Happy New Year

We took Draya to a New Year's Eve party at M's mom's house. Draya had lots of fun playing with I & G and watching videos. We were naughty and kept her up past midnight - but she had had lots of sugar and was still going very strong. We had wanted to sleep over but Draya convinced us to go home instead. We all slept in the next morning and had a quiet New Year's Day. All was good until she got REALLY cranky that night.
On Jan 2 she was back a daycare - still a little tired. Her teacher noticed that she wasn't being herself, that she was "acting her age" (2 & 10 months) as opposed to acting like she's over 3 (as I guess she usually does - yay Draya!)
It was a busy first week back at work for both Mommy & Daddy! Draya, on the other hand, enjoyed theme days at daycare, including " wear jammies & watch movies day" and "bring a toy day". On "bring a toy day" she took her new stuffed Shrek and Donkey. She also insisted that Mommy buckle them both into the car - one on either side of her. It was very cute!
Yesterday E & S & A & M came to visit. Draya was quite entranced by baby M and his toys. She really likes babies.
Christmas AND New Year's photos coming soon...

Daycare Christmas Party 2007

Draya dances with the little kids.

Showing off her 'Must be Santa' picture. "8 little reindeer pull his sleigh"

All the children, big & small sang 4 songs.

Clapping along.

Draya actually sat on Santa's lap to get her gift, a little red-headed china doll in a blue dress that matched hers!

Enjoying the goodies after the show.

Weekend with Grandprents, Playing Outside & Field Trip

Draya's first weekend away from Mommy and Daddy ended up going really well. Grandma & Grandpa took her to the zoo and over to her cousins. She ate pizza and other yummy things. She watched Treehouse with Grandpa and had fun playing with Grandma's quilting material. She stayed there from 4pm Friday to 3pm Sunday while Mommy and Daddy went to Jasper for a wedding and some much needed R & R.
Draya has been enjoying playing in the backyard recently. She loves making 'cakes' in her sandbox and singing Happy Birthday. She also likes making me lie down and then covering me with grass. Then we switch places and I cover her with grass.
Today Draya went on a field trip to a farm with Daycare. She saw horses and goats and chickens and had loads of fun running around and feeding the animals.
I have a bunch of pictures to download from the camera so a photo update will be coming soon...

Don't Leave Me Mommy!

New this week: Draya has been crying when I leave daycare again. She wants me to hold her and not leave. Her teacher has to hold her and cuddle her when I go or it's worse. It's like she was when she first started going there... a year ago.

Battling Babies

My daughter looks like she was in a fight and, well… she was. But the black under her left eye isn’t from being hit, she was actually bitten by another child at daycare yesterday during a scuffle over a toy. Yes, the other child was reprimanded by the staff and by her parent, she had a time out and apologized to Draya. I’m not super upset about it, toddlers bite they’re just learning. The other girl will probably never do it again and, hopefully, Draya has learned that it hurts and is wrong and she'll never do it to anyone else herself. Right now she looks like she’s a little bruiser - or just clumsy.
In other news: Draya can now count to ten and sometimes twelve. Last night she was counting the fish in her bathtub. She is also doing very well at singing her ABC’s.

Feed the Fishy

Everyday when I pick Draya up from daycare she wants to visit the gold “pishy” who lives above her cubby. She counts the fish stickers on his tank (5 but she still just makes it to 3), points out his container of food, and pokes the new bag of rocks that are standing by to go into his tank. Today she picked up the food… the lid wasn’t on tight … fish flakes flew everywhere! The floor had just been washed so some of them stuck. I swept up as much as I could. Pishy got a little snack from the flakes that had fallen on Draya’s coat & bag.

Daycare Christmas Party Photos

Friday, December 8, 2006

While things were getting organized Draya wandered around a bit.

Then she sat nicely with her 'baby'.

She clapped along to the music.

And danced.

She tried to pick the m&m's out of her monster cookie.

Got juice with her little friend K.

And drank it... all by herself!

What the photos don't tell...
she cried and sat with mommy when the concert first started.
she had fun shaking the jiggle bells.
she cried and wouldn't sit on Santa's lap.
Santa gave her a lovley little dolly.
her dress got quite wet.
it was a WONDERFUL evening.

Ask sometime to see the video footage!
(not sure how to download that)

Fun & Learning at Daycare

Some people say "oh you shouldn't put your children in daycare" but Draya and I say "daycare is great!" Draya loves her daycare. She has made friends there, loves all the cool toys, and isn't always happy to leave when I pick her up at the end of the day. I have also been noticing things that she has obviously learned there and not from us, like 'ring around the rosy' (she spins around and then crouches down) and that toy cars and her riding toys go "vroom".
Recent other verbal addition: "night, night" to Daddy as I take her up to bed.
It has become a fight sometimes to get Draya to sit in her high chair. Last night I sat her at her little table instead and she ate there. No fuss and minimal mess. Something else she has learned at daycare. Climbing feats of late include up into her high chair (now I keep the tray on to discourage that) and all over the packing boxes at KJ's.

Big Girl Takes a Tiny Tumble

Draya is graduating up into the toddler area at daycare. She is considered a baby-toddler. Now she'll get to play in the bigger room all day.
Last night she fell out of her new bed. I was afraid that might happen, she is a very mobile a sleeper! She didn't hurt herself though, it's a very short fall.

Who is this little water hater and what has she done with Draya??

Yesterday, when I dropped Draya off at daycare, I told the ladies there that she would probably enjoy splashing in the wading pools with the big kids because she LOVES water. Usually, she LOVES water. Usually she has fun in her baths and LOVES the various water tables that our friend's children own. Usually...
The little monkey made a liar out of mommy. She DIDN'T want to go in the wadinging pools. Even water in the tray of her highchair wasn't fun.
And, she has screamed all the way through her last 2 baths again; wouldn't sit, clung to me, and tried to climb out.
I can' t think of any recent water related traumas that wound cause her to react this way. The ladies at daycare suggest that it's just another phase. Sigh, just when I think I've got her figured she goes and changes her preferences. :)