Today's adventure took us to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. We met with Damian, Jenn, and Leo, and they showed us the ropes.
The zoo is a very nice place in a not-so-nice part of town, but thankfully it seems the locals leave it be. The zoo's exhibits are habitats, not just oversized cages, so this makes the zoo enjoyable. Plus, a lot of the zoo is shaded by tall trees... what a wonderful nature walk.
Today, we saw lots of creatures, including one of the polar bears swimming! DJ was fascinated by all the water exhibits ("see water!"), and he got to see lots of animals including giraffes, elephants, penguins, the aforementioned polar bear, a fox, lots of different water fowl, monkeys, a cheetah, a tiger, antelope, a kudo, turtles, snakes ("sssss!") and the standard farm animals in the petting zoo. DJ brushed and pet a number of goats today, too!
We also ate lunch together in the makeshift refreshments area as the permanent area is still under repair.
DJ walked nearly the entire zoo while we had Elektra in the stroller. By the end of the zoo's exhibits, he was so tired that he was laying his head down on our shoulders as we carried him. Both he and Elektra fell asleep in the car on the way home. DJ is currently napping but Elektra has decided that the half hour catnap is enough for her to have a second wind so she is crawling around the living room floor as I write this. Maybe you'll take a nap soon, Little Girl???
All in all, it was a very nice outing, and we may invest in a zoo membership to do this again.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Elektra Crawls FORWARD!
Over the weekend, Elektra began to go from being on all fours to sitting up regularly. This, of course, means that she has a new springboard of sorts to crawling forwards instead of backwards. She crawls backwards fairly quickly, so she is most certainly mobile. We have seen sparks of forward motion every once in awhile... our time of a non-mobile baby... has ENDED!!! SHE TOOK TWO CRAWLS FORWARD AS I WRITE THIS!! The motivation was to get to Daddy's laptop power cable - which Daddy promptly moved out of reach when she obtained the prize.
Congratulations Elektra! Your adventures are going to expand rapidly!!!
She has also broken her second bottom tooth through as of 2 Fridays ago, and that pearly white is starting to be noticeable without having to look hard for it. She's drooling like a fiend right now, so I wonder what tooth is coming next! I don't feel any hard spots, so we'll see.
Elektra is no longer staying within the confines of the sleep positioner, so we took that out of her crib. For the most part, she still sleeps on her back, but we've been finding her on her side and belly more often as the days go by. She's moved into a fairly regular sleep pattern - a short cat nap in the late morning and a long nap in the afternoon. She goes to bed between 7:30-8:00pm, and sleeps until at least 6:30-7:00am. She sleeps fantastically.
We have also seen evidence of Elektra pulling herself up on her knees, so the days of keeping the crib rail down are going to be ending soon enough as well!
The last thing Elektra has been doing as of late is saying Da Da Da. This makes Daddy very happy. :)
Time for dinner... one of DJ's favorites...pizzaaaaaaaa!!
Congratulations Elektra! Your adventures are going to expand rapidly!!!
She has also broken her second bottom tooth through as of 2 Fridays ago, and that pearly white is starting to be noticeable without having to look hard for it. She's drooling like a fiend right now, so I wonder what tooth is coming next! I don't feel any hard spots, so we'll see.
Elektra is no longer staying within the confines of the sleep positioner, so we took that out of her crib. For the most part, she still sleeps on her back, but we've been finding her on her side and belly more often as the days go by. She's moved into a fairly regular sleep pattern - a short cat nap in the late morning and a long nap in the afternoon. She goes to bed between 7:30-8:00pm, and sleeps until at least 6:30-7:00am. She sleeps fantastically.
We have also seen evidence of Elektra pulling herself up on her knees, so the days of keeping the crib rail down are going to be ending soon enough as well!
The last thing Elektra has been doing as of late is saying Da Da Da. This makes Daddy very happy. :)
Time for dinner... one of DJ's favorites...pizzaaaaaaaa!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
DJ > Thomas the Train
When we got home today, DJ saw that my laptop was open, so he asked to see Thomas. The Thomas the train website has videos on it, and both he and Grace like to watch them.
As my laptop started to wake up, he saw my wallpaper which has a picture of both DJ and Elektra.
He said, "DJ!" and pointed to himself. Then I pointed to Elektra and asked him who that was. On cue, he said, "Ebaby!"
So I loaded the Thomas website, and then DJ said, "More DJ." So I minimized the website so that he could see the wallpaper again. He laughed and was all proud of himself. I brought the website back up, and he watched for 2 seconds and then asked for "More DJ". Our little Narcissus!!!
As my laptop started to wake up, he saw my wallpaper which has a picture of both DJ and Elektra.
He said, "DJ!" and pointed to himself. Then I pointed to Elektra and asked him who that was. On cue, he said, "Ebaby!"
So I loaded the Thomas website, and then DJ said, "More DJ." So I minimized the website so that he could see the wallpaper again. He laughed and was all proud of himself. I brought the website back up, and he watched for 2 seconds and then asked for "More DJ". Our little Narcissus!!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
DJ do it!!
Yep. You read right. We're in trouble.
I received an email this morning from Eleanor that DJ was saying "DJ do it! DJ do it! DJ do it!".
He learned it from Grace, for sure. So now we have to adjust to Mr. Independent!
I received an email this morning from Eleanor that DJ was saying "DJ do it! DJ do it! DJ do it!".
He learned it from Grace, for sure. So now we have to adjust to Mr. Independent!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Other kid updates
On Tuesday, Steve let Elektra feel the sand in the sandbox with her feet. Didn't phase her one bit. Good girl!
DJ went down the slide by himself on Wednesday. He's such a cautious boy, and so this is a milestone for him.
As of Wednesday night, Elektra has been sleeping in her crib at home without a sleep positioner. I expected her to roll over onto her belly but she hasn't these past two nights. I found her on her back or on her side in the morning. We took most of the toys out of her crib though, and will put them back when she gets better at rolling around.
Elektra's favorite stuffed toys are a little white plush rabbit and her pink My First Doll that Eleanor and Sonny gave her for Christmas.
Last night, Steve was feeding Elektra her baby cereal. Until she figures out if she wants what you're feeding her, she only opens her mouth a little. Once she decides that she wants it, she opens up. She was opening up for the baby cereal (Oatmeal with bananas!) but when steve didn't put the loaded spoon directly into her mouth, she stuck her tongue out as far as she could go to try and touch the food with her tongue. It was a total Gene Simmons.
She loves touching things with her tongue....If she can put her tongue on it first, she will. She enjoys a game I play with her where I touch her tongue like I'm lightly rubbing the end of it with the pad of my finger.
DJ and Elektra "talk" to each other in the car in the mornings when I'm taking them to daycare. Elektra will squeal, and DJ will squeal back. And they go back and forth. It is so cute!
Elektra will hold Baby Evan's (Grace's little brother) hand when she's near him. And she's very interested in watching him, as if she's knows he's her size. But she also watches DJ like a hawk, and cranes her neck around to see what he's doing almost at all times.
Meanwhile, DJ wants to eat everything out of a bowl. He's becoming Mr. Independent! He's also starting to ask to eat what's on our plates. The other day, he tried a leaf of spinach that Steve was eating, and he ate half a NY Strip!
DJ went down the slide by himself on Wednesday. He's such a cautious boy, and so this is a milestone for him.
As of Wednesday night, Elektra has been sleeping in her crib at home without a sleep positioner. I expected her to roll over onto her belly but she hasn't these past two nights. I found her on her back or on her side in the morning. We took most of the toys out of her crib though, and will put them back when she gets better at rolling around.
Elektra's favorite stuffed toys are a little white plush rabbit and her pink My First Doll that Eleanor and Sonny gave her for Christmas.
Last night, Steve was feeding Elektra her baby cereal. Until she figures out if she wants what you're feeding her, she only opens her mouth a little. Once she decides that she wants it, she opens up. She was opening up for the baby cereal (Oatmeal with bananas!) but when steve didn't put the loaded spoon directly into her mouth, she stuck her tongue out as far as she could go to try and touch the food with her tongue. It was a total Gene Simmons.
She loves touching things with her tongue....If she can put her tongue on it first, she will. She enjoys a game I play with her where I touch her tongue like I'm lightly rubbing the end of it with the pad of my finger.
DJ and Elektra "talk" to each other in the car in the mornings when I'm taking them to daycare. Elektra will squeal, and DJ will squeal back. And they go back and forth. It is so cute!
Elektra will hold Baby Evan's (Grace's little brother) hand when she's near him. And she's very interested in watching him, as if she's knows he's her size. But she also watches DJ like a hawk, and cranes her neck around to see what he's doing almost at all times.
Meanwhile, DJ wants to eat everything out of a bowl. He's becoming Mr. Independent! He's also starting to ask to eat what's on our plates. The other day, he tried a leaf of spinach that Steve was eating, and he ate half a NY Strip!
Words words words!
A few more words from DJ:
cream - for diaper rash cream
shower
hotshoe - the word I used for someone who drives fast
noise
moon - comes out as "mohm"
tar - "star"
Be - his name for his Toby the Totbot toy
all of the numbers from 1 - 10
cream - for diaper rash cream
shower
hotshoe - the word I used for someone who drives fast
noise
moon - comes out as "mohm"
tar - "star"
Be - his name for his Toby the Totbot toy
all of the numbers from 1 - 10
Friday, May 08, 2009
Sonny!
Sunny? Sonny? Both??
Yesterday afternoon, on the drive home from Sonny and Eleanor's house, DJ had the sun in his eyes - the first time we've seen the sun, in what, 10 days due to the immense amount of rain we've had?? - and out of nowhere said, "Sunny? Sunny?" When I realized what he said, I confirmed the word for him and praised him. Then the question mark left his voice, "Sunny! Sunny!"
I called Eleanor and Sonny's house while I was driving us all home, but I got voicemail. When the beep beeped, I said into the answer machine, "DJ, can you say sunny?" "SUNNY!"
Now I wasn't really sure if he meant sunny - as in, "the sun is shining" or Sonny. I thought my question was answered when we got home, when he pointed out a beam of sun on the floor and said, "Sunny?" We confirmed that he was using the correct word.
But DJ surprised me this morning while I was getting Elektra ("Ebaby" as DJ calls her) ready. DJ was in his crib, talking away, and I heard a very emphatic, "SONNY! NORY!" Nory is what he calls Eleanor, and therefore, it was confirmed. He knows the difference between "sunny" and "Sonny".
So when we arrived at Eleanor's, I pointed to Sonny and said, "DJ, who's this?" And right on queue, he said, "SONNY!" The look on Sonny's face was priceless. It turns out that Eleanor and Sonny hadn't heard the message on their answering machine, so this was a complete surprise.
And just like that, DJ made Sonny's day.... probably his year, really. :-)
Yesterday afternoon, on the drive home from Sonny and Eleanor's house, DJ had the sun in his eyes - the first time we've seen the sun, in what, 10 days due to the immense amount of rain we've had?? - and out of nowhere said, "Sunny? Sunny?" When I realized what he said, I confirmed the word for him and praised him. Then the question mark left his voice, "Sunny! Sunny!"
I called Eleanor and Sonny's house while I was driving us all home, but I got voicemail. When the beep beeped, I said into the answer machine, "DJ, can you say sunny?" "SUNNY!"
Now I wasn't really sure if he meant sunny - as in, "the sun is shining" or Sonny. I thought my question was answered when we got home, when he pointed out a beam of sun on the floor and said, "Sunny?" We confirmed that he was using the correct word.
But DJ surprised me this morning while I was getting Elektra ("Ebaby" as DJ calls her) ready. DJ was in his crib, talking away, and I heard a very emphatic, "SONNY! NORY!" Nory is what he calls Eleanor, and therefore, it was confirmed. He knows the difference between "sunny" and "Sonny".
So when we arrived at Eleanor's, I pointed to Sonny and said, "DJ, who's this?" And right on queue, he said, "SONNY!" The look on Sonny's face was priceless. It turns out that Eleanor and Sonny hadn't heard the message on their answering machine, so this was a complete surprise.
And just like that, DJ made Sonny's day.... probably his year, really. :-)
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Words!
DJ's busting out the words/phrases/sentences even faster now... I wonder when I'll be posted nearly daily!!
Our favorite right now is his name for Elektra. When we ask him "What's the baby's name (pointing to Elektra)?" He says, "Ebaby." This is an interesting little word since he knows that she is "baby" and her name is "E" (just like his is "D"), so he put them together for Ebaby. So Elektra has her first nickname from her brother... Ebaby. How appropriate for this day and age... eBaby or e-baby? ha ha We'll tack that onto the list of nicknames for her... Little E, Little Girl (or LG), Bright Eyes, Girlie Girlie, and now Ebaby.
New Words
Man (any toy human action figure)
fall
bus
kiss
zips - the act of zippering something
bass - bass drum
New Phrases
Man fall - the man fell down or the man was dropped)
boo boo kiss - kiss where it hurts (and will kiss his own boo boo if he can reach it!).
Car beep - the sound the car makes when unlocking/locking the doors with the keyfab.
New Sentence
Ney Ney eaty kais. - The horse is eating grass.
Our favorite right now is his name for Elektra. When we ask him "What's the baby's name (pointing to Elektra)?" He says, "Ebaby." This is an interesting little word since he knows that she is "baby" and her name is "E" (just like his is "D"), so he put them together for Ebaby. So Elektra has her first nickname from her brother... Ebaby. How appropriate for this day and age... eBaby or e-baby? ha ha We'll tack that onto the list of nicknames for her... Little E, Little Girl (or LG), Bright Eyes, Girlie Girlie, and now Ebaby.
New Words
Man (any toy human action figure)
fall
bus
kiss
zips - the act of zippering something
bass - bass drum
New Phrases
Man fall - the man fell down or the man was dropped)
boo boo kiss - kiss where it hurts (and will kiss his own boo boo if he can reach it!).
Car beep - the sound the car makes when unlocking/locking the doors with the keyfab.
New Sentence
Ney Ney eaty kais. - The horse is eating grass.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Sentences!
DJ is definitely stringing words together to make sentences!! Of course, he'a also added words to his vocabulary. I'll start with the words first.
abookabook - pocketbook
rain
tata - nee tata (a.k.a. a diminuative greek word for night night)
book
on
off
woof - what a doggie says
knee
car
wash
one - the number
eat
sit
bowl
Pooh - winnie the pooh
Elmo
poon - spoon
fohk - fork
ilk - milk
Phrases
Baby tata - Elektra going nee tata
Deej daba - DJ's cup
Sentences
Daddy sit in car.
Choo-choo work? (Does the train work (yet)?)
Wash car.
Eat woof woof. (doggies are eating)
Sit woof woof. (sit!!)
abookabook - pocketbook
rain
tata - nee tata (a.k.a. a diminuative greek word for night night)
book
on
off
woof - what a doggie says
knee
car
wash
one - the number
eat
sit
bowl
Pooh - winnie the pooh
Elmo
poon - spoon
fohk - fork
ilk - milk
Phrases
Baby tata - Elektra going nee tata
Deej daba - DJ's cup
Sentences
Daddy sit in car.
Choo-choo work? (Does the train work (yet)?)
Wash car.
Eat woof woof. (doggies are eating)
Sit woof woof. (sit!!)
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