Who is the Toddler Sleeping in Her Bed?!?

The ticker on this blog is sliding toward the Babe’s 1st Birthday just a little too fast for my taste. Where, exactly, did my baby go?

I mean, one day just 5 months ago I was sitting on the floor in her room, talking to a friend on the phone, watching her sit in her little butterfly seat. For the first time ever, she reached out a grabbed at a toy. She was amazed, I was amazed and it was beautiful. It was SO exciting–SHE REACHED FOR A TOY!

Today she reached for (and got) the fire extinguisher in the school kitchen, her sippy cup, the water supply under the toilet, and torch lamp behind her changing table.

She’s banging toys together. She’s working on waving, clapping and pointing. The girl eats her weight in Cheerios. She’s close to 20 lbs, wears a size 4 shoe, and size 12 month clothes.

She’s EVERYWHERE. Tuesday we learned that the Dr.’s cabinets aren’t baby proofed, and he keeps lots of freebies from drug reps under there. He commented that she’s trying to stand on her own–and how sometimes it seems unnatural for a child her size to be walking. But to post the Poison Control # by the phone because she will be exploring even more in the near future.

She responds to NO and STOP with a look like, “Are you talking to me?” But she responds. Nothing can hold her back when she sees a ready bottle. Or cracker. Or anything I offer her on my index finger.

And now as she naps, I see how big she really is. Which is why I ask–who is this Toddler sleeping in her Bed? And WHERE did my baby go?!?!

An Entry from the Babe

Hi Everyone!

Mommy left the blogging to me today because she’s busy trying to figure out her new job. Every day now we get up and get moving–no more lazing about, watching our friends Matt and Katie on the TV for us! Now we get moving and by 8am, I am with my good friend Mrs. G. Mom hands me off with a big kiss and Mrs. G. gives me a big hug! Then we get to work. Sometimes we make copies, sometimes we answer the phone, sometimes we file things–whatever it is, I try to help as much as I can. Sometimes we get to deliver things to the teachers and then I go on stroller rides!

All that work wears me out, so after awhile I take a break to play with some toys and then I lay down to nap in “my” room at school. When I wake up, it’s time to see Mommy and all 30 of the kids she teaches now. I get to sit at a big kid table and she feeds me my lunch while the rest of the class eats too.

Today after the kids went out to recess, she made a cubby just for me! Now I have a place to hang my vinyl bib, and store my food and what not. I have a cubby just like the big kids! I can’t wait to get my school book bag just like all of my new friends.

I love it! Actually, today I was so excited I got up at 5am (oops!) and had to take a little snoozer even before we got to school. Maybe that’s why Mommy’s putting on anothe pot of coffee right now. Hmm….

Toys I’d Like to Market

Like most babies, the Babe has more toys than she could possibly explore in one lifetime. I try to rotate through the cache, and lately she’s been really excited by her Fisher Price piano, Fisher Price Learning Pots and Pans and a few other things. But she’s also been really interested in EVERYTHING we use on a daily basis–cellphone chargers, powercords, sunglasses, cell phones, so on and so forth. It seems that she’s really drawn to black plastic.

So yesterday afternoon I tidied up her toys, and gathered all of the black techno items and placed them in a basket.

the “baby” toys

the “big people” toys

I put her in the middle of the room, and what do you think she went for? The unattractive black basket filled with every day stuff.

So I think we are going to stop going to the toy store and start going to Goodwill. There, we will purchase broken appliances and gadgets, and she will be in 7th heaven.

Seriously, whoever thinks that babies are drawn to bright colors is obviously wrong. I think a line of industro-techno black plastic toys (no sharp edges, no cords long enough to strangle) would do quite well. Of course, if they were 100% safe, I guess that would take the fun out of them!