Odds & Ends

Paprika's favorite thing to say is "Let's Go!" and "Mama, Let's Go!!!!" Apparently, she really likes getting out of the house. Here she is swinging at our neighborhood park.

We are still doing our Kindermusik classes and enjoying them a lot. Paprika loves shaking the maracas and listening to anything with a beat. She has very discerning taste in music. She only likes certain songs. Her favorite band is the Dixie Chicks. In general, she likes fast, folk songs better than slow songs and prefers music with a vocalist over pure instrumental music.

Paprika also knows how to nod her head yes and no in response to a question. So, if I say, "Paprika, do you want mommy to change your diaper?"- she will shake her head either yes or no. Or, "Paprika, do you want mommy to feed you yogurt?"- she will say yes or no by nodding her head. Our new outlet of communication is proving to be very helpful!

We are also hitting some other milestones. First, Paprika has now lived in our townhouse in Pasadena for the same amount of time time that she lived at our small apartment in Beverlywood. Time has really flown!

We have been full-time cloth diapering since we moved to Pasadena (and got our own washer/dryer)- so that means we have been cloth diapering Paprika now for over half her life. So far, I have spent about $300 on all my cloth diapering supplies, and these should last her through potty training and then can be re-used for the next child, or sold on the secondary market (yes, there is a secondary market for cloth diapers). ;-) The average cost of disposable diapers is about $800/year, and all of those disposables end up in landfills. Not to mention that disposable dipaers are filled with nasty chemicals, such as dioxin, which has been known to cause cancer, liver damage, genetic damage, and a whole host of other health-related problems. So, it feels good to know we're doing something in a small way that is good for the environment, for our daughter's health, and for our pocketbook, as well!