Grandma & Poppy

We had a nice visit with Poppy and Grandma this weekend. I say Grandma, because I decided both Poppy and Boppy refer to Grandpa. So I guess we're still working on what I am going to call Grandma. Poppy and Dad had their golf outing on Friday and I spent the day with Grandma. When Mom was done with work the three of us went to pick up my new school shoes and went out to dinner. On Saturday we played a lot and I checked out my new toy bin. I thought it was terrific that I could fit in it and was shouting "Wee Wee Wee" and laughing and smiling. Then, all of a sudden, I thought I was stuck!

We went out to a dairy farm and I saw the goats and we had ice cream. I am in love with pumpkin ice cream. I think I ate a whole double scoop cone myself. I would not let go of Mommy's cone. And then Poppy showed how much he loves me and gave me the bottom part of his cone and I liked the chocolate ice cream, too. I just kept licking and licking. Last night we went to a bar to watch the Notre Dame game with the local alumni group. I was very sociable for the first quarter then I came home with Poppy and Grandma. Another victory for the Irish!

This afternoon I helped Mom & Dad make peanut butter cookies. I rolled the dough into balls and then helped make criss-crosses with a fork and sprinkled sugar on them. Then I licked all the sugar off my hands and helped sweep all the sugar off the floor. Tonight at dinner I made Lily the happiest dog in the world by giving her half my cookie. That dog loves peanut butter!

My favorite activity this week is drawing with crayons. I like to trace people's hands and have them trace mine. When I am done I collect all my papers and fold them up in a box and then when I color again, I have to unpack them all and lay them out. My other new trick is undressing in my crib during naptime. This has resulted in a few messy situations so Mom & Dad are working on outsmarting me on this one.

First Day Report

I had a good first day in the Two's class. Both Mom & Dad took me to school today. I was a little hesitant at first and cried when Daddy left. I eased into things with a breakfast snack, but when Mom stood up, I pointed next to me and said "Sit!" By the time she left my favorite friend Jessica had arrived (pronounced Jess-ca to me) and I felt more comfortable.

I received a good report and got check marks for: was a kind friend, was a big helper, participated in class learning, was active, kept hands/feet to myself, was a good listener. The only thing that wasn't checked was "was quiet." We're not sure if we want that box checked or not. We'll have to ask tomorrow.

Movin' On Up

Friday was my last day in the Ones Room. Dad likes to say I got "called up" (like in hockey). Here I am with my teacher Ms. Dottie and friend Cole (not my boyfriend). The teachers say I am ready for Twos and I do great in the room and like all the new toys. Our only concern is that they do not use bibs at lunchtime. Boy, is my wardrobe going to take a beating . . .

Daddy was away this weekend, so Mommy and I did girl stuff, like buy shoes. Before he left I watched some cartoons with him and as soon as he got home Sunday afternoon I told him to "sit" and assumed the same position to watch football with him.

I am saying more words this week and even some small sentences like "I sit." I like to sing "Rockabye Baby." I sing "Rock, rock, rock" and swing my arms side to side. Mommy sings it to me at night and when she's done I say "Yeah" and clap and then say "More?" Mom doesn't get many requests for more of her singing, so she gladly sings it again and again.
My hair is now long enough for some funny little pig tails. I don't sit still long, so this is about as good as it gets!

Grandma and Grandpa (Boppy & Poppy) come to visit this weekend. Can't wait.

Go Irish

"Go Iwish!" That's what I learned to say this weekend. Unfortunately, though, my cheers didn't help us get the win over Michigan State. I had a terrific time tailgating with my parents, grandparents, Great Aunt Suzie and Great Uncle Johnny and their MSU-crazed friends, Barbie and Barry. Mom's ND friends Meg and Sarah also joined us. Of course I wanted to be on the move so it took a lot of hands to keep me corralled.

I was pretty much Grandpa's girl this weekend and was happy as long as he was the one holding me (and a little taste of licorice didn't hurt either). Grandma worked her magic and got me to fall asleep in my stroller for a bit, which helped me make it through the tailgate. Mom & Dad had a great time at the game, while I went home with Grandma and Grandpa. I also got to visit with Great Aunt Sharon, so I had a busy day and was asleep by the time Mom & Dad got home from the game through all the traffic.

On Sunday we hit the ND bookstore and walked around campus. I had a terrific time chasing the squirrels and offering them acorns. I also found a great place to collect some rocks.

As of Saturday I decided to call Grandpa "Poppy" and it looks like Grandma may be called "Boppy" so they coordinate. After all of the activity I was exhausted on the way home Sunday and only managed a 20 minute nap in the car. I am sure it will take a few days to recover.

Temper Tantrum

I had my first world-class temper tantrum last night. After dinner I told Mom & Dad that I wanted to go "outside" as I often do. We briefly played in the yard and then I started jogging down the sidewalk with Mom & Dad following along. I fell and scraped my knees, which did not concern me in the least, but Mom wanted to clean them up. When they picked me up to carry me back home, I cried and cried and said "outside" and pointed at the park across the street. Once we got in the house and my shoes were removed I was really mad. I cried and cried and yelled "outside" some more. I would not let Mom & Dad undress me for my bath because that meant I was really not going back outside. Mom & Dad just let me go on and on and they actually got the giggles when I stood in front of my closet for 5 minutes alternating between saying "shoes" and "outside." I wrestled for all I was worth when they tried to get me into my PJs. Finally I wanted Mom to hold me and I got settled down, but the episode lasted for about 45 minutes. Fun times ahead!

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.