Walka Walka Walka

Mommy and I had a great Shabbat at my friends Adina and Hillel's house. My favorite part was that they kept leaving their sippy cups everywhere. Their mommy gives them juice, unlike mine who only gives me water or milk (not that I'm complaining). Every time I found a sippy cup I would grab it and chug ALL the juice down. Then their mommy would fill it up for them and I would keep my eye on it until they weren't looking. Mommy and I played a game of "who can get to the cup first?"

Last night we went to Adina and Hillel's grandparents' house. I behaved myself even though it was so late. (I took a nap beforehand.) I played really nicely with all the cousins and I loved their Savta's chicken soup (not as good as my grandma's, but still good). I also enjoyed munching on strips of shnitzel. Mommy says they don't make high chairs like they used to - the old fashioned one they had was much more entertaining than the one we have at home. Hilly and I took turns sitting in it. Then Mommy fed Hilly in the high chair while Lynn fed me on her lap.

At lunch there was corn on the cob and I liked it so much I wouldn't eat anything else! I ate almost a whole piece (two halves), and I carried one of them around with me for a good part of the afternoon. Mommy marvelled how anyone could eat corn on the cob with just four teeth!

All that playing with big kids left an impression on me. I decided to practice my walking and I'm getting pretty good at it.

Playing Catch-Up

Here is a recap of our week.

Instead of calling everything "Cheerios" I now call everything "toy."
I like to help turn on the light in the hallway on the way up the stairs to our apartment.
I am learning to say "tee" (tree) and I point to the different trees when we are walking and like to touch them and pick the different kinds of leaves.

We discovered a group of moms, babysitters and kids my age that hang out at the park during the time between my two naps, so we spend a lot of mornings there.

On Tuesday before Gymboree we went to a music class called Toddler Tango. I was one of the youngest kids (and the only non-walker). I was distracted by the Gymboree equipment and didn't participate too much. But when we sang a song about eggs and I was shaking two shaker eggs, I got lost in the rhythm and took six or seven steps! The next morning we went to another music class and during the shaker egg song I took another six or seven steps! I sure love my music.

Mommy is very happy that I have such good eyesight. I can see a dog or cat a mile away (No, not literally.) She used to say "no, there's no dog" but now she has learned to just look harder because I'm usually right. I can even see them when they're camouflaged or when it's dark outside. I sometimes still call cats "dogs" but I'm learning to call them "ta." A hat is also "ta" but when I mean hat I pat my head. That's the sign for hat - and nobody even taught it to me, I figured it out myself.

While the sign for hat is pretty intuitive, Mommy was really surprised when I said "Dada" and did the sign for "Daddy" during my bath last night. That is not an intuitive sign and no one taught it to me either! (Mommy claims it was just a coincidence.)

Once I learned to sign "bath" Mommy and Daddy pretty much stopped using the sign anymore because they didn't think it was very useful. But this week I have started to sign "bath" in the tub, when I'm getting ready for my bath, and sometimes when I pass the bathroom. It's been months since my parents uased the sign but I remember it!

I love the bath so much that I now refuse to get out of it. I could play i the tub forever! Even when I sign "all done," if Mommy tries to pick me up I scream and push her away. Eventually she wins, though, because she's bigger and stronger than me (for now).

Mommy tried twice to get me to take an early morning nap so I wouldn't be tired during swimming. But it's not my fault they scheduled class for the exact same time as nap time! A few minutes before it was time to leave for swimming this morning I signed "bed." So we left early and played together in the pool for a little while before class started.

During the walking/crawling activities I played a new game called "I'm going to just sit here and see if you can make me participate." I won.

Mommy was disappointed that we didn't do the blowing bubbles song today because she wanted Yael to see that I know how to blow bubbles. But Yael noticed me exhaling when I was swimming under water, which is the point of learning to blow bubbles anyway!

Dance Marathon

I am obsessed with music. If it's ever quiet in th house I go over to the TV and start smacking it, trying to push the buttons, bouncing up and down and yelling to Mommy to come put a CD in.

When she does I get so excited I can't help but dance.



Wait till my swimming teacher sees what I can do! I'll be the only kid in my class that knows how to blow bubbles in the water.

Mommy and I played patty-cake too - I like to smack her hands! I also like to help her clap her hands together. But it's no fun to play patty-cake when Mommy has one hand on the camera, so I just clapped along. At the end you can see how I sign "all done!"

"Taking Nose"

I was flipping through one of Daddy's notebooks this morning and Mommy asked me if I was taking notes. I'd never heard that expression before. I thought she said something about my nose. So I pointed to it! (She didn't even know I knew that word.)

My Daddy went on a trip. Mommy kept me really busy today - we went on four outings! So I didn't miss him at first. But then it was bath time and Daddy usually gives me my bath so I started looking out the bathroom door and shouting for him. Mommy says he'll be gone for three weeks. I have no concept of time but that sounds way too long.

Makin' Mischief

One of my new hobbies is taking things out of the baking cabinet. Mommy said it was ok because she removed everything breakable. But today she turned around and found me covered in powdered sugar. I bit a hole in the bag!

Daddy put me down for a nap and went to get some work done. A little while later he looked down and there I was, crawling into his office. He still hasn't figured out how I managed to get out of my crib.

When Mommy came home she did her weekly "sweep" of the yard below our window. She brought in 13 clothespins. Have I mentioned I like to throw things?

This one's for you, Uncle Izzy:

Mommy and I went to the park again today.

Tzirross (Cheerios)

Today at the park I figured out how to go down the slide all by myself. First I went down the blue tunnel slide backwards, just to make sure it was safe. Then I went down the yellow slide a few times! (Mommy apologizes for turning the camera sideways again, and for how dark the movie is. The sun sets really early these days. It was only about 5:30.)



I no longer have to sign "eat" to tell Mommy and Daddy that I'm hungry. But "hungry" is still kind of hard to say, so I just say "Cheerios." It sounds more like "tzirross" (rhymes with "gross").

Mommy took me out for a trike ride but I didn't want to ride. Instead I sat under an olive tree and collected olive pits. I threw them in the basket of my trike. Mommy told me not to put them in my mouth but I snuck some in anyway.

I pished on the potty again today. I didn't notice but Mommy did. I didn't understand why she was cheering and clapping.

I also started to show some interest in walking. There really wasn’t an opportunity to work on it when Grandma and Zayde were here toting me around all day. But today I really started trying to cruise almost as much as I crawl. And I took six or seven steps toward Mommy, too! She kept waiting until I got to her and then moving back a step – she’s tricky!

What happened to those nice old people that used to live here?

Yesterday while Mommy and Grandma napped, Daddy and Zayde were supposed to be watching me. When Grandma got up she found Zayde and Daddy passed out on the couch and me sitting in a puddle of water I'd dumped out of Coby's bowl. When Mommy came in the room, Daddy (without opening his eyes or waking up) said "we did a good job taking care of her."

After Shabbat, Grandma cried while she was giving me my bath and putting me to bed. (Of course, she cried when she bathed me yesterday too, because she wasn't sure she get to bathe me tonight.)

This morning when I woke up, they were gone! Too bad. I really liked them.

When I was supposed to be napping I figured out how to take off my pants. I learned how to take off my shirt about a week ago. Just in time for winter!

We were all very proud of how Daddy got me ready for bed and put me down all by himself. I didn't even kvetch because I wanted him to know how proud I am. They say it's part of the "weaning" process, which is supposed to be for my own good. Then why have Mommy and I been crying all day? (Maybe it's because Grandma and Zayde left?)

Fashionista

This morning Grandma put a clean new outfit on me and brought me down to the hotel breakfast in the sukka. I ate and then crawled around till my brand new pants were black. As soon as breakfast was over I had to change!

When I was ready for my morning nap, all five of us (minus Coby, who is still at the sitter's - there wouldn't have been room for him anyway) piled into the car to go to the beach in Yaffo. Daddy took me on the biggest slide I've ever been on. Even he said it was scary! I loved it. I saw a big dog named Red (that was his color too) and climbed right on top of him without even asking permission. Good thing he likes babies!

We played in the sand and in the waves and had so much fun.

Then Mommy and Grandma washed me off in a sink and Daddy changed me into a clean outfit.

Then we drove to a fancy hall called Keter Rimon in Bnei Brak. There were bridges, waterfalls, and giant goldfish to be seen. Grandma's friend Annie and her sister had donated two ambulances in memory of their parents and we went to the reception and a luncheon in a giant sukka. Of course, Daddy had to change me into a fancy dress when we got there.

After the luncheon we went to Aunt Tahli's house in Kfar Saba. I was tired because I missed my second nap, but I got a second wind when I saw my cousins and got to play with them. It was too hot for my fancy dress so we took it off and I played in just a diaper.

Then we drove to Ramat Gan, where we had dinner at a restaurant called Spaghettim with Grandma's friends the Baratzes. There were ten people at our table and we took up the whole sukka! Daddy was excited to eat there because it just opened and is the first kosher branch of a very popular restaurant. I was still naked when we got there so I quickly changed into a new onesie Grandma brought me with a watermelon on it. We had spaghetti (of course). I crawled around the sukka and flirted with the waitresses. When I got cranky (because it was way past my bedtime) Grandma ordered me ice cream. Everyone marvelled at how well I behaved considering how late it was. They said "if this is how she acts when she's overtired, how sweet is she when she's in a good mood?" Benny Baratz said I am so good-natured because I was raised on Mommy's milk and not bottles.

I fell asleep as soon as we got in the car. That was a LONG and very busy day. Good thing we had enough outfits prepared for each event!