Thinking Ahead to Christmas

I've gotten a few questions from people about Christmas gifts for Lucy, so I thought I'd share my thoughts. First, Lucy's Amazon list from her birthday is still available. And my previous post about what Lucy likes still applies. She is now willing to wear shoes, so we've bought a couple pairs of soft, flexible shoes for her. I have a few more ideas based on how Lucy has developed in the last few weeks.

Active Indoor Toys
I have an energetic baby, months of winter ahead, and no indoor play spaces in town. I may not need as much as I think I will, but I like to be prepared. I don't know what Lucy will like, but I've thought about rocking horses, ride-on toys, swings, slides, ramps, or even just a bunch of big cushions and pillows that she can pile up and climb or jump on. I've got a trampoline and a video rocker that I plan to get out for her. Most active indoor toys can be moved outside when the weather improves next spring, so I expect that she'd get a lot of use out of them.

Dress Up Clothes & Props
Lucy hasn't shown a lot of interest in dressing up yet, but I'd like for her to have some things to practice putting on and fastening. I have thought that elastic-waist skirts and vests with different kinds of closures (buttons, snaps, velcro, etc.) might be a good start. Quite honestly, they could be very simple and made with scrap material. I'm also a big fan of fun hats. And I think she's getting into pretend play enough that play dishes and food would be fun for her.

Dolls and Accessories
Lucy is paying a little more attention to her doll. I think she hugged and kissed it today, but she may have been squishing against her face as a telephone and then biting it. It's hard to tell sometimes. I'd like for her to have a doll that can get into the bath tub. She threw her doll into the tub yesterday, and it's still drying. Bottles, a stroller, and clothes she can change might be good, too. This does not have to be an expensive doll that does tricks. Now that she's got some little girls as friends and has met some babies, I expect her to start showing more interest in dolls.

Art Supplies
Lucy wants to play with paper and pens, but we won't let her do that yet. I've gotten her a set of Crayola Color Wonder paint brushes and a partially used coloring book at Goodwill. She tried it just a little, but I think she'll like it. And I like that it won't get messy. Anything like MagnaDoodle and AquaDoodle that will let her scribble without making a mess would be good. There may be other things toddlers can do that I haven't thought of. I'm open to suggestions.

Stroller and Weather Cover
We have two strollers, both of which are used and have tires that are losing their treads. I'd like to get a sturdy but light-weight and fairly compact stroller. Because we live just off campus, we've been using our strollers a lot. Walking to school won't be possible at times over the winter, but as weather allows, I'd like to walk whenever we can. Good tires will be especially important on wintry roads, and we don't have sidewalks for part of our route.

These are some of the latest things I've thought of. I'll try to make sure that these get on Lucy's Amazon list.

As for me and Matt, I'm still thinking and updating my Amazon list, and Matt keeps his list pretty up-to-date. I haven't asked him, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind my recommending that you give money so that he can buy what he wants. He goes shopping at used book stores and places where he can buy used music, movies, and games, so he can get more when he finds a good deal that if you had bought him something new from Amazon.