What's new this week -- Aug 17

Kinsey must be beginning to discover feelings because she keeps asking me, "Mommy, you happy?" or sick or upset etc. This happens most often during a meal together and she asks me about twenty times, which can be exhausting. Or when I have to be stern with her because I've already repeated something too many times. I usually don't know what to say because I don't want to lie, but who is happy all of the time? It kind of makes you think about how you feel and sometimes makes me feel a little better or better explain to her why I'm feeling that way. I ask her what she is feeling too and she has started to say "I frustrated" or "I sad" or "I not have a good day." Seems like there are more words for the negative feelings than for the good ones. I don't think she knows what some of those things really mean yet, but trying to identify them is a start. Plus she is learning some useful new words.

Kyler will play peek-a-boo with me while I change his diaper. This works well because then he is trying to cover his eyes (he's not so good at it yet) instead of reaching for the blinds, turning over, or trying to grab a dirty butt. I should have thought of this trick months ago instead of trying to hold him down with one hand while trying to do business with the other. He is walking very well, and trying to climb on things. He's not very good at getting off of things, but at least he doesn't cry when he plops down because of a misstep.

This week I caught Kinsey reading a few of her books. I think I was finishing giving Kyler breakfast and she was sitting on the couch looking through her book about Dora's mommy having a baby. She turned the pages and told the story quite accurately. Then she did it with the next book. I was astonished. We read the same books over and over quite often (of course) but she usually doesn't finish sentences, so I've been waiting for her to do something like that.


This week we also went to a birthday party for Megan's twins who turned one. Kinsey was very excited and after a few minutes being there was off running around, playing, talking, having fun. Kyler was pretty nervous about being away from me so I had to hold a warm body in the heat most of the time. He must be going through some of that separation-from-mom-anxiety. (I remember when Kinsey was like that and I thought it would never end and I'd never be able to leave her some place without so much crying, but she's pretty good now, so I have hope). Kinsey got to hit a pinata for the first time ... I'm sure she wasn't sure why she had to hit the cute paper girl, but loved collecting the stickers and candy afterwards. By the end of the party, well when we had to get going, I could barely tear Kinsey away. She was on the porch chatting away with some of the adults. She is a little social butterfly (I don't know what she is like compared to other little girls her age, but she is so different from a year ago ...)