Christmas with Lexi

It's been interesting this year to experience Christmas with Lexi. She is definitely more aware of things like the lights on trees and decorations. She hasn't gotten the idea that she will be getting presents or worrying about what she will get under the tree. I think that is a good thing. She points at all of the lights and says 'Christmas'.

Last night we went out to 'Candy Cane Lane' here in Seattle. It was a short street where (almost) every house had decorations out including giant candy canes. We walked it with Lexi in the stroller as it isn't all that cold here. Lexi doesn't know what candy canes are but she enjoyed looking at the lights. When we came to the end, she wanted more lights and had a little protest that she had to get back in the car to see them.

She enjoys playing with nativity sets and making baby Jesus sleep (sleeping is on your tummy, just like she does). We didn't have a tree at home but there is one at the grandparents and she really wants to touch the ornaments. We have had to tell her several times that it is for looking only. Occasionally she also wants to look at the presents but we tell her those are for later and she accepts that just fine.

She is certainly enjoying all of the Christmas cookies and sweets. She won't say no to any of that.

Calling Baba (Stephen's mother) on her toy phone

Phases of favorite foods

We’re not quite sure how our 2-year-old operates or what goes on in her mind, but we understand all parents of children her age are as baffled by these creatures in our homes as we are.

One thing that has struck us is Lexi’s phases, specifically the ones she has moved through for specific foods. In the last several months, she has moved rapidly through new favorite foods every several weeks.

First it was animal crackers. She needed to eat these all the time, from her first waking minute of the day (saying she “needed” them for breakfast) to her afternoon snack. We quickly learned that we needed to have the next new box on hand when she ran out of one box. Whenever we visited someone’s house for more than a few hours, we told them they should have animal crackers on hand lest they wanted to see a very angry toddler.

Then, suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, she was all about granola bars, which she called “’nola bars.” At every opportunity to eat – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, snack at church, snack in the car, etc. – she said, “I want ‘nola bar.” And she got her ‘nola bar. As with the animal crackers, we learned quickly to have many boxes of these in the cupboard at all times – and a certain brand of them.

After a couple months of this, it was as if ‘nola bars had never existed because she never mentions them anymore, but now it’s gorging on yogurt. She really liked yogurt as a baby while in Kenya, but then she didn’t like it for a while. Now she can’t get enough of it. When she comes home from daycare with Sarah, she will often down a whole container of yogurt in a few minutes. She's getting better at feeding herself, although some incomplete spoonfuls of yogurt make it to her mouth.

We're not sure what her next favorite food will be, but we'll keep you informed.