelings a little bit.”
“You are having some feelings?” mama said.

“Yes. I ok, though. I ok. I doing ok.”

“Do you need a hug or a kiss?” 

I got up, a bit snuffly, and moved to play with something. Nope. I didn't need my mama this time. I handled it myself, and told her so.

3. When people treat me with compassion and kindness, I tend to treat them the same.

My mama and daddy try not to make me be polite. They don't make me say sorry or please, or they don't mean to. They do try to say please, thank you and you're welcome to me. They also say hello and goodbye and "nice to meet you." So, I have incorporated all these things. When we go on walks or are at the store. I say hello and tell them "nice to meet you" when we leave. [One of my current favorite games is to knock on the door of the room we are in and wait for mama and daddy to say "come in." Then I come in and they make a hello fuss and we hug. I say goodbye, "nice to meet you" and shake my mama's hand before leaving....and starting over again and again.] My parents also say sorry, often. I haven't been saying this as much as the others. I prefer to go over, offer a cheek or shoulder and kiss the "owee." They sign all these words to me, and I sign mostly you're welcome and please.

4. Breathing can help you get through big feelings.

Lately I've been getting frustrated about not being able to do things. (put on socks, jacket, etc.) I start to get worked up in body and breath. I throw things and hit and breathe heavily. My mama told me when we have feelings -- when we are angry or frustrated or hurt -- we can breathe. She breathed. I breathed. We did that again. I calmed down. Later I got frustrated again. Mama said, “remember we can breathe when we feel frustrated or angry.” We breathed together once. She told me to breathe again, and we breathed together two more times. Mama said "when we have feelings we can take three breaths." I was calm and playing by the end of the third breath.

These lessons aren't easy to learn, but I feel eager to learn more ways of expressing myself. I don't want to hurt others and I don't want my mama to solve everything all the time. Still, life is hard, and some things are hard to do. Sometimes, I do just want "mama hold-uuu." I squeeze on my mama's lap, which is becoming less and less roomy it seems.....but that's another story....

Making Pancakes

An extra: Mixing Batter....

Making Smoothie

My mama helped me make a smoothie from beginning to end! I don't like the noise the blender makes so I got a bit reluctant to turn the switch on. (I clapped when the mixing was over.) Still, I love smoothies, and I love making smoothies now!

Play in the Kitchen

My mama is thinking to make me another space in the kitchen so I can have and pour my own things. For now, I am grabbing whatever to play with and putting things where I think they should go (because they are my tea mugs and I can reach them this way).

Walking Holding Hands

I used to never let my mama or daddy hold my hand. Now, I hold hands with two people sometimes! If there is a new friend with us, I like to hold either my mama or daddy's hand and their hand. Here's me with my mama's previous student on a walk getting after getting chaat.

Drawing on the Easel

New Signs

I went for a time without signing so much, but lately my mama has been learning and showing me new signs. I learn quickly, especially if I want to know how to express that word. Here are some new words I know: help, thank you, please, sorry, your welcome, wait, up, down. I still sign again, home, and more regularly. Sometimes I sign music or milk. I bet if my mama and daddy learned more signs and showed me, I'd learn a bunch more....