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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Jeeta, Jeeta and Other Little Tidbits

A few weeks ago, I posted a random list of little details – things I don’t want to forget about Evalyn. So, here I am again. A few new things that I never ever ever ever want to forget.

Evalyn loves to sing. Her favourite songs are Jesus Loves Me, Happy And You Know It, Head and Shoulders, and the ABCs (see also: I have got to get her “singing” the ABCs on video). Recently, I’ve started singing a Clean Up song that I had tucked up my sleeve from my preschool teaching days as well as a Bible Story song as part of our nightly routine.

The other day, she and Evan were playing together and she kept saying “Jeeta” over and over again. We were so confused. The funny thing is, “Jeeta” is a name that our nephew, H, used to call his little sister. But? We knew Evalyn had never known Baby A as “Jeeta” so she wasn’t saying her name. We just figured she was babbling.

Then, that night at bedtime I said, “Okay sweetie. It’s almost time for bed. Let’s clean up your toys”.

And what did she do?

She hustled over to her toy box, started putting things in it and chanting “Jeeta, Jeeta, da da da da da da da” – “Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere”.

And then today, she spent a good 30 minutes sitting with two laundry baskets beside her, putting toys in one, taking them out, and putting them in the other, singing “Jeeta, Jeeta” the whole time.

So apparently Jeeta = clean up in Evalynese.

Also? I am cherishing this time in her life where she thinks that cleaning up is the! coolest! game! ever!

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She is on a photo kick. She has recently started paying attention to the framed photos in our house and wants to go up to each one to see who it is. Usually, she can pick out Dada, Mama, Nana, Eva (Eeeeena), Uncle (Unco), Hunter (Hunta) and Aunt Logi (Gogi). If she doesn’t know who it is, it’s “this” or “baby” (bayyyyyy). Learning and saying and repeating people’s names is also on the top of her list of fun things to do lately.

She constantly wants to know where people went. Especially her Uncle Evan. Girlfriend is obsessed with that guy. Multiple times a day, she will walk around our house with her arms in the air saying, “Unco go? Unco go?” She loves him.

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She is a Daddy’s girl, through and through. She goes nuts when she sees him and in the morning, as soon as she’s done at the milk bar, it’s all “Dada? Dada? Dada? Go?”

Yesterday she stood at the patio door repeating “Dada. Go. Dada. Hat. Go. Car. Dada. Coat. Dada. Go”. Think she wanted to see her Daddy?

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She calls me Mama, unprompted, almost all the time now. And even though I’m used to hearing it? My heart still bursts. For so long she thought it was hilarious to joke with me and say Dada every time I told her to say Mama. Now, she says Mama all the time. And, just between you and me, I was feeling pretty good about myself when Evan got her out of her crib the other morning and she immediately started asking for Mama.

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She doesn’t watch much TV – simply because we don’t have cable so anything we watch has to be on the laptop or on DVD. I got a DVD a few weeks ago that has 6 different kids shows on it. So far, we’ve stuck mostly to Barney but I decided to try Bob the Builder yesterday. And? LOVE. “Bob. Bob. Tractor. Truck. Bob”. When I said, “Look at Bob. He’s working hard!” She said “Bob. Dada”. Apparently she’s caught on that Daddy goes to work.

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She has a miniature rocking chair in her room that she spends a good deal of time climbing sitting on. Yesterday, I watched her push the chair up to her crib, stand on it and try to climb into her crib. Yi ie ie. Today? She opened the bottom drawer on my potato and onion bin, stood in it, and opened the “potato” portion, which actually houses my extra baking supplies, and helped herself to a bag of chocolate chips. Thankfully, she couldn’t get it open. I’m not sure how, but she hasn’t figured out that she can climb on the couches yet. I am hoping she doesn’t make that discovery for at least 7 more years.

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She’s figured out how to get her sippy cups closed. She works and works and works until she flips the top over and the straw disappears. And then? She SHOUTS “HELP” until I open it for her. Makes for some longgggg car rides when I can’t reach back to open it back up for her.

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In the bath tub the other night, I put a turtle toy inside the cup I used to pour water over her hair and said, “Where’d the turtle go? There he is!” And, wowza, wasn’t that the best thing ever? Every night since then she has spent her entire bath time, putting the turtle in the cup, saying, “Tutu go?” and then pulling him out and yelling “Hi Tutu!”. Amusing.

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Watching a toddler utilize problem solving skills may very well be the funniest thing ever. Like, how can I get inside this laundry basket without letting go of the 72 toys that I have in my hand? How can I get my magnets that are all shoved under the fridge? How can I put this shoe back on my foot? How can I sneak into the pantry and take the baking powder into my room without my mother seeing me, especially considering I can’t do anything I’m not allowed to do without saying “no, no, no, no” over and over again, evidently giving myself away?

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And the best one? A few days after I posted the video of her saying bible and God, we were at my friend’s house, doing some organizing in her (soon to be born) baby boy’s room. Evalyn asked to get up in the rocking chair with the new baby’s bible. She was rocking bath and forth, chattering to herself, ahem, I mean, reading the bible, and then she signed/said “Thank you God”. Melt my heart.

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That’s all for now. Enjoy the moments.

6 comments:

Perfectly Imperfect said...

She really does seem like such a little doll!!

Samantha said...

This time my favorites are the "Thank you God" signing and the "Jeeta! Jeeta!" song.

Nana K said...

I can't wait until next week!!!!

This Texas Momma said...

Sweet baby girl! It makes me miss the days when Luke was like that, and look forward to the days when Evan is!

Quinn said...

What a wonderful post! E is so adorable and I love hearing about all the fun/cute things she is doing :)

Katie W said...

Holy cow! At the rate she is going the next time I see her she'll be speaking in sentences. It's so fun to read these posts and know all the things she is learning but it makes me miss home!