Final Post

Clearly I haven't been keeping this blog up over the last year and a half or more. It was a great way to record Adelais' development when she was young, but I haven't been as dedicated lately. So, this will be my last entry:

This morning Adelais was running around the house pretending to be a butterfly. To communicate she was saying "flutter, flutter" as butterfly speak. As she raced around a corner she slipped and hit her head on a bookshelf in our living room. It clearly hurt. As I bend down to pick her up she looked at me, with tears in her eyes, and said, "flutter, flutter". Even as she was crying, full on crying, she kept trying to communicate with me only using 'butterfly speak'. Through the whole ordeal - the crying, the cuddling, the getting the ice pack for her head - she completely stayed in character. Yes, it was hysterical and, of course, Daddy was so proud. :)

Fall 2010 Conversation

I haven't been updating this much over the last year or so, but a conversation with Adelais yesterday pretty much catches her personality.

Adelais: "Daddy, why does Grandpa call me a cracker-jack?"

Daddy: "Well, because a cracker-jack is someone who is funny, smart and very silly."

Adelais: "Grandpa is so funny."

Daddy: "Does mommy call you anything?"

Adelais:"She calls me a love-muffin."

Daddy: "Really?"

Adelais: "Can you believe that she thinks I'm a muffin?"

Daddy: "No, I can't."

Adelais (whispering): "What are we going to do with her?"

Daddy: "I have no idea..."

Best Dance Review Ever!

Last Sunday my dance company gave an informal showing (see a recording here) at a local dance studio. The program was only 30 minutes or so and we were just previewing some new work. Adelais and Andrea came to the performance and were watching from a corner of the room. About 2/3 of the way through the performance Adelais whispered to Andrea, "Mommy". Andrea, "yes, Adelais". "I love Daddy."

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Adelais' First Dream, sort of

Two nights ago Adelais woke around 3am and called for me - "Daddy! Daddy!" - she sounded upset so I hurried out of bed and went to her. When I entered her room she was standing in her crib and she said to me, "Daddy, why did you eat my presents?" "Oh, Adelais, I didn't eat your presents." "Yes you did." "Adelais, you must have had a dream." She crawled up into my arms and we had to cuddle in her chair for a while before she could/would go back to sleep. The next morning she again asked why I ate her presents and I again tried to explain dreams. Not sure she totally understood, but seemed content that I actually didn't eat any of her presents.

Car Conversation

Adelais and I were driving in the car today and we had the following converstion:

A: Daddy, I'm happy.

D: Oh Adelais that's great. I'm happy too.

A: Daddy, do you know why I'm happy?

D: No. Adelais, why are you happy?

A: Because I love you.

Is that the best or what?

The Tree and The Wind

Just a day or two ago Andrea and Adelais were playing outside while it was windy. Andrea called Adelais to come inside and instead she ran under a tree. Andrea asked, "What are you doing?" Adelais replied, "I'm going inside the wind."

And here's a picture of her on her tricycle.

Love this Picture

Getting Smaller

Tonight Adelais was dangling her feet. Mine touched the floor. Adelais, "Daddy, you'll be able to do it when you're smaller".

Great Story

Last Thursday Adelais and I were walking down the stairs and, at this point, she likes to do it without any help. Which is fine, I usually just walk a step or two ahead of her and hold my hand out to catch her if she falls. Well, this is the conversation we had last Thursday:

Adelais: "Daddy don't"

Me: "Don't what?"

Adelais: "Don't be careful."

Me: "Don't be careful?"

Adelais: "Adelais fall down, get booboo. Be OK."

She just needs to continue to tell me that every week or so for the next 20 years...

Holiday Cheer!

So far we've had an excellent holiday season. We spent Christmas up with Andrea's parents by Baltimore and tomorrow we're headed down to Florida to spend New Year's with my family - they are just too excited! This is a picture of her holiday outfit from our excellent neighbors Rosella and her daughters.

I guess the big new news these days is our adventures into potty training, or, more appropriately, Adelais' interest and pleasure in using her potty. A couple of weeks ago she became very interested when Andrea or I were using the bathroom, so we got her a little potty to sit next to ours. We explained that the big one was ours and the little one was hers. One day before her bath I asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty and she did, but she didn't do anything. Though, and this was very common at the time, as soon as I stood her in her bath she started pee-ing. So, quickly and lightly, I scooped her up and set her on her potty. Of course, she stopped pee-ing, but resumed once I told her that there, on her potty, she could go. Well, since then she has more and more used her potty. Now before and after her bath she uses it and usually when we're changing her diaper she wants to sit on the potty and go alittle bit more. And over the last couple of days she has asked to go sit on the potty and go pee even though her diaper is still dry. We're not pushing it at all, just waiting for her to take the lead, which, to no one's surprise, she is. : )

quick note

Today Adelais and I were driving to Takoma Park to go to the farmers' market and co-op for groceries. On the drive there I could see that she was beginning to fall asleep in her car seat, so I asked her, "Adelais, are you going to make it to Takoma Park or fall asleep?" She opened her half closed eyes and said, "fall asleep." And then in a minute or so she was fast asleep - it was the cutest thing!

update Dec 2008

Here is a long overdue update about the continuing adventures of Adelais:

• Talking: Adelais is talking non-stop these days, and not just nonsense words - but each day her words are getting clearer and its seems that everyday she pulls out a new word. Just the other day she picked up a piece of clothing and started moving it around and said "fold" and I realized she was folding her clothes.

• Counting: At this point she can count up to ten - just 2 days ago she was walking up the stairs (I was holding both her hands and helping alot), but with each step she took she counted, "1...2...3...", etc.. all the way to ten. She also like to count fingers and blocks.

• Colors: She knows and can name a number of colors - purple, red, blue, yellow, pink and green, at least - The cutest thing is when she's tired or not really paying attention and you ask her what color something is she always says its purple. 

We just started a little gymnastics class with her so I'm sure there will be more to report very soon.....

Ocean City 2008

This month we went to Ocean City with Andrea's family and spent a week hanging out on the beach. Adelais, undoubtedly, had a great time. She loved playing in the sand, getting her feet wet in the waves and watching all the birds on the beach. We also bought her her first kite - a frog - that she really liked, at least when it was only 10 feet off the ground - any higher and she didn't really pay much attention to it. We also played miniature golf, which was a hit, though she kept moving everyone's ball. Walking on the actual board walk was alittle overwhelming, but I think that's true for everyone one - just complete sensory overload. Anyway, here's some pictures to enjoy.

Wow!

Wow. It's been along time since I've posted anything.. and so much has happened!

Tonight as I was getting her dinner ready she came into the kitchen, did the sign for "eat" and said something that sounded very much like "eat". She was ready. So, I scooped her up into her chair and started feeding her carrots - which she rarely likes, but tonight it was yummy, yummy. Her ability to communicate just continues to increase - practically every day. She is getting more signs to the point where she can use them (eat, water, milk, more and of course shaking her head "no"). She also has a number of words that are really close to being said and used. She points all the time and I'm beginning to understand why they become frustrated - she is clearly pointing at something, it just isn't always clear to me and she doesn't understand why I don't understand. Hopefully as she learns more signs the frustration won't increase (hers, nor mine).

Tomorrow Grandma Sally and Grandpa De come from Florida, so the next couple of days should be really fun!

New Reading Techniques

Recently Adelais' reading has taken a shift. She has, for a long time, really enjoyed looking at books. She use to turn the pages as quick as she could, stop on one picture and stare at it, then continue. But, over the last week or so she has been looking more intently at each page and pointing to different things on the page. As she points to something she wants you to say what it is. She will point at one thing, then another, then the first thing again and so forth. Recently we were reading a book that has a different dog on each page. Our reading went something like this: point, "ear", point, "nose", point, "ear", point, "paw", point, "ear", point, "nose", point, "ear", turn the page, point, "nose", point, "ear", turn back the page, point, "ear", "nose", turn the page, point, "nose", point, "paw", etc.... What is amazing to watch is how Adelais is teaching us how she wants to learn right now. Obviously she doesn't know that, but clearly through repetition she is making connections. On one page this is an ear, on the next page this is also an ear even though one looks much different than the other. You can see her thinking and starting to make those connections. Just another reason to find her utterly amazing. : )

Birthday Celebration

On May 10th Adelais turned 1 year old! Grandma Sally and Grandpa De came up from Florida, Grandma and Grandpa C come in from Baltimore and Uncle Boyd came down from NYC. We all hung out and were immensely entertained by Adelais who seemed to have a great time. The above picture is her sitting in the rocking chair that Grandma Sally and Grandpa De got her.
See Adelais practicing the piano that Grandpa C got her - she's really into free-form improvisational music right now.
Smiling as she unwraps a present. : )

New Twists

Some updates:

• Mainly, Adelais is walking like a pro. She started walking alittle over two weeks ago and now just cruises around the house. She still has trouble stepping over or onto things, but other than that she is good to go, and she does!

• Last week, for the first time, I walked into the room while Andrea was holding Adelais and she (Adelais, not Andrea) leaned and reached to come to me. It made me so happy.

• The stereo - we have a stereo in the living room and when it is on Adelais loves to grap the big volume nob and turn it up and down and up and down. She doesn't quite get the concept of "too loud" yet, so we have to be close by, or we end up running and turning it down.

That's it for now - she is just getting more and more fun! : )

Again, with Mountain

New Pic.

This is what happens when Daddy feeds the little girl...

Pointing

Adelais is now pointing at everything. When she wants something, she points. When she sees someone, she points. When you ask her, "Where's Mommy?", she points to mommy. I even showed her a picture of her, Andrea and me and asked her, "where's Mommy?" and she pointed straight at Andrea. She also knows where to point when you ask, "Where's Mountain?", or "Where's Bessie?". She's not so good with "Where's Daddy?" yet... But, it is amazing that she has connected names with people and animals and can signal what she wants when she wants it. Of course she is also using it to distract herself at times. Last night when I was putting her to sleep she kept pointing at everything trying to get me to get it for her. Soon I realized she was just trying to keep herself awake with distractions so I turned off the light. She wasn't too happy at first, but in ten minutes she was asleep. : )