Summer With Ginny: Lost in Translation

Hey Humble Readers...

Hello!

It's been quite a while since I've done an update on my wee sweet girl, so I thought I'd let you know what she's up to these days. 

I'm a fishy!

First and foremost, she is genuinely a happy girl.  Of course she has her moments of outright two-ness, but she is always looking for opportunities to laugh and giggle. 

I jump Mummy?

Ginny is a very helpful little girl.  She can put her breakfast and lunch dishes in the dishwasher, pick up her toys ("pick up, put away!"), and put things in the recycling.  She tries to make her bed, but doesn't quite have the arm length to make that work.  She helps put the laundry in the washer, and she likes to help me sort her laundry from Pippin's.  Ginny likes to help in the kitchen, and her favourite is to help me make meatballs. 

Ummm...

She is still a little OCD about certain things.  The baby gate must ALWAYS be closed.  Her shoes go into a very specific cubby on our shoe rack.  If Ginny was using the orange bib last night, she MUST use it again in the morning. 

Very first ride at the fair.

While her vocabulary is immense and sometimes surprising, there have been some funny Ginny-isms that have become part of our family dialogue.  For example, she has two different terms for blankets... "glansents" or "cozy ket".  For several weeks back in the spring, whenever we would get into the car she would say "go wurmit?"  We had no idea what she was saying until one day she saw a WalM.art commercial on tv and started saying "go wurmit!" over and over.  "Payto" is interchangeably both potato and tomato, depending on what's on her plate.  My Beloved's briefcase is known as the "soup-case". 

First ride all by herself

Ginny will get stuck on a phrase, and it will dominate her conversations for weeks at a time.  "Happy Bir-day" was really popular for quite a while.  Over and over again she would wish us all a happy birthday, and would want us to go through when all of our birthdays are.  She knows that her birthday (end of November) is in the winter when the snow is on the ground, that Pippin's is in the spring with the flowers, and that my Beloved and I have birthdays coming up in a few weeks.  One thing that she got very excited about was when she was able to say "Happy Bir-day liddle prince!" last month.  She said it over and over for several days. 

The BIIIIIIIG slide!

While recently, she's become attached to the word "sorry" (like a good Canadian girl) and says it repeatedly even in situations that are absolutely no way her fault, one phrase that was particularly frustrating was "It's ok.  Ax-dents happen."  She would say it constantly all day long, usually when she did something deliberately naughty (like throwing her plate on the floor, or pushing Pip over).  Thankfully we're past that phrase, at least for the time being. 

Ridin' the horsey!

She's 36.5 inches tall (just barely tall enough to go on the baby rides at the fair), she weighs right around 30 pounds, and is finally almost done with her teething.  Just one more molar to go!  We are in one of the rare sweet spots with her growth where her pants fit, both in length and around her waist.  Usually it's one or the other.  She can put her shoes on by herself (except for her lace-up shoes), and can manage to get her shirt on by herself most of the time, although it takes some time. 

Sharing goldfish crackers with Pip

She's pretty good about using her manners.  She says "please" and "thank you" fairly regularly, "bless you" whenever someone sneezes, "excuse me" when she "floofs". 

At a clown show

Ginny really and truly loves her little brother, sometimes to his detriment.  She can make him laugh like no one else, and at the same time she can make him scream in frustration.  She's much more comfortable with the idea that he's allowed to walk around, but the idea of sharing toys is still in process. 

Snoozing in the car with Stanley & Red Kitty

While naptime and bedtime is a breeze, mealtimes are a challenge.  Meals can easily take an hour from the time we sit down until she gets up from the table.  She's resistant to using cutlery, even though she does know how.  I think she gets bored with the whole eating process, as she will stop eating on her own a few bites in, but if we cave and spoon feed her she'll eat everything on her plate.  The exception to the rule is ice cream (of course).  Other than sweets, her favourite foods are all veggies... "kee-cumbers", "paytos", "bwoccli".

Readin' stories with Auntie P

Ginny can be shy with strangers, but she will quickly start telling you all about Stanley and Red Kitty (who are an important part of her world), and about her scraped knees if you let her.  She loves the slide at the park, but hates the swings.  She loves to "go shoppin'" and to look at "pit-churs on the puter".  Her favourite tv show is Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood, and her favourite book is "Chicka chicka Boom Boom".  She often asks me to sing the "meatball song" ( On Top Of Spaghetti). 

My little Honey-Bear

There are times when she makes me want to tear my hair out, but then she just looks up at me with her big hazel eyes and I just melt.  I can't even begin to think about what our life was like before she was here. 

Ginevra in January

Greetings Humble Readers...

Holy snappin' a$$holes, it's cold in the Shire today!  Windchill at the moment is at -40C.  It's been getting colder all morning.  There's ice forming on our windows... on the inside.  Yikes!

It's been a couple of months since I did an update post for Ginny.  In some ways it's hard to believe that she's 26 months old, but in others I swear she's going on 30. 

Dressed up in Mummy's sweater and shoes.

Here's the stats... Ginny's 27.5lbs now and 35 inches tall.  She can wear some size 2 clothes (mostly shirts), but as always we have an issue with pants staying up around her waist.  Heck, there's a pair of 12-18 month jeans in her dresser that are still too big around her waist, but more than an inch too short at the ankle.  Her eyes continue to change colour, some days being grey, other days being blue, and still others a greenish hazel.  Her eczema is almost completely gone.  She gets some occasional dry patches on her arms and legs, and her cheeks need lotion every day, but it's miles better than what it was a year ago. 



Looking very parochial

 She learns so fast, and so much.  She has managed to copy exactly the way I say my Beloved's name when I'm exasperated with him (like when he forgets to wipe up the crumbs on the counter after he makes a sandwich).  She uses it as an expletive.  It would be hilarious if I didn't want to nip that in the bud asap!  Ginny's gotten quite a bit more consistent with saying please and thank you (although she sometimes gets them backwards), and she knows that blowing raspberries is 'vewy rwoooooooood'.   She's also learned to say 'bless you' when someone sneezes (she gets mad at me when I say gesundheit instead) and 'scuse me' when she farts. 





Fascinated with the heating vents.  Loves the 'wind'.

About 90% of the time, Ginny gets her colours right.  And she tells me constantly what colour things are.  If I ask her, she can identify most of the alphabet and she knows that letters make words, but she's still struggling to connect the alphabet with the song or any kind of order.  Similarly with her numbers, she can identify them when asked, but doesn't quite get how they all go together. 



Supper is alle-alle!

She's still a great eater.  She loves almost all veggies (green beans are iffy), especially broccoli, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  She has yoghurt and toast most mornings for breakfast, although she has recently gotten into having 'talkin ceweals' (rice krispies).  She loves anything sour, like lemons and pickles, and has a new lunchtime favourite of celery with cheese whiz.   Hummus and pitas are always a hit, and she loves gravy on her fries.  And she requires pepper be put on all her meals (we negotiate at breakfast).  Thankfully, she isn't a big fan of juice, preferring to have water or milk instead.  She's fascinated with coffee, and I'm sure she's counting down the days to her first Starbucks trip (not until she's 12 if I have anything to say about it).  'Hot chokit' is for when she comes in from the cold. 



Crazy girl!

She loves to 'hep' with cooking, laundry (particularly sorting things), and with Pippin.  She tries to give him his bottle if he's crying, and often will try to shove the straw from her sippy cup into his mouth.  Ginny's still not so sure about sharing toys with Pip though, and will often push him aside, or otherwise manhandle him to the point where he cries.  At which point she will come to me and say "Ahhh-wee cwyin!" as though she had nothing to do with it. 

Ginny telling Pippin about the vent and the 'wind'.

Ginny has been learning to pretend a lot lately.  She spends lots of time at her play kitchen making 'wecipes' that she demands I try.  She's also beginning to understand different family roles, often deciding that this stuffie will be the mummy and that figurine will be the daddy.  She still loves her books, and she likes to try to 'read' her favourite stories to Pip or to her toys. 



This is her new 'smile for the camera' face.

She has recently developed an awareness of noises and sounds around her.  When the furnace kicks in, or when someone in the condo above us walks heavily she will look around and ask 'sound dat?' (what's that sound?).  Ginny has also become aware of music.  We have exposed her to lots of music, but she has never really paid any attention to it until the last couple of months.  She has music that she listens to when she falls asleep (great instrumental rocknroll cds - like U2 and the Beatles).  We listen to a lot of country music in the car, and this week she and I have been dancing to the new NKOTB release.  And just in the last week or so, she has started singing ('twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle')



My new favourite picture of my
wee sweet girl.

Ginny loves going out.  Out into the snow.  Out to do some shopping.  Out to church.  Out for a walk.  If one of us is leaving the house, she will beg to come with us ('wif me? wif me').  She will pull her coat off the hanger in a heartbeat and be trying to pull on her mittens.  One area that we still need to do some work on is stairs.  The only stairs at our home are outside, with open risers and lots of concrete.  She can walk up them while holding my hand, or crawl up them on her own.  But down hasn't happened yet, mostly because Mummy won't allow it.  Maybe in the spring when things are dryer and cleaner.



Trying to figure out snow angels

She's far too adventurous for my heart to handle.  In the past two days, I've caught her trying to climb over the baby gate, out of the playpen, and up into her booster seat at the table.  I'm sure that climbing out of the crib is sure to follow soon. 



She's two in every way.  She's active, she's challenging, and she's sweet.  She's discovered the joy of smooches and squeezy hugs, and she will only cuddle for a brief amount of time before having to be off on another quest for fun and excitement.  



Ginevra @ Two Years

Howdy Humble Readers...

Whew... How can she be two??? 

I meant to post this yesterday, but some stuff got in the way of me having computer time (nothing serious, just busy-ness) and since today is her actual birthday, and right about now, two years ago she was taking her first breaths, this feels appropriate.  So much has changed...

My favourite pic from in the hospital two years ago.
She looks so much like Pip here.

Ginny's birthday party, as I mentioned on Sunday, was fun.  I kept the food relatively simple, and the only thing that gave me any sort of frustration was the cake (a chocolate-chocolate pudding poke cake with crushed oreos and whipped cream)... or rather trying to decorate it.  I had intened to use gel icing to write "Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl Named ..." but that crashed and burned pretty quickly.  Hence we just had her name spelled out in chocolate chips and a sprinkle border.  I'm just thankful I had the chocolate chips to use. 

The Cake!

Fruit tray

Mini Corn-dog Muffins

She got spoiled rotten with a lot of books, a couple of toys, and a new outfit.  Her favourite item just now is a denim purse given to her by her Unca D, and some rubber bracelets.  Poor little Pippin was so tired during the party that he fell asleep sitting on Unca D's knee while Ginny was opening presents. 

the loot

Ginny's got such a personality.  I'm afraid that she's got my tendancy toward being easily frustrated.  Whenever she can't get one of her toys to do what she wants, she expresses herself loud and long.  She is showing some awareness of her brother's interest in her toys, and she usually responds in a good way.  So far. 

Every day she adds new words to her vocabulary.  It's hard to believe that I was so worried about her not talking a year ago.  One of her newest acquisition: delishush (that would be delicious).  She's also started to understand that she can request certain foods for meals, or decide between a couple of options.  Ginny loves pancakes, ham & cheese, grapes, oranges, chicken fried rice, yoghurt, toast with jam, french toast, soup & buns, and any kind of pasta.  Other than that little blip when she was sick earlier this month, she's a great little eater.  She's getting better with her spoon, but still has problems with remembering to hold it straight so that it doesn't dump down her front. 

She's grown again, I swear.  Almost all her pants are too short.  And her shirts are showing off too much tummy for my liking.  Still waiting on those rotten 2-year molars to make an appearance, although they seem to have settled down again and aren't hurting her too much right now. 

Ginny recognizes almost all her letters and numbers, and can sing most of the alphabet song, just not in one long stretch.  She's still struggling with colours.  Everything is yellow, brown, or purple when we ask.  My Beloved is helping her learn to use her toothbrush on her own every night as a part of her bedtime routine.  We'll give potty training another go in the new year.  Napping has recently become a challenge, with her not wanting to nap at all.  It makes for long evenings. 

wearing the bumbo seat as a helmet

She is adventurous, sometimes too adventurous for Mummy's liking.  She climbs, she bounces on the furniture, and reaches for things that she shouldn't. 

She certainly keeps us on our toes.  And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Developing Family Traditions: An Introduction

Greeting Humble Readers...

I have been thinking a lot lately about the traditions that we celebrate and carry on in our family, and about how I want to develop some new traditions for our little family.  Coincidentally, the lovely ladies over at PAIL Bloggers have chosen this topic as the November theme posts.  Talk about great minds thinking alike!

tra·di·tion

noun \trə-ˈdi-shən\

Definition of TRADITION

1. a: an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)  b: a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
2. the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction
3. cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
4. characteristic manner, method, or style tradition

>

Definition courtesy of http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition

 

I feel that I need to start with a few pieces of information.  First of all, I'm coming at this whole topic from the framework of my Christian faith, and how we commemorate holidays, holy days, and the every day celebrations are all informed and shaped, in large and small ways, by what we believe.  Second, I'm not one to follow a tradition just because 'we always have'.  Traditions should have meaning and purpose, even if that purpose is simply something fun.  But if the sole purpose of a tradition is because it's fun, and over the years it becomes un-fun, well then why the heck are you doing it? 

 

I think, when most people think of traditions, they think of the biggies... the things they do around the big holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.  And those are good starting places.  But when I look at my family, I want to have celebrations throughout the year, marking the wonders of the everyday as well. 

 

And I think, for my family, an important part of our future traditions, whatever shape they take, service to others will play a role.  At least I hope it will. 

 

So, in the weeks to come, I will be writing about the things we do now as traditions, and things that I am hoping to incorporate in the future.  Some will be frivolous and silly, others, I hope, will be more thoughtful. 

 

Next week... Everyday celebrations.  How do we take the the ordinary happenings and make them memorable and extraordinary? 

 

A Legacy

Greetings Humble Readers...

¹leg·a·cy
       noun \ˈle-gə-sē\

       pluralleg·a·cies

Definition of LEGACY

1: a gift by will especially of money or other personal property

2: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past 

definition courtesy of miriam-webster.com

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I had recently been getting rid of my maternity clothes and some baby things.  My closet was getting ridiculous again, and as we are most certainly not going to have any more wee-lings (my Beloved goes for his snip-snip next week Friday), it was time to move on. 

And yet, it was hard.  From January 8th, 2008 (the day I took my last bcp... some dates really do stick) until May 10th of this year, it has at times felt like every breath I've taken was somehow connected to building our family.  And now I'm getting rid of things that I longed so desperately to need.  Pippin is outgrowing so many things so fast... the bassinet, the baby bathtub, the cradle and his too cute little track suit.   There won't be another wee-ling to need these things, and I'm 100% okay with that.

But it's still hard on my heart to get rid of them. 

The finality of where we are right now on this journey has me thinking about a lot of things. 

About my place in the IF community, about my role as cheerleader for those still in the trenches and as another voice to the world at large about what IF really is.  I may not have the communication skills of someone like Mel or Keiko, but I can share my experiences and what I've learned from my fellow IFers.  I can help my family and friends understand that IF is not only a physiological issue, but also a deeply emotional one.  I can help them understand terminology, procedures, and the realities of outcomes (as opposed to the sensationalized stories in the media).  And I want to be completely honest about our losses, be transparent about our journey.  I want to help remove the taboo and shame associated with miscarriage and IF.

But perhaps, most important of all, I will educate my children.

I will teach both of them, Ginevra and Pippin, about the realities of fertility.  I will encourage them to follow their dreams, and to seek out amazing experiences, but I will also teach them that the human reproductive system has limitations.  And that they can and should take their time to be sure of themselves and their life partners.  But I will also be honest and teach them that there will come an end date to attempting to have biological children. 

Sure, sometime in the future, medical science may come up with better and more effective forms of ART, but I want them to understand their bodies and how they really work.  I'm not going to leave it to the "if you have sex, you'll get pregnant" health classes in junior high to give them their only understanding of their reproductive systems.  I'm going to teach Ginny to pay attention to her body, to learn to recognize her cycles and what they mean.  I don't want Ginny's birthright to be being blindsided by her own body when she is trying to build her family. 

And, I'm sure sooner rather than later, I'll tell them about Emily and Olivia... about the two babies we never got to hold, but loved so deeply.  I'll tell Ginny about the dream I had about her, my beautiful dark haired blue-eyed dream baby in a pink dress, while I was still pregnant with Olivia.  I will tell Pip about the role his daddy had in holding me together when I thought I was going to break into a thousand pieces.

This will be my IF legacy.  This will be Emily and Olivia's legacy. 

Sunday Night Chit Chat: A Houseful of Sickies!

Hey Humble Readers...

So you may have (or probably not) noticed that I didn't get a Foodie Friday Post up this past week.  That's because Thursday afternoon the Crud landed in a big way on yours truly.  My Beloved had been suffering with it since last weekend, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  A head cold accompanied by a doozy of a headache and fever.  Not fun.  But I am feeling moderately improved, and my Beloved is almost over his bout.  Now if we could just get past two teething wee-lings with diaper rash who are having difficulties with the time change...

Pip falling asleep sitting up.  He was fighting it so hard.

Reading - Sad to say, I'm still reading Casual Vacancy.  I'm enjoying it, honest I am.  I just haven't been able to get much reading done this past week.  *sigh*  I need to get my butt in gear, I need to be re-reading the Hobbit soon!

Watching - Nothing much right now.  Later, once the wee-lings are asleep it will be my usual Sunday night fare... Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs. 

Listening to - Ginny whispering secrets to her Daddy.  It's toooo cute!

Cooking/Baking - Lemon Dill Roasted Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed veg (broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots), and yorkies.  It's Sunday!  Tomorrow I'm making up another big batch of applesauce in the slow cooker.  Ginny just flies through it, and with Pip starting solids soon we're just going to go through it faster.

Happy you accomplished this week - Sorted through most of Master Pippin's clothes.  He's completely outgrown his 3-6 month wardrobe.  There are a few holes to fill, but I think we're in pretty good shape right now.

Looking forward to next week - Re-establishing my daily to do lists.  I've gotten off track, but as of tomorrow morning, everything goes back to a routine.  It's the only way we'll get through the holidays.

Thankful for today - For the fact that my cold symptoms seem to be fading, for a warm chinook wind that's melting the snow, and for my Beloved who has let me be a whiny sack of snot for the last couple of days. 

What was your favourite show as a child? Tough one!  When I was really young Mr. Dress-up was the bomb!  When I got a little older (about 8 I think), I fell in love with Dr. Who... it was the doctor with the camel coloured coat, poofy hair, and the long scarf around his neck.  I remember it used to be on PBS and I would be very upset if I had to miss it (back in the days before VCRs, and decades before DVRs). 

*****
This was posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat.  Click on over and see what others are chatting about tonight!

Ginevra in September & October

Howdy Humble Readers...

It's been a while since I've done a regular update on Ginny.  I want to record these things mostly so that I don't forget them as time goes by.  Please indulge me as I spend some time blathering on about our wee sweet girl.

It's not going to be much longer that we'll be able to call her our 'wee' sweet girl.  She's grown more than an inch in the last three months.  She's now over 26 pounds.  We are facing the same issue we had last winter, with her legs being too long for pants that will stay up around her waist. 

Her eyes seem to change colour daily.  Blue one day, then green the next.  The day after they'll look hazel, leaning toward brown.  Her hair has lightened considerably, and sadly her curls seem to be slowly disappearing (although it could just be that she needs a good haircut with some layers). 

She's so stinkin' brave and curious!  Bad combination for Mummy's heart.  Ginny has figured out how to climb from her crib into Pippin's.  She's almost sorted out how to get out of the playpen, and the locks on the cupboard doors are no match for her. 

Ginny loves to 'hep' (that would be 'help').  She puts clothes in the hamper and in the washing machine.  She takes Pip's empty bottles and her sippy cups and my water glasses to the kitchen and puts them in the sink (great, except for my water glass.  She hasn't broken one yet, but I know it's coming).  She attempts to put her lunch dishes in the dishwasher, but she can't quite reach.  And her favourite thing to do is help make supper.  Ginny will pull a chair from the table to the counter so that she can 'stir da soup' (no matter what I'm making). 

Recently, Ginny has really gotten into playing with Pippin.  She loves to make him laugh.  Several times a day she will look right at him and say very emphatically "TALK!".  She's not so sure about sharing with him, but she likes to trade toys a lot.

I'm fairly certain that one of her 2 year molars is on it's way.  She's been particularly clingy, short tempered, and wanting to snuggle more than usual.  She has all the classic physical symptoms, too... pink cheeks, sucking her thumb a lot more while she's awake, runny nose, diaper rash. 

One of her favourite things to do in the morning is watch Curious George (yes... tv... I know, I know) while snuggle on the couch under her 'cozy 'ket'.  Ket is her blanket, the one I knitted for her when I was pregnant with her. 

Ginny's an amazing eater.  She'll eat pretty much anything I put in front of her.  Veggies (especially 'bwocclee') are great.  Her favourite lunch is 'hamncheez' and she's fiend for these dinner rolls I make whenever I make soup for supper.  She's still totally hung up on rice, particularly chicken fried rice (which I have become an expert at making).  Grapies and 'nanas are still very popular, although she does adore her applesauce in the morning.  And as I mentioned earlier this week, she's finally making progress with using her spoon. 

 

She has the most beautiful laugh.  She's figured out that 'smooches' are fun.  And she loves squeezie hugs.  She doesn't know what 'slow down' means, and only goes top speed all day long.  She still plays shy with strangers, but she's fascinated with other kids.  She's a bit OCD when it comes to her toys (she organizes them a certain way and heaven help you if you mess it up).  She can recognize about half of the alphabet and a few numbers.  She likes it when I sing (there's no accounting for taste) but has yet to really try to join in. 

As I've mentioned before, she is addicted to her books, sometimes to their detriment.  She particularly loves books that have animals in them so she can make all the noises.  She even tries hard to read her storybooks to Pip.  She picks up new words like a sponge, even though it sometimes takes my Beloved and I some time to figure out what she's saying. 

I can't believe that she'll be two in less than a month.  She's such an amazing little person.  I'm so incredibly blessed that she's in my life.

Canada's Next Top Models

Howdy Humble Readers...

Do you all remember that photo shoot that we had for the wee-lings a couple of months ago?  Well, we FINALLY got the cd of the pictures (a comedy of errors involving Canada Post) and I have FINALLY been able to put together a little slide show of my beautiful wee mister and sweet girl. 

These were taken at the end of June.  And our photographer hasn't done a lot of little kids sessions, so we were sort of making it up was we went along.  I just love some of the really close shots.  Their eyes are incredible.  It's also really apparent to me how much Ginny's eyes have changed colour in the last couple of months.  Some shots, of course, are throw aways, but I still love all of them. 

And yes, Pippin is posed with both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.  :)  I'm a geek like that.

Ginevra in July

Hey Humble Readers...

Her first helium balloon

Here we are at the end of another month, and that means that Ginny is another month older.  20 months now!  Holy cow...

Figuring out the crayons

Ginny was a very busy little girl this month.  A trip to a historic farm, a major road trip, and a medical discovery round out the significant events of the past few weeks.

*snort-snort*

Of course she loved the farm, even if my Beloved and I were more than a little disappointed with what it had to offer.  She was incredibly excited to see all the animals, particularly the pigs and the turkey (**shudder**).  She's also adamant that she's not into being on the swings this year, but the slide is totally fair game.

Hangin' at Timmy's w/ Uncle W!

I mentioned before about our little allergy scare with our wee sweet girl.  I had hoped that perhaps her intense reaction to mosquitoes was a one time thing, but since the initial incident, we've had to rely on the wonders of bena.dryl.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a tad concerned about what would happen if she got stung by a bee. 

She was a bit shy around her GG

Our trip to K-town, while challenging on many levels, was a great thing for Ginny.  She got to play with her cousins Oscar, Felix, and Z-man, and got a lot of attention all around.  Her vocabulary took a major jump while we were out there and we added all kinds of new words including Auntie, Uncle, pool, outside, inside, cakies (pancakes), grapies (grapes), and tons of people's names.  She's also often stringing two words together, like 'bye-bye Daddy' or 'grapies alle-alle' (all gone).  We did discover that she deals with a hint of motion sickness, but she comes by that honestly as Mummy still suffers from it at times. 

In the pool w/ Z-man

While in K-town, we learned that Ginny is still not a huge fan of the pool, although she loved it when Z-man pushed her around while she sat on a flutter-board.  She's a bit over-enthusiastic when it comes to my mom's dogs, but they learned quickly to stay out of her reach.  And she slept sooooo much better this trip (as opposed to Christmas) because we put her in my parents' office by herself. 

Z-man & Ginny

Her growth seems to have slowed, as is to be expected, with no great gains this month.  She was even able to fit into her swimsuit from last summer (if it had been a one piece it wouldn't have fit at all).  Her hair gets curlier every day, I swear.  And being a girl with poker-straight to wavy hair, I'm at a loss as to how to control it.  But it sure looks cute when she wakes up in the morning. 

Crazy bed-head

We're struggling a bit with getting Ginevra to use her fork and spoon to eat.  She'll have one good bite out of twenty.  I know at this point it's all about consistency, but I'm finding it challenging to not just take over and feed her.  It would go so much faster. 

Rockin' the bikini

I'm thinking that it's time to get a potty-chair for our wee girl.  She's still determined to take her diaper off if she's left alone in her crib for too long when she wakes up.  I think it may actually be bothering her to be wet, which is a good sign.  Any one with tips on potty training, speak up please!

No... I haven't seen your ice cream

She's recently gone into a clingy phase.  Whether it's the fact that she's envious of the fact that I have to hold Pippin so much, or if she's dealing with a bit of separation anxiety, she has to be right next to me pretty much all day.  And if I'm sitting on the couch, she's crawling all over me.  This is of note, particularly because it used to be Daddy who was the living jungle gym, but not so much any more.

I pulled out the bumbo for Pippin, but she seemed to think it
was all for her. 

Overall, July was a good month for our wee sweet girl.  She's had some adventures and there are more on the horizon.  I'm wondering what the second half of summer will hold for her developmentally.  There are areas where she could be further along, but mostly I'm just wanting to enjoy this time with her.  She's really so much fun... so silly and sweet (when she isn't being 'almost two').