Weekly Update - Talking/Playdough/Sleep

Combinations Are a Comin'. Emily's speech is developing so quickly these days. She repeats almost everything we say and this week she said her first sentence: "All done play playdough." (although it sounded more like "All done pay paydoh." -- she struggles with the "L" sound). She's also said things like "Run, Daddy, run!" and "Hi baby! Bye baby!" It's so much fun to hear her talk.

Playdough Recipe. Speaking of playdough, I found a fantastic recipe for homemade playdough here (recipe included at the bottom of this post). The playdough is soft, non-sticky, and molds really well. Definitely a keeper!

Sleep Solutions. Jessica's nap/bedtime routine has changed a lot over the last few days. She's gone from being rocked to sleep with music to being put down, awake, and falling asleep on her own with some white noise. It's wonderful that she's already reached the stage of being able to (happily) fall asleep on her own. It was not quite this quick and easy with Emily! I'll write a full blog post about the transition soon.

Homemade Playdough:
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice section)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in a pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes. Dough will become difficult to stir and form a “clump”. Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a long time stored in a covered plastic container or plastic sandwich bag.
*Note: Wear gloves or use a spoon during kneading -- my hands were totally stained from the food colouring!