Back in Touch, part 2

You've seen all the photos from my latest visit to the Please Touch Museum, now take a look at the video:

Back in Touch, part 1

I have so much great stuff to share from my latest visit to the Please Touch Museum, I'm going split it into two posts. Today I'll show you all my photos, and tomorrow you can see the video. Mom and Dad asked me where I wanted to go first, and I didn't have to think twice...


I headed straight for the ducks! This time I managed to stay drier than usual.

Next up was the carousel, and while I enjoyed myself, I opted against a second ride for the first time ever.


Then Dad took me on a roller coaster, sort of...


I have a feeling I'll like coasters a lot, but on that day riding a turtle was my preferred method of amusement.


Then I went to the supermarket for some food shopping, and I couldn't resist sampling the merchandise.


Yuck! Why did the apples taste like plastic? We had lunch after that, and the pretzels were much yummier.


Over lunch I got to show Mom the painting on the cafeteria wall of the pani (Ukrainian word for woman) that I've been imitating ever since my last museum visit with Dad. Here's what she looks like...


And here's my version of it...



Next up was a trip back to the shoe exhibit, and while I liked playing with the shoes again, this time I was more interested in measuring my own feet.


Our trip ended on a surprise note, as we got a chance to get up close and personal with the Phillies World Series trophy, which they were displaying at the museum that day.


Or as I kept calling it, "Crown!" There were several men standing around it to make sure no one touched it, but I still came thisclose to getting my mitts on it. Hey Dad, when are the Yankees going to get another one of those things? It's been almost a decade!

There's video of all the above and more to show you, so check back tomorrow!

Finding Nemo

Before we visited Uncle Ryan's restaurant in Baltimore, Mom and Dad took me back to the Baltimore Aquarium, which I had loved so much during our last trip down there. I missed Uncle Ryan, who couldn't make it this time, but I had so much fun saying hi to all the fish, the dolphins and yes, the bubbles. This time was even better because I knew what colors all the fish were. And I even spotted my friend Nemo! (Another Disney character that I know all about without ever having seen his movie.)



Dad did most of the heavy lifting when I needed to get a close look at the fish, but when my energy started to flag, Mom was right there for cuddling.


See how I have my arms up her sleeves? That's my telltale sign that I'm tired. But I rallied for the dolphin show, and had enough energy to practice hanging from a bar like I do at Little Gym.



Here's a video of my return trip. While my reactions the last time largely boiled down to two words — "bubbles" and "fish" — I was much more animated this time around!



Next up: a return trip to the Please Touch Museum, so check back tomorrow!

I ♥ Frank & Nic's!

I had such a busy and fun vacation week with Mom and Dad. There's so much to talk about, so let's start with one of the week's big highlights. We went to Baltimore to visit Uncle Ryan and check out his new restaurant, Frank & Nic's West End Grille. The place is terrific! First off, it's just a block away from Camden Yards, so if you're in town for an Orioles game you have to go there. The decor is gorgeous, especially this cool orange door that closes off the private room (great for parties and corporate gatherings!).


And you might be lucky enough to get your drink from yours truly. I'm a bartending pro now that Uncle Ryan gave me some pointers!


Here's a tour of the whole place:



And I've left out the best part: the food! You know that I love a good meal, and Frank & Nic's doesn't disappoint, with lots of yummy dishes. Take a look:



If you're in Baltimore for any reason, you have to stop by. Tell them Julia the bartender sent you!

Measured response

Hi everyone! I've been having such a terrific vacation week with Mom and Dad! There's so much to tell you about—but it's going to have to wait until next week when we're back home. Until then, you'll have to make do with this post. Mom and Dad have been doing so much work around the house lately as they prepare for my baby brother's arrival (and my new bedroom), and I wanted to pitch in. So I got my hands on the tape measure and went to work.





So what do you think? Do I have what it takes to become a contractor? Take the weekend to mull it over, and I'll be back on Monday with lots of great photos and videos from my week with Mom and Dad!

My fair ladybugs

I'm finally getting old enough to do some crafts, and one project I've had my eye on for a few weeks was making ladybugs. They did it on one of the shows I watch every night, The Good Night Show, and Mom had the great idea that we could make them together. So the other week we rolled up our sleeves, got some rocks, and started painting. I enjoyed myself but everytime I got paint on my hands, I made Dad wash them off, as you can see here:


I love my ladybugs! Take a look at how we made them



I can't wait to see what fun crafts Mom will come up with next for us to do!

Ask Julia: 4/20/09

I'm off traveling with Mom and Dad for much of this week, but as promised, I'm still posting. I thought I'd kick off the week with some Ask Julia questions from Aunt Paula.

I sure like your new tricycle. I never saw one with the handle on the back. I am sure that you will soon enjoy riding it. Do you ride it inside the house?
Grandma and Grandpa had never seen that handle either, but that helps Mom and Dad push me without bending over and hurting their backs. I'm not riding it inside the house yet, because right now I'm not really even riding it outside the house. I think that tricycle is going to be an acquired taste, though I'm sure by the end of the summer I won't be able to get enough of it.

I was so hungry when I watched you eating at Johnny Rockets. You sure love ketchup. Do you put ketchup in your chicken soup like your Grandma does?
I've never done that before, but I love putting my condiments in odd places (I'm the opposite of Uncle Ryan, who doesn't like condiments at all), so that sounds like it would be yummy!

My friend Isabella also chimed in with a couple questions:

I was reading your blog (or rather I was looking at the pictures, Mommy was reading) when you mentioned your last vacation as "just the three of us." Trust me, "just the four of us" is much better! At least from my perspective.
I'm still skeptical, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

What are you going to do on your vacation? Let's have a playdate the week after next so you can tell me all about it.
I'm going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and then go see Uncle Ryan's new restaurant in Baltimore (hopefully he'll let me tend bar!). While we're down in Baltimore, I hope to check in on my favorite dolphins at the aquarium. Then later in the week we're going up to visit Aunt Jess. Should be a fun week!

Mommy told me that you're going to be in my swim class after vacation. I've really missed you--there are no "friends" in my old class.
Yes, I had to get "permission" to go into the older swim class, so I'll be joining you there soon!

Thanks for the great questions. That's it for today. If you have more questions, please send them!

Easter ends

I'm going to wrap-up my Easter coverage with some family photos as promised, followed by a special Easter treat of my own at the end. So let's look at all the family photos we took on Sunday:







And now for that Easter treat I talked about. It's been a long while since we put together a photo slideshow set to music, but Dad was sneaky and captured a bunch of adorable photos of me while I was watching TV. So we made the photos into a slideshow. Unfortunately we couldn't put it on YouTube because of rights issues over the song we used, so you'll have to click here to take a look!


Hope you enjoyed it! That's it for this week, but even though I'll be away for most of next week (Mom and Dad are both on vacation, and we're spending our last week together where it's just the three of us), I'm going to put up a few posts for you during the week.

Bunny business

It's finally time for the main event! On Sunday I woke up (I almost slept until 9!) and found out that the Easter Bunny came and left me a basket with lots of fun stuff. And Grandma and Grandpa got me a great gift too.


Here's a video of my exciting Easter morning:



After all those Easter festivities, we all went to church and then to Bobbi and Dido's for our Easter meal. We took some family photos there, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see those!

Bless these baskets!

As I recap my Easter weekend, let's move on to Saturday. It poured all day, which meant that I missed out on a couple Easter egg hunts we were going to attend. Boo! But at least I still got to go with Mom, Dad, Bobbi and Dido to the Ukrainian church for the annual blessing of the Easter baskets.


In my basket were the eggs I colored Friday with Mom, along with babka and other yummy Ukrainian food. During the blessing there was a lot of talking in Ukrainian (I of course could follow along, but Dad was a little lost), then the priest came along to bless my basket and say hello.


Here's a quick video of what happened when we first got there. I was so excited I almost turned the whole basket over!

Eggs over Easter

I hope you all had a very Happy Easter! I had a great day with Mom, Dad, Bobbi, Dido, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Jess. (Uncle Ryan had to work. He was sad he couldn't make it up.) There's a lot to share, so most of this week's postings will be devoted to all the Easter fun I had. Let's start from the beginning: on Friday I colored Easter eggs with Mom. We somehow got the eggs to change from this color...



To this color...



Cool! It was neat, and I was a good girl and didn't make too much of a mess. Here's a look at all the fun I had (watch me remember that the last time Dad filmed me in the dining room, I was making a gingerbread house at Christmastime, which prompts me to start bouncing in my seat just like I did in the gingerbread video):



So what did we do with all those pretty eggs? Check back tomorrow for lots more Easter fun!

Walking in Dad's shoes

It's been a year and a half since I tried taking a few steps in Aunt Jess's shoes. Remember that?


I had a few big obstacles to overcome back then. Mainly that I couldn't stand or walk. Now that I'm a lot steadier on my feet, I wanted to try it again, so I gave Dad's shoes a test drive. Here's how I did...at least until I decided I'd rather look at myself on the camcorder's LCD screen.

The secret of Mom's old Nancy Drew books

One advantage to all the new shelving in the basement is that I now have dozens of new books at my fingertips. All the books that Mom and Dad had been holding onto for me now have a home. Exhibit A: the Nancy Drew books that Mom loved reading as a kid. I decided to see what all the fuss was about.



I'm sorry, but the mystery that Nancy Drew should be solving is where all the pictures went in her books. Because who wants to read a book that just has a bunch of boring words?

Christmas in April, part 2

Ever since I opened it at Christmas, I've been staring at a big box with a picture of a dollhouse on it. It was on the front porch for most of that time, but then a couple weeks ago it migrated down to my new playroom. I've been getting impatient demanding that Mom and Dad "open" it. And finally, last week I came downstairs to discover this:



At long last, I have a dollhouse (and a playhouse)! Within a few minutes I was serving tea to my dolls...



...and calling Mom on my new "house" phone.


As you can see from the last picture, it's a combination dollhouse/playhouse. You can either close it and use it exclusively as a playhouse, or open it up and use them both separately. Here's a video of me at play (and at one point, I finally realize that the dollhouse part is that same as Audrey's!):



I heard Dad grumbling that it took him four hours to put it together, but I don't feel bad for him because I've been waiting almost four months to play with it!

Christmas in April, part 1

Even though it's springtime, I'm still opening Christmas gifts (maybe that's why I keep talking about Santa!). Taryn gave me my belated Christmas present when I visited her recently (it had been a loooong time since we'd last seen each other). It was a tricycle, which Dad put together for me last weekend. My first ride, well, could have gone a little better...



And that's not the only Christmas gift I finally got to play with last week. Check back tomorrow to find out what else I got!

Rockets trip

I love going to the mall. And while my favorite mall used to be the Garden State Plaza, because it has a carousel, it's been surpassed by the Short Hills Mall, which we've been going to a lot lately and eating at a place there called Johnny Rockets. That's the '50s style restaurant where the waitstaff dances every half-hour or so. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit over the weekend, and I was so excited to take them there:



Did you see my use my french fry as a spoon so I could slurp the ketchup off it? I do the same thing at Tinga, using the dipping chip only as a means to get the guacamole to my mouth. How would you do it any differently?

Also, as you can see I'm as ravenous about my milkshakes as ever!

No foolin'

I know that today is usually the day for elaborate pranks and jokes, but I wanted to do something different. Instead, I'm going to share a bunch of things about myself that might sound too good to be true, but are in fact 100 percent real! Here goes:

I sleep with the door closed. It's true! It took Dad almost half a year to transition me from being rocked to sleep by him or Mom, to having him leave alone me in my room with the door closed, but that's what's been going on for the past few weeks. There were a lot of steps along the way:
1) I insisted on holding Dad's hand while I fell asleep, so he had to lie on the ground next to the crib and hold my hand through the slats.
2) No more handholding, but Dad sat on a chair next to the crib but stil had to touch my head or back with his hand.
3) Dad moved the chair a few feet back from the crib, so no more touching.
4) Dad moved the chair a few more feet back.
5) Dad moved the chair back until it was right in front of the bedroom door, but still inside the bedroom (I backslid a little at this point).
6) Dad moved the chair out to the hall and sat there with the door open so I could watch him.
7) Finally, Dad convinced me to go to sleep with the door closed because I'm a "big girl." And I am! The chair is still out in the hall, and I see Dad sitting in it while he closes the door. So I assume that he sits in it all night long while I sleep.

I'm sleeping through the night — and sleeping in! Hand-in-hand with the above, I'm sleeping through the night almost every single night (I've only been up once or twice the past month). And while I go to bed a little later than I used to — closer to 9 now than 8 — I'm also averaging close to 11 hours a night, up from 10 hours. So now I get up around 8 instead of 6 or 6:30. It's almost cruel in a way, to give Mom and Dad a little taste of a full night's sleep for a couple months until my brother arrives to take it all away again!

I watch TV. Remember how Mom and Dad vowed I wouldn't watch TV till I was older? Well I guess I'm older now because I watch a little bit every day. You'd expect Sesame Street, but no, it's usually Barney, Angelina Ballerina (which I call "Mishka," the Ukranian word for mouse), Thomas and Friends and The Good Night Show. Pretty much everything on PBS Kids Sprout on Demand.

I like joking. I learned the phrase "just joking" from Dad the other week. I like to joke, for example I tell Dad during the day that I want to go to sleep. Of course I'm not going to sleep when it's light out...I'm just joking! Or when Dad asks me every morning if I'm going to be good for Bobbi and Dido, and I say no. Then I smile. Or when I pretend to be choking during meals because it turns Mom into a basket case. But I also like when other people joke, like Gus, who owns the diner in town that I go to every week. He's always joking with me. On Saturday he tried to get into my highchair, and every week he comes and goes bang-bang on my plate. So silly!

I know colors, numbers and letters. I can recognize and say all of the following colors: blue, red, green, orange, yellow, purple, pink, white, black, brown and grey. I can also count from 1 to 10 (I've come a long way from "1, 2, 8, 10"!), and I know about 90 percent of the alphabet. I think I'm ready to apply to Yale!

I went pee-pee on the potty! Okay, that last one was a joke. It is April Fools Day after all! But I swear everything else here is entirely true.