Dolly's Day-to-Day

Dolly likes to assist with the housework.  She always helps unload the dishwasher.  The silverware is her specialty; she hands it to me one by one.  She helps put groceries away after we go shopping.  The last time I tried to mop the floor was a total nightmare because she kept wanting to take the mop away from me. 

She's very silly.  Once we watched her (on the video monitor) take her shirt off in her crib before she lay down to nap.  Another time, when I went in to get her, she had taken her pants off.  This day, she got one of her arms out through the neck of her shirt, which she thought was very funny (she pranced around and around showing it off; I couldn't get her to stay still for a clear picture):

 

Her favorite game is throwing her little yellow ball into the wood bin next to the fireplace and having Jim pretend that he's totally infuriated.  He fake screams, "Noooooo!  You threw the dirty ball in here!"  Then he takes it out and throws it, and the fun starts all over again.  Sometimes when Jim's not around she throws the ball in and then says to herself, "No!" 

She's had a lot of fun putting things on her head:

She really enjoys playing the piano.  Now that she can climb up onto the bench and dismount with ease, she goes into the construction zone (where the piano is) multiple times a day to play.  She messes with my sheet music, too, as if she knows what it is.  She doesn't usually pound too much and actually sometimes plays one note at a time, so that's nice. 



 

She likes being outside and tries to reach the door handles to let herself out.  She's still just a little too short, thank goodness.  Jim hasn't replanted the backyard, so it's not very enticing.  We go out once in a while, though. 

I always worry about sun exposure.  I would take her outside way more if I didn't have to either a) lube her up in sunscreen or b) fear that she's gonna get fried and end up with skin cancer.  She won't wear her hat anymore, but I have hope that she'll get used to her sunglasses:

Sometimes she eats; sometimes not so much.  We've decided that if Jim's around, the most effective meal strategy is to have Jim feed her while I prepare her numerous courses (the majority of which are invariably rejected).  Avocado and asparagus are usually hits.  Sometimes she'll do cheese, peas, quesadilla, macaroni and cheese, bananas.  I can't figure out why she loves something one day and then won't touch it again.  (She ate about a million tomatoes and strawberries at our friends' house one day and then has generally rejected both of those things ever since.)  She's into utensils.  In order to get her to eat, I give her silverware for things that would be a lot easier for her to eat with her hands. 

Jim takes Dolly on walks when he gets home from work, usually down to the end of our cul-de-sac.  Dolly walks in the middle of the street and points and grunts at various items of interest (like storm drains or dogs). 

I threw my headband on her to keep her hair out of her face. 

She loves walking up other people's driveways and climbing up/sitting on their steps.  This is not our house:



 

I still haven't consistently switched her to one nap a day.  Can't quite figure out what her schedule should be right now.  Often I try so hard to get her the naps she needs, only to have her sleep ended prematurely - or prevented entirely - by ill-timed bowel movements.  I don't understand why she always has to go at naptime!  (Because this is my journal, I get to include these details.)  She doesn't cry about dirty diapers, so I have no way of knowing if she needs a change or if I should leave her in case she's just taking a long time to fall asleep.  I think I should invent some sort of odor monitor.  She will seriously hang out quietly in her crib for hours.  I'm so glad we broke down and got a video monitor so I can at least confirm whether she's sleeping.