Halloween Was a Hit

Hana had a blast this Halloween. We went for dinner at her auntie Jennifer and uncle Jason's house where she ate a ton of cheese and little bit of yummy butternut squash soup. She had been practicing saying "trick or treat" all day, but didn't quite get it until the first trick or treaters showed up. She greeted them at the door, and they said "trick or treat" and we gave them some candy, and then...she got it. For the next 30 minutes she kept pointing to the door yelling "trick or treat! trick or treat!!" Every time someone came to the door she was right there to see the people. The people in the picture are Jennifer and Jason and their god daughters, who nick-named Hana "Buttercheeks" at Jennifer and Jason's wedding earlier this month.

Then we put on her Tigger costume and went out. She loved it. Went to all the houses, said trick or treat at a few of them, and a few "thank yous" even. Loved all the decorations and scary skeletons and costumes. We brought her back to the house after about 10 houses, took her costume off, and she stood at the door pointing to go out, saying "trick or treat, trick or treat."

She crashed out hard in the car on the way home and we put her straight to bed. Now Pete and I are eating her candy. :)

Dinner Strike

Hana is on a dinner strike. It goes something like this. We put her in her high chair and give her a few pieces of food. She'll eat one or two. Then eat a piece and spit it out. Then she demands the fork or spoon to do it herself. Gets a piece on the fork. Wants to feed it to me. Then eats a piece. Then starts throwing food on the floor. Then screams "Get out!!!" meaning, she wants to get out of her chair. And that's it for dinner.

I don't quite know what to make of this, except it seems to be worse when I'm around. Not sure if it's an acting out kind of thing, where she knows it drives me crazy and therefore that is an incentive to do it more. It could also be that she's filled herself up on afternoon snacks and milk and just isn't that hungry, so we're going to try no snacks or milk after 4 pm. Perhaps it's just a general toddler independence thing. Dinner (and food in general) is not something she has a great deal of control over, in terms of what or when she gets to eat, so I can imagine this must be frustrating for someone who thinks she can do it all.

Yesterday we had our first "getting dressed" showdown. She did NOT want me to put her pants on. Wanted to do it herself. Of course, she's not quite coordinated enough for it, so I had to let her but try to help her without her noticing I was helping her, lest she yell "No!" and smack my hand away. Sheesh! :)

I think she is going to be a Halloween fan. We were playing with decorations in our neighbors yard yesterday and there was a skeleton there that laughed a sinister laugh, spoke a few words, and lit up green when you shook his hand. After a brief moment of fear, Hana decided it was absolutely hilarious. Laughed hysterically for several minutes. We are looking forward to trick or treating on Sunday. Free candy for mom and dad!

Speaking in Sentences

Two days ago, after I picked Hana up from the nanny, I asked her, "What did you do today?" She said, "I go to park." I nearly crashed the car. Since then, it's all about sentences. Here are a few of her favorites:

"I did it."
"I get it." (when she drops something)
"I sit down."
"Stop it, mommy."
"I scared." (when she hears loud noises, or gets to close to a scary dog or farm animal)

She has also learned some rather obscure words lately, such as "schedule." She knows that the little post-it the nanny writes her food and nap times on is her schedule.

The internet says children her age are supposed to know 5-20 words by now. She's easily in the hundreds. Perhaps we have an orator on our hands. Or a politician. (Democrat, of course.)

Hana vs. Sliding Glass Door

Halloween Pumpkin Selection

More Camera Face

Camera Face

Hana the Ham has developed what I call the "camera face." Here are a few samples.

First Haircut

Quote from Jess, my stylist, who gave Hana her first haircut: "She makes the Gerber baby look like a troll!"

It's Been a Long Time

We have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to update the blog. This is our first weekend home in a month. We've seen both grandmas and grandpas, been to Tahoe, and to a wedding in Mendocino.

Hana is doing just fabulously. When I put her to bed tonight, I asked her if she was happy and she said "Yeah, happy. Happy, happy, happy." Her language continues to develop, she's got a mouthful of teeth, and she is a full-fledged toddler. She is also officially weaned, as of Monday. She's been a pretty good sport about it, too. We've had a few tears when she's asked for milk and I've said no, but she's pulled herself together and moved on with her day.

We are relishing this odd developmental moment, where Hana has decided that sharing is really cool. She doesn't always do it, but often she shares without asking - food, toys, etc. - not just with mom and dad, but also with other kids. I don't think it will last, but it's nice to see. This morning we went to a kids' music event and she picked up the basket of shakers and went around and handed them out to all the kids. Very cute. Then she went around collecting them.

We've also had no biting for a week. I must say, it's been nice!! Don't know what to attribute it to, except perhaps the worst of the teething being over.

The other nice thing is that since it started getting dark earlier and staying dark later in the morning, she's been sleeping longer, about 7:30 pm to 6:45 am. We LOVE this. I especially like the extra 30 minutes of sleep in the morning that I get.

Today she picked out her Halloween pumpkin. Pics to come.