No Good Shoes

Sometimes I can't help but browse through the toddler shoes at Target. Lyla doesn't care about fashion yet. She can't really even put on her own shoes by herself. So, she doesn't need more than one or two pairs...and yet...I can't help myself.

I recently bought these, Circo® Jamya Rainbow Athleisure - White shoes. So cute!

Well, besides the cute factor, they have no business being a toddler shoe. They are almost all white, and the two little straps that hold the foot inside are clearly off doing something else more important. The little velcro bit that helps that one strap stay on is about as helpful as Lyla is doing the dishes. Not at all.

I give these shoes 2 out of 5 binkys. They are still cute - just not practical.

Bath Toy Helper

Sometimes Mama likes to write blogs as well. I think we are going to take turns for awhile and SHARE while I play with toys. Here is Mama...

Giving Lyla a bath is a bit like giving a wiggling, wet, splashy ferret a bath. It's not dry and it's not uneventful. Long after bath time (which occurs only about once a week in our house) Lyla likes to play with the toys...and then throw them down as she pleases. I decided after months of picking the ducky, the whale, and the foam letters up from my bathroom floor, to get this:

It doesn't look like much, but boy does it work. It's called the Skip Hop Bath Toy Organizer. It sticks really well to the wall (you do have to lightly wet the suction cups to get them up there - and don't worry about this business to first attach the holder and THEN wait 10 minutes to put toys in there...whaa?) it holds a lot of toys, and best of all, all that blue you see is sort of this weird scuba foam which means the toys actually dry inside.

I give this magical little blue holder 5 out of 5 binkys. It's a life (and post bath time ducky) saver.

Please, Play With Me...Like This!

I've been playing with a lot of toys over the last year in a half. My Mama and Dada and Ba-Ba and Gamma and aunt-ees like to give me toys that I really, really like. But, sometimes I like to play with things that you might not understand.

Just in case you come over and play with me some day, here is a little list of some of my favorite things to do:

• I like to look at Mama's high school photo album. It's filled with pictures of people I don't know, but MAMA is in it!
• I like to take a pen (with the cap on or off) and pretend that I'm drawing. Usually this means I ask for paper or try to take your magazine that you are trying to read to use the pen on.
• I like to go to the computer chair, scream at Mama for Elmo and then sit on her (or your) lap while Elmo sings on the computer. (Mama note: Why aren't there more Elmo songs on iTunes?)
• I like to AH-BU things. I like to open and close almost everything. I can't really say "OOOH-PEN" yet, so I say AH-BU.
• BYE-BYE! Well, obviously I say this when I want to leave, but sometimes I say it when I am all done with whatever we are doing. I like to say this when Zoe the puppet comes out. She doesn't have to stay long.
• I like it when you count to 10 by opening one finger on each hand at a time. My FAVORITE is when you count to TWO. I like to grab your fingers and then pull them to my neck in a V like a necklace.
• I like to throw a ball by running at you with it...and then handing it to you.

I hope you come over to Lyla-sit sometime soon. Then you will know all of the things I like to do!

ABC's

These are my new Melissa & Doug alphabet letters from Mama. They stick to the ree-fridge-err-ay-ter. I like to point to the letters and say AEEEE BEEEEE CEEEE with Mama...and then flick all of the letters to the floor.

Is there another way to play with them?

But, I don't know how to stick them back on ree-fridge-err-ay-ter yet so I wish that was easier so I could keep playing with them and then sending them crashing to the floor.

I also have more letters in the box (Mama says they are lower case...er, what?) so maybe they will be more fun when I know what I can do with those. For now, I give these ABC's 3 out of 5 binkys. Once they are all on the floor, they are just like floor Cheerio's. Not that fun. :)

Where's Elmo?

Grandma Julie gave me my Elmo & Friends book. It's a BIG book with all of my favorite Elmo friends. Ah-bee, Ost-car, Buht, and Big Bud.

I like this book because there are a lot of things on each page with Elmo's friends. Like, an APPLE, a CHAIR, and a DUCK.

I like it when Mama and Dada help me hold the book so I say [shout] all of the things that I know.

I give this book 4 out of 5 binkys. The only thing I don't like? How heavy it is to drag to Mama so she will help me read it.

No No Toys

Sometimes I like to play with things that maybe I shouldn't play with. Things that are a NO-NO. Mama sometimes catches me playing with these things...like...

Mama's nice necklace (NA-NA)...

Mama's purse...

My food...

Dada's cords...

Sometimes I also like to run away from Mama when we are trying to leave the house. I think it is a fun game...but sometimes she does not!

Overall, I give playing with non-toys and running from Mama 5 out of 5 binkys. Who needs Elmo when you can have all this fun?

Just Another Manic Monday

Let me show you a little baby math...

Little Tikes Table

+

Melissa and Doug Wooden Puzzles

+

Baby Flash Cards

=

A Good Monday!

I give my mess 5 out of 5 binkys...who wouldn't want to play with this?

My Little Seat

Today I am playing with my Fisher Price Booster Seat. Mama got me this chair so I could sit at the table when we visit my friends. We haven't visited any friends in awhile, so Mama put this chair in my playroom.

I like to turn around, back into the seat, and then drag the tray over to sit on my legs. Then I like to take the tray off and play with the little straps that go together and make a CLICK sound. Sometimes I can't get them open (AH-BOO) and need to ask Mama for help.

I give this chair 3 out of 5 binkys. It is the perfect size for me to sit in, and I feel like SUCH a big girl in it, but I think the chair is to keep big girls like me from falling out of the chair which makes it hard to get out grab a toy, turn around, sit, put the tray on, play with the toy, throw the toy, wiggle out of the chair, get up, and get another toy. Let me know if you want me to come over one day and bring my chair with...then you can sit in it and show me how to get out!

Cow Box

Today I am playing with the Playskool Blockster Cow, otherwise known as my Cow Box.

You can AH-BOO (open) the box from two sides.

AH-BOO the first side, and you see a little cow sitting down below. AH-BOO the second side and you can get your pudgy hand in to wiggle the cow back and forth. He makes a CLICK CLICK sound which I like.

I then like to CLOSE the box on both sides.

Here is where the box becomes NO-NO fun. I can't AH-BOO the box again. I have to give it to Mama to PEEEZ AH-BOO for me.

Sometimes she wants me to try on my own. Sometimes this doesn't make me very happy.

Overall, I give the Cow Box 3 out of 5 binkys. It is REALLY fun to AH-BOO and CLOSE....as long as you have a Mama who can help.

My Chair

My Grama Jackie gave me a big girl chair for Christmas. It came in a BIG box. I liked it right away.

Sometimes I like to read in my chair.

Sometimes I put pretty things on in the chair.

Sometimes I use the chair to help me look at the world around me.

Sometimes I use my chair to reach other things....

....things that maybe I shouldn't have.

And sometimes I like to eat in my chair.

I give my chair 5 out of 5 binkys. It's perfect for all of the things I need to do.

Crayon Bag

Mama loves to color with me. She likes to make pretty pictures with all of the crayons. I usually like to grab a crayon and attack the paper (and sometimes the floor) by moving it all over the place and then running around wildly and throwing it on the floor.

Today, though, I learned how to put crayons in a BAG and then spill them on the floor. Over and over again.

First, you pick up a crayon.

Then, you put it in the bag.

Then, you spill it out of the bag.

Repeat.

Overall, I give crayons 2 out of 5 binkys. I like them, but I'm not very good at drawing with them yet, and I would rather chew on them and they don't taste that good.

I give the Crayon Bag 5 out of 5 binkys. This thing is

amaaaazing.

Necklace

Mama has a lot of pretty things. I like to play with her shoes, make-up, and most of all, her shiny things that go around her neck.

Here is a picture of Mama and me:

As you can see, I'm wearing a very bright and shiny pink string with beads. I love it. I like to wear it all of the time. I like to take it off and put it back on and take it off and put it back on and put it down and pick it up and put it on and pull it off and put it down and pick it up and put it on and take it off.

Overall, I give Mama's bright shiny pink string beads 5 out of 5 binkys. Be careful, though. Too many on at once means a big tangled mess!

Elmo See 'n Say

I was a pretty fussy lady today so Mama opened the Elmo See 'n Say (which I got my from cool Auntie Jen for Christmas) to keep me happy. I probably would have been happy drawing on my face with the blue pen, but Mama thought this might be better.

The toy looks like Elmo ate a huge circle, which is pretty silly at first, but then you get used to it. Ah-nie, Beht, Ab-bee, and Elllmo are all in the circle. When you put a piece in the right place, Elmo talks and sings to you. I played with it a lot today. I am pretty good at putting the orange circle over Ah-nie's face and then finding him again. I clap my hands when I find him.

Mama is really happy that I like this toy so much, but there are a couple of things she doesn't like. First of all, I like to walk around with the little pieces and I drop them wherever I happen to be. She doesn't like stepping on them. Also, Elmo is pretty LOUD. He sings and laughs A LOT and she can't find the "be quiet" button.

Overall, I give this toy 5 out of 5 binkys. This toy is awesome...I just have to make sure Mama helps me find all of the pieces before I lose them all.

Sock Monkey

I like to play with a lot of different toys at once. Mama and Dada have toys all over the house for me to play with. Mostly, I like to play with things that aren't my toys...like credit cards, lip gloss, dee-vee-dees, and pictures. But. Every once in a while I really, really like a toy.

Today I am playing with my sock monkey pop-up-and-almost-scare-me-most-of-the-time-but-then-make-me-giggle box that Auntie Jen gave me for Prezziemas. I'm 13 months old now and most things don't scare me. I'm actually pretty brave. But sometimes this monkey scares me. You turn, turn, turn the handle and it plays music. THEN. A sock monkey POPS out of the box! I like to say "bye-bye" and push him back down. Mama then turns the thing and makes the music play...sock monkey pop out...sock monkey go away...turn, turn, turn...sock monkey come out. It's pretty fun.

I give the sock monkey pop up toy 4 out of 5 binkys. I really don't think it's meant for someone my age...so the turny thing is too hard for my small [pudgy] little hands to turn. That's why I have a good Mama to do it for me. Just as long as I say PEEZE first.