The Photo Shoot This Morning

 

I apologize if you are not a big fan of these photo collages, but I have found them to be a good way of showing off multiple photos at once. This morning, while the Bug was eating her strawberry chex, I took these pictures. The lighting was particularly helpful, as a wonderful bright light was cast through our dining room windows. And since our backup camera (yes our good cam is still busted...) doesn't focus too well unless you have lots of light and a captive subject, the timing was perfect. Bailey was nicely strapped into her high chair, preventing her from running as soon as i pointed the camera at her.

Why won't my toddler stand still and smile like she used to? Why does she not look like the happy baby I once knew so well. It used to be, "Bailey smile for mama!" and out came this great toothy (or toothless) grin. It was lovely. But now, I can hardly hold my kid still, let alone try to take a picture of her smiling. So, photos of the kiddo eating are going to have to do. I DID do some photo editing, so you wouldn't have to see each broken piece of chex that was on her chin and cheeks...I thought that may make the photos more bearable to look at. In the end, these are probably some of the best shots I have had of her in months. Maybe I will strap her in more often....

Time with Daddy

 

I love watching Jeff and Bailey play together. Jeff has this amazing ability to play with her and talk to her that I simply don't have. They have conversations, and color together, and can do things like rearrange magnets on the fridge and make it fun. Sometimes, I just peek around the corner and watch them play, and smile because I am so thankful to have a husband that loves to interact with his daughter. I will never take that for granted.

The Kid and the Dog

 

Bailey LURVES hanging out with Max on his bed. I am not going to say that Max likes it all too much, but he tolerates it. Sometimes, when Max is outside, Bailey will just lay down on his bed and pretend to take a nap...and then when she gets up, she is covered in dog hair. Yuck.

This weekend, we transitioned Bailey into her toddler bed (a rail on her crib comes off so she can climb in and out). We did this a little early because on Friday at child care, Bailey climbed out of her pack n play TWICE when she woke up from her naps. We thought it would be a good idea to help her learn how to nap in a regular bed, since that is pretty much the only place left for her to nap at Casey's. She slept like a champ in the toddler bed both night, but struggled to stay put for her daytime naps. I checked on her 3 times in her Sunday morning nap to find her playing with toys in her room. The 4th time, she finally fell asleep in her bed. The afternoon nap was quite sweet actually. I checked on her one time, and she had falled asleep on the floor, halfway underneath the bed. I don't think she fell out, as we have a guard rail up, so I think she fell asleep playing with her toys. In both of her hands, she was firmly grasping some plastic toys. Quite cute. I carefully picked her up and put her soundly back into her bed, as I know I wouldn't want to sleep on the carpeted floor for two hours.

So we are on this new toddler bed adventure. I am not sure how I feel about it, but I suppose it's the next step.

Aaarrgghhhh!

As you can see, it has been more than a week since I posted to this blog. For most people, that is fine. But for grandmas hungry for pictures of their grandbabies, 9 days can seem like an eternity. Sorry Mom and Mom.

The truth is, our camera is still broken. By the end of the month, we should have the money to fix it, but in the meantime, I feel like we are missing out on the life of our kid. Well, we are still present, but we don't have anything to mark the memories, like when she runs around in her towel after her bath, and when she says, sweetly, "Mama..." like she wants to tell me something special. Or, what about when she defiantly leans into my face and yells, "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" Ah, what precious memories to keep on record.

So, hurry up end of the month, when I get the extra paycheck. Come quickly February 28th, so I can fix my camera. The world is missing out on my baby girl.

You gotta love grandmas!

Between Christmas gifts and after Christmas sales, I think that Bailey's had a complete wardrobe change. Grandma Karen and Grandma Sally are keeping Bailey in style and keeping me out of debt (!) by giving her a whole bunch of new clothes.

 

 

 

This makes me wonder: If I thought having a kid was expensive now, and I have hardly bought any clothes for this kid, how much more expensive will it be when I am responsible (or at least emotionally obligated) for clothing my grandchildren? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. I just want to potty train my child. That's about all my toddler-shaped heart can handle right now.