No Enthusiasm at All

There are no words to introduce this:

They Don't Teach That On Sesame Street

I get asked all the time how many words Hadley says, and much to many people's disappointment, I can't give an exact number. This is because I don't walk around with a clipboard all day recording everything my child says. But of the list of words such as "ball, pasta, baseball, Starbucks (that's right, she knows Starbucks), library....." I can now add "stupid train" and "oh crap" to the list.

Yesterday Hadley started asking for "Da da" around the time he comes home, but his train was late. I told her that Daddy would be a little late, but he'd be home soon. She continued to ask for him as she stood by the door wondering where he was. I said, "Daddy's train is late. Stupid train!" And it took off from there. Hadley began repeating the phrase over and over again while she played with her toys. It was a very proud moment for me. Thankfully she hasn't said it again today.

But that's OK because if I didn't learn my lesson yesterday, I certainly was reminded of it today. We were in the car and Hadley was asking for her "OG" (her pacifier). I reached into my purse thinking I brought one along, and realized I did not. "Oh crap." I said. And another proud moment was born as I got to hear the phrase repeated over and over again. Oh crap, indeed.

In hopes that Hadley will forget these phrases, I took her to the library this morning where there are lots and lots of great words to learn. Here she is looking at and organizing books.

She is saying, "Booka!" in this picture. She used to just say "book" but apparently it's more festive to say "Booka." Sort of like "Opa!'

"Hmmm....these look like good reads."

And here she is starting her very careful system of reading her books. Hadley does this each time we go to the library. She picks out some books, goes to a table and sits down. Then she'll read one book and carefully create a pile to keep all the finished books on.Here's a video of her and her system. (No, I did not teach her to do this. The child just has good sense.)

Why Hadley isn't ready for a "big girl" bed

I put her down for a nap two hours ago, and this is the FIFTH position she's been in.

Early Morning Adventure

Today the heat index is up to 110, so we decided to leave the house early in the morning while it was still tolerable, and drive down to the Tidal Basin. Hadley had a good time walking up the stairs to the Jefferson Memorial, and getting as close as she could to Jefferson's statue. Afterwords we stopped at The Fractured Prune for some delicious donuts.

When Hadley has her arms like this, it is her way of saying, "Sit down with me!"

There's the Washington Memorial in the background, but it's hardly visable because it was so hazy outside. And this was at nine in the morning!

And here is a short video of Hadley running like a maniac. Those of you who are "Friends" fans, might be reminded of the way Phoebe runs....

The "Waabare"

Two days ago Hadley and I were driving around the neighborhood running some errands when she started saying, "Waabare! Waabare!" and pointing out the window. I couldn't figure out what she was talking about until we drove past the library and the "waabares" got louder and more urgent. I was impressed that Hadley knew what street the library was on before she could even see the building.

Our neighborhood library is great. It has a nice children's departement that Hadley loves to look around in. Books have become Hadley's favorite "toys" as a matter of fact. Every morning when she wakes up, she asks for books and juice. I put all of her books in her crib, give her some juice, and she will stay in there between 30 and 45 minutes.

Yesterday I took Hadley to the library at 11, not knowing that it doesn't open until later on Wednesdays. Hadley was not happy. After knocking on the door, then demanding I open it ("open" is a new word starting yesterday), she began to cry. She cried as she walked up and down the sidewalk saying, "Waabare! Waabare!" She cried as I buckled her in the carseat. She cried on the way home (thankfully, it's a short drive). She cried on the way up to our building. She cried through lunch. All the while saying, "Waabare! Waabare!" It was very sad.

Speaking of letters and words, Hadley knows the letter "O." She likes to pick it out whenever she has the chance. We're trying to teach her the other 25 letters of the alphabet, so we purchased a giant puzzle/mat with letters and numbers and a place to color. Here are a few pictures of Hadley working away.

Trip to Colonial Williamsburg

This week we took a trip to Williamsburg, VA to hang out and relax a bit. We had a lot of fun chasing Hadley around Colonial Williamsburg, and she had a good time exploring a different part of the world. Here she is with her Dad having a rest with Mr. Thomas Jefferson (who Jesse was proud to sit next to because he founded the "Survey of the Coast" which is the office he works for. As you might imagine, Hadley was quite impressed with this piece of history).

And here's another picture of her studying the water (just like her Dad....maybe she was interested in Mr. Jefferson's efforts to set up a place where hydraulic modelers can practice their work in peace without their spouses asking for the umpteeth time, "So...what is it that you DO?!?!").

However, the real impressive stuff comes next. I remember when Hadley was first born, walking around downtown Silver Spring with her. I saw a little girl who looked like she just learned to walk practicing her new found freedom on the grass. She fell down and I watched her push herself back up and continue walking. I thought this was simply unbelievable and couldn't imagine how it is we learn how to do that. But here Hadley is splashing in the water in one video, and in the next doing a fine impression of Cookie Monster. She is certainly becoming a little girl.

Let's Get This Potty Started!

We have decided to slowly start Hadley on the path to using the potty. On Sunday, Jesse purchased the Elmo potty. Elmo is by far, Hadley's favorite Sesame Street character, and she was beyond happy to see (and hear) him in her very own home. Elmo says all sorts of different things to encourage kids to use the potty, and he even says them in Spanish. So if you think about it, we'll teach her two things at once. Now that's what I call efficiency. Maybe I'll teach her how to read while we're at it.

Hadley loves her potty. She sits on it all the time. In fact, she takes it into the living room and watches Sesame Street on it. Or, she'll place it next to a stack of books and read while sitting on it. She also likes to let her baby sit on it while she pushes her around.