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Mon, Aug 28, 2006 10:00 AM
Every chance she gets, Katie imitates her older sister. A few months back, Katie watched Danielle eat cereal--including drinking her milk from the bowl. Ever since that morning, Katie has done the same thing with HER cereal milk. And as she lifts the bowl to her lips, she smiles and says, "Dee!"

On Saturday night, she imitated Danille again--and it was hilarious. After Steve asked Danielle the same question for, oh, the 87th time, Danielle finally shouted, "DAD. (pause) STOP!" Without missing a beat, her sidekick bellowed, "Dah-DEE. (pause) TOP!"

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Wed, Aug 23, 2006 10:30 PM
Katie revealed some of her favorite things tonight while responding to the question, "Where is Daddy taking you tomorrow night?"

Her first hopeful guess: "Pee-duh?"

That's dough with sauce and mozzarella cheese--and also one of her favorite foods--but not the right answer.

Her second hopeful guess: "Mawl?"

Nope, wrong again.

Her third hopeful guess, although it was more like a demand this time: "MAWL!!!"

I finally grabbed a section of my hair and waggled it, giving her the clue she needed.

Final answer: "HEAH CUT! Daddy! Katie! HEAH CUT!"

Maybe we can persuade Katie to let "Dee-nuh" (Gina) do some styling this time! At any rate, I'll try to post pictures after we get home tomorrow night.

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Wed, Aug 23, 2006 11:15 AM
This week, Katie and five of her gal pals--Ashley, Gabby, Tori, and the twins, LuLu and Livvy (sp?)--began transitioning to their new classroom. The transition includes eating lunch, having snack, and taking naps in the new room.

As you may or may not know, in the Tiny Tots room, parents supply fitted sheets and blankets, and the kids sleep on mats on the floor. But in the Twos room, the kids sleep in regular sleeping bags. So yesterday morning, Katie and I brought in her new sleeping bag (it's pink and "Hello Kitty" to match her new lunch bag, of course!).

When I picked her up yesterday afternoon, Katie walked in from outside and saw the bags stacked neatly on a table. She immediately identified her own bag: "Mine!" She then proceeded to identify Tori's, Ashley's, LuLu's, and Livvy's for me. And I know she was right on at least two, because Tori's and Ashey's were labeled; I suspect she had the twins' bags right, too, since they looked so similar.

I already knew that Katie could pick her lunch bag out of line-up of 15 similarly sized and colored lunchbags. It seems that she didn't waste time memorizing what belongs to whom in the sleeping bag department, either!

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Tue, Aug 22, 2006 9:00 AM
I think most parents have their own hot-button issues. One of mine has been my desire to limit Katie's TV time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO television before age three. Although we haven't achieved that objective, we've come pretty close. Like most kids, Katie knows Elmo and Dora the Explorer, but more from books and clothes and toys--not from watching them on the tube ad nauseam. In other words, she's not one of those babies or toddlers who sits transfixed in front of the screen.

At least, she wasn't. It seems I've hit a snafu in my anti-TV crusade. Katie is now addicted--but not to Sesame Street, Dora, The Wiggles or Bob the Builder. No, she is addicted to watching what she calls "Dee-Meh"--a 15-minute photo slideshow on DVD that Danielle made for one of her friends as a graduation gift. It's a lovely DVD with photos and various songs playing in the background. Katie squeals and shakes with delight whenever she sees "Dee." And the other day, she recognized one of the songs from the DVD (Daniel Powter's "Bad Day") when it was playing on the radio. Naturally, that immediately prompted a request to WATCH "Dee-Meh." Sigh.

While Steve and I like the DVD, we've grown weary of the repetition. So last week, I threw together a quick three-minute slideshow with photos of Katie. I included photos of her with various relatives and friends, and I used a Deana Carter song called "Katie." Although Katie likes that show OK, she still prefers "Dee-Meh." With breakfast. After school. And before bed.

Steve, who was never totally on board with my anti-TV stand in the first place, says we should loop the "Dee-Meh" video so that it runs for six hours straight. Then we could turn it on for Katie and go out and catch a movie ourselves...

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Mon, Aug 14, 2006 12:00 PM
As you can see in the August photo album, we spent Saturday in Ocean City, NJ. Steve had been wanting to take Katie to the boardwalk all summer; the weather and our schedule finally permitted a day trip.

Since we didn't bring swimsuits, we didn't actually go on the beach (which was OK by me, considering that I hate the sand and the sun and the salt water). So we just strolled the boardwalk, had some lunch and Jersey shore treats (Katie likes Kohr Brothers custard, by the way!), and went on LOTS of kiddie rides ("rye-ryes" in Katie-speak).

Next time, I'm sure we will make provisions to go on the beach. Katie was VERY interested in it and seemed quite disappointed that she couldn't go down and play...

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Fri, Aug 11, 2006 1:00 PM
This week, there hasn't been much news--with one notable exception. On Wednesday, Katie did more than pee-pee in the potty, if you get my drift. We had been promising her three "Mem-mems" for that feat. But when she actually did it, we were all so excited that we forgot to give them to her--and she forgot to ask!

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Sun, Aug 6, 2006 9:00 PM
Katie had a great weekend. On Friday, she went to the "mawl" with Steve and me. When we pulled in to the parking lot, her response was purely Pavlovian. With tongue firmly in cheek, Steve remarked that I've managed to teach Katie about the "really important" things! LOL

On Saturday, Uncle Keith came over to enjoy a picnic lunch and some quality time with his littlest niece. He, too, taught her some "important" things, including how to say "Madonn'!" and "muzz-a-dell" and "oy vey."

After that, Katie, Steve, and I headed to the mall again (hey, it's REALLY hot and a mall is one of the few places that's very Katie-friendly!). This time, we went to the nice mall in King of Prussia. We picked up dinner at the Tuscany Pizza Kitchen, where they were handing out samples of penne with vodka sauce. While waiting for our pizza to come up, I had one piece and got one for Katie, too. She enjoyed it so much that she asked me for more. So I sheepishly went back to the guy, explaining that we had indeed ordered a meal there.

After we finished eating dinner, Steve and I were throwing out the trash and getting everything back in order. We looked up and saw that Katie had gone up to the sample guy herself--and gotten a third "helping" of penne... Maddon'!

***

Katie continues to do well on the potty front. Between 5:00 and 7:00 this evening (the only time she was able to run around diaperless), she sat on her potty about 10 times and actually produced some pee-pee three times. Consquently, she also ate 13 "Mem-Mems." But, hey, we're on the right track!

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Fri, Aug 4, 2006 9:00 AM
Here are a few pearls of wisdom, in Katie's words:

If something is "durry," "keen" it.

If the cat is in your way, simply say, "Skew, Vee-oh!"

If you'd like more frozen fruit drink, shout out, "More moo-ey!"

If you're going out, make sure you have your "djews" and your "puss" (that's a fashion accessory, not a facial expression). And if it's a special occasion, never forget your "jew'ry" or your "heah"!

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Thu, Aug 3, 2006 12:00 PM
I don't want to celebrate too loudly, but this week has brought another major milestone: Katie has made pee-pee in her potty. Twice.

The first time happened on Monday evening, and it was a fluke. After I changed her diaper, Katie refused to put on a fresh one. Her little romper bottom hung down and I completely forgot she was diaperless. When I took her out of her booster seat after dinner, I realized she wasn't covered. Her dad and I suggested that she go sit on the potty in case she had to go. And she went! She made LOTS of pee-pee and was so proud of herself.

That night we went to Genuardi's and bought a bag of plain M&Ms. I put them in a clear jar (with a lid!) on a shelf in the bathroom. We explained that for every attempt, she gets one. For every tinkle, two. And when she finally poops, three!

On Tuesday I didn't leave her diaper off, and not surprisingly, she didn't go on the potty. So last night, I stripped her down and let her run around nude. She quickly went to sit on the potty and, sure enough, she made more pee-pee.

She must've really enjoyed those two M&Ms because she made three more visits. Each time, she'd stand up and announce, "Mommy, pee-pee!" We'd scurry into the powder room, and she'd sit and strain. Then she'd stand up and proclaim "Ah duh!" We would wash hands and then, of course, she'd get her consolation prize of an M&M. I started to feel a little bit conned, but I'm not complaining.

We'll try it again tonight. Keep your fingers crossed!

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Wed, Aug 2, 2006 8:30 PM
When I relay an "isn't-she-bright" anecdote to Steve, he agrees--to a point. "All parents think their kids are smart at this age," he says. "It's because they go from knowing how to say and do almost nothing to learning all these new skills."

So, with the caveat that we by no means think Katie is a genius, here are some of the things we've marveled at lately:

1) In the bathtub, Katie loves to play a letter game. Using one of her bath crayons, I draw a letter on the board. She then searches through her 3-D bath letters until she finds the matching letter. We started out by doing--what else?--"D" and "K." Tonight I expanded into multiple letters with the word "MEG." Katie found the letters "M," "E," and "G" one at a time and placed them on top of my handwritten ones.

2) As I mentioned in a previous post, Gran introduced Katie to 2s in a big way. In fact, she's become a two-identifyin' fool. She spots them on mailboxes, in magazines, and even on the price boards at gas stations (never at the BEGINNING of a price, natch).

3) While writing another thank-you note, Katie spotted a wallet photo of herself--the one you should've received if you got her a birthday gift. Anyway, the photo was taken at the birthday party of our neighbor, David, also 2. The original full-size image was of David and Katie cruising around in David's battery-powered "Jeep." I never posted it on here because I wanted to save it for the thank-you wallets. And, for those, I cropped out him and most of the car--leaving only Katie. So, imagine my surprise when Katie picked up one of the wallet prints, glanced at it quickly, pointed to a small section of the little boy's arm, and announced "Day-bee!"

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Tue, Aug 1, 2006 9:30 AM

How to Eat Corn on the Cob
by Katie Fanelli

First, get a pat of butter and hold it between your fingers. While your mom is watching, dutifully run it across your corn like she does. As soon as she looks away, take a big bite of the butter. (It tastes GOOD!)

When your mom tells you not to eat the butter like that, smile angelically and open wide so she can see just how much you've managed to put in your mouth. Wait a few seconds, then ask for more butter and solemnly agree not to put it right into your mouth.

Since you've agreed not to eat any more butter, you need to request some dip (which most people refer to as "ketchup"). Get your mom to squeeze a nice pile of dip on your plate. Now place the end of your cob into the sauce and then lick it clean. Repeat until all the dip is gone.

When your daddy arrives home and starts having his corn on the cob, watch closely. If he's like my daddy, he'll eat it like a typewriter on amphetamines. This will make you laugh a lot, and it's DEFINITELY worth imitating.

By the time you're finished with the Katie Fanelli method of eating corn on the cob, your cob will still be about 90% full of corn--but your belly will be full of condiments!

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