Cairo is over a year and a half now. Boy how time flies! With baby #2 on the way (a little boy this time- due in about 18 weeks) I have found myself sitting and reflecting on the path Erik, Cairo, and I have traveled these past 19 months as we became our own little family. Today, as I was pulling out all the newborn clothes I saved from when Cairo was a baby I held one sleeper up next to her and it looked like clothes that her doll would fit into... this particular sleeper was big on Cairo when she was born. Cairo is no longer a baby, but a big girl. I never thought that I would think that my of 19 month old, but she has a mind of her own, definite opinions, likes, and dislikes, and has lost all but a little pudge in her cheeks.
Here is a view of Cairo at 19 weeks-
Cairo is loud. There are times she likes to yell and scream just because you tell her not to. Cairo has the same independent streak that both Erik and I had at her age. She likes to help and do things on her own. She will ask for help, but not before she has frustrated herself trying to get it done on her own. Her vocabulary is huge and she picks up on words from everywhere. We've now entered the realm of spelling certain words out like N-A-P, B-E-D, G-R-A-M-M-Y, and C-O-O-K-I-E. Cairo's pediatrician said that the two favorite words for most toddlers Cairo age are "no" and "mine" or "my". Cairo is no different, though she mostly uses "my" when she and I are arguing over whose daddy Erik is.
Of all her new words, "no" is the one that drives me the most crazy. She is constantly saying "no" or "nope." We have been working on our "no, thank you" and our "yes, mommy" but we still have some work to do. I have now started to try and phrase my questions in to ones that can not be answered with a yes or a no or I have been giving her options... anything to get away from a "no" response.
Cairo cooking food-
In the last few weeks Cairo has started using many more polite words. It started around Christmas with "excuse me." My legs were up on the coffee table and she wanted to get by so she said, "Excuse me, Mommy." That was a shocker because I had no idea she knew that term. Upon reflection, Erik does say it a lot around her during the day and she must have picked up on it. Now she uses "excuse me" all the time. Excuse me baby, excuse me chair, excuse me pillow, excuse me to anything that is in her way. Now her polite words have grown to "please" (especially when "cookies" are around), thank you, and sorry. She has to be prompted to say sorry and thank you, but she does use them.
On occasion, Cairo is stubborn and/or naughty and needs a time-out. If you heard her during one of her time-outs you would think that we were beating her, she makes so much noise. Who needs to spank her when making her sit in a corner, facing the wall, by herself is so much more effective? She will stay where she is put and we let her cry and sob for a minute before coming and talking to her. Most time-outs are given after warnings and giving her a chance to make the right choice. In the end, she cuddles close and we reassure her that we still love her... and all is fixed.
Taking her baby on a grocery shopping trip
Cairo is a little mama. She loves to help Erik watch baby Xander during the day. The moment he gets here in the mornings she yells "baby", runs to take all his toys and blankets off of him in the carseat, tries to unhook him, grabs his bottle from Heather, and sticks it in his face. She is always ready to run into the bedroom and grab him a bib or a burp cloth. Many times she will get the task done before you can even ask her. Once, she even sniffed Xander's bottom to check for poo-poos, she reported, correctly that "nope" there weren't any. Though her and Xander are separated by a little over a year, physically they are less than five pounds and five inches apart. Despite this, Cairo still attempts to pick him up. When Xander isn't around, Cairo has two baby dolls she likes to take care of. She rocks them one at a time on her rocking chair, feeds them their baby ba-bas, gives them baths (complete with bubbles), makes sure they eat their applesauce, and takes them for long walks around the house in their little stroller. Once in a while she bashed their heads against the corner of furniture (on accident)... we just need to work with her spatial awareness and baby holding technique.
Feeding Xander the minute he gets into the house.
Taking care of her baby.
One of Cairo's favorite past times (aside from her babies) is taking a bath or shower. She is always ready to strip off her clothes and do the naked baby dance. When bath time comes, it is her job to pull out all her tubby toys, throw them into the tub, take out the bubbles, unscrew the lid, and hand them to mommy. There is nothing she likes better than those bubbles. Cairo loves being in the water and doesn't mind being splashed or getting her face wet. The other day she and I practiced her swim strokes and kicking technique in the tub. She has started to take a more helpful role in cleaning herself. The only problem we run into is when tubby time is over. Cairo DOES NOT want to get out. I will pull the plug on the tub, the water will drain, and she will just sit there- refusing a towel and refusing to get out. Once we finally convince her to get out, then the fight to get a diaper and clothes on her begins. I can't wait to remind her when she's older how much she once loved to be naked.
Cairo refusing to put clothes on.
Cairo finally being persuaded to put something on- her pretty turquoise tutu.
Like all toddlers, Cairo is constantly taking little tumbles. I think most of it has to do with trying to do two things at once. Like walking and anything else. She especially enjoys walking backwards without looking behind her which is something her parents don't find quite as funny. We keep telling her that she will have to wear a helmet full time if she doesn't learn how to tame her reckless streak. Despite all the tumbles, Cairo is a tough girl. She has a high pain tolerance (other than when she's tired) and quickly recovers from bumps and bruises.
For Cairo, anything and everything is a phone. Today she walked into the room with the charger for Danny's iPod up to her ear saying "hello" followed by some baby gibberish and some "mommys" and "daddys." Last weekend, she did the same thing with a handheld poker game at my Nana and Papa's house. A lot of the time Cairo really does have a phone, though. She is tall enough that she can reach up and take the portable phone off the charging stand, or she reaches into Grammy's purse and pulls a cell phone out, or grabs either Erik or my phone off the night stand. The rest of the time she looks at Heather, says "picture", and Heather hands Cairo her phone. Cairo then takes it around clicking pictures. We have started to keep a gallery of her better photos.
Cairo showing Xander her pictures.
Gallery a la Cairo- the world from 2 feet 6 1/2 inches:
Legs
Legs
Baby
Living Room
Floor
Legs
Baby
Lap
Face
Legs
Technically, Cairo is not a picky eater. She loves all sorts of foods. She just isn't willing to always eat those foods. For example, one day she'll eat a whole banana and the next day she wants nothing to do with it. One day she will gobble down broccoli and the next day she spits it out as soon and it hits her tongue. Some of her all time favorite foods consistently are applesauce, bagels and cream cheese, waffles (aka wapples), blueberries, and graham crackers. Overall, though, she isn't a big eater.
Cairo ends each day with the same routine, brushing her teeth and saying goodnight to snoopy. Sometimes Cairo is great about brushing her teeth, other times I have to hold her tight to keep her from squirming. Luckily, when she doesn't want her teeth brushed she yells and screams instead of clenching her mouth tight. So, during her protest I am able to shove her toothbrush in there and brush. For the past few nights I have been using a different strategy. I tell her we need to get the bugs out. Then I brush a little, look for bugs, tell her there are more, brush a little more and eventually it is all done. Then we rinse her toothbrush and say bye to the buggies. Hopefully, she buys into this for at least the next few weeks... until I can think of something new. After teeth brushing, we go and give everyone hugs and kisses and then Erik and I tuck her into bed- sometimes with a book, sometimes with just hugs and kisses, but always with her snoopy. She won't settle unless both Erik and I have properly said goodnight to snoopy. We have to hug him, kiss him, and rub noses with him. The we hand him back and she cuddles in. Lights are out between 7 and 7:20 or so.
Each day she has a new surprise for us. I am trying to cherish these moments as much as I can. On a daily basis I am reminded of what happens to them in another 12 years or so and I know that I will face many new challenges then. At least now she's little, cuddly, and thinks that Erik and I are the most fabulous people in the world.
