Alarming Remote

One of Rebecca's favorite "toys" is, of course, the TV remote.  It's big, has buttons, lights up, and mommy and daddy pass it back and forth like it's a great prize.  And with its ability to pause and rewind, she's right.  We're constantly surprised that she can figure out how to make the remote do things we can't (or my cell phone, for that matter).

Tonight she pointed it up at our smoke/carbon monoxide detector.  "Smoke!  Evacuate! Smoke! Evacuate! Carbon Monoxide.  Evacuate!  Carbon Monoxide.  Evacuate!  Carbon Monoxide Detected: 0 PPM."  

So of course I had to try it for myself.  It does say "Test" first, but you really have to pay attention to catch it.  And of course, after the alarm had gone off twice, Rich came out of the shower and down the hall to see what was up, so I did it one more time to show him.  

That was our big Friday night.  Well, I also made chicken fingers and cheese fries.  And my chicken fingers are really good.  But that's pretty much it.

-----Important Note-----

Rebecca's top *four* teeth (at least you can see four, but it's possible only two so far) have come in this week (no pictures, as yet) so we haven't done too much since she's a bit fussier than usual.  She and I did go to the optometrist on Monday since she broke my glasses on Friday (and again yesterday, but Rich just Superglued them together).  Fortunately our optometrist has a two-year-old daughter and doesn't mind doing a lot of an eye exam with a teething baby on the patient's lap.  (I'll get new ones when she's out of this phase, and may stick to contacts for a while.)  But other than that and a little standard shopping, we've pretty much stuck to the house.    

Eggies

Rich was surprised to learn that my parents had all of our childhood toys packed away for us.  He apparently thinks this isn't normal.  

We spent part of our time on the trip playing with all of our old Little People toys, and digging through boxes to see what we could find for Rebecca.  Among the things we brought back were my counting eggs, which the monkey absolutely loves.  She breaks them open and looks, shares them, and moves on to break open the next.

It makes me smile to see her so happy with one of my old toys.  

Sharing

Well, whatever bad habits you may think we're instilling in Rebecca, selfishness is not one of them.  The other night she insisted (pointing and eeeking) that Ernie sit with her for dinner.

Just so she could share.

Another bite for Rebecca,

a check to make sure it's all gone,

and a bite for mommy.

Such a sweetheart.

Cruisin'

Here's a little snippet from this afternoon.  She did over and over all afternoon, before taking a two hour nap (that's how I've been able to get these done).  She just woke up.

On/Off

This is Rebecca's newest favorite way to boss daddy around.  :)

I'll apologize in advance for the lousy quality---I grabbed the regular camera which really doesn't do well, especially in low light.  But it's just too cute not to show off.

Tuesday Night

I think she's teething.  I hope she's teething.  Oh, I hope she's teething.

Miss Rebecca hasn't been keeping to any discernible schedule these past few days, and she's slobbering all over the place.  Her naps, when she eventually takes them, have been longer, but getting her down is a feat I don't always seem to manage.  And the nights . . . the terrible, terrible nights.

Tuesday night was rough.  Before finally passing out between us, she pushed up on Rich and stood for a few seconds in the middle of our bed.  I think she was as surprised as anyone.  Then there was more tossing and turning before she said, "Good Girl," finally passing out between us.  She wasn't in the crib as long as usual before waking up repeatedly during the night, and never quite settled.  

We all need a good nap.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

We're on baby-proofing mode here at our house--the monkey is no longer satisfied to spend time in her toy cage, 


so, as of yesterday, it now keeps her out of the TV's electronics (she loves the Baby Einstein water video--thanks Anne).


In fact, the entire living room has morphed, once again.

Becca seems *thrilled* with the change--and I'm chasing around trying to see what she can still get into, like the little holes where the heating comes up from the crawl space.

And the treadmill, which just made it's way into the living room last night.

I tried sliding the couch up against the coffee table (which I slide out of the way when she's playing, covering up the Brady Bunch hearth) but that only makes a perfect baby tunnel to the treadmill cord and coffee table drawers.  Now I use the ottoman to plug the hole.

We had already done some basic baby-proofing on the things she could reach with her walker, but crawling gets her into a whole new kind of trouble.  How do you make that piece on the bottom of the fridge stay in place, for example?  Seriously, how?  She keeps pulling it off.

But it's worth it.  She's already using her new-found freedom to practice pulling up on the furniture, and loves exploring.  

Tubby Time

A few weeks before our trip we moved our baths to the big tub.  Becca's favorite "toy" had become the faucet, so it was time.  Most nights I hop in with her.  We play, wash her up, and call for Dad, who scoops her up and handles drying,  jammies, ears, and such while I take a relaxing (and well-deserved, I think) shower.  

Thursday Rich came home with Becca's first Little People toy----a boat (of course). These are tonight's  pictures from the tub.  (That night I had the camera tucked away so he grabbed the video camera instead, and I'm pretty sure that even with editing that footage will never get posted here).  

The verdict?  

1--We love Little People.

2--You can use the inverted flag like a wine glass and drink tub water.

Graduation

Friday Becca graduated from her infant seat to her convertible.  After checking out Consumer Reports and several customer pages, we selected an Evenflo Triumph Advance, then waited and waited for our 20% off coupons to come in the mail.  And she loves it.  The first time we set her in one in the store she grinned from ear to ear.  Here she is getting all the straps checked out.

It's rated to 50 lbs., so hopefully it will last us a little while.  We sure will miss the convenience of the infant seat, but is was getting really heavy anyway.  Now the big question--how long before we break down and get one for Rich's car, too?  Or how many Monday mornings will Rich take it to work with him before we get another one for my car? I'll keep watching for more coupons.

Grandpa's Birthday

Grandpa's birthday was last week, but we were so busy catching up I didn't get a chance to post until today.  Happy Birthday, Rich.

Cabela's

On our last day we took a quick trip to Cabela's, more for Rebecca than Rich, since he really doesn't need any more gear.  Well, maybe a telescoping fishing pole, but they were out of the size he wanted, so we were really only there for the view.

It was no surprise that Rebecca loved the fish tanks

and the animal displays.

A great final activity for a great trip.

A Lesson

Aunt Phyllis has been in love with Rebecca since before she was even born.  But sometimes love comes at a terrible price . . .

Here they are looking all cute together.

Then Phyllis leans in a little too close, and I explain that Rebecca doesn't need too much hair to cause trouble.

Phyllis, still not fully comprehending, laughs and leans in a little closer.

And Becca goes in for the kill.

Phyllis tries to laugh it off,

but she's still reeling.

Sometimes you have to learn for yourself, I guess.

Becca quickly identifies another target.  At least it's not me, for once.

Friends and Family

One of the best parts of our trip was spending time with friends and family.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

Grandpa, Grandma, and Rebecca.

Rebecca with Uncle Al and Aunt Laura.

Playing with Grandpa--since we've been back she does raspberries at anyone with a moustache, even when she sees them on TV (it was kinda their thing).

Eating cantaloupe with dad.

Feeding the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Great Aunt Phyllis's new place with Great, Great Aunt Vivan.

Benita.

Julie.

Jen.

Hanging out with Uncle Wes.