Mia - 23 Months

We spent the day marking your 23rd month (also Christmas Day) jumping in a bouncer and doing arts and crafts as part of a volunteer project. You have definitely mastered jumping and are happy in bouncers, and you love using markers and coloring and mostly keep the marker on the paper. When you weren't decorating wrapping paper or gift bags, you ran up and down the hallways and munched on bagels.

Every month I say that you are shedding your toddler self and becoming more little girl than toddler. This month is no different. Your sentences are longer, you count more in both English and Spanish, your needs are more defined, and you continue to show interest in using a potty. You also use a cup and fork more regularly, and like your sister, you are eager to use a knife to try and cut your own food.

You and Zoe giggle a lot together. Whenever you two are trying a new game that surpasses your vocabulary, you both resort to made up gibberish which leaves the two of you laughing in hysterics.

This month we had a record setting snow storm which meant lots of fun outdoors for you. You loved shoveling snow, eating snow, picking berries and putting them in the snow, and making snowmen. If only we could have convinced you to keep your gloves on! You would routinely take them off, and then cry out that your hands were cold. Uh, yea, it's cold outside without gloves.

We also celebrated Chanukah this month, and you added a wooden candle to your Menorah puzzle each night. We had more latkas than I think any of us care to remember, and you memorized most of the holiday tunes. You are often singing and have several favorites in the car.

Some of your favorite holiday gifts this year were a water bottle, a medical kit and a puzzle clock. You play doctor nearly every day and insist on checking all of our heart beats. You are also very interested in my expanding belly and talk every so often about the "baby in my uterus" while poking me in the belly button (or you in in your belly button or anyone else's for that matter - belly buttons in general are of chief interest to you). You continue to play independently really nicely. This gives us extra time in the morning and we really appreciate it.

Favorite books at the moment are anything with Maisy by Lucy Cousins. You think the character Tallulah is very silly and like to say goodnight to Maisy each night before bed.

You have also taken to calling daddy and I "honey". I suppose you hear us calling each other and you and Zoe that and have adopted the word yourself. You frequently end a sentence with it, as in "More milk please honey." It's really cute.

Happy 23rd month Mia! I love you honey!

Mom

Snow 2009

Our snowman looked more like a salad bar with onion, scallion, carrot and berry bits. Thanks to Mia for the berry contribution. She insisted!
Great shoveling Mia! Zoe and Mia were both eager shovelers.


A shout out to Grandma Mickey. Here's our first snow angel of the season, which Zoe attributed to your lessons last winter.

Of course, all the snow day accompaniments went with our snow storm...hot chocolate, marshmallows, big hot breakfast, home made soup, arts and crafts, and on and on.

I need to buy stock

in Band-aid!

Zoe and Mia, you each ask me at least 10 times a day for a band-aid. Sometimes there is an actual cut and sometimes there is not. Either way, there is usually a spot on a finger that needs immediate band-aid attention multiple times a day. This is often expressed as an urgent and persistent need.

Tonight though, Zoe, you really earned a band-aid. I still can't figure out how it happened. You and Mia were running side by side down the hallway, and somehow you brushed your hand by Mia's mouth and cut your finger on her tooth. I was standing right there, and can affirm that Mia was as startled as you were. I know that you were also very surprised and kept looking at your finger in disbelief. That said, you were quite pleased with the ultimate outcome...a fresh new band-aid for your finger.

Ballet Recital

Zoe is in the midst of her second round of ballet lessons at a gymboree-type place called Monkey Business. I would describe it as "ballet-light". The kids do a little dancing, a little fooling around, and then enjoy open play time in the gym area.

They recently started organizing a ballet recital for the little dancers. Other than some very low key end of class presentations that Zoe had in gym a while back, this is her first recital. She had a great time. Afterwards, the kids had juice and cookies, and we went out for a celebratory lunch.

Mia was a great audience member. She enjoyed watching the dancers and clapping whenever others did. Any time she got a little antsy, a green bean or a slice of orange did the trick.

Well done Zoe and Mia!

PS - we finally used our Flip properly, I hope. I'll keep trying to upload it. Blogger is being finicky.

First Night of Chanukah - 2009

The holidays are so much fun as you both get a little bigger and can participate.

This year, Mia helped "light" the wooden menorah, and Zoe helped light the regular menorah. We all worked together to make latkas for dinner and then opened presents. Zoe also led us in some Chanukah songs followed by several rounds of "Happy Birthday To You" led by Mia.

Mia immediately put on her new chef dress-up outfit. Zoe couldn't open up her new socks and tights fast enough. Then we opened a bonus gift from Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Ed that was an art mosaic kit.

After dinner, we all baked a cake for our Chanukah party on Sunday. Zoe needed to wear the chef dress-up outfit for the baking adventure. She also needed to wear nothing else with the dress up outfit.

Mom, not sure if you can tell, but this is your famous Watergate Cake recipe. Yum!

Silly Putty

Today we get out of the car, and Zoe is waiting for me on the sidewalk while I pick up a few things from the car seat.

Next thing I know, Zoe is excitedly telling me that someone left a wad of silly putty on the ground.

Just as I turn around in slow motion saying "nooooo", I see her playing with someone's old chewed up gum.

Yuck.

Snow Day

I think Zoe ate her weight in snow today.

We were equally pleased to find out that our favorite holiday-decorated neighborhood house was already dolled up with the trains running too. Fun to watch.

Bedtime Pals

I'm curious how other people approach toys, books and stuffed animals in the bed at night. I remember as a kid having stacks of stuffed animals on my bed that I had to remove in order to crawl in because there was no room otherwise for me. I don't remember sleeping with them, just having them as bed decoration.

Just recently, Zoe has started wanting to sleep with stuffed animals. She'll want to have many in bed at once and there may not be room for her. When she's not sleeping, she wants them all in her bed or hidden around her room. She'll stuff them in drawers, under furniture, etc. to hide them before her next sleep time.

My intuition is that I don't love having too many in bed at once. Seems like it distracts her and keeps her from settling down. I'm ok with 1, 2, or 3.

As far as keeping them hidden around her room when she's not sleeping, it seems really inconsistent with how she operates in the rest of her life. We have a general routine of putting things back where they go so we can find them later or take care of them, e.g., shoes in the cubby, clothes in the hamper, dishes in the sink. For stuffed animals, she keeps a large stuffed animal bin in her room, and I like her being in the habit of keeping them in there when she's not sleeping. This is similar to the habit she follows with her puzzles, art supplies, etc., and it helps with putting things away when she's done with them in general.

What are other folks doing with night time pals?