Friday, April 2, 2010

Happy April!

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I can't believe it's already April. We've been at our new house a month now! I can hardly believe it.

Ginger is now almost 9 1/2 months old. She has started doing so many new things in the past month. She can say Mama and Dada. She can sign Milk and Yes.

She is super mobile and can lift herself to standing (or more often, half-way to standing) if she hangs on to something (like the edge of a chair).

She is eating baby food! I can hardly believe it. Over the past few weeks, she's become much more receptive. She is still eating "Stage 1" (Earth's Best Organic), which is for babies 4 months and up. I am nervous to try anything more chunky til she gets a better hang of things. She is also starting Biter Biscuits, which she loves. I give those to her when we're having dinner so that she feels included. I can tell she really likes feeling included. Otherwise, she gets frustrated that she's not eating like the rest of us. Other than her few tastes of food, she's still nursing pretty much 24/7. Her favorite place to be is still in the Ergo, facing me (where she is at the moment, actually!)

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Paprika is at a wonderful age. Is there any age more magical than 3 1/2? I love all ages, of course. There is just something so special about her current age - she loves to learn anything and everything, the world is so magical to her, she is full of 100% love for her sister, her family, and everyone she meets. I would like to bottle age 3 1/2 and pass it around the world, thank you very much!

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Paprika had her last day at her preschool a few weeks ago. Since we moved to the other side of Los Angeles, it's just not practical for her to go there anymore (it would be about 1 1/2 hours in traffic). I was so sad to say goodbye, because I had so many wonderful memories of the school and her dear teachers. Paprika learned so much there and it was such a positive experience, I was really worried that Paprika would miss it terribly.

Well, it turns out that I miss it much more than she does! I had feared that she'd have this huge separation anxiety and be terribly upset about it. But nope! When we moved, I offered to drive her every day to school and she said no, she wanted to stay home. In fact, she's become a homebody since we moved- very content to just be here.

I have wanted to get her involved in playdates with Mom's organizations near our new house, but the times that they meet for Paprika's age group are always right during Ginger's naptime. And if Ginger misses that afternoon nap, it's no fun for any of us!

I've been looking into classes for Paprika. Maybe some art classes? We stopped going to ballet because of the mean teacher (and we moved away anyway). There's also the possibility of finding her a new preschool...but I'm not in any rush. I am really enjoying this time at home with her, and she seems to love being here at home. She knows her alphabet, can count, add, subtract, and spell/write Mommy, Daddy, Paprika, Ginger, Grandma, Ann (her Godmother's name), and just started spelling the name of her best friend. So, I think academically she's doing fine for a 3 1/2 year old!

To make up for the social stuff, we have been getting out to see friends from time to time. Now that we moved, it's much more of a drive, but it's worth it! Recently, we went to see Devon and her two daughters. We all had a wonderful time. Sweet Pea is getting so big and active- it's so wonderful seeing her thriving!

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The girls had a great time playing together...even the littlest two! Sweet Pea is quickly catching up with Ginger. Before long, she might overtake her!

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So, that's what we're up to. It's amazing how fast Ginger and Paprika are growing up. I want to stop and take in every second of it. It's an amazing time- one I don't want to forget or take a second of it for granted. Even just the simple, little moments are the best. I know that. I don't want to miss a moment of it- it's just too sweet for words!

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4 comments:

Kristie said...

i love your blog!!! the girls are so cute!!

Devon said...

just love this post...your girls are so beautiful!

Sheri said...

Wow, Paprika is VERY advanced for her age! I would say she is definitely doing well for a 3.5 year old. Any tips on how you teach her?

I have had lots of catching up to do on your blog. For several months, my internet explorer kept saying it had to abort your blog. LOL

Congrats on your new house!

FourJedis said...

Go Paprika! What a bright young lady! And Ginger and Sweet Pea are so cute, playing together. How great that you can still make time to get to see friends. :)