Candy girl

Happy Halloween everybody! I kicked the holiday off early by going into the city yesterday with Babcia and Dido (on a choo-choo!) for Dad's work Halloween party. I put on my Abby costume, and Dad went as Indiana Jones.


Mom also got off work early and came over too. At first, I was hesistant to go around trick or treating, especially with so many strange people hovering around me. But before long, I got into the Halloween spirit.



There was so much candy to play with!


I ran all around the floor picking up candy and putting it into my bag. Take a look:



It was so great, and then afterwards, we had dinner in the city and walked through Times Square on our way back to Penn Station to catch a choo-choo home. So many pretty lights! I passed right out on the train.



And today is the main event, which means I get to wear my Abby costume yet again. How fun! Hope your Halloween weekend is filled with treats and no tricks!

The fairy-est of them all

I know many of you have been waiting with bated breath to find out what I chose for my Halloween costume, and as you can see, the pick was a no-brainer: I'm going as my favorite Sesame Street character, fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby!


I debuted the costume over the weekend at the annual Halloween bash thrown by Mom and Dad's old real estate company. There were lots of pumpkins for me to play with too, so it was terrific (even though I look grumpy in the above photo, I loved every minute of it). Check out this video; you can even hear me say "Grandma" at one point!



I get to dress as Abby for two more Halloween events: Dad's work party this afternoon, and then of course tomorrow I get to go trick or treating. Woo hoo!


In case I don't have a chance to check in tomorrow, have a Happy Halloween!

Spit take

Before we give the rest of the week over to Halloween-related posts (be sure to come back tomorrow for pictures and a video of me in this year's Halloween costume!), I wanted to share this cute little video. Every once in a while, after quenching my thirst I like to amuse myself by "playing" with the rest of my water. As you can see, I'm so adorable that even my parents can't help laughing, even though I'm getting myself all drenched..

Haunt stuff

As if going to the dentist isn't scary enough (at least, that's what I've heard!), one of the dentists in town goes all out for Halloween, putting out what seems like hundreds of spooky decorations. Last week Mom and Dad took me to check everything out. Mom was a little hesistant to post this video, because she was a little worried that the visit left me scarred or something. No worries, Mom, the only reason I flinch a bit at the beginning is because I wasn't expecting the man in the hockey mask to move. But otherwise, I wasn't scared at all.



Dad said he hopes I enjoyed the house, because for the next couple years I probably will be too scared of everything there. But as you saw in the video, I barely noticed the creepy stuff once I spotted a bus driving by!

Gym dandy

Well, we made it through another week, which means that tomorrow morning it's time for my weekly visit to The Little Gym! I've been going with Mom or Dad all fall, and I just can't get enough of running around on all the mats and equipment.



Dad's helping me do a backwards roll. One day I'll be able to do it myself!




I also love shooting hoops and doing slam dunks with Dad.




And as much fun as it is running and jumping, sometimes nothing beats hanging upside down!


That's just a fraction of what I do each week. For a better understanding of what a typical session is like, take a look at this video:



Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ask Julia: 10/23/08

Aunt Paula sent in a couple Ask Julia questions:

It sure looked like you have a great time at the birthday party. Do you think that you might get one of those motorized toys from Santa? I am sure you would have a lot of fun.
I don't really know who Santa is. I have a vague recollection of some heavy guy dressed in red with a white beard that made me cry last year. Anyway, I heard Mom and Dad saying that they have a lot of ideas for gifts this year, so you should probably ask them.

I really enjoyed the video of all the new words you know. You sure know a lot of words. Do you ever connect more than one word together?
You mean like in the same sentence? Not yet, but I do the next best thing and link two thoughts together in separate sentences. For example, I can't say "Dido gave me a band-aid." But I can say "Band-aid. Dido." and pretty much get the same point across.

Got more questions? Send them my way!

Backward in the saddle again

I sure do love riding my horse that Uncle Ryan got for me last Christmas. I used to only use it every once in a while, but now I go for a ride a few times every day. I still haven't completely gotten the hang of it, because sometimes when I get on, I end up facing the wrong way. But I do eventually get myself pointed in the right direction!



This morning I wished Mom and Dad a happy anniversary (I can only say "happy," but they understood what I meant). They were married four years ago today. Hmmm...I guess my wedding invitation got lost in the mail!

Construction site

On Saturday I went to Alec's fourth birthday party (he was born a few days before Mom and Dad got married). The whole party had a construction theme, with a wrecking ball, caution tape, "hard" hats, obstacle course and even some real workers operating a chainsaw two houses down.


For me, the best part was riding in Alec and Isabella's different vehicles. Here's a look at all of the cool stuff I did at the party:



It was a very nice day, and the first real fall day we've had.


Happy birthday Alec!

A video is worth a dozen words

As I've mentioned, I'm now saying new words every single day, astounding Mom and Dad with my ever-expanding vocabulary. Here's a collection of more than a dozen new words I've picked up just in the last week alone (including, at the very end of the video, my very own name!).

Pumpkin patch kid

There was much more to do at Matarazzo Farms than just the hay ride. There was a petting zoo, and a bouncy castle, and Halloween decorations to see...


And of course, lots and lots of pumpkins...


Here's a look at everything I did there:



What a great day, huh?


Mom and Dad raised the bar pretty high last weekend, but what are they going to do to top it this weekend?

Hay, hay, hay!

As if going to Octoberfest wasn't enough over the weekend, Mom and Dad took me to nearby Matarazzo Farms, where I went on my very first hay ride. I enjoyed myself, but I was a little confused why there were a bunch of newly-built homes smack in the middle of the farm, like this:


Dad says if they keep selling off the farm property at this rate, next year's hay ride will just be me standing on a bale of hay, spinning in a circle. Anyway, here's a look at my hayride:



There were other fun things to do at the farm in addition to the hayride, but I'll talk about them more tomorrow.

Ask Julia: 10/15/08

I have several good Ask Julia questions, so let's get to them. Aunt Paula is first up.

Do you still have your pumpkin gels or have you destroyed all of them?
It's the strangest thing...after we filmed that video where I tore one of them apart, the other four completely disappeared! I have no idea where they are, and Mom and Dad aren't helping me look for them. Has anyone else seen them?

I can't remember what video it was in , but I think that I saw that your tennis shoes have lights on them. Is that so? Do you watch them?
Good eye, Aunt Paula! Yes, I do own sneakers that light up when I take a step. I'm more interested in looking at them when they are off my feet and I can bang them together and make them light up. When they're on my feet, however, I don't notice them as much. Probably because my pants end up covering the lights for the most part. But they are still fun to watch every once in a while.

When you were at the Children's museum in Cherry Hill you were so good at putting those tubes back and forth in the wall. Have you played with those types of tubes before?
They had them at the Austin Children's Museum, and I played with them for a tiny bit, but I'm much better at them now!

I am amazed that you can point out the airplanes in the sky. What do you call them when you see a plane?
For now, I just grunt. But that will change any day now. I'm saying new words every day. Over the weekend I mastered "bus," which had previously also just been a grunt. So I'm sure I'll be saying "airplane" very soon.

My last question for today has to do with your piano. You sure seem to enjoy playing it. Do you think you will be taking a musical instrument one day?
I'm sure I will, but for now I'm enjoying banging on the piano and shaking my maracas.

My friend Isabella also had a question:

We went to the Little Gym tonight and we were all sitting in a circle saying our names, and my Mommy was pretending to be your Mommy. She told the teacher that her name was "Vera," but we all know that's your Mommy's name: Teta [Ukrainian for "Aunt"] Vera. I told my Mommy that she's definitely not Teta Vera, but she didn't seem to buy it. I may be short, but I'm not gullible. What's going on? Does your Mommy trick you like that?
That's really odd. My Mom doesn't do that, but she does ask me strange questions, like if I know who her Mommy and Daddy are. Then she tried to tell me that Dido is her Dad. What is she talking about? She's just silly. Everybody knows that she doesn't have a Mom or Dad!

Thanks for the great questions!

Awake for Octoberfest

Last October, back when I was sleeping through every destination my parents took me to, I snoozed through Octoberfest at Applegate's, the great local ice cream store. This year, I was wide awake and was able to enjoy the whole thing. And boy, did I have a great time!



I was a dancing queen, as you can see.



In fact, Dad thought I looked so cute dancing to the music that he went back and put together a second video, just showing me and all my smooth moves.



And as you saw in the video, I also met up with Alec and Isabella, which was like the cherry on top of a great day!


I'll be seeing them again Saturday at Alec's birthday party. I hope I can get Alec to chase me again!

"Babbi" dearest

I know that every weekday morning, it's only a matter of time before Babcia and Dido arrive. On weekends, however, I don't expect to see them, so when they surprise me with a visit I get very excited (especially when they come bearing gifts). Take a look:

Lipstick jungle

Some day in the not too distant future, when I'm fighting with Mom and Dad about not being allowed to wear makeup, I'll going to whip this video out as evidence (as a bonus, it also gives you insight into my feelings about hairclips).



Checkmate, Mom and Dad!

Meow mix

Don't you just love my new kitty shirt? I sure do...I like looking at the kitty on it and squealing (though it sometimes takes a bit of persuasion to get me to squeal):



And I can drink milk like a kitty too. Check out my tongue!



Meow!

Piano woman, part 2

I think I mentioned a couple days ago that I've started to put on mini-recitals for Mom, Dad, Babcia and Dido. I bang on my new piano, then rush out to bask in the applause, then head back to the piano for another movement. Here, take a look. I like to play for bigger crowds, so I'm not really into for just Mom and Dad...but I change my tune when Babcia and Dido join them!



I hope you were all applauding for me out there in cyberspace!

I'm all ears

Over the last couple days, I've been obsessed with earrings: who has them and who doesn't. And I can do it in two languages! Take a look:



You heard me right, I don't want earrings. And you know me, I never change my mind about anything, so you can take that to the bank!

Yes I can: 10/6/08

I've been spending so much time uploading my movies lately that I've neglected to update you on my many accomplishments over the past month or so—you know, the ones that haven't been captured on video. So it's time for another Yes I Can column:

YES I CAN...say Babcia's name. I had been calling her "Ba-ba," which Babcia wasn't too happy about (that's also my word for sheep). But with her urging, I now call her Babbi ("bobby"), which is just as easy to pronounce as Baba but makes her much happier.

YES I CAN...spot airplanes all the way up in the sky. My eyesight is so sharp that I routinely pick them out, both during the day and at night. I love spotting them, and could spend all day searching for them and pointing them out. Many times, I can see them even before anyone else can!

YES I CAN...pay attention to my boo-boos. I'm all about my "boo-boos," pointing them out and crying as if I was reliving the trauma all over again. Then I continue to point to my boo-boo and make Mom and Dad kiss them, even long after it has faded away from sight. I keep track of Mom and Dad's boo-boos too, but I bet they don't hurt as much as mine do!

YES I CAN...figure out to do when life gives you lemons: suck on them! That's what I do everytime we go out to eat. If Mom or Dad gets a lemon in their water or diet soda, it ends up right in my mouth and I eagerly suck away until there's nothing left but the rind. Dad can barely look at me, but I don't flich or pucker my face up. I guess I like sour stuff.

YES I CAN...drink out of a straw. That's another thing I always do when we're out to eat—with both milk and water. Eventually, I take out the straw and try to use it as a spoon to get the liquid up to my mouth. It's not very practical but I enjoy it immensely.

YES I CAN...point out which objects belong to which people at the table. Mommy's drink, Daddy's plate, my plate...whatever is there, I'm getting very good to discerning who owns what. I point to it and say "Da-da" or whatever, or if I don't know, I point to it and grunt until someone tells me whose it is.

YES I CAN...ask what things are and what they say. Pictures and words in my books, the writing on Dad's shirt, the language on my highchair, I want to hear what things mean. Once again, I point and grunt until someone tells me, then I point again. And again and again!

YES I CAN...make one last-ditch effort to fight off sleep. My newest telltale sign I'm about to fall asleep when Dad is rocking me: I shake my head vigorously back and forth, as if to ward off the Sandman. Usually I'm down for the count within a few minutes.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll try to be better about letting you know as I pick things up.

And speaking of "Yes I Can," sometime soon (like in, oh, four weeks from now), I might reveal what my shirt says in the photo above!

Piano woman

For those who were having trouble viewing yesterday's Discovery Museum video, the problem has been corrected, so make sure you go back and enjoy that one.

Today I wanted to show off my latest toy: my very own piano, just like Isabella has. Mom and Dad showed it to me last weekend, and here was my reaction:



Now that I've had it a few days, I'm already putting on recitals and demanding applause from Mom, Dad, Babcia and Dido. I'll share one of those videos next week.

And with that, another week comes to an end. Enjoy, send me a few questions, and I'll see you back here next week!

An incredible Discovery

During my trip down to Grandma and Grandpa's last week, Dad took me to the Garden State Discovery Museum, which is only a few miles away from them. It was very much like the Austin Children's Museum, but even better. First off, we went during the week so there weren't many other kids there, and even better, there was a slide! There was also cool stuff like a basketball court, mini-hockey rink, a turtle, a fishing boat and plenty of other things to keep me running around. Here's a video of some of the highlights:



If Mom and Dad know what's good for them, they'll take me back there the next time we visit Grandma and Grandpa!

Pumpkin picking

It's October, so you know what that means...Halloween will be here soon! Mom put up our Halloween decorations over the weekend. Watch this videos to see how, over the course of an hour or so, I go from discovering the pumpkin window gels, to figuring out how to peel them off of the window, to completely destroying them.



Speaking of Halloween, I'm sure some of you are wondering if I've picked out a costume yet. As a matter of fact, I have. Here's a clue: this..


...is NOT what I'll be going as for Halloween. That's Mom's hat! You'll have to wait until the end of the month for my big costume reveal.