Bust a Move

Rachel gets her awesome dancing skills from me! :)

Two to Tango

Rachel decided to tango with Grandma H's piano bench yesterday. It did not go to plan. The score...Piano Bench-1 Rachel - 0. The result was a perfectly straight line gash above her right eyebrow. As we all know, gashes on the head bleed like a stuck pig...even small ones, so we weren't quick to rush her off, although Rachel was doing her best to make her grandparents feel really, really bad about it. I think if she could talk, they would have gotten her anything she wanted...ice cream, balloons, pony... After an hour or so, the gash appeared to be pulling apart and rather than chance it, we decided to have it checked. No stitches were necessary and a little skin glue had her fixed up and ready to go. I might also mention that Rachel absolutely despises having her face touched for any reason, so to say she was not happy about having us try to clean up her boo-boo, followed by a nurse who put a big bandage with numbing gel on her face, and a very nice and gentle Dr. Edwards who applied to glue...well, not happy doesn't adequately describe her level of furious. Thankfully, by the time we got home and she had some supper, she was happily running around the kitchen, looking like the bride of Frankenstein, laughing.

We think she's going to survive.

Of course, Grandma H felt just awful. I have to mention that she's got blankets covering the fireplace and magazine rack to cushion falls. There wasn't one on the paino bench because it has a cushion on it. Rachel, in all her grace, hit it just right. If I have to guess...when I drop her off in a little while, the piano bench will probably be wrapped in bubble wrap! Rachel wants her Grandma to know that it could have happened anywhere...and not to feel bad. It'll likely happen again!

Peek-A-Boo!

PEEK-A-BOO! I see you!

Oh the Places You Can Go!

Rachel sends a big THANK YOU to her Great Aunt Mary for her "new" wagon. Rachel has several modes of transportation. She has her "car" (blue stroller). It works best for shopping trips. She has her "big car" or "SUV" (jogging stroller) which we use when Mommy wants to exercise or when we go to the park. And now she has her "pick-up truck" (wagon) that she can use to tour the farm. It has plenty of room for either a friend or whatever equipment she needs to haul with her to get the job done.

It was a farm safari tour last night, complete with chickens, baby chicks, kitties, strawberries, puppies and more! Rachel had a big time in her new ride! Thanks, Mary!

On an unrelated note- I offered Rachel a strawberry while we were out and about. A fresh, wonderfully sweet strawberry. She pitched it over the side of the wagon. Let's hope she actually tries it next time!

Making Faces- Part 2

Because the last post with Rachel's funny face was so popular (I heard through the grapevine it's a favorite of Rachel's Great-Grandpa Dave), I thought I'd share the live version. It's even better with the snorting that accompanies the face. (Also note that she's waving to the camera!) I have no idea where she picked this up. I've had a few people tell me she looks like me when she makes that face. I'm not exactly sure how I should take that. I'd like to think I don't walk around with my nose all scrunched and my lips in a pucker...

Remotes

Rachel has one true love in her life and it's the tv remote. This is a passion that started several months back, and was fueled with her trip to IL, where Nana let her play with her remote. It's colorful buttons, especially those that light up, draw her from across the room. She's not fooled by any substitutes. The Seaseme Street remote that Grandma Held got her for Christmas is fun, but it's not quite the same. The remote to the dead VCR might be real, but lacks colorful buttons- and batteries. It's fun, but still not the same as the coveted tv remote. Yes, only the real deal will satisfy Rachel's high standards.
She knows where to look for it (including on the sofa).


This is the face (accompanied by the appropriate whining) I get when she can't reach it.

And perhaps most troubling is she even seems to know how to use it. This morning she was surfing the channels. Apparently, Elmo's World wasn't all that interesting. But the weather channel...now they know how to do interesting and entertaining programming (if you are 10 months old).

If remote wrangling and channel surfing were a career path, I know who should apply!

Oh, and if anyone knows how to unlock parental controls on the OWN channel, please let me know. Apparently, Rachel has deemed some of their programming inappropriate for Mommy because there is a lock on it that requires a passcode to unlock. Since Rachel can't talk, she's not sharing the passcode.

Walkin'

Rachel is quickly mastering the art of walking. She's still a little wobbly but gets better and better every day!

"Where are you going, Pepper??"

"Pepper! Come Back!"