2009 Christmas Portrait

Here's Andrina's official Christmas portrait for this year, and she is so beautiful!

16

I have to brag some more. Today while walking down the stairs, Andrina counted the steps up to 16! My little girl is so smart! She can count that high, recognizes most numerals, knows the alphabet song, colors, and shapes, and she's not even 2 and 1/2 yet! So amazing! I am so proud...

Decorating the 2009 Christmas Tree

As I've been thinking about Christmas, my thoughts automatically go to my daughter and how now she should be old enough to understand the holiday and enjoy it. Well, she does! She loves talking about and looking at Christmas lights and here's a photo of Andrina helping decorate the tree:

1st Sledding for the Season

Thanksgiving 2009

Or My Mischevious Daughter. Thanksgiving was at April's this year. We all had a great dinner and Andrina and Anne loved playing together. Except Andrina kept trying to climb into Jamie's exersaucer when we kept telling her not to. But she eventually did get into it. Here's the picture:

Autumn or Spring?

Yesterday and today were gorgeous days! They were so warm it felt like spring. Yesterday I packed up a picnic lunch for the Little Love and I and we visited a small zoo. We had such a nice time together the two of us looking at animals, playing on the playground there, and having our picnic lunch outside together. And it's November too! Today after her art class, we simply went to the playground that has the very tall slide by the river that Andrina loves. She made me go up with her about a dozen times and we slid down together and we also took a walk by the river so she could see the ducks. Both days were so nice. Nice weather, nice activites, and most importantly, Andrina and I being able to enjoy being able to be together. These activites are so important to me. I have a deep need to not only really be with my child but to make sure that she knows, she feels, how much I enjoy being with her and taking her places. I want her earliest memories to be filled with knowing how much she is loved and wanted. Yesterday and today were two more great days filled with that possibility.

I Tell Her Everyday...

Everyday I tell Andrina that she's a "good girl" and "I love you so much". This afternoon after Andrina's nap when I went to get her, she told me, "I love you so much good girl!"

Bye Bye Baby Belly

I've noticed over this past week that Andrina is losing her baby belly as her abdominal muscles are maturing. She is looking longer and leaner and more little girl than baby every day.... And she's 2 years, 4 months old today. Where is the time going?

Kermit the Frog

The other day, after many views of Elmo, I suggested to Andrina that we watch a Muppet Christmas Carol. She wasn't too keen on the idea at first but I insisted and told her how Kermit the Frog and all of the Muppets are friends of Elmo and everyone living on Sesame Street. Well, I put in a Muppet Christmas Carol and she loved it! She really likes Kermit now and several times she has asked for Kermit and the Muppet Movie. I also let her watch the Muppet Movie and she enjoys that too. It is so nice that there is something entertaing and wholesome that we can watch together. And these movies are from my childhood too. And a Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Christmas movie!

Kermit the Frog, Andrina's new friend! A new favorite movie, perfect for this holiday season.

The original Muppet Movie

Happy Halloween 2009

Andrina was Elmo for Halloween this year. She's old enough now to understand trick-or-treating and she enjoyed going from house to house getting candy. Here's some adorable pictures:

The day before Halloween Andrina had two parties; one at her school and one at Gymboree. She was pretty overwhelmed during her school party. There were so many parents there and everyone was dressed up for the parade all the students made throughout every classroom. I had to carry Andrina during it and she took some time to calm down afterward.

One smile during the parade

Having fun at the Gymboree party

Painting Pumpkins

Andrina picked out some pumpkins that are too small to carve so I decided that she would enjoy it if she painted them instead. So we did that this afternoon and she did have fun with it. Here she is painting them:

4 Pumpkin Farms in 1 Week

Andrina and I are the busy bees this month, trying to take advantage of all the decent weather and fall fun we can. Over this past week we got lucky that we had good weather several days so we went to pumpkin farms! Here's an assortment of pictures:

Enjoying the Fall Weather as Much as Possible

This whole summer and fall as been a real bummer for weather. Our summer was much cooler than average and it rained a lot. Unfortunately this has continuted into fall. It rained literally all day yesterday, we got over 3 inches, and this morning it rained here again. I had plans to take Andrina to the same pumpkin farm with the carnival rides that we went to on Monday after her art classs at Gymboree. But it was still raining after her class so I took Andrina to the closest mall to enjoy their soft play area. Generic yes, but she enjoyed it. And a bonus for me, I got lots of spontaneous hugs and kisses from my little love during her art class and while at the mall! Another bonus was that it stopped raining and the sun even came out while we were eating lunch.

I told Andrina that after she finished lunch she needed to take a nap and that she needed to actually sleep during her nap and when she woke up, I would take her to a pumpkin farm and fair. Andrina talked about this while getting ready for her nap and, miracle of all miracles, she actually slept during her naptime! She was so adorable when she woke up from her nap, she was literally jumping up and down in her crib shouting, "pumpkin farm, fair"! So it worked out just great. We went to the fair again and rode more little kiddie rides. I didn't take my camera today, I was just so happy that it stopped raining and Andrina took a nap so she was able to enjoy an afternoon activity with the weather cooperating.

Bathtub Art

Andrina colored in the bath tub tonight like she does almost every night since she turned 2. However, tonight she named her drawings! I think this is a big deal developmentally. Andrina said that she drew, a "whale, fish, and snake". So cute!

Here she is pointing to her work

and posing with her work

Numerals

While reading a book with numbers on the pages tonight, Andrina was able to tell me which ones were the numerals 1 through 5. She also recognized the numeral 8. I am so proud of my little girl and so happy that she enjoys learning! And she's only 27 months old!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Last night Tom and I made fried green tomatoes out of our unripened ones. I didn't want the green ones to go to waste so we made this southern speciality. And they turned out pretty good too.

Tom cutting up the tomatoes

The final product!

Yummy!

Too Cold

As I sit and write this on Sunday morning, I see that it's a mere 33 degrees outside. Today is the last day of the Scarecrow Festival and Tom and I wanted to take Andrina so we could make a scarecrow and so she could enjoy the carnival rides again. But we just talked and agreed that it's too cold and Andrina's too young to brave it right now, especially since she's getting over a cold. We can't try in the afternoon because that's her nap time and she'd be too tired to enjoy it and it would end up not being any fun or worth it for anyone if she's tired and cranky. Next year we'll have to make it for sure! Now weather, cooperate with us!

Scarecrow Festival 2009

Andrina and I went to the Scarecrow fest today after her art class at Gymboree. She loved all the little rides of course and got a balloon. You can make your own scarecrow there but I thought it would be too difficult for just the two of us to do and manage with a stroller so hopefully we can go tomorrow with Tom if the weather isn't too bad.

Little train ride

Helicopter ride, can you tell she likes these?
Andrina called this a "dinosaur"

Mommy & Andrina

"Art Class" Projects

Andrina and I have gone to 2 art classes together so far. She really enjoys them and I am happy to do this with her every week now. Here's her little projects that we've made together so far:

From her first class, a self-portrait

A painted pumpkin and a stuffed pumpkin.

Music, Art, & Science

Here's pics from yet our latest trip to the children's museum:

Andrina had a great time as always. Everytime we go she's capable of more activites than she was the last time. Sigh, my little baby is so becoming a little girl...

Imitation is the Sincerest form of Flattery

Yesterday Andrina was playing in the bathroom while I was putting on my makeup in the morning. My little Sweetie watched with great interest while I used my brushes and she had to do it too. Here's a picture of Andrina "applying" some mineral foundation:
Of course there wasn't any makeup on the brushes when Andrina played with them but it was just so sweet that I had to get some pictures. I only wish she hadn't taken off her jammies before she did this as she is more little girl than baby now (sniff!). She really is Mommy's Little Girl!

Art Class

Andrina had her first art class at Gymboree today (it was supposed to be last Friday but we would have been the only ones there so they asked us to wait until today when 3 other mommy-kid pairs would be there too). Andrina seemed to really like it. She played with play-dough for the first time, and colored and painted. She was the youngest child there by 5 months so she didn't follow directions as good as the other kids but there is a world of difference between 2 and 2 and 1/2 years old. Plus it was her first time there and the other kids had been there many times before. So hopefully it will be a little smoother next week. Andrina and I enjoyed it overall so we will go again next week.

Secure

Today and Tuesday were both tear-free and cry-free when I took Andrina to school. Both times she was happy to go run off to start playing and for a change, I had to be the one to go after her and give her hugs and kisses goodbye. I am so happy that she is secure yet today I say "goodbye" to a part of our bond. Slowly but surely, my baby will need me less and less. Even that term, how much longer can I call her a "baby" and get away with it? When I said that today was a tear-free day at school, that was only partly true. I was the one who silently cried by myself when I got back to the car and I realized these early days, weeks, months, and years of my precious child's life will soon give way to time's fate. She will continue to grow and develop and become more independent. I always knew it but now I can actually feel it. The experience has started and I honestly am hating it. Yes, it has to happen. Yes, it needs to happen or it would be unfair to Andrina if it didn't. But I wish I could freeze time and Andrina and I could stay in our love affair forever. Days filled with playing and reading, giggling and cuddling, of my child wanting and needing me more than anyone. This is definitely the best time of my life and I am going to continue to savor it for as long as I can.

Still a Messy Baby...

...at 6 months old...

and 26 months old!

Of course the very visable red spaghetti sauce adds and extra impact too! And look how much Andrina has grown! 2 years, 2 months old today too!