Dancing with the Ukes

A few notes on yesterday's post. In the second video of me playing around at Isabella's, you see me do two new things. First, I crawl backwards to get down the step (and I start from way far away!), and then, for the very first time ever, I went back up the step normally, just like a big girl. Also, Isabella wrote in last night (at least someone has remembered my email address) to say that she finally located Kenni — the cat I spent my whole visit searching for in vain — in the attic. Next time I'm over, that's the first place I'm looking for her!

Now on to my other big outing of last weekend, to Babcia and Dido's Ukrainian church picnic. There weren't pony rides like at my church picnic, but there was something almost as good: one of those inflatable playgrounds that you can jump around in. Because I haven't mastered jumping yet, I was content to just stumble around instead.



Then Babcia took me to watch some Ukrainian dancing. But instead of doing traditional Ukrainian dances, these kids were doing more standard ballroom moves. They were really good, especially for that age, and by the time they finished up I couldn't resist showing off a few steps of my own.



I hoped you enjoyed that kiss! And did you notice me walking backward? I've been doing that lately — I just discovered that I can walk in that direction too!

Candle holders

I see Isabella a couple times a week at the park, but we haven't had an actual playdate at one of our homes all summer long. So over the weekend, I went over to her place for the first time since I took my first steps in May. We had a good time playing (kind of) together.


Even our disagreements were quite civil. But before I could play with Isabella, I tried my darndest to find Kenni, her cat who delighted me so much during my last visit. Here's a video of my bilingual search for Kenni, as I searched every inch of Isabella's house (on the ground floor, at least). Did I find her? Well, you'll have to watch to find out:



So no, I didn't ever find Kenni but I discovered something even better: lunch! I did keep looking for Kenni, but I eventually came up with other stuff to do, like clean up after myself!


Here's a look at my afternoon at Isabella's. We clowned around a bit together (and her brother Alec was acting silly too), then I picked up that mop and went to work!

These rainboots were made for walking

What a crazy monsoon we had on Saturday! It's a good thing I had my new rainboots...I mean, I didn't actually go outside in the rain or anything, but it's still a good thing I had them. Mom bought them for me a couple weeks ago, and I love them so much that almost every day I convince someone to put them on me so I can go stomping around the house.



They are a size too big, so I'll have plenty of room to grow. Dad caught me in a perfect supermodel pose as I showed them off.


America's next top model? Not if Dad has anything to say about it!

When I wasn't inside escaping the rain, I was on the go again over the weekend. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow.

Going for a spin

It might be a rough day for me, as I recover from my latest round of vaccinations (including the flu vaccine, which really throw me for a loop last year). Yes, today was my 15 month checkup at the doctor's. My latest stats: 34 inches (99th percentile) and 27 lbs. 8 oz. (95th percentile).

While I'm sleeping it off, here's a new video for you. Because I've been spending so much time on here recapping my various excursions, I've had to leave a few videos on the shelf until I could finally get around to uploading them. Now that things are a bit quieter, I can share one of those "greatest hits" type videos that recap several things I've learned over the past month.



So let's see: I can now spin around in a circle, take all of my clothes out of the hamper and put them back in, tell everyone how old I am (in English and Ukrainian), play the yes/no game with Dad (asking him if it's okay if I play with the Diaper Dekor — always a no —and the hamper — a yes) and recognize that my reflection is in the mirror (and that I am Julia). And finally, I know how to respond when Mom asks if I want a snack (in this case, milk and Zwieback): head downstairs to the kitchen. Not too shabby!


And just like that, it's the weekend again. I've heard that I might be having a sleepover at Babcia and Dido's!

Julia's Jewels

As you know by now, Mom and Dad take lots of pictures of me. In fact, they've probably taken thousands of shots (maybe even tens of thousands, thanks to the digital camera) over the last 15 months. And every so often, they create a shot that's so adorable it rises above the others. Those become part of Julia's Jewels (at least, that's what Dad is calling it for now), a collection of pictures that are so precious they'd melt even the Grinch's heart. Here's a sampling that you're probably very familiar with. All together now: "Awwwwwwwwwwww!"










Now, there's a new addition to Julia's Jewels: this irresistible shot of me that Mom took during our Wildwood trip.


Couldn't you just eat me up? Dad says it reminds him of Drew Barrymore, who used to make faces like this on the red carpet.

Speaking of Dad, he was supposed to be in Toronto right now for work, but at the last minute he ended up staying put. I'm not sure why, but I'm happy to have him...otherwise who would I be able to watch my videos with?

Ask Julia: 9/3/08

My requests for more mail over the holiday weekend went unanswered, so we've got a tiny Ask Julia column for you today (you have no one to blame but yourselves, so start sending questions!). Grandpa sent me a couple questions two weeks ago after watching the video of my temper tantrum, so let's tackle those.

Did Mom/Dad relent and let you watch a 2nd or 3rd video?
Not that day, but since then we've come to more of an understanding with the videos. They let me watch a few at a time (usually first thing in the morning and at night before my bath) and eventually I either lose interest or I agree to say "bye" for now and move on to something else. But I do whip up some tears from time to time when they refuse to show me more.

Do they now show you the Perfect Fit video and how do you react to seeing yourself like that?
They do from time to time, and I don't really have any reaction. I just see a girl who did what she had to do. If I were in her shoes, I'd have reacted the same way!

In the last Ask Julia column, I promised Grandma that I'd post some photos of me using the popcorn popper toy that she bought me.



I also put together a video of my popper prowess, using music from one of my favorite songs.



The tune is "Popcorn," off of the new Barenaked Ladies kids CD that I love listening to. Whenever we're in the car, I whisper "pop-pop" so that Mom and Dad put it on. When I went to Wildwood with Mom, Babcia and Dido, I made them play the song over and over again during the whole trip!

Sixty candles

Happy birthday Grandpa! Mom, Dad and I went down to visit him over the holiday weekend to help him celebrate his BIG birthday. It was my first trip down there since May, way back before I could even walk, so I had a lot to catch up on. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jess was also there and couldn't believe how much I've changed over the summer: running around, babbling up a storm, feeding myself, etc.



As an added bonus, I got to run around in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard. Like Babcia and Dido, Grandpa takes really nice care of his landscaping (since my grandparents are so skilled at that, how are Mom and Dad so awful at it?). Here I am having fun outside with Mom.



When it was finally time to leave on Sunday, I said "Bye Grandma!" as we were going out to the car. I think I made Grandma's year!