monkeys always look

Did you give up on us? It has been well over a week since I last reported our goings-on. Jarrad kindly posted a cute video he produced with some old footage of Rachel, and I'm hoping that was enough to keep everyone checking for new posts.

Rachel and I are back, and finally back in full swing. We had a fun time visiting MiMi and Poppy last week, and Rachel did really well adjusting to her new bed (a Pack-n-Play). She didn't even seem to mind that MiMi and Poppy put her to bed every night while I helped my old coach at his soccer camp. They reported that she walked over to the Pack-n-Play and asked to go to sleep whenever they gave her a signal that it was bedtime. It was a big relief to me that she did so well.

While back in my hometown, I made a few attempts to see old friends, most of which fell through. We did get to see my high school history teacher, though! We still keep in touch, and Rachel really enjoys his silliness. He always has an interesting gift for her, too, like a Cheerios dispenser that looks like a boy with a baseball cap and a Wiggles CD.

There were several times last week when Rachel actually wouldn't let me take her from Poppy. MiMi didn't get to see Rachel as much as Poppy because she had to work most of the week (while Poppy is already retired). She and Rachel still had fun in the early mornings and evenings, though, and Rachel enjoyed MiMi's singing the most, even at times trying to imitate her.

We got back Saturday, and PopPop and Uma came Saturday evening for the wedding of our friends, Glenn & Jessica. Rachel was so exhausted and overstimulated with all the excitement that she had trouble going to sleep Saturday and Sunday night. Aunt Mamber babysat Sunday night during the wedding and ended up putting Rachel in the bed before 7:00pm because she was so tired! (pictured are PopPop and Uma...I took a few pictures with Poppy's camera last week, and I even made a CD with the pictures, but I forgot to bring them home withe me.)

Today was a bit quieter. We visited our neighbor, Mr. Henry, between naps, and then my friend Theresa brought her daughter, Alex, over this afternoon. Theresa and I visited while Rachel napped and Alex did her homework (she just started third grade in year-round school!) I've already calculated that Alex can be our designated non-family-member babysitter in six or seven years--especially since she loves Rachel and they live right down the road from us!

Progress Report

Rachel is still doing pretty well on the potty, but no better. Interestingly, Theresa's daughter, Alex, was trained by 13 months with the help of Theresa's mother. She said Alex started wearing training pants when she was Rachel's age (a switch I've considered making). It's so nice to talk to someone who was actually successful with early potty training, since I've only read stories until now. I've been discouraged, but knowing it's not impossible helps a lot.

cute moment

We were going out last week, and I was driving, with Poppy in the back seat entertaining Rachel. He whistled his funny whistle several times, and then Rachel attempted to imitate him by scrunching her nose, sticking out her lips, and snorting and blowing in and out. Poppy thought it was hilarious.

Poppy left Thursday afternoon to go to Romania on a mission trip, and he was already gone when we got home from having lunch out. As soon as we walked in the house, Rachel looked all around, stuck her arms way out and said, "hmmmmmknn?" (which sounds like our, "Where'd he go?"). She patted her chest and said "Poppy" several times for the remainder of the week. (She learned to pat her chest when PopPop taught her his name, and it quickly became her "sign" for any grandfatherly man.)

Rachel is also really into sitting on things right now. MiMi has a doll chair and a doll bench that are the perfect size for Rachel to sit herself on. She regularly stopped her play to go over and sit on the bench, and she loved carrying the lightweight chair to various places in the house, setting it down, and plopping on top. She always grinned, very pleased with her accomplishment.

But my favorite part of the week is when she came out to our soccer camp. Rachel understands the phrase "kick the ball," and she showed off for all the girls and their parents by kicking the soccer balls. She looked pretty coordinated, and everyone assured me that she would be a soccer player one day. We'll see!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel has continued to enjoy playing with the plastic packaging from the Cheerio dispenser she received last week. It opens up nicely so that she can put things inside and close it again, pretending it's hidden (even though it is made of clear plastic).

MiMi and Poppy also kindly allowed Rachel to play with their plastic containers, and Rachel thoroughly enjoyed pulling them out of the cabinet, carrying them around, stacking them, and pretending to feed her stuffed animals and baby dolls from them. Oh yeah, and she liked to sit on the containers, too.

the fix

Many of you are wondering what is going on with the blog. Well, Rachel and Anna are off teaching a soccer camp in Anna's home town this week. Many people have contacted me wanting to get a "Rachel Fix", so I thought I would provide just that...

dinner theatre

Yesterday was fun, although Rachel's little gums definitely seemed to be bothering her. She's been having terrible trouble going to sleep at nap time, even taking 2 hours to finally fall asleep this afternoon (at 3:55pm, I went in her room and retrieved the pacis she had ousted for the third time, and I vowed I would get her up if she didn't fall right asleep when I left).

After her second nap yesterday, we met Aunt KiKi, Cousin Tyler, and Carla (sans Koen, since he was taking a nap himself) at the mall nearby. There is an outdoor area there that has an in-sidewalk fountain, perfect for children to play. It was Carla's idea, and I worked myself up for it. As soon as Rachel woke up, I stripped her down and smeared her with sunblock, found her cutest diaper and a summery outfit, packed her swimmy shoes and sun hat, and we were off. I thought Rachel would be mesmerized by the water jumping up out of the ground. Tyler seemed to think it was fun, and Rachel and Tyler were mildly interested in each other, but Rachel preferred walking around greeting everyone who was sitting at the tables outside. We hung around the mall all night. Aunt KiKi shared some of her baked ziti with Rachel, and then we let the kiddos play in the indoor play area. Rachel has been timid on the playground in the past, but last night, she went for it. She climbed all over the fake rocks, and she laughed hysterically as Carla and I helped her go down the slides for the first time. All the equipment is made out of squishy-but-firm foam, which really came in handy when Rachel decided to run down one of the slides. She fell back and hit her head on the slide and tumbled the rest of the way down (these aren't big slides, mind you). Carla, Aunt KiKi, and I gasped, but Rachel laughed and got right up. Whew! She learned all this monkey business from her cousin Tyler!!

Today was busy in a fun kind of way. Since Rachel took over an hour to go to sleep for her 1.5-hour nap this morning, and two hours to go to sleep for her 1-hour nap this afternoon, I was able be fairly productive. It is sad, listening to her on the monitor, struggling to stay awake while wanting to go to sleep. More info below...

Shortly after Rachel woke up this morning, two men came to clean our living room carpet. Spots have been popping up everywhere, and it's been driving me crazy. I've tried to do spot treatments, but it hasn't worked. As soon as the crew came in, Rachel went straight over one man (the older one...she seems to prefer older, grandfatherly men) and gave his leg a big bear hug. He laughed [uncomfortably]. Conveniently, it was Rachel's lunch time, so I pulled her high chair right over to the edge of the living room so she could watch the show as she ate. It could not have worked out any better. Incidentally, the guys were really impressed with Jarrad's concrete countertops. It was fun to have a chance to brag on his hard work!

Aunt Mamber came over this afternoon for her usual Thursday visit. Rachel was in a good mood, as she has been lately post-dinnertime.

I have slept really well the past two nights, which is a change from the last couple of weeks. It is amazing how good sleep really affects the how good I feel and how productive I am.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	7
poop	0	2

From Sunday until last night, Rachel had done nothing on the potty except one poopy (and that was only because I caught her when she was about to go). Last night, right before bed, she peepeed on the potty, and I could not have been more thrilled. Today, she peepeed some on the potty, although she was still mostly reluctant.

The most amazing thing, though, is that this child, who went about 10 weeks without pooping in her pants even one time, who I watched hold her poopy all the way home from the park one afternoon, who used to only average once a day, usually right before bedtime, has now started pooping in her diaper in her crib. I don't know how she can possibly be holding it for that, but there is no other explanation. Yesterday morning, she had two dirty diapers in her crib before she went to sleep for her morning nap, and one in the afternoon. This morning, I changed a wet diaper and then a dirty diaper before she went to sleep, and this afternoon was exactly the same routine. It is amazing!

cute moment

While Aunt Mamber was here tonight, we were playing in Rachel's room, and two of her stuffed animals were sitting side-by-side. Rachel pointed at them, said something forcefully in Rachel-language, and then she turned, and she sat on them, laughing a sinister sort of laugh.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel did get a little wet from the water fountain at the mall, and she thought that was funny. Even funnier, though, was the disgusting, runny mud puddle in the natural area by our table. She was stomping in it, just like PopPop taught her to do, and she was having such a great time that I didn't stop her...but I did give her a good bath before bed last night.

clown shoes

Yesterday was a long day, even though we took two field trips. Between her naps, Rachel and I went to visit our neighbor, Mr. Henry. He enjoys watching Rachel walking circles around him. Rachel even asked to sit in his lap, and sat there nicely for at least 30 seconds before squirming to get down. After her afternoon nap, we went over to see Ms. Kathy, another friend. Her son, Glenn, is getting married in two weeks, so she's been getting ready for the wedding.

Today was busy, which is a good thing. We had lunch with some other mommies and children. Rachel enjoyed watching the big kids play, and everyone was impressed at how much she ate. Fifteen-month-old Murphy ate a de-crusted peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Rachel had half a peanut butter sandwich, a bunch of macaroni and cheese, lots of fruit, and some banana pudding. She ate and ate and ate and kept signing "more." Even I was amazed.

We also ran a few errands late this afternoon right before dinner. We took a nice walk after dinner, and Rachel watched from her stroller as I pruned a couple of our bushes outside (can you believe it?). She got antsy and we came inside and played in her room until bedtime. For the first time in several days, Rachel seemed to be in a really great mood. She was giggly and content, and she wanted to snuggle, so she came and sat in my lap pretty often.

With the exception of tonight, here is an example of the kind of days we have been having. I think she must be getting some new teeth...

Progress Regress Report

She still is refusing to even sit on the potty. The only time she has used it in the last three days is when I caught her about to poop in her pants, and I rushed her onto the potty in time to catch it. Every other poop has been in her pants, right at naptime or first thing in the morning. She hasn't peepeed in the potty in three days either. Sad.

cute moment

Before we left Mr. Henry's house yesterday, I asked Rachel for a hug, but instead, she went right over to Mr. Henry and hugged his leg. It's like she was rubbing it in my face that I didn't get a hug!

Here's a video of Rachel working really hard.

non-toy toy of the day

We went to WalMart today, and I couldn't resist getting Rachel a new toy...check out these fake crocs!

i'm mr. lonely

Rachel and I have had an uneventful (which means long) week. Several attempts to see friends and visit neighbors have fallen through, and the weather didn't cooperate for Rachel to "swim" in her little pool the days I wanted to do that, so we've found ourselves trying to stay entertained around the house. Rachel has been sleeping until closer to 7:00am, which is a big relief, and her naps have been good lengths and predictable for the most part as well. She has been a bit disagreeable the last couple of days. She throws her toys, has temper-tantrums, pulls her bib off during meals, and generally wants to do what she wants to do, which is usually exactly what she knows I don't want her to do. It's rather frustrating. But I still think she's cute.

Aunt Katie came over Friday night, and Rachel got to try pizza for the first time. It was a hit, and Rachel was a mess. After bedtime, Katie and I watched the movie "High School Musical." It was much-needed down time. I haven't seen a movie in so long!

On Saturday, Rachel and I went to a baby shower at Aunt KiKi and Uncle Travis's house in honor of Denise. We had fun and Rachel wore a pretty little pink and white dress Aunt KiKi gave her. Of course, I didn't take any pictures...oops. Rachel even took a short nap in Cousin Tyler's crib after he woke up from his own nap. It was really fun to hang out and watch Rachel and Tyler play together some. Tyler is 7 months older than Rachel, but he still outweighs her by about 10 pounds. He always wants to hug and kiss on Rachel. It's sweet.

Sunday was hard. Since Rachel has gotten into a routine of waking up between 6:45am and 7:00am, she is usually ready for her nap at exactly 9:00am. But we trucked off to church without regard, and I ended up being called out of the service to sit with her in nursery because she was crying. I am convinced she would be fine in the nursery if it weren't for her missing that nap!

I take a lot of pictures of Rachel, but we've found fewer and fewer pictures of ourselves with Rachel. We're going to try to make a point of getting more pictures of us! Here are two from last week:

Progress Report

Rachel has all but quit the potty. It's really frustrating, because it is clear that she knows exactly what is going on. She even sometimes peepees as a protest when I won't give her something she wants. I'm not making this up. On Saturday, she wanted something from on top of her chest of drawers, and I said, "No Rachel, you can't have that." She fussed and whined, then stopped abruptly and peepeed. When she does that, she usually looks right at me, does the sign for no, and says, "nah nah" with a scolding tone.

cute moment

Rachel is really into playing "peek-a-boo" right now. She even hides her toys from herself. She opens her arms and says "hmmmmmguh?"...which sounds like when we say "Where'd it go?" Then she "finds" it and squeals.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel needed something different this week, so I let her dig into the play food Aunt Mamber gave her for her birthday. I was keeping it from her because the package says 3+. Some of the food is pretty small, but Rachel did great, and I really don't worry about her choking on much anymore. Of course, I keep my eye on her, but she does really well these days. Anyway, she played and played with this "food." I loved play food when I was little, so I played with it some today too. The analytical side of me had trouble, though, because the "food" had terrible proportionality. I took a picture so you can judge for yourselves. How do you suppose they decided what to make which size?

just to post

Rachel must be getting teeth, because she's been crazy today. Therefore, I'm tired. Therefore, here's a complimentary picture or two.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Rachel turned 13 months old! Shameless picture count: 571. WOW. Well, I guess we did have her birthday party and our beach vacation.

indoor pool

Today seemed long, especially since it started at 6:00am. Rachel seemed to be in a pretty good mood, though, and she took two great naps (1.5 hours and 2 hours), so I shouldn't complain. She didn't go to bed until 8:35pm tonight, though, and I politely asked her to sleep until 7:00am. I'm sure she will listen.

Aunt Mamber came over this afternoon, and she got to see how busy Rachel is these days. All day today, I had a hard time getting her interested in eating. She just wanted to play play play! She's also really into hugging, now, so she gives me frequent hugs, as well as hugging inanimate objects like shoes. A couple of days ago, she started hugging her food. If you go back and watch the video from yesterday, you might notice that she hugs the pea she's holding. It's pretty cute, but it can get messy, too. Yesterday she hugged a spiral noodle and it got all over the side of her head and in her hair. She also hugged her fork, which got food in her ear.

I had planned to let Rachel go "swimming" in her inflatable pool this afternoon, but the sky got gray and scary-looking, so we stayed in. Rachel thought it was fun to climb in and out, though! We had a really loud storm right before Rachel's bedtime, and she actually seemed a bit tense with the big booms of thunder. She wanted to stay right with me, and buried her face in my lap several times. It was kinda nice to feel loved by my baby.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	7
poop	3	0

cute moment

Rachel and I met Jarrad out for lunch today. Rachel loves going out now. She sits in the big high chair and just watches, waving and greeting anyone who notices her. She got antsy toward the end of the meal because she wanted to walk around. I got her out of the highchair and let her go. She immediately began to prance around, waving and yelling HEY at everyone. Of course, it's hard to ignore that, so most people spoke to her as she walked by. Then, all of a sudden, Rachel looked at a man who spoke nicely to her, sprinted over to him, and hugged his leg. Oh, my! I had no idea that was coming, or I would have stopped it, of course. Whew, I have got to figure out a way to make her less friendly!

non-toy toy of the day

Our guitar has had one broken string for a while now, but Jarrad's friend gave him new strings last night. I played some this afternoon, and Rachel thoroughly enjoyed "helping" me.