Hungry?

I'm so proud!

This morning, the Noodle got dressed entirely by herself and she was QUITE proud of herself. She's been doing the turtleneck, leggings, pull-on dress, etc. by herself for quite a while now. It was the buttons on this dress (small) as well as the socks that really made her beam. I just love to see her accomplish these little milestones! We'll see what happens tomorrow...it could be another flood of tears over the socks (darn those pesky things!)...or maybe not. Hope your day is filled with tiny moments that bring a smile to your face.

Fingerpainting fun

I wrote about my, hmmm, aversion, to fingerpaint here. Today we went over to the good friend's house who I spoke of and braved the messiness to, you guessed it, fingerpaint. The Noodle enjoyed using the paint, but after about 3 pictures, she was ready to move onto some watercolor paints. She didn't get into it nearly as much as her little friend, granted said friend turned 2 in October, so there is a slight age difference. Long live self-expression!

The first tentative touches.


Really getting into it.


Ta-da!!


It is more fun on my hands than on the paper.


Watercolors are fun too.

A few words Wednesday

What started as this....

soon turned into a "jam" session.

Piano--


Violin--


Cello--

Banana dippers

One of the Christmas gifts the Noodle received from Uncle S and Aunt C was a subscription to Highlights magazine. Both J and I receive periodicals at home and now she has her own mag to leaf through whenever she wants. In the February issue, there was a cute picture recipe for "banana dippers". When she saw it, she decided she wanted to make it...immediately. I managed to convince her to wait until after she got home from preschool, had lunch and her nap and that THEN we'd make it for a snack. She agreed. The fact that she could "read" the entire recipe was certainly a highlight (pun intended) as was the fact that she got to practice her knife cutting skills on the banana (we've got a toddler knife and she's been working on that skill on easier foods like pancakes). All in all, I'd give the recipe 3 out of 4 stars--one star lacking due to the messiness of the peanut butter/honey in regards to fingers...not that she minded :)


Not sure which is more intriguing...the honey itself or the bear shaped bottle that it comes in....

Careful...careful
Mmmmmmm, delicious.

How small is a coffee bean?

One of the early morning rituals that the Chinese Noodle and J like to engage in, ever since we've gotten home, is getting the morning coffee ready. During the week, it is just the measuring of grounds and water to make the brew. Once the weekend comes, however, J gets out the grinder and grinds up some fresh coffee to make a full pot. The Noodle loves to help hold down the button while the whole beans get pulverized into those fine, black crystals. A few Sundays ago, while J was busy attending to the pot, out of the corner of his eye he saw the Noodle take a whole bean from the bag. When he turned to look again, the bean had vanished. Upon being questioned, she stated in a matter-of-fact tone that she stuck the bean up her nose. Of course he panicked and asked again, and quiet calmly she informed him that yes, she had indeed put it up there. They both dashed upstairs, into the bathroom, where I was in the shower. He had her blow her nose, and sure enough, out came the coffee bean. Thank goodness she didn't push it in too far and that she's mastered the art of blowing air out through her nose!! So to answer the question 'How small is a coffee bean?', it is small enough to fit into a 3 year old's nostril. The consequence? She's been banned from grinding since the incident and has had to be content just to watch. So, do you think she has a future being a barrista at St*rbucks? Ha ha!!

6 month check-up

It has been pretty quiet around here. We did have the Noodle's 6 month check-up with the cleft team earlier in the week. Everything went well. Her hearing tested normally and the fistula hasn't gotten any bigger, and is in fact, perhaps a little smaller. We'll go back in another 6 months just to make sure that everything continues to remain the same. What a blessing it is to have a doctor's appointment where there is hardly anything to report.

Playing baby dolls has become a favored activity. I love to watch her, especially when she doesn't realize it. Isn't she so sweet?!