Samantha: 25 Months, Week 1

Here are some cute pictures of Samantha playing that I forgot to include in the last post.

These first two pictures are Samantha watching a My Little Pony show.  We don't let her watch much TV, and most of the time she really isn't interested in the TV, but when it comes to My Little Pony, well that's a different story.  If you look closely, you can see Rainbow Dash, Samantha's favorite pony, in her left hand.  When she watches My Little Pony, she always has to hold a pony in her hand.

One morning, Samantha and I were playing with the Fisher Price little people house that was mine and my sister's back when we were kids.  This is one of Samantha's favorite toys lately.  We decided that all the people needed to eat lunch, so they all sat around the table to eat, and I had Samantha pose with her little people.  She is taking part in much more imaginative play now, having her toys and dolls do things just like grown up people would.

Over the last few months, we have been encouraging Samantha to sit on the potty.  We haven't followed any method, just doing it casually whenever she expresses interest or whenever we can tell she needs to use the potty.  Well, lately we have been considering potty training Samantha.  She is expressing interest, letting us know when she needs to go, when she is going, or after she's gone.  A friend of mine recommended the Three Day Potty Training method, and we are considering trying that sometime in the next couple of weeks.  In preparation for that, this week Samantha and I went out to the store to get her some big girl underwear.  She helped me pick them out, and she chose some with Disney princesses and some with My Little Pony.  Not surprising that those were her choices.  She wanted to put them on right away, but I told her they were going to be special for when we started potty training.  Then, Samantha said, "Start potty training now!"

Later that evening, Ben had Samantha record a message for Ema and Papa since it was their anniversary.

On Tuesday this week, we met up with some friends from our old small group.  They are moving to Florida for a job in a few weeks, so this was one of the last times we could get together.  We walked on a nature trail together.  Her boys are older than Samantha and much more sure on their feet.  Samantha tried to keep up, but kept stumbling and tripping on the rocks, branches, and roots sticking up out of the ground.  Luckily, she understood what would happen if she continued to try and walk, so she was very willing to allow me to carry her the rest of the walk.  After our walk, we decided to head to McDonald's for lunch and let the kids play in the play area afterwards, giving us moms a chance to talk more.  Samantha has never been in a play area like that before (she doesn't get much McDonald's with us), so I wasn't sure how she would do with crawling up and getting around. However, she really enjoyed it and was able to get up, play around in it, and come back down all on her own.  I was really proud of Samantha for being independent and playing on her own or with the other kids, rather than wanting me to come up with her, as is so often the case.

After a good afternoon nap, I decided to put on some music so that Samantha, Baby Sadie, and I could dance together.  (Yes, Michelle, Samantha named her baby doll Baby Sadie after your little girl.  That's how much she loves her and can't wait to have her come over to our house this summer!)

After dancing, I was working on making dinner for us.  This is often the time that Samantha gets the most clingy, so I decided to give her a job so that I could get dinner made.  I told her to go upstairs to her reading corner and read to her babies.  She was probably up there for a half hour reading to her babies and playing all by herself.  I snuck up there a couple times to check on her, make sure she was doing okay, and to take some pictures of "Story Time with Samantha."  Good choice of book Samantha, "Where the Wild Things Are" has always been one of my favorite books.

We had a very busy week of activities this week, as Wednesday we went to a local Bloomington event called Touch a Truck.  The Bloomington Parks and Rec Department puts it on, and they fill a parking lot with any vehicle on wheels you can think of, from an ambulance to a fire engine to buses of various kinds to a semi-truck to a helicopter.  This was our first time attending as last year Samantha was too little to enjoy something like that, but this year, this was right up Samantha's alley.  She loved getting to sit in all the big seats, pretending like she was driving a bus, walking through an ambulance and seeing the bed where people lay when they are being taken to the hospital, sitting up high on a crane, and in the driver's seat of a semi.  

However, the coolest thing was when the helicopter flew in, low, right over the kids' heads, and landed on a softball field nearby.  Everyone flocked to that area to wait in line to sit in the helicopter, and I think that was Samantha's favorite part.  She always notices helicopters and airplanes in the sky and will even remark, "Ride in a helicopter someday."  So even though the helicopter didn't take her anywhere, I think she really enjoyed watching it land and sitting in it.  Even a couple weeks later now, every time we drive past the softball field, she will mention that that was where the helicopter landed for Touch a Truck.  

The other thing that seems to stick with her is the stamp she got on her hand.  As we paid our $1 admission, they stamped everyone's hand with a truck stamp, and Samantha was fascinated by this.  Although later, when we ate lunch, she kept looking at it and asking, "What's that"?  She thought it was a boo-boo that needed a band-aid and couldn't wait until I would wash it off her hand after lunch.  She talked about the stamp on her hand a lot after that day as well.  It's amazing how things stick with this girl for weeks after they occur.  She has a pretty good memory for a twenty-five month old.

Then, on Thursday we had a play date with moms from our church at a local park. We had never been to this park before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how big it was and how beautiful it was surrounded by trees and plenty of shade.  Samantha had a great time swinging, playing in the house, going down the slides, hanging on bars, and climbing up this wall with holes in it all by herself.  She is getting much better on her feet, and she is loving to test her climbing skills.  Most of the time I don't have to worry, until sometimes she climbs to the top of something and doesn't know what to do next.  I had take a video of her accomplishing one of her climbs so that we could show it to Daddy.  I was so proud of her climbing this all by herself.

Samantha is slow to wake up from her naps, so that is usually when she plays quietly by herself.  I took a cute video of her playing with her toys, but it was too long to post on the blog.  However, here are some pictures of us playing peekaboo.

Friday morning we left for Upland to spend the weekend with Papa and Ema, although more often than not, Samantha now calls them Papa and Grandma.  We had plans to pick cherries from their cherry bush and cherry tree, and also for Mommy and Daddy to go on a special date to celebrate Father's Day.  Back a month or so ago when we were visiting Papa and Ema, Ema told Samantha about how once the cherries are red, she can come and pick them, and eat as many as she wants.  (Samantha kept wanting to pick them and eat them when they were still green.)  She couldn't wait to get there, play outside, and pick cherries.

It was nice leaving in the morning because she is a much happier car rider at that time of day.  Plus, it gave us the opportunity to play outside and have lunch there, before putting her down for her nap.  When we went outside to play, we discovered they had put up a new swing for the girls, and Samantha couldn't wait to go ride on it.  That was the first thing we did.  I think she would have stayed on it the rest of the afternoon if we would have let her.

She kept shouting, "I'm going higher and higher!"

Later that afternoon, once Samantha awoke from her nap and Ema got home from work, Ema took Samantha out into her garden and let her help pick some strawberries.  Samantha also got to finally pick some cherries off the bush, and she loved it!  She was really good at handing the cherry to Daddy to get the pit out before eating it, and she made good choices of trying to pick the ones that were red.  Whenever Samantha sees a garden, she always says, "Like Ema's garden!"

The best thing about Ema and Papa's house is that Samantha can play outside as much as she wants, which would be all day if it were up to her.  She likes riding the tricycle in the driveway, playing with the basketball, sitting in the swing, walking around on the grass, and exploring nature.  We can't wait until we have a backyard that Samantha can play in.  Our patio area behind our apartment is nice, but it's just not the same as a backyard with room to run and play.  Some day. :)

Here we are sitting in the back of the car on Friday night as we drove to go out to eat.  Samantha was a bit tired and hungry this evening and had some trouble controlling her actions.  She even had a time out at the restaurant.  Sometimes when she gets overtired or hungry, she has a hard time controlling herself and tends to hit and kick more.  If we can keep her rested and well-fed, she is usually a happy, well-behaved little girl.

On Saturday, Papa and Ema watched Samantha for us during the afternoon, gave her lunch, and put her down for her nap so that Daddy and Mommy could go out on a date for Father's Day.  We drove up to Fort Wayne and went to Flat Top Grill for lunch.  We haven't been there in ages, and it is one of our favorite places to get stir fry.  No other place compares, in our mind.  We had a great time talking in the car on the way there, enjoying a meal without a toddler, and discussing our future as a family.

Then, we had more time to play outside.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we all enjoyed sitting outside and playing with Samantha.

Samantha discovered the broom and thought that would be a fun thing to do for the afternoon.  She pushed that broom around the driveway for a long time, sometimes sweeping up grass that had blown onto the driveway, but most of the time, just pushing it along in front of her.  Who needs toys, when you have a broom to play with?

I took the picture below to showcase Samantha's curls.  This summertime humidity has done wonders for this girl's curls.  They turn into perfect little ringlets.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not, but when her hair is wet it reaches all the way down to the middle of her back.

Samantha enjoys trying to ride the tricycle, and she really is doing a good job at it.  Each time she tries, she gets a little bit better.  This day, she was actually pushing the pedals around and around and would make herself go for awhile, but as soon as she got to an incline, it would be too hard for her and she would give up.  I think the next time we are there, she will really start getting the hang of it.  Soon, she'll just be speeding around the driveway on the tricycle, I'm sure.

We also did a little batting practice.  Samantha let Daddy show her how to hold that bat (normally she is resistant to any help and wants to hold the bat her own way), and a couple of times she actually took the initiative to swing at the ball.

We had a great weekend with Ema and Papa.  Samantha always enjoys herself so much there.  She is building so many great memories of fun times with her grandparents.

Since I am home with Samantha now during the summer, this past week I started writing down funny quotes from Samantha.  So here is a list of a few from this past week:

"I'm too busy taking my drink." (She said this when we asked her a question.)

"Close your eyes and say your prayers." (As she points her finger at Daddy.)

"Gettin' nuch better." (She says this when we put diaper creme on her rash.  Translation: "My diaper rash is getting much better.")

"Woohoo!  I get another shovel!"  (We enrolled her in the summer reading program at our library.  The theme is "Dig Into Reading," so for every point they earn for reading, they color in a shovel on the program page.  She said this after we finished reading for 30 minutes.  She's pretty excited about earning points.)

"That's my fault." (A couple weeks ago we saw a juggler at the library and whenever he would drop his balls, he would say, "That's my fault."  Apparently that phrase stuck with Samantha, and she will say it every once and awhile out of the blue.)

"That's pretty good." (She'll say this whenever she likes something, whether it's something she's eating or something she's doing.)

Samantha: 24 Months, Week 4

This past week was my first full week at home with Samantha.  We had a great time together.  It's amazing how much more time I have on my hands, how much more relaxed I am, and how many more precious snuggles, hugs, and kisses I get from my little girl.

On Monday, I decided to go to school and get my bean bags and some Christmas lights to make Samantha a little reading corner in our extra bedroom.  I nailed an old sheet into the wall and draped it over a bookshelf, stringing the Christmas lights in and out of the sheet, creating a little fort/cave for Samantha to lay in and read books.  She was SO excited about it.  We spent the rest of the morning playing in it and reading in it.  Even while I fixed lunch, she stayed upstairs and played in her reading corner.  When Daddy got home, it was the first thing she wanted to show him, and then they spent quite some time reading together.

On Tuesday we ran a few errands and were going to go to an open gym at a gymnastics place, but it ended up being closed, so we went back home and played outside instead.  I pumped air into the tires of my bike, hooked on her bike seat, and we went for a ride around our apartment complex.  Samantha kept shouting, "Go really fast!"  After we were done, she asked, "Go again sometime?"

When we got back to our home and were just playing outside, we got a call from our friend Michelle saying that we could come over to visit her new baby, Sadie.  Samantha has been so excited to meet baby Sadie and is really looking forward to when she is going to come to our house on Mondays and Tuesdays, and we get to care for her and play with her.  I was very clear with Samantha before we left that she was not to touch the baby because she's too little and will be sleeping.  We brought our lunch with us and went over to see the new baby.  Samantha did a really good job not touching Sadie, but instead wanted to touch all of her stuff, her swing, her car seat, her teddy bear.  We finally settled on it being okay for her to put her dolls in the car seat, but she wasn't allowed to touch the baby swing any more because she was being a little rough with it.  However, Samantha is definitely in the two year old "testing" phase of development.  When we tell her not to do something, she will go and do it, slowly and looking right at us, checking to see if we will follow through.  On this day, she went toward the swing and gently touched it again, while looking right at me.  So, I scooped Samantha up and set her down in the hallway for a time out.  It's amazing how it seems like she is wanting us to follow through, just waiting to see what we will do, and I think this makes her feel more secure.  She knows her boundaries and knows how we expect her to behave.  Not that she obeys perfectly all the time, for that would be impossible for a two year old, but I am pretty proud of her behavior and attitude so far.

On Wednesday we met some church friends at our favorite park for play time in the morning.  Samantha was busy running around and playing on the playground.  There was even one point where she came over and just sat on my lap for quite some time because all the playing tired her out.  That evening, Daddy, Samantha, and I decided to make our first trip to our local pool.  We were excited to see how Samantha would like the toddler wading pool area because when we took her here last year she wasn't as sure on her feet and was a little nervous walking into the deep end.  Well now that she is three feet tall, she had no problem getting around the pool.  Like she normally does in new situations, she stood back and observed, just walking around the outside of the water.  Then, she started venturing in, playing with the water spouts, and walking under the waterfalls.  She was so tired when we got home that she fell right asleep when we laid her down.  Lately, she has been talking in her bed for twenty minutes or so after we lay her down, but today, after playing at the park all morning and playing at the pool all evening, she was one tired toddler.

Thursday afternoon when Samantha woke up from her nap, we headed off to the library for a special show, a man who was a juggler and ventriloquist.  Daddy met us at the library to go to the show with us.  We got our seats in the front section of the library auditorium, and Samantha seemed to be overwhelmed with all the kids and noise around her.  She just sat on Daddy's lap and sucked on her fingers (this is a nervous habit that has started lately).  The show was about forty-five minutes long, and Samantha sat still, sucking her fingers, through the whole thing.  When we looked at her it almost was like she was in another world, we weren't sure if she was enjoying it or not.  But then later on that night, she said, "Juggling, like this," and she would move her hands up and down like she was juggling. She also mentioned about the times he dropped his balls on the floor while juggling, so apparently she was paying attention and enjoyed it, with how much she was talking about it afterwards.  It's always interesting to see how Samantha takes in new experiences.

Since Samantha enjoyed our last Indians game so much, we decided to go on a little family trip this weekend.  We planned a trip to Indianapolis for another baseball game on Friday night since they have fireworks after the game, and we thought Samantha would enjoy the fireworks.  We booked a hotel for the night with our credit card points that was within walking distance of the stadium and planned to go to the zoo on Saturday.  

Once Samantha woke up from her nap on Friday, we hit the road and Samantha was so excited to go on our family trip that the hour long drive up to Indianapolis was almost too much for her.  We checked into our hotel and decided to go swimming for a little while before heading to the game.  Samantha enjoyed the hotel pool but didn't want to stay in for very long because she just wanted to get to the baseball game.  (I think Daddy is pretty excited to have another baseball fan in the house.)  We got lawn seats, found our spot on the lawn, and enjoyed our picnic dinner.  Samantha enjoyed the game (even though she wasn't paying much attention to the actual game), made a new friend out of the girl sitting next to us, and really enjoyed the fireworks, too.  Samantha was sitting in my lap when the fireworks started, and she started shaking a little bit when the fireworks first began.  But once she realized what they would be like, she relaxed and enjoyed the flashing lights.

We didn't head back to our hotel that night until around 10:30.  Luckily, it was just a short walk down the road.  We got Samantha ready for bed and she was asleep by 11:00, which is WAY past her normal bedtime.  We were a little worried about how she would fall asleep knowing that we are laying in bed right in the same room as her, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.  I'm sure she was tired enough that she couldn't help but fall asleep.  We were just hoping that she would sleep in on Saturday morning so that we could have a good day at the zoo.

Daddy and Mommy woke up around 8:30 to find Samantha still fast asleep.  We decided to get up, sneak past her pack and play, and start taking showers and get ready for the day.  Even through all that, she didn't wake up until around 9:15, and we were so glad that she got some good sleep.  After some breakfast in the lobby, we headed off to the zoo.  Samantha was so excited to get to the zoo and see animals, particularly a bear because of the book Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo, one of her all-time favorite books where a girl drops her ice cream cone, shouts, and starts a chain reaction of waking up animals that come out of their cages.  We saw a dog show, a dolphin show, and walked around and saw most of the animals at the zoo.

I think the highlights of the day were seeing the dolphins swimming around the water, trying to pet the shark, and watching the penguins swim around their tank.

We left the zoo around two, I read a couple books to her after we cooled off in the air conditioning, and we asked Samantha to close her eyes and try to take a nap while we were on the way home.  She was tuckered out from her family trip and fell asleep pretty quickly.  She looked pretty comfy back there in car seat.

Saturday night is bath night at our house (she should at least be clean for church, right?).  We took a cute video of Samantha in the bath washing herself, rubbing the washcloth on the parts of her body that I called out to her.

And, to wrap up our weekend of family fun, we went to the splash pad on Sunday night.  This picture below is our girl, extremely excited to be riding in the car in her bathing suit. She loves playing in the water.

I took Samantha to the splash pad a couple of times last year, but she wasn't as confident on her feet since she was just learning how to walk.  It's hard to believe that a year ago she was learning how to walk, and now look at our big girl, jumping and running around, seemingly without fear or apprehension of new, unfamiliar situations.

I've been liking to post comparison pictures lately, when Samantha is doing similar activities as when she was younger.  Well, here is another one.

This is Samantha on June 25th last year at the splash pad.

This is Samantha on June 9th this year at the splash pad, playing with the same water fountain.  What a difference a year makes!

Summer has already brought on so many fun experiences with my little girl.  Each day is such a precious gift to me.  Two year olds are challenging, but so fun.  I love to watch Samantha's personality develop, to hear the things she wants to talk about, the way she participates in imaginative play with her dolls and ponies, the way she'll pull on my shirt until I sit down next to her and play with her, and how, when I tell her, "Let me know if you need me," she'll call out, "I need me, Mommy!"  Precious summertime days with my precious daughter, my gift from God.