Noelle is Turning Two

Noelle turns two next month and she has been an explosion of development this last month. She doesn't just pick up a new word a day, she comes out with two or three whole sentences in one day that I've never heard her say before.

Today these were the new phrases/sentences I heard her say for the first time.

-As we were standing in the drive-way saying goodbye to Sheri, Noelle looked up at Sheri, waved and said, "Okay see you soon," in her little garbled toddler voice. But it was clear as day what she was saying!

-Tonight when we were taking an after dinner stroll with Dwayne, she kept running up to Dwayne and I saying, "Mon momma. Mon Dadda" and trying to get us to come see something she'd found. I guess I say the phrase "Come on" to her all the time, but it was still so cute to hear her say it to us.

- Right before dinner time we asked her if she wanted to eat, and she sighed, grabbed her play cellphone and said, "No, I whan cah BopBop." (I want to call BopBop.)

Just a few days ago she dumped the container of nuts all over the carpet, stood in the middle of them, lifted her little hands in the air, looked at me and asked, "What happen Momma?" Now anytime she makes a mess, drops something, spills something, it's always followed by that innocent question. So adorable. It's hard to stay irritated.

After work this past Tuesday, I was so beat I could hardly play with her. I sat in the pink chair in her room and talked to her while she played. She could tell that something wasn't right, and so walked up to my lap, put her little hands on my knees and asked for the first time, "What's wron, momma?" Meaning, "What's wrong." Again, I guess I've asked her that same question several times, but never realized it until she repeated it back to me. It was so sweet.

And the other thing that strikes me is the way she is learning to form her own sentences, not just repeat the stock phrases we use in conversation.

She really did this well for the first time tonight. Dwayne was snuggling with her on the couch before bedtime. I had just finished doing dishes and so came and sat next to them. "Okay, let's go to sleep Dwayne said," closing his eyes and pretending to go to sleep. Noelle closed her eyes too, and for fun I quickly flipped off the living room lamp.

Noelle stayed quiet for a moment, but then lifted her little hand up to the lamp and said, "Momma, turn ligh on. Turn ligh on." She had to ask me about four times before I realized what she was saying, mostly because I just wasn't expecting her to be able to express herself so clearly. It caught me off guard, but then totally thrilled me.

Her favorite line of conversation is to talk about the moo moos and nay nays. She tells me that the moo moos and nay nays used to live across the street from us while pointing out the window toward Downtown. Which in fact they did, when the Farmer's Market met during the summer. Then she goes on to throw her hands up in the air and say, "All gone. They home." Which is to repeat what I've told her in order to try and explain to her the ending of the Farmer's Market for the winter. Finally, I ask her what the moo moos and the nay nays eat, to which she replies gleefully, "Cheese and Hieh!" (meaning hay).

Another thing I love to watch is her budding sense of humor. She has a great sense of humor. And she is teaching me to lighten up everyday. I love this about her. The other day we were coming home from errands. I parked the car and came around to her side of the car to get her out, but she just lay limp in the chair. Her eyes were open, but her head was turned away from me, and she just slouched in my hands.

"Are you alright?" I asked getting a bit worried. Suddenly she popped up and started laughing. "Iya shoo shoo." She said making sleeping noises and holding her hands up to her cheek. She was pretending to be asleep, the little trickster! She did it again today and just thought she was the funniest thing ever. I of course, thought so too.

In addition to being funny, she's also a little bossy. She's not rude about it, it's more like she's a director with a clear vision for how things should go around her.

On our evening walk tonight, Noelle started kicking her feet in the air and chanting, "Mach, Mach, Mach," which means "March, March, March."

Then she turned to dwayne and I, "Momma, mach, mach, mach. Dah mach!" Dwayne and I chuckled but ignored her instruction. But she didn't give up. She pushed our legs and insisted, "Mach, momma! Mach! Mach Dah! Mach, Mach." All three of us were marching down the sidewalk like silly puppets.

On Thursday, I took Noelle to the park where she met another little blonde-haired girl just six months older than her. This girl, Emma, had such a sweet demeanor, and was as quiet as a mouse. About halfway through our time at the playground Noelle realized that Emma was a compliant playmate. It was the first time I'd ever seen Noelle take charge of her friends.

Noelle climbed up onto the jungle gym, sat on one of the steps, then turned to Emma and called out, "Down, Down," patting the seat beside her. The two of them played like that for the rest of the time. Noelle scrambling around and then instructing Emma in what to do. Though Emma didn't follow Noelle's instructions, she didn't seem to mind. Noelle seemed happy just to have someone to manage.

What a sweetheart of a daughter I have. Forgive me my unabashed mushiness. Noelle is the perfect daughter for me and I am so delighted that she is a part of my family. I can't wait to see these little threads of personality mature with her as she grows. It's so much fun getting to know her each day, and I'm so delighted to see just how different she is from me. Just how unique she is. I still haven't been able to recognize yet, how she takes after me, but I'm sure I will one day. :-)

Each day with her is a gift. Not that we don't have our tantrums and frustrations, she is turning two after all, but truly spending my days with her is like uncovering bit by bit one of God's master pieces.

Dance Moves by Noelle

Today we went to a Holland festival in Long Beach with one of Dwayne's classmates.  He is from the Netherlands and so introduced us to a sliver of his culture.  Meanwhile, a band played.  It's important to note that Noelle was NOT the only Toddler at the festival.  She was, however, the only toddler that made a bee-line for the music and danced in front of the stage.

Next time you're at a dance, think about integrating some of Noelle's great dance moves into your routine.

Dancing Noelle

I am so in love with my daughter! It's amazing to see her little brain growing in leaps in bounds. Everyday, she is more and more communicative and interactive, and it always blows me away. I can't believe how present and "with-me" she is. She can't say the words, but she knows exactly what we're doing and what I'm saying.

Anyway, after dinner is our play time. She loves it when I sing songs for her, so here are a few we do together. Notice how during the hokey pokey she runs up to the couch, holds onto the arm and lifts her left leg. It's because she can't yet "put her left leg in" without falling over, so she holds onto something. :-)

Swim Class

On Saturday Dwayne and I took Noelle to her first swim class at the YMCA.  He watched from the viewing area for parents, and I took her in. 

I thought that Noelle would be intimidated by this gigantic room and all the noise but I was wrong. She watched the pool carefully as I checked us into the class, and as soon as her little brain had put it together that this massive square had water in it, she couldn't wait to get out of my arms. She wriggled and pushed, begging me to let her down.

Eventually, I had to put her down to slip off my pants. Immediately she darted toward the pool. She was fearless! All she wanted was to get in the water. And once we were in the water, all she wanted was for me to let her go. I couldn't believe just how adventuresome she was. While other kids were crying miserably as their parents waded around, Noelle was putting her face down into the water to lick it up.

Soon the instruction started, and the swim coach showed us three maneuvers to begin helping our little ones swim. "I don't care if they cry," she said. "I'm more concerned that they learn how to save themselves if they fall into the water."

One of the techniques was to turn Noelle over on her back, let go of her body but hold her head. This was to teach her how to float. "Floating is all with the head," the coach said, "not in the body like you think. So let's teach them right from the start." She took a little girl, laid her on her back, took her head and began gently pulling her through the water. The little girl laid absolutely still, staring up at the ceiling.

So I tried it with Noelle. I turned her over and tried to let her go, but she immediately rolled over and tried to swim on her own. I grabbed her, and tried again, this time getting ahold of her head before she could sink away from me. She twisted and turned in the water, fighting every minute of it. She wasn't upset. She was simply determined. The coach came to help. "It just means she's a little bit stubborn," the coach said matter-of-factly. "It's okay."

"That explains alot!" I thought.

By far Noelle's favorite exercise was going under the water. Now, she has no idea how to hold her breath as I've come to witness when giving her a bath, but the coach insisted that we take the kids underwater. "Hold them facing you," she said. "Count to three then blow in their face." By blowing in Noelle's face I was making her catch her breath, at which point I was supposed to submerge her.

All across our corner of our pool babies started howling as parents systematically submerged them. They came up coughing and spluttering and madder than an hornet. Noelle? She came up spluttering, but mostly just thrilled to the bone. Consistently she came up squealing with delight.

She was so pretty, with her bright blue eyes, the water running over her face, and utterly at home in the water. I fell in love with her all over again!

"You are one tough baby!" I said and gave her a high five. Through out the entire lesson, I couldn't get over just how comfortable she was in the pool. She loved it and I can't wait to see how she does at the next class.

By the next class the coach says the babies will be swimming!

Playing in the Rain

This weekend, the "storm of 2009" rolled through. It was lovely!

Noelle Unleashed

Noelle officially became a "handful" this month. It happened somewhere after her 15 month birthday and came crashing home to me yesterday.

Dwayne and I juggle his school and my work around taking care of Noelle. So that means I have to get ready for work while watching Noelle - by myself. It used to be that I could just put the gate up at the top of our stairs and let her mosey between the bedroom, the nursery and the bathroom while I got ready. Things would get strewn about and messy, but nothing I couldn't handle. Yesterday though, everything changed.

While I was trying to get my work clothes out, I found Noelle splashing her hand in the toilet and then sticking it in her mouth. Then I caught her rummaging through the trash. I was mortified. Okay, fine. No more bathroom I decided and closed the door.

From there she trotted into the bedroom and headed straight for the desk. I turned around just in time to find her shaking a container of thumb tacks onto the carpet. I nearly leapt out of my skin. How is it possible that there are these sorts of hazards in my bedroom?! I pulled her out of our bedroom and closed the door.

I decided the safest thing was just to put her in the nursery with the gate up at the door. She was madder than a hornet at being confined, but I knew if I was going to attempt a shower, that was the only way to keep her safe. By the time I stepped out of the shower, she had stopped screaming and sounded like she was playing happily.

I walked around the corner to see what she was doing. I found the nursery floor blanketed in wet wipes. She was chewing on one. Books had been pulled off the bookshelf. She held a bottle of lotion in one hand and was shaking it up and down. Before my eyes, she flipped the bottle open, shoved it in her mouth and started chugging lotion. I jumped over the gate and snatched it away from her.

There's a book that Noelle likes for me to read called, "I'll Love You Forever." In this book there's a page that reads, "The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and he flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, 'This kid is driving me crazy!'"

I wouldn't say Noelle "drives me crazy." I'd just say she "wears me out!"

Christmas 2008