Pearl :: 2 year check up

26 pounds
33 inches tall

A spunky little peanut.

Pearl

"And though she be but little, she is fierce." - Shakespeare
 Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 3, Scene II.

Pearl

Pearl had slivers in her feet - because she has her mama's sensitive feet - and as I was pulling them out and Gigi was holding her, we said "Pearl should wear shoes when she's outside."

As soon as we finished, Pearl went and found her crocs and put them on.  Saying "shoes" the whole time.  The hat was added after Gigi left.

Oh, and I gave her a bath to loosen the slivers - thus the nakedness.

Pearl at Amazon.com shoot

She was hilarious!

The photographer took this video as I was getting make up on and Pearl was being a flirt.

Dear Pearl

You adore me.  When I walk into a room your face lights up and you giggle.  Sometimes you even jump up and down.  Your arms reach out for me and when I pick you up you snuggle into my neck.  You like to tease me sometimes and sit down when I try to pick you up.  But if I turn away you spring back up and shout "mama, mama, mama" until I pick you up again - or try to.  Sometimes the game lasts a while.

You love when I change your diaper because as soon as you are done you stand up on the bed and snuggle into my chest and wrap your arms around me.

When you don't have clothes on - even with a diaper on - you say 'nakey nakey nakey nakey'  Only understandable by me.  Or your daddy.  When you don't have a shirt on you like to be tickled.  You ask for it by starting to tickle yourself and saying 'tickle tickle.'

You like to try to tickle me or Lars.  If we react as if you have actually tickled us you scream with delight and continue to 'tickle' us.  Yesterday you tickled my toes for about ten minutes.

You are fascinated with the potty.  Not only do I find you playing in it every time I leave the bathroom door open but if I am going to the bathroom you like to sit on my lap and say 'pee pee.'

You talk a lot.  A lot a lot.  You try to say everything that we say and are pretty good at most of it.  I can't even list all of the words you say because you say everything.

When you are walking somewhere and aren't really sure what you are doing, you put your hands behind your back and hunch over a little bit.  It's kind of like a march.  And you make a funny face.

You make a lot of funny faces.  You stick out your lower lip, you scrunch up your face, you can throw a tantrum at almost anything.  And not just any tantrum.  You lay on the floor and kick your feet.  Sometimes you just stomp your feet and cry.  But you learned how to lay on the floor and kick.  It's pretty funny.  It was even funnier the other night when you were too tired to get all the way down on the floor and you just sat on your buns and kicked.  And looked annoyed.

You get annoyed a lot.  Annoyed with Lars, annoyed when we don't understand you, annoyed when you are hungry.  And you are hungry a lot.  You eat a lot of food - and almost everything.

I am so thrilled with what you will eat.  You try everything.  You eat everything.  You love salsa or really anything you can dip into.  You say 'dip dip' when you see it - ketchup is about your favorite thing.  You suck it off of french fries until the fry is soggy.  You'll dip your fingers in it if I let you.

I adore you.  You make me smile, you make me laugh, you make my heart break.  Everyday you look bigger and older and more grown up.  I don't want you to be grown up.  I want you to be the same little girl who adores me forever.  I love that little girl with all of my heart and every piece of me.  You are the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen in my life and I am so proud to be your mother.

I love you.

The escape artist

Pearl keeps trying to break out of the gate.  We've had to create a tie across the top to keep her in.  Timber is her side kick.

Pearl

- Calls me "that"
- Can walk if she wanted too, but doesn't
- If she's distracted and standing up, she has taken up to 4 steps
- says "Hi", "Bye", "Dada", "That/ dat", "Das (Lars)", "Dis (This)", "Ah duh (All Done)"
- knows sign language for eat, more, all done, poop, milk,
- Does not enjoy being told no.  If you do she cries then goes right back to what she was doing.

Pearl the eater

Pearl loves to eat!  Lars did too at this age, but Pearl thrills me with the variety and the spice that she loves to eat.  She likes Scotch Eggs, but only with Heinz 57 on top.  She loves anything spicy or seasoned.  She'll eat anything I am eating - as long as I eat it first.

She won't eat anything off of a spoon.  Including applesauce, which she will eat from the 'squeeze tube.' Or yogurt, which she loves from the Go-Gurt tube.

Pearl's words

Pearl says:
- "dat" for 'that' which means everything from 'give me that' to 'I want that' to 'Lars'
- "ni ni" for 'good night'
- "ah dah" for 'all done.'  She could be all done with food, being awake, playing with something
- "da da" for daddy, but also papa

New Year's Eve

We went bowling at Ebey Bowl 

Pearl loves the Country Club at Palm Springs

Thank you Kathy Highland for the perfect Palm Springs outfit!

Pearl's latest

Pearl's latest is crawling into Lars's room while he's napping and climbing into his bed.  She misses him when he's sleeping and seeks him out.  It's really funny.  Today it wasn't funny to Lars, but it's pretty funny.

Pearl...

... can stand by herself if she doesn't know she's doing it.

... eats everything :: grilled cheese sandwich, eggs, oatmeal, squash, crackers, anything you hand her.

... has two teeth.

... just got her first cold.

... plays peek-a-boo with towels, blankets, toys, anything that will cover her eyes.

... blows raspberries, just for fun and when you blow them at her.  It's also how she "talks" on the phone.

... copied Adam when he sneezed today - made the exact same noise, just with her mouth.

... wants whatever Lars has.  Always.  

Pearl at Little Gym

The first two weeks that we went to Little Gym, Pearl was not sure about it.  She wanted to be away from the crowd (of three girls), she did not want to try anything for the first time in front of anyone, and we spent most of the time exploring by ourselves.  When I went to take her this time I was a little bit dreading it - but also determined that she would do something 'social' for at least a year.  Then she could quit if she wasn't liking it still.  

She loved it.  

Pearl was the life of the party.  She talked really loud the whole time, she crawled all over, she laughed and smiled, and wanted to play with everything.  She let Teacher Allison use her as the demo baby to show new skills and she clapped and laughed when everyone clapped for her.  Silly girl.

Pearl moves!

She started pulling herself, army style, around August 13th.  It started on the Bayliner, of all places, when we were driving back from the Coupeville Festival on the boat.  Pearl was underneath where she was supposed to be napping.  Instead she started pulling herself to try to get lifejackets, bags from our shopping, etc.  She can now get anywhere really fast just by pulling herself.

Ice Cream

Pearl had her first bite of ice cream tonight - actually Old School Frozen Custard - and loved it. She cried when we put it away. 

Pearl eats

applesauce
banana
sweet potato
carrot

Pearl sits up!

All by herself!

Pearl's first solid food

I have tried solid food for Pearl, but mostly rice cereal and oat cereal.  The book - and the doctor - are pretty adamant about trying "benign" foods first.  She hates them.

Then we went to lunch at Johnny Rockets at the U Village because they are the only place left that can seem to make a grilled cheese sandwich.  I was holding Pearl while eating my burger and she ripped off part of my bun and jammed it in her mouth before I could react.

She proceeded to eat the whole piece she ripped off, special sauce and all!  And loved it.  Loved.

Jeff came over