There is no question as to who is winning the binky battle … or any other battle, for that matter. Flora retains the title belt as champion of her world.
Archive for December, 2007
The Binky Battle
Monday, December 31st, 2007Fu Bear
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
On Thursday we went to watch Uncle Andrew in action at Pizzabella, where he turns out delicious wood-fired pizzas and appetizers for lunch and dinner. Flora liked the garlicky sauce on her margherita pizza, and when she was bored with eating, she enjoyed dropping arugula into her sippy cup. Fu Bear also insisted on sporting her new “bear jacky” from Gram Kaye and beamed anytime someone remarked that she looked just like a bear. If there are two things this kid likes, it is bears and cats … oh, and jammies.
Visiting Family
Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
On Wednesday we drove to Nevada (pronounced neh-vay-dah), a small town south of Kansas City, to visit family. We saw lots of Brittinghams and a few Hergerts. Great Papa Stanley and Great Grandma Bertha were the first pit-stop … Great Grandma Eleanor was the second. Plus, Marty got to eat some Kansas City-style BBQ for lunch in between. We weren’t as diligent about getting photos of Flora with all her peeps this time — anyone with a toddler knows how hard good photos are to come by!
Little Picasso
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007
It’s no surprise that Flora has taken to painting. Color with crayons? No thank you. Scribble with markers. Maybe. But paint with brushes or fingers? Heck yah, bring it on!
My New Digs
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007
Check out my new digs. It’s tricked out with a stove, a sink, a washer, a changing table, and a bassinet … plus windows, a door with a mail slot, and even a sky light! I’ll be hosting a house-warming soon.
Christmas Morning
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007
We started off our Christmas morning right with snowman-shaped pancakes for breakfast. I decided it was much more fun to eat it with my hands than a fork. Papa is a really good cook and Amma makes food fun! After breakfast, we opened presents … and more presents … and more presents. My favorite present was the Playskool Rose Petal Cottage and all the accessories. After helping Dee-dah and Amma put it together, I made “hot soup” on the stove and washed Elmo in the washer.
Christmas 2007
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007Mom, Dad, and I flew to Kansas City, Missouri, for Christmas this year. Our first flight out on Saturday was canceled, and our second flight out on Sunday was delayed by two and a half hours. We didn’t leave Boston until 9:30PM, and I stayed awake until midnight before falling asleep during descent! OK, so I wasn’t exactly a happy traveler, but Mom and Dad already knew that from our last trip. Plus, it turned out that I had pink eye (which I later gifted to Mom), and we all still have miserable colds, so can you blame me for being punky?
23 Months
Friday, December 14th, 2007
It’s just one more month ’til I turn the big T-W-O! (Yah, I’m eatin’ Cheetos)
D.J. Funky Fu
Sunday, December 9th, 2007
Mom and Dad took me to a holiday party at Jim’s house in Methuen — he’s one of Dad’s co-workers at SSgA. There was lots of yummy food and big kids to keep me entertained, but I liked hanging out in Isabelle’s play room the best — mixing tracks and tunes for all to dance to. Any requests?
MMMM … Chocolate Chip Cookie
Saturday, December 8th, 2007
It’s worth watching the slideshow below just to see the progression of how much I enjoyed dessert at the Bear Rock Cafe — it was a delicious, chocolate chip cookie.
Decorating for Christmas
Saturday, December 8th, 2007
Today we went to the YMCA tree lot on the lake in Wakefield to pick out a small Christmas tree. After we found just the perfect size, we stopped for lunch at the Bear Rock Cafe (see entry above), and then headed home to decorate the tree and house for the holidays. Flora decided all the stars (“tinkle stah up high”) looked best grouped together on the tree, and found another use for her stocking instead of hanging it on the mantle (see slide show below).
Flora’s Little Sibling
Thursday, December 6th, 2007
Yes, it’s true … Flora’s little sibling will be arriving around June 15, 2008 (Father’s Day) … when Flora will be just one month shy of two and a half years old. At this stage, Baby Number Two is only 2 inches long and weighs .5 ounces (the size of a small lime), but that didn’t stop him/her from gyrating all around during our 12-week ultrasound. This little one, in a most uncooperative way, would not stop looking directly at the camera and quite resembled Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Ah, the elusive profile shot — this one was the best the doctor could capture.
Kaleb’s Second Birthday Party
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
This morning I got to play with lots of my buddies at Kaleb’s second birthday party. And you know I got to eat some frosting, too! Mom asked all the kids to make silly faces for the camera, and this is what she got …
“Ike!”
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007Flora’s latest “verbal tick” is to declare with certainty and conviction, “Ike!” This is her way of letting us know when she likes something. I give her something she wants, Flora says, “Ike, Mommy!” Flora tries some new food, “Ike, [name of food]!” … and so on. Usually these phases last a couple of weeks, then she’ll come up with some new way of communicating. For instance, she used to hum “hmmm hmmm” for yes, which was replaced by a slow and purposeful head nod, which has now been replaced with “Yaaah.” And what was once “More, More” has been replaced with “One More Time.” It’s very entertaining to see how clever and evolving a toddler can be in expressing herself.
Melrose Home for the Holidays, 2007
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
Each year, the Melrose Chamber of Commerce sponsors a winter festival called Melrose Home for the Holidays 2007. It begins on a Friday night with a candlelight parade down Main Street, followed by a tree and wreath lighting in Melrose Center, and caps off with Santa arriving by firetruck. On Saturday, all the businesses in Melrose sponsor an activity or event, and many give away free food and hot drinks.
The insurance company a few blocks from our house hosted a petting zoo. It was hysterical to see two very large camels, tons of goats, and a few llamas hanging out in their parking lot. After the petting zoo, we stopped for pizza at Caruso’s, then headed to the Cedar Park business district for a reindeer ride (horses/ponies with antlers) and to catch Santa arriving by train. Unfortunately, Flora wouldn’t wear her mittens, said “no, pony!” and was just too cold and miserable to wait to see Santa.
Holiday Lights
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
Flora helped me untangle the holiday lights inside, then headed outside to help me decorate the bushes. With temperatures hovering just near 30 degrees and wind chills of 40 miles per hour, neither if us lasted all too long.