Sunday, February 17, 2008

A rare sighting


Since I'm so often the one taking pictures, Peter snapped one of me to prove to Anya Rashi in later years that I did, in fact, exist. :o)


Our other rare sighting was of Anya Rashi in the tub! Sorry, no photo of that one, since she insisted on standing the entire time. Thank heaven for non-skid bathtub mats! A little explanation: since we met her, she's been terrified of running water and the bathtub. Even having me in with her didn't help . . . so we've been sponge-bathing her, washing her hair in the sink, sitting in an empty tub, and enlisting Aaron and Nathan to demonstrate that bathtime can be fun. (Thank you, big brothers.)


All our efforts finally paid off yesterday, when she looked like she wanted to go in the tub as I ran the water -- so in she went! Aaaah -- just-bathed-baby is one of my favorite scents in the world. What a brave little girl!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Busy girl







Anya Rashi is soooo busy learning new things . . . Her ongoing fascination with the garbage can, unfortunately, has not been replaced by any of her new hobbies. :o) Wish we had another place to put it . . . we may have to get creative soon!



She is learning so quickly! She knows where her eyes are, and loves to blink very deliberately (a la I Dream of Jeannie), then point carefully to them. She also loves to point out the eyes on her dollies and stuffed animals. She knows where her hands are, and makes great big starfish hands when asked.

She knows the sounds that puppies and elephants make, too, and will do them when asked or when she sees pictures in a book. Her "woof" sounds like "boof," and an elephant, according to Anya Rashi, says "bweeeww."



She is a one-woman wrecking crew, dumping out our tupperware drawer and clearing the backpack shelf by the back door faster than we can believe! She also likes to throw things down the clothes chute, including tub toys, a ball, Mama's jar of facial mask, and other assorted things. (Actually, she's never thrown CLOTHES down it, now that I think of it . . . ) Oh, and she's starting to try to climb things . . . be very afraid!


Her new favorite books are Elmo's Puppy Book, The Lady with the Alligator Purse, and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. She's also been to church with us twice -- which is good, because everyone kept mobbing poor Peter asking when they'd get to meet her!

Aaron and Nathan find her discoveries very amusing, and are busy making their own. Aaron is entering an art contest for a greeting card design. (The greeting cards will be sold to benefit our school district.) He has also lost two more teeth, and looks like a jack'o'lantern. Nathan has, in the past few weeks, become an independent reader! He's normally very noisy and/or chatty, but has gotten lost in books lately to the point that Peter and I will ask each other "Where's Nathan? What's he up to?" Both boys recently had a day off school due to extremely cold temperatures, and we took that opportunity to make a gingerbread house. Fun! This weekend, they will be writing out Spiderman valentines to give to their classmates.

Things the boys have said lately:
Nathan: I don't want any kissing. I just want adventure!
Aaron: (looking at a snowman about to topple over) That snowman's doing yoga.

Hope everyone is staying warm . . . we are, mostly by chasing a very active 13-month-old!