Oh poop

Lately a lot of my posts have been about talking, though I've posted much less than I intended. Talking is exciting because I can understand a bit about how she sees her world. On our overseas trip we planned to get started on her potty training. We had the pull ups all ready to go, except she didn't like them and we didn't have space to pack them. Ok no pull ups then.

She could tell us when she needed to go poop but often too late. More recently she hasn't pooped into her diaper at all. She's been getting pretty good at it.

She's not so good at peeing yet. Just after her first time pooping into the toilet, she pees on the floor while waiting for the diaper to be put back on. Another time she finished her bath and again was waiting for a new diaper. My wife said she heard her say "wipe wipe" and found she was trying to wipe up after she peed on the floor again!

I like to think that I've played a role in potty training but the fact is my wife has much more impact and she is just learning at an incredible pace. I can't help but feel that I'm being left behind, unable to keep up in her changing world. It sounds silly as an adult but I've had trouble understanding what she's going through. Am I oversimplifying things? I hope I figure this out soon.

First airplane travel

Last week Jasmine got on her first flight. We didn't know what to expect. How would she feel being cramped in for 14 hours? We've all been on a flight with a crying baby and it can be stressful worrying about being bothersome to others. It seems people are getting better at accepting these scenarios.

Jasmine loved her flights. She was excited to see the airplanes. She had no trouble with the air pressure. Definitely a lot has changed about air travel since I was a kid. Nonstop overseas flights didn't exist back then or they were prohibitively expensive. Being able to fly nonstop means kids can sleep for longer,  or through the whole flight. Jasmine managed to sleep for most of our flights only waking towards the end after she slept her regular hours.

The jetlag was rough. With the time difference her naps mostly coincided with her usual naps. Overnight though we were all up around 3am. I can't blame her though - I was wide awake at that time as well but I'd try to go back to sleep. We'd all be back asleep by 5am.

When she's older I hope she will be just as excited as her first time. Long flights can be boring but there's a lot to look forward to once we land.

Talking is hard!

Jasmine has been talking for a few months now and her vocabulary and pronunciation improve daily. She loves talking but I think sometimes she gets frustrated at having to say so many things.

She didn't really rely on pointing at things as she generally knew the words or could get things herself. These days she seems to be forgetting words sometimes or just doesn't want to say the words. We have been teaching her to be polite and ask for things that she wants. It's tough to form sentences at her age but with repetition there's no reason she can't get it.

So I mark it down as frustration in communicating being so difficult. I'm getting better at being able to tell when she is being demanding and when she is genuinely troubled. It makes her so sad when she's troubled. She cries with such sadness and frustration. It pains me but I  can't let her just give up. If she attempts to repeat what I say, that's enough.

Yesterday she wanted me to blow some bubbles but forgot the words. She was pointing and pointing and I was guessing the wrong item. She cried but eventually got it. We played with some bubbles for a while and got a nice video. Today she asked for the bubbles again, with the right words, and we played again. I was so happy she said it right.

Sharing is caring

Jasmine loves to share, and we are especially proud of that. She also loves to socialize with both adults and children. At one of the play time sessions at the community centre she was playing with a couple of siblings. They had a quick snack time at the same time and Jasmine insisted on sharing her favorite snack with the older girl sibling. The girl didn't notice Jasmine so she was chasing the girl all over the gym trying to offer the snack. I made sure to explain that she wasn't ignoring the offer but instead was distracted by the toys.

This was months ago when Jasmine first really started walking. These days she walks all around and takes in the sights of our local Costco. The couches and chairs are her favorite. But no matter what she makes sure to smile at people that pass by. Those that compliment her get a wave back in response.

She's not a baby anymore. She can't put together a whole sentence yet but she can communicate and she loves it. We love it too.

Inspirational!

Sometimes when you're in constant contact you can miss some of the changes that happen. Jasmine has grown so much taller but it's hard to tell because she grows a little bit every day. We notice it when suddenly one day she can reach an item we put high up on a shelf.

Other changes are noticeable. Jasmine is very outgoing and social. She knows how to test the limits of her parents and grandma. We know because she runs up to us to plant a big kiss to ask for permission (it works sometimes).

But it's her perseverance that is truly inspirational. If she wants to climb up somewhere she'll figure out a way. That might mean pulling up a stool, cushion, or my leg.

My wife always reminds me to be careful what I do and say. One of the most hilarious things is Jasmine copies how grandma calls Mom by her name. Of course we want Jasmine to refer to her mom as mom so we have to hide our amusement when she does it. This will be one to retell in the future.

No holds barred

I remember when I was a novice father (I'm still currently beginner level) I was so afraid of accidentally pulling out a tiny arm or tiny leg. Her head flopped around and her back gave no support.

15 months later she's running around and climbing everything. Lately we've been going to the playground a bit while the weather is still warm. She is getting more adventurous and going down the slide relying less on me for support.

I still worry about the little arms and legs but she's stronge now too. It's fun to wrestle a bit. She thinks it's fine to use moves like "finger-down-throat" or "nose-bite".

It's off to work we go!

Mama leaves for work early so Jasmine is usually still asleep, but I tend to be there when she awakens. Generally she is quite content after a good sleep so she'll stick around pulling books off the shelf or hugging her giant bear.

Once in a while though she'll wake up before I do. Like I mentioned before she'll stay in the room playing but she can just as easily walk out and climb the stairs. One morning I was sleeping in a bit later than usual (I think it was a Saturday) and I try to glance around to make sure she's ok. I couldn't see her when I glanced around half awake so I thought, oh no, and dashed out to find her before she gets hurt. She wasn't anywhere. I went back to the room to find that she had rolled into a corner that she usually doesn't roll into.

Lately I had been going in to work a bit later in the morning to keep an eye on Jasmine before Grandma wakes up. When Jasmine sees Grandma she runs right over and gives her a big hug. If I ask Jasmine for a hug she will hug Grandma tighter. It's quite cute. Jasmine likes to help me get ready for work by bringing my shoes, but when I'm finally heading out she realizes I'm leaving and wants me to pick her up. How can I refuse? Eventually we wave bye-bye and I will return in a few hours.