adventures with bina
and now we have a walker. which opens up a whole slew of new activities!
first and foremost, she can transform into diaperzilla. which, of course, the dogs love.
her favorite place is the dog crate. no bunnies allowed.
now we have gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. she realized she couldn't squeeze under them going forward, so she tried backwards.
before we added the bottom gate, she enjoyed dragging all sorts of things up the steps with her.
our many exhausting outings usually end like this (asleep under her pal violet).
my little babe is getting so very big. just a little mama on her phone with her necklace.
last week we made a morning trip to IKEA to avoid the heat. she liked playing in the displays before so i figured she would really enjoy them now that she's walking. we arrived just as IKEA opened at 10am. i got her up to the display section and let her roam. that worked well for a bit and then of course she got fussy. and then she pooped. so i found a sort of hidden spot in one of the display rooms and changed her on the floor. i cleaned off her rear and was looking for some diaper cream to apply before i stuck a fresh diaper under her bum. as i was doing so i had this "i bet she's going to pee" thought. and so, of course, she did. all over the mat and it soaked up the back of her shirt. we don't have diaper blow outs anymore so i don't carry a spare change of clothes. since she was fuss fuss i was going to stick her in the carrier and i didn't want pee soaked shirt pressing against it. i decided just to take her shirt off and call it a day. at that point i had a hysterical shirtless babe that still needed to be fed lunch in the eating area. another mom came up to me and tried to distract her and when she was unsuccessful she told me i was doing a great job. i almost cried myself at that. my trip to IKEA was not turning out as planned. the other mom suggested taking off bina's shoes, which i did. then i had a shirtless AND shoeless babe. i fed her in the eating area and then decided to book it home. welp. at least i got some cute pictures out of it.
on wednesday we had dinner out with grandpa and she roamed the patio of the restaurant like a little drunken sailor. she grabbed my wallet and walked around like she owned the place. oh you're not using this chair? let me push it around into this table... i kept an eye on my little hooligan and made sure she stayed clear of the people who were not amused. but mostly everyone assured me she was fine. i'm super self conscious of being one of those parents of whom everyone is thinking "OMG WOULD YOU JUST GET AHOLD OF YOUR KID."
on saturday we went to dinner at panera and then walked next door to a grocery store where bina could walk around in the AC. lots of happy squeals and grabbing of things from the many aisles we walked up and down. at one point she had most of her body in a shelf trying to get to the item at the very back. david took a super cute video montage of her at different points throughout the store. our little happy walker!
last night david and i took bina to a mall with a large play place. since it was raining and a sunday afternoon, the place was a total zoo. we let her play for maybe 10 minutes or so before we decided it was not worth the stress of trying to guard her from the bigger kids. i was all ready to body slam one of them for getting too close to her while running around like a nut. we then took her into sears where she could roam free. she had a blast walking through the lands end section. she found a purple backpack with butterflies on it that was as big as she is. dragged that thing all over and had a total fit when we took it from her and walked to another section. she made her way back to the section with the purple backpack and dragged it around some more. there was more kicking and screaming when we took her to another floor where she couldn't find her way back to the backpack. but then we found a gold purse! and the baby section. she walked up to all the clothes and pulled on them. that's my little shopper.
i am really enjoying this time of exploration and only having one little to keep track of. that definitely makes it more fun. i like taking her places where she can just be free to roam and explore. i've tried to set up our home to allow that as well. the gates on the stairs keep her on one floor, and i can shut doors to rooms i don't want her to go into (office, mudroom, half bath on the first floor; bathrooms on the second floor). then i know i don't have to watch her like a hawk, which allows me to spend some time working in the kitchen or folding laundry while she plays. there's a lot less "no, don't do that!" too, which i like.
here she is after me telling her the dog water bowl is not a toy. no way, mom. if it's on the floor, it has to be for me. hence, the closed mudroom door.
looking forward to many more adventures with bina as she explores the world around her! i love my sweet, spirited, sensitive, and oh so loud little babe.
