A Sunday of Firsts

It's always nice when I can document two Firsts in one post. Better yet, one set of photos. Of course, I wouldn't normally record her attempt at stuffing a VHS tape in the VCR, but it just so happened that said activity provided me a good angle of her first public ponytail on August 19th. By the time we got to church, half of her hair was already out and it was even more lopsided than when I first did it, but I think her dress helped up the cuteness factor and deflect attention from the asymmetry

But she's only a baby!

It all happened so unexpectedly, that I didn't have a chance to record it properly. Brandon and I were called to be Primary teachers for the 9-10 year olds at church in February. We took Teagan into class with us for a few weeks and it was fine. The kids got a kick out of her and she had fun with them. But I didn't think it would work for the almost 3 months before Teagan could legitimately attend Nursery (at 18 months.) An answer to a silent prayer, the Primary Presidency approached us and told us that we'd be welcome to start bringing her to Nursery early, in light of us both teaching. So we took her the following Sunday, fully expecting to have to pick her up a few minutes later because she wouldn't stop screaming. 

Well, she came through, bless her heart. Word on the street is that she handled her new environment like a champ and was just happy to be there, playing with toys and making new friends. Singing Time came as a shock to her - what? sitting down and paying attention? but Snack Time made her feel right at home. She had a bit more trouble the next week, but as soon as they handed me to her 15 minutes before church ended I knew that the problem was hanging out in her diaper...I'd cry if I was sitting on a brick too! 

I admit to worrying, not that she would be picked on or that she'd miss me, but that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the other kids. That she was too immature to sit when she needed to sit and sing when she was told to sing. We had a wonderful leader in Autumn who told me whenever I apologized that Teagan was there prematurely and offered to bring her back when she was old enough that she had 4 kids of her own and I quote "She will not rock my world." Well Nursery rocked my world and opened up 2 hours of near freedom on Sundays. If it weren't for those other 10 kids we were responsible for, I'd be carefree! 

The kids miss her, though. They asked me for months after the fact where Teagan was and why wasn't she there anymore. "She was funny. She used to fart all the time," said one. I told him Brother Richards could fill that role if that was what he was looking for in a Primary class, but that hopefully he could enjoy class without the background "music". 

I don't know that we would have made it to 18 months with our sanity intact, so I think this is for the best. And it warmed my heart that she took to Nursery so well so quickly. Of course it's nothing to do with my parenting and everything to do with her sweet personality, but I can still be proud, right?

A lot like Hannah Montana...

...Teagan has the best of both worlds. She's the first of the first on my side, so enjoys gifts and attention galore as the only niece & granddaughter. I love watching her interact with my family and seeing them as aunts, uncles & grandparents. LOVE. And on the other side, she's lucky #13 of 15 grandchildren and so enjoys the benefits of playing with adorable littles her age and learning from older, wiser kids who also happen to be family. I couldn't get enough of watching her with her cousins at our Richards reunion.

Emma took Teagan under her wing like a mother hen. It was adorable to watch and SO relaxing knowing she was in good hands. From helping with the bedtime routine to watching her so I could participate in the fun, I was so glad to have her around. I'm thinking about adopting a 10 year old of my own.

Particularly sweet are the 3 cousins born within 7 months of eachother. Teagan was born in October, Sam in January and Camden in May. As adorable as it was seeing them lay next to eachother when they were babies, it's become infinitely sweeter  now that their personalities are shining through and they can actually enjoy one another's company. 

We were fortunate enough to share a cabin with the Taylors, so Cam and Teagan got to spend some quality time together, watching Signing Time, eating and blowing bubbles. Oh, and kissing. That came toward the end of the week - there was some warming up to do. He was so happy to share his toys, bubbles, food and anything else with Teagan. Camden is such a sweet, obedient little boy who is so quick to learn - a good influence to be sure.

Sam and Teagan could not get enough of eachother. There was a whole lot of hugging and kissing, and Brenda was quick enough to catch a incredibly sweet photo.

 

When his arms weren't around her, his hands were in her hair. Sam would follow Teagan around, playing with her hair the same way cats tend to play with balls of yarn.

And Teagan can learn a lot from him. With 4 older siblings, he is aware of so much around him that it embarrassed me that Teagan doesn't know or think about planes or bugs or any of the hundreds of other things he can identify. She loved him so much she even let him sit with her while she pooped - she doesn't let me get within 50 feet...although lately, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Although they're all living far apart, I hope that these three grow to become wonderful friends and influence eachother for good.

And I'm so glad that Teagan will be able to turn around and be a great cousin to the sweet souls waiting to join the Haw family as well. Like I said: the best of both worlds. And her blonde hair isn't even a wig!

Treading Water.

When it comes to packing for a trip, never underestimate just how helpful your toddler can be. At least 2 more bins were emptied in the time it took me to upload the photo and she's now trying on every hate she's ever owned. <sigh>

The First Great Escape

As she approaches two, we've known that climbing out of her crib was a possibility for Teagan in the near future. But nothing prepared me for the pudgy sausage fingers (not Brandon's) poking me at 2:00 this morning wanting to get in bed with us.
It wasn't until this morning when Brandon & I both discussed how angry we were with the other for getting her out of her crib in the middle of the night that we realized neither of us did.

Sneaky Cheek

Teagan spends a lot of time in just a diaper. (So would I if it were socially acceptable.) Triple digit summers sort of necessitate it. Hence, most of my photos and videos feature a nearly naked toddler. And sometimes she's closer to naked than usual - in that her bum is exposed.

Teagan has a cheek that seems to sneak out of her diaper no matter what we do. Her left bum cheek refuses to stay in her diaper, regardless of who changes it or how full it is. It's more than a little hilarious...and inappropriate. But mostly hilarious. Love my cheeky girl.

Teaganese: Installment II

Teagan's expanding her vocabulary every day and it's getting funnier and funnier...

 

{BUBBOS} - Bubbles. If you're talking about anything that sounds remotely like 'bubbles' you'd better keep your voice down around Teagan...or have some in your pocket.
{DACKO} - Cracker. Not Michael Jackson. She always signs along with this one.

{DA DA BOO} - Peekaboo.
{DA DA GO} - There you go. After picking up random objects you don't need and giving them to you as if she's done you a service.
{DEE} - Uncle Daniel
{DEECO DEECO} - Tickle tickle. She's going through a phase. Hold your babies close.
{DEET} - Keaton, one of Teagan's besties
{DOOOOKE} - Luke, our friend & neighbour who is so sweet to her. (two O's weren't enough - it gets dragged out A LOT)
{EE AH!} - Yee Haw! See 'Woody' below.
{EENA} - Auntie Kristina.
{EESH OK} - It's Okay whenever she falls, she's quick to confirm to me that she made it through the ordeal.
{G G} - just like it sounds (one of the few). My mum's chosen moniker.
{G MOM} - She thought that since my parents went by G ___ that she'd continue it with Grandma Richards (not at Grandma's request, but it works)
{G POP} - just like it sounds (one of the few). My dad's chosen moniker.
{HOSH HOSH} - Wash Wash (as in drip hand sanitizer all over the floor)
{OLA} - Auntie Nicola
{OODY} - Woody. She can spot him from a mile away on some of the random Disney things we have around the house. Going through a huge Toy Story phase (thank goodness they made 3!) She loves Buzz as well.
{POO POO} - one of the obvious ones. Although she's attached the word to her nether regions and not what we flush down the toilet occasionally. Hmmm.
{SHAMA} - Sam, her cousin
{SHA-SHEE} - Sydney, one of Teagan's besties
{SHA-SHON} - Carson, one of Teagan's besties
{SHEESH} - Teeth. If anyone says anything within a mile radius that even sounds like the word 'teeth', they'd better have a toothbrush handy. I will never refuse her an opportunity to brush (she's half British, after all.)
{SHAW-EE} - Sorry. Lots of practice with this one.
{TAY-DAN-AH} - Teagan. For a while now she's been able to identify herself, if I ask "Where is Teagan?" But now she's actually saying her name and it's to die for.
{UK} - Book. Often confused with milk. But she will sign if you guess wrong. So helpful.
{YA YOU} - Love you. SO darling
*list not inclusive, but it's all I can remember at the moment

Several of her words and phrases come out as though she's speaking Parseltongue (the snake language from Harry Potter). Particularly "hosh hosh" when she wants to wash her hands. She gets a little too close to my face and whispers (as much as a toddler can whisper) holding the "sh" sound. It's hilarious...and creepy.

She can correctly identify (if you're listening really closely) most of the Sesame Street Gang (Bert, Big Bird, Cookie, Elmo, Ernie, & Zoe - Ernie's creeping up on Elmo as her favourite...who saw that coming?), as well as Dora's pals (Benny, Boots, Diego, Dora, Isa, Swiper & Tico). 

She still signs when she says most of her words, especially her manners (please, thank you and sorry) and continues to pick up new signs like plane, book, out . She loves to sing the opening to the Baby Signing Time DVD's "Baby, Baby, Baby Signing Time" and will sign each of the words in time with the song.

It seems like she's saying something new almost daily - it's hard to keep up and it's wonderful. We're getting more and more insight into how her beautiful little mind works and while it's frustrating for both of us when I can't understand a word she thinks she is saying so clearly, on the whole it's a hoot!

Welcome to The Rock.

Time outs get a little more serious on ALCATRAZ. (I wish I could tell you these were staged.) 

Be. My. Guest.

If she thinks she's big enough to change her own diapers, she may be big enough to hop on The Potty Train.All I know is she's welcome to give it a go. I'm tired getting stuck with the stinky ones.

Divine Secrets of the "Ya-You" Sisterhood

I have yet to experience anything sweeter and more satisfying than unsolicited love from my baby. Sure, she hugs me and kisses me when I ask her to, which is absolutely precious, but the most rewarding hugs and kisses are the ones she chooses to give me. The voluntary head resting on my shoulder is one of the greatest feelings in the world to me. Every now and again, she'll ask me to pick her up (quite a feat these days) and squeeze me as tight as her chubby little arms can squeeze or give me a little peck (usually 10 little pecks) with those ridiculously full lips. Heart officially melted.

Look at those lips.

But nothing prepared me for the moment when my child said "I love you" back to me after saying it to her every day, multiple times a day, for nearly two years. Actually, I have yet to hear "I love you" in so many words, but Teagan's version: "Ya you" is infinitely sweeter. We get plenty of practice as I tell her I love her after we go through the ol' Time Out routine and she says it back. The rational part of me recognizes that she's repeating what I'm saying to her, but the mushy part of me things that there could be worse things she could be parroting and that I should enjoy the moment. Every time I hear those three two words strung together, I'm reminded of why I wanted so badly to become a parent in the first place - a welcome reminder after disciplining. Ooh, I "ya" her so much.

Not so smooth smoothie making.

I have cute friends. I have cute friends with equally cute little girls. Cute little girls who enjoy cooking in the kitchen with their mums, dolled up in matching aprons. We could be cute, I tell myself while making plans to recruit Teagan to help me fight the good fight in the kitchen. But we'll start small. Like, smoothie small. So I chop the fruit and get everything ready to throw in the blender. Surely she can handle tossing a handful of berries into the blender, and she'll be adorable doing it - I should get my camera.

Four strawberries in and Teagan pooped out on me. Apparently she loves helping out in the kitchen as much as I did before I got married. So not unlike the Little Red Hen, who found no volunteers to help her harvest, mill and bake flour into bread but a plethora of volunteers to help eat the final product, I trudged forward - harvesting berries from the fridge, crushing ice and scooping yogurt. The Little Red Hen didn't end up sharing, but I didn't think that would send the right message. My Wee Martha Stewart had no complaints whatsoever when I sat her down with her portion of the smoothie.

 At least she's getting some fruit - I celebrate the small victories in the culinary department.

Baby Bookworm

I love the library. Admittedly, we borrow 5 times more movies than we do books, but as far as I know, that isn't a crime. We read a lot too. I'm always carrying books in my purse, we read together every morning and her dad reads her 4 (short) books at bedtime. She loves books and we hope she'll continue to enjoy reading throughout her life.  No guarantees, but we're doing what we can now.

The library runs a summer reading program and I jumped at the chance to have Teagan participate. There are a list of reading activities you can choose from and each time you complete one, you colour in a duck. Here are a handful of the things we completed:

• Check out a book from the library about colours or shapes.
• As you read, ask questions about what's happening and what you see on the pages.
• Read rhyming books.
• Sing a rhyming song.
• Sing the alphabet.
• Have your child help you turn the pages when you read.

When you complete six of the activities, you check in at the library and get a rubber duck - you can't have too many of those. And when you finish 12, you can go back and pick a free book! Or run around the library throwing your shoes at bookshelves while your Mum picks a book she thinks you'll like - from a much wider selection than she was anticipating. Ironically, I chose a book called "Smile!" full of photos of cute babies smiling. I may have chosen poorly.

Next year I'll have to see if they have a "Being Miserable!" one in the box.

Know Your Audience.

I'm an organizer. To a fault. Being in our "new" house (I still can't believe it's almost been a year) I find myself not being able to simply relax and watch a movie. Whilst watching, I have to be sorting through bills, or finding new places for old things to go, or trying to get rid of old things altogether. A place for everything and everything in its place. Easier said than done with a little girl who's knocking on 2's door. 

The girl knows how to push my buttons and she loves to do it. 

For the THIRD time in as many days, I found each of the labels on my magazine holders carefully removed and scattered. The horror.

I know kids tend to make messes (that was one of the few things I actually knew about kids before having one) but this was pre-meditated and malicious. In the name of developing fine motor skills, I'm not going to retaliate, but should she gets into my Post-Its, segmented coupon clutch or colour co-ordinated file folders, I cannot be held responsible for my actions. I know she knows it gets under my skin, because she's making an effort to put books away once she's finished reading them. Brandon and I sat and watched her go back and forth between her bookshelf and the rocking chair in her room: grabbing a book, climbing up onto the chair, scooting forward so her feet were hanging off the edge, reading the book aloud and hopping off to put the book back in its place...or somewhere close to it. I wouldn't have thought twice about it if they weren't the Sesame Street alphabet books that fit together like a puzzle.

In the interest of becoming a better parent, I didn't put them back in their proper order...in front of her. What? I was developing a twitch in my eye!

It's a good thing she knows how to make hilarious faces that render me mush. She doesn't seem quite so vicious when she's making one of her many silly faces. And she knows she can make me laugh with any one of them in spite of the anarchy. There's a chance I've underestimated who I'm dealing with.

Berries, books, bubbles and a "bath".

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Boosterrific!

There came a time last week that Teagan looked longingly at Brandon and I sitting at the table. We'd been scooting her closer and closer to us for a while now, but it just seemed like it wasn't enough. A booster seat seemed to make sense (and take up less room) so she's been promoted and LOVES it. She loved eating before, but now she can't stop!

Da Da Boo!

Teagan's into saying "Peekaboo" lately, but it comes out "Da da boo!" She was popping in and out of the closet and then ended up in there for an uncomfortable amount of time. When I opened the door, this is how I found her.

Regressing or merely reminiscing?