We recently went to Mexico, and I’m still working on the pictures and videos from that trip, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here are links to some pictures from the end of July and the first half of August. My favorite one:
Manners are sinking in!
Courtesy is very important to me, and so ever since we’ve been teaching words to Ruby, we’ve included “please” and “thank you”. These days, she tends to say “thank you” verbally and sign “please” with her hands (as long as she expresses it, either way is fine). We usually have to remind her, though.
Today, we were at a family restaurant along I-5. She dropped her sippy cup, and the man at the next table picked it up for her. Then, with no prompting from us, she told him “thank you” (and he understood what she said)! I almost died with pride.
And so it begins…
This evening, Ruby walked around the playroom, declaring each thing she played with “mine!”
(Today is the first day I’ve heard her consistently use that word in context.)
The Best Kiddie Pool
A few weeks ago, when the weather was in the 90s, I bought one of the last few kiddie pools left at Target. We had a ton of fun playing in it that week (and expect to again when it’s warmer).
I was pleasantly surprised when Steve noticed that our kiddie pool was chosen by Slate Magazine as the best of the year!
Pictures from Canada Day
First, I added some pictures to the June album, so you may want to go back there and take another look.
I also put up pictures from our Canada Day party, as well as some other pictures taken this month. Here are a few of my favorites:
At our Canada Day party, we gave Ruby a popsicle to try. It didn’t go over too well…
Finally, here’s a funny clip of Ruby “dancing”:
State of the Baby
- Ruby says “mama” and “papa” all the time now. The unusual thing is that “mama” is said in a regular voice, and “papa” is almost always whispered.
- She enjoys dancing, but doesn’t do it very long or very well (even by baby standards) yet.
- She eats banana oatmeal for breakfast every day. When I start making it, she lets loose an enthusiastic “NAna!” (banana).
(This entry was never really finished, but I wanted to post it anyway.)
Really good toy: Play Wonder kitchen
We don’t buy many toys for Ruby. She plays with things she got for Christmas and her birthday. The things we’ve added in the meantime have mostly been free, like mardi gras beads from the Pride Parade and cardboard boxes.
However, at a recent meeting of our parents’ group, we saw something and I immediately wanted to buy it for Ruby. It’s a mini kitchen, made of wood, with nice attention to details (like a faucet that moves, oven knobs that click as you turn them, etc.) Not only that, but the set comes with a bunch of nice accessories: a whisk, two different spatulas, wooden spoon, cutting board, baking sheet, and sink that can be used as a bowl. All of these are NOT PLASTIC but made of the same materials that regular kitchen utensils are.
The brand is Play Wonder, which seems to be a Target-specific brand. After waiting a few days in vain for it to come in stock at my local Target, I bought one at the Redmond Target for a reasonable $60. (They’re also available online, but shipping is pretty expensive.) It took 30-45 minutes for me to assemble it.
Ruby really seems to like it. Now that most of our kitchen cabinets are babyproofed, it gives her something of her own to do in the kitchen while we’re cooking or cleaning. Below is a promotional picture, but it doesn’t do the toy justice. (For what it’s worth, it bugs me that the girl is shown baking cookies while the boy looks more like a head chef.)
Really Actually Playing
Yesterday, Ruby had a visit from her friend Gus (and his mom Becky). We were delighted to watch as they played together. Ruby has a push wagon, and she pushed Gus back and forth in it for a while, then they switched. Both kids had a blast, although while Gus enjoyed the motion of the wagon, Ruby seemed to prefer the demolition derby aspect of banging the wagon into the wall (or whatever) at the end of the run.
It was especially exciting for me because it’s the first time Ruby and another kid have intentionally done the same activity together and enjoyed it. She’s played alongside kids forever, but this was different. They were interacting, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Or videotaping…
I’ve also posted some new pictures in Ruby’s album.
Gender identifier
I’ve realized an easy trick to avoid that awkward conversation where someone isn’t sure if Ruby is a girl or a boy (and uses vague pronouns until I clue them in). If Ruby is wearing a clip in her hair, I can put her in whatever outfit I want and everyone knows she’s a girl. Since we avoid frilly pink stuff like the plague, this makes life easier when we’re out and about.
No money?
Ruby has gotten to the stage where many of the things she says have a meaning (instead of just babbling). We understand a fair amount because most of her words are ones we’ve worked to teach her. Here are some newish words she knows and says:
- car
- truck
- bicycle
- thank you
- bow wow (for dog)
- sock
- shoe
- hat
Recently, though, she has started saying a word and we can’t figure out what it is. It sounds just like “no money”. Sometimes she just says “money”. It seems to be in context when she’s having her diaper or clothes changed, but I can’t think of what word(s) she means!