Party Doll

So today Beatrice was giving me a hard time about getting dressed. Until I got out the camera. And she did this. Please note the pocketbook in her left hand, and her "suitcase" Playmobile in front of her.
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It's come on pretty slowly, but Zack and I have both noticed that Beatrice is actually "playing" much more now. She'll even engage us in it for a few minutes. A favorite game is still filling and emptying her pocketbook. And putting it on the stroller (just like Mommy and Sarah B).



We played a slightly scary game this morning which involved all of her little Playmobile people. First I lined them all up (people and animals), and then she picked out just the people to put in the dishwasher thingy (don't ask). Anyway, we played versions on this theme for 15 minutes or so until I realized she was clearly distinguishing between people and animals. Which definitely surprised me. So I created an elaborate "test" for her. She didn't fall for it. Instead she snatched my camera while I wasn't looking and started chewing on it. Had it about 5 minutes before I realized I was the only one being tested. Smart girl.



In other news, this week I went to LA on Monday for work. When I got there I kicked myself for not bringing my camera because it was so incredibly clear. Monday morning, 7am, 34th floor, views of the Pacific and the Hollywood sign and (gasp!) downtown - it was so beautiful. My colleagues tell me it's like that after it rains and on some Monday mornings...until about 8:30am. Then the smog rolls back in. Anyway, I was bummed not to have my camera with me until I got home and saw the photo below of Beatrice that Sarah B took. At least now I know why the windows are so dirty 18" off the ground!

Zack's Back!

Hooray! Beatrice was so excited to see her Daddy again. We all had a nice weekend at home together - getting lots done with Beatrice helping Daddy at every turn (new furniture for Bea's room, rearranging the garage - again, etc.) , sleeping in past SIX AM(!), and even escaping for a wild, adult-only par-tay on Saturday (Zack and I went to see the movie Juno). Laina offered to babysit for Beatrice, and we were out the door before she could change her mind. Beatrice had a great time with her, and watching Ian and Mac the dog nap in the courtyard.

Getting Beatrice dressed these days is becoming more and more of a challenge, which usually involves at least some chasing and tackling.

Beatrice's other new thing is to "talk" on her cell phone, just like we talk on ours, complete with head nodding, listening, and chatting back. Very cute. Scary too.

It was another gorgeous weekend here. It even got up to the high 80s this afternoon! Very good weekend for the Navy to drop by (see big ship in the harbor below).

Next year we are definitely hosting a sailor in our house!

Big girl news

Eating by herself, thank you very much. The oranges and pasta combo was all Beatrice, though by her reaction below, I think the orange slices were not to her liking.

Beatrice also likes to read. But, again, she'll do it her way, thank you. Which is upside down and backwards. And if she lets you read to her, you better do it fast: "In the great green room there was a telephone and...The End."


Good Night Gorilla is her absolute favorite.

Beatrice likes Visitors

It's a good thing Beatrice likes visitors, because we're about to have alot of them! We're very excited - our guest list is filling up over the next few months...Grandma Elizabeth & Great Aunt Nancy, Grandma Mary Ann, Grandpa Glen, Great Granddad Don, lots of Jarvis's, Jas & John, Ryan & Chiara, Damien & Tamieka, Jennifer, Aunt Megan & Uncle Colby & Eleanor & Anna, and with another trip up to Oakland for Easter...we'll get to see lots more folks too!
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Today Sarah B's parents, Becky and David, came over for lunch. Beatrice went immediately to Becky and demanded to be picked up. "She's not shy, is she?" Perhaps it is because Sarah B and her mom look so much alike.

And though it took a bit more time for Beatrice to warm up to David, once she did, she insisted he read to her, sit next to her, come play with her, etc. etc.

We can't wait to see everyone!

Missing Daddy

Zack had to fly to NYC unexpectedly this week for work, so Bea and I have been holding down the fort.


It's not the same without you, Zack. The food is lousy, the house is way too quiet, and we both miss you loads. See you soon. Travel safe. Love, Sarah & Beatrice

ps - Thought you'd get a kick out of this photo. Guess she does watch what we do!

Other words

Here is Beatrice impersonating a French mime. No, just kidding, she hasn't been silent in forever. She's eating toast here (a favorite activity), and it was cold in the house, so the hat went on. As a plus it hides the hideous bruise on her forehead!

I forgot to mention in the last post a number of "words" Beatrice is now saying. Above left she is pictured doing her monkey impersonation ("ooh-ooh-ooh-ee"), and then giggling at how silly we are doing it together.

Other words: this ("dis") and occassionally she'll say that ("dat"). Lots more pointing to things too. She sometimes says up ("uugh"), and very rarely down ("dah"); either way you definitely get the point because when she wants up she comes up to you, puts her arms up, and lifts one leg up, and conversely when she wants down, she simply lunges.

And now if she wants something and you have it, she'll just scream until you "share". That's how she ended up with both tape measurers above.

"Bu..bu" seems to be the word for Bunny, at least for right now. Bunny lives in the crib, and every morning Beatrice cuddles with him for a few minutes and then throws him back in and waves bye-bye to Bunny. So cute. Sometimes, when he's needed, Bunny does make an appearance outside of the crib, but he really smells from all that chewing so we try to keep him (and his two cousins) in the wash rotation pretty regularly. Around naptime on Sunday, Zack and Beatrice went into her room for quiet playing before her nap. Zack gave her Bear for cuddling. Beatrice threw the bear down and pointed to Bunny in the crib, so Zack put her in and walked out saying, "Bye bye". As he left the room he heard a popping sound and looked back to see Beatrice pulling her thumb out of her mouth to wave bye-bye, the other hand firmly on Bunny.

Finally, and my absolute favorite new Bea gesture, when she wants you to come with her, she'll simply come over to you, grab your finger and pull you along. Talk about being wrapped around her little finger!

New toys!

Beatrice has been getting a kick out of all of her new toys. She especially loves her trike from Cousin Eleanor. Beatrice has a bit more growing to do before she can reach the pedals, but that hasn't stopped her from investigating how it works thoroughly.


Her babydoll stroller is also another favorite. The other day Sarah B asked Beatrice if she wanted to go see the chickens, to which she answered "Yeah" (her answer to every question or comment), and so Sarah B said, "Well go and get your stroller". Guess which one she went to get? Poor Sarah B said it was so cute that it was only on the way back from visiting the chickens, when she had to carry both Bea and the babydoll stroller, that she thought twice about that decision.
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In other Beatrice news - she is saying lots of words now. Or at least things that sound like words. Favorites include: "Yeah" and "Dadadadada". Random words: "No" and "Mamama" and "Say-wah"(Sarah) and the occassional perfect mimicing "Howareyou?" and "Stopthat" and "Jesus!" (which I uttered right after she nearly fell off a wall at the park).
Beatrice is still a good eater too. Toast is her new favorite thing in the WHOLE WORLD; pasta shells are a close second. And we finally figured out a way to get her to drink water during the day - water bottles with those sports tops. No sippy cups for her (we've tried at least a half dozen kinds).
And she's a good sleeper too - 5:30pm to 5:30am, with one nap a day, usually 9-10am to 10:30 or 11am. Rubbing Bunny is a sure sign she wants to sleep. Zack and I still go in to see her in her crib every night before we go to bed - we try to figure out what kind of bizarre yoga/Cirque-de-Soleil posture she'll be in that night.
Beatrice is also so much more active these days. Trying to run. Attempting stairs and slopes with the best of them. And unfortunately paying the price with goose-egg bruises, bloody noses and split lips. Hopefully no one will call child services on us... Someone today helpfully suggested we child-proof our house after looking at her most recent bruises. Thanks.
Finally, we're pretty sure Beatrice understands most of what we're saying now. So...we gotta watch it from now on.