Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

I noticed last night when I was rocking Annabelle to sleep that when the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" started playing through her CD player that she started opening and closing her little fist.

I've started opening and closing my fist (as if my hand is a twinkling star) when I sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to her, so I think she picked up on it already! I've only done it a few times with her though. They animate it this way at the library, so that is where I picked up on it myself.

Then, she did the same thing again tonight when the song played again while I was rocking her to sleep. She didn't open and close her fist until that particular song started playing either.

7 Pc. Finger Sandwich Maker

Back in 2005, while my husband and I were taking our "trip of a lifetime" across the country, I purchased a "7 Pc. Finger Sandwich Maker" in Seattle, Washington. I actually purchased the set to use to make those cute little sandwiches at a wedding shower for a college friend of mine, but even though the shower was thrown, the "7 Pc. Finger Sandwich Maker" was never pulled out!

So, last week, probably Monday, December 3rd or Tuesday, December 4th, Annabelle ventured into the kitchen and pulled open her favorite kitchen drawer to ramble through. Out came the "7 Pc. Finger Sandwich Maker," and it was still in the box, as always! Notice the sandwich bag full of Sweetner on the floor (in the right hand corner of this next picture). Annabelle constantly pulls stuff out of my pantry! And, the Sweetner is pulled out on an everyday basis.

I thought, "Well, now is the time for me to get my $7.99 plus tax worth," so I went to the refrigerator and found a slice of Kraft American Cheese, and then I tore off a piece of wax paper and I asked Annabelle to come with me. We went to the living room and sat down on the floor, and I pulled out the pieces to the set, and we sat there and made heart and flowered shaped cheese slices. Annabelle loved it (as she got to eat the cheese slices after they were cut out).

So, we put it away for that day, and then again later in the week, probably Thursday, Annabelle opened the drawer again and pulled out the sandwich maker box and handed it to me. So, once again, we sliced some more cheese!

Well, on Saturday, December 8th, after we had finished putting the Christmas lights on our Christmas tree, Annabelle opened the drawer again to find the sandwich maker. But this time, she handed it to me, and she got upset when I wouldn't open it to cut out more cheese with her. Finally, I decided to have her Daddy grab the camera (since I cannot take pictures of us cutting out cheese by myself), and I asked her if she wanted to use the sandwich maker.

She walked right over to the refrigerator door, and she turned around and looked at me. She knew exactly what we needed to proceed. She wanted some cheese! So, we sat down and we cut out more cheese slices, and this time, we had her Daddy take pictures! Enjoy!

And, this last picture is probably my favorite! She LOVES her Teddy Bear that her Grandmama and Granddaddy gave her for her very 1st birthday!

"James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

Friday, December 7, 2007

We finished "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl on Friday! It was a really cute book, and we enjoyed it very much. A big thanks goes out to "Annabelle's Mommy" for introducing us to this book.

The book was actually due back to the library on Friday, but I renewed the book online just so I could take some time to take pictures of Annabelle with the book. She apparently really enjoyed the book too, and ever since I started reading the book to her, she will bring the book to me and she'll point to the characters on the front cover. She enjoys finding James, the Centipede, the Grasshopper and Miss Spider. I think that James has been her favorite character so far though.

When I checked out "James and the Giant Peach" from the library, I also checked out "Matilda" by Roald Dahl just because I was in a hurry, and for some reason, I thought we'd breeze through "James and the Giant Peach" in no time. Apparently not!

But, I am thinking now that I'd like to find a special Christmas book to read to Annabelle over these next few weeks between now and the new year. Does anyone have any recommendations of another short novel to read to a child with a Christmas theme?

Shadow, would you like some juice?

Friday, December 7, 2007

After I got out of the shower on Friday, and I was busy in the bathroom drying my hair and attempting to put on my makeup, Annabelle found the little, yellow baby bottle that came with her Cabbage Patch Kid newborn baby doll, named Carly, from Uncle Ken and Aunt Katie and their sons for her 1st birthday.

As soon as she had the little, yellow bottle in her hand, she came into the bathroom where Shadow, our black cat, was lying on the vent, and she put the baby bottle to Shadow's mouth to offer her some juice (without me even asking her)! She's been offering her baby doll, Carly, some juice for awhile as we'll ask her, "Will you give your baby doll, Carly, some juice?" And, I've seen her offer juice to her Teddy Bear as well, but she's never offered any juice to Shadow, our black cat, before.

It was another priceless moment, and I was able to grab the camera this time for the photo op!

Excuse the purple shirt with black flowered pants and blue socks! These were actually her pajamas, and I typically dress her better than this, even for bedtime. However, I'm a little (okay, a lot) behind on the laundry this week. At least I didn't take her out in public dressed like this!

Keeper of the Paci

Annabelle has officially designated me as "Keeper of the Paci." Well, I think I was actually designated with this title awhile ago. But, the point being that every time Annabelle goes down for a nap or "night night," and it is time for her to nurse, she will hand the paci to me to hold and protect. I think she feels that it is safe with me. She cannot fall asleep without the paci, so I am caretaker of the paci until she is finished eating.

Also, Annabelle only really needs her paci when she is tired and ready to go "night night" or "nap nap." But, when she first wakes up in the morning or when she first wakes up from her morning and afternoon naps, she'll continue to suck on the paci until she is herself again (since she's not much of a morning person and she's pretty grumpy after she wakes up from her naps too). If I hand apple juice to her or a snack to her, she'll hand the paci to me in return. It is really precious (especially to know that she trusts me so very much)!

So, typically, we are able to put our hands on at least one paci at all times, and we still have all three original paci's from the hospital (from over a year ago)! She will only take these particular type of paci's called Gumdrops. They are wonderful, and I've actually thought about giving them as baby shower gifts in the future as I don't think the hospitals typically hand these out around here unless your baby is in NICU. And, you cannot find these in the stores. I've been able to find where to order them online, but we have yet to order any yet. They come in scented pacifiers too, but I'm not sure that Annabelle's was every scented. I think she must have had the "natural" scent pacifier. And, it looks like now they come in pink and blue! Too cool! I will definitely order more for the next one!

The website is: http://www.gumdroppacifiers.com/

Yesterday, though, we almost had a paci go missing in action as Annabelle ventured into the office and laid her paci down on top of one of the Christmas storage boxes. However, it was out of view because she laid it down on the back of the box. Fortunately, I was right behind her, so I caught her in action, and the paci was recovered and strategically placed on top of the chiffarobe in her bedroom so we could find it when we needed it later for bedtime.

We typically store her paci on top of the chiffarobe in her bedroom. She now knows that though, so when she's ready for bed, she'll point to the top of the chiffarobe until she has it in hand. And, she gets pretty ornery if you don't hand her the paci right away.

The CD Player and the Toilet Paper Roll

So, yesterday, Monday, December 3rd, Annabelle was found playing in the bathroom with the toilet paper roll. By the time I arrived at the scene of the crime, that little booger had almost completely unrolled a half roll of toilet paper (a half roll because only a half roll was remaining). I started to stop the violence, but instead, I ran to grab the camera as this was a picture moment. Before I even left the bathroom, she had unrolled the entire half roll remaining with the last sheet still clinging to the roll. Naturally though, before I could even arrive back to the scene of the crime, she had come to find me herself in the office (with a stream of toilet paper following her). Again, naturally, the toilet paper ripped off of her, so the somewhat bit of a great picture moment, was somewhat ruined until I decided to take a picture of the long stream hanging over her shoulder with sheets in front of her and sheets trailing down her back.

Okay, so you get the picture, right? Even if I didn't.

Well, I'm determined to get at least one picture of her with the toilet paper hanging on her, so I go to take the picture (only to realize the lens cap is still on). Urrggg!

Finally, the camera is ready, and if I'm recalling correctly, I think I did manage to snap a few pictures before she disappeared again into her bedroom this time.

And then I hear something that sounds very much like a CD from her CD player being pulled out of the CD player. I thought, "I thought for sure that I took that CD out of the CD player this morning when she got up." So, off I go to find her to take away the CD from her before she scratches it up even more than she's already done. She started opening the lid to the CD player a few weeks ago, and she'd pull the CD out and bring it to me. As a result, now, whenever I get her up in the morning and after naps, I take the CD out of the CD player first thing.

Well, it turns out that this wasn't her Baby Einstein music CD at all. Instead, she had found a CD of digital pictures from her 1st birthday party in the office (while I was busy trying to capture a photo moment), and she, obviously, knew (or thought she knew) that the CD belonged in the CD player. It is unbelievable to me that she made that connection! I guess the time should come some day, right? But, she's still so young, and she's still my baby!

So, I take the picture CD away from her so she doesn't scratch it, and low and behold, she's off to the office again. She went right back to where she found the 1st picture CD, and she finds another one to test yet again. This time, the CD looked like an unused CD, so I left her alone, and instead, I followed her with the camera in hand. Once again, she took that CD to the CD player, put it in the CD player, and she closed the lid. And this time, I did snap a few pictures!

What is next? Calculus? Ha! Ha! I hope not because I'm not sure how much I can remember myself!

"Nana"

On Sunday, December 2nd, my husband and I were in the kitchen with our daughter, and I was holding her. She looked over at something on the counter, pointed and muttered something in her own little words. My husband said, "Banana. Yes, that's a banana." She was saying "Nana," and she was actually pointing at a banana on the counter.

She actually was trying to say banana a few weeks ago when Grandmama, Granddaddy, me and Annabelle went to the Varsity for dinner on Monday, November 12th (after the final 12 month photo shoot). She also had a taste of my Frosted Orange (from the Varsity) for the first time then as well. She's a smart girl, as she loved it too! Of course, she should because I somewhat craved the Frosted Orange when I was pregnant with her. The baby store that we bought her baby furniture from, New Baby Products, and that we visited very frequently towards the end of my pregnancy, is right down the road from the Varsity, so after I tasted one Frosted Orange while I was pregnant, I wanted another and another and another! They are yummy!

So, anyhow, this past Sunday, I think she actually realized that it was a "nana" she was pointing at. It was a good thing my husband was there for translation though! I think I am going to be a very critical mother. I expect the words to come out very clear...it should be "ba-na-na," NOT "nana." I only answer to "ba-na-na."

All joking aside, I really hope I get better at this translating! She talks up a little storm in her own little words, but I have no clue what she is saying. I think "Ju" means "Juice" though.