I totally forgot about this past month's update. Summer is in full swing so things have been much less…structured. But fun! Now that Sarah is almost two, she's old enough, and interested enough, to participate in more activities. We've been to a carnival, the farm, various parks, swimming with cousins, Rocknoceros concert, and just today went out for a bike ride with the kiddos in the bike trailer. I used to dread the idea of having the kids at home with nothing to drop anyone off at, but I was actually looking forward to the summer this time around, and so far I've been having a good time with my two babies…even if they can be quite a handful at times. We've gotten into a good routine (even if the activities vary day to day in the summer)…and then I guess it'll all change in a few months with baby #3 in the picture. Also, I'm already thinking about how Noah is going to be in kindergarten after this coming school year, and will be gone all day, every day, and it's kind of sad.
Anyway, about Sarah. She's become more involved in day to day things and more capable of doing things for herself, like feeding herself, not spilling water all over herself, climbing into the carseat on her own, putting on and taking off her shoes, etc. This is all great, except for when I'm in a rush and we really need to get going. She throws a fit if she can't do things on her own. It's starting to feel like I'm negotiating with Sarah all day long about every diaper change, car ride, trip up or down the stairs, and spoonful of yogurt to be eaten. I have to convince her to either do whatever the task at hand is, or I have to convince her to let me do it for her, or she gets upset and is inconsolable. Even naps and night night time. If she isn't ready to lie down and say "bye bye" I simply cannot leave the room or she will cry and cry and cry. I'm hoping that this is a phase and that it is over soon. I do vaguely remember Noah having a similar need to do everything on his own…now it can be such an ordeal sometimes to get him to pick up a spoon and put it in his mouth. Sigh.
Sarah is talking more these days. Yay! Still not very clear what she's saying all the time, and a lot of her words sound the same, but she's getting better every day I think. A good thing, because she really has been relying on her whining to get what she needs/wants a bit too much. My daily mantra with her is "use your words, stop whining." Not really working that well, but I'm still hoping. She's also putting some words together like "bye-bye mommy" or "bye-bye daddy" and sometimes will even say "milk peese."
Sarah has developed some very clear likes and dislikes. She loves to put shoes on and walk around the house with them. She loves to push around strollers while carrying around an old wristlet of mine. She loves to do puzzles and is very proud of herself when she gets a piece to fit. She loves music and dancing. She also loves Asian foods - she wants rice with everything, and always eats a lot when we eat Asian (or Asian inspired) food. She doesn't eat much pizza, hates pasta, won't even chew sandwiches, but will at least eat chicken nuggets sometimes. Quite unfortunate because Noah loves these things and they're so easy for me to get on the table. She also doesn't really like TV much…also unfortunate because it is such a convenient "babysitter" for me with Noah. I relied on the TV so often to keep Noah occupied when Sarah was little. Now what?? I have yet to find something that can reliably occupy her and keep her in the same spot for a long period of time.
Finally, Sarah is totally a little charmer. Or at least I think so. She's always flashing smiles and waving at people, and everyone seems to love it. Noah was not like this. Even now, when we meet people in the elevator, she's smiling at them and being all cute, while Noah starts shouting things like, "This elevator is just for us! Not you!!!" or roaring at people (not in a friendly or funny way). They really are such polar opposites sometimes. I wonder what this third one is going to be like. I hope she's somewhere in the middle!
