Winter 2007

Snowstorm, January

The night of Wednesday, January 10^th, it snowed and snowed and snowed. Mommy’s car got stuck at the bottom of a big hill, and she had to walk home in the cold and dark. Cameron stayed home from school Thursday and Friday, and every day I put on my snow pants, coat, scarf, mittens, hat, and boots and played in the snow.

The snow lasted for seven days, so finally Mommy and I bought a sled at Bartell Drugs, and Papa took me sliding down the hill in front of our driveway. I liked to pull the sled around [left] just as much as I liked riding in it.

Birthday, January

My birthday was a lot of fun this year—especially since I got to celebrate it more than once!

January 29^th was a Monday. I went to Miss Stephanie’s daycare, and Ava, Teddy and I had our first class at Eastside Gymnastics. It was really fun. After Papa picked me up, we went for our usual walk in the “woods,” then played for a while at home. He put me down for a nap, but I didn’t want to sleep. So when I got up I opened presents. Mommy and Papa gave me a pink electronic keyboard, the LeapFrog Word Whammer to make talking words, a Little People airplane, a wind-up flashlight, and a purple fairy costume—with wings [left]! Cameron gave me a Cranium Cariboo game. It’s really fun to play.

Then we had spaghetti—my favorite dinner. For dessert, Mommy put candles on a beautiful chocolate cake [right]. I liked blowing them out. Mommy, Papa, and Cameron sang both “Happy Birthday” and “Lang Zal Zij Leven.” I had lots of new toys to play with the rest of the evening.

Birthday Party, February

My big birthday party was on Sunday, February 4^th. Mommy, Cameron, Miss Trudy, and Papa put up lots of primary-colored crêpe paper, balloons, and Elmo decorations. My friends Ava, Merel, and Joseph came. Grandma Joanie came, too.

Because it was noon, first we sat down for some lunch. On our Elmo plates we had miniature quiches, grapes and mandarin oranges in ice cream cone cups, and Jello™ jigglers, and we drank lemonade.

Next we played “stick the nose on the Elmo” [right]. Cameron put on a blindfold, kneeled down, and demonstrated. Then the rest of us tried, except for Merel, who didn’t want to cover her eyes. Even Papa got on his knees blindfolded; that was silly! Mommy gave us all Sesame Street rings for prizes, even though none of us put the sticker anywhere near Elmo’s nose.

After that, we gathered around the table and Mommy brought out my birthday cake [above]. Elmo was sitting on top. After I blew out the candles, Papa cut me a gigantic piece. The cake was good, but I liked the ice cream better.

Joseph had to leave early, but Ava [left] and Merel opened cards and packages with me. Merel gave me a Jip and Janneke storybook and a CD of Nijntje songs, and Ava gave me four placemats with different pictures for the table. She had made me a card all by herself, too. I gave them big hugs. Joseph gave me a Sesame Street book that interacts with the DVD player. Grandma Joanie gave me two games to play, Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. We played with the toys for a little bit, and then it was 2:00 and time for my friends to leave. I gave them Elmo coloring books to take home and more hugs.

I didn’t want the party to end, but I had lots of new things to play with, and Mommy left up the crêpe paper and balloons for days afterward to remind us of all the fun.

Valentines Day, February

When I woke up on Valentine’s Day, there were presents for me on the table: a small pink hedgehog; earrings, a necklace, and tiara with flashy red hearts; and a heart-shaped box that I just knew contained chocolate. When I opened it up, I was right! So before I’d even eaten my Cheerios, I started the day with a chocolate. Yum!

Mommy gave me red paper hearts so I could decorate valentines for my friends [right]. I gave them to Joseph, Ava, Teddy, and Merel.

That night Mommy, Papa, and I went to dinner. We were supposed to go to Cucina! Cucina!, but it was closed. So instead we ate at Ruby’s, a diner. I didn’t mind the change. I had lots of French fries and ketchup, and for dessert, we all shared a banana split. Valentine heaven!

Now That I’m Three, February

Now that I'm three, I call myself "a big girl" and "een grote meisje."

When I visited Dr. Johnson at the end of January, he said I weighed 30 pounds (45th percentile) and was 38 1/4 inches tall (75th percentile). I got a booster shot and a flu shot, but the nice lady did it so quickly that I hardly felt it.

Since I'm not a baby anymore (although sometimes I like to pretend to be one), I say, "I want to do it myself," and there are lots of things I can do on my own. I can zip my coat up if Mommy starts it, take my shoes off and put them away in the laundry room, and take off my pants and shirt all by myself. (I'm still learning about buttons, though.) I can do a somersault by myself. And I can get things off the counter and from drawers by pulling over a chair and climbing up. Mommy says she doesn't like that skill—and she seems to have moved the cutting knives. I can open doors by myself, and I've discovered a new game: Hide in the coat closet and call out, "Come and get me!"

Mommy and Papa have given me new responsibilities, like sitting up at the table in a booster seat instead of the high chair. That means I can't be so messy when I eat. But I'm pretty tidy: I like to push my sleeves up before every meal. They also leave the gate open in the family room so I can go in and out of the room as I please. Mostly, though, I like being where they are.

One of my biggest new accomplishments is using the potty. I figured out how to do it the night of my birthday party, and I'm very proud of myself. Now they let me wear Pull-Ups during the day, and if I try hard (and they give me lots and lots of reminders), I can keep them dry all day long. Then I get lots of stars on my potty calendar. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to do poo-poo on the potty. Mommy and Papa seem frustrated, but I am trying. When I get good enough at it, they promise I can wear big-girl underpants.

Mommy and Papa put me in my bed for "quiet time" at 3:00 each day. First I change into my special "nap pajamas"—comfy clothes I like to wear just for naps. Sometimes I sleep, but usually I play. I like to gather lots of books and toys into my bed and hide them under the covers.

Things I love: I love putting on my red rubber ladybug boots and splashing in puddles. I love to dress up in costumes, like my Halloween kitty-cat costume at home or the "Tigger Tiger" costume at daycare. I love stamps, and after my Kindermusik and Discovery Dance classes, I have the teachers put stamps on the backs of my hands, both my feet, and my tummy. I love reading books, and Mommy or Papa or both read me stories every day before my "quiet time" and before bedtime.

One of my favorite things to say is, "Yes, sir." A couple others are, "Ik wil niet" [I don't want to] and "No...NEVER." Mommy says I'm going to be an actress when I grow up.

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