All About India

Cousins

2008-12-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

You love your cousin Alex so much. She is quite the cool chick in your world. We had her over for a sleepover and you were so excited to cuddle up with Alex. Too cute.

Horseback-Ridin' Cheerleader

2008-11-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

You were a cheerleader for Halloween. You think cheerleaders are the coolest because you watch them when daddy takes you to football games. He also takes you to fun Halloween fairs, where you got to ride a pony. You thought you were a regular cowboy. In a cheerleader costume.

Girls Can Be Superheros, Too

2008-09-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

Too Cool For School

2008-08-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

You got a pair of sunglasses from Target, and you like to wear them EVERY DAY. You get this little look on your face, like you know that you are cool. You've got some moxie.

4th of July

2008-07-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

You had a great time this 4th of July. You are such a little extrovert, and a party is always fun for you. You rode your trike with lots of balloons, got a piggy-back ride from daddy during the parade, and convinced the big boys to cart you around in their jeep. You loved the fireworks and flirted with everyone present.

The Importance of Hobbies

2008-07-02T16:00:00.001-07:00

Every month or so you seem to find a new activity that you like doing all day long. For a while it was pushing your baby in the stroller. Than it was wearing everyone else's shoes around the house. Now, you like to stand on the stool in the bathroom and turn the light on and off.

It's good to have a hobby.

Fancy Dress

2008-06-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

We All Scream for Ice Cream

2008-06-14T00:06:00.000-07:00

You loved eating your first ice cream sandwich. You were not happy with the mess it made.

The Men In My Life

2008-06-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Me

Tanner and Me

Jafta and Me

What You Do All Day

2008-06-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

At 19 months, a good portion of your day is spent walking around in someone else's shoes.

Lil' Cupcake

2008-06-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

When your brother was little, I was able to shield him from sweets and junk food for a long time. But now that he's 3, you often tag along to birthday parties and other events where sweets are everywhere. You do love those cupcakes.

Cousins

2008-05-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

You got to visit with your cousins last week. We took a trip to Florida to visit Brooke's new baby. It was just the two of us. I had so much fun spending time with you one-on-one. You loved your new baby cousin Keilana, and you were so excited to see Austin, Derek, and Emma.

I love you, mommy

2008-05-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

You said that to me tonight, out of the blue, for the first time. The feeling is mutual, baby.

Buckle Obsession

2008-04-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

You are obsessed with buckles. You like to buckle anything you see. Whenever you are done eating, you will stand under your high chair and work on the buckle. When in the stroller, you work on the buckle. You love to sit and play with Jafta's bike helmet, and buckle and unbuckle the strap.

You have some mad skills in the fine motor department.

India at 11 months

2008-04-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a video of India pointing to her body parts at 11 months

Oh, Man!

2008-04-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

You are starting to talk in little phrases. It's very cute. But you love to copy your big brother. So one of your favorite things to say is, "Oh, man!".

Another favorite, curiously enough, is "No, Jafta!"

Drama

2008-04-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

I went away for two days this week to Oceanside. Usually, when I come home, you give me lots of hugs and kisses. Today, I guess you were a little mad that I was gone so long. When I came home, you gave me the cold shoulder. You wouldn't even make eye contact with me. It took you about a half hour before you would acknowledge my presence.

I hope this behavior stops before your teenage years.

Smashing Pumpkin

2008-04-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

You like to smash your face up against the screen door. It looks pretty weird from the other side.

Crouching Toddler

2008-04-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

You are a serious little ham. You love having your picture taken. Every time you see me with a camera, you start yelling cheese!". You get really close, and do this little crouch pose. I have no idea why you do this, but it makes for some cute photos. It's your signature pose. Kind of like "blue steele" for babies.

India and Tan-Man

2008-04-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

You are your cousin Tanner are so cute together. You are only five months apart. You light up when you see each other. You can him "man-man". I am excited to see you guys grow up together.

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

We had an easter egg hunt yesterday, and you had a blast. You took it very seriously.

Neighborhood Watch

2008-03-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Naps can be a challenge for you. Your crib is right by the window and it is oh-so-tempting for you to stand up and watch the world outside. You've developed a technique where you pull the shade behind your head so you can look out the window. Anytime someone walks by, you yell "hello! hi! hello!" in the loudest voice possible, over and over again. You leave the mailman, neighbors, and Jehovah's Witnesses laughing and wondering whether to say hello back, or just ignore you. It's annoying that you aren't sleeping, but also prety darn cute.

Hello? Grandpa?

2008-03-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

You like to pretend to talk on the phone. You will pretend that anything is a phone: an ipod, a remote control, a credit card . . . today you found a tag on the floor and started talking into it. Lately, you've been pretending to call grandpa. A LOT. Any time we drive somewhere, I hear you from the backseat talking into your toy phone yelling, "Hello?? Grandpa?? Hello!!" It gets louder and louder, and I actually think that you get really mad that he's not answering you back.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

2008-03-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to see your pediatrician, and I brought up the fact that sometimes you sound like you have a speech impediment. When you pronounce certain words, it just sounds . . . strange. Like you can't get your mouth around the pronunication. Literally, it sounds like a speech impediment.

Well, the doctor pointed out that the problem is that you are just talking too early, and saying words you shouldn't be saying yet. You are getting too far ahead of yourself! Apparently, most 16-month-olds aren't trying to say things like "bob the builder, can we fix it?" and "ready or not, hear I come". And the fact is, you have always refused to shorten words. You never said mama, or baba, or blankie. You went straight to mommy, bottle, blanket. So . . . while it may sound strange now, we rest assured that you are just an articulate little gal who has no time for baby talk.

Tiny Dancer

2008-02-12T23:21:00.001-08:00

We are taking a music class, and you love it. You are so cute. You refuse to sit with me on the carpet square like every other toddler in the class. You are up and moving . . . running around, smiling at the other mommies, and waving at people out the window. But during the free dance, you really get down. You love to dance and look around to make sure everyone is watching you. As the teacher said, “you look very pleased with yourself”.

Little Mama

2008-02-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

Your new favorite pastime is strolling your baby around the house. You love to push the baby in the stroller! I hear you all day and night wheeling that thing through the house. Perhaps you aren't as much as a tomboy as I first thought . . .

How to raise a tomboy in three easy steps

2008-02-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

1. Dress her in her brother's hand-me-downs

2. Let her play with her brothers tools, cars, and action figures

3. Don't utter the word "princess" around her, and try to keep others from introducing that concept as well

Bibliophile

2008-01-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have never seen a child who loves books quite so much. You are seriously into your books. It is one of the first signs you learned, and then one of the first words you learned to say. You ask me to read a book all day long. When I go in to get you out of your crib, you stand up and say, BOOK! When I give you your bottle at night, you say BOOK! If you wake up in the middle of the night and I go to comfort you, you say BOOK! You may love books as much as your mommy.

The Power of Suggestion

2008-01-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

You just learned the concept of nodding to say yes. Now, whenever you want something, you nod your head while you ask. "Book?" while nodding. "Juice?" while nodding. It reminds me of the sales technique we learned while waiting tables, when you nodded when offering a suggestion: "Did you want an apptizer" while nodding. The power of suggestion. Very enterprising of you. Makes me almost want to give in when you say "cupcake" and nod. Almost.

Toothbrush Bandit

2008-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

For some reason ( perhaps due to your mommy's constant toothbrushing) you are obsessed with toothbrushes. You have learned how to climb up Jafta's stool to the bathroom sink and help yourself to the toothbrushes. You love to walk around the house with a toothbrush in each hand, and you scream bloody murder if someone puts them away.

It's okay. Dental hygiene is a very good thing, baby.

Miss Independent

2007-12-25T22:55:00.001-08:00

You are such an independent little girl. You are very social, but at the same time, you can entertain yourself. You love to walk around the house on your own, and you are happy to play in your crib for hours (but just as happy to be rescued). You keep me busy because if I turn my head, you will wander into another room, or even out the front door. You are my little explorer.

Merry Christmas, India!

2007-12-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to see you open your gifts. We had a great day at Grandma's and you played so well with Tanner. You got lots of fun new toys.

Little Talker

2007-12-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

You are such a little talker. You have so many words already. mommy, daddy, cracker, shoe, tree, bath, jafta, ball, drink, more. You are a little chatterbox. You also love to do little tongue twisters, like bidda bidda bidda bidda. You talk all the time.

Sanguine Baby

2007-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

You are a serious extrovert. You flirt with everyone. Usually the most random person available - like a drunk homeless guy or the teenage bagger at the grocery store. You wave and smile this coy little smile, and you throw a fit if someone does not engage with you.