Pics from the wading pool

Mom finally transferred pictures from her camera to her computer, so here a few cute ones of Carmela at the wading pool. Enjoy!

Bookworm

After months of literally screaming and running away whenever Mom or Dad would try to read her a story, Carmela has recently begun showing an interest in books. The interest in them is more as objects of manipulation and not so much as stories, which is typical of her age and temperament, and so the best kinds of books are sturdy, bright, and textured. Her Auntie Chris came through in the best way recently with a stack of great board books, many of them with textures. One is a counting book with little plastic snails (who, sadly, diminish in number in suspicion-arousing ways over the course of a catchy nursery rhyme). A couple others have pictures of farm animals with really great furry patches that Carmela loves to dig her pointer finger into — enrapt, she burrows her finger into the fuzz or fluff or whatever, then she carefully turns the page and digs her pointer finger into the next one. This has led to a renewed interest in her FeelyBugs book, which her Aunt Tauni got her when she was still a little baby, and which has been a favorite book for quite some time. Now, though, Ela actually understands that there are textures on each page, and she really enjoys exploring them. Mom and Dad hope this is the entree into a lifetime of loving books for everything they have to offer (including, sometimes, great textures).

Beachcomber

It was sunny a few weeks ago but not blazing hot, so Mom decided to see what Ela thought of the beach. There's a nice sand beach here, unlike most of the rock beaches that are a hallmark of Washington and Oregon coasts, and so Mom packed up a bag with a blanket, sunscreen, and toys, and she and Ela set off for a new adventure. In the end, Ela was a little bit too little yet to really enjoy it. The surf was a little scary. She doesn't quite know how to throw yet, so she couldn't throw rocks and seaweed back into the water (although she did hand quite a few little pebbles to Mom to throw because they made a great "ploonk" sound into the water). She's too little to search for seashells (but not, evidently, too little to search for and find every single cigarette butt on the beach — even the ones buried in sand). But it was still a nice adventure, and it will be even more fun once Carmela's a little older.

The latest

It was a dry, boring time, but Mom finally made it through the bar, and now she and Carmela can get back to more important things, like playing, taking walks to the park, and updating Carmela's blog.

Carmela has been quite a busy girl the past couple of weeks. She's so far beyond crawling that now it seems strange to see her do it. She's quick, too; she's not quite running full bore yet, but she's pretty close (if only her feet would cooperate). Carmela doesn't eat quite as robustly as she did a few months ago, but she has an adventurous palette, and more or less likes anything we put in front of her. A few nights ago, she had smoked salmon and white beans for dinner; tonight was Red Baron pizza. She ate both with equal gusto. Her very favorite thing, though, is cherries. In this, she takes after her Great-Grandpa, who also loves cherries. Carmela also really loves grapes. They're great.

It's been hot here the past week or so, so Carmela has been spending lots of time outdoors, getting lots of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, and trying to keep cool in the process. She and Mom and Dad went to the community wading pool a few times; Carmela was tentative at first (very typical for her temperament), but by the third visit, she was an old pro. Mom and Dad got her a purple sparkly ball that she likes to take to the pool (or the park, or the playground) just so some kid can take it and she can snatch someone else's toy. (It seems to be de rigeur among the under-3 set to play with someone else's toy; never your own.) Mom also picked up an inflatable pool for the backyard. It was fun, but boy the water coming out of the faucet was cold! (Also, Carmela would like everyone to know that the water coming out of the spray nozzle is scary, and she'd like to be held if you're going to use it.)

As with all new developments, there are behaviors that are wonderful and some that are less desirable. Among the less desirable behaviors: Carmela is impatient, and she hits whatever she's mad at. Among the wonderful behaviors, however: Carmela is immensely sweet and affectionate. The result: When Carmela hits, if Mom or Dad says (very seriously), "Carmela, no hit," Carmela immediately offers a conciliatory hug, caressing the hit part with her cheek and giving little pats on the back. It's very charming. Carmela lately has developed even greater affection for her soft blankets, and a measure of affection for some of her stuffed animals. It's very sweet to watch her pick up her stuffed polar bear from her toy box, tuck it under her cheek, and give it a big hug.

Wheelybug remains a favorite toy these days, but it's rivaled by an empty cardboard box that is the perfect size for climbing into. She loves the Big Toy at the playground, and is particularly thrilled with the slide and the steering wheels, but she's pretty much over the swings and doesn't care to play in them for very long. Most of all, she loves big open stretches of relatively flat lawn that she can run over. She's also fond of falling down into patches of clover at the park and rolling around in it.

Much of Carmela's latest developments include a growing sense of humor and a love of games involving others, such as variations on peek-a-boo and games of chase. When she wants to be chased, Carmela will peek mischievously over her shoulder until she knows she has Mom's or Dad's attention, then she'll throw her head back and run away, squealing and laughing. Then she'll stop, look over her shoulder again, and run away again.

Things really are going well for our little girl. She enjoys daycare and has little friends there. She seems to enjoy playing with Mom and Dad, and has enjoyed a nice summer of sunshine, visits from friends and family, walks up to the ice cream shop (and licks of Mom's and Dad's ice creams on the way home), and lots of other small and big adventures. Now that the bar is over, stay tuned for more regular updates.

First pair of shoes

The time has come, and Mom and Dad are pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful and sweet milestone it has been to give Carmela her first pair of walking shoes. Now that she's a walking expert, Ela can hardly stand to be carried on her evening walks, and Mom and Dad realized they needed to get her a pair of shoes that would protect the soles of her feet from the dirt, stones, and twigs on the sidewalk and in the park, and the general schmutz of public places like stores and the library.

Mom's actually kind of surprised at how fast Ela's picked up walking. It seems like just last week that she was exclusively a cruiser, never venturing beyond the couch. Then she took her first clumsy, shuffling steps in the kitchen, arms outstretched, toward her Dad, and boy was she proud. Now, she crosses entire rooms like it's no big thing. This evening, she held Mom's hand from her house on one corner all the way up the block to the other corner, and on the way home, she went all the way up the stairs by herself (except on her knees because the steps are too high for to climb standing up). All of Carmela's milestones have been amazing, but this one is really something.

Heat wave

Temperatures got really high here recently — not as hot as last summer, but close. Miss Carmela beat the heat by walking all around the house stripped down to her diaper and sprightly green bib. She told Mom that going mostly nekkid is very liberating, and she'd prefer not to wear clothes anymore. Mom said that was interesting, and she could understand how it would be very freeing to play with Wheelybug in only a diaper and bib, but we will be wearing clothes when we go out (even if it's just our jammies).

New toys

Carmela got a great new toy last week. Mom and Dad ordered it from Amazon (thanks Grandma!), and it's called a Wheelybug. It's not technically supposed to be used as a walking aid, but Ela's still too little to ride it properly, and she does love pushing it around the house. It's great fun and she'll do it for several minutes at a stretch, crashing it into things and getting mad when it gets hung up on something.

Uncle Jason's friends Owen and Geraldine just found out they're moving to California, so they gave Carmela a brand new little wooden pull-toy lined with perfect wooden blocks. They will be great tools for Ela as she learns letters, numbers, counting, colors, and shapes. Right now, they're great tools for banging together and banging on other things.

In related news, Mom thinks it's time to start editing the toy box a bit. It's getting a little out of control.