OCD Baby

We are starting to notice some OCD type behavior in Jenna... we're hoping it's just a phase, but perhaps she got more of Uncle Greg's DNA than we realized :-) First, she has long had an obsession with the bathroom door on the main floor. The bathroom is in the hallway, right off the kitchen, and she has to walk by it to go from the kitchen to the rest of the house. often, the door will be open just a crack. Jenna CANNOT walk by the door without closing it. She just pushes it closed, and moves on. Doesn't do this with any other door.

Her latest obsession is washing her hands. At home, when her hands are dirty, or it's time to eat, etc, we pull a kitchen chair up to the sink, she stands on it, asks for soap, and washes and dries her hands like a big girl. Apparently, at daycare, she has taken this obsession to a new level. I recently learned that she basically spends all day dragging a little blue chair across the room, standing on it to reach the sink, and washing her hands. Repeatedly. All day. Every day.

When I got to daycare last night, it was really late, right at 6pm when they close. I saw Jenna dragging the blue chair, and I thought maybe she was just helping her teacher clean up. No, she was sneaking the chair when she thought her teacher wasn't looking, and dragging it back across the room to wash her hands. From the teacher's reaction, I surmised that this is a constant battle. I got Jenna to put the chair back, but as soon as I turned around to get her things together, she ran off, got the chair, and had it at the sink before I knew it.

Jenna's wonderful teachers always take lots of pictures of the students during the day. Usually they are playing, reading, eating, etc. The most recent round of pictures is mainly of Jenna washing her hands. I'm guessing she didn't leave them much choice, it was either photograph what she does all day, or not photograph at all!!

Speaking of Daddy-Daughter Relationships...

In more exciting news... We recently learned that my brother is going to experience his own "daddy/daughter" bond soon... Greg and Jessica are having a GIRL!!!

I'm so excited for Jenna to have a baby cousin to play with. We already made a pact that, if Greg and Jess move back to the east coast, we will both commit to finding a neutral location halfway between us (i.e. Delaware) to get together at least once (preferably twice) a month so the kids (and adults) can play. I think we all recognize the importance of remaining a close knit family -- Greg and I were raised with a close group of first cousins nearby, and while Jessica is an only child, she grew up with a huge, very close extended family. Personally, I can't help but see Greg being surrounded by women as penance for how mean he was to his little sister growing up, but I know that he and Jessica are both over the moon about their new addition, and I was surprised to learn that my macho (formerly slightly male chauvinist, at least from the perspective of his little sister), soccer playing, football watching older brother wanted a girl all along...

Apparently when they found out they were pregnant, Greg immediately knew it would be a girl, despite everyone else (me included!) guessing "boy" all along. On Friday, when they received confirmation of their pink future, Jessica shared with me the sentiment Greg had shared with her... He knew he would have a girl as some cosmic way of compensating for all the important women he had recently lost in his life (our mom passed away just before he met Jess, and our grandma, truly the matriarch of my dad's side of the family, passed away shortly after they met). Greg was hoping for a girl, and to everyone's surprise but his, his wish came true.

I am just so excited for Greg and Jess, and for little baby girl Mandy; and I'm so proud of my big brother. I had a whole long story typed here about why I'm proud of Greg, and why I know my mom would be so proud of him, but that's a little too personal for the blogosphere, so I think I'm going to save it to write in a little note to future Ms. Mandy. For now, I'll leave you with Greg and the adorably pregnant Jessica (note to self, not fair that some people look this cute pregnant!) It's nice to see that Greg has already learned his place, bowing down to the women in his life!!

The best thing about having a little girl...

How much they love their daddy's...

This was the only time in the last week or two that Jenna has taken a moment to be quiet and relax... normally she's always on the move. Out of nowhere, she just climbed in daddy's lap and snuggled in. I took a bunch of pictures, they got more adorable with each picture!.

(I know I've posted this one before, but I don't have the whole sequence from the above picture here at work, so I thought I'd use this one as a placeholder!)

All the sudden, over the weekend, Jenna has turned into a HUGE daddy's girl. She's obviously always loved Josh, but now it's "DADDY!!!" all the time. She wants Daddy to read her books, she wants Daddy to do things with her, she wants Daddy to come everywhere. She is a big fan of going up to Josh, grabbing his hand, and saying "pull" and pulling him up from where ever he is sitting, or pulling him away from whatever he is doing, and insisting that he come with us. Bedtime used to be a Jenna and Mommy event. I'd get her ready, we'd go "kiss daddy good night" and say "night night" then go upstairs, and I'd sing our special "mommy loves you" song (to the tune of Frere Jacques) and she'd go right to bed.

Now, when I try to take her upstairs, she screams "dadddyyyyyy" like a pained puppy, until daddy comes and we make it a joint event. Now, granted, that might just be Jenna trying to avoid going to bed. A lot of times, she just screams for the other parent, when the parent she is with is trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to do (as the "functional" parent, that's usually me). But still, there's no denying that this little girl loves her daddy.

We were in the den yesterday, and Josh was downstairs working out. Jenna went to the closed door leading down to the basement, and banged on it, screaming "daddyyyy!!" She even got down on the floor, looking through the little crack between the door and the floor, as though she could somehow squeeze herself through and make it down to daddy. When we're outside playing, she runs to him with open arms, and when we're inside, she wants to be on him, with him, next to him, etc.

Part of me is just the tiniest bit jealous... When she was little, she needed me for her needs and wanted me for her wants. Now, as she gets older, she wants daddy more and more, and I know she'll only continue that trend. BUT I think back to my own child hood, and my special "daddy daughter days" (which I still remember in detail, I remember seeing the huge white stair case with the gold railings at Owings Mills mall, and thinking I was in a castle. Ha, if only I could have seen what it would become one day!)

Despite my twinge of jealousy, I wouldn't want it any other way. I have the most wonderful husband, and Jenna is so lucky to have a dad who loves her so much, who is so involved and engaged with her, who never gets tired or frustrated when she exhibits her seemingly endless toddler temper these days, who always finds a way to make her light up and laugh.

Besides -- from the girly tendencies she's exhibiting lately, I don't think I have to worry too much... I have a feeling I'll always be able to engage Jenna in a special "mommy/daughter" day, where we go for mani/pedi's, etc. When daycare is closed, Josh's mom is kind enough to watch Jenna for us. Nancy has a big closet with a vanity full of make-up... Jenna's favorite place in the whole house. As soon as she gets to Josh's parents house, she goes right up to their bedroom, into their closet like she's lived there forever, turns on the light, and marches straight to the make-up. Now, whenever she sees make-up at home, she is obsessed... especially with my lipsticks. She finds them in my purse, demands that we open them, and insists on putting on lipstick, by herself... no one is allowed to help her... which is why she usually winds up with it all over her face... case in point...

Last but not least, since I don't update often... Jenna's other newfound love is the park...

The weather was so nice this weekend, so on Saturday we took her to Meadowood to play on the playground and run around. She loved it, but the only problem is... she's used to daycare, where all the toys and bikes and strollers, etc, are for communal use. She's not used to seeing something she wants and not being allowed to play with it. We didn't bring her stroller, since we just walked in from the parking lot, and knew she'd want to run around outside. Whenever we saw another child's stroller, or even worse, their bikes/tricycles/scooters/wagons, she went right up and tried to use/play with them. I had to tell her no... it didn't go over well, and when we left the park, we did so holding a kicking/screaming toddler. Her favorite part about the day, though, was the swings. She LOVED the swings. When I first started pushing her, she was cracking up. Then she would just sit there quietly, enjoying the nice weather. When we'd think she was bored, and we'd try to take her out, she'd go crazy... "swiiiiiing!!" until we put her back in. I think we're going to need a swingset in our backyard one day (although it doesn't look like we're going to have much of a backyard, depending on where we move!! Fortunately the park is never too far away!!)

Ok so I haven't had much time to update lately, things at work and home have been crazy, and (fingers crossed) we have a contract on our house now, but it's subject to a home inspection that we're very nervous about!! Anyway, I'll post pictures later, because most of my (one or two) loyal blog readers are also on facebook, so there are only so many times I can post the same pictures... but I wanted to share a cute annecdote.

Over the weekend, we were in a rush, so I was putting on my make-up while sitting on the sofa with Jenna. She doesn't really see me put on make-up, cause I usually do it either on the drive to work (safe, right?) or once I get here, and on weekends, I'll put it on in the bathroom, etc.

So, I have this Stila blush-stick thing. It looks like a mini deodorant tube:

I rarely use it, cause you just swipe it on your face then rub it in till it looks right, and who has the time these days. But, for some reason this weekend, I decided to put it on. So Jenna sees me put the stuff on my face, and she asks me to put it on hers. I put the tiniest little dot on her cheek, and while I use my hand to rub it in, I said "mushy mushy mushy."

I keep my makeup in a very non-descript black make-up kit. I never knew Jenna even paid attention to it. But the other night, we're cleaning up the house and she brings it over to me, hands me the whole zipped-closed make-up kit, climbs up in my lap, rubs her little hands on my cheeks, and said "mushy mushy mushy!"

Have I mentioned I love this girl? Even thinking about these silly little stories makes me laugh!

The Wheels on the Bus

Here's a cute little video of Jenna playing with her best buds, Lennon and Tali, in the parking lot of the world's hottest, most unbearable animal/carnival show. We had a great time in the parking lot, though!! TONS of pictures and updates to come soon!!

Here's Jenna dancing to the music teacher at Logan Roth's first birthday party... she and Tali were having a blast!

Here she is running around in our parking lot (in her PJ's, with her hair up) before bed one night.