Uma says "sigh" and then will sigh.

Uma hosted her first group playdate yesterday. She survived, but was apparently initially stunned by the people in the house. She recovered by eating massive amounts of snacks.

Uma's been having some allergies lately. After her bath, I gave her a liquid antihistamine with a syringe, which I then set aside so I could comb her hair. Uma rather likes the taste of her "mayo" (medicine), and the half teaspoon I gave her wasn't enough, so she picked that syringe up and sucked out the last few drops.

Last night, the TV was apparently too loud, and it woke Uma up. There was no trouble, though; we heard her singing to herself for a while, then apparently engaging in a conference with her advisors, and then she fell back asleep.

Uma's puma and Snowflake are learning how to use the phone. They do it just like Uma does: phone to the ear, blank expression, staring straight ahead, and saying absolutely nothing.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/31/2007 08:36:00 AM   1 comments

Uma's vision is so good she needs impairitive lenses.


Wee buh. Wee buh. Wee buh!


Oh! What a beautiful hat this iiiiiiiiiiisssss!

posted by Ketan @ 1/30/2007 08:18:00 AM   0 comments

Over the last month, Uma has gotten really attached to her stuffed animals. Not all of them, of course; some are clearly more worthy than others. You've seen her puma before, which at present is her number one. Last week, we spent 15 minutes looking for her puma just before bed time (someone had put her in an empty oatmeal box; I wonder who'd do that...). I'd tell you her name, but I can't write it in English; it's Uma's version of a meow.

Her current number two is Snowflake, a.k.a., "so way," the dog featured in two of today's pictures. Snowflake is one of the few stuffed animals we purchased for Uma, grabbed in a pinch from a Wal-Mart in Kerrville, TX, when we foolishly forgot to bring any toys for Uma on a trip.

Finishing out Uma's top rankings of the moment are Sayo and Dayo, Starbear and this bizarre anthropomorphic duck with duck's heads for feet. Those two don't get carried around everywhere; usually they just stay in Uma's crib. They do have to be there at bed time, though, as seen in this picture from November.

I mention that these are the current rankings because they change frequently. Puma's on top right now, but a few weeks ago, Sayo and Dayo were tops. Snowflake has been rising in favor over the last week or so, and may challenge Puma for the top spot. I can't claim to understand the internal politics of Uma's clique; I can only report on the developments I observe. The top four seem pretty stable, although every now and then one of the bears makes an attempt to grab a place; just last week, one bear managed to secure a coveted position in the crib overnight, though he must have committed some egregious faux pas in the night, as he wasn't welcomed back. Or, more ominously, perhaps Puma, Sofay, Sayo, and Dayo all ganged up to force out the pretender. It's a woof-woof eat woof-woof world out there.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/29/2007 07:16:00 AM   0 comments

Uma's fat lip from her fall. We have reached an out-of-court settlement.

posted by Ketan @ 1/28/2007 08:30:00 AM   0 comments

Uma likes her window bench.

posted by Ketan @ 1/27/2007 08:28:00 AM   0 comments

I don't have the heart to tell Uma that penguins don't quack and giraffes don't roar.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/26/2007 08:09:00 PM   0 comments

I've been trying to teach Uma the names of colors off and on. Sometimes it seems she gets it, other times not so much. She has somehow fastened on to blue as the color of everything. She'll get a yellow ball and say "bvvvv bah," and I'll correct her, so she'll say "yeyo bah." Then she'll forget it and call it "bvvvv bah." Same for the red shirt she was wearing today. It was "bvvvv," I told her it was red, she called it a "wye" shirt briefly, and then it was "bvvvv" again. At least her pants today were blue, as was her diaper (also, all diapers are wet diapers, or "wye dayo," even poopy or clean ones). The best was when I told her the ball was red, and she told me it was a "wye bvvvv bah" (red blue ball). I'll keep working on it.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/25/2007 10:32:00 AM   0 comments

Uma favorite game is something that Ketan and I call "Go." Basically what happens is Uma will come up to you, thrust the string from a wheeled pull toy in your hand, and issue the command, "Go!" Then you have to walk in endless circles from the living room to the dining room into the kitchen and then back into the living room again while Uma follows closely behind you. She's kind of a control freak throughout the game. She gets mad if you don't keep up your pace, and if you are pulling her little toy wagon behind you, don't even think about putting anything on it. She will yell "uh-oh" and snatch it off. Once, feeling a little punchy after a long session of "Go," I ran off in the opposite direction with contraband on board the wagon just to mess with her. Let me just say, the ensuing temper tantrum ensured I would not try that again anytime soon.

Labels: words

posted by Jessica @ 1/24/2007 09:09:00 PM   5 comments

Just reading the newspaper with Puma (Uma's name for her can't be written in English).


Little Red Riding Hood off to "go" (draw).

posted by Ketan @ 1/23/2007 09:14:00 AM   0 comments

 
This is by far Uma's favorite part of the book, easily ahead of the Fireflies Fandango ("fah fie"). She points at it and says, "Eyes. Eyes. Eyes."

posted by Ketan @ 1/22/2007 08:11:00 AM   0 comments

Uma likes to call herself a good girl. Often her reasons for doing so are a little confusing to us. For example, when she's upset with something (usually some torture or indignity we're inflicting on her), as she's crying, she'll sob out a "Goo ger. Nay," ("nay" = "yay").

She'll also say it for things in which lesser individuals would be unable to find celebration or validation, such as selecting a diaper cover (this morning), convincing us to turn on the music, or putting a book in her stroller. What's especially funny (to me) is that she usually says it in a completely stoic monotone, like she's channeling her sullen teenaged self from 11 years in the future. "Go ger. Nay."

Yesterday, as I was changing her diaper, she told me she was a good girl. Then she said Molly was a good girl. Then she said Sadie was a good girl. Finally, in what will surely rank as one of the most touching moments of my life, something that brought a quiver to my lip and tears to my eyes, she said, "Goo ger. Dada."

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/21/2007 08:38:00 AM   0 comments

 
Uma and the step-stool in happier days, before their falling off. Er. Out. Whatever.

posted by Ketan @ 1/20/2007 08:18:00 AM   0 comments

 A cool customer in the bath.

 Hooray! Splashy!

 Uma likes riding on Daddy's shoulders.

posted by Ketan @ 1/19/2007 09:35:00 AM   0 comments

Uma really, really likes Sadie. Sadie, um... tolerates Uma.


We told them to sit. Two out of three ain't bad.

posted by Ketan @ 1/18/2007 08:40:00 AM   0 comments

Uma stumbled and fell off a stool this morning, earning her First Bloody Nose. She was kind of upset, understandably, but now she's happily chasing around her alligator, which had been in retirement until coming back for the special occasion of Bloody Nose After Three Days Stuck At Home. She also bit her lips a bit.

Speaking of biting lips, Uma's upper two canines are finally coming in. The left one is sticking out pretty far, while the right one is just barely peeking out. Next up: two year molars. Those will be fun.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/17/2007 10:45:00 AM   2 comments

Uma is seeing her first snow right now. She calls it "so."

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/16/2007 11:26:00 AM   0 comments

Uma finally decides to tolerate her Halloween costume.

posted by Ketan @ 1/15/2007 08:18:00 AM   0 comments

Uma has expensive taste in jewelry.

posted by Ketan @ 1/14/2007 08:13:00 AM   0 comments

Uma's bashful pose.

posted by Ketan @ 1/13/2007 08:56:00 AM   0 comments

Uma has a cold. She seems to have a fever, and her nose has been running since yesterday. The runny nose has been annoying her. In a first, Uma has been asking to have her nose wiped. Previous times she has been sick, wiping her nose has been a battle. This morning, however, she pointed at the box of tissues and vocalized insistently. We've since taught her to say "wipe nose." We'd have made it "wipe nose please," but Uma's not yet putting three words together.

Labels: words

posted by Ketan @ 1/12/2007 09:10:00 AM   1 comments

Uma declaims while waiting for her meal.


Peek-a-boo, I see you.


Sometimes we question Uma's commitment to dental hygiene.

posted by Ketan @ 1/11/2007 08:01:00 AM   0 comments

Uma busts a move.

posted by Ketan @ 1/10/2007 08:20:00 AM   0 comments

This water, it's just amazing!

posted by Ketan @ 1/09/2007 08:08:00 AM   0 comments

Uma is never this still and cooperative when we read to her.

posted by Ketan @ 1/08/2007 09:53:00 AM   0 comments

Uma rests up. There's even more Christmas on its way.

posted by Ketan @ 1/07/2007 08:11:00 AM   0 comments

Bundled up against the chill of a yellowish-green Christmas.

posted by Ketan @ 1/06/2007 08:27:00 AM   0 comments

What are you so confused about? They're socks... They go on your feet. You know, "SAYO." <sigh> Give me those.

posted by Ketan @ 1/05/2007 08:41:00 AM   0 comments

Give me more cookie or the orange juice gets it.

posted by Ketan @ 1/04/2007 08:49:00 AM   0 comments

Ayuh and Ayuh practice for the Third Annual Child-Throwing.

posted by Ketan @ 1/03/2007 08:30:00 AM   0 comments

Just a goofy face.

posted by Ketan @ 1/02/2007 08:12:00 AM   0 comments

Over the past couple of weeks, Uma has started to engage in pretend play. Sometimes she will sit one of her stuffed animals next to her when she's eating and pretend to feed it by holding a bite of food up to its mouth and saying, "num num" before popping the food in her mouth. She also pretends to talk Grandma on a toy telephone. She holds the phone up to her ear and say, "Gow [her current word for Grandma], uh-huh, uh-huh..." followed by a stream of babble.

Uma has also taken an interest in fashion. Most mornings she insists on picking out her own clothes. Usually if I give her two options to choose from, she's satisfied. This morning, however, she rejected four pairs of pants before she found ones that she liked. Later we narrowly missed a show down over which jacket she would wear on our walk. Since it was cold out, I wanted her to wear her heavy jacket. A light corduroy jacket, however, was more to her liking. Finally we reached a compromise: she would wear her corduroy jacket underneath the heavier jacket.

Labels: words

posted by Jessica @ 1/01/2007 01:06:00 PM   0 comments