Goodbye Chanukah

Chanukah's over. I had a great time helping Dad with the candles each night, and I miss not doing that in the evenings since it ended, but we're having lots of fun with all our new loot. We enjoyed yummy waffles for dinner one night, thanks to Bubbe and Papa, who got Mom a waffle maker. Our house looks much nicer because we got some things to decorate with - new sheets for Hazel's room from Aunt Laurie and a toy storage bench from Aunt Pat, Uncle Neal, Aunt Susan, and Uncle Stuart. Hazel got a duck puppet, more beads, and a new car seat from Bubbe and Papa, and they gave me a latch board, a book, and a month's worth of Gymboree classes. Uncle Daniel sent us Babybug and Ladybug magazines, which are lots of fun to get in the mail and read each month. We're eating lots of Freebirds because Gigi, Amy and Mianna gave us Freebirds gift cards. We got some fun toy animals, sleeping bags and a xylophone from Pop and Mom Mom. And of course, we're still enjoying our birthday/Chanukah gifts we got from Grandma and Grandpa earlier this year - our picnic table, toy kitchen and playscape.

I've been helping Mom cook a lot lately. I used to only help her make rice, but since the pancakes last weekend, she is letting me help with other things too, like zucchini, a grilled cheese sandwich and smoothies. I really like helping out in the kitchen, and I love smoothies!

We were all sick this week and we went to the doctor Wednesday. He told us we just have colds which was no fun, but the real highlight of the trip was when we found out how big we're getting. I am 32 pounds and Hazel - who is getting really good at sitting on her own, by the way, and is also getting sneakier about grabbing anyone who walks by her when she's in her walker toy - is 16 pounds. The visit was also a chance for the doctor to take a good look at Hazel's teeth. Her second tooth came in while we were in Pennsylvania over Thanksgiving, and he said next up are teeth in the top front left side of her mouth. He said it won't happen next week but to expect to see them in the next month.

We haven't been going anywhere because we were sick and it's been rainy most of the time lately, but the past two days everyone felt a little better and the weather was nice so we went to the park. It was nice because we all could go since Dad was home for the weekend. Peepa and I really were glad to have a chance to run around.

Here are pictures of me helping Dad put the candles in the menorah, helping Mom make smoothies, and a cute picture of Hazel we took when we got home from the park.

Note from the editor (aka Mom): Before he went to bed tonight, Mitch asked me to proofread this blog entry. As soon as I sat down to read over the blog entry, a sudden, horrific scream eminated from Mitch's bedroom. Imagining that Mitch leapt from his crib, I ran to investigate. When I opened the door, Mitch was standing in the middle of his crib, pajamas open, pointing at his pillow with a terrified look on his face. On top of his pillow was his diaper. Fortunately, he must have been so startled when he took it off that he screamed right away and didn't have time to produce anything that messed up his crib. It was a very funny picture.

Happy Chanukah

Chanukah started Friday night, and Hazel and I are having a very fun Chanukah so far.

Friday night, we went to a Chanukah party at our friend Clark's house. It was great, because there were a lot of kids my age there. We started off by lighting the candles and saying traditional Chanukah prayers. Dad was very impressed that I knew what to do (like covering my eyes when the candles are lit) - looks like all of the parenting center visits are making an impression. Then we had a delicious dinner. There was even a kids' table for me to sit at. We ate latkes (not my favorite - I am not really a fan of potatoes - but I nibbled on one) and had some other really good food. After dinner, all of the kids retired to the playroom. Clark has a lot of cool toys - my favorite was his guitar. Hazel slept for most of the party. I was sad when it was time to leave, but Hazel and I both were pretty tired.

Another cool part of Chanukah is the menorah. When we brought out our menorah at home, Dad showed me how to put the candles in. I like making cool patterns with the different colors and it is very pretty when Dad lights it.

Chanukah presents are fun too. So far, we have gotten some really great presents. Aunt Laurie gave me a banjo, which reminds me a lot of the guitar I played with at Clark's. I've been playing with the banjo a lot the past few days. Grandma and Grandpa gave Hazel and me some bean bags, and Mom Mom and Pop gave Hazel some baby beads that are shaped like vehicles. Mom and Dad gave Hazel a cool alarm clock and gave me some magic markers and a watch. We are having loads of fun with our new toys and I am glad to know what time it is.

Dad was away this weekend and Mom was sick, so we had to find fun things to do around the house. Mom had to feed me, so she made pumpkin pancakes and let me help. I was of great assistance; Mom said it reminded her of the Little Critter books.

There are still 4 more nights of Chanukah left, so we'll have more to share later (Dad keeps talking about playing dreidel). In the meantime, here are pictures from this week's adventures.

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving this year at Grandma and Grandpa's in Pennsylvania. It was a really fun trip for all of us, especially me. I had a great time playing with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Daniel, Aunt Lauren, Aunt Jen, Uncle Ben, my cousins Mianna and Amy, and all of my other aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Hazel and I did really well on the plane. Mom and Dad couldn't believe it. I liked looking out the plane windows, pointing at clouds, birds, and other airplanes. Dad surprised me at one point by pulling Duck out of our bag. I excitedly lifted Duck up so he could see out the window. Dad also read a lot of books to me, and the plane ride seemed to go by fast. I was even fine when we were stuck on the tarmac for an extra half an hour. Hazel slept most of the way there but found time to say "Mama" for the first time ever. By the time we finally got to Pennsylvania, it was dark and I was getting tired. I was so excited to see Grandpa when we landed. After not napping all day, Hazel and I fell fast asleep on the car ride to Grandma and Grandpa's.

When we got to the house, we were greeted by Grandma, Aunt Jen and Uncle Ben. It was exciting for me to see them again. After a wonderful dinner with everyone, Aunt Jen helped Dad give me a bath.

Uncle Daniel and Aunt Lauren came over too. I spent the next few days visiting our relatives like Aunt Cindy and Uncle Steve at their cool Celtic shop and hanging out around Grandma and Grandpa's house, adjusting to my new surroundings.

There is so much to play with at Grandma and Grandpa's! One of my favorite things to do was running around in circles around the house. I also found lots of new books to read, including some of my favorites from home. I liked playing with and feeding treats to the kitty, and playing with the toys in the playroom. I also liked stealing the TV remote control from Grandpa, turning off the TV, and running away. The TV remote looks a lot like a phone, so I pretended to talk to important people on the TV remote. Grandma helped me each morning to wash my face, brush my teeth and hair and to use cups in the sink in her bathroom to dump water everywhere. Grandpa helped a little too and Aunt Jen showed me how to make a river with a washcloth and the water. Hazel had a good time and impressed everyone with her speed while scooting around in a walker.

Thursday afternoon, I was surprised when I woke up from my nap and was greeted by a huge crowd. Everyone had come over for Thanksgiving dinner. Cousins Mike and Lana and Seth, Aunt Jane and cousin Molly, Mom-Mom and Pop, Grandma B (aka Gigi), Aunt Steve and Uncle Cindy, and Aunt Chris and Uncle Larry were all here. It was sure fun to have so many people to play with.

For Thanksgiving dinner, Grandpa deep-fried a turkey. It was delicious. I also ate corn, bread, and Mom even gave me a little bit of pumpkin pie. Yum!

After Thanksgiving, we had a couple of warm days so Grandma took me outside to play. I brought some boots with me and got to splash around in some puddles. Grandma also showed me how to pull a wagon up and down a hill, throw a giant plastic airplane, and rescue earthworms from underneath a sandbox. I had a lot of fun playing with Grandma.

Because of the colder weather, I got to wear some new clothes - a heavy jacket, my rain boots, and some warmer shirts. Hazel wore socks finally (thanks to Uncle Steve and Aunt Cindy for giving her some Irish socks from their store and Grandma's emergency shopping trip), and some tights. I wore my Batman shirt, which Uncle Daniel liked a lot. He wore his too, so we could match. Crime-world, look out!

Sunday morning we had a nice breakfast with Pop and Mom-Mom, then later that day, my cousins Amy and Mianna came over. Mianna is 6 years old, so she's a really good role model and playmate. She taught me how to make coffee and tea with Grandma's play kitchen set. We had a very nice breakfast together. We also chased each other around a lot. Mianna is really fun.

Monday, I stayed home and played with Grandma while Dad and Mom took Hazel to Chocolate World in Hershey. Hazel had a great time watching talking cows and Mom and Dad enjoyed free chocolate samples. On the way back, they visited Uncle Steve and Aunt Cindy's store again and bought Mom and me presents.

We ended our trip Tuesday with a quick visit to Gigi and lunch at the Famous Hot Weiner. We still smell like hot dogs from that trip!

Our trip home Wednesday was not the greatest. Mom and Dad said Hazel and I were the best behaved people they dealt with all day. We were stuck in the Harrisburg Airport long enough that Hazel almost learned to crawl - she kept pushing up on her hands and knees! Also, on the way off one of our planes, I showed them what a seasoned traveler I've become when I picked up our lunch bag, turned around to wave "bye bye" and raced off the plane.

You can see pictures from our trip here.

Ginny's pictures

Our pictures from Ginny are here!!!

(And here's Ginny's site too, in case you need to get your photo taken.)

New, New, New

As usual, there's lots of new stuff every day here. I am saying more things, like "baa" when I pretend I'm a sheep, "sss" for snake, "rahhh" for bears and lions, and I am nodding my head "yes." I made up a funny elephant noise, too!

I am also communicating in other ways. Today when Mom asked if I wanted to go upstairs, I smiled sweetly, shook my head no, said, "Bye," and drove away in the car Bubbe and Papa gave me for my birthday. I've started saying no to Mom once in a while too. She may be the only Mom in the world that likes hearing her son say that word.

Another fun thing is lately I've started learning to recognize some letters. My favorites are M, O, and S, but I can also point out the letters that spell the name of my favorite magazine, Babybug, which was a great present from Uncle Daniel.

Hazel is also full of new tricks. Sunday she grew a tooth!!! Just in time for pie o'clock, Dad says. In the meantime, Hazel is eating lots of other yummy things - bananas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce, oatmeal and rice cereal. She can't wait to see what's next on the menu. She is a very enthusiastic eater. She grabs the spoon and screams when Mom doesn't feed her fast enough.

And for those of you who were worried about it, we are in the process of getting our deck fixed! I hope you like this picture (above) of me having fun midair, jumping on it.

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween week. We got ready for the holiday by going to an art class at Gymboree, where I made a pumpkin out of different colored construction paper, glue and - best of all - glitter. A few days later, I woke up and there was a real pumpkin carved suspiciously like the one I made in my art class. Dad said he liked mine so much he used it as the model for a nice jack o' lantern.

Our Halloween festivities started Thursday, when we dressed up for a party at Dad's office. For my third Halloween, I dressed up as a lion. Hazel celebrated her first Halloween by dressing up as a pumpkin. The party was a great chance to play some fun games, color some spooky pictures, and I got a cool spider tattoo on my hand.

Halloween night, we decorated the front of our house with our jack o' lantern, my pumpkin from art class and another pumpkin picture I made at home. Then I put on my lion costume and Mom put on some bat wings and we went trick or treating while Dad stayed home with sleeping Hazel and passed out candy to other trick-or-treaters. This was my first time trick or treating, so we took it easy. We just went to a couple houses on our street, mostly people we know. I liked ringing the doorbells, putting candy in my ghost bag, and trying to run into the houses. I can't wait til next year. In the meantime, I will try to figure out where all my candy went. Mom says it's a Halloween disappearing act.

Aside from Halloween, Hazel and I have made some exciting progress. Hazel has been eating oatmeal with zeal, and tonight she tried sweet potatoes for the first time. She seemed to like it but was tired because of daylight savings time and kept trying to roll over and go to sleep in her high chair. All her eating is paying off - she has moved up to the next clothes size. While we're glad she is growing so well, we're sad to pack her cute old clothes away.

Thursday Hazel figured out that rolling is a good way to get around. Mom was playing with her while I was taking a nap, and she rolled halfway across the room. We are all excited about Hazel's new mode of transportation.

I am making great strides in communicating. I am using loads of signs and am really excited to be able to tell everyone what I want. I am also saying a few new words!!! At lunchtime Friday, I said, "All done." Mom couldn't believe her ears, so I said it again, two more times. Then I said, "Yeah" a couple of times, then "Oh no." My favorite saying by far is "Oh no," and I've been saying it lots since then, especially when we read Blue Hat, Green Hat, a funny book Grandma and Grandpa gave me before I was even born, which features a confused turkey.

Today I found a new hiding place in the kitchen. When Mom was making my breakfast this morning, I realized I can fit in the kitchen cabinet. It's a great place to take a break and hide from everyone.

Friday we all had our photos taken by our favorite photographer, Ginny B. We had a fun time in her new studio and can't wait to share our photos with all of you.

Another exciting thing is this week, a new babysitter started coming to our house. Her name is Dahlia, she's very fun, and we will see her for a few hours most Wednesday afternoons. We are all happy to have her help.

Here are links to pictures from this week, and a video of Mitch and Hazel playing.

Dad's home!

Dad was gone part of this week, so we tried to stay busy.

Monday we went to open gym at Gymboree. It's time they set aside when people who take their classes can come and just play on all the equipment. I loved it! When we signed up for my Gymboree class, they gave us two free art classes, so Tuesday we went to one of those. I didn't like it as much as my regular class, which is more physical, so I kept trying to run out of the art room to climb on the stuff in the area we're usually in. Now we know I signed up for the right class! Thursday we went to that class again and I had a great time.

Wednesday we went to the Austin Children's Museum. We hadn't gone in a while because last time we were there I wanted to press the elevator buttons the whole time, which was frustrating for Mom. This time though, I really engaged with everything they had there. I found a cool toy barn with little animals, a train exhibit I really enjoyed, an exhibit where I put balls in little holes and then when I turned a crank it played music, a toy kitchen, a place where I put milk bottles in a crate and sent them down a line, a fish that I put balls in, and a setup where I put different shaped nuts and bolts in holes that were those same shapes. It was great and we were sad to have to go home for lunch and a nap at the end.

Friday Dad took me to the Parenting Center at the J. It was nice to spend some time with him after he got back from his trip.

Friday night our friend Zhenya came over. Instead of hanging around with her, Mom and Dad left - they went to our friend Prabhakar's wedding. Hazel and I stayed behind to keep Zhenya company. I had a great time reading my books and eating a nice dinner while Zhenya tried to manage Hazel, who is teething and has been extra screamy the past few days. When Mom and Dad came home from their very fun night out, Zhenya and Hazel were worn out. They were both asleep on the bed in Hazel's room! We are all very glad Zhenya was able to come hang out with us.

We also went to the playground at the school up the street a lot in the afternoons this week. The weather is amazing here right now, so we are trying to take advantage of it. I am starting to enjoy slides more and have been testing out my balancing skills by walking on a concrete retaining wall an inch or two off the ground.

Yesterday we went to a fundraiser called "Mac and Cheese Smackdown" at Central Market. The best part was we ran into my friend Benjamin and his mom and dad. His dad saved the day by sharing some of their hard-to-come-by macaroni with us. It was nice seeing them.

Mom and I had a chance to go out with my bike trailer today. We went down a couple of hills and had a great time.

Hazel is getting really fast at walking around in her toy and is still enjoying rice cereal. She grunts and gets really mad if Mom isn't quick enough with the next bite. Because of her sore gums, she is having a hard time sleeping so both she and Mom are tired! We all hope Hazel feels back to normal soon.