Halloween

Little One was a bumble bee for Halloween this year. She wore her costume to a Gymboree Halloween party and to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

A quick update...

(guest post by daddy) Little One has been indicating to us that she wants to do things on her own.  She will say "myself" to go up the stairs, when brushing her teeth, and when trying to get up onto her booster seat to eat meals.  This month, we made some strides with potty training, but then she got sick and we had to put the training on hold.  We did convert her crib into a toddler bed, and she seems to like the results.  She has been having fun climbing in and out of her bed all by herself.  Here are some miscellaneous photos from this month.....

Summer Time

(guest post by daddy) This summer, Little One has really enjoyed playing outside. She likes to run around in open spaces and is always picking up sticks and leaves as we go along on our walks. In September, we had very warm weather and also had to contend with smoke and ashes from the fires up in the mountains. Despite the heat, she has been very active and has enjoyed trips to the Huntington Library and to various parks in the neighborhood.

When it has been too hot to go outside, she has enjoyed indoors activities such as playing dress-up, drawing with either crayons or finger paints, and reading books.

Little One has also become a picky eater and will often tell you that she doesn’t like a particular food (especially vegetables). However, it looks like popsicles are still okay with her…..

Developmentally, Little One has continued to learn more of her 123’s and abc’s. This month, her favorite phrases to use have included “What’s that?”, “I don’t like it”, "I don't want it", “sit there”, and “there it is!”.

That's all for now.

Out and about

(guest post by daddy) Little One had a busy August. We went on a road trip which included stops in San Jose, Union City, and Daly City. Around town, Little One was able to visit Descanso Gardens, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Kidspace museum, and various local parks.

..all buckled in for the ride......
... trying out the tricycles at the Kidspace Museum....

..saying hello to the stingrays at the aquarium.....

...at the park, the swing is her favorite.....

Since we were out a lot, Little One had a chance to eat at some new restaurants. As you can tell in these pictures, she ate well.....

Little One is now almost 35" tall and weighs in at 28 lbs, as she approaches becoming a 2.5 year old....

She has become quite the little chatterbox at home and will often tell you to "sit down" , "come here", and "go away". She says "self" when she wants to do something herself, and at the park she said "daddy go away....mama push" when I wasn't pushing her high enough on the swing.

That's all for now.

The Great Outdoors

(guest post by daddy) Little One likes to run around a lot and managed to scrape both of her knees (she seemed so proud of herself and pointed to her band-aids like they were badges of honor). After her fall, she became very interested in the concept of falling down and asked us to read "Humpty Dumpty"and "Jack and Jill" to her alot. After going to the aquarium earlier this month, Little One is now also very interested in sharks.

Little One continues to talk more and more, but we still have a hard time understanding her sometimes. She is using more words and putting her words together to come up with new phrases such as "humpty dumpty...fall down.....sad".

Here are some pictures from this month.....

As summer came around, the weather around here had been cooler than usual. Little One was spending a lot of time indoors ......... What do you mean it's too cold to go outside?!!!?

In July, temperatures started to go up......you mean I can go outside!?

....Okay mama, I'm all ready to go outside.....

First stop.....jumping on the trampoline.....

next stop, petting the sharks and rays at the outdoors shark lagoon....

next stop, practicing tai chi in the front yard....

and finally, some fun time in the swimming pool.....

Now and then

10-4

(guest post by daddy)....Little One is now communicating with us better....she will actually answer "yes" or "no" when you ask her questions such as "do you want some juice?" or "do you want to read a book?" When she is curious as to what you are doing, she will say "see" to indicate that she wants to see what you are doing. If she wants to hear some music, she will say "music" or "itsy" (for the cd which has itsy-bitsy spider on it). Here are some pictures from this month.....
Little One is quite the little helper around the house (I'm exaggerating a bit). Here, she and mommy are testing out daddy's new shoes......

Here, she is bringing daddy his belt...

....and here, she is helping to sweep the kitchen floor.

Little One is also getting better with her oral hygiene. Here, she is brushing her teeth at the bathroom sink.
However, sometimes she gets distracted....here, she has decided that her baby doll is the one who needs her teeth cleaned.
During play time, Little One still enjoys holding her tea parties....

Earlier this month, Little One got sick (fever, sores, grumpiness, loss of appetite, etc.) and was miserable for a few days. She would not even eat her usual favorites....

...so we had to resort to popsicles.

That's all for now.

On the go....

"Little One" is a little girl on the go.

She is picking up new words everyday but doesn't always communicate with us effectively, because she doesn't put words together to form sentences. At times, she does say phrases such as "Dog sleeping" and"Where it go?" On our walks, she'll name things that she sees ...such as cat, dog, car, truck, helicopter, airplane, flowers, sky, clouds, stop, bus, motorbike, bike, grass, leaf, baby, etc.

"Little One" likes to copy what we do. Sometime, it seems like she is a sponge absorbing what is going on around her. Little One will insist on trying to do things such as opening doors, turning on lights, wearing our adult-sized shoes, using keys to open doors, climbing up and down chairs on her own, and flushing the toilet.

Look at what the little girl is up to these days:
1. This is a photo of "Little One" in the morning before her breakfast. She has just come down the stairs and is on her way to the breakfast table. She looks like she is ready to take on the day. 2. She's strumming Daddy's guitar and learning what sound the strings make.
3. We brought out the water colors this month. She really enjoyed this activity but managed to color the table as well as her paper. Luckily, the water colors are washable. Otherwise, we would have a very colorful table.

4. Doesn't she look prissy here carrying her purse?
5. She has been drinking juice and milk from the straw sippy cup for awhile, but now "Little One" is also drinking soup straight from the bowl. Of course, she spills some of it, but her fine motor control is better than it was a month ago.

6. This girl has loved remote controls and other high-tech devices ever since she was a baby. She has been very observant, because she is able to turn the computer and tv on quite easily.

(a) This is a photo of "Little One" typing on the computer keyboard.

(b) Here, she is playing with a Nintendo Gamecube controller that is not plugged in. She's pushing the buttons trying to figure out what they do. She thinks the plug at the end of the controller is for her ear. She will stick that end in her ear like it's a cell phone earpiece.

(7) This is what she likes to do with Daddy & Mommy's shoes....she looks so proud of herself walking with these grown-up shoes.

(8) When she goes down for a nap or to sleep at night, she really falls into a deep sleep. This is a cute photo of her sleeping with her friend, "Curious George."