Bath Time Show Off

Bathing is still one of Daniel's most fun activities. 

 Usually the scene looks  like this:

Daniel gets scrubbed by his father for about two minutes, and then spends over ten minutes playing with bath toys.  He especially likes playing with these cups and transferring water from one cup to the other.

He only lays down when I come in and then he starts some monkeyshine business.  He bats his eyes, pretends to sleep, giggles, beams with a big smile, and acts so sweetly silly.

He could play this game for hours.  But usually the bathwater gets chilly and his dad grows tired of this super long bath routine, and we are ready to move on to jammie and story time.

DDD for 12/31/10

Happy New Year! Daniel will be ready for it and a bright future with
these cool new shades!

DDD for December 30

Today was a really great day for Daniel.  His behavior was stellar and not at all like yesterday's shenanigans of naughtiness.  He was so well behaved all day!

In the morning he helped me to clean the bathrooms, top to bottom.  He obeyed when I asked him not to flush the toilet (rare obedience in this thing!).  He also tried to help scrub the showers, which was sweet.

Later, we met my mom, my aunt, and my sister at the mall.  DHH stayed in his stroller and was sweet for nearly 3 hours!!!!!  He hasn't been sitting calmly in his stroller for ... 9 months maybe?  I was delighted to finally get to look at the mall without wrangling an upset baby who hates stroller rides.

Then we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  He dipped chips in (spicy!) salsa, drank water from a straw, and got to have a tortilla roll up of rice, beans, cheese, and guacamole.  He giggled a lot, too.  It was a great lunch date for him!

He seemed so happy to have his "Nan!" around.  After she left with Rachel, he kept looking out the window and pointing to cars and singing, "Nan. Nana, na, na, nan!".  

Table Manners

I am happy to report that Daniel's table manners have improved since he was twelve months old!  He spent about a month being rebellious and throwing food on the floor when he no longer wanted to eat.  He also used to be much more impatient when finished eating, demanding to be put down.

These days, DHH is pretty happy at meal times.  Meals must be short with few choices of food.  He prefers to use silverware, wear a bib, and have his hands and mouth washed JUST AS SOON as he has taken his last bite.  He also prefers his sip cup in one hold of the cup holder, but not the other.

There are times when Daniel will hold a fork and properly stab into a bite of food and then remove the food and eat it with his other hand.  He is better at using forks than spoons, but still loves to have access to them at meal times.

Meal time manners are far better at our own home than when we travel to our parents' homes or go to a restaurant.  He is so impatient with restaurants and needs A LOT of distractions before the meal arrives and after the five minutes he spends eating his own meal.  He also loves to show off for family members and other people who are dining around us, which is usually really funny to watch, but very distracting for every one involved.

DDD for 12/29

Loves: (pretend) Talking on the Phone

Loves: Listening to other people talk to him on the phone.
Loves: Using non-phone objects as phones (calculators, remotes, etc).
Loves: Pushing buttons on the phone and trying to get the phone unlocked so he can see more screens.


Doesn't love: Actually speaking to another person on the phone.

DDD December 28 and Daniel Update!

Yesterday was Daniel's 17 month birthday! Here is a little update on
his growth and development.

As you can see, at this age he has improved balance and spends a lot
of time running or dashing on tip-toe from place to place. He enjoys
brushing the 16 teeth he has grown over the past five months, and he
often shows us those teeth in a very silly smile. Daniel says many
words, but he knows more words than he can say. He can point at most
objects, body parts, animals, foods, etc when asked, "'Where is
the..." and he enjoys being read to and reading to himself. He
continues to enjoy drinking from sip cups, taking long baths, and
dancing to music. He has improved in table manners and enjoys more
foods than before, but his favorite foods are muffins, yogurt, and
sweets. He usually takes one 2 hour nap each day, but sometimes needs
two naps. He sleeps about 12 hours at night and wakes up in a good
mood. Some of his other favorites include watching Ernie, playing
puzzles, drumming, and listening to people talk to him on the cell
phone. He prays each evening with his father and loves fo find Baby
Jesus in the nativity scenes. He is currently recovering from his
first stomach flu, but has had a very healthy 17 months of life!

A Few Christmas Gifts...

A Puzzle from Grandma Becky...

A soft pair of bears...

A little sled...

A toy from Uncle Wes...

Opening some books in Grandpa Douglas's chair...

Opening a gift from Aunt Jessica

It was a singing dog.

He liked it and it made him nervous.

A fish lamp from Nana.  This is his most fascinating gift.

A very large package from Aunt Rachel.

Its a parking garage toy.

Daniel got several other gifts, but these are the only photos I have of him opening his gifts.  He moved so quickly away from the camera and had to be coerced to sit still to open up presents.  He really wasn't interested in any wrapped presents... he liked the ones that had just been unwrapped better, as well as the shiny bows.

Daniel's Sledding Adventure, Take 2

Last year, we took Daniel out in the snow for a short sleigh ride.  He sat upright in his Bumbo chair, inside a laundry basket.  It was cute.  He made no real expression of delight or fright last year.

This year, he got a sled from his Haid grandparents' house Christmas.  It is a tiny little thing, a lot like a bumper car.  It requires a parent to pull the sled, too.  Its really safe and really, really silly looking to see him in it!

We were eager for him to try it out.  He looked SO CUTE all bundled up!

However, we knew we were going to have a rough time getting him to do this trick for us.  He didn't want to step a foot into the snow, and he wasn't interested in us putting him down when we were standing in the snow.

Here are the photo memories from the three rides he took down the hill.  The larger photos are my favorites!

All done, buddy.  Maybe you'll like this next year!