margaretyagan

I got up relatively early today (6:00) and Dad  came to get me out of my crib.  We played upstairs for a while, got dressed, and went downstairs.  We played some more until breakfast, which we ate a bit earlier than usual because I was so hungry.

Nana came at 8:00 and as soon as she got settled in we took off for the park.  We had a really fun morning together.  When we got home, that included quite a few visits from Dad.  After a banana snack, I took a good nap.  Oh, I also spoke my first Arabic word: “tai” which means “come here.”

After lunch we played more and had a snack when … Grandma Droste walked in the door!  I haven’t had both of my grandmas together since my birthday party!

I have Nana hugs and kisses before she  left.  I was so excited to see Grandma and really happy to see the gifts she brought: my very own cell phone and set of keys!  Soon after, Grandma Droste put me down for my afternoon nap.  I slept a really, really, really long time!  It was about 6:00 pm when I got up.  Dad had dinner ready for me.  Grandma sat with me while I ate.  I had a few minutes to play after dinner, which I celebrated with a huge poop!  They decided to let me walk around with it for a while since I would be taking a bath in just a few minutes.

I got up this morning with Dad and  after breakfast we took off for Home Depot to  try to figure out how to keep my room cool (it’s hot on the top floor!).  As soon as we got home, Mom, Dad, and I went to  the park.  I knew something was up when Mom put on my swimming diaper.

And sure enough, it was time for fun in the fountain:

On our way home, we walked through the farmer’s market.  After I dried off, it was time for my nap.  When I got up Mom  put me in a cute dress and we took off Nana’s and Grandpa’s.  As usual, we had a great meal and then I had fun playing with Nana and Grandpa.

When we got home, I had a snack and then I took a very, very short nap.  I ate dinner a bit earlier than usual.  After I finished, the three of us went to Oberweis, where I made another new friend, Oceana.   I had a lot of fun playing and dancing with her.  Then we headed home, I played with Mom for a while, and then it was time for bed.

I’m 16 (months) today!  I was all set to get up at 6:00 am but decided to sleep in until 7:30.  Dad came to get me and we played in my room for a while.  I ate a great breakfast (sweet potato oatmeal, an egg white, and a prune).  We  took off for weekly grocery trip to Dominick’s.  I met a really nice girl (Audrey) in the produce section.  As usual, Dad and I counted cows in the dairy aisle.  We checked out with Ruby who, as always, was happy to see me.

Here I was playing in the morning:

We got home and Mom came downstairs pretty soon thereafter.  We played for a while  before going for a walk.  When we got back home, we gave Mom a ride to her personal shopping appointment (when do I get one of those?).   When we got home, it was time for lunch:

After lunch , we played upstairs for a while:

And then we went downstairs and Dad invented a new game where I jump off of the futon.  We played and played and played over and over and over again.  We went and picked up Mom before heading out to Oak Park to meet Mom’s and Dad’s friends Amanda and Ben.  This Starbucks place seems crazy — there’s one everywhere!

We had a really fun time  and then headed home.  As soon as we got home, Dad and I showed Mom our new game:

Then the three of us played more downstairs and then in the kitchen:

Before I knew it, it was time for dinner, a bath, and then bed!

A year ago we were working on the house.

I woke up at 6:30 and was so happy to see Nana get me out of my crib.    I was in a great mood all morning, enjoying a great breakfast (and still getting my dose of Augmentin!).   It was a nice day, so we spent an hour at the park before a nice nap and big lunch (including Nana’s zucchini, my favorite).

Mom got home at 2:00.  We played upstairs (if you define cleaning our rooms as playing!) before a snack.  I’m trying to wean myself off my afternoon nap.  Mom put me down at 3:15 and by 4:00 I was crying to get out.  Of course, it didn’t help that my diaper was leaking!

We went out for a really long walk.  At the park some boy sprinted toward me and stole Elmo right out of my hands!  I had to go chase after him and finally Elmo and I were reunited.

Dinner was good (red beans and rice), but I fussed while Mom was talking to Grandma.  I was in bed by 7:45.

I woke up in the morning and saw both Rachel and Nana there to get me up!  Rachel took off and I spent the morning with Nana.  I had a good breakfast and then read books  and played with  my farm house.  I had a pre-nap banana and then slept from 10-12.  I ate lunch and we were all set to go outside, but the rains came and trapped us inside.  We read a ton of books until nap time.

When I got up from my nap…Rachel was back!  At 6:00 I gulped down a cup of milk.  I was talking a lot, kissing a lot, and in an overall great mood.  Mom got home at 6:45 and I had a great time playing  with her until bed time.

I got up on Thursday, expecting to go to school, and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened!  I was in a great mood and even left Puppy  at home.  I cried a bit when Mom left me at  school, but I recovered quickly.

At school I really enjoyed my snacks (goldfish in the morning and graham crackers in the afternoon) and spent most of my time outside going up and down the slide.

Mom picked me up and I ate pretty well when we got home.  Mom and I investigated some stuff  the roofers left in the yard.  I tolerated the  short bath pretty well, but was happy it didn’t last too long.  I was really excited to help brushing my own teeth!

I woke up this morning to find Dad — very unusual for a Tuesday.  And to make it even more  unusual, we didn’t head off to school.  Dad got me dressed and we headed downstairs.   Nana came just as we were finishing breakfast.  Dad went downstairs to work and Nana and I went for a nice long walk.

We  got back and played and read books until nap time.  The roof guys were here again, but I managed to sleep (I think I got that from Dad!) through it.  Nana had cooked her famous zucchini, which I devoured for lunch.  Nana and I played until nap time (again, the noise was nothing for me).

I got up just as Dad was finishing up his work for the day.  I ate dinner (Nana had cooked some chicken & rice, too) and then Dad and I went for a walk.  As soon as we got back, it was time for bed!

My sleep schedule was off a bit because I didn’t fall asleep in the car until 8:30.  Anyway, I slept in until 7:30 today, when Dad came into get me.  It was already time for breakfast, as after I got dressed, it straight into my high chair.  A few minutes later, Mom came downstairs — she took today off to spend more time with me!

I didn’t eat a great breakfast and hung out with Mom all morning until my nap.  It took me a while to fall asleep because the roof guys were here banging on my ceiling.  I ate a good lunch and then Mom and I headed out for an adventure.

Just as we left home, I dropped Duck out of my stroller.  About 4 blocks later, Mom realized we were short a stuffed animal, so Mom and I had to backtrack, only to find Duck laying sadly on the road, next to the curb.  Luckily, he was ok!

We went to Red Hen bakery so  Mom could get lunch (I ate her pickle and  had a few sips of sparkling juice).  Then we went to the library (this is my third trip!).  I was really excited and I wanted to hang out with the big kids who were reading.  We checked out 5 books and then headed to the park.

I  went on the swing, played on the jungle gym, and then we went over to the fountain area, where 5 or 6 kids were playing in the water.  Mom took my shoes off and I inched in slowly toward the water.  I was getting light sprinkles, which I liked, but  then I took a big step and this girl accidentally sprayed a huge stream of water at me!  I froze for a second, but then I LOVED it.  I stood there, getting wet, smiling as big as possible.  I was getting a bit too wet, so I dashed out of the fountain and stepped on the HOT ground.  I started screaming “hot, hot” until Mom picked me up.

We stopped by the dry cleaners on our way home.  I had a snack and then took my afternoon nap (the roofers were still banging on my ceiling!).

Dad stopped working about half an hour early and we took a family trip to the grocery store!  It was so fun to have Mom there with us and to show her all of the fun games we play (counting the cows on the milk cartons, ripping up the list when it’s all done, and of course, playing with the “organic” stickers in produce!).  We stopped by Oberweis on the way home to get some dessert for Mom & Dad (but not me!).

We got home in time for dinner and I ate pretty well.  Dad was blown away when I chugged two ounces of milk all at once.  I ate rice pudding for the first time ever and it ended up being pretty messy.  So messy, in fact, that Dad lifted me straight out of my high chair and right into the bathroom.

I enjoyed my bath for the first time in a couple weeks.  As soon as I finished up, it was bed time!

Last year I was settling in to my new schedule.

Wow, I  slept 13 hours last night!  I really needed  that.  I think I’m going to beat this ear infection very quickly.  I ate a great breakfast (two egg whites, oatmeal, fruit, and O’s) including some of Dustin’s!   He was so nice to share his cereal with me — his is much yummier than mine.

I hung out with Grandpa Droste for quite a while after breakfast and before my morning nap, which I didn’t take until 11:00 (since  I slept in so late).  My nap didn’t last long (up before noon), which is a good thing, because we had my first BBQ today!

A whole bunch of family came over, including: Great-Grandma Droste, Great-Aunt Debbie, Great-Aunt Jackie, Great-Uncle Michael, and Great-Uncle Karen!  Much to Dad’s disappointment, I rejected my beef burger, but I really like my veggie burger.  After everyone ate, we celebrated Aunt Sarah’s  birthday with a huge ice cream cake.  I really like ice cream cake!

Here are a bunch of videos of me:

I had extra fun playing with Great-Uncle Michael.  He tickled me, helped me color, and was all-around fun!  When everyone left, the rest of us went out and played basketball.  I even made my first shot ever.   Grandma Droste had gotten me a T-ball set, so I also got some baseball in.  Then there was the sidewalk chalk, which was good practice for when I get back to school.

After playing outside, I said goodbye to Aunt Claire and then Grandma Droste read me a story and put me to  bed for my nap.

When I got up it was  pretty much just dinner with the family and then packing up to head back  home!

Happy Birthday, America!  I got up this morning with Mom and Aunt Claire.  Given how fussy I was last night, I’d say that I was in a pretty good mood.   It was raining like crazy, though!  Aunt Sarah, Aunt Claire, and Dad decided to take a road trip (with me!) to buy some donuts.  Now, I’ve never had donuts, but we drove 10 miles in the rain to get them, so they must be really good!  After checking out three places for “fluffy icing” (two of which were closed for the holiday), we ended up at Mister Donut!  Dad let me run around the restaurant and I said hi to everyone who was there eating.  Everyone was so nice and waved back, especially the really old man with the cane.

I was in a great mood…until we got home.  Then everything blew up.  Dad read me a book in the living room and then tried to put me in my crib (while Mom was still sleeping in the room).  Well, I started crying almost immediately after Dad left the room.  Mom got up and they spent the next two hours trying to get me to sleep. Finally Mom’s radar detected that something  was wrong because I just wasn’t myself.

At home, we would have gone to my doctor’s office, but here in Dow (on a holiday weekend, no less), it wasn’t clear what to do.  We first tried the Take Care Clinic at Walgreens.  It would have been great, except they don’t see kids under 18 months old!  So, then we went to the emergency room (my third trip to one in the last month!) at Alton Memorial Hospital (where Aunt Claire and Aunt Sarah were born!).

I’m glad it wasn’t a realy emergency, because we waited for about an hour to see a doctor.  Finally we saw Dr. Sajit.  He quickly diagnosed me with two more ear infections, but I don’t think Mom appreciate the lecture he gave them about not sending kids to day care!  Anyway, I got out of there with a prescription for Augmentin and  I got to take the motrin that we bought at Walgreens.

While we were waiting for the prescription (this time at CVS), Mom and Dad (who hadn’t eaten) drove through McDonald’s.  Mom & Dad got some food and even shared part of a bun with me, officially making that the first McDonald’s I’ve ever had!  We got the medicine (I took my first dose in the parking lot) and stopped by Great Grandma Droste’s to pick up a DVD.  By the time we got home, I was in a great mood again, waving to everyone as I came in. They had my lunch ready (red beans and rice, one of my favorites!) and I was happy.

Grandpa Droste, Aunt Sarah, and Dustin were all in the yard.  I wasn’t sure what they were doing until I went out there and saw that they were assembling a HUGE swing set for me!  I had fun swinging and going down the slide.  Mom and Dad came out with the bubbles and a camera (you can guess who had which).

We all sat down for dinner together. I didn’t eat great, but I loved the peas.  My cousin Stephen came by with his fiancee Stephanie and a friend.  I was pretty fussy while Dad gave me a bath, but I calmed down while he read my goodnight story and then I went to sleep pretty much right away.  I sure could use a long night of sleep!

The big event on Thursday was the Independence Day parade at school!  We all had to wear red, white, and blue to school and then we all paraded around in the parking lot to celebrate America’s birthday!

Mom picked me up from school a bit earlier than usual, but we ran into pretty bad traffic on the way home.  Dad was there waiting for us and with my dinner ready.  After I ate, Mom and Dad packed up all my stuff and we all hopped in the car and headed to Dow!  I fell asleep about 20 minutes into the drive and was out like a light until we got to Grandma and Grandpa Droste’s.  Everyone was so excited to see me and we ended up having an impromptu dance party at 12:30 AM!  Needless to say, I didn’t have a typical night’s sleep.  I actually couldn’t fall sleep in my crib and — for the first time ever — I slept with Mom & Dad in their bed!

Finally at 5:45, Mom and I got up (Dad slept in) and we hung out with Aunt Claire.  Dad got up and we all went to Shake & Steak for breakfast with  Great Uncle Michael and Great Grandpa Harris.  In this case “all” included one more person than usual: Aunt’ Sarah’s boyfriend, Dustin, is spending the weekend at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, too.   (I saw him at my midnight  dance party, but  was a bit too tired to remember.)  I got to sit right across from him at breakfast and he was really nice to me!

Toward the end of breakfast (after I had been running around the restaurant, even almost into the kitchen!), I had a dirty diaper.  Normally, that would have been fine, but Mom & Dad forgot to bring diapers down to Dow, so Dad and I ran to Target,  bought some diapers, and he changed me in the Target bathroom.  I got back all  happy and dry.   It was good to hear Great Grandpa’s imitation of Donald the Duck!

When we got home, I was  exhausted and Dad put me down for nap very easily.   After I woke up and had lunch, we went to Great Grandma Droste’s.  She was really excited to see me!  I like her house because it has ramps, toys, and all kinds of new things I’m not used to.

After my afternoon nap I was really fussy.  I pretty much refused dinner and cried all the way through my bath with Grandma Droste.  Once I got to sleep, I slept all the wy through the night