R Getting Spoiled

Traveling to California was not very fun for her, but once we got there R certainly perked up. Life at my parents' meant that she was surrounded by doting relatives all day long, she got to run around barefoot in the nice backyard, there was a (very tolerant) dog to play with...

My parents went to a lot of trouble to make things nice for R. They bought her a highchair, a crib, a car seat, and a whole bunch of toys. This is what their living room looked like when we arrived:

R's corner, which took up about 25% of the living room

At home R has none of this stuff because I don't want to look at ugly plastic baby toys all day long. She has two bookcases full of books, some stuffed animals, and a toy box full of toys. If it doesn't fit in the toy box (and thus can be hidden) then she doesn't have it.

The bounty wasn't limited to the indoors. They also got her a slide, a playhouse, a swing and a wading pool, among other things.

R and my dad playing

Of course R was in heaven. When we entered the room and she saw the toy corner, her jaw dropped in wonder. She loved the little toy car/fire engine the best, and spent hours riding around on it (of course I don't have any pictures of this because I'm lame). But almost everything was a hit: the toy stroller, the baby doll, the 3-foot Raggedy Ann doll, the R-size Dora the Explorer chair (she also has no branded products at home, because I think they're tacky)...

She loved pushing Baby around, and even slept with her

My dad always posed Raggedy Ann when we left the room as a joke

R in her tacky Dora the Explorer chair, reading some new books: she loves it!

The bounty didn't stop the whole time we were there: my mom kept buying all kinds of toys (at garage sales or thrifted! she isn't that extravagant). Here's R with another acquisition: a Fisher Price farm set, complete with tiny people and animals (the toy just showing is one of those activity stations, also new). 

She also got to run around in her pyjamas or naked!! all the time (at home she is always fully dressed unless she's being bathed because otherwise it feels too sloppy to me) and eat irregularly (like french fries for dinner, cookies for breakfast, and snacks all day long while wandering the house).

Even sleeping was different: at home once she goes to bed she doesn't get to touch the floor again until at least 7 am (I will pick her up if she's crying, though). At Grammie's house if R cried at night (which of course she did, having jetlag), then Grammie would free her from her crib and play with her, even at midnight. Not surprisingly R temporarily stopped sleeping through the night.

I don't mind any of this of course: we don't see my family very often, and spoiling is what grandparents are for (I used to visit my own beloved Grammie every Saturday morning, during which time she would feed me donuts, candy, salami and butter sandwiches, ice cream, and Reese's peanut butter cups). Poor R though: now she is back home without any cool toys (we brought a few home, but most were too bulky to fly home with) and stuck eating non-sugary cereal, beans, yogurt, noodles, carrots, and mushrooms.