Screen time

Callie has gotten into a very interesting diaper changing routine with Nai nai. Any #2's and she knows to grab the iPad and will hold it up and play with it while lying down and getting her diaper changed. Nai nai then gives her 10 min of iPad time   using the visual timer I bought. Nice thing is Callie knows to give the iPad up when the timer buzzes! No tantrums - whew!

I'm starting to get a little nervous about Callie's screen time though. She is liking YouTube a little too much! Today Callie started singing twinkle twinkle little star so mommy chimed in - Callie kept shaking her head no and saying "phone!" I would say - no, mommy sing! And she did not like that one bit! Kept shaking her head, saying phone and hiding her face during my performance! Tough crowd!

Daddy's birthday

Daddy's "36th" birthday was today and Callie made a birthday cake for daddy as a surprise! It was a blueberry yogurt cake recipe that mommy had found from the book bringing up bebe. Apparently, French parents let their toddlers make their own cakes - and this was a simple recipe using empty yogurt containers as measuring cups. We took that recipe and Callie made her own version for daddy and it came out delicious!

We put a tray to try and capture most of the mess but there definitely was a lot of flour and sugar everywhere! Callie did great scooping and pouring with a little guidance from mommy! She measured out the baking powder great with her teaspoon (it took maybe 5 scoops before she got to 1-1/2 tsp per the recipe!) and she even successfully cracked an egg (tap tap on the counter and used her thumbs to pry it open) and put it in the bowl (with a few shells). Callie insisted on transferring the blueberries one by one vs pouring the whole bowl in - so it took some time. But after doing some mixing and into the oven 45 min later - viola! A delicious blueberry yogurt cake from chef Callie emerged! Daddy was so happy!

Yummy!

Callie making birthday card for daddy!

Watch what you say!

Callie is so fun to be around! 18 months is such an adorable age! She parrots so much of what you say - oh boy! Oh boy! Oh my goodness! Oh gosh! Lucky for us - nothing has slipped yet, although I'm starting to feel like she understands so much of what we say, I've started spelling out words when talking to daddy. Except daddy will be like - huh? What??lol!

Callie is learning so much - it's a new thing each day... Today we learned right and left! I can't even get it correct half the time and will need to refer to the "L" thumb and forefinger trick to remember correctly! But Callie knows her right body parts vs her left body parts! Changing diapers is easier now too because I'll ask her put her legs up (so I can put her new diaper under her), legs down (to undo the tabs on her old diaper), legs back up, back down and then side to side so I can attach the tabs on each side of her new diaper. Loving it!

The best part I love the most is the pretend play... She's learned how to wake up people (first learning with Bert the puppet) - we tap tap tap him on the shoulder with our finger and say Wake Up Bert! And now I send her to wake up daddy (who naps ALOT - supposedly Callie's playmat has some crazy sleepy effect on him... :P) and it's so funny to watch. But today it was Callie that was pretending to sleep and mommy would wake her up. She cracks up and it's too stinking cute.  Mwa mwa Callie! Love you!

Callie at Gymboree - she was playing with this blue scarf for 10 min! Kept covering her head and then was carrying it around all over!

Callie was loving blue - might be her favorite color? Kept grabbing all the blue items and taking them wherever she goes.

Callie sorting Pom poms by color