Imaginative Play Time

Draya has the most amazing imagination!
She loves puppets and will often use her bare hands as puppets. Now, when she washes her hands in the sink her hand puppets ‘take showers’. Her hand puppets also often initiate conversations with us and with her.
Nana gave her a pink sponge scrubber to use in the tub. She has christened it ‘Scrubby’ and last night she played with it and her water baby for almost half an hour. Mommy moved the scrubber around but it was a silent companion. She talked to it and her baby continuously. At one point Scrubby ‘fell’ while dancing to ring-around-the-rosy and she hugged it and kissed its owie.
She is actually a big fan of playing ‘Doctor’ these days. Usually one of her babies will be sick or have an owie and she’ll insist that Dr. Mommy or Daddy take a look and treat them. I for-see a toy doctor kit in her future… probably for Christmas…
We have a large rock in our front flowerbed and Draya will bring smaller rocks from the front yard to it so that they can see their mommy.
She also stopped on the way to the park recently to assemble a pine cone family with mommy and daddy and grandpa and baby and others.
Draya also enjoys hide & and happily squeals “Can’t find me” as she tries to hide behind Mommy.She also likes to knock on doors to be let in. The she makes her playmate knock on the door so she can let them in.

A Short Trip to Calgary

This past Saturday we drove down to Calgary. Daddy had an audition on Sunday morning so we decided to make a little family vacation of it.
On the way down we stopped at E & S's and met A's new baby brother M.

We got to D & G's at 5pm. Before dinner the guys & I took the girls to the park.




After dinner we gave Draya & Z a bath together. Too cute!!

On Sunday morning we went to the Farmers Market while Daddy went to his audition. When he got back I snapped this photo.

We then went to my cousin S & S's for lunch. Draya got to see GG'ma & GG'pa, who were also in Calgary and play at another playground with her cousin C.



All in all it was a great trip!!

Time for a quick update

I was only gone for five days but a swear Draya seems to have grown-up a little bit. She is talking more coherently and listening a little bit better. She was quite well behaved at the airport when she and Daddy came to pick me up and have lunch yesterday. She liked the airplanes.
The two of them had lots of fun while I was gone, swimming and visiting Grandma & Grandpa. She did miss me but only every once in a while.
Sometimes Draya does the cutest/oddest things. Yesterday at dinner she kept pouring milk on the back of her hand, slurping it off, and then wiping her hand with a cloth... over and over again...
She also enjoys racing mommy from one side of the kitchen to the other.
In the tub Draya likes it when I squirt foamy soap on her toes... over and over again...
She also still loves to sing. Right now Head & Shoulders is her favourite - she breaks into it often.
Every night Draya & I climb into bed and read Sandra Boynton's Pajama Time - twice. She likes to point out who all of the animals are and what they say... "Sheep - baa, Lion - roar, Pig - oink". She has also recently been enjoying Hey Wake Up (same animals) Lizzy's Lion, You're My Little Love Bug (which also plays music), Clifford's Best Friend and many more of the other wonderful books in her collection. I am so glad to be raising a reader!

Tub-Jinx

Last night in the tub Draya wanted to stand, put her right foot on the edge of the tub and soap down her leg. Her actions had me puzzled until I realized that she may have seen me take a similar stance at the sink when I shaved my legs one Saturday morning before swimming. Next thing you know she’ll be wanting a bladeless razor.
On Wednesday night Draya lined all of her rubber ducks up on the edge of the tub and washed each one individually with her cloth. She then put the littlest to bed under the cloth. First she tried unfolding the cloth on her outstretched legs and wrapping the duck in it. When that didn’t work she lay the duck on its side on the tub’s edge and covered it gently.

A Quick and Long Overdue Late Night Update

Life has been busy in Draya's household! There is so much that the little princess/monkey has been up to and so little time. Mommy should really be sleeping but she's currently up late due to a post show/work buzz.
So, here are a few quick updates...
* Draya now speaks using two words together all the time. Her new words are WAY to numerous to mention.
* Our bathing beauty figured out on Wednesday how to blow bubbles in the bath (with her mouth) and how to zerbit the bottom of the tub. Mommy really needs to clean the tub more often now if baby lips are going to be touching it. Draya also zerbited the bathroom floor but mommy quickly put a stop to that!
* Draya likes snow. She likes to dig in it with her shovel and put it into her bucket. Photos coming soon.
* Draya loves to wear either her winter or rubber boots around the house. She can put them on all by herself.
* Today she tried to dress herself. After she was already fully dressed. Photos coming soon.
* Draya thinks she should be able to ride on Ginger's back. Ginger does not agree and slips away quickly each time she tries to climb on.
*After a recent gaming session with L & A one of our Settlers dice was nowhere to be found. So daddy asked "Draya, where is the the dice?". Draya replied "dice, dice, dice", wandered over to her winter boot, turned the boot over, shook it, and out tumbled the missing dice. Lesson learned: if something has disapeared - ask the baby.

Photos: July 31 - Aug 15

Eating with a spoon - July 31

Playing in J's Flinstones Car - Aug 5

Riding in the waggon with J - Aug 5

Fun in the tub! - Aug 6

Riding in her car seat - Aug 7

Riding in the fire truck at the Mall - Aug 15

Recent “Draya” Moments

Last night she pulled our little blue hairbrush off of the bathroom counter and started brushing her own hair.

She will now walk away from whatever she is holding on to without a specific destination in sight. She still falls on he bum fairly quickly but she’s getting better.

A couple of nights ago, at about 4am, Draya woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep. We brought her into our bed and placed her between us. She was lying quietly when Ginger stated to meow at the cat gate on the stairs. I said “Ginger!” at a stage whisper volume. Draya popped up into a sitting position, pointed at the door and babbled something that included the word “cat” in an obviously directorial tone. Ginger stopped meowing. Draya lay back down and went to sleep. Way to tell that noisy kitty!

She threw her bunny at her daddy to get his attention that same night.

New words include shoes, bear & cup, or at least I think that’s what she’s saying :)

Baths are once again fun. She has been having fun playing with the tub stopper. Taking it off, putting it on, taking it off, putting it on… you get the picture.

Now that she is in Daycare on a regular basis she is having a lot more good days there. Less crying. More playing happily.

She has recently started hugging and cuddling her stuffed animals and dolls. She will hold them and pat them on the back like a "real" baby.