Tales from the Nursery

On Sundays, when we go to church, Vivian goes to the nursery, which is run by E and K, who are also our babysitters. This is the report I got from K today as I picked Vivian up:

K: Vivian and G (a girl about the same age as Vivian) played together very nicely today.
I smiled.
K: They took turns playing with the baby.
I smiled some more. How sweet of them to share.
K: They took turns suffocating it.

Oy. Clearly, at 18 months, their mothering skills aren't quite up to par yet.

I guess I better supervise Vivian closely so she doesn't practice her still-developing mothering skills in Germany next month with her new cousin who was born today!

Congratulations, Sebastian & Marion on the birth of your little boy! I can't wait to meet him in a few weeks!

Kicked Out

Vivian and I have (had?) this beautiful bed-time routine going. We'd get ready (jammies, teeth, etc., etc.) and then she'd sit on my lap in the recliner in her room, we'd wrap the quilt that's on the recliner around us and read a couple of books. Over and over and over. From time to time I'd ask her where Mr. Hase (cuddly animal) is or if she wanted to see him. Mostly she'd shake her head or say no. But eventually, she'd giggle, jump off my lap and go over to her crib where Mr. Hase was waiting. We'd tickle him, I'd put her in, kiss her a bazillion or so times while tucking her in and then leave. Sometimes it would take a second attempt (get her out of the crib again, curl up on the chair some more, and then go back to Mr. Hase again), but it was nice, cozy, and I really enjoyed that quiet moment before she went to bed.

This morning, while I was doing stuff in Vivian's room, she wanted up on the chair. So I put her there, wrapped her in the quilt, handed her the books, which she happily read for a while. Tried to take a photo, too, but as soon as she sees the camera these days she plonks herself on my lap to see the pictures. Even if I haven't taken any yet (which explains today's picture-less post).

Anyway, this evening? She refused to let me sit in the chair with her. Insisted on sitting there by herself (screamed and cried if I tried to join her), reading her books. I finally laid down on the floor to see what would happen. After about 15 minutes, she finally relented and sat on my lap on the floor and we read a book together. I hope this was just a fluke. I hope I get to sit in that chair again tomorrow. I don't think I'm quite ready to give that up yet!

Grooming

While I was putting together my solar fountain that I got for Christmas, I gave Vivian a bowl with a little water to play with. Because I never wet down and brush my hair in the morning; and Vivian never watches me, I have no idea who or what she may be mimicking. :)

Polka Dots

Let 17-month olds accessorize at your own risk.

Lazy Saturday Morning

Hair!

And they say Vivian has no hair. HA!

White Girls Can't Jump

This one's for Justin who showed Vivian a couple of weekends ago how to jump. She's still practicing ...

"New" sand box

Anne calls it "dumpster-diving" even though there are no dumpsters involved. I call it creative recycling. :) Last fall, I spotted this ladybug sand box on trash day, hit the breaks, and picked it up. This year, we filled it with sand, and Vivian's having a blast with it. She had her friend Emma over the other day to play in it. Unfortunately, my camera settings were all wrong so the picture quality is bad, but they were cute together.

Easter 2009

Yes. Indeed. Easter was in April and it is now May. What can I say ... better late than never? We spent the weekend in Virginia. The original plan was to visit family and friends, play poker, etc. Well, Vivian got sick on the way down and so Grandma got stuck with us all weekend. But, this didn't prevent Vivian from hunting down those colorful (and very sticky) Easter eggs that Grandma and Mommy decorated. Can you spot the odd item out in her Easter basket (and, no, I don't mean her head in the last photo).