Grandparents are gooda-gooda-gooda-gooda-good
We went to a childbirth orientation class last night. Zoë went to her grandparents' house. Apparently, she had a huge meal (well, huge for a toddler) and discovered that a sink plunger is an amazingly cool toy (and it fits over the doorknob!).
When I talked to Grandpop about her visit, he reported that she was, "Gooda-gooda-gooda-gooda-good," which is Zoëspeak for "good girl" or "good". In fact, last week she was with Grandpop and he told her "no" with regard to touching something and she immediately pulled her hand back and then announced, "Gooda-gooda-gooda-gooda-good". In other words, "I didn't touch it, so I'm a good girl". Which, of course, she is.
Happy Birthday!
Zoë's birthday was nearly a toddler ideal in "fun day". As it happened, there was a large family gathering on the 24th, in the lovely rolling hills of Gippsland (in east-central Victoria). The party was a barbeque/potluck and it's an annual thing (it was the Peters family, Peters being the surname of Andrew's maternal grandfather).
To condense a little bit, the ride there is long but very pretty. I kept looking out at the lovely hills and making appreciative comments. At one point I said, "Wow" in a drawn-out sort of way and we hear a little voice from the backseat mimic me, "Wooooowwwwww". (Naturally, we told her she was clever.) Zoë was pleased to get out of the car, as I think we all were (the drive is a couple of hours or so). She had a lot of fun walking around and around and around and around and around the yard on her usual quest for sticks. Various people kept an eye on her throughout the day, and as far as we know, she didn't eat anything weird from the ground (like, say, dirt or sheep droppings or bits of grass, as she's been known to try to put in her mouth). She did manage to find a very cool and special stick, one with gum nuts on the end ("gum nuts" are the seed pods of a eucalyptus tree). She didn't enjoy having people sing "Happy Birthday" to her, and made sure everyone knew it. She did, however, enjoy eating bits of her birthday cake. Mostly, she ate the cake while her father ate the frosting. After that party, we went to her grandparents' house (speaking of whom, "Hello!" -- they read this journal regularly) and had some pizza and a nap. Well, I had a nap. Zoë found it very strange that I was lying down on a couch (our couch doesn't allow for such decadence, unfortunately) and proceeded to climb on me. Repeatedly. At least, she did until she got it through her head that I meant it when I told her not to do it. So, our girl is two years old. I can hardly believe it! And pretty soon we're going to have another little person around (at which time I'll probably be re-organizing this website and the photo gallery to include categories for the little one, but right now it's too much to think about). For the moment, of course, all the new pictures are still right where you'd expect them: in Zoë's photo gallery.
Thanksgiving
Yesterday we had a smallish family gathering for Thanksgiving. Zoë was her usual busybody self, into everything, zooming around all the time, basically wrecking the joint as she normally does. She did seem to decide that Uncle Greg and Auntie Robyn were pretty much okay. By the end of the evening she was playing with both of them in her pushy toddler sort of way.
She also got some birthday presents. A xylophone from Uncle Greg and Auntie Robyn (who restrained Uncle Greg from getting Zoë a drum set). He always gets Zoë toys that make noise. It's just a tradition or something. Yes, of course she likes it. I think it was her favorite. And she got some clothes, a wooden puzzle, a couple of really nifty books, a bath puzzle (it sticks to the side of the tub when wet!), a little stuffed kangaroo, and an unbreakable dish with Winnie the Pooh on it (I think Granddad got tired of seeing the kid eat directly off of her high chair tray). I actually expect she'll get a few more gifts, probably on Saturday, which is her actual birthday and which also happens to be a big family gathering. Expect pictures. Nanna's bringing a birthday cake! For now, there are pictures from Thanksgiving in the photo gallery (November 2001).
Playing outside
We went out yesterday for a play outside. Well, really, it was so I could take some pictures of the grounds and the flowers that in bloom right now, but Daddy came out with the little girl and she had a fun time wandering all around.
Sticks are fun. It's fun to collect them. It's easier to walk on pavement than on grass, which is kinda weird an wobbly. And it really is possible to step down from a curb by oneself, so long as its approached correctly. Yes, of course there are pictures. I did say I had the camera, didn't I?
Doctor visit
We went the to the doctor today, but it was for Andrew, not Zoë. Zoë, of course, did get to play with toys in the waiting room, and then she came in to the exam room with us and played some more in there. Partly, I didn't want to have to chase her all over the waiting room by myself. Partly, I wanted her to see that a doctor's office is not always a scary place, that you can go there and not get poked, prodded, or get shots anywhere. She played very happily with the toys while her father got poked and prodded (diagnosis: ear infection), and then we left. It was a good experience for her, from the way she was cooing and making happy noises.
Not well today
Zoë isn't feeling well today. She woke up in the early hours of the morning crying. Andrew brought her to bed with us and she settled down and went back to sleep. When she woke up later, she was very cranky and somewhat feverish, and cried the whole time Andrew changed her nappy.
After breakfast, she went back to sleep for a while, and she's up playing now (late afternoon), but she's got a runny nose and a bit of a fever still. She seems to be in better spirits, though, and that's a good thing.
Time Outs
Zoë got her first "time out" last night. She was in the study with us and persistently and repeatedly went over to the battery charger (this is for AA batteries for the digital camera) to remove the batteries. She's been fascinated with this for ages, and we've been telling her "no" for just as long.
Last night she just wouldn't take "no" for an answer, so Andrew picked her up and put her in her cot in the other room for two minutes. Naturally, she complained, but she settled down pretty quickly, and by the time she came back into the study, her attitude was much improved. Of course, it probably helped that we moved the battery charger to a higher shelf where it wasn't such a terrible temptation for a curious toddler.
Molars and Playgrounds
Zoë's getting a molar. It's a huge, hard lump at the moment, and by the way she's got her fingers in her mouth all the time (and by her frequently cranky moods), I'd say it's working its way in pretty much constantly.
She's also developed a habit of actually eating with her fingers in her mouth. I think she uses her fingers to cushion the gum so that she can chew with the other side, and no, there's no way to pull her fingers out of her mouth (tried it more than once, gave up when I saw the nearly hysterical reaction she had). The thing with eating with your fingers in your mouth is that your hand becomes an aquaduct for saliva and partially eaten food. It's not a pretty sight. But, well, I guess when you're two and getting a molar, you do what you have to do and you scream bloody murder when someone like a parent tries to stop you. Other than the molar causing considerable discomfort and lots of mess, Zoë visited a little playground for the first time today. It was attached to a Burger King (we went there for lunch and to get contour Coke glasses that are on special now), so it wasn't a proper playground in a park or anything, but she certainly had a lot of fun, and so did Andrew and I. And naturally, I took it as a photo opportunity.
New piccies and mooched food
Zoë seems to have decided that mooching food from parents is good. If we're eating it, she'll often try it, which is a good change from the fussy child she's been in recent months. In the past week she's had pea soup, cheese and broccoli, grainy bread, and now, the great Australian meat pie.
I'm certain that if we put these things on her own tray, she'd be disinclined to eat them, but when she's eating OUR food, well, I guess that's different. Oh, and she's suddenly gotten very fussy about fish. She won't eat fish fingers, but she will eat fish chunks (like popcorn fish) or pieces of fish fillets if we're eating them. But not fish fingers! No way! And finally, there are some new pictures of Zoë online in her gallery, so go have a look at the November 2001 collection.
Video!
We saw Uncle Greg and Auntie Robyn yesterday (it was a holiday in Victoria). Zoë was a pretty nicely behaved kid for a two-year-old. Several people commented on how very, very busy she always is, that she just goes and goes and goes (my little Energizer Bunny!). Her only particularly grumpy time was when she was tired and was fighting a nap, but we managed to get her to fall asleep on the couch and after she woke up, she was lovely.
We also got back one of her videos that we had loaned to Uncle Greg. It's The Road to El Dorado. When we put it on for her, she got incredibly excited. She was just all grins and giggles. She hadn't seen it in a long time and suddenly, there it was! Life is good.
When did this happen?
I'm trying to work out when my little baby became such a big girl. She walks very well, she runs, she climbs, she figures out the most amazing things, she sings, she talks (when she feels inclined to do so), she understands so much about the world around her, she gives cuddles and hugs, she gives tickles (and tickles herself, which is kinda cute to watch), and basically, she's just turned into a big girl. When did this happen?
Today, by the way, appears to be a Mama Day. Yesterday she was in a Daddy All Day mood, where she wanted to be held by him, play with him, hold his hand, etc. Today she's mostly ignoring Daddy in favor of Mama. It's kinda nice to be working at the computer and have the toddler come over and rest her head on my leg for a cuddle. She's been doing it all day, too. Mmmmmm. I like toddlers (for all that they can be really frustrating).
Good day
Zoë had a good day. She got to watch her favorite movie in the morning (The Little Mermaid), then we went for a ride in the car and got food from a drive-thru (yes, she knows what a drive-thru is), which is always very fun for toddlers, and she likes chicken and onion rings. Then we went on a long ride and she saw lots of stuff she doesn't normally see, stuff like sheep and cows and hills. That was actually a little boring, but then she got to walk down a street she'd never, ever seen before (cool!) and eat some ice cream! Then a drink of apple juice and more riding around, which wasn't as bad because the scenery was different and there were houses and trees and stuff. A little snooze, wake up when we're almost home, and then have a big play on the floor in the study and some cuddles with Mama now and then, and then dinner (potatoes and fish).
All in all, a very pleasant day for little girls. And for parents, too. (Mama got pictures of Zoë sharing Daddy's ice cream cone, bonus!)
Grinding Teeth
Zoë has started an incredibly annoying habit: she grinds her teeth. Thankfully, she doesn't do it in her sleep, which is a very, very hard habit to break. We've been resorting to gently but firmly grabbing both of her cheeks and forcing her mouth open when we catch her grinding, but so far it hasn't seemed to help much. Teeth grinding is bad for the jaw, bad for the teeth, and nerve-wracking for any adult nearby. How do you stop a stubborn toddler from indulging in it? I may have to do some research or get some expert advice if we can't figure out a good way to discourage it, or she doesn't stop doing it on her own.
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