Our Valentine

Love love love. We love this girl.

And I just don't think she could get any cuter.

Opening Valentine gifts.

Laine was very excited about her gifts. She saw them as soon as she came down from her nap, and gasped with amazement throughout the rest of the afternoon, each time she saw them. We could hardly wait until Daddy came home! She understood better how to open presents (she didn't quite get it at Christmas).

For the potential tomboy in her...

And for the girly-girl.

My Grown Up Girl

There are numerous times throughout the day that I catch myself looking at Laine and realizing how grown up she has already become. She has certain serious expressions that make her look wise beyond her years. She sometimes throws her head back and laughs, like a little actress. She responds to nearly everything I say and ask, making it clear that she is comprehending.

There are practically new things everyday. Last week:

~Laine imitated my fake sneeze: Aaaa-too!

~She knows how to knock on the door and will do it if you tell her to.

~She knows what sound a monkey makes: Eee! Eeee! (Daddy brought her a monkey home from his conference trip.)

~She has added "snack" to her list of words. She says "na" but it sounds totally different from when she says "nana" for banana.

~She started saying "me me" when I asked if she wanted more meat. She's done this a few times but it isn't consistent.

NE Sammamish Park (AKA Sahalee)

I figured you were all getting tired of seeing Laine looking the same in all her outdoor photos, so I made sure to turn her reversible coat inside out last week. A quick trip down the street after naptime to discover a tiny park I'd always thought was private to Sahalee. (It was nothing special, really.)

McAuliffe Park

Another beautiful day, another new park. I don't know why I picked this one in particular, other than the fact that the name "McAuliffe" was familiar to me. Laine and I enjoyed watching all the kids playing (one of her favorite pastimes), and sliding down the slide (major static hair).

Laine pointing out the airplane (a new hobby).

The hair standing on end was not from the wind, it was pure static electricity!

Laine wasn't hungry, but she saw the snack cup in my bag.

More new on the Laine front: she LOVES Old MacDonald. I am always playing it in the car now (thank you for the CD Auntie!) as she tries to sing along. The first day I noticed, she was in the backseat mooing throughout the whole song. Listening later on in the week, after we parked, I went around to the back to get her, and when I opened the door, she smiled at me and sang "E-I-O-I-O!" It wasn't to the right tune, of course (and not quite the right words, you'll notice) but what fun!

Sammamish Commons Park

Didn't take my camera on this beautiful wintery day...but luckily I had my phone! Laine was having a great time as the only one at the park! Great swings, fun slide, and heck of a steep walk up back to the car! (Mom actually liked that part!)

New for Laine this week:

~Sheep says "baa".

~Bear says "grrr". (Her noise is very guttural, and I think she's known this animal sound for awhile, but I never put two and two together to realize she was making it at bear pictures.)

~While coming in from getting the mail, Laine actually requested what she wanted for dinner. The exchange went as follows:

Laine: Nana!

Me: You want banana for dinner?

Laine: Nin-nin. {Makes fish face}

Me: You want fish for dinner too?

Laine: {Nods}

I got a real kick out of her first request for a meal!

Ebright Park

I have a plan. An idea, really. It started last summer, but we didn't get too far. The fact that Laine wasn't walking yet made it not quite as effective or fun.

My idea is to visit as many parks with Laine as possible. Last spring, we started out going to a couple nearby (our neighborhood park included, of course) and a few in Bellevue. These days the weather is still very crisp on the sunny days, but this kid is bored rather easily (i.e., not interested in toys) and I am always willing to get her outside. Our cul-de-sac is great, but you can only push toys, bounce balls, and ride the wagon around the circle for so long.

So in the afternoons, (morning is still too cold) Laine and I will go to parks. If they have playtoys, great! If they have walking trails, good! If they have dogs, AWESOME!

We started out this winter at Ebright Park, just less than 10 minutes from our house. It's where we had our photos taken with Desiree for Laine's first birthday. I'd never been there before then, and wanted to go back.

Outside the front of our house, before we left.

Mom, you need to stain the fence.

Slides are fun! (To crawl up.)

Walking along the paths.


This is my favorite series of photos:
Laine leans in to better see the stream.

This child makes me happier than words can express.

Life is grand.

I wanted to see the horses, but PLEASE don't suggest I get anywhere near them!

These miniature ponies sure look like dogs, mom.

The Tip of My Tongue

Laine has LOTS of words now. It didn't seem like very many until I actually wrote them down, and I think I've forgotten some too! I haven't been counting words as "real" words until it's clear that she understands the meaning, too. To tell you the truth, she is not much of a repeater. If you ask her to say a word, she probably won't. (Good for you, little girl, you don't just follow orders blindly!) Laine is a big thinker. She listens to what you tell her, what you read to her, and what you point out. And then, a day or two later, she comes out with the words herself, surprising you that she was listening at all.

Her words:

Mama
Dada
Grandpa/Grandma (Boppa: this means mostly Grandpa, but sometimes applies to Grandma!)
Banana (nana)
Puppy (pupup)
No
Snow (Sounds like no)
Baby
Water (wawa)
Bath (bhla) hard to describe, she ends it with her tongue sticking out but it doesn't make a "th"
Bedtime/Nightnight (nighnigh)
Dinner (nin-nin)
Bye bye
Apple (AHHH-puh)
Gorilla (lilla)
Kiwi (my favorite: comes out like cwcwcwcwcw, the sound an espresso machine makes!)
Laine-Laine (Sounds like Ling-Ling. This is Jayson's fault. He got her to say her name twice, and she won't say it just once now. We didn't name our kid after a panda at the zoo!)


Laine's Animal Sounds:

Cat (mau mau: sounds like wow)
Dog (woofwoofwoofwoof- high pitched)
Duck (wacwac)
Horse (Nnnnay)
Owl (hooo hooo)
Cow (mooo)
Fish (opens and closes her mouth, and even pops her jaw!)
Pig (oddly, same sound as kiwi sounds like! cwcwcwcw--I think she likes the "k" in oink.

Parts of the body Laine can point out to you:
Mouth
Teeth
Nose
Ears
Eyes
Fingers
Toes
Feet
Knees
Belly and bellybutton
Hair
Head
Tongue