Saturday, August 25, 2012

Time Away

This is the longest I have been away from the Baby since she's been born. I was lucky enough for her to come visit while I was in St Louis for a month but since there is direct flight to Ames, Iowa, I have been relegated to phone calls and FaceTime.

I called the other day to say hi to the Baby and it sounded like I was talking to a little girl - not a 2 and half year old. Her words are more pronounced and she answers questions with well thought out responses. It made me sad. Every day that I am away from her, I am missing every moment that she is growing up.

Maybe by the time I get back she will want to sleep in her own bed. I would be happy if she did but I have no complaints when she cuddles extremely close in the middle of the night. Anyways, the Baby is having a blast with her Nana which makes things a lot easier. She really is the Baby's best friend. Every time I talk to her she has to announce to me that she is at Nana's house. They were supposed to go to Florida this weekend to finally visit her great aunt - unfortunately Hurricane Issac wanted to change their plans. But we'll be in Florida soon.

I have another week in training and I finally get to come back. And then we'll be taking the Baby to her first camping trip. I don't know if she will love it or hate it; Bugs, dirt, and leaves - I think she will love it.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Copycat

The Baby has gotten to the age where she is always mimicking every thing that we do. And most of the time it happens is when the Wifey and I are just having a casual conversation. The Wifey likes to cuss like a sailor and we might have heard the Baby repeat a few choice phrases. But now she is copying what we do physically and it's really fun to have her do weird things.

I just noticed the other day when I was cleaning the house and I stopped and leaned on the wall to send a text and I noticed the Baby leaning on the wall next to me pretending to send a text on her fake phone.

She will also grab her laptop when we're both on ours and type away. And if we happen to be cooking in the kitchen, she'll be in hers making dinner as well. But lately she has been pulling up a chair and helping us cook or clean.

It's really cute how she copies what we do. And sometimes the Wifey and I will do random things just to get her to do it. Like jump over random cracks on the ground or even P90X.

I can't wait for her to copy me and mow the lawn. That way I can get her a working mower to help with our yard since the Wifey can't do it. One can only hope.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Sensitive Child

One of the things the Wifey and I enjoy is how well the Baby will understand our moods. And then she will usually match how we are feeling.

I wasn't feeling very well yesterday after I picked up the Baby from daycare. Usually we play hide and seek and have dance parties or raid the fridge but yesterday I just needed to lie down. I could tell she was getting antsy but she just cuddled up next to me and would randomly touch my face or give me a nice neck hug.

And then as soon her Nana showed up she was back to her usual crazy self.

I do not enjoy how hyper-sensitive the Baby can be. She obviously gets that from her mother. Any raising of my voice or even a stink eye will get her to immediately frown and bury her face into her mother's shoulder.

I've been told it's only going to get worse. Especially the teenage years. I am not ready.


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Fearless Child

Our child is fearless. Or completely clueless. But either way she's crazy. We took a weekend trip to Galveston to catch the beach before the water got cooler. We took the first flight out and after hotel check-in and the drive in from Houston, we arrived at the beach a little past noon.

We anticipated the Baby to be skeptical as she would watch the tide roll in and her feet would get used to the brown Galveston sand. It didn't take long for us to realize that our daughter would continually be floating in the ocean like driftwood.

She would run into the ocean and keep on running until the ocean water would go up to her neck. Then the salty water would pierce her eyes and she would cry about the stinging in her eyes. And five seconds later she would be back in the water. She eventually would take the time out to play in the sand, mainly just fetching ocean water and pouring it into a hole. As we would escape the sun, the Baby would just walk into the ocean by herself. She really could not care if she was within reach of her parents or not, she just wanted to be in the water. It was definitely a very fun trip, even though we spent a majority of the time chasing her, it was well worth it. We're hoping to plan a quick getaway to Florida to see white sand and clear water. And we're pretty sure the calmer waters will make the Baby even crazier.