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Mon, Feb 26, 2007 9:30 AM
Katie is so active lately that Steve and I are wondering if there's speed in her organic milk. For the most part, she isn't misbehaving; she just doesn't stop. Or shut up. Ever. She LOVES going out and about and often tries to stall our return home with the request to cruise around some more ("I go long dibe!"). When we ARE home, there's no quiet time whatsoever. She wants to "pay Pay-Doh," "do col-uh," or "build dom-din'" ("build something"). Yesterday we did all of the above and THEN made butterfly-shaped sugar cookies. We delegated icing prep to Steve and then all three of us decorated them. As soon as those were finished, it was time to move on to dinner. She helped assemble those Boboli create-your-own pizzas (which she refers to as "make own pee-duh"). And, even with all of that, she wasn't tired at bedtime!

Speaking of which, we've had the same bedtime routine for a REALLY long time. But in the last few weeks, I've started questioning whether or not to push her bedtime back. She'll go happily into her crib around 8:30 (a half-hour later than I'd really like), but we can still hear her singing and chattering away well past 9. (I wonder if it's normal for kids to require a little less sleep at this age?)

All of that being said, I think what we really need is SPRING. Then we could all get outside and she could burn off all that energy.

Comments:
Stacey: Oh goodness, I think Maddie is going to be Katie's clone in the activity department. It sounds fun, but exhausting!

Susan: Oh, good point! I didn't even think about that, but you're totally right...

Sarah: Aren't you glad they moved Daylight Savings up to March 11th this year? You'll have more weeknight play time!

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Fri, Feb 23, 2007 11:00 AM
Yesterday was a big day at our house. Steve left work early. I actually showered and styled my hair and put on makeup. I even wore something besides a jogging suit.

Only one thing could prompt such uncharacteristic departures from the office and poor hygiene: Elbow Lane's Family Night at Burger King.

The event ran from 4:00 to 9:00, but we were there for only (!?) two hours. A little blue-eyed moptop had an absolute blast--and was genuinely surprised and delighted every time another "bend" arrived.

Since I really didn't want Katie eating Burger King food (save for a few french fries), she had dinner before we left. She didn't have time to eat, anyway. When she wasn't climbing through the two-story indoor play structure, she was making the rounds, visiting with different families and teachers. She wouldn't leave poor "Miss Nebbly" (Stephanie) alone!

At any rate, it's fun to watch how social and outgoing Katie is. I don't think it will be too much longer before she wants to start having playdates with friends at our house or at theirs.

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Thu, Feb 22, 2007 9:00 AM
Katie wasn't an early walker or an early talker, and she certainly didn't get her teeth early. But when it comes to joking around, I really believe she's ahead of her time. Although she doesn't "tell" jokes, she definitely makes them. A lot.

Sometimes she uses physical humor. Yesterday she was sitting on the little potty and pulled her shirt down over her knees. "Katie haircut!" she announced with a laugh. Even more often than that, she makes opposite jokes--saying the reverse of what she knows to be true. After she was wearing panties full time, "I use changin' table" became one of her favorite one-liners, always delivered with a subversive smile. And after much discussion about Gran visiting alone, when I would ask who was coming to see her or who would be at the airport, Katie would reply, "PAW-PAW!" In the last week, she started combining these two jokes, as in "Paw-Paw use changin' table." This totally cracks her up, but it's an image I find more scary than funny. Sorry, Dad! :-)

Of course, there are also times when Katie is a plain ol' smart aleck. Last night she was marching around like a little dictator, bellowing "Nnnn-uhhhh-ooooo!" for no apparent reason. When I gave her The Look, she stared me right in the eye and bellowed only the first part of the word: "Nnnnnn..." When that didn't get a reaction, she swatted my behind (naturally, hitting is a no-no), gave me an impish smile, and said, "Mommy, I go time-out chair!"

As I told my friend, Susan S., when it comes to the opposite jokes especially, I have to catch myself. My instinct is to correct her with the truth, but Katie already knows it. She just wants a laugh. Since Steve is the consummate teaser, I'm guessing she gets this from him. Of course, she seems to have a little Susan Murphy streak, too. Reminiscent of the time I told my first-grade teacher she'd misspelled "ballet" (she hadn't!), yesterday Katie corrected me twice:

When she did the haircut joke, I said, "Oh look at that--it's a drape!"

"No, Mommy, CAPE." (Pardon me!)

When she tried to get me to use a Kandoo wipe instead of toilet paper, I explained that adults don't use Kandoos--that those are for kids like her.

"No, Mommy, I not kid. I lil' girl!"

More jokes--and corrections--to come, I'm sure...

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Fri, Feb 16, 2007 9:00 AM
Katie's latest morning ritual is a "picpic." She brings down three or four blankets from her room, spreads them out on the kitchen floor, and then eats her breakfast there while reviewing photo albums (one is of our trips to Florida; the other contains three years' worth of photo Christmas cards).

* * *

This morning she caught the ends of her fingers in her dresser drawer. At first she panicked and asked for the boo-boo bunny. Then she quickly decided a "kitz" from me would suffice. And, finally, she sighed and said, "I be bine."

Comments:
Sarah: You're such a fun mom to let her have breakfast picnics! Hope her fingers are feeling better.

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Wed, Feb 14, 2007 9:45 PM
Happy Valentine's Day!

We spent the day housebound thanks to freezing rain and snow. Elbow Lane was closed and Steve worked from home (and he was literally on con calls from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with only a one-hour break at noon). Katie and I stayed busy making the Cindy/Sarah potato soup for lunch and a potato casserole for dinner; playing with Play-Doh, stickers, and crayons; and taking a long, bubbly bath (she splashed while I supervised).

All day, she was full of vim and vigor. Except during her nap, I don't think she ever stopped talking or moving or both. After dinner she continued to be exceptionally wound up--so much so that Steve said he would personally shovel the road to make sure Elbow Lane can re-open tomorrow. In other words, we have a whole new appreciation for her teachers and classmates who help channel all that energy during the day!

Speaking of "goo," Katie's class will have its make-up Valentine's Day party on Friday. In honor of her role as the class stamper, she and I prepared a little gift bag--with four Valentine's stamps, a tri-color inkpad, and a coupon for a Junior Frosty--for each of her 13 "bends" (friends). She kept asking for her buddies ("I talk Gabby Ashley Tori!") today, so I'm sure she'll be happy to see them in the morning.

Comments:
Katie H.: I'm loving the comment feature too!! I made the soup as well on Sunday! It soothes cold bones. Apparantly Potatos were the food of the day at your house!

Sarah: Oooh, I like that you can comment on individual posts now! Sounds like a snow day for Katie was a doubly hard work day for Dudan and Deeb.

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Sun, Feb 11, 2007 3:00 PM
Now that Katie is a bit older, I've been wanting to take better advantage of the cultural and entertainment options in metro Philadelphia. Despite all of the museums and parks and other cool destinations, we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time at places like the mall, the grocery store, and Chuck E. Cheese.

So, when our neighbors invited us to come along to the Adventure Aquarium (www.adventureaquarium.com) yesterday, we were more than happy to accept. Not surprisingly, Katie had a blast checking out all the aquatic life--from little lobsters and crabs to big sharks and even bigger hippos--and spending time with her friends, Tyler and Maddie. (Check out the new photo album.)

The bad news is, she also had her first major accident. Despite numerous trips to the bathroom, I think she was distracted and her full bladder snuck up on her. The result was SOAKING-WET underpants, jeans, and socks--and hysterical tears. (I think the tears were due to a combination of embarrassment and physical discomfort. Her skin is extremely dry right now, with many rough red patches--which all appeared to be irritated after the accident.) Once I got her cleaned up and calmed down, she was fine. Alas, my jeans and jacket were left smelling a bit too much like the hippo room.

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Tue, Feb 6, 2007 1:00 PM
Yesterday afternoon Katie had her one-month ear check appointment with the pediatrician (she's fine). We arrived a few minutes early, visited the bathroom (of course), and then sat together on a sofa in the waiting room. Within a minute, she was getting impatient.

"I ready, Mommy," she said, indicating that she wanted to go on back to the exam room.

"When it's time, they'll call your name," I explained.

Just a few seconds passed before she did it herself: "Katie Nebbly! Katie Nebbly!"

I told her the NURSE had to call her name, and sure enough, she came to the door and asked for "Katherine"--which Katie recognized as her name. (By the way, in Katie-ese, her dad is "Deeb Nebbly" and I am "Dew-dan Nebbly.")

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Mon, Feb 5, 2007 10:30 AM
You might not realize it, but in the two-year-old set, lunchboxes are highly political. Every child can identify every other child's lunchbox, and they're all quite possessive of their gear--and their right to put it in the refrigerator or get it out.

In fact, to prevent fridge-side brawls, the school's rule is that each child gets his or her own lunchbox when in the presence of his or her parent. In other words, when someone's mom or dad is there, no other children are supposed to touch the lunchbox OR the refrigerator.

Everyone follows that rule--except Katie. But it's not that she tries to commandeer anyone else's bag. Rather, for the last few months, she has taken it upon herself to delegate her lunchbox responsibilities to various friends.

Most mornings, she and I are in the fridge room alone, so she does it herself. This morning, her friend Tori and Tori's mom happened to be in there getting settled, too. Sure enough, there was an unspoken understanding between the girls that Tori would be putting Katie's lunchbox away.

At afternoon pick-up, when all of the kids are present, I have to stifle a giggle as Katie selects the day's "winner." Ashley is often her first choice, but she's been gunshy ever since a teacher corrected her (not realizing that Katie had actually asked Ashley to help). And there's one slightly younger girl who will fetch not only Katie's lunchbox, but also her coat!

So far, there haven't been any fights over who is going to do it--and once there is one, I'm sure we'll have to put an end to this game. In the meantime, it's a hoot to watch Katie direct her peers.

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Fri, Feb 2, 2007 9:00 AM
On Tuesday, Steve had an after-work function, so Katie and I did our own thing. We ended up at Ross Dress for Less, where she picked out three Sesame Street DVDs. We lucked out and got a nice cashier who involved Katie in the scanning and bagging processes (pure heaven for Miss Independent). After I donated a dollar for heart month, the cashier also let Katie write on our little paper sign for the window (again, pure heaven). And as if that weren't enough, Katie even got a big heart-shaped lollipop--which she licked and crunched as if her life depended on it.

Two days later--yesterday after school--Katie finally remembered the DVDs and asked to watch one (I bought them mainly as an experiment--to see if she'd actually use them--and kept them sealed in case I decide to return them). I let her choose one, opened it up, and turned it on. Within 30 seconds, she furrowed her brow, shook her head "no," and said, "I like that." (When she shakes "no" and says "I like that," she means "I DON'T like that.)

So, as usual, she walked away from the TV in no time and instead played stamps, signed Valentine's cards, helped bake brownies, and helped make baked ziti for dinner. (She gets very excited about the cheese and loves to say "Moooooootz!" like her dad taught her.)

Given her fascination with working in the kitchen, it's not shocking that the one show she WILL watch for more than two seconds (but only if I sit and watch with her) is Rachael Ray's "30-Minute Meals." She seems to thoroughly enjoy watching all the kitchen activity. She'll ask me, "What that?" and "What doin'?" and I'll explain as best I can (although I don't really know much about turmeric, either, to be honest...).

* * *

I can't remember exactly when, but at some point I sang the old Salt-N-Pepa song "Push It" to help Katie complete some, ah, business on the potty. She took to it right away and now asks me to sing "Poopy Dong" every time she needs a little inspiration (even in public, which can be rather embarrassing--for me).

Last night Steve was with us in her bathroom while I sang it, so naturally she said, "Daddy ding it, too, Daddy!" He doesn't really know the song, so he started improvising this pitiful but very energetic poopy "rap" with a lot of gesticulations and something roughly akin to beatboxing. (It was definitely the middle-aged white man's version.) Anyway, Katie loved it and started imitating him so enthusiastically that I was afraid she might pull the toilet right out of the wall. Meanwhile, HE pulled a muscle. Those two will do anything for a laugh. Sigh.

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