I managed to get this hilarious moment on tape this morning:
Category Archives for life
Aw.
Today I sneezed, and Ruby said “bless you.”
Life isn’t always fair when you’re 18 months old
This weekend, we went to the Puyallup Fair, and Ruby had a great time seeing all the animals. She got to touch a cow and a rabbit, and hear some animals making their sounds for the first time (instead of an adult’s imitation).
However, we were disappointed to find that there were NO RIDES that we could take her on. Absolutely everything, even the carousel and the ferris wheel, required you to be at least two years old (or a minimum height of about 36 inches). It wasn’t fair! Ruby would have had a lot of fun on some of the gentler rides. I guess we’ll have to wait until next year.
She did, however, enjoy a famous Fisher scone (a fair tradition):
Maia’s visit
This morning, I babysat Maia, a friend of Ruby’s from our parents’ group. I got some good photos, and a video of their most fun moments:
Manners are sinking in!
Courtesy is very important to me, and so ever since we’ve been teaching words to Ruby, we’ve included “please” and “thank you”. These days, she tends to say “thank you” verbally and sign “please” with her hands (as long as she expresses it, either way is fine). We usually have to remind her, though.
Today, we were at a family restaurant along I-5. She dropped her sippy cup, and the man at the next table picked it up for her. Then, with no prompting from us, she told him “thank you” (and he understood what she said)! I almost died with pride.
And so it begins…
This evening, Ruby walked around the playroom, declaring each thing she played with “mine!”
(Today is the first day I’ve heard her consistently use that word in context.)
State of the Baby
- Ruby says “mama” and “papa” all the time now. The unusual thing is that “mama” is said in a regular voice, and “papa” is almost always whispered.
- She enjoys dancing, but doesn’t do it very long or very well (even by baby standards) yet.
- She eats banana oatmeal for breakfast every day. When I start making it, she lets loose an enthusiastic “NAna!” (banana).
(This entry was never really finished, but I wanted to post it anyway.)
No money?
Ruby has gotten to the stage where many of the things she says have a meaning (instead of just babbling). We understand a fair amount because most of her words are ones we’ve worked to teach her. Here are some newish words she knows and says:
- car
- truck
- bicycle
- thank you
- bow wow (for dog)
- sock
- shoe
- hat
Recently, though, she has started saying a word and we can’t figure out what it is. It sounds just like “no money”. Sometimes she just says “money”. It seems to be in context when she’s having her diaper or clothes changed, but I can’t think of what word(s) she means!
Urban babies attend nightclubs…
For Fathers’ Day this year, after the requisite breakfast in bed and a morning nap, we headed off to the KEXP Kids Dance Party at Neumos. We enjoyed the music, the breakdancing, and the free cupcakes. It was a fun time, even though Ruby’s idea of dancing would be more accurately described as “walking through the crowd trying to ditch her parents.”
“In” Jokes
We’ve been having fun with Ruby for her whole life, often finding amusement at her expense. She’d do something silly, clumsy, or weird and we’d laugh about it.
Now, things have risen to a whole new level – I often find myself sharing the joke with Ruby. One of us does something funny, and we both laugh together, sharing eye contact and a chuckle, enjoying the mutual moment. It’s so much more fulfilling to be laughing with her instead of just at her.
Granted, the jokes are pretty unsophisticated and mainly consist of funny faces and silly noises, but it still feels like substantial progress.