Dan-isms, Part 2

Anna is completely enthralled with books lately. She is also going through a stage in which, for the first time in her life, she is resisting going to bed. This has resulted in several nights where we sit exhausted as Anna brings book after book to us, insisting that we read them. One such night just wore out poor Dan. The two of them were on the couch surrounded by just about every book Anna has. The floor around the couch was similarly covered. Finally, in true distress, Dan cried out, "I can't keep up with her thirst for knowledge!"

Anna's First Slumber Party

The other night Dan and I put Anna to bed as usual, without turning on her bedroom light. We did the goodnight routine and as I was leaving the room, I sensed a cat had entered. I asked Dan if Tiger or Lucy was in the room and he was checking when I walked out. We never discussed it further. The next morning I heard Anna awake in her crib, babbling as usual. Only her babbling seemed more purposeful and she was laughing. I heard her say "Tiger." I opened the door and there was Tiger, who immediately made a mad dash toward the litter box downstairs. Anna was quite excited and seemed determined to tell me about all of Tiger's escapades. When I got her to my mom's that morning and told the story, my mom asked Anna, "did you have a slumber party with Tiger?" Anna immediately got a huge smile on her face and put her hands on the floor. "Tiger," she said, and did this kind of strange crawl. She imitated the cat.

Anna's Tantrum and the Growl of Rachel

Anna threw her first real tantrum today. It wasn't too lengthy, just a preview of what she's capable of. She thought Dan was going to go outside without her and she proceeded to storm around the room, pounding her hands on whatever she could find, letting out an angry "ungh!" with each pound. She went from the couch to the ottoman and even the boppy pillow on the floor. When she realized that Daddy had left the room only to get her shoes, she remained unapologetically angry and babbled something to him that most likely was her version of "that's right, you'd better be putting on my shoes!" Yikes. I'm really looking forward to the legendary terrible twos now.

In other news, Rachel has been growling. She tucks her chin down into her chest, causing her her to look somewhat like a sumo wrestler and just lets it rip. It's hilarious. There doesn't seem to be a reason for it, except that she enjoys making us laugh. She usually follows the growl with a typical Rachel smile. Practicing for future mood swings perhaps?

A Breakthrough At Last

I finally figured out an Anna-ism. For a long time now, she greets people - and things she's happy to see - with a word that sounds like "EYE-nah!" She says it so brightly that it just makes me smile whenever I hear it. Dan and I have been trying to figure out why it's not just "hi." We thought maybe she was saying something like hi there or maybe she was repeating her name like we do, hi Anna. Then last night Anna ran up to me and I said to her, "hi honey." And it hit me that I say that to her somewhere close to five million times a day. Add to that the number of times she hears Dan and I say it to Rachel and to each other. No wonder she says it. I am immensely relieved to know that I am capable of understanding her.

Dan-isms, Part 1

The following exchange occurred earlier this evening -

Me: Honey, Rachel is grabbing fistfulls of my hair and stuffing it into her mouth.
Dan: Don't take it personal.

Rachel's Milestones

Rachel is at a fun stage where she seems to learn something new on a daily basis. She has never seemed to have the urgency Anna had at her age - kicking and fighting to get to her belly; wildly shaking her toys; raising her head and doing stomach crunches - but when she learns something new, she seems so happy and serene. This weekend she rolled from back to belly for the first time. She also suddenly knows how to sit on her own. She's great in the bumbo seat, but now she can sit up for several minutes at a time, playing with her toys. Something about seeing her sit up on her own just made me realize how fast she's growing. Today she also started looking for toys she has dropped and raising her hands for me when I go to pick her up. Such a busy weekend for such a small girl.

The Secret Language of Anna

Anna is quite verbal. We are hoping that someday we can learn her language. Several things she says quite clearly: Dad, Mama, Tiger, baby, yeay, tickle. Most other things she says in a funny stream of toddler-speak. She speaks to the television, to the computer, to Rachel; she says hi and then talks into the cell phone on her shoulder. She says ohhhhh when she sees something she likes and uh-oh when something is wrong. She shrieks in delight while being tickled and sometimes even babbles just to be funny when she is in a particularly silly mood.

But my favorite is when she is trying to communicate with me or Dan. Her voice drops to a whisper as she holds up her sippy cup. Tkah, she whispers to me, indicating that the straw is folded away and she needs help. She repeats that strange string of sounds in whisper when she picks some random crumb off of the carpet and hands it to me to throw out. I have no idea what she is actually saying, but she certainly has a way of making her thoughts known.