Tag Archives: toddlers

Typical Conversations With Our Toddler

At almost 22 months old (seriously, time, just stop for a change), our toddler daughter seems to increase her vocabulary every day. Not that it’s a big surprise with how much time we spend reading to her as well as her reading by herself.

Mommy and Avery Reading in CO

Reading usually occurs sans animals, but Nana’s dog was adamant about sticking around for the ending.

I figured I would share some of the typical conversations we have with Avery at this stage in her toddler career. Obviously, they are less like conversations and more like us asking a lot of different questions with one syllable, hard to distinguish answers. Or just going through asking what noise *insert animal* makes.

When she’s getting fussy and we can’t figure out why or it’s just because she wants us to give her something she can’t have, we’ll bust out with the animal sound questions

  • Us: What does the kitty say?
  • Avery: La (sometimes it’s more of a meow, but not quite yet)
  • Us: What does the owl say?
  • Avery: Who-who
  • Us: Ummm, what does the dog say?
  • Avery: ruff
  • Us: How about the pig?
  • Avery: very soft snorting noise I’m not sure how to spell out
  • Avery: getting fussy again
  • Us: Uhhh……what does the bear say?
  • Avery: rooaarrrr <—-cutest thing ever!

Just recently, when we’re changing her and just took off her pajamas, she gets upset if she’s not wearing a shirt.

  • Avery: Shit, shit, shit
  • Us: What?
  • Avery: *pointing at our shirt* Shit!
  • Us: Oh, you want a shirt?
  • Avery: Yesshh
  • Us: Okay, what color do you want?
  • Avery: Pink (this was the first color she could say, so it’s always her first color question response)
  • Us: Would you like this green one with the Ninja Turtles?
  • Avery: Yesshh
  • Us: We’ll put it on right after changing your diaper. What color diaper do you want?
  • Avery: Pink
  • Us: How about this one, what color is it?
  • Avery: Pink………bllluuueee
  • Us: Yes, good job dear! You’re so smart!
  • Avery: I smaahht

And then, quite often, there are times where it’s just a drawn out guessing game. She’s fussy and only getting worse by the second…

  • Avery: Uh, ugh, ugh….bla
  • Us: What do you want sweetie?
  • Avery: bla baaa, laa
  • Us: I don’t understand what that is, dear. Do you want another book?
  • Avery: nnnn, bla bla baaa
  • Us: Still don’t know, does something hurt?
  • Avery: *reaching up but not really towards anything* blaaa laaa
  • Us: *finally realizing…we think* Oh, you want water?
  • Avery: Yesshhhhh

So apparently “W’s” are hard to pronounce right now. No worries, we have plenty of time to learn. Since a toddler is usually around the ages of one and three, I see follow-up posts in our future, and maybe by then she’ll at least have “water” down.

There are plenty of other “conversations” we have with Avery in a day, but these seem to be the most frequent so far. But with a constantly growing list of words she can say, including high chair, bear, book, swing, slide, mow, squats, shorts, mom, glasses, phone, trash, pig, squash, and most of the primary colors, our talks are sure to get more interesting. Oh yeah, she started saying No, which is already proving to be a problem. Apparently for the both of us….

DSC_2610

What are your little ones saying right now or what did they say when they were toddlers?

Any plans for the weekend?

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Debunked: #MySundayPhoto – 08.23.15

Other than the pictures from our family vacation in Colorado, we have been eased up on the picture taking as of late. Maybe because we’ve felt it a bit excessive in the past, or just that Avery’s so active that we’d rather spend the time playing with our growing girl.

Whatever the case, I am absolutely in love with this picture and glad I took the time for a few shots (while playing) to get it. This was one of those pictures you don’t even realize you captured until going back and looking at them later. My wife and I were both in awe of this one.

 

my sunday photo, #MySundayPhoto, toddlers, parenting

 

My heart fills warm with love and I turn speechless every time I look at this photo. How much she has grown in just the past few weeks is unreal, exciting, as well as a little depressing. It makes me think of the poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost, and how it’s both right and wrong.

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Right, because obviously so many beautiful things in life come and go every day. A newborn baby is only newborn for so long until they get older and older and older until they’re taking care of the couple that raised them.

Wrong, because, as you can see, pictures will forever capture that one “Gold” moment enabling it to “Stay” or last forever. Plus, that newborn baby will continue to be golden in so many ways throughout life.

Whoa! What happened? I feel like Will Ferrell in the debate scene from Old School where he snaps out of it after his winning debate. Even a pun-loving guy like myself has serious deep thoughts at times.

Anyway, I’ve gone on too long, but just wanted to say how much I love this picture I’m happy to have it for us to enjoy even as she continues to grow.

Do you have a certain photo that totally captivates you?

What do you think about the saying “Nothing gold can stay”?

 

OneDad3Girls

Family Vacation Hangover

We survived our first family vacation with our toddler (and she’s 21 months today)! I don’t know how so many of you do it with multiple little ones as we’ve had a post-vacation hangover with just our one since returning home. Now I get what, Mike, a fellow blogger and stay-at-home dad who owns Sunshine Dad, was talking about in his post “I Need A Vacation From My Family Vacation“.

Don’t get me wrong, we had an awesome time in Colorado with Going Mom’s family, Nana, Papa, and Niece Ashlee, but geez, traveling with a little one really takes it out of you! All of us against one should be easy, but it proved more difficult than I once thought.

That said, we are still in wind-down mode and I need more time before getting into the details. Whoa, whoa, calm down! I’ll get to it, but for now, I’d like to spend the rest of the weekend with my wife and our crazy little Avery.

I have plenty of pictures to share and stories to tell, and will tackle them all with each post covering a day. At least that’s what I’m thinking. In due time, our memories will be shared.

For now, I need rest….and more food. Here are the pics I posted on Instagram of Avery’s first flight out to Colorado…

….and then back to Texas.

Both times had their challenges, but flight home was extremely trying! Guess flying at her normal bedtime would be a big reason there. Oh well, we’re here and functioning (thanks to coffee) and can still say we all had a good time.

Have a great weekend and come back soon for tales from our travels!