High Five

Sarah is really enjoying her subscription to High Five, the little sibling publication to Highlights for Children (the children's magazine found in dentist's offices nationwide since 1946).

We have read each issue almost daily since it came and she likes every feature. I think that with the repetition, she is slowly learning to read.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

(Just as I finished writing this, Sarah walked into the room carrying one issue in each hand.)

Sarah: Ok! Who wants to read one of these! (Sits down and starts reciting a Peter Rabbit-like story while looking at the cover of one, then reciting pretty accurately parts from inside it)

Coloring

Sarah has started coloring in the last couple of weeks and has improved dramatically. I was feeling pretty impressed, since kids don't usually start coloring until age 5, right, not 3? Until I googled it and saw mothers claiming that their babies started coloring at 8 or 9 months. Liars!

Late Night

Late at night, in the bedroom:

Papa (farts)

Mama (whispering): Shh! You're going to wake Stephen!

Stephen: Waaaaaah!

Mama (laughing)

Poopoo

Stephen is now letting us know several times per day when he needs to go to the bathroom, both for peepee and for poopoo. He goes in and sits down on the toilet, either the big one or the little one, and does very visible effort, usually successful. Then we clap and cheer, Yay, Stephen! Good job! Age: one year, seven months. Still using diapers 24 hours, for now.

Singing

Papa (starts singing)

Stephen: Noooo! Noooo! Noooo! (shaking head and making faces)

Mama: Stephen, you don't want Papa to sing?

Stephen: No! No! (shaking head and waving finger) No!

New Friend

Sarah was very happy coming out of the YMCA childcare.

Sarah: Mama! Mama! I made a new friend!

Mama: Sarah, that's so nice! Is your friend a boy or a girl?

Sarah: (pause) Um... I will ask him tomorrow!

Mama (laughing): Sarah, girls usually have long hair and sometimes wear pink, and boys usually have short hair and usually don't wear pink.

Sarah: Um, I think maybe he is a boy!

Mama: What is your friend's name?

Sarah: I will ask him tomorrow!

Friends

Sarah is getting good at making friends. We go to play in one place or another, and very quickly she is playing with whatever other little girl who is her age or so, or up to five years older.

At the library, she made friends with a 6-year-old or so girl, joining in playing with puppets, and then inviting her to sit down and read a book together, and then inviting her to go sit together in the play castle.

Later that day, at a Mesa McDonalds, she made friends with a very nice girl, who helped her with her shoes and socks, as well as running all around the play structure together for as long as we let them.