Eluned G. Sharron Bethea » Recent Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Mon, Nov 16, 2009 9:00 PM
Eluned has become quite the helper in the grocery store. This weekend she watched me pick an item off the shelf and put it in the cart. I turned around for a second and when I looked back, Els had added two more. And it's not easy for her yet -- I watched her -- she has to balance on her toes to tip those items over the side of the cart.

Els will spot something that has fallen on the floor, say an onion that fell out of its bin. She will run over, pick it up, and look for the right place to put it (or give it to me).

Els charmed a couple of ladies because she was so intent on, actually it was an onion, that she didn't even notice them at first. It was only as she almost bumped in to one lady as she tried to reach the onion that she looked up and realized she was standing between them. They backed away and let her get the onion. They were clearly delighted that Els picked it up and (with me) put it back.

Comments:
Sarah: A place for everything and everything in its place...I'd like to see you save this entry somewhere and show it to her when she's 13 or whenever the "messy room" stage occurs.

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Sun, Nov 15, 2009 10:00 PM
"Foofa" usually means "take my shoes off," but more generally it means "please take this/these article(s) of clothing off."

The new word I can't figure out is "ayfa." Say it like the Fonz, "aaay!-fa." No idea. I thought for a while it might mean "breakfast" (and it still might), but that doesn't seem to be panning out.

Comments:
Sarah: Any Scandanavian (Norwegian, especially) heritage? Uf-dah!

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Sat, Nov 14, 2009 9:00 PM
Eluned and I went to Balboa Park in San Diego for my birthday. The theme of our trip was fountains. The park has quite a few, and Els was so excited every time we found one. She doesn't know the word "fountain" yet but she would exclaim "water water" and runs towards it.

We left around the time Els normally goes to bed. I expected her to be mad, but she just chattered in the back seat, "bye Daddy, bye Daddy," and fell asleep before we reached the freeway. The trip home during the afternoon did involve a little screaming, but Els fell asleep around the Orange County line and slept all the way home.

We stayed at the Park Manor Suites, a historic hotel literally across the street from the park. It was perfect; the park has a free tram that stops two blocks from the hotel.

The hotel serves a continental breakfast on the top floor, overlooking San Diego and on out to the water. So both mornings we got up, got ready, and went upstairs for breakfast. Els would sit patiently for a few minutes and eat her muffin and fruit. And then I would try to finish my bagel and coffee while following her around the dining area. The first morning, we had just missed a plate of berries, but a word to the staff and a toddler-sized bowl of blueberries appeared. The second morning, we were joined by another toddler and his family. He was quite adventurous and very happy to see Els.

The first day, our full day in the park, we wandered all over and explored some of the different garden areas: the butterfly garden (quiet this time of year), the desert garden, the sculpture garden, the Alcazar Garden, etc. The last had some of the best fountains, as they were the perfect size for Els. There is a gloriously large fountain outside of the Science Center, so we stopped there for lunch. The park was busy -- full of children and dogs. There was live music, including a didgeridoo player. I tried to take everything at Els' pace.

Our second, half day, we went to the Science Center. They have a room called "Kid City" just for kids under 5, with a few basic science examples and lots of educational toys. We spent most of our time there. We also toured a few of the regular exhibits. Els loved the one where a ball floats on just a stream of air. She also liked the gravity well, where some older kids were rolling marbles around. And she loved anything with sand.

Comments:
Aunt Ginny: Sounds like you and Els had a wonderful time...also what a nice way to spend your birthday. Aunt Ginny

Sarah: Sounds like you had a good time, too, though taking things at a toddler's pace can be a bit trying at times. Happy Birthday!

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Fri, Nov 6, 2009 9:00 PM
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and this year we got to spread it out over a whole week. Eluned was a puppy; I made her costume.

Emerson had a small Halloween plus United Nations Day party the Saturday before. Everyone dressed up and brought their favorite international dish for a potluck. We had a costume contest and then played games.

In Els' age group, there were 4 princesses and Els, so Els won sort of by default. After all, you can't pick one princess over the others.

Far and away the best costume of the night was Batman and Robin. One boy in our church uses a wheelchair and has an assistance dog. He and his parents tricked his wheelchair out as the Batmobile, and somewhere they found a Robin costume for the dog.

On Friday, there was a little Halloween celebration at work, so I picked Els up early, dressed her up and went. I was the only person to bring a child but everyone welcomed her. They had a series of contests and challenges with various prizes, and someone gave Els a little bag of Tootsie Rolls. They wanted her to enter the costume contest, but she was content to sort her candy so I left her alone.

We had a nice slow walk back to my office with one of my co-workers. Els was delighted when we passed a fountain, and insisted on going up the library steps herself.

Everyone there was very happy to see her. We couldn't even get down the hall to my desk without being stopped repeatedly. But I got Els spruced up and we went back, and people gave her candy and pretzels. The pretzels were a huge hit with Els.

We had an even slower walk back to my car. Els wanted to explore every inch and I was happy to let her. Els had made fast friends with one of the student assistants and she walked with us part of the way, but when Els found another fountain and we stopped to examine it, even Els' new friend left.

On Saturday, Halloween, we finally carved the pumpkin that had been sitting around the house. Els didn't get too hands-on, but she found the whole thing fascinating.

That evening, I tried sitting out front with Els in her costume to hand out candy. We had a good time doing that last year, but of course last year, Els couldn't walk yet. This year she didn't want to wait by the front door; she wanted to go run around. And there weren't that many trick-or-treaters. So Will took Els out for a short walk. They even went up to one house, where Els was showered with candy. (Ironically, the same kind of candy that I had bought to hand out.)

Then we waited inside for the trick-or-treaters. We got a few more, and Els was very curious about these people in their costumes. One little girl looked like she wanted to come in and play with Els, and Els looked like she wanted that too. Waiting inside and opening the door for trick-or-treaters made for a much better evening for everyone -- until Freddy Krueger and his skeletal friend showed up. And then Els was done, so we went to bed.

The next day, Sunday, was Dia de los Muertos. Every year they have a festival a block down from Emerson. So Els and I shared a nice brunch and then took in the festival -- mostly booths. Els was very interested in the bounce houses, etc., but she's so little; maybe next year. They have performances but somehow we missed those, and we skipped the car and motorcycle show. We did visit both childrens' art booths. And we paid our respects at the memorial altars.

Comments:
Sarah: I had a lovely vicarious Halloween with y'all, while reading this. Babies are nice, but little girls are so much fun--and you just wait. The best is yet to come.

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Tue, Oct 27, 2009 7:00 PM
Eluned is going item by item through my stack of mail, carefully marking each piece with her red crayon, and then neatly stacking them into a new "marked" pile.

Comments:
Sarah: OK, Mommy, you can retire now. Els is on the job!

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Sun, Oct 25, 2009 5:00 PM
I realized yesterday -- for the first time last Sunday, Eluned took off running around with the other little kids at church.

We've been letting Els wander farther and farther away from us at church and for longer amounts of time for a while now. I feel safe with all the people there. But up until now Els has been wandering around on her own.

Els has also been interacting with the other children at church more and more. The little girls just love her, and lately I've come outside a couple of times to find Els sitting in the middle of a group of them.

Then last Sunday, at a luncheon after church, Els and Andrew and I think Jasmine (all from the nursery/preschool class) found each other. They started running across the dais, down the ramp and back up again.

I didn't think anything of it at the time. I just changed Els into jeans, the better to run. But yesterday it hit me: Els has watched the other kids run off so many times. She finally gets to join them.

Comments:
Daddy: That was glorious. I think it stems from all that activity at the Halloween party.

Also, Sarah, that's a good suggestion. I'm not sure what our plans are.

Sarah: This January she turns two? You and Will planning a "terrific two" acknowledgement of the marker between infant and child (I seriously dislike the expression "terrible two")? Exploring on her own, developing social bonds, it's all good (though a bit stressful for Mom and Dad, at times).

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Sun, Oct 18, 2009 5:00 PM
I'm going to have to stop recording Eluned's new words soon. She's adding words to her vocabulary faster than I can remember and note here.

Els is using multi-word phrases regularly now. The other night, I was trying to coax a little more dinner into her and Els was insisting, "all done." Then she looked at me and said, all seriousness, "put [the] spoon down."

Els has been mimicking us for a long time, but the line between mimicry and comprehension has become much less clear. The other day Els was singing "Mommy Mommy Mommy." Will asked her if she was singing for Mommy or about Mommy, and Els replied, "about my Mommy."

Comments:
Sarah: I liked the mother/daughter picture taken in the aquarium. Note the expressive concentration on both faces.

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Wed, Oct 14, 2009 10:00 PM
Observant.

That's the word that keeps coming up to describe Eluned. I hear it from complete strangers and from people who know her well.

It's not the first word that I would use. But I don't have any experience with babies or toddlers beyond Els, so I have no basis for comparison. And I'm so close to Els that I don't see things that others see.

We visited a new place last weekend, Descanso Gardens, with my friend and her son. There were a number of other people there with young children, and we kept running in to one couple and their two kids.

Descanso Gardens has multiple koi ponds, but we found a really good one where Els could get right up to the water. I think she even touched a fish.

Els was sitting on a rock by the pond next to the little boy and girl, and one of the mothers commented to me -- and there was the word again: "She's so observant."

Comments:
Sarah: Yes, now that it's been said, I see that Els comes by her observant ways honestly, as the saying goes. You, too, have that way about you of really looking at what you focus on, really listening to what's being said, and so forth. I think it's a most becoming attribute.

You will really see it when Els starts school, the contrast, I mean. There are so many children who gaze about with a distracted air, or fidget meaninglessly, or just "hover" but she will be the one solidly grounded, looking and listening and taking it all in.

Poppa: I remember another young girl who used to study everything; I don't recall people using the word observant to describe Els mother, but you were always watching and learning about the environment you were in - and then talking about what you had seen. Of course, we didn't always underestand what you were trying to tell us; it wasn't until several years later that Aunt Ginny figured out that every time you said "tuckabody", you were really saying "Let's talk about it!".

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Sun, Oct 11, 2009 7:00 PM
Eluned has started doing this thing that I think of as "circumnavigation." When I'm standing, say, in the kitchen, she'll start to walk by me. But instead of going past me, she'll rest a hand against my leg and swing around in a circle. Sometimes she'll walk around and around me.

This morning after church, I was sitting at the end of a row of chairs with our bagel. Els took off towards the front of the sanctuary, then turned down the first row of chairs. Then she came back along the second row. For several minutes, I watched a wisp of blonde hair go up one row and back down the next. At my end, Els would pop out for a second to make sure I was still there and watching. Then she'd head off on another circuit.

Comments:
Sarah: I wonder if it's how the brain learns how the body exists and moves in three dimensions, establishing oneself as a multi dimensional being. Next, time as another dimension?

Nana: You were a circumnavigator too at about the same age going down the hallway, into the livingroom on through the diningroom, into the kitchen,back to the hallway - over and over again - laughing all the way. I think maybe trying your wings a bit, but in a safe place.

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Sat, Oct 10, 2009 9:00 PM
Sharing is not one of Eluned's strengths, at least not yet. She is especially possessive around the cats. If the cats so much as sniff at her food or the toy she's playing with, Els will chase them off with "no meow-meow no!"

Someone, presumably a cat, pulled a decorative red string out of the box of wrapping paper and supplies. Els found it on the floor and started waving it around. Well, the cat thought that was great fun and joined right in. Els scolded the cat ("no meow-meow"). When that didn't work, Els took off running, trailing the string behind her, growing more and more agitated as the cat chased her across the floor.

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