Tuesday 30 July 2019

Dani @ 18 months

Dani is turning 18 months and here’s everything I can think of while she tosses and turns in her crib, hopefully going to sleep.  It’s like watching paint dry, but noisier.

Nicknames:
Dani bear, D-bear, Super Bear, Bear,  Little Googoo (that’s AJ’s)

Favourite.....

Books:

Brown bear brown bear, Little Miss pocketbooks, Waddle


Also Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. I am not kidding. She flips through it entranced, gives it stroller rides, and if I put it on a high shelf will risk life and limb to recapture it.



We don’t need no light summer reading.




Activities:
  • Playing in the sprinkler (gets soaking wet and totally ok with it)
  • Swinging (she throws back her head and says “wheeee, wheeee”)
  • Throwing and kicking a ball (bouncy balls send her into fits of giggling glee)
  • Picking up sticks. Anything outside really, but bonus if sticks are available.
  • Picking up tiny treasures (child proofing with a second child is very hit and miss....and we were hit and miss even with AJ. Luckily Dani doesn’t put things in her mouth much anymore.)
  • Putting on necklaces and bracelets or anything that can reasonably pass as such. 
  • Baths (she has started grabbing the bath mat and bringing it to me saying "Bath!"
  • Trying on shoes. Hers, sister’s, mom’s.



Building a campfire?

Foods 

  • Noodles (“noo-no’s)
  • Everything is second to noodles but also fruit, cheese, crackers, cookies. Dani will eat most foods including meats. Not showing much pickiness yet.
  • Feeds herself mostly successfully with spoon and fingers
  • Drinks from a straw cup and open cup sometimes

Toys
  • Balls
  • Sticks and brooms
  • Stuffies, especially her blue dinosaur, blue dolphins (hmmm she might like blue), her shaggy Duke the dog toy, shaggy mammoth toy adopted from AJ, and her blob kitty toys, still. Dani likes matching pairs of toys which kind of defeats my purpose when I buy two of things for the girls so they don’t fight over them.
  • Toy stroller she can push things in at breakneck speed
  • Musical toys such as harmonica, recorder, whistle, kazoo (she can make noises on all of them)
  • Sidewalk chalk 
  • Anything big sister is playing with, of course. Bonus if it’s totally inappropriate for a toddler, like hundreds of tiny beads


Curlers will recognize the victory pose.

People:
  • Big sister AJ. They still have a mostly sweet and affectionate relationship. Sometimes there is friction but AJ is generally tender and sensitive to Dani. I can easily redirect any misunderstandings so far. Dani often wakes up a bit cranky but turns to all smiles when she sees AJ. 
  • Dani’s favourite comfort object is a very soft dress of AJ’s she calls “Mama.” Luckily AJ is ok with this: it used to be a favourite dress but it’s too hot to wear it now; also it’s getting too small. She does have a bigger version she can wear next fall. I used to joke that I was interchangeable with the dress but in the past few weeks Dani has started calling me “mommy”. So I have my own title now and I love it.
  • Dani is developing more of a relationship with Mr Turtle.  She goes running to him calling “Daaaaaaad” in a very sweet way. I do think AJ is a bit defensive of her special relationship with dad however. Understandably so.  Luckily Mr Turtle is also very sensitive to these things. 
I could write a whole other blog or series about how relationships change and develop but in interests of brevity, it’s been mainly awesome. We are not perfect but if you walk in on us at any given time there’s a 80% chance we are having fun.





Notable:
  • Dani tries to sing along to songs and she’s really kinda good. AJ was off key or monotone  until she took some music lessons, but even though Dani can’t say words, she sings some notes. 
  • Lots of words, imitating constantly. Still calls most animals “kitty” but does many animal sounds. I think she actually might be starting to play the kitty thing for laughs. (“I know what it is but if I call it kitty they will all giggle.”)
  • Starting to show clothing preferences. Mostly for fluffy dresses.



And.....(not pictured) we have a sleeping toddler. Goodnight and happy half birthday birthday little bear. Beyond grateful everyday you manifested in our lives.