Turbo Senna, Tired Parents

My apologies, devoted Senna fans, it's been too long since my last post! I truly don't know where the time went. Please forgive also this lengthy post to make up for the time lag.

We have been very busy chasing our little dear around, that's for sure. She is a full-time walker now, toodling around the house in quick laps, stopping to inspect, grab, climb on or pull off anything she sees as she travels. Alex and I have been exhausted! Now we know what our dear aunties meant when they told us this stage is as tiring as the newborn one. Extreme fun, for sure, but a daily marathon keeping up with her boundless energy and insatiable desire to check out absolutely everything.

She waits for Daddy at the window each day, and still says "Dada!!" every time the phone rings during the day! At the same time, she's also been pretty Mommy-clingy lately, too, and a bit more wakeful even than her usual (according to the child development books a normal phenomenon when acquiring a new major developmental milestone -- and more teeth). She loves to hang out in bed with both of us in the morning before Alex goes to work (at the lovely hour of 6 a.m.!) -- she never wants either of us to leave the cozy bed. We must say, we'd rather stay in the cozy bed, too.

And the new Senna words abound each day. Alex's current favorite: echinacea. Well, it sounds more like "eh-ee-ah-ah" but it's very clear to us what she means when she points to the little bottle in the mornings. And, knock wood, she's been wonderfully healthy, even through more teething, so perhaps the "eh-ee-ah-ah" is working! Other favorites of late include: "buck-a-bah" (broccoli), her current food obsession (photo below -- mmmm!); "pa-da," the name she coined for Grandpa David on his recent visit with Grandma Karen; and "Dik-a-doe," her word for our next-door neighbors, Dick and Roseanne, who she loves to chat with over the back fence.

She is still loving her sandbox, afternoons at the playground (photo on the slide below) and mornings at the beach. We even met another mom with a 10-month-old who also frequent the beach at 8 in the morning! Senna's been enjoying seeing friends who have visited lately (Holly, Thomas and Karen, Merle, Lionel and Christine, Vanessa and Gillian) and my parents' visit. Next week, Grandma Loren comes, so the fun never stops. We are grateful for people coming to us, since Senna is still a car-hater. Some days are better than others, but I've learned to sing and talk to her continually from the front seat to avoid the meltdown. Is it better than those crazy drivers on cell phones? I'm not sure! Next month we'll venture up to Glendora again to Grandma's house, and I can sit in the back and entertain the queen; tag-team is always best.

Lastly, Senna has become incredibly interested in Mommy's cooking. For a while, I carried her on my hip around the kitchen as I prepared food (ouch) and put her on a chair with my leg hooked around her so she could watch me cut veggies and whatnot on the kitchen island (awkward). So, we finally decided to buy a Learning Tower (from www.kiddinaround.com) -- a four-sided "tower" that lets her stand independently, level with the kitchen island. Senna LOVES it! We had to bolster her in with pillows until she gets a little bigger, but she could not be happier being part of the action (and getting many bites of banana, avocado, or whatever I may be making). Later, it can be used as a puppet theatre, lemonade stand, fort, desk -- I think she will be getting years of enjoyment out of this splurge (and Mommy's back is already feeling better!!).