Leather and Face

My Little Babushka

Bossy

Even when she's bossy,she's adorable and funny. She now likes to tell Tom and I to "stop talking!" (as do many others, I'm sure). We're also ordered to "No read magazine" and "No talking on the phone." I think she wants our undivided attention and can now ask for it. We've also been asked to "Stop singing." After being ordered around like this for a few days, we turned the tables on her and told her to "Stop talking" and "Zip it." She laughs, but I think she's gotten the message. After Thanksgiving we took her on a road trip to Sante Fe and she was better behaved and more patient than my dad. Here she (and a few band members) are rocking out to the guitar she got for her birthday. Although Tom really wanted that guitar, he's learned to share. He's a good sharer.

The Birthday Girl

Like her mother likes to do, Selby celebrated her birthday numerous times this year. It started with cupcakes and some gifts at Aunt Molly's house on Nov. 23rd (the day before the big 2). Then more cupcakes at her school during a shared bday celebration with her friend Ruby on Nov. 24th. And then more (you guessed it) cupcakes and a lot more gifts during a bday dinner with the her two grandmas. By the last celebration she had gotten the hang of blowing out the candles, and getting gifts. Here's a video of her getting a car (not a real one, duh) from ammy. She was pretty excited.

Bad Mommy

I have been a very bad mommy by not updating this blog with the adorable and funny and amazing things Selby has been doing for the past few months. Here is a quick rundown, and a commitment to write more regulalry in this blog.

1) Cookie in There
Starting this summer, everytime I went to change her diaper, she would look up at me with a mischeivious smile and say "Cookie in there" and point toward her diaper. Honestly, Tom and I have not been able to figure out what this means. Does she think her poop looks like a cookie? Is she saying the cookie went through her and came out in her diaper? No idea. But she still says it everyonce in a while and I just go along with it.

2)Potty Party
We bought her a potty and she loves it. I wouldn't necessarily say we've started potty training her. We let her sit on it and go through the motions (wiping, flushing, washing hands). It was like a new toy to her. I thought, wow toilet training will be so easy, she loves sitting on it...until the morning she stood up from her potty, went to flush it and pooped right there on the bathroom floor. I don't think she's fully grasped the purpose of the potty yet.

3)Talk, Talk
She is now using full sentences. And, to brag a bit, every day care or child care provider we leave her with comments on how well she speaks. I can't even count the number of words she knows now but almost every day she surprises me with a new one.

4) Cry Please
The other day I faked crying when she wouldn't give me a kiss (is that bad?) and she thought it was so funny. Now at dinner she asks me to "cry please mama" as if it's a game. Tom and I take turns fake crying for her and then we ask her to "cry please." We also fake laugh. She's a good faker too.

Will post photos soon!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

The Name Game

We got back last week from a wonderful trip to Minnesota for a memorial service for Tom's grandmother (she passed away in January at 106!) and a family reunion. We took a boat ride on his cousin's houseboat, visited a sculpture garden near the Art Museum and got to meet his very interesting and fun family. On that trip Selby started learning people's names for the first time. She said Molly (pronounced Mo-yee), Ammy (for grandma), Sam (pronounced Sham) and Catherine (pronounced Cathcoo). She can now also say Selby and loves to say her friend Ella's name (Eeeellllaaa). It is amazing how her mind is just expanding as she puts more words together for sentences (No dog! or More nana) and has learned possessive's (Dada's shoe).

It's also funny to see her turn into such a "girl" without prompting. She loves to take care of her "babies" (basically all her stuff animals are her babies)... giving them milk and food, putting them to bed and wiping their faces. She also likes to play with jewelry and makeup. And she's also pretty fond of her shoes. That's not to say that she doesn't like a good beer now and then.



Tom and I took our first trip away from her last weekend to Las Vegas while my mom babysat. Unfortunately, Selby threw up all night before we left. I almost cancelled the trip but thanks to my accomodating mother who insisted we leave, we didn't. And luckily Selby was back to her normal self the day we left and we were able to have fun..and lose a lot of money. Here she is trying to call us to say she's feeling just fine. Or maybe she's calling her boyfriend to say "Mom and Dad are out of town, let's party!"

Sunday in the Park with Selby

Poo Poo

You know you're a mom when you are extremely proud that your child can inform you when she's pooped! Seriously though, I do think it's pretty cool that she will come up to me and say "poo poo" right after she's done the deed. Potty training -- we're on our way!

She is now a virtual sponge, picking up and imitating everything we say and do. Keys, hat, book, avocado, bear, etc.. the list goes on and on. She is also becoming quite willful and challenging to us when she doesn't want to do something. But most importantly she is turning into a very sweet girl. She has a new friend, Devon, that she always runs up to and hugs and kisses when she sees. Even though Devon is only mildy interested in her, it does not bother Selby. It really is the cutest thing to see her run up to Devon when she sees her in our Music Together class. It's like she's saying "I know her! She's my friend!"

She can also say two word sentences like "Hi Mama" and "Hi Dada" ..oh and "Bye-bye Mama" and "Hi Baby". Here's a video of her hanging out with Dad.

10 Words

I want to talk about her vast vocabulary...but first I must describe what she's doing right now. She's running back and forth and all around our top floor, giggling and shrieking, holding a plunger. She is so easily entertained. Ok, back to her vocabulary. Here it goes:

1) Mama
2) Dada
3) Dogeeee
4) Banana (prounounced nana)
5) Hi!
6) Eye
7) Ear
9) Baby
10) Bye, bye

And, when asked, she can point to her eye, nose, ear and tongue. She will gladly lift her shirt with a smile if you ask her where her belly is; and bend, point and grin if you ask to see her shoes. Genius!

I know, I know. It's all very nice -- but where are the photos?! Will upload new ones soon, I promise.

The Curls are Coming

Ok, granted, Selby does not have that much hair, but a few curls are coming in in the back. And she's still pretty fair. Whose child is she? Her vocab is way up. In addition to her irresistible "Hi!", she can say dada, mama, doggie (pronounced dog-eeeeeee) nana (for banana), eye and baby. We can have quite a conversation. She's also way into mimicking. I'll cross my arms, she crosses her arms (she looks like she's doing a rap dance), I slap my thighs, she slaps her thighs, hands on head, ears, etc. It's like we're playing Simon Says for babies. We are looking into pre-schools for her to start next fall and I'm pretty excited about it. I think she will love it, being the social creature that she is. She's growing up! Here she is on her way to the mall.

The Queen and King

The Drunken Sailor

That's right, our little angel is toddling around like a college freshman at a frat party. She's walking! As I said earlier, she'd been taking steps here and there, and now she just gets up and walks here and there all by herself. She's not perfectly steady all the time, but she is definitely walking. Will try upload video later. More big news: Selby won a photo contest. When we had professional photos taken of her at 8 months at Target, the photographer asked if she could enter her photos into contest. Just the other day, she left a message saying that Selby had won and would be featued on the cover of Lifetouch magazine this summer. Her first modeling gig! Unfortunately, I think only the photographer gets paid a prize fee and Selby gets nada.. except for bragging rights.

Hi

Ok, where to begin since it's been so long. Let's start with our trip to Mexico. Selby was the hit of the resort. Pushing her stroller around and greeting everyone with her new word "Hi!" She says it all the time -- in the supermarket, at Target, at restaurants. And of course she flashes her killer grin when she says it and stops people in their tracks.

Still not walking just yet. She's stands on her own and has taken a couple of steps but no "toddling" as of today. Maybe tomorrow?

We spent New Year's up in the mountains with the Shapiros in Edwards and then the Grossman's in Breckenridge. We took Selby for a short snowshoe (and Mom went for a few long ones), which she loved. Grandma Carole is coming soon and I know Selby is very excited. Here's one of my favorite photos from our trip to Mexico.