L’s birthday

It was L’s birthday earlier this week. A has been preparing for a while. She decided that L’s present is going to be a smiley face ball she found at the Tot-Lot. She spent several days wrapping up the present. She used about half a roll of scotch-tape.

The day before L’s birthday I took A on errands. We were discussing cake (I was planning to go to a bakery to get some cake in lieu of actually baking a cake). A asked if we could go to Costco (because that’s where we got her cake, although I have no idea how she knows this). We went to Trader Joe’s. A spotted some muffins in one of the isles and said that we should get these “cupcakes” for L. They were of the whole wheat, organic, fruit sweetened variety. I tried to dissuade her, but no dice. It’s good one of my favorite local bakeries was open on labor day. I got a heavenly peanut butter and chocolate mousse cake.

A was also very good about keeping the whole thing a secret, although at some point she said: “Daddy, I’m not telling you that K & B & M are coming….” When I shushed her and whispered in her ear she said “Mommy, talk regular it’s not night now”. Ah, yes.

The cupcakes weren’t that bad after all.

Hot dog!

A had her first hot dog at a 4th of July BBQ. It came on a popsicle stick. A novelty. A couple of weeks later they were served at G’s birthday party. A wanted one, but insisted on a stick. We compromised on spearing it on a knife. A few days ago I got some organic salt sticks with meat (I swear there is more salt in these things than any other ingredient). A was psyched. She had two! On a stick of course (thank goodness for recycling take out chopsticks).

This adds one more to A’s limited diet consisting of:
- cereal (granola, cheerios, etc.)
- bread (preferably challa)
- bagel with raisins (Dr. B pointed out that this is the same as bread, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a different kind of bread..)
- almond butter & jam sandwich (yet another variation on the bread theme)
- waffle (homemade with blueberries)
- ricotta or cottage cheese
- apple butter
- mac’n'cheese
- pasta, plain
- yogurt (plain, with granola please)
- banana
- grapes
- raisins
- prunes
- cookies
- ice cream (vanilla with rainbow sprinkles)

Dr. B said things could be worse.

Time flies

A recap of this week in N’s life:

Standing. And cruising. And walking. Anything, but staying still. He pulls up to a stand day and night. L puts him to sleep in his crib and he pulls up to a stand. L puts him down. Up he goes again. Repeat. I think he’s trying to do it in his sleep too. Which explains how he’s gotten so good at it – we turn our backs and there he is standing. I can see him contemplating the distance between the sofa and the coffee table – can he make it? (He tried…)

Clapping! N figured it out – it’s kind of asymmetrical, but a clap nonetheless. And he opens and closes his fist to say bye-bye too. Oh, and the pointer finger – he’s got it out there, questioning the world.

Being bossed around – A is not quite sure what to do about N’s new found mobility. The best she has come up with is screaming “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! It’s mine! Go there! Not here! Go there!”

Favorite food of the week – tahini (tchina). On a spoon. In a mini pepper. In a sandwich. Yum.

More teeth are coming.

Give a dog a bone

Today L took the kids to Trader Joe’s to stock up on some essential food items. A saw a box of doggie bone biscuits and asked that L get it so she can give bones to the dogs on our street. It poured all day and there were no dogs around. Maybe tomorrow.

N wants to stand and stand and stand. He can even do it with no hands (only for a few seconds). I saw him in downward dog today. He’s moving faster than we blink.

It was so humid today even polly pocket had a bad hair day.

Birthday party

A’s birthday party was a couple of days ago. She is 3. She was so excited – the night before her party she kept counting her fingers: 1, 2, 3!

It was hot hot hot, so we partied in the A/C with A’s friends running around the living room. It was fun! We got a BIG cake (too hot for homemade birthday cake baking) with globs of frosting shaped as balloons. One was purple and has been enough for at least 2 cake servings. We sang “Happy Birthday A” as we brought out the cake with three candles. I was holding my girl in my arms, I could feel her body struggle to contain the excitement – she was on the verge of tears, but she didn’t cry. She was so happy.

As per A’s request she got a polly pocket set from Saba and Savta (courtesy of L who did the shopping), a polly pocket yacht from Mommy, Daddy and N and then another set from our dear neighbors who introduced her to these tiny dolls, and yet another from her friend M. When she opened the first set she was ecstatic. I don’t recall ever seeing her so happy about anything. Granted, she’s been talking about getting a polly pocket for her birthday for a month… She was in polly pocket heaven. These polly pocket things are really all consuming – she won’t part with them. We have to take them to the bathroom (but shoes are not allowed – we’ve had some shoe drowning incidents in the potty), to the dinner table, to take a bath and to sleep.

The polly pockets and their company now live on a high table. N started to crawl on the day of the party and he is bound to be stuffing tiny green shoes in his mouth, if they’re anywhere in sight. Watch out, here he comes!

Yada yada

N started “talking” today. He said: “Aydi daidi yada” and variations on this theme all day long. He was wild with the desire to move and the pain of that top tooth just waiting to pop out.

Yesterday he had a HUGE slice of watermelon and the 4th of July BBQ. Not a good idea – it makes him constipated.

Falafel

Today we had our national food for lunch. N was so excited. He LOVES falafel. He just ate and ate and ate. Yum.
L says that he likes tchina too. Even the garlic.

I can…

Things A can do all by herself:
1. Button and unbutton her sweater
2. Dress her babies
3. Diaper brown bear
4. Put on her sweater
5. Put on her own diaper (we do not approve)

N is very good at feeding himself. He picks up the spoon and gets it straight in his mouth. Tonight he had delicacies – asparagus (he just loved sucking those spears!) and sweet potato.

Smushi

A’s new favorite book is Yoko. It’s about (surprise! surprise!) a cat. Yoko’s school lunch is sushi (smushi, as far as A’s concerned). It doesn’t go down well with the other kids. But there is a happy ending. And one learns that Israel’s national food is potato knishes (it’s not like the author got the sushi part right…)

This evening, I took A to our local smushi store to get us some dinner and watch the smushi man make the smushis. A was super excited about eating smushi. She bravely ate 2 thin slices of an avocado maki. It’s good it’s Friday night. She devoured our challa. She’s still on her special diet.

Feed me!

This week we started N on some real food* – banana (his favorite so far), avocado, oatmeal with mango, pear and tonight was sweet potato. N sits in his chair, clad in protective gear. We hand him a spoon with some mashed food on it, or just leave it on the table for him to grab. He feeds himself pretty well. He loves spoons. Luckily, we have many as they tend to find their way to the floor.

A is inspired to try everything her brother tries, but will not really eat more than a bite. She’s on a special diet of cereal, pancakes & waffles, pasta (plain or with cheese, cold please) and fruit. And cookies.

* To be fare, N’s real first food was lettuce handed over by his uncle B during the seder. No dipping on N’s part. But it was shredded within minutes.