I had a great day at school on Thursday, “full of personality” as my teachers said. I spent most of my day singing, especially Stewie the Duck’s Water Safety Song.
I woke up with Dad on Friday and Nana came over just as we were starting breakfast. I had a fun morning with Nana but really struggled falling asleep for my nap. Took me about 90 minutes to finally get to sleep, and I ended up sleeping until 4:30. Grandpa Yagan came over at 2:30 and kept waiting for me to wake up so we could play together. When I got up, Grandpa was ready to have some fun, and he even stayed through dinner and watched me play “The Cheese Game” with Dad. Mom got home just in time to put me to bed!
Last year I ate mango. Is that where my nickname came from?
I woke up on Monday and was surprised to see Dad for a little bit before he took off for work. Julie was here to play with me, but she didn’t seem to be feeling as well as usual. Nana came around 9:00 and we had a great day together. My Arabic keeps getting better and better! I can’t wait to go to Syria. Julie didn’t feel well enough to come back in the afternoon, Nana stayed with me all day, including dinner and putting me to bed. Thanks, Nana!
Tuesday was my first day back in school in about 12 days because I stayed home all last week. I was very excited to be back at school and see all my friends. I was really nice and helpful to my teachers and really enjoyed playing with some new toys.
Wednesday was a great day for me. I had a good time wth Julie and a fun morning with Nana. We thought about going to the park in the afternoon, but decided against it — still too cold! Maybe next week? When Mom got home I had a particularly fun time cleaning up before bed time:
I woke up with Dad on Saturday morning and we made our usual runs to the grocery stores. I had a great time, except that Whole Foods didn’t have any bread for me to sample (but they had cheese, so no complaints here)!
We went straight to soccer practice, where we had to run from the car to the gym because it was cold outside and I was only wearing my fleece jacket. I had a pretty good practice, especially the running, as usual. I still didn’t do a ton of kicking and, of course, I rejected the motorboat. But I made a new friend, Enna, whom I even gave a hug and a kiss to.
After practice ended, we went straight to Nana’s and Grandpa’s, where Dad was helping Grandpa set up his new computer. I played with Grandpa and with Nana. We had lunch from Chipotle, well, I wasn’t supposed to, but I ended up eating most of Dad’s quesadilla and some of Nana’s burrito bowl. We didn’t get home until almost 2:00 and I went right to bed for my nap.
When I got up, I was so happy to see Mom back from her trip to Europe! Yay, Mom!! I was so happy. We had a big family hug and spent the rest of the day together.
Sunday was a pretty uneventful day. We pretty much stayed home and spent time together. In the morning we all painted together and, as usual, Dad and I (with help from Mom!) cooked dinner together and I devoured the salmon and the asparagus.
I woke up on Wednesday mornind and took a shower with Dad. We got downstairs just before Julie arrived. Dad made breakfast and then I ate with Julie. We read lots of books and before I knew it, Nana got here! It was snowing again and I had a pretty good day. I ate well and slept well. Rachel came over around 5:00 and fed me dinner and put me to bed. I heard a rumor that Grandpa came over, but I was already asleep!
I was supposed to go to school on Thursday, but Nana, again, requested that I stay home with her. I still have a tiny runny nose and a little cough, so it definitely helped (and of course it’s more fun!). We had a really good day together! Nana and I ran sprints in the kitchen for almost 20 minutes!
Nana also reminded me that Mom would be coming back home soon! I miss her so much.
On Friday, I woke up just as I heard Dad walking down the stairs to start getting mybreakfast ready. A few minutes later, Julie came up and got me out of bed and dressed. We ate together and I ate almost all of my breakfast (though quite a bit of my egg ended up on the floor!). We had fun until Nana came. We had a great morning together — that’s five straight days I hung out with Nana; it’s been so long since I had so much fun. I hope she gets to rest this weekend! Nana put me down for my nap around 12:15, but I had no interest in sleeping. About an hour later I had a ginormous poop, which Dad changed for me. If he thought that would be enough to get me to back to sleep, he was wrong. I alternated between crying and babbling for another hour until Grandpa Yagan came to rescue me.
I had a great time with Grandpa. We read books and played until about 5:30. When Dad took over, of course, I wanted to go right downstairs to the office. I got to see Dad’s friend Max on the computer and then watched a couple movies. I had a great time playing, as you can see here. I strongly recommend that you watch the last two minutes of this video (starting at the 8:00 mark) — you’ll get to see me do something cool and listen to Dad freak out!
After we got done having fun, we went upstairs to eat dinner. I ate some rice and noodles kugel, before playing “hide the cheese” and eating a bunch of blueberries and the “whole thing” of raspberries. After dinner, I talked to Aunt Claire on the computer and then went to bed.
Mommy!! I miss you! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! I love you so much!
So, Dad had arranged for me to go to school today instead of tomorrow, Nana generously offered to play with me today because of the snow-storm that was supposd to come. It turned out not to be quite as bad as expected, so I was lucky enough to get to stay home and play all day. I had a pretty good day and Dad took over right at 5:00. Immediately I asked to go down to the office and play:
Dinner wasn’t great, even though it was yesterday’s leftovers (which I loved).
On Tuesday, a normal school day, I stayed home as planned. Julie came in the morning and then Nana came at 9:00. My Arabic is getting so good! I can’t wait to go to Syria to show it off. Of course, as soon as Dad took over, we went right downstairs:
Dinner was pretty good. We invented a new game where Dad cuts up my sticks of cheese into little pieces and then hides them on my placemat. I love it!
I woke up Monday morning with Grandma Droste! I was in a great mood and we played in my room and got dressed before breakfast. I ate well and then we played in the living room, including reading Clifford about twenty times. Then we played with puzzles, blocks puppets, blocks, and matching the letter cards. I had a snack and then watched Ocean Emotion before more playing. I didn’t eat a great lunch. I took a good nap and called for Grandma Droste when I got up.
Grandma left to go home and Rachel came over to play with me. I was in a good mood and then when Mom got home I ate a good dinner. Mom put a bunch of lotion on my cheeks and then got to bed around 7:30.
Mom woke me up on Tuesday morning. I was in a good mood, but kept wanting to go back to sleep. I ate some blueberries and enjoyed listening to music on the way to school. I didn’t want to say good-bye to Mom, but after she left I had a pretty good day. I was full of energy but got in trouble because I didn’t use “gentle hands with friends!” Mom was late to get me and we listened to more music on the way home. I was really sleepy and had a runny nose, so dinner didn’t go too well. I didn’t get to bed until 7:50.
I woke up in the middle of the night feeling pretty bad — I had a fever and a bad cough. I had breakfast with Julie and then Nana came over to give me some TLC! I had a rough morning and I was ready for my nap at 11:45, but I didn’t fall asleep until 2:25. All in all, it was not a pleasant day at all. I’m lucky that Nana was taking care of me! When Mom got home I barely ate any food. I took a shower with Mom to clear my nose. I got in bed at 7:15 and didn’t want Mom to turn on my frog humidifier.
I was in no shape to go to school on Thursday. I woke up at 7:00 am with Julie and took some motrin. I ate an egg and blueberries and played until Nana got here at 9:00. I still had a runnynose and cough, but I was in better shape than yesterday. I didn’t eat that well, but was willing to eat my favorites (blueberries and nana’s cereal). I slept better, and my afternoon a bit better, thanks to Stewie the Duck! Rachel came to play with me and felt so bad for me that she let me eat two cups ofyogurt and three slices of pickles! Mom got home and I refused to eat any dinner (maybe due to the pickles?!). After some more listening to Stewie I was ready for bed, only slightly warm and coughy. I struggled to fall asleep, so Mom rocked me with a cool washcloth on my head.
I was feeling better on Friday. Nana came over, as usual, and I played with her all morning. When I got up from my nap, Grandpa Yagan was here to play with me until Mom and Dad took over and played with me. It was a pretty long week but I was finally starting to feel better.
Saturday was pretty unusual because I woke up with Mom and Dad was gone to speak at a conference. I took a shower with Mom, had breakfast, and then helped Mom get ready for her trip. We forgot all about soccer practice and I was excited when Mom’s friend, Kyle, came over (and she was even officially responsible for me for a while when Mom went to the store!). Dad finally got back and we played in the office, where I watched two movies and colored while Mom finished packing. Then Mom got in a taxi (for people who don’t have cars?!) and left. I said goodbye and blew her kisses. Dad and I went to all three grocery stores and then had dinner — mostly cheese and hummus — before going to sleep. Check it out:
On Sunday I got up with Dad at 7:00 and took a shower. I had a terrible breakfast, steadfastly rejecting eggs and oatmeal. We watched movies in the office, read books, and then took off for Nana’s and Grandpa’s. I got a bloody nose when I whacked my head on their table. We got home late and I didn’t get to sleep for my nap until 1:45. When I got up, Dad and I had some quality time down the office, which is becoming my favorite place to play:
Then we went upstairs and cooked dinner. I actually ate a great dinner, devouring my salmon and cauliflower:
After finishing, I went to sleep as normal, but got up four times asking for sips of “Daddy’s water.”
I woke up this morning with Dad and I wore a special Valentine’s Day outfit that Grandma Droste brought me. I didn’t eat much breakfast and I was very, very fussy all morning, even waking Mom up. We went to our usual three grocery stores and I was very happy to get blueberries (we’d been out since Thursday!). I was also psyched that Whole Foods was sampling bread again — I ate three slices.
When we got home, Dad had to deal with selling some old furtniture, so I played with Grandma Droste. I helped Dad cook lunch, but then pretty much refused to eat it. It took me a while to fall asleep for my nap. When I woke up, Dad and I made a quick trip to wish Nana and Grandpa a Happy Valentine’s Day where they were having dinner at Santorini’s. They were so happy to see me (and Dad, I guess!). We hung out for a bit and then we headed back home (with a quick stop at Dominick’s). When we got home, I played with Grandma before helping Dad cook fish.
I threw quite a fit at dinner and didn’t eat much at all. After I finished I got to see Dad on TV, while he was sitting in our living room. I was so confused! I gave Mom a very hard time while she tried to give me a bath and then refused to let Dad put me to bed. In general, I wasn’t very nice. I blame my dry skin and incoming molar!
On Friday I got up with Dad and we took a shower together! We got dressed and then went downstairs and ate breakfast. I wasn’t too interested in the egg he made, but I ate about half before losing all interest. Nana came over around 8:00 and I played with her all morning, until my nap. I was a bit fussy and clingy with Dad, but otherwise it was a good morning. When I got up from my nap, Grandpa came to get me. We went downstairs and played until Mom got home. Mom, Dad, and I ate dinner and then played for a bit before bedtime.
On Saturday, I woke up with Dad, but a bit later than usual so our schedule got all thrown off. I can’t even remember the last time Dad and I didn’t go to the grocery store first thing on Saturday. I was really excited to see Grandma Droste!
We got ready to go to soccer practice, which was pretty uneventful. I still refuse to get on the parachute and I definitely wander around a bit more than everyone else:
After practice, Mom came to pick us up and we went right to my first dentist appointment! We couldn’t record the actual exam, but here you can see me before and right after:
It went really well. I have 16.5 teeth, meaning I’m already starting on my second set of molar — six months early! After my appointment, we headed home (after a quick pit stop at Jewel). We ate lunch and then I took a nap. When I got up, Grandma took me to the library and we had a great time together! I got back and played with Mom and Grandma until Mom and Dad went on a Valentine’s Day date! I ate dinner with Grandma and then went to bed!
Since I stayed home from school yesterday, today was a rare Wednesday away from home. I was Miss Mimi’s unofficial helper today. I chose a lot of my own books to read and even freelanced a little bit. On the way home I was pretty fussy, but the highlight was discovering “The Cow Song”! I love it. I’m sure Mom enjoyed hearing it over and over again!
On Thursday, Mom and I invented a new game in the car (perhaps to keep from playing The Cow Song over and over?). Whenever we get to a red light, we look for letters. It’s so fun. You should try it. I was in great spirits today and told Miss Mimi all the things I wanted to do. I even made up my own stories when looking at books!
I had a good morning with Julie especially because I ate lots and lots of blueberriess (gotta hurry and eat them before they run out by the end of the week!). I was really happy to see Nana when she got here. I was in a great mood all morning and even humored Nana by sitting on and playing with my potty.
I woke up from my nap to get my diaper changed, but then I went right back to bed and slept until 3:15. I was happy the rest of the afternoon but didn’t eat a great dinner. I colored with Mom until I got sleep, and hopped in bed just after 7:00.
Tuesday was crazy. Seems like a regular Chicago blizzard to me, but to the folks out east who aren’t tough enoug, it was a snowpocalypse! I got up around 5:15 — I wouldnt want to miss too much snow — and sang to myself for about 20 minutes. Then I joined Mom in her bed for a fewminutes but I was wide awake (though she seemed more than happy to fall back asleep!). I took a shower with Mom and then had breakfast. We read books and played the Brown Bear game. Nana came over around 8;30 and we had a lot of fun.
After my nap, I spent the afternoon with Mom, and then Julie. I was introduced to a new favorite video today: Ocean Emotion. I was a little fussy, but wasn’t too bad. I ate a good dinner and we invented a new song about making hummus. Where do all the chick peas go? Missing!!! (pronounced, “mis-saaaaaang”)