First of Many

This week, Iris mocked me openly for what I'm sure will be the first of many times. I was Walking Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone when Iris decided to join me for some exercise. I was already 15 minutes or so into, and therefore sweating and breathing hard. Iris got right in front of the TV, did two arm raises and started huffing and puffing herself. Geez, kid, do you have to rub it in?

Also, we've been working on the Itsy Bitsy Spider song/hand motions and today she came up to me and made a spider sign (which I didn't recognize at first), then yelled "RAIN!" and made the rain motion, and then "SUN!" with a sun motion. It took me a minute to figure out what she was doing, but now that I have caught on to the game we are playing it a lot. Good times!

Time Flies...

especially when you're busy having a second birthday party and being sick. I know I have been slacking on the blog, but sometimes that is just how it goes! You can see the pictures from Iris's birthday party (hosted by the lovely Taylor family) right here. Iris caught a little cold the day she turned two, which was kind of sad, but we still had a really good time. I think opening present and eating cake was a great distraction from the sniffles.

Just to get us caught up to the present day, Halloween was yesterday and even though we all got dressed up, our Trick or Treating ambitions were thwarted by a flat tire. Thankfully, Iris is still too young to really "get" the whole thing, so she couldn't have cared less. She probably did wonder why we dressed her up like a cat and then just wandered around our apartment building aimlessly for a half hour or so, but when you're two, you don't question these things too much.

I'm super happy with the Halloween pictures this year. Definitely some keepers there! I think the one in this post is my favorite, but I've already changed my mind 10 times today, so I expect it will change again. I'm a woman, so it's my prerogative! The only other thing to say about Halloween is that when I asked Iris what the kitty said, she replied with an emphatic, "Oh yeah!" I promise, she knows the correct response... but she has started giving us silly answers sometimes. It's a fun developmental milestone!

There are more Halloween pictures at Iris's Smug Mug page, so you can peruse at your leisure and order any prints you want. Because everyone needs an Iris-kitty on their mantel!

Pearly Whites

Iris is really into brushing her teeth right now, especially since we bought this little stool. She would do it all day if she could! I admire her commitment to dental hygiene, except mostly she just waves the toothbrush around in front of her mouth... hmmm. Still working on that one!

Look Who's Talking

In the last month or so, Iris has experienced what I can only describe as a language boom. She's been slightly behind schedule with talking- not really enough to be concerned, but just not seeming to be as interested in using words as most kids her age. She would say "Ma" for instance when upset, but not really any other time. Now, she calls me "Mama" pretty regularly, whether she wants something or just wants me to know she can say it. She also says:

• no
• okay (as a substitute for yes)
  
• I know
• uh-oh
• oh no!
  
• noooooo (when pointing to her nose)
• mow (ryhmes with "ow" when pointing to her mouth)
• hair
  
• ear
• eye
  
• mama
• daddy
• woof woof' (and she sticks out her tongue and pants sometimes... very cute)
• co (puts her arms around herself and fake shivers)
• hawww (which I know to be hot, because she blows on her hand when she says it, the same way we blow on her food when it is too hot)
  

That's just the short list. There's a lot more where that came from! It's so amazing to me, because two months ago, she was barely saying anything. She takes her time, but once she makes up her mind to do something, she really goes all out.

A Girl and Her Blankie: A Love Story

Before Iris was born, some friends from my local yarn store, the Knit Nook, knit and assembled squares for a blanket for Iris. I was (and still am) so touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity. They knew that I would prefer something less traditional than baby pink, so they picked a color scheme that was still girly, but vivid and interesting. I don't know who made every square, but I can pick out a few knitters by name. I never knit a blanket for her (and probably never will- baby blankets are just not my style) so it was a good thing I had knitting friends to pick up the slack.

As you can see, Iris really loves the blanket, day and night. I think she can feel the love emanating from it or something.

Fun with Oats

When faced with a canister of oatmeal that is about to expire, you can either try to cook it all really fast. Or, you could get a day's worth of fun out of it!


First it was a drum.




After the concert, there was some stacking.


After that, it wasn't long before she was mixing it up- and dumping it out- all over the floor.


Oats are serious business, apparently!

Out of the Gate

I'm Iris's mom, saying hello and welcoming you to This Week in Iris. I'll be blogging here about Iris's exploits on a weekly basis. (Usually on Sunday, if I can manage it.) Our extended family is pretty far flung, but I hope this will be a fun way for us all to keep up with her, no matter how many miles there are between us.

If you're looking for pictures, pictures, and more pictures, your best bet is to visit our photo hosting site here. Everything up to her first birthday is uploaded right now, and we will be steadily adding to the collection as time permits. You can order prints, mugs, shirts, and all kinds of stuff with Iris's picture on it if you are so inclined... pretty neat!