Wow - so many new skills shown today

Today Shara really impressed me, a number of times.
First, this morning when I asked her if she was ready to nurse, she went over and tried to pick up the boppy to give to me.

A short while later, she brought me to the bathroom where she somehow gave me the impression she had to go poop, so I asked her if she did and she said yes. I sat her on the toilet - seat down, and nothing happened. I got her down and a few minutes later, after playing near the tub, she pooped. So we're now the proud owners of a potty. I'll set it up tomorrow, just to have around, but I don't want to rush things. She's only 15 months old and you're not supposed to even think about it until 18 months, but it's good to be prepared and mentally it seems like she's understanding when she needs to go, so we have to take advantage of that.

We went to lunch at BigFrogs and I ordered her a couple of scrambled eggs. Alan had a hamburger w/ fries & I had a tuna melt w/ sweet potato fries and broccoli. We were both giving her fries, and that was all she would eat. Alan tried giving her some eggs with his fork (I had tried earlier and it didn't work). They started wrestling for the fork so I suggested he just give it to her, pointy and sharp though it was. She ended up eating all her eggs and most of the broccoli, even after several fries.

Tonight when I put her to bed, she turned off her light the proper way, not just sliding the knob down, to dim it all the way, but actually toggling the switch!

It really seems like it's all coming together for her. That being said, tonight was the first time she didn't nurse off both sides. She was done when she was done and I couldn't force her to have more. Maybe it's the start of her self-weaning? She is growing up so fast, it wouldn't surprise me.

Looking for a Chair

Last Sunday we all went to the West Bridgewater Park Day. We had a nice time. Shara loved seeing all the balloons!

We (Alan, Chris & Ed) also closed the pool and Uma & Shara played in a bucket of water. From what I understand, Shara was helping water the flowers by ripping out the flowers and putting them in the water.

The big thing now is the walking. Although it's been a long process, she's fairly steady and doesn't fall much anymore. She's also not holding her arms over her head as she walks. We're still working on finding a chair for her. She's been spending some time in her old swing. It's cute, but not really easy to get in and out of.



I really like the chairs from Jonti-Craft, but haven't decided on which model yet. If anyone has an opinion, please post. It's between a charrie and a Toddler Chair.. With the charrie, I'd need to specify a size and I'm not sure what that would be. I think they use these at her daycare, so I'll ask what they'd suggest and maybe we can go into the toddler room and test a couple out.Speaking of her school... They're just waiting to hire a teacher for the toddler room - Miss. Jenny went to another position (promotion) in another location - and Shara will be able to transition to the next level. This will be really good for her because we can all see that she's too big to be in the infant room right now.

Enjoying the Weather

Last weekend we went to Jacob Wirth's in Boston with Alan's parents for their anniversary. It was fun and I had a really good beer with dinner, which was good. Shara really liked it - she ate everything; the pulled pork from my quesadilla, red cabbage, sausages, her chicken fingers, and french fries. She also had fun walking around the restaurant and waving at everyone and saying, "hi". Before getting the van, I don't think we would have considered going into Boston. Originally Chris was supposed to join us, but was sick - maybe had what Shara had?

On Labor Day we really enjoyed hanging out in the back 40. We took the neat sheet, some toys, music and snacks and sat out there for about 2 hours. It was so relaxing we really appreciated all the work Alan's been doing back there.

The week wasn't anything too unusual. Shara's teething, so she's been getting her "grapey-grape" nightly. This seems to get her through the beginning of the night with no trouble. Last night was the first time she didn't wake every couple of hours. She gets herself back to sleep, but I don't like hearing her cry out. It's obvious she's not happy, but I'm glad she's able to go back to sleep. She has been waking up at about 5 am though. I don't know if it's the teething or she's sensing the change in seasons. Today we all slept until 6 am. It was good, but I miss my "me" time in the morning. I haven't been able to exercise all week - all I hear is "up, up" as soon as I start.

Today we went to Frothingham Park for their 75 anniversary celebration. Wayne Potash performed. We're really lucky to have someone so talented in our town. He's a great children's musician and has been performing for the residents of Easton for years. Shara had a great time seeing all the kids running around. We had lunch in the park and sat and listened to some stories from the library. It was a wonderful day and the weather couldn't have been better. Daddy stayed home and did more Shara-proofing (moved around the pc's in the office), among other things.

Tomorrow we have plans to go to West Bridgewater for their "park day". It sounds like a lot of fun and we may get to see "Dale and the Dudds", my friend Carole's husband's band. I never saw them before and would really like to. There will be clowns, food, crafts, and other fun things. In the afternoon, Alan's going to close the pool, assuming his parents can come over and watch Shara while I help Alan, or play with Shara while Alan's dad helps.

Lots of pictures.