Belly time 24-7

One thing Leila loves is her belly button. She just loves to pull up her shirt and play with it ALL THE TIME. And, she isn't that much into carrying a security blanket/toy which is common for her age. I kept wondering if she would ever enter that "stage". Over Thanksgiving I was sharing this with my mom and she finally commented (after a few days observation of the belly button fetish) that she thought Leila's belly button was her security blanket (and also quite handy since it is always with her). I definitely think she is right. If Leila ever wears a bodysuit and can't get to her belly button she sometimes reaches down the neck of the bodysuit if it is stretchy enough. She has taken it one step further now I finally realized. All of a sudden, Leila had developed a strong aversion to her onesie footed pajamas. She would just shake her head "no" as soon as she saw us reach for any of them and flatly refused to put them on. She only wanted to wear the 2 piece pajamas with no feet. It took me forever to put two and two together but I had my epiphany last night...no belly button access whatsoever in the onesie. Smart little girl...too bad her mom is a little slow.

The Case of the Disappearing Pacifier

Leila is not a huge pacifier user, but she is quite accustomed to using one to go to sleep. We have over the past few months wondered what had been happening to some of them. She definitely had one when she went to bed, so where is it now when she wakes up? They often fall between the slats of the crib and onto the floor under the crib, which is always a treat to scavenge them out. However, from time to time, they would just disappear. We would search her room inside out (who wants to keep buying those things anyway?) to no avail. Well, finally the mystery is solved as Samy happened upon the mother-lode. Apparently Leila has been keeping her "stash" in the lamp shade next to her crib. It is just within arms reach and has an open frosted glass shade. She has been dumping them in there like her own little storage jar. I am sure now that she knows we are on to her she will find another trick...

All else is great with the Ghezali family. I (Nicole...well you know it is me since Samy doesn't write in the blog!) just got a promotion at work. I will be working in the Gap Inc. Outlet division. I am quite excited to start the new job in 1 week! I am also starting to work on more handmade baby goods (knit hats, burpcloths/blankets) and pillows as a friend is opening an SF boutique in February and will carry my line. Hard to find time to craft with the little one...she just loves getting into my knitting balls. I will try to post some pics on the site at some point in case there are any out of town orders!

Samy's mom is also coming for a visit towards the end of January so Leila will be getting lots of extra lovin' from Grandma. One of my new year's resolutions is to keep writing in the blog more regularly. Not really sure how much readership is out there, but it will be a good keepsake for Leila!