Life Lessons

Tuesday night, John and I went to his work ‘after-the-holidays holiday party,' so Helen Grace hung out with Spif and Granddaddy. She was in a super cuddly mood, so they had a fun night on the couch. They put her ‘snuggle bunny’ pjs on her, and she had to hop around the house in them. Here’s our little hip hopper…

On Wednesday night, we met my parents for dinner. Helen Grace sat at the table in her booster seat for the first half of the meal and acted like a big girl, coloring and eating off her daddy’s salad. After she tired of behaving, she decided it would be more fun to sit in her booster sat on the floor and spent the rest of the meal entertaining the family next to us.

On Friday, Helen Grace and I met Bubba for lunch, and I once again enjoyed watching my grandmother laugh incessantly at my daughter’s latest tricks while she beamed with pride. That is such a gift. We came home, and Helen Grace played in the last bit of snow we have left. When John got home from work, he whipped Helen Grace into a frenzy, and they spent at least 30 minutes chasing each other around the house. He would chase her around, and then she would stop, point to him, say “Go!,” and take off running after him. Hilarious! Then she wanted him to twirl with her until she couldn’t walk she was so dizzy (see video). Crazy girl! John headed to his game, and HG and I went to dinner with Spif and Granddaddy. When we came home, HG tricked Spif into the same twirling scheme that she had pulled on her daddy. The two of them were roaring with laughter. I hope Spif’s vertigo doesn’t make a return after that episode. A very fun day!

Helen Grace is really turning into a big girl. She eats most meals in a chair versus her high chair. She is consistently going to sleep on her own and not crying as I leave the room. She says “Oh-kaaaayy” when you ask her to do something. The other day after a diaper change, she stood up and kissed me on the mouth, then the forehead, and then the nose. Precious! That certainly makes those nasty diapers much more rewarding!

Life lessons that Helen Grace has learned in the last few days:

• Hand soap is not a tasty treat. She brought me the hand soap the other day, while making a really nasty face. She must have thought it was food of some sort.
• Chalk is not lipstick. She really liked the pink chalk, but it didn’t work so well as lipstick. At least she didn’t choose ornamental peppers like one of my aunts that shall remain nameless.