The MOJO Family: Snow, ski, and silly adventures

This blog will mostly be about the adventures of Rachel as she grows into a 2.5 year old, and snow.

Rachel and our next door neighbour sledding in our back yard

video = long story by a toddler

Pregnancy
First, a note to say that the baby is almost 24 weeks and doing well. According to a patient of mine, I've 'really blossomed lately'. This is a nice way of saying that I'm now large and showing and starting to waddle. I had to go buy a new round of maternity pants today. Thankfully $5 pants at Goodwill are great!

Rachel is insistent that she is having a baby sister, and is quite adamant about this fact. At school her teacher told me she thought I might have a boy and Rachel said, with some attitude, 'Actually, it's a girl.'

Funny things about Rachel lately
Now that Rachel is sleeping well consistently, healthy for the most part, and thriving, we can enjoy her more. Also, potty training is going quite well. (Except for here, when Rachel was tired and frustrated after going pee on her potty and decided to stop for a break and snuggle on the floor. Oops!)

Rachel is really fun lately and curious about many things. I don't think it will be too long before she is asking why about everything and saying embarrassing things like 'why is that lady so fat?'.

Example: Rachel eats chicken bone/cartilage chunk at dinner and says "oh... that's a seed!" and puts hands the half-eaten slimy drumstick to Mommy.

Example: Last night at snack she threw her apple sauce across the table and I was upset and said snack was over and it was time for bed and she needed to be more co-operative. So tonight, she sits down for snack and says "Mommy, I'm going to be co-op-er-a-tive."

Sunggling under 100 blankets with Mommy and Rachel

Rachel is enjoying numbers and counting. She knows all her shapes and colors down pat. She knows most of her letters. Have favorite words to spell: Blitzen and Donner. She's pretty into the clock and time. She can put her own underwear, pants, socks and shoes on. She's not that into coloring lately, and puzzles are not quite as cool as they were two months ago, but still fun. She's even trying to learn the days of the week, months of the year, and some of the countries on the map of the world. She can fold small towels quite well, sing funny songs, and recently got her first pair of scissors in a care package from Grandma.

In this next video, you may need to turn up your volume to hear Rachel say 'January, February, March... uncertain months... we love Nana!'

Consequences
One fantastic cognitive development that is very helpful is the understanding of consequences. For the last month or so, threats have become meaningful and useful. We can look at a visual schedule of bedtime routine and say 'if you don't put on pajamas, you don't get snack' or 'if you don't brush your teeth, you don't get your bedtime stories'. This is now meaningful, motivating, and can get things accomplished more quickly without as much fuss. Unfortunately, it's hard not to make food the reward all the time. Stickers and stamps are a fantastic reward, and Rachel gets stickers for many, many things in the house. We are trying to make hugging and being help my Mommy a reward and not a given also, but that is harder.

Losing Battles
Rachel is also testing us more and more. She will get frustrated and hit me. She will throw things and do things she is not supposed to in order to get attention.

Tonight we went grocery shopping, and she was 'helping' me unload the cart in order to pay for items at the register. She picked up the yogurt containers, held them off to the side of the cart, and looked at me suspiciously. Nervously reaching I said 'please give Mommy the yogurt and help me pay for them' and she pulled them further away. I panicked a little and started saying 'Rachel, don't drop the ...!!!' just as she dropped the yogurt to the floor and watched it explode and make a mess on the floor. I was proud that I didn't react very strongly and quietly talked to her about it after she watched the helpful cashier clean it all up.

Also, I am starting to be too slow for her. This is a little embarrassing. But if Rachel is sitting with me and leaps up and runs away, I can't grab her as quickly as I used to. My belly is too big and I'm too awkward and my pelvis has been pretty sore. So it takes me a second to get up and get to her, and by then she's often where she shouldn't be or doing something she shouldn't do. This makes me a little nervous about the future of being larger and slower and then also attending to a newborn and losing Rachel completely.

Snow
It's finally been snowing around here. Yay! The rest of this blog will be pictures of recent snow, as well as videos of Rachel getting on and off the chair lift and skiing with Mommy and Daddy. Mommy tends to have Rachel lean back too far on Mommy's thighs and go faster, while Daddy tries to coach Rachel to take her own weight and make a pizza to stop. Rachel just wants to ski down to the next pole and give it a hug.