Phone Talkin'

Phone Talkin'

Laine's been making a lot of phone callls lately. It was best put together in a short montage--click on the words above to see the video.

Silly Girl

Laine is not centered in this video--I had one hand on her in case she got a little too ambitious with her bouncing. I love the look she gives near the end--should I expect to see something similar in her teenage years when she's exasperated with me?

More "No!"

More snow! Much to our delight, Laine remembered what it was called and woke up one morning to find her "no" covering the neighborhood. We got about five or six inches and it stuck around for a few days with the temperature drop.

Spring or winter?

We had a lot of fun playing in the snow this time. Laine got to experience ALL that snow has to offer. She...

tasted it...

built a snowman (with mom's help...)

tried to walk in it...

and went sledding for the first time!

Neighbor girls Amy (Mimi to Laine) and Hannah.

Laine was hilarious. Her first time down, her expression was pretty much blank. She didn't look excited, she didn't look scared. To tell you the truth, she just looked unimpressed. But as soon as she got to the bottom of the hill (she started only about 1/4 of the way up on her ride with Amy) she signed "more." All the neighbor girls wanted to take her down once, and Laine was happy to oblige. She didn't like being pulled up the hill, however. It was hard for her to sit up straight and she ended up laying down in the sled and wanted me to take her out right away. But going down was FUN!

This was Laine's second trip down. The first time, Mommy wanted her hands free in case Laine came flying off the sled!

Marguerite Lillian (aka Baby Maggie)

We have a new baby friend! Maybe even a best one if similar personalities develop between mothers and daughters... My best friend from high school (Maija) had a lovely baby girl on January 24th. We were very excited to visit and meet baby Maggie! Laine enjoyed pointing to her and saying "baby," rocking her in her chair, and playing Maija and Ernie's piano. She also loved seeing Maggie's fur-sister, Sophie, again. (Sophie is a lovable, large terrier mix.) The last time we saw Maija and Sophie, Laine was excited but wasn't sure when Sophie got closer. This time though, she loved her! Lots of woofing and patting and bringing Sophie her toys.

Rocking Maggie.

We hope to get together one more time before Maija goes back to work in April!

Three Toddlers

We met up with Abbey and Anna, and Christina and Owen and Isaac the week before last. We hadn't seen Abbey and Anna since last March--boy, are the kids ever different! I was not at all surprised that it was my child who kept escaping from the Alderwood play area. She would laugh and giggle as she ran away from me. We had a great time catching up (what little I was able to participate in when not running after L).

Isaac is a fellow thumbsucker--thus a kindered spirit to Laine.

Um, but Isaac...you're using the "wrong" hand!

Anna will settle for her mom's keys.

Owen was quite popular at the play area. He was playing with Christina's iPhone and after a while we looked over to see a crowd of kids surrounding him and watching him play Angry Birds!

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!