This is Bailey

July 16, 2007
This is Bailey

Bailey likes one sock on, one sock off. Usually it's the left that gets taken off. One shoe on, one shoe off, again the left shoe. She loves hair so her hair is often a mess and may have remnants of a meal in there. She plays with it for comfort and especially while taking a bottle or as she is falling asleep. Her hair is growing quickly now and is all in her eyes. She hates bows but is slowly warming up to them since they help her see better. She has a Hello Kitty bag of bows with a Hello Kitty brush and mirror. She has misplaced several bows though and I need to find them. She loves animals, probably because they are on her level. But with other kids her age, she is a bully. I think she is used to them always pushing her out of the way at playgrounds, the pool, play areas and such. So she has learned to stand up for herself. She is still very much afraid of strange people, especially bigger ones. She warms up quickly to soft voices. She loves to play in clothes still and will leave a trail of destruction. I can always tell where she has been. She often goes off on her own to play in her room, the boys' room, the bathroom sink, where ever life takes her. She isn't as curious to play in the chemicals and other childproofed areas as she once was. She is definitely my little explorer. She is learning to tell me when she needs a diaper change. And she likes to help with diaper changes. She will sit on her potty. She likes to practice putting clothes on and taking them off. She has always been obsessed with shoes and loves to go shopping for new ones. She loves to shop!! You should see her eyes light up when she gets out of the cart and knows she is free to wander around. Stuff starts flying off the shelves.

Meals are always quite messy since she isn't as fond of spoons and loves to play in her food and explore with her hands. And as mentioned earlier we know that eventually ends up in her hair as well. She hates bibs, always has so her clothes can get quite messy. She still cannot drink from an open cup, he tongue always gets in the way. So straws seem to go over better however even that can be messy. She has to be the center of attention. While outside playing around, she prefers to do her own thing and explore the world around her, just like in the house. She will go visit with Crystal, our dog. She walks around on her own terms and takes in as much as she can. She gets plenty of opportunities, at least once a day while I tend to the yard. She isn't into riding toys like the boys were always obsessed with. She has several, leftovers from the boys but they hardly ever get any attention. It may be time to sell off a few. She also has a treasued Dora tricycle but hasn't quite figured out how to make the pedals move.

She doesn't know life exists without me. We are never separated since I have to be there for her feedings. She isn't comfortable enough around anyone else to eat, well, except maybe Bradley. This wasn't intentional, it's a product of my staying home. So I need to work on destressing her so she can feel comfortable enough around other people in social situations and with meals.