Leaps and Bounds

Ok, so she can't actually leap...or bound, but not seeing my girl for almost a week has me noticing all kinds of new things she CAN do. Her sign language skills have improved, however, much like her speech, the same word/sign has several meanings. So far she can "say" all done, more, milk, blanket, sleep, cereal, bye bye, kiss and ball. She can verbally say: dada, mama, night night and shoes/cheese/fish. She can point to her nose, my nose, dog's nose, teeth, mouth, shoes, tummy and sometimes ears. She holds the phone like a real person and FINALLY will hold her own sippy cup (only about 50% of the time, but hey). She reaches for doorknobs like she knows what they are for and loves brushing her teeth when I brush mine but mostly just chews on the bristles.

Anyway, as promised, here are some happy girl pictures to demonstrate some of her new skills:

Hey Look! I can open EVERYTHING and take it all out. No, I don't think I'd like to put it all back in. Yay me!

I can push buttons on the phone and evidently ignore the dogs trying to kill each other. Also, it seems, I am ready to go to Catholic school.

I can stand this close to the TV and push the buttons to make it louder or change the picture to grey squiggles.

I can run to the back door like a maniac trying to break out of an asylum every time the dogs go outside. Then I make blowfish on the glass until Mama comes back in. Then I giggle like a crazy person.

I make kissy noises and sometimes fish faces when I look at our aquarium...but mostly I just like to make sneaky smiles.

Snowmageddon

Hope all are still stocked up on bread and milk. We've got flurries on the way and may not be able to leave the house for a week! Sorry to all (5) of you who check this blog everyday in expectation of a new update. Lately I've frankly sucked at it. Apologies. My numerous but perhaps feeble excuses are:
1.) Reina, and then consequently I, was sick with green-mucus-cough-and-fever crud
2.) Bill and I left our sick baby with Gina-mom so we could travel to New Orleans for a conference all week
3.) Because of Ohio's inability to handle snowfall over 1" we did not return home on the appointed day and had to catch a later flight
4.) I worked yesterday
5.) I have no new photos of my now healthy again child to replace the sad one I posted last
6.) I am a lazy bum

Take your pick. This week, I PROMISE, I will take some pictures of a happy and silly little girl.

Incidently, New Orleans is kind of a dump, but it kind of was before Katrina, too. Sorry to any NOLA fans. Food was good, however. Also, it was 60-70 degrees all week. Reina had a blast with Gina-mom, Michael-dad, Katie and Austin. I think she must have laughed at the kids the entire time we were gone. I certainly missed her more than she missed us.

I think I'm ready for spring. Anyone else?

Make Mine Mucus

Poor pitiful, pathetic little Reina. Since her first bout with croup Sunday night (of course Bill had to work overnight and I had no motrin....thanks Ann!) she has been one hot mess. Sweaty hot fevers, constantly draining nose, body shaking cough, and one runny poo-poo have made her a sad little girl this week. She won't eat much...even less than usual folks, but at least is drinking. All she wants to do is be held and read books. Yesterday while in her excersaucer (a much needed shower break for me) she just put her head down on the tray with binky in her mouth and stared. Absolutely pitiful!

Anyway, as we celebrate Valentine's Day today with leftovers and tylenol, here is a less than cheerful picture for you. Hey, she isn't always smiling, just mostly. Poor thing has been less than photogenic this week, hence the absence of updates, but at least her cheeks are a festively rosy color!

Busybody

This week, our kiddo has earned a few bumps and bruises, including an outstanding unicorn horn in the middle of her forehead. A little bit of blood involved, but no teeth knocked out yet and Bill has yet to put in any stitches on the kitchen counter...all part off learning to walk I guess. Hopefully her gracefullness will improve. She is getting speedy and always heads right for the stairs.

New favorite food this week, clementines. These tiny little oranges will help prevent the scurvy she was destined to develop if left up to her own spoon-aversion devices. If only she'd eat something green!

Nap times are also in flux this week. She's been on an 11:30am nap time schedule for about 2 weeks, so of course, time for a change. She's had days where she needed 2 naps and others where she wouldn't go to sleep until 1 or 2pm. Trying to figure out what she wants these days is a challenge.

As usual, she is a generally happy and smiley girl, full of giggles with Daddy and doggies. She can correctly identify her tummy, teeth and nose. Also, she enjoys trying to put her finger up her nose, up ours and in Jedi and Hermes' noses, too. Gross but she keeps us laughing.

Prison Break!

Bill and his babies

hard at work on her laptop

please, pay no attention to the streaky window