Fooled You

Jillian has a new game where she likes to fool with us. She does it a couple different ways, but for example: It's the middle of the day, and she'll say "nigh, nigh". When we ask her if it's "nigh, nigh" time, she'll smile real big and say "nooooo". Another example is when she'll point to a picture (i.e., Mommy) and say the wrong person's name (i.e., Daddy), and if we ask "Is that Daddy?", again she'll smile and say "noooo".

Wild Waves

It was hot, hot, hot yesterday (100+ F), so we went to Wild Waves to try and cool off. We went there with the Paul family (Dany, Jason, McKenna & Lindsey), along with Cindy and Wyatt, and it was really crowded; apparently everyone else had the same idea.

We got our spot staked out right next to Hook's Lagoon, where Jillian spent most of her time playing around. It had a shallow pool and several small slides for little kids ... and looking down on us all was a giant pirate head that dumped water on people below! When Jillian first saw the pirate head, she freaked out! She cried and tried to hide so it couldn't see her. Eventually, we managed to get her to relax a little and play in the pool, but the entire time, she always kept an eye out for the giant pirate head. A while later, she started calling the pirate head "Papa", probably because it had a moustache like Grandpa Peterson.

Jillian probably went up and down the little water slides about 100 times, between Mommy and Daddy and Dany helping her. After all of that, and the heat, she finally fell asleep for a (late) afternoon nap. After waking up, we wandered around the park a little more before it was time to go. Jillian will no doubt love to go back some day.

Clutching Baby

Jillian's "Baby" has been a comfort for her when it's nigh-nigh time. When it starts getting late and she starts getting tired, she asks for "Baby". When she goes to bed in her crib, she holds onto her baby tightly. And after she's done crying for a few minutes, she lays down on the bed while holding onto the baby (or laying on top of the baby, like this photo shows).

"Pretty" Hair Things

Jillian's hair is long enough for us to put clips in her hair (she calls them "pretty"). Sometimes she even leaves them there (when Grannie puts them in) ... but a lot of the times she just pulls them out (like when Mommy puts them in, go figure). Here's a little shot of Jillian with a "pretty" in her hair.

Reading to Baby

Jillian got tired of Daddy reading stories to her, so she decided to change things up a bit and read a book to her baby. She grabbed "Baby" and a book (one about Disney princesses), and sat the baby next to her and started flipping through the pages. "Baby" was a very good listener.

Two!

It started with Grannie counting "one, two, three" before they did something, like a big bounce on the bed. Now any time that anyone says "one, two, three" and does something fun that Jillian wants to do again, she'll yell "Two!", meaning she wants more of the same.

New Stuff VIII

More things to note that might not have gotten their own post, but are definitely worth remembering. Note that some of them are not all that new, but at least within a couple weeks:

1. "Bu-bo!" : This means "bubbles", and Jillian starts yelling it as soon as she sees the garage (where the bubble jug is). She loves to play with the bubbles.

2. If you point at Jillian's photo and ask her who it is, she'll say "Pie" ... meaning "Sweetie-Pie" (Mommy and Daddy's name for her). If you point right at Jillian herself and ask her who she is, she'll say "Mine".

3. Parrot Girl : We are well into the stage where Jillian repeats everything, at least one of the words that we say. She can say them pretty well, and most of the time we can understand her.

4. "Wy" : This was confusing at first, because it sounded like she was asking us "Why?", but then it became obvious when she pointed at water and said it. We're not sure why she went from "Wa" to "Wy" for water.

5. Another tumble, another owie : While watching Dany and the girls ride horses, Jillian tripped and fell, splitting the inside of her lip (again); it's not as bad as the first one, but it still gave Mommy some new gray hairs.

6. The Sound of Candy : If you open up our candy jar for a little treat, Jillian will hear the little clink of the glass and come running, and yelling "Bite!".

7. Bedtime Warning Signs : When it gets late in the evening, we can't ask Jillian for a kiss or hug, or even read a book, because she now associates all those things with "nigh-nigh" time, and she'll start crying at the thought of any of them.

8. Animal Names : There's several animals that Jillian calls by the sound that they make ... "mooo" (cow), "woof" (dog) and "nay" (horse). The rest she calls by name, such as "kitty" and "duck".

Blue Eyes

As Jillian gets older, she looks more and more like her pretty Mommy. Here's a quick little photo of Jillian and her big, blue eyes.

Resigned to Bedtime

There had been some epic tantrums in the last month, as Jillian refused to accept her bedtime at night. She'd be practically asleep and we'd put her into her crib, and then the wailing would start and go on and on for an hour or more, at least until she wore herself out completely from all the crying. It was a very weary time for Mommy and Daddy. But about a week or so ago, Jillian finally resigned herself to the fact that it was sleepy-time, and that she wasn't going to get out and play. So now, when we put her into the crib, she'll cry for maybe a couple minutes at most, before grabbing her "baby" and laying down for nigh-nigh.

And I don't think this got posted before, but Jillian's preferred position when she lays down to sleep is with her head down on the mattress and her bottom high up in the air.

Step Up, Step Down

Her balance and strength have gotten much better, so now Jillian can go up and down a step by herself, without using her hands ... as long as the step isn't too big. It's still a bit of an adventure, since she goes ahead and tries to go up and down any step she sees, big or small, which can lead to some crashes. But here's a video of Jillian attempting a short step at Grannie's house.

Come With Me

If Jillian ever reaches up with one or both hands, we have to pay attention to how she's doing it. If she's standing straight up, and reaching up (maybe with some whining), it means "pick me up". If she leans towards us, and reaches with one or both hands (and kind of yells at us), it means "come with me". It has gotten much more common for her to want to be followed. Here's a photo of one of those times of her saying "come with me".

Sighting No. 37

We had a little backyard barbeque tonight, and it was hot enough that we got out the wading pool. Jillian got on her swimsuit and had a great time getting wet. Cousin Adam, Auntie Greta, Uncle Clark and Bev all came over, too.

Smell the Flowers

Not only does Jillian love to pick flowers (for Mommy, of course), but she also loves to smell the flowers. She doesn't always get her nose right on the flower; it's usually her mouth, so that it looks like she's eating the flower. But, she makes the "sniffing" sound when she smells them.

Jillian also likes to have other people enjoy the smell of flowers. That's when she'll pick them, and hold them out to us.

Sit Here!

Jillian loves to have an audience to watch her. When she wants you to come watch her do something, she'll look at you and pat the chair or floor and say "Seat". And she'll repeat it over and over until you sit down in the spot that she wants you to sit. She started doing this at Grannie's house when she was building with the big Duplo blocks ... she'd yell "Seat" at Grannie and pat the chair nearby. And she's doing it now at home, too, such as when she tries putting on her own shoes.

Rocking Horse

Since Jillian likes to climb, it was only a matter of time before she wanted to climb onto her rocking horse (nay) that Papa (Papa) Woodruff made for her. She knows how to really rock (rah) the horse, pushing it to its limits. Here's a little video of the action:

"No" to Naps

Jillian just recently decided that naps are not for her. The last couple days, she has chosen not to lay down for her nap time, and instead to stay standing up in the crib, and cry for a good part of the time. She has been doing this even though she is totally exhausted in the afternoon and ready for some sleep. She's barely able to keep her eyes open ... until we put her into her crib, at which point she gets mad and starts wailing, throwing in a "Mama" or "Dada" into it. After a while, the attempted nap time is over, and then we just try to get to bed time with a very crabby little Sweetie Pie.

One other note: She doesn't even like the mention of naps or bedtime. If we say "nap", "nigh-nigh", "lay down", "crib" or "sleep", she immediately starts shaking her head and saying "no". When she senses that it's getting close to nap or bedtime, that's when the whining starts.

Car Strolling

While Mommy and Daddy went to the Coldplay concert on Friday, Jillian got to stay the night at Auntie Greta and Uncle Clark's house, which meant playtime with Cousins Meagan (May-ay) and Adam (Ow). It was non-stop fun with all of Adam's cool toys, including his little car, which is just like the one at Grannie's house. She likes to push that car around, so when Adam drove his car around, she got behind and helped push.

Anniversary Party

Scott and Cindy Stephenson celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past Sunday, and Jillian had a great time at the party. We all went up to Jason and Dany's house in the country, bringing our swimsuits with us (since Jillian wanted to get right in). After eating appetizers and desserts, we watched a nice video of Scott and Cindy's history together. Then we relaxed outside while Jillian ran wild in her usual sleep-deprived delirious state.

Fireworks

The fireworks show at the lake started after 10 pm, which is after Jillian's bedtime, so she was already tired and crabby. We walked to our spot that had been reserved for us by Auntie Greta and Uncle Clark, and nearby was Grandpa Peterson and Beverly and her family. It looked like a good spot, and as soon as the fireworks started, we found out it was right underneath the show. When that first "pow" went off, it got Jillian's attention ... after a few more explosions, she was climbing up Mommy and Daddy's arms and burying her head in their necks to get away. Shortly after, she started whimpering ... and then crying. So, Mommy took Jillian and got her some distance away so she could calm down. Then, Jillian came back and watched a little more, but quickly began crying again. So Mommy and Daddy packed everything up and left the show early. It looks like we'll have to start with some little fireworks first to get Jillian prepared for next year.

Fourth of July Parade

It was time for a little parade watching this morning. The Fourth of July Parade was going by the lake, so we walked there to meet the Verd Family and hopefully scoop up some candy as the floats went by. Adam really got into the show, but Jillian was mostly interested in the buckles on Adam's stroller. She did watch some of the parade, but lost interest once a person in a wolf costume came walking by ... then she jumped into Daddy's arms and didn't want down. She did pick up a little flag, though; here's a (sideways) video of Jillian being patriotic and waving the American flag:

Adam's New Toy

Jillian went to visit Adam last night to see his new birthday toy. And what a toy it was! Adam got a giant inflatable bouncer, and both he and Jillian jumped inside and bounced around, falling all over each other. They both had a great time, and it was nice to have a play place where Jillian could fall down repeatedly and not get (too) hurt. She did have a little head "bonk" with Adam later in the evening that ended the fun, but we're pretty sure that won't stop her from playing in it again. Here's a little photo of Jillian enjoying the bouncer ... and you can see Adam's head in the back.

Even More Teeth

They just keeping coming ... now Jillian is getting another set of top and bottom teeth. This time it's her bicuspids (I think). They're smaller and sharper than her molars, so they haven't been nearly as painful coming in. Jillian is well on her way to a full mouth.