A Girl and her Kite

Don't you sometimes just wish you could bottle up a moment in time and experience it forever?  I think I'm constantly waging an inner war between really being wholly in the moment and savoring it fully, and stopping to capture that moment forever by taking a picture or a video of it. Those moments happen frequently when I'm nursing, or when Etta starts giggling, or when Tye is cuddling with Etta.  How do I best preserve the moment- living it fully uninterrupted, or taking a picture?  It's a constant back-and-forth for me.  

We have found, though, that a video can be a perfect way to extend Tye's experiences.  Then, hours, days, and weeks after the event, Tye can watch herself in the video and re-live the moment.  It has been a great way to re-experience visits with friends, trips to the zoo, and memorable moments.  Our newest favorite video was taken last week while visiting family.  

GG bought Tye a kite, and we went together with Aunt TiTi to the park to fly it.  That a kite can fly is somewhat magical to toddlers, and Tye has long been fascinated with them, so this was a really, really exciting opportunity for Tye.  There was barely enough wind to keep the kite flying, so Tye had to run to keep it afloat.  She ran for about an hour, pulling the kite behind her.  I narrated the kite flying video intending for Tye to watch it later, so forgive the commentary- though you'll notice it sounds much like Tye's own exclamation as she runs closer to me (she says confidently, "I holding on!").  

We've had such a great time re-watching this video of Tye flying her kite.  And, I know it's time to draw the line when I start wanting to record a video of Tye watching herself on video, no matter how cute her reaction each time....

Tye Sings the ABCs

The Weekend Recap

Thursday night, bringing home the tree:

 Friday night, trimming the tree:

 Saturday night, at Central Park Zoo:

Recovering on Sunday:

34 Weeks!

Today marks 34 weeks in my pregnancy.  We're officially in the home stretch- just three more weeks until I'm considered full term.  As Tyler, Tye, and I relax around our home today, decorating and cooking and organizing, I'm reminded of a very, very similar day a little over two years ago.  


Also a Sunday, we woke in Bloomington.  I was 33 weeks and 6 days, and I began having contractions every 10 minutes that didn't stop with my normal protocol of laying on the couch and drinking 2 liters of water.  So we drove to Chicago to go the hospital up there, praying the whole way the contractions wouldn't become closer together.  Tyler was pulled over for speeding and ticketed. Then we spent several hours in the obstetrics ER at Rush Memorial Hospital.  Eventually the contractions stopped on their own and we went home, but I was put on bed rest.  There ended my teaching position and began my final preparations for birth.  


Really, the only things similar about that day and today are that they are Sundays and that I'm 34 weeks along.  We're not having any crazy contractions, thankfully (just my normal Braxton Hicks contractions), and Tyler had better not get any tickets.  I do remember feeling quite huge at that point, and feeling a hint of relief that I was put on bed rest.  As hard as it was to leave work and my students early, my body had been having quite a hard time keeping up with my physical requirements at work.  


This past week, I've been feeling a similar sentiment.  I've had to slow my pace walking to and from the playground or else the 3/4 mile round trip with the stroller is exhausting.  I'm taking more breaks throughout the day to sit with my feet up, and one day, I napped as long as Tye did (and it was fabulous).  Yesterday, while Tyler and Tye hung out at home, I went for a much-needed prenatal massage and relished in having my tired body relaxed and rejuvenated.  And this morning, when Tyler offered to let me sleep in for the second time this weekend, I accepted.


I read in one of my pregnancy books that the whole point of the third trimester is to make a woman so miserable that she's willing to do anything necessary, even pushing a bowling ball through her tiny cervix, to get the baby out.  I remember that sometimes as I'm walking the final uphill stretch home from the playground and suddenly realize I still have to lug my tired legs up our front stairs.  But then there are moments I know I'll cherish forever- sitting on the couch videotaping the baby's hiccups jarring my belly; Tyler touching my stomach, feeling an elbow or knee just below the surface, and exclaiming, "Whoa!  I can feel her in the there!";  taking time out to appreciate being pregnant and the miracle growing inside of me.  Just as I was at 34 weeks with Tye, I'm grateful to still be pregnant and for every day that Baby Girl 2 has a safe place within me to continue growing and developing... and hiccuping.

Humboldt Park Lagoon Swim Session

We stole Daddy away from work between conference calls and snuck over to Humboldt Park. The shallow, calm waters and small crowd there are a perfect place for some family play time in the water.  I also showed off my belly at 18 1/2 weeks.

Running!

Our favorite Tuesday afternoon activity... running laps through Ines' kitchen with Marquise and Aubrey.  Tye has this high-pitched, dolphin-esque laugh when she's excited.  I'm pretty sure her friends think she's screaming with excitement, because it never takes long for them to start shrieking along.

An Easter Swing

An Interview with Tye

Hosted by Granddad

Puppy Love

As Tye reached her first birthday, she moved into several new stages of development.  With a background in Early Childhood Education, I see each step in relation to other developments and emerging skills.  Watching a child grow and reach new milestones is always miraculous, and I know I'm not the first parent to observe my child's changes in complete awe.  This past month has been a huge one for Tye. 


Of course, the most obvious recent development is Tye's ability to walk.  While walking itself is a major milestone, it also opens a child to a whole new world of learning opportunities at rapid-fire pace.  When Tye moves about now, it's on two feet as she uses her hands to explore freely.



Tye has also expanded her functional vocabulary.  In addition to mama and daddy (adapted from the original dada), she now says doggie, woof, uh-oh, Ziggy (our cat's name), eye(s), hi, and Woof Woof.  Along with these new words has emerged categorization in the form of overgeneralization.  Tye first learned doggie and would say "doggie" whenever we saw a dog on a walk or whenever she heard a dog bark (and then she would "woof" back).  Now, all animals are doggies, from her stuffed moose to illustrations of elephants and hippos.  But, only animals are doggies, proving Tye knows that doggies, moose, elephants, hippos, and a variety of other creatures are all animals.  That they don't all say "woof" will come later.  Along the same lines, as of right now, all body parts are labeled expressively as eyes (although Tye knows both eyes and nose receptively- in other words, she can accurately point to each upon request, even if she can't yet say the word nose).  


Perhaps my favorite new development is Tye's fascination with stuffed animals and dolls.  She loves to empty her bins of plush toys, pulling each one out separately and hugging it tightly before she tosses it aside to hug the next.  This isn't just a hugging skill, though.  Tye has formed special attachments to a few of her toys, like the plush Santa in her first walking video, a Beanie Baby puppy that looks like Mico, and a yellow and blue Swedish-looking moose.  


Oh, and were you wondering earlier what Woof Woof might mean?  It's the name bestowed upon Tye's absolute favorite stuffed animal, a blue corduroy dog that followed us home from Seattle- or perhaps more truthfully, was dragged to Chicago by a little bald girl with a new obsession.  

Woof Woof is Tye's newest source of comfort and companionship (a happy new recipient, considering my breasts are not always available for cuddling).  Since she first clutched his soft blue fur, Tye has barely let go.  He's been through airport security, on car rides, in shopping carts, and snuggled in the Ergo beside Tye on errands and dog walks.  Almost every time Tye nurses to sleep now, whether it's for a nap or the night, Woof Woof is clutched in her arms.  It's a sweet attachment that shows Tye's emotional development and emerging play skills.  She's morphing from baby to big kid right before my eyes.

Tye is officially a walker!

I can't believe I did this... I shot the video with the camera sideways, so now the video is sideways. If you're on a laptop or phone, it's an easy fix, but sorry for everyone watching sideways on a desktop monitor!

Learning to Giggle

Some video of Tye giggling at Mico that has me cracking up.  By the way, what a great friend do we have that lets us bring over our baby and our dog when he cooks amazing meals for us?  Thanks, John!
 

Peek-A-Boo!

Tiana took this video on our cab ride home from the airport Monday evening.  Tye is in a loaner car seat, given to us when our luggage didn't arrive on our flight (it was delivered later).  Tye loved the pattern on the new car seat, especially the yellow canopy when the sun shined through it.  I think she was laughing as much at that as at me!

Tye's voice

Tye has been talking quite a bit recently! It's mostly cooing, with a little bit of babbling (cooing consists of vowel sounds, and babbling uses consonants), and I could listen to her all day. She often coos back to me while I sing to her, as if she's singing along.

Tonight I caught some of the talking on video! The room was dark, so the video is too, but you can hear her voice, which is the important part. To think about what this little voice will be saying some day blows my mind.