While we had a very busy October with Caden’s birthday and our trip to DFW to visit everyone and go to the fair and museum, I actually only have a handful of updates for Miss Kamy herself. Not that we weren’t busy, but there were fewer new things this month.
- We have really been enjoying the beautiful fall weather! When the highs top out in the mid-70s, it makes for perfect weather to be outside … playing in the yard, coloring with chalk and blowing bubbles, going to the park, and taking walks. We have been walking around the neighborhood or visiting the local park several times per week and it’s been so nice to get out of the house. I think the 70* weather is gone for the season, but as long as it’s in the upper 50’s and higher, we will make a point of being outside.
- Keller’s favorite nickname for Miss Kamy is George. He has been using it for a while, so it’s not really new. She’s finally starting to play along with Daddy when he uses it though, and sometimes will say her name is George when he asks. Then of course, Daddy’s name becomes “Kamy.” It’s pretty funny! I don’t know where the name George came from, but it has stuck. =)
- My little helper is in full swing! As I mentioned last month, Kamy loves to help with all the little things around the house – laundry, unloading the dishwasher, sweeping, etc. She also loves to help in the kitchen, especially something she can get her hands in. Here she is playing with her own bit of dough left over from making buns. Don’t mind the flour on her forehead!
- Kamy makes a point of being in the middle of whatever Caden is doing. It’s not because she wants to play too, but because she’s looking for attention and wants me to focus on her. I make a point of trying to spend some one-on-one time with each of them every day, but it’s pretty challenging to do while the other is awake. To be fair, Caden likes to be in Kamy’s business too, but Kamy is a bit more deliberate and knows she’s causing a problem. Her interest in taking pictures has increased, but now she does not want me to take pictures of Caden. I can’t tell you how many photos I’ve deleted with half a Kamy-head in the shot. Case in point, this was intended to be a photo of Caden:
- In general, Kamy has been testing the limits and rules this month. She’ll intentionally get in the way of the vacuum cleaner, put her hand in the door jam to keep you from closing it, and see if you really mean what you just told her. It’s certainly nothing major for a two year old, nor unusual, but she is going out of her way to push back a little. She had a melt down the other night about going to her room for not listening and it took a good ten minutes to get her in her room and not hanging on us, racing out the door, or blocking us from closing it. <sigh> We’re working on listening and answering questions the first time they’re asked … I don’t want to have to ask her five times to do something. Right now I’ll ask twice, but if she hasn’t answered by then I will decide and act accordingly. This is usually not the result she wanted, but we are not making a big deal about it and I’m hopeful that she’ll get with the program soon. =P We are also working on responding the first time she’s asked to do (or not do) something. I feel so mean when I ask her not to do something minor, she chooses to do it anyway, and then I put her in her room for something like pulling on my shirt or not closing the dishwasher. A resigned “okay” from me when she’s not listening is her clue that she will be spending a little time in her room by herself. Aside from a little whining as we are walking down the hall, she is usually pretty accepting of the verdict.
- Lastly, Kamy has been getting really good at her puzzles. I bought her a new puzzle and brought it out from hiding last month. It’s a cube puzzle, where each side of the cube goes with a different image. I wasn’t sure how challenging it would be for her since she has to look at each block abstractly and figure out which side she needs. Plus there are sixteen blocks, so it’s not little either. Kamy is so good at it! She can look at a block, find the side she’s looking for, and knows where it goes in the puzzle. Since the blocks don’t interlock, she has to figure out spatially where one block goes and if it matches the neighbor. She’s also getting really good at looking at the partial images and picking out elements of the larger pictures — the cow’s bell or the chicken’s tail feathers or the sheep’s ear.
- Lastly, we’ve been dealing with a persistent sore on her leg for the past month. I think it started out as a spider or insect bite, but it has taken a long time to heal up. Without getting too graphic, it’s about an inch and a half in diameter and has ranged from red and inflamed to weepy to scaly. I asked our pediatrician about it when we saw him at Caden’s doctor appointment and he didn’t seem too worried about it … especially since it was looking better. Since then it has gotten inflamed and started weeping once more. A few days of a prescription antibiotic ointment seems to knock it back, but I really want to get it healed up and gone. She’s a trooper about it though, and a little reminder not to rub on it seems to keep it healing.
We love you sweet girl!
