Are you ready for some football?

So I hear there's a big football event coming up on Sunday. I'm not as interested since the Jets aren't playing, but I have grown to enjoy football after watching it this season. So I thought as a public service to those of you who don't regularly watch football but plan on watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, I would explain how football works:



See, was that so hard? Actually, I'm most excited about the halftime entertainment; the new word Dad taught me this week is "Bruce"! (I also learned "Clarence"-as in, Clarence Clemons—and "saxophone.")

Hope you all have a Super weekend!

Pizza in 30 minutes or less

Mom had a great idea over the weekend. Since I've grown to love pizza over the few times I've eaten it with Bobbi and Dido, Mom had us make pizza together: putting sauce, cheese and mushrooms on a Boboli crust.



Everything went well, until Mom and Dad told me to wait 11 minutes while the pizza baked in the oven. The nerve of them! Take a look:



This is my absolute favorite video right now! I get a kick out of watching myself have a breakdown, and I say "pizza...waahhh" what I talk to Mom and Dad about what happened.

My pretty ponytail

Let me tell you, that Bobbi is a tricky one! I can't let her out of my sight for a second, because she loves secretly putting barrettes in my hair even though she knows I hate them. But last week, she pulled off a doozy by somehow putting my hair into a full ponytail without my figuring out what she was up to. I was too busy having fun with Bobbi to notice the ponytail—I love imtitating her when she walks with her hands behind her back! Take a look:



There's a cute postscript to this video. When Dad showed me the video this morning, I liked it so much that when Bobbi came I immediately let her give me another one and ran around saying "Ponytail! Ponytail!" So congratulations, Bobbi: your months-long crusade to wear me down has finally succeeded!

Queen of the hill

We've gotten a LOT of snow here over the last couple weeks, so Mom and Dad took me sledding on the big hill at the park around the corner (no more dinky little hills for me this year!). How did it go? Take a look (and don't miss the sledder who makes a beeline for me right in the beginning):



So I pulled the same "home!" thing on Dad a month ago. He carried me all the way there, dodging all the dangerous ice, and then after two trips down the hill I wanted to go back home. At least this time he was smart enough to drive us there! Even though I threw in the towel quickly, I had a lot of fun out there with Mom and Dad.



And with that, another week comes to a close. I turn the big 2-0 on Sunday (20 months, that is), so I'll see you back here next week, older and wiser!

Ask Julia: 1/22/09

My boyfriend wrote in with an Ask Julia question. Take it away, Alec:

Hi! Mommy and I were reading your blog yesterday when I noticed the heading: Julia's Baby Blog. You're not a baby anymore! You've been a toddler for months now.

That's a very good point, Alec. And I would probably change the name if I didn't think there were going to be some much bigger changes to the blog a few months down the line (probably around the time I get to the bottom of this "baby brother" business). So I'm keeping the Baby Blog title for now. And besides, Toddler Blog doesn't have the same ring to it!

I should clarify what I wrote above about my "boyfriend." I'm not really referring to Alec as a person; it's more that Christmas photo of him and Isabella that I still swoon over, and need to know the whereabouts at all times. Mom says that he's like my imaginary friend, or more accurately my version of the doll or stuffed animal that little kids insist on dragging along with them everywhere. I also enjoy playing peekaboo with him, which you'll see in this video (which also contains a look at the kind of playing—and whining—I've been up to lately).

Momma, Nia!

Here's a long overdue look at one of my best friends, Nia. I see her multiple times during the week with Bobbi—either in town or at a playdate—but Mom and Dad have never actually met her. They certainly hear about her all the time, though. I always tell the story about the time when Nia cried because she was startled by a cop who was drinking coffee. I told her "Don't!" and "Done!"—don't cry, be done! Anyway, since I spend so much time with her I figured it was about time that I put some photos of us up here. So Mom, meet Nia!


Here we are celebrating the new year. Aren't we a cute pair?

Speaking of celebrations, today is a big day for the country (though Bobbi and Dido don't seem as happy as Mom and Dad are). Let's all raise a glass of milk to our new President!

Hair and makeup

As I've gotten older I've learned where the real good toys are hidden in the house. Like the stickers in Mom's nightstand, the liquid soap dispensers up on the sink and most especially, Mom's makeup. A few times a week, I convince her to let me go through her makeup.

Hmmm, looks good but I think I need a little more lipstick...

That's much better! Want to see some of my makeup tips? Take a look:



But don't think I'm one of those girls who is only obsessed with makeup. No way; I love going through Mom's hair stuff too!



Here's a look at me rifling through Mom's hair accessories:



Mom and Dad said we're going to visit Grandma Saturday. She's feeling better every day, so I can't wait to see her. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Meet Patty

I rang in the New Year by going into the city to visit Dad's friends Eric and Sara (my Central Park buddies!), then a bunch of us went out to brunch. I had fun with all of them, but my favorite "person" by far was Patty, the Julia-sized homemade doll that Sara has had since she was a little kid. Everyone else seemed really creeped out by her—Dad kept saying that she seems like one of those dolls who comes to life and attacks you while you sleep—but I just adored her!


I couldn't stop hugging Patty, holding hands and walking around the apartment with her (and throwing her down too). Take a look:



I'll see you again soon, Patty. Hopefully by then I'll be strong enough to carry you all the way home.

Rockin' Robin

So Sunday morning I got up, went downstairs and started playing with my toys. Something seemed off but it took me a few minutes to put my finger on it. Then I realized, where did the Christmas tree go? I got very concerned and started running around to "find" it, until Mom explained to me that the tree went bye-bye and won't be coming back until next Christmas. Everyone was surprised by how well I took the news.

Now onto a subject close to my heart (and stomach): food: My favorite two places to eat are the local diner (where I see my friend Debbie, who waits on us) and Tinga, where I always look forward to munching on rice, beans, chips and guac. But I also have a special place in my heart for Red Robin. That's the place where they clap-clap-clap and sing "Happy birthday!" when it's your birthday. I sure hope Mom and Dad take me there for my birthday. But other than the birthday festivities, there are plenty of other things to touch—and to eat! Take a look:

Resolution-ary thinking

I wanted to come up with some resolutions for 2009, but first let's see how I did with the resolutions I came up with for 2008:

1) Learn to walk. Check!
2) Learn to talk. 2-for-2!
3) Learn to stalk. (as in, follow Mom and Dad around incessantly) Hat trick!
4) Hide the nasal aspirator, so Mom and Dad can't use it on me anymore. I didn't hide it per say, but Mom and Dad don't use it on me any more, so I'm crossing this one off as well.
5) Get the ball rolling on teething. Enough is enough already! Now I've got teeth aplenty!
6) Put something new in my mouth every day. I don't know about every day, but between all the foods I tasted this year and everything else I try to munch on, I'm sure I put 366 (don't forget, it was a leap year) new things in my mouth last year.
7) Finally get my hands on Dad's Blackberry. Another success! I even found an iPhone to play around with, so I get bonus points!
8) Continue to have one stranger each day tell Mom, Dad, Babcia or Dido how adorable/cute/beautiful/well-behaved/happy I am. Again, this is something that happens almost daily if not actually every day. Another win in my book. Nothing can stop me now!
9) No more shots! D'oh! As if I don't have enough reasons to hate those shots at the doctor's office, they have to go ahead and ruin my perfect game.
10) Keep Mom and Dad on their toes all year long. Dad more than Mom, but yes, I certainly did that.

So I ended up going 9-for-10 on my 2008 resolutions, which is a better percentage than just about anyone else in the world. Let's see how I can do for 2009:

1) Become more self-sufficient. I'm starting to play more on my own and take care of myself, so I'd like to do more of that in the new year. For example, I just figured out how to rummage around in the fridge on my own.

Yes, this is much more organized this way!

Oh no, Mom caught me as I tried to climb in!

Shhh, don't tell Dad what I'm up to.

Too late, Dad found me. I was none too happy to be discovered, so I just glared at him.

Where was I? Oh yeah, back to the resolutions:

2) Learn to jump. I'm oh-so-close but I haven't quite figured out how to actually have my feet leave the ground yet.

3) Say goodbye to my diapers. Enough is enough. I'm tired of having someone always change me. What do I have to do to get out of those things?

4) Say goodbye to my crib. When I'm in bed with Mom and Dad, I can just get out on my own when I'm ready to run around. But when I'm in my crib, I need someone to lift me out. I have to figure out how to ditch that thing.

5) Say goodbye to my pipa (pacifier). Wait a minute, what? I did NOT write that. Dad wrote that! No fair!

6) Get the people at Red Robin to clap-clap-clap for me on my birthday. I'm obsessed with this when we go there.

7) Continue to be as adorable as I can. I know this one doesn't require much work but I needed a few gimmees.

8) Make the "terrible twos" not-so-terrible. By the way, I reserve the right to complete this one by making the months leading up to age 2 so bad, that in comparison things get much better when I'm 2. Hey, whatever it takes....

9) Find out why Mom and Dad keep asking me if I want a brother. What's up with that?

And most importantly.

10) Be a good sister, whatever that means. (I think I have to figure our #9 before I do this one, though.)

Now I'm hoping that you all resolve to have a good weekend. See you back next week for lots of new videos that I promise have nothing to do with the holidays.

Ask Julia: 1/8/09

Before we start, I'd like everyone to keep Grandma in your thoughts. She had some long-in-the-works surgery today and while everything went well, she's got a long recovery ahead so she could use your support.

So now on to some new Ask Julia questions. I know I said that I was done with Christmas stuff, but some of you still had questions about the holidays, so this also gives me an excuse to post the photos I used in this year's Christmas card. First up is Aunt Paula:

Santa was really good to you. How do you know what to play with? Do you have a favorite toy yet?
I've done a pretty good job of spreading the wealth and playing with all my new toys. Several times a day, I spend time playing with my Cozy Coupe, my Disney Princesses sofa, my shopping cart, my stroller, pretty much everything...

That Elmo toy is really nice. They have sure come a long way. Have you played with him lately?
Well, everything except Elmo, that is. He's out with my other toys, but my interaction with him is pretty limited. I loved him most in the box where all he could do is blow me kisses. But the other stuff he can do freaks me out a bit.

Do you think that you will be taking your baby for a walk in your new stroller?
Already done! We walk all around the house. Maybe when it gets warmer we'll venture outside too.

Have you taken down your tree yet? I bet that you will miss kissing Santa. But, there is always next year.
It's so strange that you ask that, because Mom and Dad were saying something this morning about the tree going bye-bye this weekend. I sure hope not. I was thinking about Santa being gone yesterday and I got very weepy, so I don't know what I'll do if the tree goes away too!


Grandpa wrote these questions before the holidays. Sorry I didn't get to them sooner:

How did Noonee (sp?) come about?
You're talking about the word I call myself. That's how I pronounce the Ukrainian version of the Julia name, which actually sounds like "Yool-ya." So now I call myself Noonie, but then last week I started actually saying "Julia" on occasion. As I start to say "Julia" more and more, I'm thinking "Noonie" is not long for this world...

For those of us that are not trilingual (English, Ukranian & Jula-speak), how about providing subtitles on your blog videos?
I'm pretty technologically advanced for a 19-month-old, but even I don't know how to create subtitles. Sorry but you'll have to wing it, just like everyone else does when they decipher what I'm trying to say.

Tomorrow I'm finally going to get around to doing my resolutions for 2009...and we'll see how I did with my 2008 resolutions!

Family fa-la-la

It's Dido's birthday today! So let's start with a big "Happy" from me to Dido. For our final Christmas wrapup, I have a bunch of family photos to share. Because as great as the gifts were (and they were indeed great!), the best part of Christmas was spending it with all the people I love so much. Like Bobbi and Dido...

and Mom and Dad...

and Grandma and Grandpa...

and Bobbi and Grandma (wait, didn't I say them already?)...

and last but not least, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jess!

Another bonus of spending time with Ryan is that he lets Dad take a breather and does the heavy lifting himself. And by heavy lifting, I mean me!



But he's not the only one I can be silly with. Take a look at all the fun I had with Grandma!



And that—finally!—is a wrap on Christmas 2008...just in time for Ukrainian Christmas tomorrow!

Other holiday treats

Okay, I promise that we'll finish up the Christmas stuff by tomorrow, which is Ukrainian Christmas Eve. Here are a few other adorable photos of me from the holidays:







Remember when I saw the tree for the first time and my response was to say "No!" and walk away. Well a lot has changed since then, especially once I discovered all the ornaments. Take a look:



It's tea time! Here I am using the new set that our realtor Frede got for me. Mmmmmm!



You've seen my favorite gifts, now here is my favorite card: the Christmas card I got from Alec and Isabella. I have to have this card near me at all times (and if it's not in sight, I keep chanting Alec's name over and over). I have a little crush on him, if you haven't figured it out:



Okay, only one more day of Christmas stuff to go!

And the gifts just keep on comin'...

Even after I opened all of Santa's gifts, there was plenty of other stuff for me under the tree (I think a few gifts were for the rest of the family too, but this blog isn't about them!). Here's just a sampling of the cool stuff I got:


My friends Audrey and Carl got me a Corolle doll that you can take into the tub. I love the doll but that day I really loved the floaties. I spent much of the morning trying to get them on my own arms, but they were too small!



Bobbi and Dido got me a baby stroller, which was the perfect thing for my new doll!



Aunt Ileana got me a camera, so now Dad won't be the only one taking a bunch of photos.

Here's a video of me opening some of those gifts. Watch me spring to life when I get a look at that stroller!



There were two other super-terrific gifts I want to mention. The first came from Grandma and Grandma, who must have been inspired by my trips to the children's museums, because they got me some delicious (fake) food...



And a shopping cart for me to put it all in!



Take a look at me eating and grocery shopping:



The other perfect gift came from Uncle Ryan, who bought me a Cozy Coupe just like the one Audrey and Carl have!


Thanks Uncle Ryan!



And here's a video of me and my personal chauffeur:



That's it—finally!—for all my Christmas gifts, but there are still more Christmas photos and videos to share. Have a good weekend, and we'll try to finish this holiday wrapup before next Christmas rolls around!

Gingerbread home sweet home

First off, Happy 2009 everyone! Dad ditched Mom and me to spend New Years with his friends, but no hard feelings: I just spent the night with Mom, Bobbi and Dido and then I slept in Mom's bed instead of in my crib. So take that!

I wanted to take a break from my gift-opening posts to talk about one of the best parts of Christmas this year: the gingerbread house I made with Mom and Aunt Jess. Whoever said the housing market has tanked must not be talking about gingerbread houses, because I couldn't get enough of ours! I kept demanding to go back and look at it so I could keep eating the frosting.


Mmmm...yummy!