Uma Puma Big Girl Blog: August 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

pushing cloth

A child's work is never done.

Uma takes an unsanctioned break.

posted by Ketan @ 8/31/2006 07:50:00 AM 0 comments

Ssssh.... this is a library.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

what's a lamo?

Uma made her first trip to San Antonio this past weekend, and only her second trip beyond the Austin metropolitan area. She made friends with some boys (properly chaperoned, of course). Andrew is almost 3, while Michael is just a few weeks older than Uma. Then it was back for home. She was remarkably good on the 80 minute drive. There was a little complaining towards the end on the way down, and she was an absolute angel on the way back. I was sure the only way she'd tolerate another 80 minutes was if she fell asleep, but she stayed awake and content the whole way, even helpfully pointing out all the buses (trucks), buses (vans), and buses (buses). Ever since then, she's been reminding us that she went to visit Michael (sorry, Andrew) by saying "my-uhh" a lot. Uma likes making friends. She still occasionally mentions her cousin Nick ("nayoo"), who visited weeks ago. We've told her he went "bye-bye," and she'll respond "bah-bah" when we ask her where Nick went.

The other day, Uma learned how to walk on her tip toes. I've taught her what it's called, so often I can say "tippy toes" and she'll start to do it. She's quite the dutiful child.

Uma can say in theory many words, but a lot of them sound the same. Burp (her daddy is what he is) is bar, bus is buh, ball is baa, and elbow is bow (as in the verb, not the noun). Same goes for a lot of other words. It seems like consonants give her trouble, especially at the ends of words. The number of words she understands is amazing. She can understand instructions like "close the door," "put that down," and "bring the book to Mommy."
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/30/2006 07:58:00 AM 0 comments

old shoes

Remember when these shoes used to fit me?

I guess they're still good for something.

One must be properly fitted out for an expedition of exploration.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Uma is a thoughtful child.

posted by Ketan @ 8/29/2006 07:39:00 AM 0 comments

A rare glimpse of the Puma at rest.

Monday, August 28, 2006

"Daddy, I've discovered a type of grass completely unlike the grass we have at home. It's green!"

posted by Ketan @ 8/28/2006 07:44:00 AM 1 comments

Attack of the Giant Uma!

Sunday, August 27, 2006

That's some good water, mmm hmmm.

posted by Ketan @ 8/27/2006 10:06:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, August 26, 2006

Uma takes dental hygiene very seriously.

posted by Ketan @ 8/26/2006 07:55:00 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 25, 2006

semi sweet

Whaddya mean, semi?

These people don't feed me, so I have to forage for my own meals.

Uma holds back a witty rejoinder, knowing her Daddy's ego is tender.

All that sweetness is exhausting for a little girl.

posted by Ketan @ 8/25/2006 08:00:00 AM 0 comments
Thursday, August 24, 2006

uma visits the children's museum

Uma learns about the modern transportation system.

Here fishy fishy fishy...

Uma the daredevil.

Movie star glamor hair.

posted by Ketan @ 8/24/2006 07:57:00 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

wagon train

Uma tours the neighborhood.

Uma takes a break to examine some botanical specimens.

"*sigh*. I told Daddy to check the gas tank before we left... Why do I have to push the wagon?"

posted by Ketan @ 8/23/2006 07:45:00 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Uma has a bottle, and it is good.

posted by Ketan @ 8/22/2006 08:35:00 AM 0 comments

Thirsty.... so thirsty....

Monday, August 21, 2006

Like her Daddy, Uma enjoys a good sit.

posted by Ketan @ 8/21/2006 08:52:00 AM 1 comments

Food tastes better when Ajoba serves it.

Uma comes for the stars and stays for the stripes.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

clean streak

Lately, Uma has been bringing me junk she finds on the floor. Loose threads, rocks, leaves, and scraps of paper are among the detritus she finds. With great fanfare, she picks up whatever it is, comes hustling over to me, and hands it over. As she walks away, no doubt in search of more debris, she often mutters "yuh yuh" (yucky), leaving me to do... well, whatever I'm supposed to do. For some reason she doesn't do this to Mommy.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/20/2006 08:41:00 AM 0 comments

laundry day

Uma helps Mommy with the laundry.

Remember, it isn't child labor if they don't get paid.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Uma's really been into hats lately.

posted by Ketan @ 8/19/2006 07:31:00 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 18, 2006

pinky

See, pink matches with pink, Daddy, not blue. Blue is for boys, and boys are icky.

Uma the Mountaineer.

Hahahahatless!

posted by Ketan @ 8/18/2006 09:19:00 AM 0 comments
Thursday, August 17, 2006

"Daddy, wearing a hat like this is a contrived affectation, and I just have too much respect for my fans to do it."

posted by Ketan @ 8/17/2006 08:22:00 AM 0 comments

Uma takes care to be well-hydrated during the hot summer months.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Uma has learned how to use a fork.

posted by Ketan @ 8/16/2006 07:50:00 AM 0 comments

Uma dances.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

glorious

Uma has been sleeping through the night for over a week now. This has also been accompanied by much, much less fuss when taking naps and going to bed for the night. It makes life a lot easier for us, and I think it makes her happier as well. She sleeps from around 7:30pm to about 7am, with a single nap of between 90 minutes and 3 hours starting at noon. I think she finally gets that sleep is good. She also wakes up more happily. Those mornings start with some murmuring, followed maybe by some "Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. Dada. Dada. Dada. Dada." Once she gets impatient, it turns into "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." That's as in out, but she hasn't acquired T yet.

Her big thing lately has been going outside. She likes to go out on the patio, in our backyard, or walking down the street. The weather here has been rather ferocious, though, so we don't want to spend 4 hours outside every day like Uma does. There's a lot of "ow" then, too.

Another thing she has been doing lately is "sneaking" into our bedroom and closing the door. After a few seconds, it isn't funny anymore. Then it's "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

I've been playing her music every morning after her breakfast to keep her from running off somewhere else in the house while I eat my breakfast. It works for a while. She still does her standard Jackknife Dance™, but she's also thrown in a Stomp Dance, where she walks around with her right leg stepping especially high. This morning, she was doing some kind of wiggly thing that might be another dance, if she sticks to it.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/15/2006 01:44:00 PM 0 comments

pretty in pink

Too cute for words.

Dimplicious.

A family resemblance.

Monday, August 14, 2006

sweet 16

I can't believe I forgot that Uma hit 16 months yesterday. Must have been all the excitement over Grandma's birthday. Uma's present to her? She says Grandma now. Well, it's "gruh," but we know what she means.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/14/2006 09:16:00 AM 0 comments

Uma rocks out to some "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

Uma's Formula One racer outfit.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Uma rehearses her appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

posted by Ketan @ 8/13/2006 08:14:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, August 12, 2006

Uma models her cabana wear.

posted by Ketan @ 8/12/2006 09:07:00 AM 0 comments

Uma demonstrates what happens to those who cross her.

Friday, August 11, 2006

safety first

Because I am careless and lazy, I often neglect to put the child-safe locks on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Luckily, Uma is on the job. When she sees them, she tries to put them back on. She can't do it by herself, but that usually gets my attention. It's as though she's gently chiding me, "Daddy, you need to be more careful. A baby lives here."
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/11/2006 07:44:00 PM 0 comments

Uma is.... OK, I have to confess I really have no idea what she's doing.

Uma understands the importance of stretching to prevent injury.

Uma experiments with gravity and air resistance.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

If you try to take Uma's balloon from her, she'll garrote you with the ribbon.

posted by Ketan @ 8/10/2006 09:29:00 AM 0 comments

Uma likes her stacking cups.

Uma really, really likes her stacking cups.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Uma is already learning the joy of dress up.

posted by Ketan @ 8/09/2006 07:49:00 AM 0 comments

This was completely Uma's idea, I swear.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

sit, uma, sit

Uma has discovered the joy of sitting on things. Her way is to face away from the target and walk backwards. Often, her aim is off, and she plops to the floor. When she succeeds, though, she's really pleased with herself. Still, we have to keep a close eye on her: "Uma, don't sit on Molly."

Uma very obediently put her toys away in the bath tonight after I told her it was cleanup time. I called her a good girl after she put one toy away, but apparently that wasn't enough; she clapped her hands vigorously, and, chastened, I applauded as well.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/08/2006 08:13:00 PM 0 comments

Lemme brush your hair, Daddy.

Uma marches off to the front, ready to do battle.

I tried to convince Uma that it was Elmo on her bib, not Cookie Monster. Obviously, I was unsuccessful.

Monday, August 07, 2006

All bundled up after playing out in the cold rain.

posted by Ketan @ 8/07/2006 08:49:00 AM 1 comments

Uma and Grandma have a good time together.

Uma picks up some health tips.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Uma examines a floor.

posted by Ketan @ 8/06/2006 09:05:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, August 05, 2006

Uma knows tongue depressors go in her mouth, but that's it.

posted by Ketan @ 8/05/2006 08:57:00 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 04, 2006

head

Countless times, Uma has bumped her head on something or another. We would soothe her and tell her, "that hurts, you bumped your head." Then we would pat her head to identify what we meant by the word. Now, whenever Uma hurts herself, she pats her head. It doesn't matter if she pinched her fingers in a cupboard door, or stubbed her toe, or fell down, she always pats her head.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/04/2006 09:06:00 PM 0 comments

Talking with one's mouth full is an important developmental milestone.

Brown Bear (we're very creative) is a frequent companion when Uma goes out.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

happy times

Uma likes dancing a lot. Her dancing is very simple: she bends at the waist and then straightens. She dances to music, singing, clapping, and the rhythmic kneading of the bread machine.

Her newest favorite game is "bug hug." Mommy and Daddy sit on the floor with some separation between them. Uma goes to Mommy, who says "bug hug!" Then she picks Uma up, gives her a hug (which can last no more than 4 seconds), and puts her back down. Uma then goes charging off to Daddy with a wild grin on her face shrieking happily. Daddy says "bug hug!" Then he picks her up, gives her a hug (again, no more than 4 seconds), and puts her back down. Then Uma goes to Mommy.

We've been regularly reading Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight, Moon to Uma every night. She enjoys it a lot. I ask her at the end of her evening, "Uma, do you want to read a story?" She goes zipping off to her bedroom, not getting distracted by toys, spoons, shiny things, or even Molly. If Mommy or Daddy isn't there, she marches off to collect the truant. Story Time is not to be neglected.
Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 8/03/2006 07:16:00 PM 0 comments

Mmmm.... potting soil.

Look at all of these weeds. Do I have to do everything?

Wow... the ceiling is really high.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Uma has her own computer for doing work.

It's a portable.

posted by Ketan @ 8/02/2006 08:44:00 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Dignity, thy name is Uma.

posted by Ketan @ 8/01/2006 08:26:00 AM 0 comments

Our little bookworm.

Our next item appears to be a simple black sock, but is in fact a treasure beyond measure.