Danielle, arm sockets, Hanna, favorite word

Wow, my journal posting rate has really plummeted since I started working. Anand says I shouldn't be working so much because really, there would be no consequences if I slacked off a little. I'm still working on a retort for that one. I really want to work right this minute, but I'm going to do a little catching up here first!

We visited Danielle Molotsi 2 weeks ago on the 20th. She was just 2 days young and so pretty. I had forgotten how small a newborn can be. We enjoyed watching Hugh change his first diaper. He did fine, so it was not quite as comical as my first when August peed and pooped TWICE during a single diaper change, causing me to run out of clean diapers... outdoors... at a new mother's group. It was also fun listening to Hugh and Michelle disagree about what might or might not "hurt the baby!" August is 30 pounds and almost 3 feet tall (35 inches) but Anand & I still have the same argument every week. Especially when he swings her around by the arms - and thus the arm sockets. Anand only thinks about the fun and I tend to focus on the sockets.

Now that we have a bit more fun money to play with, I've been buying more clothes for August from Hanna Andersson. Somehow, HA designs their clothing in such a way that it looks good on a kid whether it's loose or close-fitting. This extends the lifetime of a shirt considerably for a kid that grows half an inch per month. I have to switch out most of August's clothing every 3-4 months, but the stuff I get from Hanna is (incredibly!) approaching the one year mark. They also get points for bright colors (baby pastels are tiresome), comfy cotton, and fun patterns (stains aren't as noticable).

I was trying to get her out of the car last week with a few bribes. This is how the conversation went:

me: August, come out and play with your bicycle!
August: No!
me: Do you want a snack?
August: No!
me: Do you want dinner?
August: No!
me: Do you want sushi?
August: No!
me: Is your favorite word, "No?"
August: No!
Anand: What is your favorite word?
August: Mine!

I love that she's starting to get the hang of slightly abstract concepts. She can count to 15, name a bunch of colors (blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, pink, black), sing all of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" sing most of "ABC" and "Wheels on the Bus", share food and toys, take turns, and crack jokes.