Monkey see, monkey ... oh, crap

Over the last few months, it has become rather obvious that Elle (like most kids her age) is quite impressionable. We've been mindful of our language around her, and I've been conscious of trying to keep things positive around her - instead of lots of "nos" we try to reserve the word for only serious things, and we try to redirect her whenever possible.

I've tried to watch my language and behavior around her, knowing that if she's picking up words from us at the speed of light she's also probably picking up on the way we act. (I just read this blog post, too, which makes me a) laugh and b) really think about what I'm saying, haha.) She mimics cleaning, calling herself "helper" and walking around with a little brush and dust pan. Unfortunately, she also has started putting things in the trash can - things that don't necessarily belong in the trash can.

A few recent incidents have jumped out at me as signs that we've got to try harder to be "good" around the little one.

Tim told me that Elle said "Kitty, no" to one of the cats when he was clawing at the armchair. I thought it was cute ... but realized that she had picked that up from me.

Tim and I call each other "Hon" a lot. One night around Thanksgiving, Elle was sitting in the kitchen trying to get Tim's attention, and we realized what she was repeatedly saying: "Hon. Hon. Hon. Hon." (Sometimes he seriously doesn't listen! I can't take all the blame for her picking that one up from me.)

Then she started throwing her sippy cup off her high chair with an "Oh no. Dop it." Within the day, "Dop it" became a clear "Stop it." Like when I was clipping her nails, and Elle told me "Stop it. Stop it." Or when she tossed each crayon she was using off her high chair tray with a "Stop it."

There is also the fact that she will prance around and say "Sit down. Good girl." She'll plop on her butt, then repeat the whole thing. It's pretty funny, but ... in the bathtub, she likes to stand when I wash her hair - I tell her to sit down, then tell her she's a good girl. Got it. My 16-month-old is mocking me.

She is such a little sponge.

Some of it is cute and harmless, like when she says "oh man" any time her block towers crumble (usually because she's knocked them down). Or when she says "Buh bye, see you" to anyone and everyone she meets.

But there are other times when I wonder how she perceives us, and our interaction with her, evidenced by the fact that she said "Up" to me this weekend, I said, "Why, Elle? There's nothing up here." And now she constantly says "Up - why? Up - why?" as well as sometimes just "Why?" as an auto-response when we're exasperated. 

I watch her and other kids at church and other places interact and try to see what adult behavior is reflected in the little ones. What part of their play is directed by us, influenced by us? I find myself picking up cues from some of my mommy "role models" and learning how to diffuse some situations, handle others. But not everything they do works for me. I'm my own type of parent. And my kid is different from their kid(s). The situations are hardly ever identical.

As Elle has gotten older, even in the last few months, I've been especially aware of how she picks up on the way I act, the words I say. But apparently some habits have been learned, and I'm sure they won't be the last. I'm not perfect, but holy crap - there's no clearer mirror to my own behavior than a 32" tall toddler.

Proving un-proofable

Let me introduce you to my daughter, the 11-month-old Tazmanian She-Devil.

Don't be fooled - she's cute, but she's a handful.

Elle is not yet walking - actually, she only *just* (as in yesterday) started pulling herself completely up and putting full weight on her legs. But she crawls like it's her job (which, well, it kinda is) and can roll herself in to trouble in an instant.

We've been baby-proofing in stages. There was the "take the newspapers out from under the coffee table" stage. Then the easy-to-tackle "get the cords out of her reach" period. We sailed through the "keep the cats' food and water bowls out of her reach" era and quickly followed with "move all of the breakables up high." Then "move all of the breakables up higher/in to storage."

Side note: This baby-proofing thing is an interior decorator's nightmare. We have virtually no decorative stuff left on our coffee table, entertainment stand or end tables. It's kind of nice, but still quite startling - I bought a bin that holds all of our magazines (which previously resided on our coffee table) and another that holds our keys/spare change/TV remotes, so Little Miss Grabby Hands can't get to some of her favorite treasures anymore. Drives. Her. Bananas.

Really, we started baby-proofing on a large scale with the removal of a significant amount of furniture. My thinking was that if there was less furniture, there would be fewer opportunities for Elle to pull stuff off/down/on top of herself, and more space for her to roam without potential booby-traps. We packed up two big bookcases of books and took them and the bookcases to storage. Another bookcase was tossed to the trash, the contents (like my Web design books, current crafting projects, bills, correspondence, etc.) secured in a newly acquired four-drawer filing cabinet. With little handles that I pray she won't be able open until she's like five.

So that's three bookcases down. Lots of baby-proofing done (next on the list is securing a few more pieces of furniture to the walls, putting the little cabinet locks on Elle's favorite travel-sized toiletries in the bathroom and getting a gate for the kitchen), yet an infinite amount to go. I'm not going to be a helicopter parent, and we're blessed and cursed with the fact that Elle's childcare takes place in our home - she's closely watched at most times, but I can't expect every adult who enters to assume total responsibility for my curious and clumsy child's welfare. We'll keep watching for potential issues as they arise.

Like the most recent realization: Our "eliminate the issues as they crop up" approach to baby-proofing - the approach that has claimed various knick-knacks, dozens of photo frames and several substantial pieces of furniture - does not extend to walls or floors. I cannot make them disappear. And Elle, in her young, quadruped way,  is challenging these formidable foes. (Read: We've had screams and tears two days in a row when there was a tumble, a moment of silence and then a shocked baby with cries and tears that would make you shake - all with a parent that was less than two feet away at all times.) Today she tried to crawl in to the fridge, too - an arctic disaster waiting to happen - but managed to escape, unscathed, with some string cheese. She promptly crawled across the room and brought it to me to unwrap for her immediate consumption.

If only all of our potential accidents were just quests for snacks ... I might be able to monitor the situation more closely. With this kid's whims, lack of grace and darting ways, we're in for a lot of trouble.

Stowing away infancy

Our little girl is growing up. If I didn't notice how her long legs dangle out of the stroller on walks, or if I was oblivious to how she goes from crawling to sitting and spins around in two seconds flat, like she's been doing it all her life ... it's apparent in what *isn't* there.

We're in the middle of a significant baby gear transition. (The first of many, I'm sure.) Basically, a massive amount of baby stuff is about to invade our storage unit and join the newborn, 0-3, 3-6 and now a significant amount of 6-9 month clothes.  The Boppy, which was used several times a day during our early breastfeeding months, is now packed up. The need for the little plastic bath tub, which initially required the little newborn sling for our slippery young tot, is nearing the end. The infant car seat is about to be traded in for two convertible seats. The jumperoo is hardly used now, passing its peak time of use (for Elle, ages 4-7 months). The bouncy seat will join its cousin, Swing. The Bumbo hasn't been used in months.

Rockin' the sippy cup.

There are other signs that Elle's infanthood is quicky fading. The pacifiers are long gone. The nipples that have been worn out on bottles are getting thrown away and not replaced, because she's suddenly (thankfully!) embracing the sippy cup. I purchased a box of breast milk storage bags the other night and realized that they will almost definitely be the last I purchase for quite some time. I plan for a trip we're making this summer and realize it will be the last time I need to travel with the breast pump for the foreseeable future. Elle quickly figures out her new toys and is alllll about the cause-and-effect relationships: press this button, hear this song; pull this knob, watch these lights flash, etc. She's methodical and deliberate with what she plays with and how she plays with it.

The new annoying favorite toy in the house.

As Elle (rapidly) approaches the one-year mark, I've tried not to be sad about how fast time is going or how big she is getting. I miss certain parts of each age and stage but look forward to each new one even more. I've also preoccupied myself with the fact that she'll be one with the decision to stop pumping at that time. I'll continue to breastfeed her, but people, I hate, hate, hate pumping. That will be one thing I will not be sad about.

I have to admit, it's a bit emotional to pack away things that she's used for months. Things that might be used for a future sibling but will always have been Elle's first. I can remember how unsure she was of the jumperoo the first time we put her in it. How she was practically swallowed by the bouncy seat during her first days. How we tried four different kinds of sippy cups before she finally started to use one instead of just play with it.

But we've got new toys, new clothes, new gear, new car seats ... new adventures.

Wordless Wednesday: Then and now

Two days old; seven months old

Five-ish weeks old; 31 weeks old

I've decided to jump on the Wordless Wednesday wagon, which should be interesting since I don't think I've been wordless a day in my life :)

Tickers, tickers everywhere ...

Some of you might have noticed that I've got a fine array of baby-related HTML gadgets on the right side of our blog. But those are in addition to the ones I have on a my profile for a pregnancy forum I participate in and my Facebook page. I collect these pregnancy tickers - each one with a different theme, different presentation, and different nugget of information. You can find out what size the baby is in relation to fruit. You can read about what is going on with the physical and mental development of the baby on any given day. Basically, you can know anything you want to know about our kid, just with a quick visit to our blog. (Then in a few years, throw it back at Baby Wolfrum with a "Hey, kid, don't sass me - I've known you since your hands and feet were still webbed." Week 6, y'all.)

When we first found out we were expecting, I checked several books out from the library. One of my favorites took a day-by-day approach to the pregnancy and the developing fetus. I would read to Tim ("Baby has digits!") and show him the pictures. Some of these tickers have replaced the info in that book (I would love to still have it, but the library has this silly policy where they insist I return books, and it's only available in hardcover. I love you, Baby, but Mommy is not paying Amazon $52 to see exactly what day you would grow fingernails.)

According to my Facebook ticker, eyelashes and eyebrows are now appearing on Baby W. I've enjoyed reading - and sharing - the updates, even when Baby was developing genitals (which was great, Baby, but I was less than impressed because it was about two months before we'd be able to see what gender you are, so really, it was like a big tease) and started producing his or her own urine. A few short months ago, Baby's heart started beating. Baby's body is now pretty much proportionate in size and the limbs and muscles are becoming more well-formed by the day. Baby's teeth and vocal cords are forming. It's been amazing to watch the little fetus in our little babyquarium on the blog go from a little frog-like being to a human. Baby can now suck his or her thumb and is covered in soft, downy hair called lanugo.

For all of the changes I've undergone, I'm still absolutely fascinated by how this baby, which is now the size of an orange, has developed and will become a tiny human addition to our family later this summer. When we found out we were pregnant, the baby was just an embryo and no bigger than an appleseed. Now the baby is a fetus and a substantial piece of citrus. (Not really looking forward to the ticker change to "Watermelon," btw. Holy crap will I be huge.)

Grow, baby, grow!