Author: Brand_New_World_Betsy

IMG_1905, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza has had lots of “big girl” moments lately…

* She has started to use the potty, although not consistently, and certainly not if she’s too busy playing. She has gone successfully about 8 times. And she usually tells us when she needs to go.

* Is now drinking well out of cups with lids/straws (rather than spill-proof sippy cups) and is starting to work on regular cups.

* Knows what it means to “ask like a big girl” (without whining, saying please). Often needs to be prompted, but at least she knows the difference.

* Can jump!!!! Her feet finally came off the ground the other day, and now she’s doing it consistently.

* Can climb up on her step stool to wash her hands, and climb down when finished. Will do this when asked.

* Can draw a circle! It happened out of nowhere, but she has repeated it several times. Pretty impressive!!!

* Knows emotion words like mad, sad, happy, excited, and scared. Starting to tell us how she is feeling and notice how others are feeling, too.

* Occupies herself for much longer periods of time. Her favorite way to do this is to pull all the books off her shelf and look at them. Asks us to put her mattress on the floor so she can sit and “read” by herself. When Daddy asked if she wanted him to read to her this morning, she said, “I do it myself.”

IMG_8177.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Monday, Eliza had her eyes checked at Vanderbilt. She does have a partially blocked tear duct, but it’s not bad enough to warrant surgery. Hurray!

Afterwards, we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, merely for toddler entertainment value and certainly not for the food! Eliza was in heaven and still talks about the rainforest. The moving gorillas and elephants were okay, but her favorite things were all the fish tanks and the nighttime sky, which inspired her to sing several rounds of “Twinkle, Twinkle.”

Tuesday she started at her new daycare, and it was a freakishly easy transition. I feared the worst, but she was immediately comfortable with her new teachers and her new room. This place gives lots of daily feedback, and so far she has been praised for her “focus,” ability to follow directions, her patience (!?!), and how she is willing and excited to participate in any activity. They have also remarked on her singing and the astounding number of books she wants them to read daily. They have already read every single book they own, and it’s only day 4.

Eliza was fine at her other daycare, but at the new place, I think she will flourish.

IMG_0658, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza is on vacation, between daycares, spending a whole week with Mommy. So far so good, but it’s only Monday.

It’s amazing to me how much activity you can pack into a normal day with a toddler. Today, we have already built a fort in the kitchen, colored in coloring books, played with blocks, played with ponies and other plastic figurines, gone to the park, gone to the grocery store, watched 1/2 an episode of Sesame Street, played with bubbles and water in the yard, had snacks and lunch, and a two hour nap. And there are still 3 hours until Daddy gets home. What do teachers DO with kids all day in daycare?? They must be more creative than I am.

IMG_1730, originally uploaded by griffey.

Today is Eliza’s last day at her current daycare. She has had her ups and downs there, but it has been a wonderful experience overall. She has learned so much. Most importantly, she has learned that other people besides mommy and daddy can take care of her and do a great job. She has also learned how to play with others, how to follow a routine, and how to clean up (not that she always does it).

A part of me is sad that we’re closing this chapter of her life. She has been there for one whole year, from 7 months old. But I believe she is ready for a change, new challenges, and new stimulation, new friends. But first, a whole week with mommy. It’s the last gasp of summer!

Eliza & Tunnel, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza loves tunnels. I think it’s because her dad loves caves so much. She crawls through them, rests in them, sits in them and sings to herself.

Going to the park with her is so different these days. She can climb the steps to the slide all by herself and she ven sat in a big kids’ swing yesterday for the first time.

Worried, originally uploaded by griffey.

Will all of Eliza’s teeth please hurry up and come in? We’re all anxious to meet you. Thanks.

Eliza is now healthy, except for some teething pain that makes her a grumpy puss. She does her best to be happy, honestly. But sometimes she will just scream and shove her fingers in her mouth.

On the other hand, she has now discovered the joys of Dora and Diego, much to our chagrin. We were hoping this wouldn’t happen for a while longer, but it was inevitable. She goes around the house singing “Backpack, backpack!” and “I’m the map! I’m the map!” Good times.

IMG_8093, originally uploaded by griffey.

Because I’m tired, I’ll just do a brief update rather than my usual laundry lists. Plus, we’re entering the phase of toddlerhood where not as much changes from month-to-month as it once did.

Biggest development: Eliza has a new obsession with dressing up. As you can see in this photo, she hardly goes anywhere without several necklaces. She has been known to walk around the house with 8-10 necklaces, several scarves, and mom’s underwear around her neck while wearing a hat, dad’s socks, and mom’s shoes. She also loves to put stickers on her left arm (she is very obviously right-handed). She is all about adornment right now. This stage is a mystery to me, since I don’t remember being much of a dress-up kid.

Needless to say, she’s going to go crazy for Halloween this year. She will be the kind of kid who won’t leave the house without her ____ costume, even though Halloween was three months ago.

Other changes / developments: lots more eating with a spoon or fork, although she’s kind of lazy about it sometimes. She is now saying “sorry” at (mostly) appropriate moments. Hates to get scolded. Absolutely loves nursery rhymes and makes me repeat them over and over. No longer in love with yogurt. Has discovered the joy of apple slices. Wants her food separated (she apologized to the apples this morning when mommy foolishly put grapes in the same bowl with them). Has used the potty once and is clearly interested in it. Pretends that her animals and dolls go to the potty.

Still the same: her favorite activity is still reading, but now she has memorized several books and “reads” to her dolls. Still loves to dance, listen to music, and wrestle with Daddy. Still loves icecream (who doesn’t?).

Wow, Eliza is 19 months old. And every day is still a big adventure.

Reading with Kelsi, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza’s cousin Kelsi came to stay with us for a week, and everybody had a great time.

They spent lots of time reading, doing crafts, playing outside, and singing. We had an awesome fourth of July, although Eliza missed the parade and the fireworks due to her sleep schedule.

Eliza adores older kids! Hopefully we can spend more time with her Kentucky cousins in the future.

IMG_7940.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Here’s something Eliza and I have in common: we HATE the summer heat and the direct sunlight.

We’ve tried to keep her cool by staying indoors, but she also gets bored fairly easily. And we live in the middle of nowhere, so our options for indoor play are limited to the Piggy Wiggly, the CVS, friends’ houses, and an ice cream place.

So, we broke down and got her an inflatable pool. Jason went all out and got one with an attached slide, which she adores. She has no fear of water and loves splashing and sliding in her new pool. The neighbors probably hate us because the only place to put it was our front yard. Oh well. It’s worth it to see her cool and happy on hot summer days.

IMG_7909, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza is officially a year and a half old! Time flies!

Favorite hobbies: watching home videos of herself, sorting the recycling, singing, “reading” by herself, putting on shoes (especially mommy’s), playing dress up with scarves, hats, and necklaces.

Favorite toys: Melissa & Doug castle and dolls, Elmo mailbox sorter, stuffed animals, magnets, wind-up toys, balls, sand and water table, anything her friend Griff has.

Favorite books: Billy and Milly Short and Silly; Spot Loves His Daddy; I’m Just Like My Mom / I’m Just Like My Dad; Peekaboo Zoo.

Favorite foods: chicken noodle soup, cereal with milk, vanilla ice cream, green beans, vegetable soup, Gerber juice treats (not really “food,” but she’s totally addicted), peanut butter, pizza

Eliza has changed a lot in the last month. She is better at feeding herself with a spoon, even something as tricky as cereal! She’s also working on the fork, although she still needs practice. She is faster at going up the stairs and can now come down the stairs with a little bit of help. Still quite the talker, she says 3-4 word “sentences” on a regular basis now. It seems that she says at least one new word every day.

Emotionally, Eliza is getting more complicated. She has turned into a biter, and we’re working on that. She gets her feelings hurt very easily and does not like to be in trouble. She’s also a lot more affectionate that ever before, doling out tons of hugs and kisses. And she has become a bit of a daddy’s girl, which is cute to watch.

At 18 months, she can count from 1-14, sing most of her ABC’s (she gets stuck on T-U-V), recognize and say most colors, recognize and say several shapes, point to and say at least 10 body parts, say 3 days of the week in order (Saturday, Sunday, Monday), recognize, say, and do the sounds for countless animals, and properly use the pronoun “I,” as in one of her favorite phrases, “I want that one.”

We can hardly keep up with her!