Happy (half) birthday to Lexi

In late January-early February, my parents and sister came to Washington, D.C., for several days for a visit from their home in Seattle. Over the weekend that they were here, my brother and his partner Russell came down from New York City. And on that Saturday, Russell's sister Michelle, who lives here in Washington, D.C., came over, so we had a full house of visitors. While the snow fell outside (one of our milder storms), we were cozy inside as we made two full batches of lefse. A good time was had by all.

Everybody stayed for dinner that evening, and at the end of it, I was surprised with a cake that Michelle had made for an early birthday celebration for me. Everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to me as usual, I asked Lexi to help me blow out the candles, and she helped me open the cards and gifts I received too.

A few weeks later, Lexi and Sarah went to a birthday party for the son of one of my college friends (I was busy that day with a church meeting) who lives out in the suburbs. There were cake and ice cream and presents to open, and a fire truck even paid a visit, since the birthday boy is very much into them.

This has all added up to a lot of confusion on Lexi's part. While my birthday, February 9, is Lexi's half birthday, she, as a 2 1/2 year old, is having a hard time understanding that it's not her birthday. So she has been telling us regularly in the month since we started all of these birthday celebrations that it is her birthday and having us sing "Happy Birthday" to her. I thought it might have been over as we've moved into March, but this morning she brought up the fact that it was her birthday again, and so I had to sing. Perhaps we'll be doing this for the next five months until we really do arrive at her birthday.

She CAN entertain herself

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.

Displaying more talents

Here is Lexi demonstrating how adeptly she can read a book by herself.

Singing "Jesus Loves Me"

We're not quite sure how or where Lexi learned this song. She has certainly not heard it much, if at all, at church, since she's not in Sunday school enough. She must have learned it at daycare, although her daycare is not at a church nor is it officially Christian.