Fun with Napkins

I came into the kitchen the other day to find this:

 Cosette had discovered the napkins that I conveniently stored down low in the corner cabinet.

 She had lots of fun with them, so I decided to grab my camera and capture the moment.

Here is Cosette's attempt to "clean up."  The intent was good, even if the execution was a bit off.  And it was really cute to watch her do it, because she was counting as she stuffed them back in, "one, two, eight."

 I really didn't mind having the napkins ruined.  I had recently bought a large package of 600 napkins, only to discover that there was a reason they were so cheap - the quality is terrible!  Warning: stay away from Family Napkins - you get what you pay for.  So go ahead, Cosette.  Rip away!

Playdate with the Tanners

When I taught math part-time at Youth Village about a year ago, Tiffany Tanner came and watched Cosette for me.  She brought her cute little boy Nicholas with her, and he and Cosette got along really well.
I was sad when the Tanners moved away, but fortunately it wasn't far - about a 30 minute drive.  So I took Cosette for a playdate recently and wanted to share a photo and video so you could all see how cute they are together.

I love how they looked back at me at the end of the video.  Too cute!

New Calling

This is just a quick post to let those who might be wondering what my new calling is.  I have been called as the Family History Instructor.  It will be a new little adventure.  I downloaded the manual on my iPod and perused it last week.  I recently got into indexing as the Elder's Quorum President and found it enjoyable to work on the 1940 census.  I look forward to the class.  I don't know when I will start teaching the class.  Apparently people are chosen to attend my class and so I will have to wait until the bishopric says they have spoken to those people.  It looks like the class is pretty well laid out for the instructors.

Released

Well, after serving for two years (minus 3 days) I was released as elder's quorum president last week.  I was informed 3 weeks before that, and I definitely felt "trunky".  The stress was getting to me and I felt that I was getting sick every other week for the past few months.  Church is kinda different now.  People don't call me President; I tend to blend in; I don't have the huge overstuffed binder that I kept neglecting to clean out - and best of all - no more early meetings.
Mostly I am glad to be moving on to a new calling.  I know my new calling but I haven't been sustained yet.  They didn't want to give me too much down time.
It was quite a journey.

Halloween

Cosette was a little cow for Halloween this year.  Thanks again for lending us the costume, Suzanne!

She had a lot of fun at our Ward Halloween party. Her favorite part was the bubbles that she got from the spook walk (like a cake walk).  She went absolutely CRAZY over them.  I wish I had taken a video of that.

 These last two pictures were taken on Halloween night.  We took her to a few neighbors that lived in our stairwell, and everyone gave us tootsie rolls!  I thought that was kind of funny.

 Here's a video of Cosette enjoying her tootsie roll.  She hasn't had a lot of experience with candy, so it was a real treat!

Isn't it cute how she says please by rubbing her belly?  In sign language you rub your chest, so this is Cosette's version.  It's the only sign she does, and it's the only way she'll say please - she never tries to verbalize it.  I love my funny girl!

Trip to Oregon

We took a trip to visit Jeff's dad and his wife Rita in LaFayette, Oregon, the weekend after Labor Day.  We were terrible about taking pictures, though, and only have these few of Cosette playing at the beach.

Cosette and I having fun in the sand

Note the sweater and bare feet - perfect for Oregon at the beach
(I think she looks like a model in this photo)

I'm really glad we made it to the beach on Friday, because it was my first time on the West Coast.  I made a point of putting my feet in the Pacific Ocean, just to say I've done it.  Cosette didn't want to get that close to the water, though, because it was really loud.  She was happy playing in the sand that was closer to the parking lot.  Even though it was chilly enough to wear jackets and sweaters, the sand was soft and warm and perfect for bare feet.  It was a fun day, in spite of the long car ride home due to a traffic accident.
Our trip was pretty laid back and slow paced, but that's exactly what we wanted.  In the mornings we would go for a walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the beautiful weather and taking Cosette to a small park down the street.
On Saturday afternoon Rita and I had some girl time and went shopping and out to lunch.  I really enjoyed getting to know her better.  It was also fun getting a cute new top and some new shoes.  Thanks Rita!
On Sunday we got to meet several of Rita's kids and their families.  I especially bonded with two young boys who enjoyed being tickled and teased.
And then we headed home Monday morning.  Cosette did really well on the plane and didn't get scared at all.  She even managed to fall asleep at the end of the flight.  She was sprawled across our two laps - it didn't look comfortable to me, but she was exhausted enough to sleep through the landing, which surprised me.  She was a very good little traveler.
All in all, it was a very nice trip.

Wanted: Help with Headstrong Toddler

So much personality!

I've run into an issue with Cosette and would love advice/ideas.  So please, post a comment!

Cosette can be very independent and willful at times.  One way that she likes to assert herself is by refusing to hold our hands.  She has always been like this.  I thought it was a bit odd when she was a baby and didn't want to practice standing on my lap (she would go limp instead) or walking around while we held her hand.  Oh, no.  She has always wanted to do it her own way at her own pace.

That was fine with me, at least for a while.  As a result, it took her a little longer to learn how to do physical things like stand, crawl, and walk.  But again, that's fine with me.

But now the problem is that she'll be 18 months on Saturday, and I feel like I shouldn't have to carry her around everywhere.  It's hurting my back, and I don't think it's good for her, either.

I especially want her to be able to walk from the house to the car and vice versa (this would be especially great when I'm trying to carry a bunch of groceries and don't want to make multiple trips up and down several flights of stairs).  I'm even ok if we take a long time and stop to pet the neighbor's cat or play with rocks or sticks for a minute.  I would just appreciate if she would stay near me and move generally in the right direction.  Am I expecting too much?

I let Cosette play in our parking lot in the rain, and now I'm having a hard time
helping her understand that she has to stay with Mommy when we're in a parking lot.

Whenever I do try to hold her hand, she squirms and cries and refuses to move.  She won't grasp my fingers at all, so I end up holding her wrist or arm.  But I feel like a bad parent, because I have to hold on pretty tight for her not to get away from me.  I don't want to hurt her or physically drag her around, but I know this is something she needs to learn how to do.  I'm still carrying her or keeping her in a stroller or shopping cart when we're in a crowd, but eventually she'll need to learn to walk with me.  And no, I'm not expecting perfection.  I know there are times when I'll have to chase her down.  But she won't walk with me at all, and that has to change.

Here are some of the things I've tried:

• She seems to do a little better when I hold both hands and pick her up and swing her every few steps, but this gets tiring, I can't carry anything else while I'm doing it, and she still gets tired of it.
• I try to make it a game and get her to chase me or find me, but she's more interested in running away from me instead.
• I give her verbal guidance and encourage her to walk with me without holding my hand.  This will sometimes work for a few steps, but she often tries to wander off and I turn her back around and redirect her, which prompts a meltdown.
• I'll walk behind her with my hands on her back to guide her.  She seems to mind this less than me holding her hand or arm, but she still doesn't like it and will try to get away after a few steps.
• I have not tried one of those baby backpack leashes, but I don't think it would be much better.  I'm getting to the point where I'll probably have to at least try it, though (I never thought I'd have to - I always thought they were so silly and a little demeaning).
• Do any of you have any other ideas/methods?

Am I trying to teach her this skill too soon after she's learned how to walk?  Should I continue to carry her around everywhere (this includes inside, too, like carrying her to get a diaper changed or to brush her teeth)?  Or have I made the problem worse by catering to her too long already? (I'm guessing the answer to that question is yes)

What can I do at this point?  Has anyone else dealt with this problem?  Read any good books?  Please, post a comment - I need help!