Sunday, April 24, 2005

My, how time flies!!!

I can't believe how fast time goes by with Kaeli in my life!

Kaeli is in day care, and absolutely loving it. Her teachers love her, too! I get a printed daily report when I pick her up at the end of the day, and it is always marked "Happy" and "Active" under mood, and many times in the comment section they mention how helpful she was that day. She helps clean, and when her playmates cry, she pats them on the back and gives them hugs. She also shares the toys, making sure everyone has something to play with.

She loves playing outdoors the best, evidently, and tries to keep up with the big kids. Her knees are going to be permanently scarred by the end of the summer - she is always banging them and scratching them up.

She is helping with chores around the house now. Whenever I empty the dishwasher, she empties the silverware container, holding each piece up for me to take and put away. Then she lifts out the empty container and gives that to me too. She also picks up pieces of dirt or scraps of paper or cat hair off the carpets and hands them to me. Sometimes the pieces are so miniscule I'm not sure there's anything there, but she's sure. She also helps dust, usually using her socks - which never stay on if she has anything to say about it!

She chatters and sings and talks to herself and to me and to passing drivers as we ride in the car, and is always so happy and cheerful. She likes going out onto the deck off the living room and looking through the railing at the birds and trees, and banging on the deck with one of the plastic table legs. I put the table together the other night, and she's not too happy I took away her drum set!

She has grown two inches since Yei Yei and Nai Nai left at the end of February, and has gained three pounds. Her footed pajamas no longer have feet waving behind her as she runs - her feet fit where they belong now. She is still wonderful at going to sleep at night and getting up in the morning. I hear her talking and singing to herself before she falls asleep at night or before I get her out of her crib after I shower in the morning.

She now plays by herself or reads books to herself, so that I can get some work done around the house. She will come running to me every once in awhile to get a hug or pat me on the cheeks, and then she's back to her barn or building blocks or shapes.

She signs about 20 words, says about 10 in English and 5 in Chinese. All the rest of the chatter is in her own language, and it is enchanting. Right now she's talking to her froggy in the living room area.

I'm off to cuddle with my daughter, before bath time!

Sunday, April 03, 2005

The "couch potato" - in her Mama's ancient rocking chair, with her leapfrog music table/side table with her drink and cheerios at hand, and Froggy keeping her company while watching a Baby Einstein DVD.
Kaeli is now feeding herself (and the bib... and the floor... and the chair... and the cat...)
Playing hide and seek at the playground.
Kaeli doing a cool pose - she loves pockets!
The hard part -
Part of Kaeli's new exercise program - climbing through the chair rungs at the dining table.