Night-time Routine

The bed time routine that Penelope and I have right now is too cute (at least from my perspective) not to comment on. After we get our PJs on and read some books, we turn out the light and sing a song together. Either I hold her and we sway a bit as I stand, or I hold her as we rock in the rocking chair in her room. Either way, there is only one song that will do these days: Baa Baa Black Sheep. It's not glamorous and not a song we taught her (she learned it at daycare), but man is she loyal to it. It is amazing how much this routine seems to mean to her right now. And I have to say, I love it too. In part because it is just a sweet thing that we share, and in part because it makes her so happy that she goes to sleep without a single cry or complaint.

Possession

Penelope is quickly mastering two word phrases, especially those involving possessions. For example, "daddy's coat" or "momma's cheerios." But her skills also extend into more complex phrases such as "gabba (gabby) bite" (don't worry, Gabby didn't bite her, just play bit her favorite toy, a monkey named Alex).

Beach Trip 2011

A few weeks ago we took a trip to the beach with a combo of various extended family members. It was quite a trip, involving some serious maneuvering and flexibility to avoid Hurricane Irene (don't ask, you don't want to know the details; but we are all fine and had a great time in the end). Here are some of our favorite pix:


Ben & I enjoy the beach, PJ is there too somewhere - credit to my sister Rachel for the artsy shot


Our nephew Gable devouring his umpteenth piece of watermelon!


Our brother-in-law Gable, my sister Rachel, and their boys Conley and Gable on the beach


Our Nephew Conley - how cute is this kid?


PJ and I checking out something down the beach


PJ's first time venturing into the ocean with Dad and Nana by her side

Her Own Name

Today Penelope started saying her own name. So far it sounds to me like "Pell-P," but that works for us. In fairness, she has been saying the names of her many of her classmates (Herbert, Emmett, Zachary) for weeks at least, but I guess when you give a kid a four syllable name, you are putting her at a disadvantage.

Welcome the Latest Granddaughter to the Champa Family

Last week the latest grandchild on Ben's side of the family arrived. The third girl in two and a half years, what a streak! On Sept. 2, Ben's sister Jenny and her husband Sabir welcomed June Apple Noor Muhammad to the world! Below are some pix:





We can't wait to meet her in person!

Songs

Penelope has begun in the last few weeks to sing songs to herself, and with us. The playlist thus far includes: "Twinkle Twinkle," "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and the "ABCs". You definitely have to know what you are listening for to be able to make them out, but again, this is a big step for us, last month she didn't do any singing at all!

Adventures in Potty Land

I know some of our blog followers will be mortified by any posts related to the world of potty training, so I will keep them to a minimum and also try to be sure the title makes it clear what you are in for. That being said, yesterday Penelope said to us "I pooped", and she was right! This was a breakthrough for several reasons. The biggest things were that she doesn't often use two word sentences and she hasn't used words much to tell us how she is feeling or something that is happening with her, so this was a big deal! Add to it that she was right and that it related to potty training stuff, which we aren't looking forward to much and seems to depend in good part on her awareness of what's going on with herself and her ability to tell us about it, and we were particularly excited.