I was driving Ari to the babysitter's this morning, and she just started laughing for no reason at all. So I laughed back, and we went back and forth doing silly laughs. She is such a nut.
Ari has learned (and learned how to use) a new word: no. The funny thing is, she'll say "no" but then do what you want her to do anyway. The other night, at bedtime, I said to her, "Ari, are you ready to go to bed?" (I know--I shouldn't be asking her, I should tell her, but that's a minor detail).
Her reply? "Nooooooo." (Just like that--all drawn-out and whiny and super-dramatic.) Yet she was already walking toward me to follow me upstairs. I decided I'm not going to get on her case about saying "no" when she's doing what I want her to anyway. I think she's just experimenting with it.
She used to be really good about brushing her teeth, and now she's getting a little more fussy about it. She loves to do it herself, but when I step in to help, she gets ornery. I usually sit her on the toilet and hand her the toothbrush, letting her go at it for a while before I finish the job. Now, when I crouch down to help her, she hands me the toothbrush, then leans into me for a huge hug. She squeezes me closely and holds on for a while, and as sweet as it is, I have to disentangle myself after a minute so that I can actually brush her teeth. I wonder if she's doing it on purpose--like she knows she's being all sweet and cute, and she's hoping I'll forget about her teeth. It is a little odd, though, because she rarely gives me hugs totally on her own. Anyway, my solution has been to brush her teeth the way I used to--by laying her across my lap. Which is getting harder to do easily, since she's so long.
As I've said before, Ari doesn't watch much TV. She'll glance at it now and then, but there's no particular kids' show that we make a point of letting her watch. Actually, I've noticed lately that she's paying more attention to the TV than she used to--usually when a catchy commercial gets her attention. She loves music and loves to dance, so any commercial or show with an upbeat tune gets her going. (She loves the Jeopardy "think" music, so I guess that's a good sign, right?) Anyway, the other day I was working at the computer and she was whining for me to pick her up, so I obliged. Then, for the fun of it, I went to YouTube and found the music video for "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants. I don't know why that popped into my head at that moment, but it did. And she loved it. There's one part that seems to scare her... well, maybe "scare" isn't the right word, but everytime the scene with the close-up of the trumpets that look like smiling faces comes on, she points at the screen and talks in her annoyed voice. But other than that, she's mesmerized by it, and even dances a little.
(And now I'm going to have this song stuck in my head the rest of the day. Not that that's a bad thing...)
And if you were wondering how I am doing, I am fine, thanks for asking. My legs are covered in duct tape because I believe I'm seeing an improvement in the couple of warts I've been trying this duct-tape-therapy with, so I figured why not go all out and tape them all up? Might as well do it now, while it's winter and I live in pants, rather than when spring and summer get here and I want to wear skirts again.
What's that? You didn't want to hear about my warts? Fine, we'll talk about something else. I got a little freelance work last week and this week, so the extra money is nice. And speaking of extra money, I'll be gettng my profit-sharing check from work in a few weeks, which will be the equivalent of about 4 1/2 weeks of pay. That will be sweet. I wish we could spend it on a fabulous 10th anniversary trip, but reality says that it needs to be spent on bills and catching up on bills. Reality is no fun.
My car stereo still isn't fixed. Tony took it in a couple times, but the guy who promised to look at it hasn't had time to squeeze it in, so Tony made an appointment for Thursday. Cross your fingers for me--I may have a working stereo by the end of the week!
And I think that's all I have to say about me. See why I talk about Ari all the time? She is much more interesting.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
The weekend
I ended up not having to do jury duty on Friday, so that was just a normal workday for me. We hung out at home all evening, doing laundry and other boring household chores. We are such exciting people.
Saturday was a fun day, though. I got up with Ari in the morning, took her to Mom's, and then came back home. Tony and I headed up to Pastor and Dawn's house, and that was where the girls and guys parted ways. Dawn and I picked up Kerry and the three of us went to Olive Garden for lunch. We ended up staying there for over 2 hours--we just sat there chatting, not even noticing the clock. Finally, it was Dawn who glanced around and said, "Uh, it's getting busy in there--maybe we should give up our table." That was when we looked at our watches and were amazed to see how much time had passed.
We ended up not going to the purse store I was talking about--apparently, it was closed. They said last time they were there, they had seen some kind of notice about how the place would be closed for about a month. So I guess we'll have to go there some other time.
We went to the mall instead and did some window-shopping. And some real shopping too. At Old Navy, I got this sweater (just picture it in cream instead of gray) for only $7...
I also grabbed one of their Valentine T-shirts. Every year they make a few Valentine-themed shirts for only $5 each, and for some reason, I love them. I already have 2 from previous years, and now I have a new one--pink, with a fuzzy-looking red heart on one shoulder that says (what else?) "Old Navy" inside (couldn't find a picture online, so you'll have to use your imagination).
After we were done shopping, we met up with the guys and all 6 of us drove down to the casino for dinner. Instead of eating at the buffet like we usually do, we went to an actual restaurant, and the food was great. Afterwards, we wandered around, and Tony and I won $90 on the slots. We were psyched because we never do well on slots--and hey, who doesn't get excited about extra money? After we had walked off our dinner a little, we got some ice cream for dessert, then headed home.
So it was a long day, but a fun one. And one thing that made it even better was the fact that I was wearing my "skinny jeans." For a few days last week, my scale was reading 130, and finally, on Friday AND Saturday, it was hovering just below 130. I was thrilled because I have been stuck just above 130 for what seems like forever. I told Tony that I might need to make a little shopping trip in the near future for another pair of jeans. I really only have 2 pairs of jeans that look decent, and one of them is getting really old and worn-out looking. And as much as a part of me wants to wait to shop until I've lost just 5, or 10, more pounds, the more logical side of me says I need some new jeans now, and maybe celebrating this little bit of weight loss with a new pair of jeans will be just the motivation I need to keep being good.
Of course, we went out for lunch yesterday (with a gift card, so it was free) and I got a decadent dessert--some kind of chocolate peanut butter pie. It was so good... and hey, and girl's got to indulge once in a while, right?
Saturday was a fun day, though. I got up with Ari in the morning, took her to Mom's, and then came back home. Tony and I headed up to Pastor and Dawn's house, and that was where the girls and guys parted ways. Dawn and I picked up Kerry and the three of us went to Olive Garden for lunch. We ended up staying there for over 2 hours--we just sat there chatting, not even noticing the clock. Finally, it was Dawn who glanced around and said, "Uh, it's getting busy in there--maybe we should give up our table." That was when we looked at our watches and were amazed to see how much time had passed.
We ended up not going to the purse store I was talking about--apparently, it was closed. They said last time they were there, they had seen some kind of notice about how the place would be closed for about a month. So I guess we'll have to go there some other time.
We went to the mall instead and did some window-shopping. And some real shopping too. At Old Navy, I got this sweater (just picture it in cream instead of gray) for only $7...
I also grabbed one of their Valentine T-shirts. Every year they make a few Valentine-themed shirts for only $5 each, and for some reason, I love them. I already have 2 from previous years, and now I have a new one--pink, with a fuzzy-looking red heart on one shoulder that says (what else?) "Old Navy" inside (couldn't find a picture online, so you'll have to use your imagination).
After we were done shopping, we met up with the guys and all 6 of us drove down to the casino for dinner. Instead of eating at the buffet like we usually do, we went to an actual restaurant, and the food was great. Afterwards, we wandered around, and Tony and I won $90 on the slots. We were psyched because we never do well on slots--and hey, who doesn't get excited about extra money? After we had walked off our dinner a little, we got some ice cream for dessert, then headed home.
So it was a long day, but a fun one. And one thing that made it even better was the fact that I was wearing my "skinny jeans." For a few days last week, my scale was reading 130, and finally, on Friday AND Saturday, it was hovering just below 130. I was thrilled because I have been stuck just above 130 for what seems like forever. I told Tony that I might need to make a little shopping trip in the near future for another pair of jeans. I really only have 2 pairs of jeans that look decent, and one of them is getting really old and worn-out looking. And as much as a part of me wants to wait to shop until I've lost just 5, or 10, more pounds, the more logical side of me says I need some new jeans now, and maybe celebrating this little bit of weight loss with a new pair of jeans will be just the motivation I need to keep being good.
Of course, we went out for lunch yesterday (with a gift card, so it was free) and I got a decadent dessert--some kind of chocolate peanut butter pie. It was so good... and hey, and girl's got to indulge once in a while, right?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
All over the place
Aloha. I'm still alive--not sure why I haven't been writing. Sure, life is busy and blah blah, but no busier than normal. So anyway, an entry...
Ari is doing well--she is deep into perfecting the art of being a Drama Queen. I am so not kidding. Her latest thing is this helpess act she does--when she wants something she can't quite reach, her first reaction is to whine. Of course, as a good mom, I check out the situation (to make sure she's not hurt, or that it's something she genuinely can't reach), and then kindly tell her, "Get it yourself." She'll pause and give this this Look. I can't figure out if her look is one of genuine amazement ("You mean I am capable of doing this on my own?") or indignation ("What do you mean you're not going to help me? And you call yourself a mother..."). But when I refuse to budge, she realizes she has lost, and then will easily get whatever item she was pining after. It never ceases to crack me up and frustrate me at the same time. It's like she doesn't even try--she wants to whine first and see if we'll let her be lazy.
Her other new thing is to "yell" at inanimate objects when she gets hurt. For example, last night she took a tumble out of the rocking chair in her room. I didn't see it happen--just heard the dreadful "thud" and then the dramatic antics. When I went into the room, she was standing up (no blood or visible bumps), pointing at the chair, and loudly complaining. It was as though she was tattling on that naughty, naughty chair for having the nerve to dump her onto the floor. I leaned down to hug her, which she allowed me to do for approximately 1.2 seconds before disentangling herself and continuing her rant about the evil rocking chair. It's like this mixture of anger and sadness--she'll have a couple tears on her face, but her tone alternates between sounding genuinely wounded and seriously angry.
The oddest things seem to annoy her or freak her out lately. Mom said the other day she had a string sticking out of her sleeve, and she forcefully complained about it, pointing at it anxiously, until Mom cut it off for her. Last night, she threw up a little (I'm guessing she just burped and some food came up with it), and she indignantly pointed at the table, bellowing about the mess until it was gone.
Yes, folks, we have a true drama queen on our hands here. Toddlerhood is going to be fun.
Any fellow American Idol addicts out there? Yup, I love me some bad auditions, so I get sucked in every year. And I have to comment on this one guy last night. His wife's water broke while he was in line waiting to audition, so of course he gets his own personal camera crew to ride in the car with him to the hospital and even to get a quick update once he and his wife are in a room. Which is all fine and good, but here's the kicker. She had the baby, and he came back on Day 2 to audition. No big deal, right? Except that right alongside him was his wife, dressed nicely but simply in a black shirt and jeans, hair done, makeup just so, smiling and walking around, carrying sweet little Emma Grace in her arms. All I could do was sit there with my mouth hanging open--I could barely walk the day after giving birth to Ari, let alone appear in public and on TV looking every bit like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I'd love to be snarky about this, but all I can say to her (I don't even remember her name) is, "You go, girl." I think she is my new personal hero. She'll probably lose all her baby weight in less than a week, too.
On to other thrilling news... I have what I believe to be a plantar's wart on my foot. It's kind of on the side of my foot, but right near the bottom, so maybe it's technically not a plantar's wart. I haven't had any since I was a teen. I have warts on my hand, leg, etc., that never go away. You know how they say most warts go away on their own? It's a lie. Mine don't. I once had them frozen off, and after they blistered and the blister fell off, they came back, bigger than before. I had them burned off, which worked for a while, but most of them are back--smaller, but back. I read online that some people swear by a duct tape remedy for warts--simply slap some duct tape on the wart for several days, remove, soak and then exfoliate said wart, then repeat until the wart is gone. I figure it's worth a try, before I go spending money on expensive over-the-counter stuff (which has never worked before) or on a dermatologist. My only problem is that the idea of keeping the duct tape on for 6 straight days is not working out so well--it comes off after every shower. It's no big deal to reapply it, but I can't help wondering if it defeats the whole process. Anyway, I'm interested to see how this experiment works out. As I'm sure you all are, too.
Tony stopped at the grocery store last night to pick up 4 things, and came home with 4 bags of stuff. But I couldn't fault him for that, because one bag contained a package of 4 gigantic chocolate chip muffins, all for me. Have I mentioned lately that my husband rocks? And I firmly believe that muffins which are given with such love contain no calories.
I have jury duty tomorrow. Well, maybe. You know how it is--you have to call the evening before to see if you still have to actually appear. I hope I don't have to, and I feel like a really bad citizen for thinking that. I just don't want to have to drive into a major city in rush hour traffic and deal with unfamiliar roads and rotaries and buildings. I hate going to strange places alone. Maybe I can talk Tony into driving me.
Big day coming up on Saturday--first, a girls' day out with my 2 closest girlfriends. Then, later in the day we're joining up with all our husbands and the 6 of us are going out for dinner. I have been looking forward to this ever since we set the date a few weeks ago. We're planning on going to a store that sells knockoff designer purses wicked cheap (and you all know how I love my purses), and then lunch, and then who knows. Whatever we do, the best part will be all the girly gabbing. I can't wait.
Ari is doing well--she is deep into perfecting the art of being a Drama Queen. I am so not kidding. Her latest thing is this helpess act she does--when she wants something she can't quite reach, her first reaction is to whine. Of course, as a good mom, I check out the situation (to make sure she's not hurt, or that it's something she genuinely can't reach), and then kindly tell her, "Get it yourself." She'll pause and give this this Look. I can't figure out if her look is one of genuine amazement ("You mean I am capable of doing this on my own?") or indignation ("What do you mean you're not going to help me? And you call yourself a mother..."). But when I refuse to budge, she realizes she has lost, and then will easily get whatever item she was pining after. It never ceases to crack me up and frustrate me at the same time. It's like she doesn't even try--she wants to whine first and see if we'll let her be lazy.
Her other new thing is to "yell" at inanimate objects when she gets hurt. For example, last night she took a tumble out of the rocking chair in her room. I didn't see it happen--just heard the dreadful "thud" and then the dramatic antics. When I went into the room, she was standing up (no blood or visible bumps), pointing at the chair, and loudly complaining. It was as though she was tattling on that naughty, naughty chair for having the nerve to dump her onto the floor. I leaned down to hug her, which she allowed me to do for approximately 1.2 seconds before disentangling herself and continuing her rant about the evil rocking chair. It's like this mixture of anger and sadness--she'll have a couple tears on her face, but her tone alternates between sounding genuinely wounded and seriously angry.
The oddest things seem to annoy her or freak her out lately. Mom said the other day she had a string sticking out of her sleeve, and she forcefully complained about it, pointing at it anxiously, until Mom cut it off for her. Last night, she threw up a little (I'm guessing she just burped and some food came up with it), and she indignantly pointed at the table, bellowing about the mess until it was gone.
Yes, folks, we have a true drama queen on our hands here. Toddlerhood is going to be fun.
Any fellow American Idol addicts out there? Yup, I love me some bad auditions, so I get sucked in every year. And I have to comment on this one guy last night. His wife's water broke while he was in line waiting to audition, so of course he gets his own personal camera crew to ride in the car with him to the hospital and even to get a quick update once he and his wife are in a room. Which is all fine and good, but here's the kicker. She had the baby, and he came back on Day 2 to audition. No big deal, right? Except that right alongside him was his wife, dressed nicely but simply in a black shirt and jeans, hair done, makeup just so, smiling and walking around, carrying sweet little Emma Grace in her arms. All I could do was sit there with my mouth hanging open--I could barely walk the day after giving birth to Ari, let alone appear in public and on TV looking every bit like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I'd love to be snarky about this, but all I can say to her (I don't even remember her name) is, "You go, girl." I think she is my new personal hero. She'll probably lose all her baby weight in less than a week, too.
On to other thrilling news... I have what I believe to be a plantar's wart on my foot. It's kind of on the side of my foot, but right near the bottom, so maybe it's technically not a plantar's wart. I haven't had any since I was a teen. I have warts on my hand, leg, etc., that never go away. You know how they say most warts go away on their own? It's a lie. Mine don't. I once had them frozen off, and after they blistered and the blister fell off, they came back, bigger than before. I had them burned off, which worked for a while, but most of them are back--smaller, but back. I read online that some people swear by a duct tape remedy for warts--simply slap some duct tape on the wart for several days, remove, soak and then exfoliate said wart, then repeat until the wart is gone. I figure it's worth a try, before I go spending money on expensive over-the-counter stuff (which has never worked before) or on a dermatologist. My only problem is that the idea of keeping the duct tape on for 6 straight days is not working out so well--it comes off after every shower. It's no big deal to reapply it, but I can't help wondering if it defeats the whole process. Anyway, I'm interested to see how this experiment works out. As I'm sure you all are, too.
Tony stopped at the grocery store last night to pick up 4 things, and came home with 4 bags of stuff. But I couldn't fault him for that, because one bag contained a package of 4 gigantic chocolate chip muffins, all for me. Have I mentioned lately that my husband rocks? And I firmly believe that muffins which are given with such love contain no calories.
I have jury duty tomorrow. Well, maybe. You know how it is--you have to call the evening before to see if you still have to actually appear. I hope I don't have to, and I feel like a really bad citizen for thinking that. I just don't want to have to drive into a major city in rush hour traffic and deal with unfamiliar roads and rotaries and buildings. I hate going to strange places alone. Maybe I can talk Tony into driving me.
Big day coming up on Saturday--first, a girls' day out with my 2 closest girlfriends. Then, later in the day we're joining up with all our husbands and the 6 of us are going out for dinner. I have been looking forward to this ever since we set the date a few weeks ago. We're planning on going to a store that sells knockoff designer purses wicked cheap (and you all know how I love my purses), and then lunch, and then who knows. Whatever we do, the best part will be all the girly gabbing. I can't wait.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Back to your regularly-scheduled program *EDIT*
I've talked before about how amazed I am by how many words Ari understands, even though she can't say all that many yet. Well, lately I've been noticing how she's starting to understand the context these words are used in. She's really good at imitating us--if we tell her to say a word, or repeat a word over and over, she'll say it. But now she's starting to say some words all on her own, without prompting from us.
For example, if you ask her if she's hungry, she'll reply, "Eat?" and do the sign language for it. The other day when she was being exceptionally whiny, I said to her, "Are you tired?" She replied, "Nap?" and started heading toward the stairs. With a shrug, I followed her--I was skeptical, but figured it was worth a shot. I laid her down and got in the shower. When I checked on her, about half an hour later, she was laying in her crib--completely awake, pacifier in her mouth, and her Beloved Belle in her hands. I don't know if she ever slept or not, but she was obviously aware that she at least needed some downtime. And she stayed quietly in her crib for another good 15 minutes or so as I got ready--and if I hadn't barged in to get her ready too, who knows how long she might have chilled.
We were at my parents' the other day, and the adults were playing cards at the dining room table. Ari was wandering around, keeping herself amused, when suddenly she started chanting, "Mom! Mom!" in that frantic way she does when she really wants my attention. I called out to her, "What is it, baby?" but she just kept persisting, and I could see she was pointing at something. I got up, wondering what she'd broken or messed up. When I turned the corner, I saw she was pointing at the kerosene heater, which was off. She looked up at me, and quite seriously said, "Hot." A few days later, I was holding her in my arms while I was making her dinner. We were standing near the stove, and she told me, "Hot. Hot." She says it in this funny little half-whisper too, which cracks me up. But needless to say, I was impressed to find that she's actually been paying attention when we tell her something is hot.
She's been playing peekaboo for a while now, but now, she'll actually start the game herself. I was changing her the other day when she clapped her hands over her eyes, then flung them out, declaring, "Peekaboo!" When she says it, she really only get the "p" and the "b" sound, so it sounds like "pee-buh" or "puh-buh."
She also blows kisses on her own now. The past several times I've said "bye" to her, she responds by blowing me a kiss, complete with a "muh" for added effect.
She's even starting to repeat words that her toys say to her. She has this one activity table that has lights, plays music, talks, etc. There's an apple on it that says "apple" when you press it. Ari was playing with it the other day, pressing on that apple and then saying, "Ap-poo, ap-poo" over and over. She also loves her "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book, and will excitedly say, "ap-poo, ap-poo" as she "reads" it. The funny thing is, though, if you ask her to show you the apple, she can open up to the page that shows all the fruits, but she doesn't know which one is actually the apple. It's like she knows it's in there somewhere, but can't quite remember where. I'm sure she'll have it all figured out in no time.
**********EDIT**********
This is what happens when you let your child feed herself pasta...
Needless to say, it was straight to the bathtub after dinner. And after the bath, it was into her new Belle pajamas.
She kept herself entertained in her room until bedtime. I guess this book was pretty exciting.
Not sure what's going on with her tongue here...
Look at those kissable cheeks!
She is finally getting hair--I actually use the blowdryer on it after her baths now. Sure, I only have to blow-dry it for about 10 seconds, but still...
For example, if you ask her if she's hungry, she'll reply, "Eat?" and do the sign language for it. The other day when she was being exceptionally whiny, I said to her, "Are you tired?" She replied, "Nap?" and started heading toward the stairs. With a shrug, I followed her--I was skeptical, but figured it was worth a shot. I laid her down and got in the shower. When I checked on her, about half an hour later, she was laying in her crib--completely awake, pacifier in her mouth, and her Beloved Belle in her hands. I don't know if she ever slept or not, but she was obviously aware that she at least needed some downtime. And she stayed quietly in her crib for another good 15 minutes or so as I got ready--and if I hadn't barged in to get her ready too, who knows how long she might have chilled.
We were at my parents' the other day, and the adults were playing cards at the dining room table. Ari was wandering around, keeping herself amused, when suddenly she started chanting, "Mom! Mom!" in that frantic way she does when she really wants my attention. I called out to her, "What is it, baby?" but she just kept persisting, and I could see she was pointing at something. I got up, wondering what she'd broken or messed up. When I turned the corner, I saw she was pointing at the kerosene heater, which was off. She looked up at me, and quite seriously said, "Hot." A few days later, I was holding her in my arms while I was making her dinner. We were standing near the stove, and she told me, "Hot. Hot." She says it in this funny little half-whisper too, which cracks me up. But needless to say, I was impressed to find that she's actually been paying attention when we tell her something is hot.
She's been playing peekaboo for a while now, but now, she'll actually start the game herself. I was changing her the other day when she clapped her hands over her eyes, then flung them out, declaring, "Peekaboo!" When she says it, she really only get the "p" and the "b" sound, so it sounds like "pee-buh" or "puh-buh."
She also blows kisses on her own now. The past several times I've said "bye" to her, she responds by blowing me a kiss, complete with a "muh" for added effect.
She's even starting to repeat words that her toys say to her. She has this one activity table that has lights, plays music, talks, etc. There's an apple on it that says "apple" when you press it. Ari was playing with it the other day, pressing on that apple and then saying, "Ap-poo, ap-poo" over and over. She also loves her "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book, and will excitedly say, "ap-poo, ap-poo" as she "reads" it. The funny thing is, though, if you ask her to show you the apple, she can open up to the page that shows all the fruits, but she doesn't know which one is actually the apple. It's like she knows it's in there somewhere, but can't quite remember where. I'm sure she'll have it all figured out in no time.
**********EDIT**********
This is what happens when you let your child feed herself pasta...
Needless to say, it was straight to the bathtub after dinner. And after the bath, it was into her new Belle pajamas.
She kept herself entertained in her room until bedtime. I guess this book was pretty exciting.
Not sure what's going on with her tongue here...
Look at those kissable cheeks!
She is finally getting hair--I actually use the blowdryer on it after her baths now. Sure, I only have to blow-dry it for about 10 seconds, but still...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Christmas gift
Want to see what Tony got me for Christmas?
OK, that was a little blurry. Here's a clearer shot.
Isn't it lovely? It's rubies (Ari's birthstone) and diamonds, and it's on the middle finger of my right hand. The only reason I didn't mention it sooner was because I had to get it sized... and it would be no fun to talk about it without pictures, right?
I love him so much.
OK, that was a little blurry. Here's a clearer shot.
Isn't it lovely? It's rubies (Ari's birthstone) and diamonds, and it's on the middle finger of my right hand. The only reason I didn't mention it sooner was because I had to get it sized... and it would be no fun to talk about it without pictures, right?
I love him so much.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Just pictures
Nothing much to say--I stayed home from work today, partly because of the nasty snowstorm, and partly because of the nasty headache that was tormenting me. So it was a lazy day--when Ari napped, I napped, and let's just say we both had a good long nap. So here are just a few random pictures from the past couple days or so.
"Oh my gosh, Mom, do I have a story for you..."
"...Seriously, it was THIS tall."
This is Ari's newest trick--she'll lean back against the couch, and then pull her legs up, one at a time, until they're both resting on the coffee table. She's pretty good at keeping her balance, too.
Apparently, it's very relaxing.
And it's also a good position for watching TV.
She doesn't watch TV at all, really, but today for some reason, she was mesmerized by it. When I finally noticed, I made a point of changing the channel to the Disney Channel. Not that I was watching anything bad, but I figured if she was going to pay attention, I should find something more age-appropriate.
And one last picture...
"Hello, Internet!"
"Oh my gosh, Mom, do I have a story for you..."
"...Seriously, it was THIS tall."
This is Ari's newest trick--she'll lean back against the couch, and then pull her legs up, one at a time, until they're both resting on the coffee table. She's pretty good at keeping her balance, too.
Apparently, it's very relaxing.
And it's also a good position for watching TV.
She doesn't watch TV at all, really, but today for some reason, she was mesmerized by it. When I finally noticed, I made a point of changing the channel to the Disney Channel. Not that I was watching anything bad, but I figured if she was going to pay attention, I should find something more age-appropriate.
And one last picture...
"Hello, Internet!"
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Happy birthday, Grampa
Today, my Grampa turned 90. He's in town, staying with my parents, so we went over there for lunch. And, of course, I have pictures.
First... in the car on the way there... she was being all cute, but as soon as I whipped out the camera, she started giving me fake smiles.
After lunch, we had cake for Grampa. Ari watched in awe as we all sang to him, staring mostly at the lit-up cake. When it came time to blow out the candles, I handed her to Tony so she could be closer to the cake. We told her to blow (because we've taught her to blow on her food when it's hot), but her little puffs did nothing but make the flames flicker a little. Grampa held out his hand toward her, and she took it--it was the sweetest moment, the two of them holding hands and blowing the candles out together. And of course I didn't think to grab my camera until after the moment had passed.
So my next picture is this--Ari handing Grampa his birthday card from us.
I like the look on her face in this one.
He gave her the envelope, which kept her occupied while he read the card.
I know you can't see either of their faces here, but she was giving him a hug.
Mom has this splint she wears on her finger sometimes (for her arthritic joint), and Ari just thought that was the coolest thing. Here, she's putting it on Tony's finger.
Later in the day, we tried to get a few more pictures of Ari with Grampa, but she was not in the mood.
Mom tried to intervene, thinking that if she held Ari, Ari might cooperate, but no such luck.
I think my Grampa really enjoyed spending time with her--you could see his eyes light up every time she was in the room. I think it's awesome that Ari has had the chance to get to know her great-grandfather. I never knew any of my great-grandparents--they had all passed away before I was born. I know Ari won't remember days like today, but at least she'll have these pictures to look back on.
Pictures like this one...
First... in the car on the way there... she was being all cute, but as soon as I whipped out the camera, she started giving me fake smiles.
After lunch, we had cake for Grampa. Ari watched in awe as we all sang to him, staring mostly at the lit-up cake. When it came time to blow out the candles, I handed her to Tony so she could be closer to the cake. We told her to blow (because we've taught her to blow on her food when it's hot), but her little puffs did nothing but make the flames flicker a little. Grampa held out his hand toward her, and she took it--it was the sweetest moment, the two of them holding hands and blowing the candles out together. And of course I didn't think to grab my camera until after the moment had passed.
So my next picture is this--Ari handing Grampa his birthday card from us.
I like the look on her face in this one.
He gave her the envelope, which kept her occupied while he read the card.
I know you can't see either of their faces here, but she was giving him a hug.
Mom has this splint she wears on her finger sometimes (for her arthritic joint), and Ari just thought that was the coolest thing. Here, she's putting it on Tony's finger.
Later in the day, we tried to get a few more pictures of Ari with Grampa, but she was not in the mood.
Mom tried to intervene, thinking that if she held Ari, Ari might cooperate, but no such luck.
I think my Grampa really enjoyed spending time with her--you could see his eyes light up every time she was in the room. I think it's awesome that Ari has had the chance to get to know her great-grandfather. I never knew any of my great-grandparents--they had all passed away before I was born. I know Ari won't remember days like today, but at least she'll have these pictures to look back on.
Pictures like this one...
Friday, January 11, 2008
End of a long week
Not much to say, except holy crap this was the longest week ever. All that time off during the holidays really spoiled me, making a normal 5-day workweek seem to drag on and on and on. But the weekend is here, so hooray for that. And hooray for pictures!
Ari was playing with my coat tonight, so we decided to put it on her. Of course, it kept falling off, so Tony had to help her put it back on a few times.
She walked out of the frame on this shot, but once I cropped it, I think it came out pretty cool. I love sepia tones.
Once the coat got old, she decided to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to herself.
Then it was time to show some love to the dogs. Well, more specifically, Ivan. Sasha's not so keen on being attacked by a miniature human, so she usually just walks away when Ari comes near. But Ivan thrives on the attention. She's not kicking him in this picture, I promise--she was trying to climb on the couch.
Hug for Ivan...
I know it looks like he's about to bite her hand off, but he's really just licking her. She likes to stick her fingers in his mouth, and he gives her kisses in return. He is so good with her.
Then Tony took a few shots of just me and Ari. I think he did a pretty good job.
The only reason I got her to sit still on my lap for so long was by letting her watch a video of dogs online.
Not sure why she's sticking out her tongue here...
And here she is, making her escape.
Tony gave her her first horsey ride tonight, and as you'll see, she loved it. By the time I grabbed the camera, he had already given her several rides. The reason he's laying on the floor is because he's pretending to be tired, but Ari is not about to let him get away with that. She asks for "more" but does the sign for "eat" first. Then she does the sign for "more" and gets impatient when he doesn't respond right away. She even adds in a quick "please" for good measure. Not like it would take much to convince her Daddy to do something for her.
Ari was playing with my coat tonight, so we decided to put it on her. Of course, it kept falling off, so Tony had to help her put it back on a few times.
She walked out of the frame on this shot, but once I cropped it, I think it came out pretty cool. I love sepia tones.
Once the coat got old, she decided to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to herself.
Then it was time to show some love to the dogs. Well, more specifically, Ivan. Sasha's not so keen on being attacked by a miniature human, so she usually just walks away when Ari comes near. But Ivan thrives on the attention. She's not kicking him in this picture, I promise--she was trying to climb on the couch.
Hug for Ivan...
I know it looks like he's about to bite her hand off, but he's really just licking her. She likes to stick her fingers in his mouth, and he gives her kisses in return. He is so good with her.
Then Tony took a few shots of just me and Ari. I think he did a pretty good job.
The only reason I got her to sit still on my lap for so long was by letting her watch a video of dogs online.
Not sure why she's sticking out her tongue here...
And here she is, making her escape.
Tony gave her her first horsey ride tonight, and as you'll see, she loved it. By the time I grabbed the camera, he had already given her several rides. The reason he's laying on the floor is because he's pretending to be tired, but Ari is not about to let him get away with that. She asks for "more" but does the sign for "eat" first. Then she does the sign for "more" and gets impatient when he doesn't respond right away. She even adds in a quick "please" for good measure. Not like it would take much to convince her Daddy to do something for her.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Baby-dolls and brownies
About half an hour after I put Ari to bed last night, I heard her crying. Well, it wasn't really crying--more like whimpering. She's really good about putting herself to sleep, but every so often she'll wake up for some unexplainable reason, and all we have to do is go in and lay her back down. It almost seems like she wakes up by mistake sometimes and then is disoriented (Tony says she gets that from me--ha ha). When I walked into her room last night, she wasn't even standing up--just sitting up, crying softly, and looking confused. As I approached, she pointed at her binky, which was lying a few inches away from her. "Get it," I whispered softly, and she lunged forward to grab it. I leaned down, prepared to lay her down, but she surprised me by flopping onto her belly on her own, clutching at the baby doll near her. I simply covered her with the blankets, whispered "Good night," and left.
Last night, I caught Ari laying her baby doll down on a chair, and then giving it sips of water from her sippy cup. I thought it was really sweet, but then I realized that the true source of entertainment for her was that the water was dripping out of the spout onto the doll's face. And by the time I noticed, there was a decent little puddle under the doll's head. Ari wasn't too happy when I took the cup away and told her I was on to her.
This morning, when I woke her up, she insisted on grabbing her baby doll before letting me pick her up, crawling crazily around her crib to avoid my arms until the doll was safely in hers. She clutched that doll the whole time I got her ready, protesting grumpily when I dared to make her remove one hand in order to change her shirt. And when I made her leave the doll in her crib as we prepared to leave--well, that was just the greatest insult. She didn't throw a full tantrum, but she made disapproving noises the whole way down the stairs.
I set her down to grab my coat, and she bee-lined toward one of her Belle dolls (probably because there were no baby dolls in sight), which she refused to let go of. Again, putting on her coat was major drama, because then she had to hold Belle with only one hand at a time, and oh the horror! Oh the humanity!
She dropped Belle in the car (as she always tends to do with toys), which was probably the only reason she didn't insist of having Belle accompany her into the babysitter's house. But once in the house, she quickly found the baby doll she'd been playing with on Tuesday and happily carried it around. I told the babysitter about how Ari had been making her baby doll drink from her sippy cup and Mary said she did the same thing on Tuesday. "She's very nurturing," Mary said. Seconds later, Ari was dragging the doll around by the leg, while its head thump-thumped against the hardwood floor. Apparently we still need to work on some mothering techniques.
I think the beloved Belle doll will be taking a backseat to the baby dolls for a while.
**********
Text message conversation last night: (I was upstairs working out and he was downstairs watching TV. Yes, we are lazy, thankyouverymuch.)
Tony: What/Who are the brownies for?
Me: Work
Tony: Ugh ok
Me: I'm goin to cut them--u can have one
Tony: You're kinda nice :)
Me: I'm awesome
Actual conversation we had later: (See, we have live conversations--with words and eye contact and everything!)
Me: What do you care who the brownies are for? You don't even like brownies.
[Editor's note: It's true--the man does not like chocolate. Which is part of the reason we are so happily married--I don't have to share chocolate. Well... except for strange instances like this...]
Tony: I know, but I smelled them cooking and now I'm in the mood for one.
Me: (digging into the still-warm brownies) Like, right now?
Tony: Yes, please.
Actual conversation, part 2, a few hours later, as he watched me frost the brownies:
Me: (feeling him watching me) What?
Tony: That's weird.
Me:: Nuh-uh, it's good.
Tony: I've never seen anyone put stuff on top of brownies before. Well, except when you make those brownies with the crushed-up Oreos on top.
Me: And what do you think is under those crushed-up Oreos?
Tony: Oh. (pause) Hey, do you want me to run across the street and get you some Oreos?
Me: (glancing at clock) At 12:15? No, thank you, crazy man.
The funny thing is, if I had said yes, I know he would have.
Last night, I caught Ari laying her baby doll down on a chair, and then giving it sips of water from her sippy cup. I thought it was really sweet, but then I realized that the true source of entertainment for her was that the water was dripping out of the spout onto the doll's face. And by the time I noticed, there was a decent little puddle under the doll's head. Ari wasn't too happy when I took the cup away and told her I was on to her.
This morning, when I woke her up, she insisted on grabbing her baby doll before letting me pick her up, crawling crazily around her crib to avoid my arms until the doll was safely in hers. She clutched that doll the whole time I got her ready, protesting grumpily when I dared to make her remove one hand in order to change her shirt. And when I made her leave the doll in her crib as we prepared to leave--well, that was just the greatest insult. She didn't throw a full tantrum, but she made disapproving noises the whole way down the stairs.
I set her down to grab my coat, and she bee-lined toward one of her Belle dolls (probably because there were no baby dolls in sight), which she refused to let go of. Again, putting on her coat was major drama, because then she had to hold Belle with only one hand at a time, and oh the horror! Oh the humanity!
She dropped Belle in the car (as she always tends to do with toys), which was probably the only reason she didn't insist of having Belle accompany her into the babysitter's house. But once in the house, she quickly found the baby doll she'd been playing with on Tuesday and happily carried it around. I told the babysitter about how Ari had been making her baby doll drink from her sippy cup and Mary said she did the same thing on Tuesday. "She's very nurturing," Mary said. Seconds later, Ari was dragging the doll around by the leg, while its head thump-thumped against the hardwood floor. Apparently we still need to work on some mothering techniques.
I think the beloved Belle doll will be taking a backseat to the baby dolls for a while.
**********
Text message conversation last night: (I was upstairs working out and he was downstairs watching TV. Yes, we are lazy, thankyouverymuch.)
Tony: What/Who are the brownies for?
Me: Work
Tony: Ugh ok
Me: I'm goin to cut them--u can have one
Tony: You're kinda nice :)
Me: I'm awesome
Actual conversation we had later: (See, we have live conversations--with words and eye contact and everything!)
Me: What do you care who the brownies are for? You don't even like brownies.
[Editor's note: It's true--the man does not like chocolate. Which is part of the reason we are so happily married--I don't have to share chocolate. Well... except for strange instances like this...]
Tony: I know, but I smelled them cooking and now I'm in the mood for one.
Me: (digging into the still-warm brownies) Like, right now?
Tony: Yes, please.
Actual conversation, part 2, a few hours later, as he watched me frost the brownies:
Me: (feeling him watching me) What?
Tony: That's weird.
Me:: Nuh-uh, it's good.
Tony: I've never seen anyone put stuff on top of brownies before. Well, except when you make those brownies with the crushed-up Oreos on top.
Me: And what do you think is under those crushed-up Oreos?
Tony: Oh. (pause) Hey, do you want me to run across the street and get you some Oreos?
Me: (glancing at clock) At 12:15? No, thank you, crazy man.
The funny thing is, if I had said yes, I know he would have.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
18-month appt. and other stuff
(Wow. Most boring title EVER.)
Ari had her 18-month appointment this morning, and it went really well. When we walked into the waiting room, she immediately spotted a baby doll and was thrilled. She even carried it back into the examining room with her, where she chewed on its plastic head.
First things first--weight and height. She is 24 lbs. 2 1/2 oz., which puts her right around the 50th percentile. And she is 35" tall, which puts her well above the 100th percentile. (Dude--my kid is almost 3 feet tall!) Both the nurse and the doctor commented on her height, making jokes about how she could play basketball, be a supermodel, etc.
Ari kept herself entertained on the examining table while we waited for the doctor by playing with the scale attached to the table. It was one of those old-fashioned ones where you have to slide the weights around--she kept moving the weights and then flinching at the clanging sound they made. She also kept herself busy by completely mangling the paper on the table. And once that got old, she even stood up on the table. That's her new thing--standing on tables, etc., and then grinning at me like she's just scaled Mt. Everest.
The first thing the doctor asked about was her eating habits, so at least we got the negative stuff out of the way first. Actually, the doctor didn't seem at all concerned about the way Ari eats and how little she eats. She gave me the same advice as last time--keep providing nutritious food and let her decide how much to eat. She also said to give her no more than 4-6 ounces of juice per day and to offer her milk at the end of a meal rather than at the beginning or during, which all makes sense. Even though I know in my head that Ari's picky eating habits are totally normal, I still can't help but worry sometimes--I wouldn't be a typical mom if I didn't, right? But it's still nice to have someone reassure me that she is behaving like a normal, ordinary, stubborn toddler.
I braced myself for a fight during the exam, since at her last appointment, Ari acted like we were all trying to kill her. She pushed away the stethoscope when the doctor listened to her heart and lungs (and didn't appreciate it when I held her hands back), but after that, she was fine. She squirmed a little, as though she wanted to make it clear to us that she did not like being poked and prodded, but really, she was so good. And no shots this time, either.
The doctor asked several questions about her development, and I was pleased to be able to answer them all positively. She even commented on the collection of small bruises on Ari's shins, declaring them "toddler legs" and saying that's what she likes to see. Overall, the doctor told me she was "thrilled" with Ari's progress, and I couldn't help but beam. Again, I wouldn't be a typical mom if I wasn't bursting with pride at the fact that my child--my very own offspring--has mastered the art of holding a fork.
This concludes the Ariana portion of this entry. And this begins the total randomness.
I am wearing my hair in a ponytail because it got rained on this morning and turned into a giant puffball. I hate wearing my hair in a ponytail--I feel like it makes my entire body look fatter. I know this makes no sense. I am such a girl.
The headline on AOL's home page right now reads (in reference to Hillary Clinton), "She choked up, then beat Obama." Somehow, the first time I read this, I read it as, "She choked then beat Obama." Which I'm sure would be a much more entertaining story.
I watched Sex and the City last night, and the storyline about one of the character's struggles with infertility made me cry. More than once. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
No, it does not mean I'm thinking about getting pregnant again, so just stop it.
It was so warm yesterday that a couple co-workers and I took a walk in the afternoon. It was perfect walking weather--the air was cool and refeshing on our faces. I think we'll go again today, too. Or I'll go by myself.
There is a small pile of dog poop sitting on the pavement of the parking lot at home, right past the curb, in a parking spot that I generally walk through to get from my car to my door. It used to be sitting on snow until this warm weather melted it, which means it has been there at least since Saturday. How hard is it to pick up after your dog, people? Especially when you don't have to dig it out of the grass. This little pile annoys me to no end. But apparently, it doesn't annoy me enough to make me pick it up myself.
You know what else annoys me? When people pass you on the right on the highway, and then slow down once they're in front of you. Or the people who ride your tail until you get over, then take their sweet old time passing you.
OK, I'm going to end this before it turns into a big list of Things That Annoy Me. So, to end on a positive note...
Here's another picture that I stole from my sister's blog--me and my Mommy. Can you tell we're related?
Ari had her 18-month appointment this morning, and it went really well. When we walked into the waiting room, she immediately spotted a baby doll and was thrilled. She even carried it back into the examining room with her, where she chewed on its plastic head.
First things first--weight and height. She is 24 lbs. 2 1/2 oz., which puts her right around the 50th percentile. And she is 35" tall, which puts her well above the 100th percentile. (Dude--my kid is almost 3 feet tall!) Both the nurse and the doctor commented on her height, making jokes about how she could play basketball, be a supermodel, etc.
Ari kept herself entertained on the examining table while we waited for the doctor by playing with the scale attached to the table. It was one of those old-fashioned ones where you have to slide the weights around--she kept moving the weights and then flinching at the clanging sound they made. She also kept herself busy by completely mangling the paper on the table. And once that got old, she even stood up on the table. That's her new thing--standing on tables, etc., and then grinning at me like she's just scaled Mt. Everest.
The first thing the doctor asked about was her eating habits, so at least we got the negative stuff out of the way first. Actually, the doctor didn't seem at all concerned about the way Ari eats and how little she eats. She gave me the same advice as last time--keep providing nutritious food and let her decide how much to eat. She also said to give her no more than 4-6 ounces of juice per day and to offer her milk at the end of a meal rather than at the beginning or during, which all makes sense. Even though I know in my head that Ari's picky eating habits are totally normal, I still can't help but worry sometimes--I wouldn't be a typical mom if I didn't, right? But it's still nice to have someone reassure me that she is behaving like a normal, ordinary, stubborn toddler.
I braced myself for a fight during the exam, since at her last appointment, Ari acted like we were all trying to kill her. She pushed away the stethoscope when the doctor listened to her heart and lungs (and didn't appreciate it when I held her hands back), but after that, she was fine. She squirmed a little, as though she wanted to make it clear to us that she did not like being poked and prodded, but really, she was so good. And no shots this time, either.
The doctor asked several questions about her development, and I was pleased to be able to answer them all positively. She even commented on the collection of small bruises on Ari's shins, declaring them "toddler legs" and saying that's what she likes to see. Overall, the doctor told me she was "thrilled" with Ari's progress, and I couldn't help but beam. Again, I wouldn't be a typical mom if I wasn't bursting with pride at the fact that my child--my very own offspring--has mastered the art of holding a fork.
This concludes the Ariana portion of this entry. And this begins the total randomness.
I am wearing my hair in a ponytail because it got rained on this morning and turned into a giant puffball. I hate wearing my hair in a ponytail--I feel like it makes my entire body look fatter. I know this makes no sense. I am such a girl.
The headline on AOL's home page right now reads (in reference to Hillary Clinton), "She choked up, then beat Obama." Somehow, the first time I read this, I read it as, "She choked then beat Obama." Which I'm sure would be a much more entertaining story.
I watched Sex and the City last night, and the storyline about one of the character's struggles with infertility made me cry. More than once. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
No, it does not mean I'm thinking about getting pregnant again, so just stop it.
It was so warm yesterday that a couple co-workers and I took a walk in the afternoon. It was perfect walking weather--the air was cool and refeshing on our faces. I think we'll go again today, too. Or I'll go by myself.
There is a small pile of dog poop sitting on the pavement of the parking lot at home, right past the curb, in a parking spot that I generally walk through to get from my car to my door. It used to be sitting on snow until this warm weather melted it, which means it has been there at least since Saturday. How hard is it to pick up after your dog, people? Especially when you don't have to dig it out of the grass. This little pile annoys me to no end. But apparently, it doesn't annoy me enough to make me pick it up myself.
You know what else annoys me? When people pass you on the right on the highway, and then slow down once they're in front of you. Or the people who ride your tail until you get over, then take their sweet old time passing you.
OK, I'm going to end this before it turns into a big list of Things That Annoy Me. So, to end on a positive note...
Here's another picture that I stole from my sister's blog--me and my Mommy. Can you tell we're related?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Tea party tantrum and dizzy dancing
Last night, in between shopping trips to Target and the grocery store, I spent a little time with Ari in her room. I got the bright idea to grab my camera and take a couple videos, but Ari wasn't quite as thrilled about it as I'd hoped.
In this first video, I was trying to have a tea party with her. She cooperated somewhat grudgingly--as though she was only doing it because I was making her. As you can see, we obviously need to work on the proper way to hold a tea cup (and I suppose this shows that she is nowhere near ready to graduate from a sippy cup to a real cup). Then I got brave and decided to snatch her binky. It took her a second to process what I'd done--she did pretend to be taking a sip, even though she didn't have a cup in her hand (that's what the blowing sounds are). But then she realized she was binky-less and promptly threw a little fit (though, to her credit, she did give me a grumpy "please"--that's what that "meeee" sound is). And once she had her binky back, she ditched the tea party entirely. I guess this is what I get for videotaping right before bedtime.
Then Tony joined us, and suddenly, Miss Thing was in a much better mood. Here, she's dancing to the music on her piano (note the slightly-crazed look in her eyes--yep, that's my kid). I tried to get her to say "so big" but to no avail. Then you'll see the side effects of all that spinning when Tony tells her to go play her piano.
In this first video, I was trying to have a tea party with her. She cooperated somewhat grudgingly--as though she was only doing it because I was making her. As you can see, we obviously need to work on the proper way to hold a tea cup (and I suppose this shows that she is nowhere near ready to graduate from a sippy cup to a real cup). Then I got brave and decided to snatch her binky. It took her a second to process what I'd done--she did pretend to be taking a sip, even though she didn't have a cup in her hand (that's what the blowing sounds are). But then she realized she was binky-less and promptly threw a little fit (though, to her credit, she did give me a grumpy "please"--that's what that "meeee" sound is). And once she had her binky back, she ditched the tea party entirely. I guess this is what I get for videotaping right before bedtime.
Then Tony joined us, and suddenly, Miss Thing was in a much better mood. Here, she's dancing to the music on her piano (note the slightly-crazed look in her eyes--yep, that's my kid). I tried to get her to say "so big" but to no avail. Then you'll see the side effects of all that spinning when Tony tells her to go play her piano.
Monday, January 7, 2008
A real, live girl
Ari has suddenly turned into this little girl... As I mentioned in my last entry, I showed her how to play with her tea set, and now she's a little expert. Every time she's in her room, she sits at the table, usually with a doll or two as her special guests, and has a little tea party. She pours the tea, pretends to drink it, and even feeds it to her dolls.
And speaking of dolls, she has suddenly taken an interest in her baby dolls. You know the kind I mean--the ones that look like an actual infant, and that have the soft body and hard plastic arms, legs, and head. She has a couple dolls like this and has never shown much interest in playing with them. But now, she carries them around in this gentle way--cradled in both arms, as though she somehow knows the proper way to hold a baby. And the crazy thing is, I didn't teach her this. All I've done is call the doll a "baby" (to get her to say the word "baby")--she's come up with everything else on her own.
Next thing you know, she'll be begging me to put lipstick on her and paint her nails. And I will be more than happy to oblige. I'm not saying she has to be a girly-girl for life (if Tony has his way, she will play every sport imaginable and become a tomboy who prefers the name "AJ" to "Ariana"), but I'm hoping that we can have at least one phase where we play dress-up, experiment with makeup, and shop for fun clothes together.
I really didn't think I'd be this excited about sharing girly stuff with my daughter. I guess I can just add this to my list of Things That Have Surprised Me About Being a Mom.
Remember when I said I was done with Christmas pictures? Yeah, I was totally lying. Because now my siblings have sent me their pictures and/or posted their pictures in their blogs, which means... lucky you.
Ari much prefers the taste of her own munchable fingers to any sort of real food. Maybe I should start dipping her fingers into a protein shake or something...
Beware the fury of the toddler... (Ha, just kidding--she was laughing here. I think... )
Ari says, "Cheers."
See, I told you that she and Olyvia fought--here, it was over a book. Despite the fact that there were at least 3 other books nearby, they both HAD to have this one. (I love how it looks like Olyvia is laughing at Ari in this picture. And get a load of Ari's face--she's got that super-annoyed expression down pat.)
And speaking of dolls, she has suddenly taken an interest in her baby dolls. You know the kind I mean--the ones that look like an actual infant, and that have the soft body and hard plastic arms, legs, and head. She has a couple dolls like this and has never shown much interest in playing with them. But now, she carries them around in this gentle way--cradled in both arms, as though she somehow knows the proper way to hold a baby. And the crazy thing is, I didn't teach her this. All I've done is call the doll a "baby" (to get her to say the word "baby")--she's come up with everything else on her own.
Next thing you know, she'll be begging me to put lipstick on her and paint her nails. And I will be more than happy to oblige. I'm not saying she has to be a girly-girl for life (if Tony has his way, she will play every sport imaginable and become a tomboy who prefers the name "AJ" to "Ariana"), but I'm hoping that we can have at least one phase where we play dress-up, experiment with makeup, and shop for fun clothes together.
I really didn't think I'd be this excited about sharing girly stuff with my daughter. I guess I can just add this to my list of Things That Have Surprised Me About Being a Mom.
Remember when I said I was done with Christmas pictures? Yeah, I was totally lying. Because now my siblings have sent me their pictures and/or posted their pictures in their blogs, which means... lucky you.
Ari much prefers the taste of her own munchable fingers to any sort of real food. Maybe I should start dipping her fingers into a protein shake or something...
Beware the fury of the toddler... (Ha, just kidding--she was laughing here. I think... )
Ari says, "Cheers."
See, I told you that she and Olyvia fought--here, it was over a book. Despite the fact that there were at least 3 other books nearby, they both HAD to have this one. (I love how it looks like Olyvia is laughing at Ari in this picture. And get a load of Ari's face--she's got that super-annoyed expression down pat.)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Definitely a little girl's room now
I had to go check my old entries, and I can't believe it's been over a month since we started this project... "What project?" you ask. Well, I'm so glad you asked. We started off intending to rearrange Ari's room and make it more into her own room, a toddler-proof place she could play when she's upstairs. Phase 1 involved moving 2 gigantic bookcases out of her room and downstairs, which I already posted pictures of. Phase 2 was completed today--we left Ari with Pastor and Dawn for the day, and got to work.
To refresh your memory, here is a "before" picture.
Awful, isn't it? You can see why we couldn't just let her roam around in her room unattended. Heck, I could barely walk around in there without stumbling on something.
And now, with great pride, I present to you... the "after" pictures.
Off to the left, you can see the very corner of the computer desk, and the filing cabinet, which are the only office-y things left in the room. We actually got rid of the computer stuff--a friend of ours has had the tower portion of the computer for a long time now, intending to fix it, but never getting around to it. In the meantime, we got the laptop, and since that's all we use, we got rid of the bulky monitor and the keyboard and mouse, so there's nothing on the desk that Ari can hurt.
So now there's the rocking chair, Ari's toy box, her bookcase (you think she has enough books?) and her new Princess table and chair set, complete with tea set (both Christmas gifts).
And since I couldn't fit the whole room in one shot, here's the rest of it. It's not much--just the changing table/dresser and the edge of the crib.
And here's a closer-up shot.
As you can see, there's no real "theme" to this room (unless "various" is a theme). The blanket on the rocking chair is part of her crib bedding set (and note the Belle doll on the chair, too). Sitting on top of the chair is the Build-a-Bear we made for her before she was born. Above the rocking chair is a painting of a mother and daughter. Then on the shelf, there's a couple Willow Tree figurines, a couple framed pictures of Ari, and a Belle doll (that Tony insisted on buying when we went to see Beauty and the Beast in NYC when I was pregnant). And under the shelf is, of course, a princess poster (girl needs to start learning her Disney princesses--it's a priority). Next to the shelf is a framed "artistic interpretation" of Beauty and the Beast, signed by the people who played the parts on Broadway (we got it for making a donation to charity at the end of the show). Then on the next shelf is her piggy bank (a gift from Tony's mom). So, yeah, no real theme going on here, but who cares? The point is, it is now her room, a safe and fun place that she can play.
When we brought her home tonight, of course we brought her right upstairs to show off our work. She went right to the table and started playing with the tea set. I sat down with her (yes, I can fit into those chairs, thankyouverymuch) and showed her how to play with the set--I picked up my cup and pretended to take a sip, with an enthusiastic "Mmmm!" She immediately grabbed my cup and peeked in, as though she was thinking, "Hey, yours has something in it? Mine is empty!" I continued to show her how to use the set--I poured tea, stirred it with my spoon, and pretended to drink. The next thing I knew, she grabbed the teapot and poured me some tea. But then she swiped my cup to take a drink. Apparently, we still need to work on proper tea-time etiquette.
It feels so good to finally have this project done--it was a lot more work than I thought it would be. But most of all, it feels good to finally be able to give Ari a room all to herself.
To refresh your memory, here is a "before" picture.
Awful, isn't it? You can see why we couldn't just let her roam around in her room unattended. Heck, I could barely walk around in there without stumbling on something.
And now, with great pride, I present to you... the "after" pictures.
Off to the left, you can see the very corner of the computer desk, and the filing cabinet, which are the only office-y things left in the room. We actually got rid of the computer stuff--a friend of ours has had the tower portion of the computer for a long time now, intending to fix it, but never getting around to it. In the meantime, we got the laptop, and since that's all we use, we got rid of the bulky monitor and the keyboard and mouse, so there's nothing on the desk that Ari can hurt.
So now there's the rocking chair, Ari's toy box, her bookcase (you think she has enough books?) and her new Princess table and chair set, complete with tea set (both Christmas gifts).
And since I couldn't fit the whole room in one shot, here's the rest of it. It's not much--just the changing table/dresser and the edge of the crib.
And here's a closer-up shot.
As you can see, there's no real "theme" to this room (unless "various" is a theme). The blanket on the rocking chair is part of her crib bedding set (and note the Belle doll on the chair, too). Sitting on top of the chair is the Build-a-Bear we made for her before she was born. Above the rocking chair is a painting of a mother and daughter. Then on the shelf, there's a couple Willow Tree figurines, a couple framed pictures of Ari, and a Belle doll (that Tony insisted on buying when we went to see Beauty and the Beast in NYC when I was pregnant). And under the shelf is, of course, a princess poster (girl needs to start learning her Disney princesses--it's a priority). Next to the shelf is a framed "artistic interpretation" of Beauty and the Beast, signed by the people who played the parts on Broadway (we got it for making a donation to charity at the end of the show). Then on the next shelf is her piggy bank (a gift from Tony's mom). So, yeah, no real theme going on here, but who cares? The point is, it is now her room, a safe and fun place that she can play.
When we brought her home tonight, of course we brought her right upstairs to show off our work. She went right to the table and started playing with the tea set. I sat down with her (yes, I can fit into those chairs, thankyouverymuch) and showed her how to play with the set--I picked up my cup and pretended to take a sip, with an enthusiastic "Mmmm!" She immediately grabbed my cup and peeked in, as though she was thinking, "Hey, yours has something in it? Mine is empty!" I continued to show her how to use the set--I poured tea, stirred it with my spoon, and pretended to drink. The next thing I knew, she grabbed the teapot and poured me some tea. But then she swiped my cup to take a drink. Apparently, we still need to work on proper tea-time etiquette.
It feels so good to finally have this project done--it was a lot more work than I thought it would be. But most of all, it feels good to finally be able to give Ari a room all to herself.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Of cars, cards, celebrities, and cruises
Just some random blurbs of things that haven't been written about yet due to the need to post a gajillion Christmas pics and then an 18-month Ari update...
I had to get gas yesterday morning, so I stopped at the gas station, only to discover that my gas tank door was frozen shut. And the problem is that the door is the type that opens via a lever on the inside of the car, meaning there is nothing to grab onto on the actual door itself. After vainly trying to pry it open with my fingernails, I sheepishly walked up to the booth where the Gas Station Guy was and asked if he had any de-icer or anything I could use to pry it open. He offered me a ruler, which worked like magic. When I recounted the tale to Tony, he laughed--and laughed entirely too much for a story that really wasn't that funny. Then he asked me, "Why didn't you just use the bottle of de-icer that's in your trunk?" De-icer? What de-icer? Oh yes... that bottle he put in there weeks ago. My feeble reply was that maybe my trunk was frozen shut, too. Yeah. That.
In other Bad-Car News, my radio is still refusing to work, and it's been... well, I don't know how long, but much longer that its last little unauthorized vacation. I know the radio itself works and that the problem lies in the wiring somehow, but it's a matter of finding time to fix it. But it needs to happen soon. I am growing tired of my repetitive repertoire of Broadway showtunes and Disney songs.
Last night, I addressed, stamped, stuffed and licked about 130 envelopes--our New Year's photo cards. Why we haven't invested in return address labels after over 5 years of living at this address is beyond me. When I was done, I settled my aching body on to the couch, and turned on the DVR to watch Celebrity Apprentice.
Celebrity Apprentice premiered last night, and it was as delightfully awful as I dreamed it would be. I'm not much for reality shows (well, except for American Idol, but that's more because of peer pressure because it seems like everyone and their brother watches it and if I don't, I have nothing to talk about with co-workers and random people in grocery store lines--so I blame you, General American Public), but I love me some Apprentice. It is truly my guilty pleasure. I think Donald Trump is the most ridiculously self-over-hyped "celebrity" there is, and to see him surrounding himself with a bunch of other pseudo-celebrities (most significantly, Omarosa, who is only famous because of being on The Apprentice's first season) is going to make for some fabulous guilty-pleasure TV. Bring it on, NBC.
Tony got a Wii for Christmas, and between that and his new subscription to the NFL Channel (which airs every football game known to mankind), I may never spend quality time with my husband again. The Wii is actually pretty fun, though. I rock at bowling, despite the fact that I suck in real life. I've discovered that my favorite "game" on the Wii is creating Miis (the little characters you use as players). I've created myself (obviously), an older version of Ari (with pigtails! and because Mary and Josh already created a current-Ari), Matt, Kristin, Nick, Pastor and Dawn. I'm pretty proud of my Mii--I think it looks a lot like me, right down to the little mole under her left eye.
We're going out to dinner tonight with Matt and Kristin to celebrate his birthday. We got sitters for the kids (thanks, Dad!), so it will be nice to have an adults-only night out. Not that we have anything crazy planned--we'll probably just hang out at our place afterwards, since I'm sure Tony will want to show off the Wii--but it will still be fun.
I've been thinking lately about our next anniversary--the big 1-0, coming up in August. I've always told him that for our 10-year anniversary, I want one of those 3-stone anniversary rings, princess cut. But now that our 10-year anniversary is so close, I think I'd much rather spend that kind of money on a fabulous trip. We've already toyed with the idea of a Disney vacation--either just the theme parks, or a combo theme park/cruise--but I doubt it will really happen. I've been putzing around on the Disney websites, and once you figure in airfare and other extras, it's going to cost a lot of money. But it's our 10-year anniversary--that's a pretty big milestone. We have to do something cool. If not Disney or a cruise, then something else awesome. I know it's still months away, but it's never too soon to start saving money and planning.
I had to get gas yesterday morning, so I stopped at the gas station, only to discover that my gas tank door was frozen shut. And the problem is that the door is the type that opens via a lever on the inside of the car, meaning there is nothing to grab onto on the actual door itself. After vainly trying to pry it open with my fingernails, I sheepishly walked up to the booth where the Gas Station Guy was and asked if he had any de-icer or anything I could use to pry it open. He offered me a ruler, which worked like magic. When I recounted the tale to Tony, he laughed--and laughed entirely too much for a story that really wasn't that funny. Then he asked me, "Why didn't you just use the bottle of de-icer that's in your trunk?" De-icer? What de-icer? Oh yes... that bottle he put in there weeks ago. My feeble reply was that maybe my trunk was frozen shut, too. Yeah. That.
In other Bad-Car News, my radio is still refusing to work, and it's been... well, I don't know how long, but much longer that its last little unauthorized vacation. I know the radio itself works and that the problem lies in the wiring somehow, but it's a matter of finding time to fix it. But it needs to happen soon. I am growing tired of my repetitive repertoire of Broadway showtunes and Disney songs.
Last night, I addressed, stamped, stuffed and licked about 130 envelopes--our New Year's photo cards. Why we haven't invested in return address labels after over 5 years of living at this address is beyond me. When I was done, I settled my aching body on to the couch, and turned on the DVR to watch Celebrity Apprentice.
Celebrity Apprentice premiered last night, and it was as delightfully awful as I dreamed it would be. I'm not much for reality shows (well, except for American Idol, but that's more because of peer pressure because it seems like everyone and their brother watches it and if I don't, I have nothing to talk about with co-workers and random people in grocery store lines--so I blame you, General American Public), but I love me some Apprentice. It is truly my guilty pleasure. I think Donald Trump is the most ridiculously self-over-hyped "celebrity" there is, and to see him surrounding himself with a bunch of other pseudo-celebrities (most significantly, Omarosa, who is only famous because of being on The Apprentice's first season) is going to make for some fabulous guilty-pleasure TV. Bring it on, NBC.
Tony got a Wii for Christmas, and between that and his new subscription to the NFL Channel (which airs every football game known to mankind), I may never spend quality time with my husband again. The Wii is actually pretty fun, though. I rock at bowling, despite the fact that I suck in real life. I've discovered that my favorite "game" on the Wii is creating Miis (the little characters you use as players). I've created myself (obviously), an older version of Ari (with pigtails! and because Mary and Josh already created a current-Ari), Matt, Kristin, Nick, Pastor and Dawn. I'm pretty proud of my Mii--I think it looks a lot like me, right down to the little mole under her left eye.
We're going out to dinner tonight with Matt and Kristin to celebrate his birthday. We got sitters for the kids (thanks, Dad!), so it will be nice to have an adults-only night out. Not that we have anything crazy planned--we'll probably just hang out at our place afterwards, since I'm sure Tony will want to show off the Wii--but it will still be fun.
I've been thinking lately about our next anniversary--the big 1-0, coming up in August. I've always told him that for our 10-year anniversary, I want one of those 3-stone anniversary rings, princess cut. But now that our 10-year anniversary is so close, I think I'd much rather spend that kind of money on a fabulous trip. We've already toyed with the idea of a Disney vacation--either just the theme parks, or a combo theme park/cruise--but I doubt it will really happen. I've been putzing around on the Disney websites, and once you figure in airfare and other extras, it's going to cost a lot of money. But it's our 10-year anniversary--that's a pretty big milestone. We have to do something cool. If not Disney or a cruise, then something else awesome. I know it's still months away, but it's never too soon to start saving money and planning.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
549 days
So today, Ariana is 18 months old. And as promised/threatened, here is an entry all about her.
I think she may be showing some signs of being ready for potty-training. She seems much more aware of when her diaper is wet or messy--she'll grab at it and grunt at us, as though she's annoyed by the discomfort. I've been taking advantage of this by trying to teach her the words. For example, I caught her the other day, standing very still in my parents' family room and looking very serious. I quickly gathered what was going on, so I asked her, "Are you pooping in your diaper?" She replied, "Poop?" as she grabbed at her diaper. I know she only said "poop" because I said it, but I think her grabbing her diaper means she's starting to understand. And I guess this means I need to buy a potty seat and find some information on how to potty-train a kid.
On to more pleasant topics.... She is talking so much more now--mostly in her own little language. If you ask her a question, she'll answer you. You may have no idea what she's saying, but she'll answer you, sometimes in great detail.
But in spite of having her own language, she is trying to learn ours. She is much more interested in imitating us--if we tell her, "Say ____," she will usually try. I was reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with her the other night, and when I told her the names of the fruits, she repeated every single one--apple, pear, plum, strawberry and orange. Sure, she didn't get them all right, but you could tell she was trying.
She reads to herself now, too. I heard her babbling softly the other day and when I peeked in at her, she was sitting on the floor with a book open in her lap, reading to herself. The tone of her voice was different than her usual talking voice--softer, and more rhythmic, as though she was reading a poem.
She's known the "So big!" game for a while now, but now she actually says it as she throws her arms in the air. It sounds like "Ah big!" or "Oh big!" but again, you know what she means.
The babysitter bought Ari a wooden puzzle for Christmas, and started teaching her the names and noises of the animals in the puzzle. So if you ask Ari what a lion says, she'll reply, "Roar!" And if you reply with a vigorous roar of your own, she'll reply with an even more enthusiastic one. She also knows that dogs say "woof, woof." Last night, she actually grabbed one of her stuffed dogs and was muttering, "woof, woof" under her breath as she played with it.
She is still a pretty picky eater. I try not to stress about it, but every once in a while, my worries get the best of me. I remember her doctor telling me that it's the parents' job to provide healthy foods and it's the kid's job to decide how much to eat. Which makes sense and all, but the problem is, she won't even try new stuff. She'll sniff it, maybe even lick it (with only the very tip of her tongue) and then reject it.
Then again, just the other day, she swiped some raisins from a friend and put them right in her mouth with no hesitation, and asked for more. I nearly fell off the couch. Apparently, peer pressure is very strong at her age.
She drools non-stop, and the fact that she likes to put everything in her mouth only makes it worse. I'm guessing she's working on her 2-year molars, but there is no sign of them breaking through anytime soon, so I guess that means the drooling is here to stay.
She is definitely starting to assert her independence more--not necessarily through tantrums (though I know that's coming), but through silly little things. I came home from work the other day, and she was walking around with her coat on. I asked Tony if he had just come home from somewhere, and he said no--she had just brought him her coat and "asked" him to put it on her. A relative gave her an outfit as a gift, and I showed it to Ari as I opened it. She snatched the shirt out of my hands, pulled it around her neck, and then wore it around her shoulders for several minutes while she went back to playing.
She is turning into quite a ham, and she knows it, too. She'll make odd noises and when I turn to look at her, she's already smiling, as though she made the noise simply to get a reaction. When we were at my parents' house last week, she was sitting at the piano, and I teasingly told her to do her Ray Charles impression. She's never done it on cue before, but since she had an audience, she burst into her best impression yet, and the more everyone laughed, the more she did it.
She's starting to understand the concept of playing with us--for example, I mentioned the other day that she loves to wrestle. If Tony lays on the floor and I tell her to "Get Daddy!" she will tackle him. I even caught her wrestling a teddy bear the other day. When she had him pinned, I slapped my hand on the floor and counted to 3, and she thought that was the greatest game--soon, she was slapping her hand on the floor too, and making some sort of attempt to imitate my "One, two, three!" chant. I was feeding her last week, and my sister sat next to me, tickling Ari's foot. Ari jerked her foot back, but then immediately stuck her leg straight out at Mary, "asking" to be tickled. She's really ticklish at the front of her neck, and when you get her there once, she'll tip her head back on purpose so you can do it again. I get such a kick out of seeing her catch on to these games.
We didn't put up a tree this year (no room for it now that we've rearranged our living room), but when Tony saw how much Ari loved the tree at my parents' house and at the babysitter's house, he decided we needed to get a mini-tree. He bought a silver tree (about 2 feet tall) with colored lights and set it on a shelf out of Ari's reach. She is so in love with that thing--as soon as she comes downstairs in the morning, or anytime we return home from somewhere, the first thing she does is run over to that shelf, pointing and babbling and not relaxing until the tree is plugged in and lit up. It looks like we may have to leave it up all year.
I'm sure I could think of more things, but this is plenty for now. Her 18-month appointment is next week, so after that, I'll know how tall she is and what she weighs. And I know you all will be waiting with bated breath for that vital information.
I think she may be showing some signs of being ready for potty-training. She seems much more aware of when her diaper is wet or messy--she'll grab at it and grunt at us, as though she's annoyed by the discomfort. I've been taking advantage of this by trying to teach her the words. For example, I caught her the other day, standing very still in my parents' family room and looking very serious. I quickly gathered what was going on, so I asked her, "Are you pooping in your diaper?" She replied, "Poop?" as she grabbed at her diaper. I know she only said "poop" because I said it, but I think her grabbing her diaper means she's starting to understand. And I guess this means I need to buy a potty seat and find some information on how to potty-train a kid.
On to more pleasant topics.... She is talking so much more now--mostly in her own little language. If you ask her a question, she'll answer you. You may have no idea what she's saying, but she'll answer you, sometimes in great detail.
But in spite of having her own language, she is trying to learn ours. She is much more interested in imitating us--if we tell her, "Say ____," she will usually try. I was reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with her the other night, and when I told her the names of the fruits, she repeated every single one--apple, pear, plum, strawberry and orange. Sure, she didn't get them all right, but you could tell she was trying.
She reads to herself now, too. I heard her babbling softly the other day and when I peeked in at her, she was sitting on the floor with a book open in her lap, reading to herself. The tone of her voice was different than her usual talking voice--softer, and more rhythmic, as though she was reading a poem.
She's known the "So big!" game for a while now, but now she actually says it as she throws her arms in the air. It sounds like "Ah big!" or "Oh big!" but again, you know what she means.
The babysitter bought Ari a wooden puzzle for Christmas, and started teaching her the names and noises of the animals in the puzzle. So if you ask Ari what a lion says, she'll reply, "Roar!" And if you reply with a vigorous roar of your own, she'll reply with an even more enthusiastic one. She also knows that dogs say "woof, woof." Last night, she actually grabbed one of her stuffed dogs and was muttering, "woof, woof" under her breath as she played with it.
She is still a pretty picky eater. I try not to stress about it, but every once in a while, my worries get the best of me. I remember her doctor telling me that it's the parents' job to provide healthy foods and it's the kid's job to decide how much to eat. Which makes sense and all, but the problem is, she won't even try new stuff. She'll sniff it, maybe even lick it (with only the very tip of her tongue) and then reject it.
Then again, just the other day, she swiped some raisins from a friend and put them right in her mouth with no hesitation, and asked for more. I nearly fell off the couch. Apparently, peer pressure is very strong at her age.
She drools non-stop, and the fact that she likes to put everything in her mouth only makes it worse. I'm guessing she's working on her 2-year molars, but there is no sign of them breaking through anytime soon, so I guess that means the drooling is here to stay.
She is definitely starting to assert her independence more--not necessarily through tantrums (though I know that's coming), but through silly little things. I came home from work the other day, and she was walking around with her coat on. I asked Tony if he had just come home from somewhere, and he said no--she had just brought him her coat and "asked" him to put it on her. A relative gave her an outfit as a gift, and I showed it to Ari as I opened it. She snatched the shirt out of my hands, pulled it around her neck, and then wore it around her shoulders for several minutes while she went back to playing.
She is turning into quite a ham, and she knows it, too. She'll make odd noises and when I turn to look at her, she's already smiling, as though she made the noise simply to get a reaction. When we were at my parents' house last week, she was sitting at the piano, and I teasingly told her to do her Ray Charles impression. She's never done it on cue before, but since she had an audience, she burst into her best impression yet, and the more everyone laughed, the more she did it.
She's starting to understand the concept of playing with us--for example, I mentioned the other day that she loves to wrestle. If Tony lays on the floor and I tell her to "Get Daddy!" she will tackle him. I even caught her wrestling a teddy bear the other day. When she had him pinned, I slapped my hand on the floor and counted to 3, and she thought that was the greatest game--soon, she was slapping her hand on the floor too, and making some sort of attempt to imitate my "One, two, three!" chant. I was feeding her last week, and my sister sat next to me, tickling Ari's foot. Ari jerked her foot back, but then immediately stuck her leg straight out at Mary, "asking" to be tickled. She's really ticklish at the front of her neck, and when you get her there once, she'll tip her head back on purpose so you can do it again. I get such a kick out of seeing her catch on to these games.
We didn't put up a tree this year (no room for it now that we've rearranged our living room), but when Tony saw how much Ari loved the tree at my parents' house and at the babysitter's house, he decided we needed to get a mini-tree. He bought a silver tree (about 2 feet tall) with colored lights and set it on a shelf out of Ari's reach. She is so in love with that thing--as soon as she comes downstairs in the morning, or anytime we return home from somewhere, the first thing she does is run over to that shelf, pointing and babbling and not relaxing until the tree is plugged in and lit up. It looks like we may have to leave it up all year.
I'm sure I could think of more things, but this is plenty for now. Her 18-month appointment is next week, so after that, I'll know how tall she is and what she weighs. And I know you all will be waiting with bated breath for that vital information.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
One last Christmas entry (with pictures!)
(Lots more pics in previous 5 entries!)
I thought I was done with Christmas-related entries, but then I realized that I forgot some pictures (since I have them in a different folder on my computer). On Sunday, December 23, we did a family photo shoot. My sister-in-law Jess's brother and father have a photography business, and they graciously agreed to take some pictures of our family, since who knows when we'll all be together again. They took over 200 shots (I think), but don't worry--I'm not going to post all of them. Just a few highlights. I think they did such a great job, and I am so grateful to them for doing this.
I'll start with some group shots. Here I am with all my siblings. (Yes, I know I'm short--shut up. They even made me take off my shoes [with 2-inch heels] so that my real height would be represented.)
All the girls... (well, minus the toddlers)...
...and all the boys.
We did shots of each couple too, so when it was mine and Tony's turn, Tony decided to be funny and pick me up. "Oh, yeah, great," I said. "Like everyone wants to see this." And I smacked my butt. And, apparently, they snapped the camera too.
This one is much better.
Then we tried a family shot. Easier said than done.
We actually did get a decent family shot, but I'm not posting it here, since we'll be using it for our New Year's cards.
Then it was time for pictures of the cousins together. Neither one was in the mood for pictures, and we just had to laugh about it. I mean, what did we expect? I was actually surprised we got as many good shots as we did. See the doll Ari is holding? That's Olyvia's Sleeping Beauty doll--basically the same style as Ari's beloved Belle doll. Ari must have sensed the resemblance, because she kept grabbing this doll.
But Olyvia wouldn't put up with that, and kept taking it back. I love Ari's expression in this pic.
But the great thing about toddlers is that their moods easily change, and they don't hold grudges.
I don't think we got any shots with them both smiling at the same time. But one is better than nothing, right?
And, of course, we got some shots of Ari by herself. This is another one of those shots that helps me imagine what Ari might look like when she's older.
Reading a book about doggies...
Making a weird face...
Relaxing in the chair...
Look--a real, live smile! (Hidden behind a dog, but let's not be picky...)
And last but not least, the entire family. As you can see, Olyvia and Ariana were so done with posing at this point. Of course, we were all laughing at their antics, so at least all the adults are smiling nicely.
OK, and that concludes all the Christmas entries--for real this time.
And a Happy New Year to all of you! We spent New Year's Eve at Pastor and Dawn's house with them, their daughter Meagan and a few of her friends, Brandon and Kerry and their kids, and Greg, Wayne, and Wayne's mom. We played the Wii, had a rousing dominoes tournament, and ate way too much junk food. But it was fun. Tony, Ari and I slept in on New Year's Day, then braved the wintry mix falling from the sky to have dinner at my parents' and see Dave and Jess one last time before they return home. We watched Stardust (great movie, by the way) and then played the Wii for a little while before heading home fairly early in the evening.
And now it's Wednesday, and I'm back at work. I think the hardest thing about seeing my vacation time end is not just missing all my siblings, but missing Ari. I got to spend so much time with her over this past week and a half, and it was fabulous--she is such a fun little person now. Tomorrow she turns 18 months old, so expect an entry all about her tomorrow.
I thought I was done with Christmas-related entries, but then I realized that I forgot some pictures (since I have them in a different folder on my computer). On Sunday, December 23, we did a family photo shoot. My sister-in-law Jess's brother and father have a photography business, and they graciously agreed to take some pictures of our family, since who knows when we'll all be together again. They took over 200 shots (I think), but don't worry--I'm not going to post all of them. Just a few highlights. I think they did such a great job, and I am so grateful to them for doing this.
I'll start with some group shots. Here I am with all my siblings. (Yes, I know I'm short--shut up. They even made me take off my shoes [with 2-inch heels] so that my real height would be represented.)
All the girls... (well, minus the toddlers)...
...and all the boys.
We did shots of each couple too, so when it was mine and Tony's turn, Tony decided to be funny and pick me up. "Oh, yeah, great," I said. "Like everyone wants to see this." And I smacked my butt. And, apparently, they snapped the camera too.
This one is much better.
Then we tried a family shot. Easier said than done.
We actually did get a decent family shot, but I'm not posting it here, since we'll be using it for our New Year's cards.
Then it was time for pictures of the cousins together. Neither one was in the mood for pictures, and we just had to laugh about it. I mean, what did we expect? I was actually surprised we got as many good shots as we did. See the doll Ari is holding? That's Olyvia's Sleeping Beauty doll--basically the same style as Ari's beloved Belle doll. Ari must have sensed the resemblance, because she kept grabbing this doll.
But Olyvia wouldn't put up with that, and kept taking it back. I love Ari's expression in this pic.
But the great thing about toddlers is that their moods easily change, and they don't hold grudges.
I don't think we got any shots with them both smiling at the same time. But one is better than nothing, right?
And, of course, we got some shots of Ari by herself. This is another one of those shots that helps me imagine what Ari might look like when she's older.
Reading a book about doggies...
Making a weird face...
Relaxing in the chair...
Look--a real, live smile! (Hidden behind a dog, but let's not be picky...)
And last but not least, the entire family. As you can see, Olyvia and Ariana were so done with posing at this point. Of course, we were all laughing at their antics, so at least all the adults are smiling nicely.
OK, and that concludes all the Christmas entries--for real this time.
And a Happy New Year to all of you! We spent New Year's Eve at Pastor and Dawn's house with them, their daughter Meagan and a few of her friends, Brandon and Kerry and their kids, and Greg, Wayne, and Wayne's mom. We played the Wii, had a rousing dominoes tournament, and ate way too much junk food. But it was fun. Tony, Ari and I slept in on New Year's Day, then braved the wintry mix falling from the sky to have dinner at my parents' and see Dave and Jess one last time before they return home. We watched Stardust (great movie, by the way) and then played the Wii for a little while before heading home fairly early in the evening.
And now it's Wednesday, and I'm back at work. I think the hardest thing about seeing my vacation time end is not just missing all my siblings, but missing Ari. I got to spend so much time with her over this past week and a half, and it was fabulous--she is such a fun little person now. Tomorrow she turns 18 months old, so expect an entry all about her tomorrow.
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