Here’s what she’s up to!

• I asked her to get in her infant car seat and she did! Too bad it’s just in time to make the switch to the new big convertible seat. We did end up going for the Graco Milestone for $200 after a 20% off coupon from Buy Buy Baby. It’ll go rear facing til 40 lbs and then forward harnessed and as a high back belt positioning booster. I really like it, it’s sturdy, seems much more comfortable, and it was really easy to install. 
• She climbs into our laps for mid-afternoon story time. If she’s playing with toys and she sees a book, she’ll take the book and hand it to us and then climb into our laps.
• She’s getting unbelievably difficult at mealtimes! She’s very defiant and really won’t eat much of anything now! Man, I thought it was hard before, whew, this new phase I’m eager to pass on!
• Understands how to fill up cups with water and drinking from it. Especially if this is in the bath tub. Ew. 
• Loves her new big girl car seat! So far. I mean, she hasn’t complained and pulled at the straps or hit it or anything. She seems content in it, I think the strap cushions at the shoulders help the comfort, and I imagine it’s much more padded and structured more comfortably than the curve of that infant car seat. 
• Daylight Savings Time wasn’t a breeze. Her whole Sunday was thrown off, starting from Saturday night only sleeping 10.5 hours after tirelessly rolling around for an hour, and then on Sunday night crying for a half an hour and rolling around restless for 2 hours after being put down by Grandma (Jeff and I were out celebrating my 31st birthday).
• She understands what diapers are and how we put her wet (cloth) diapers in a diaper pail next to her changing table. When I was unloading her Honest order (we use their disposables overnight) and Jia was “helping.” I was mixing up patterns of diapers into our storage basket and she took a disposable diaper and put it in the cloth diaper pail. 
• Tries to put her shoes on my feet.
• She pretends to wash dishes and her high chair. She grabbed a napkin off the living room table and brought it into the kitchen and started “scrubbing” the dog dishes (video below). Later she crawled over to her booster seat at the dining table and started wiping it down, haha. I think she’s sending a message that all mommy does is chores ha! 

Mom Thoughts:

• I just published the post about Toddler Nutrition last Saturday and I am really trying to remind myself that Jia will be “okay,” despite her ridiculously strong defiance and refusal to eat many many foods. Like typical toddlers, Jia refuses her old favorites and meals take about 45 minutes and that is to get down just a handful or morsels of something. 
• I used to make a bunch of my own food pouches but lately with her pickiness, I have found it much easier to see what she likes with a variety of different baby food pouches vs spending money on groceries to blend my own pouches only for her to refuse them. Also, the pouches come in so handy if after a meal she really still hasn’t eaten much – the pouches are still appealing to her, so at least I can get another 50 calories into her with a pouch. I was all for Happy Baby organic pouches but now I really love Plum Organics pouches – their blends are really appetizing and offer a lot of variety and flavors for young little taste buds. 
• Why can’t they make high-calorie pouches for babies who need to gain weight? Do they? I mean, without getting an official supplement? Like a pouch named “fatty baby” to try to fatten them up, made of whole milk yogurt or milk (vs low-fat, like the pouches they sell at the store) and calorie dense avocado (I figure they brown too much and that’s why), banana, dark meats, anything that’s high calorie! 

Fun Stuff:

Walking with one hand, not quite to walking alone yet!