Life in the Fast Lane

Ryan is happy to see that she's taken a liking to Splenda.

" 'It's better to have sprinkled and lost than never to have sprinkled at all.' "

"I'm learning so much from these packets."

She unloaded everything as I tried to put it in to dry.

She seems like such a big girl on her car.

"Did I just hit a squirrel?!"

She's probably scheming of how to ram the gate at just the right angle and climb the stairs.

Monday we went to playgroup at a house in the subdivision behind us. It was a beautiful day, so we walked and Raegan did great in the stroller. She has been fussing in it lately when we walk, but she didn't make a peep this time. She even fell asleep on the way home. The house had a play room, and I was so jealous! I don't think our toys are out of control, but it would be really nice to have them in a designated play room. I think that will be a must for our next house. Tuesday Raegan's car came, and I put it together during her nap. She has been pushing it and riding on it. She rams it into the wall and gets mad that it's not rolling anymore, so we're working on the reverse gear. She can't push herself yet (Flintstone style), so we ride her around the living room and kitchen. Ryan drives a little fast for my comfort, but she has fun.

Raegan has been very fascinated with our skin this week. She likes to poke our belly buttons and touch my stomach, legs, and feet. She's doing really well with her sippy cup. We first gave it to her about 3 months ago, and she just chewed on the spout, but wasn't drinking. She held it correctly by the handles but didn't tip it up enough. I tried drinking from one, and it takes more effort than I realized, more than drinking from a bottle. I took the valve out of them this week, and she's been drinking water like a pro. It's messier without the valve, but it's not a big deal since it's just water and she's in her high chair. I'll put them back in soon and see how she does now that she realizes how they work. She drops a lot of things from her high chair, mostly on purpose. We've been signing "help" and she signed it back to us today several times when she dropped something and when she rammed her car into the wall and wanted it turned around. I read that babies can start signing around 9 months. They understand the sign before then, but physical barriers (lack of necessary motor skills) delay them. It seems like she picked up on "help" really quickly, but maybe it's from seeing the sign so many times recently after dropping everything she gets her hands on.

We're getting ready for the finale of Lost tonight. Tony and Shaina are coming over for pizza and bringing a tropical dessert. I'll miss the show a little, but I'm ready for closure.