1/31/12

Alayna ate all of her pears and about half of her blueberry muffin at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her oranges and her tuna on saltines and most of her sweet potatoes. 

Alayna has renewed her interest in the family picture posters again lately (in spite of the desperate need to update them).  She has spent time looking at them every day for the last week and a half.  Today it was longer than usual and she must have made it look very interesting because several other kiddos joined her! 

This morning one of the kiddos closest to Alayna's age brought one of the play phones over to me and said, "Grampa Forrest".  I said, "Oh, did Alayna's grandpa Forrest call?"  Morgan emphatically shook her head and frowned.  "No, Morgie's Grampa Forrest!"  : )  If one of them have something, they all expect to have it! 

Alayna was entertaining Peyton and Thomas some more again today.  One of the things she does that is always entertaining for them is when she bounces herself off of the mattress or chair cushion.  She makes her head look like a basketball she does it so fast.  Both of the mobile babies think it is hilarious! 

1/30/12

Alayna ate all of her Chex and fruit salad at breakfast.  At lunch she drank a little of her tomato soup and all all of her apple slices and her roast beef sandwich. 

Alayna was either on my lap or close by until breakfast.  She wasn't sad, just wanted to "cuddle" or be close.  We sang songs, looked at some books and just visited. 

After breakfast she went through a period of testing the rules to make sure they are still the same (standing on furniture, running across the room, trying to grab kiddos and their toys...), but she listened well when we reminded her of the rules here.  After that everything mellowed out and she played pretty well the rest of the morning. 

One of Alayna's favorite places to play is in or around the dress-up deal.  Sometimes she is hanging things on the hooks, sometimes she is playing peek-a-boo around it with one of the mobile babies, and sometimes she just gets into it and sits there like she owns the world.  Today was one of those days!  : ) 

1/27/12

Alayna ate all of her prunes and most of her oatmeal at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her mandarin oranges, most of her biscuit and her tater-tot casserole. 

Morgan, Kenzie, Jadey, Alayna (and Thomas) were all playing the jump -- cheer game again today.  They take turns jumping and the rest cheer for them...  The only addition today was that Thomas decided that it was his job to grab them when they landed on the mattress (which they weren't thrilled about).  So...  It evolved into the Jump -- Cheer -- Run from Thomas game! 

It cracks me up how many times Alayna will come over to me while I am doing anything and ask, "Whatcha doing?"  Most of the time I just reflect the question back to her ("What do you think I'm doing?") and she will tell me exactly what it is.  Occasionally she will say, "I don't know" so I will tell her.

Alayna did a great job of listening today.  I only had to remind her a couple times and help her listen when redirecting her once. 

Alayna has really been into handing things on the dress-up hooks this week.  She has hung the laundry baskets, the slippers, the spatulas, combs, frying pans...  The only thing that I HAVEN'T seen her hand up is what is supposed to be hanging there (the dress-up clothes)!  : ) 

1/26/12

Alayna ate all of her french toast and about half of her melon at breakfast.  At lunch she ate a bite of her squash and all of her dried mangoes, turkey slices and crescent roll. 

Alayna was in run mode -- trying to race from one side of the big room to the other lengthwise.  We let them run on the rowdy side (where the mattress is) and I reminded her of that several times, then finally just sat at the edge of the couch by the changing table so I could be the "toll booth" to limit it to just the "rowdy" side. 

All of the bigger kiddos were using the laundry baskets as merry-go-rounds today.  They were putting dolls inside of them then pushing them around and around in circles until they (not the dolls) were dizzy!  : ) They were also loading and unloading them with everything and anything they could. 

Baby Mia (the baby that will be starting full time February 10th) came by to hand out for a couple hours today.  Alayna really didn't have much to do with her, but preferred giving her attention to Aaron.  Aaron is the little boy that comes about once a week (when one of the other under 2-yr.-olds aren't here).  He usually comes on Friday, but this week it was Thursday that worked.  He is about Peyton and Thomas' size (even though he is actually older than that).  She likes to peek at him and do other things that make him laugh.  He loves it! 

1/25/12

Alayna ate seconds on toast and all of her mixed berries at breakfast.  At lunch she ate most of her saltine crackers and all of her bean soup, ham and kiwi. 

Alayna was very active today.  She was moving from one thing then another almost constantly.  She was climbing on the balance beam/climber and jumping off onto the mattress many times, just bouncing like a bunny on the mattress, spinning on the floor until she was so dizzy that she fell over... 

We are always interested in seeing how Alayna will play with what we have out.  Many times she finds non-traditional ways to use things.  For example, today she was hanging the slippers up on the dress-up hooks (rather than putting them on of the floor of the deal or hanging up the dress-up clothes. 

We have a large bunch of peek-a-boo blocks out in the back room.  When we went back today, she, Morgan and Kenzie were all bringing me blocks and I was trying to think of a song to sing relating to what was in the block.  Alayna loved it, brought me block after block and each time asked, "What song?"

The keyboards are also out in the back rooms and she spent most of the time in that room playing with one of the three keyboards. 

1/24/12

Alayna ate all of her whole wheat bagel and dried apricots at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her baked fish and her applesauce, but only a couple bites of the pea and pasta salad. 

Alayna just missed waving at you guys this morning.  She had been looking out the window then turned and left to ask me, "Where momma?" right as you were driving by!.  The timing couldn't have been worse, seriously! 

Here is Alayna doing what she spends time doing every day.  This picture is actually from yesterday, but I forgot to post it.  Notice 1) the curlers in her cute hair, 2) the doll in her arm, and 3) the book she is intently "reading".  She "reads" to the dolls frequently.  This day she just happened to allow Joslyn to join them.  : ) 

We got out the "laundry baskets" today for the kiddos to play with.  Alayna was the one that experimented with them the most.  The rest of the kiddos figured out one or two things to do with them, and that was good enough.  Alayna just kept trying to figure out something else to do with them.  She sat in it, put it on her head (both upside down and right side up), figured out how to hook it on the dress-up hook, loaded it down with dress up clothes, loaded it down with food stuff, used it for a doll cradle, tried to roll it along the floor, pushed it around, and finally put a blanked over the top and then kept putting things on the blanket until it collapsed inside!  Very creative stuff!  

1/23/12

Alayna ate about half of her bran flakes and craisins at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her cheese pizza, most of her steamed cauliflower and about half of her tropical fruit. 

It was not only "new" toy exchange, but also one of her favorites, so she was very engaged all morning. : )  She was especially playing with the pop-up toasters.  She was doing it repeatedly and when it popped up she almost always said, "Whoa!" and chuckled like it surprised her. 

I also set up our little fish tube deal today and she and the rest of the kiddos were super excited about that.  For about 5 minutes they were all over there watching them move and "swim" and jumping up and down saying, "They wake up!  They wake up!"  : )  She also stated, "the other one's pink -- the little one" and it is!


I had forgotten to get out this set of stuffed animals this time so when I did, I reminded them all that if they started fighting over them instead of sharing or taking turns the bunnies would have to go in "Time out"!  She nodded solemnly and pointed up to the shelf where I had put a couple of problem causing stuffed animals last week.

I was sitting on the floor with them today and one of the kiddos came over and asked to sing a certain song which lead to another and another until we had spent about 20 minutes singing.  The kiddos were doing a lot of actual singing this time (as well as the motions).  It was fun.  Many times those spontaneous interactions are more meaningful and "successful" than the planned ones! 

1/18/12

Alayna ate all of her peaches and most of her biscuit at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her pineapple, baked beans and dinner roll and bites of her steamed broccoli.

Alayna came over and wanted to sit on my lap and "visit" several times today.  Every time I asked her what she had done last night or what she was going to do tonight, it was "play with Mommy and Gabe".  Sorry Daddy...  : )  No, we know you will get you fair share of Alayna time too.  : ) 

We have really been having a difficult time getting Alayna to respond when we talk to her, or even show us that she is listening or hearing us lately.  We are really working with her on stopping what she is doing when we talk to her, making eye contact, and either saying "What?" or otherwise letting us know she is hearing us.  Then when she has heard us for sure, saying "OK" or something similar. 

This morning she had about 5 minutes of just running from side to side on the rowdy side of the room.  That was fine because it was within our boundaries (on the rowdy side and being careful not to run over anyone).  Sometimes I think she just has more energy than she knows what to do with. 

Gary went out and re-shoveled for a while this morning and all of the kiddos were just lined up at the window enthralled as she shoveled up all that white stuff and threw it around.  : ) 

1/17/12

Alayna ate all of her hashbrowns and seconds on waffles at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her shrimp, rice and oranges and most of her red pepper. 

Alayna played with Peyton on and around the mattress for about 20 minutes this morning.  Peyton just likes Alayna's energy and giggles so much and responds to them.  Alayna wasn't as thrilled with Thomas today because he was kind of just following her around trying to grab and pester her.  She did a very good job of using her words with him and telling him to "move back" or "let go" rather than screaming or being aggressive to him. 

I asked her what she had done on Monday when she was home.  She said "play Gabe".  When I asked her what she and Gabe were doing, she said, "Gabe was naughty!" very emphatically.  I decided it was probably time to change the subject.  : ) 

She and Kenzie were "reading" books to each other.  They both had a book on their laps, but were doing a super good job of taking turns "reading" them.  They even had some pretty good discussions.  I decided it might be the youngest book discussion group ever!  : )

1/13/12

Alayna ate all of her craisins and oatmeal at breakfast.  At lunch she ate everything also -- might be growing...  We had lean ground beef, applesauce and pea and pasta casserole. 

Alayna was looking at the family posters and when she got to hers she just lit up and announced to me (and everyone), "That Grandpa Forrest!"  It just cracked me up because it isn't like she has never seen it before, but something about it was special this time, obviously!  : ) 

Alayna asked to cuddle for a while with both Gary and I today.  She started out with me not long after she got here and cuddled with me until I had to go fix the oatmeal, then she immediately went over to Gary and asked him.  It is so sweet! 

On the topic of sweet, she has continued to be very loving with the kiddos the majority of the time.  What I think is just the cutest part of all of that is that she almost always asks for permission before giving one of her friends a hug.  She will start to hug them, stop and look at me then asks, "I give 'em 'wuv'?"  How sweet is that?!

1/12/12

Alayna ate all of her blueberries and most of her blueberry bread pudding at breakfast.  At lunch she ate everything -- turkey burger on a bun, green beans and kiwi. 

Alayna was really entertaining Peyton again this morning.  Peyton isn't taking morning naps now, so that gives her more time to play with her, which she loves.  She actually plays more and better with Peyton and Thomas than with the other kiddos.  Thomas wasn't here today and she asked about him several times. 

Alayna loves to experiment (and take things to the limit some times).  Today she was determined to climb up on things that she new she wasn't supposed to.  First she tried to climb up on the back of the yellow chair in the big room, then she tried to climb on top of the block shelf in the back room (and get Kenzie to join her).  Silly goose! 

Alayna hasn't been telling me when she has to go potty at all here again.  I have "caught" her a couple times, but there haven't been many successes since Christmas. 

I think it is so cute how Alayna will come up to me when I am holding either Riley or Nora and ask, "Is that Baby Nora (or Riley)?"  She is basically always right, but she seems to need that reassurance!  : )

1/11/12

Alayna ate all of her whole wheat toast with jelly and thirds on dried mangoes at breakfast.  At lunch she ate most of her sweet potatoes and all of her tropical fruit and her beef and bean burrito. 

Alayna told me "I wanna nuggle" at least 5 times this morning before breakfast.  She acted like she felt time and wasn't fussy or anything like that, so I am assuming it was just because she missed us and/or was missing the mommy and daddy cuddles from being sick. 

Morgan was using one of the toobaloo phones today and I asked her who she was talking to.  She looked around the room, saw that Alayna was also using one and said, "Layna", like I should be able to figure that out.  What made it even funnier was that Alayna heard her say it and shook her head emphatically, saying "No, I talk Grampa!"  

Kenzie wanted Alayna to play with her today.  She went over to her, reached for her hand and asked "You wanna walk, Layna?"  Alayna took her hand and they strolled around the room for a while.  After a while Alayna let go and started to go do something else.  Kenzie was immediately there and this time asked, "Wanna hold Kenzie hand?"  What actually started them playing together was that Kenzie bonked her knee a little and was kind of fussing.  Alayna went over to her and asked, "You want me to hug you, Kenzie?"  It was absolutely precious. 

Alayna, Thomas and Peyton were all very glad to see each other.  They played around each other frequently, especially around the climber and mattress area.  One of the times, as this picture shows, Thomas managed to get him "stuck" in the little area behind the steps (AGAIN!) and Alayna was working hard to help him out. 

1/6/12

Alayna ate all of her rice and raisins at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her meatloaf, french bread and dried apricots and a bite or two of her cooked carrots. 

Alayna enjoyed cuddle time with Gary for about 15 minutes this morning before she was ready to get down and start playing with her friends. 

Alayna has been showing some great empathy skills lately.  No matter who it is or what has happened, when she hears someone crying, she stops whatever she is doing (almost all the time) and races over to give them a hug.  It is very sweet!

Alayna played with the food stuff quite a bit today.  She loved it when Emily came over and joined her.  They sat at the table playing alongside each other for about 10 minutes.  (Notice she has on the dress-up sweater vest I mentioned in a previous post (or two).  : )  

1/5/12

Alayna ate thirds on both grapes and cinnamon toast at breakfast today.  At lunch she ate all of her canned cherries, most of her chicken strips, a bite of roll and mashed potatoes. 

Alayna chose Kenzie to be buddies with today.  They were holding hands and "going walk" around the big room.  Kenzie was primarily the walk "leader" and Alayna was very congenial with her and let her direct where they went for the most part.  After that they were playing around the balance beam/climber inside and playing peek about in different ways using it.  Both of them were laughing really had several times. 

If Alayna starts doing somersaults at home and calls them "back flip", she had picked that up from Morgan!  : )  Morgan has been doing that for a couple months now and always ends it with "like Monte".  None of the other kiddos had really done it and then today I heard all of the talkers saying it, so...  : )

We had a couple crows and several squirrels outside of the big window today to entertain the kiddos.  Our neighbor across the street is feeding the squirrels, so we should be seeing them on a regular basis!  Alayna really gets a kick out of watching them. 

1/4/11

Alayna ate all of her whole wheat bagel and her peaches at breakfast.  At lunch she ate everything also -- corn, shredded lettuce with ranch dressing and homemade macaroni and cheese. 

Alayna was being very sweet with her friends first thing this morning.  She was trying to share the stuffed bears with several of her friends.  The older ones were all engaged in something else, but Thomas was thrilled that she wanted to. 

I know I write this frequently, but it is so cute how much she likes (and how well she does) with the the older babies (Thomas and Peyton).  She is frequently interacting with them, giving them loves, playing peek-a-boo with them or just hanging out by them.  They both love it and respond to her so well.  She especially likes it when she can make one of them laugh. 

Alayna has worn the same dress up sweater vest since we did this toy exchange.  That was a week and a half ago.  I think it is pretty funny because it is plain tan colored and just a boys pull-over sweater vest.  We have all these cute tutus out, but that is the one she chooses each day!  : )

1/3/12

Alayna ate all of her pears and second on blueberry muffin at breakfast.  At lunch she ate all of her salines with tuna on them and all of her oranges, but only a couple bites of sweet potatoes. 

Alayna was quite cuddly at times this morning.  I think she might have missed us a little.  : )  She wanted to sit on my lap several times even before breakfast.  She also give Peyton and Thomas some really precious hugs.  Peyton just loved it and reached out for her when she started to leave.  It was pretty cute. 

Jadey accidentally bonked her head on the couch today and I give her a hug then kind of played it down pretending to bonk my head on the wall.  Alayna was obviously watching, because she raced over to the big window and started bonking her head on the window and cracking up every time.  Silly girl! 

Missy was here for a while today and Alayna always likes that and vies for her attention.  I think she really bonded with Miss because she was here so much when she first started coming here.  Every time Missy shows up, Alayna beams and heads right to her. 

She had a great first day back, was very cooperative and engaged with pay.  She listened well and was gentle with her friends.  All in all, it was a pretty mild and congenial day for everyone!