Vist with Aunt Jen & Uncle Billy

I got caught up with Aunt Jen and Uncle Billy this weekend. I haven't seen them since late April so they thought I was a lot bigger. They also said I was funny- especially my dancing. I threw out a few moves that had them laughing so hard they were crying. We had a fun visit and Mom & Dad enjoyed having extra chasers on hand. Shortly before they left I was able to say "Aunt Jen" and then I cried big crocodile tears when they drove away.

I am saying more words. I love "outside" and "sit" but I also say several of my classmates names and the other day when Mom was singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" after she sang "How I wonder what you are" I said "Up Above" and have repeated it several times. I also said "bless you" after Mom sneezed and yesterday was able to repeat "Irish." Speaking of the Irish, we were thrilled with Notre Dame's victory over Michigan!

The big news at school is that I am moving up to the twos room early. Some of my favorite friends are now in that room and I love the toys over there. Plus some of the younger kids that have joined my room seem too young for me to play with. When I see them I point and say "baby."

Midwestern Girl

I have been busy over the long weekend doing my favorite summer things like swimming and going to the park and eating the last of the summer foods like watermelon and corn on the cob. I have gotten to be a pro with the later.

Saturday we focused on cheering for Notre Dame. Dad is busy training me to enjoy college football. We ordered pizza and wore our ND gear. The game was on late and went long, so I couldn't stay up for it, but I heard Mom & Dad cheering and they whispered the score to me in my crib.

Today we went to a big parade and I loved it. I saw dogs, horses, balloons, flags and got to wave at a lot of people and dance to the marching band music. We lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes and then I was exhausted. I didn't want to be in my stroller much and only wanted Dad to hold me, so Dad's arm got quite a workout.

School Days

You may be wondering what I do at school each day. We leave a disposable camera at school and just got the latest one developed.





According to the photographic evidence, here's what I've been up to:

* being silly
* eating snacks & being silly
* playing dress up
* doing art projects
* napping

Aside from my antics shown here there are some other funny pictures. In one I am sticking vanilla wafers between my toes. In another I have my bum stuck in a bucket. Then there's a whole series of me standing on things- the table, the slide, various toys. No wonder I am the queen of the accident reports! There is also a picture of me hugging my friend Jesica (whose name I can say!) and another one of me holding Dillon's hands (but he is not my boyfriend).

Spaghetti

An interesting thing happened to me this morning: I sneezed and spaghetti came out my nose. We had spaghetti for dinner last night and apparently a noodle went up instead of down and stayed there overnight. I was pretty grumpy when I woke up and Mom & Dad didn't know why. Then, mid-breakfast I had a big sneeze and out came the noodle. Dad thought this was blog material if he ever heard it.

First Haircut

I got my first haircut yesterday. Can you believe I've never had it cut before now? My hair was getting wilder and wilder every morning, so finally we decided it was time.

We had it done at this fun kids place. I got to watch the movie of my choice (I picked The Wiggles) and sit on one of the fun chairs (I picked the dog) and my smock had a ballerina on it. I know all of this sounds like fun, but I didn't really like it so much.

The hair lady was definitely working with a moving target, as I tried to climb off my dog or would turn my head away. Dad thinks the lady made about $5 a minute because we were not there long! Mom wasn't sure what to ask for, but she's happy with the results. I got bangs and they added some layers in the back to help the curls. When it was all done I got a certificate and a balloon and we put my hair in an envelope to save.

The Archives

You may be wondering where all those archived posts came from . . . Back when I was a baby I used to do things the old fashioned way and email my family a weekly update. Mom was saving all of my entries as a journal for me and then one day our computer crashed and we lost them. Thankfully my grandparents saved them, so I uploaded them all to my blog to protect against a future computer problem. Reading back over them I realize that I have come a long way!

Katie for President

My teachers told Mom that I am the "president of my class." They said I make sure everyone is happy and help pass things out. Let me just say that it takes a lot of extra Cheerios under the play table to win an election in the Toddler Room . . .

I got a new tooth this week. One of the pointy ones next to my front teeth. Along with it I got a little cold-- my first in a long time. I was pretty quiet yesterday morning and actually sat with Mom on the couch and watched the Wiggles on TV. Unheard of for me!

Today we went to this little park that has a wading pool and a giant sand box. I played in the pool and had a terrific time. Then afterward Mom & Dad took me to Dairy Queen for my first-ever ice cream cone. I wanted to stick my fingers in it, but then I got the hang of it. Unfortunately ice cream melts pretty fast and it was hard to keep up with it. After awhile it started dripping on the ground and I would bend over to say "uh-oh" and more would drip. Let's just say it was a messy process (but very yummy!).

I am 20 months old today and I keep saying more funny things. I now say "sit" and like to tell people to do it. Especially when Mom finishes reading to me at bedtime and stands up to put me in my crib. I tell her "sit" and point to our rocking chair where the books are. I also say "beep beep" when I want you to move and I told Daddy "side" when I wanted to play outside.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear

I went to the zoo today. It was like having my animal book come to life! I got really close to the polar bear and I called him "dog" just like I do when I see his picture in my book.

I also liked the elephants, and did my elephant impression, but I was most excited about the fact that they have a ball to play with just like me. The zebras were cool, but I thought they said "moo" like the cows. After awhile I got hungry and the only animal I was interested in was goldfish (crackers). This presented a slight problem when a roaming peacock tried to pay me a visit. I wasn't scared of him, but there was no way he was getting any crackers.


I also loved the Children's zoo. I saw all of my favorites-cows, chickens and the ones that say "baa." I also got to play with the goats. Look at this guy- he stuck his head in the bucket!

After that we went to a children's program and I got to see an owl. I was very excited because Mom just taught me what an owl says, so I got to say "Who, who" to the owl in person.

I also liked the flamingos (which I call ducks) and I loved watching the manatees and penguins from underwater. I roared like a lion and made my fish faces at the fish.

It was a great trip to the zoo, even though it was a hot day. Thankfully, I managed to keep Mom & Dad from getting too cranky!

Potty Time!

Just a quick update. I went pee pee on my new Sesame Street potty seat tonight. Usually Mom puts me on the potty, I sit there and look around and then two minutes later Mom puts me in the bath and I stand there and pee in the tub. Tonight the same sequence of events occurred, but she caught me in the act and got me on the potty. I got to celebrate by pulling a bunch of toilet paper, which I love to do!

Home Again

We're back home. I have lots of stories and photos to share from my trip, but I will have to upload them later. I was so busy vacatioining I didn't have time to blog from PEI!

We had a bit of an adventure while traveling today with an "emergency landing." One of the flaps on the plane's wing wouldn't work, so they announced we were making a standard, everyday, ordinary flapless landing. Nothing to worry about. Do it all the time. Oh, and don't be alarmed by the emergency crews standing by on the runway. . .

All was fine, but the flight attendant told Mom and Dad that the landing would be a little faster than usual so I had to be held extra tight. I freaked out about this and pretty much screamed through the whole landing. We were in Row 1, so the flight attendant got to observe my episode and at one point quickly unbuckled and gave me an emergency granola bar (if Meg and Sarah are reading this they know that Mommy would have liked to trade this for another snack item). This interested me for about 60 seconds and then I resumed screaming, turning bright red and arching my back with all of my might. Dad says I am strong.


Aside from this adventure I was a great traveler and made lots of friends. On the second flight I had my own seat and I got to goof around and climb up and down. Then after we took off I quickly fell asleep.

Thanks to everyone in PEI for a great visit. I miss you all already.

PEI

Here are some of our favorite photos from our trip to PEI.

Canada, Here I Come!

Guess what? I am packing for my trip to PEI! We can't wait to see everybody and do all of our usual PEI things. I think I am big enough for a Cow's ice cream this year and since cows are one of my favorite animals these days, I think I will love just being there and saying "Moo" a lot.

We had a great visit with my American grandparents this week. Grandma did an excellent job babysitting me. The funniest moment of the adventure was on Friday when they let me swim in my kiddie pool in my regualr diaper instead of a swimmy diaper, since they had just changed me. They said the diaper just kept sucking up the water and getting bigger and bigger and bigger until I started getting upset about it!

Grandma and Grandpa left Saturday morning and then Mom & I went to my last swimming lesson of the summer. The topic was boating safety. We thought this was kind of funny for a class of 1 - 4 year olds. We were supposed to put on a life jacket (which I hated) and then get in this raft boat and reach the paddle out to save the other kids. I am lucky if I can control a toddler spoon let alone a huge paddle!

A few notes on the photos below: one morning Mom ran out of the kitchen to get something and when she returned I had grabbed the newspaper off the table and was "reading it." I am a huge fan of my Leap Pad from Jen & Billy. I tote it around like a briefcase and am very serious about sitting down to do my "work." I especially like turning it off because then it says "Bubbye" and I say "Bubbye" back to it.

I will be attempting to blog from Canada, so stay tuned for news from our trip up north.

Hot, hot, hot

Another hot weekend so we tried to entertain ourselves inside. Today I had my 18-month photo taken. I am actually 19 months old now, but every week I have had a scratch or a bump or a bruise on my face, so we kept postponing. Mom said the sure sign of my "tom boy" tendency was when I ripped the bow out of my hair and grabbed a football at the picture place today. Daddy's little girl!


I have also been busy dancing this week. I like for Mom to get out her aerobic step so I have a good stage to perform on. My moves are pretty funny. Our current favorite is my ride the pony move, but Mr. Stick Man and the chicken (complete with a "bock bock" sound) are pretty cool, too.

Mom & Dad have added another chore to my list. Now I have to help sweep the floor in addition to feeding Lily and putting my clothes in the hamper. I am still waiting for some allowance!

Grandma and Grandpa Dolak come this week for a visit. Dad and Grandpa are going to watch a golf tournament and Grandma is going to babysit me for two days. Hope she's resting up . . .

Numbers & Colors

Just a mid-week update to let you know about some advancements I've made. First, I can now count. To two. OK, maybe it isn't so much counting, but Mommy said "one" while she was putting one of my arms into my pajamas and then I said "two" when the other one went in. I have repeated this several times, so as far as my parents are concerened it is officially counting. I also know colors-- well, more accurately, color (singular). I say "blue." Although, I occasionally use it to refer to the color red, but several times I said blue and I was really talking about something blue.

I was home from school a day and a half this week. They called Mom and told her that I had been "complaining of a stomachache." Mom thought this was funny since my vocabularly isn't quite that sophisticated. The daycare director then elaborated to say I had been holding my stomach, had a fever and was not myself. Mom came and picked me up and then Dad came home after lunch. I perked up by dinner and never had any stomach problems, but because you can't go back to school until 24 hours after a fever I was home Wednesday as well. Since I was feeling fine, Mom and I had a nice morning. We slept in and went to Target. There are lots of images of the Target dog all over the store and I had a terrific time pointing them out. Daddy came home for the afternoon and he and I had our usual silly time. He announced that I said the word "poopy" for the first time. I seem to be fine, so I went back to school today.

Bring on the water

Hi everyone. We had another hot & humid weekend here. Yesterday Mom & I went to my swimming lesson. Then after we got home I had a super long nap- 3 hours! We all went out for Mexican food last night and I ate salsa. So far there have been no negative repercussions . . .

Today we went downtown to this interactive fountain. At first I was a little hesitant but then I loved running in it! I would have played there for hours, but they shut it down for a concert, so we'll have to go back soon.

I am talking more this week. My funniest thing is when I say "No, no, no" and shake my finger. I think I learned this from Mom & Dad talking to Lily! I also started saying this weird combination of words, which Mom finally figured out is a song called "Hot potato, hot potato." I sing something like "hopida dapida."

My new blog!

Now that I am 18 months old, it's time to keep up with the world's technological advancements, so I have gotten my own blog. This means I can just hop on the computer and bang out an update whenever I want. I will continue to post news and photos every weekend, but this way they are all saved in one place and you can even add comments if you wish-- it's interactive! Also, I can share photos without overloading your email accounts.

Race Recap

In case you missed the news, I had a big race this weekend. I was chosen to partipate in the Toddler Race during a minor league baseball game. When I arrived at the game I had to put on my racing uniform and they took my picture and got my stats for the jumbotron. I was "Red Baby." I got a peek at the competition at this point and wasn't too worried. Yellow Baby was only one and not as steady on her feet. Also I suspected her sandals might slow her down.

It was a hot day, but my conditioning with Dad paid off. He had me eat pasta the night before, so that I was carb-loaded for the race. At the middle of the fourth inning we had to go down to the dugout to await our turn. Unfortunately this ended up being the longest inning of the game--complete with a pitcher change. While we waited in the dugout I helped point out all the bubblegum wrappers littering the ground. "Uh-oh" I would say and point (repeatedly).

Then it was time for the big race. I was introduced to the crowd and ready to take off to meet Mom at the finish line. Yellow Baby had a big head start, but I quickly overtook her. When I saw Mommy clapping for me I started clapping for myself while I ran. Blue Baby never left the starting line, so after my victory lap yellow baby and I went back to get him. The race was so much fun!