Mornings

Each morning is started with the baby monitor screaming "Mommy Cari!!!", "Mommy Cathy!!!"

Then the question is asked, "Mommy, do you want to play in the playroom?"

After I make my coffee and give the rugrat her milk we head to the playroom, which is a corner in our living room. We either build with blocks, play with legos, dress up dolls or read books.

Then we head to the kitchen with the question of "what do you want for breakfast?" Addison usually wants waffles, flakes and yogurt or something I grew up with. Eggs in a nest.

These mornings are precious. I wish I could bottle them up and keep them on the shelf and revisit them. Thank you Addison, you give us such joy.

Little Bean Ka Ka

This is the name Addison gave a coffee bean. She took little bean ka ka to her play room, (which is a corner in our living room) and proceeded to smash it in a thousand pieces. Then she asked, "Where is little bean ka ka?"

I'm not feeling

That is what you say when you want to take a swig of tylenol, even though you are fine. I think it's the sweetness of it that makes you say almost every night, "I'm not feeling", "I need edicine(medicine)" It's adorable.

UPDATE: You love dance class.

Dance class

Anyone who knows me can say that I'm not a girlie girl. Meaning I don't wear skirts very often, when I was a kid I never wanted a barbie (I liked GI Joe) and I never wanted to be a ballerina. So when we found out that we were having a girl I knew that I was screwed. This little girl would be the girliest girl in the world. Bows, pink, dolls, tinkerbell, cinderella and....dance class.

I embrace the little ballerina we have living in our office. She loves her tutu and my heart melts when she twirls around in it. I took Addison to her dance class this morning. It really wasn't much of a "dance" class, it was 4 toddlers running around chasing after bubbles. I was annoyed that there were mirrors everywhere and I could see how I needed to lose 20 lbs and Addison's teacher Miss Candace had perfect chicklet teeth and a rockin bod. Oh I digress...back to Addison. She diligently listened to Miss Perfect Teeth, she ran around when the disco ball went on and she stood on the little blue piece of tape when told. She was engaged when the 3 year olds came in and performed their recital. She waited for her turn to get her flower stamp. At the end of the class I was staring at Miss Perfect Bod and saw Addison out of the corner of my eye grab my bag, she ran over to me and said "HOME." I smiled, maybe our girl will be a tutu wearing golfer? I can't wait to find out.

Saturday morning

Addison is a funny kid. I think I've said that before. She sings in the morning, she sings in the afternoon, she sings in the evening. Addison likes to sing. I had no idea what she's singing, until now. Cathy took Addison to her Jewish parent and me class this morning. When they came home, Addison was singing. Shabbat, Shabbat all o'er me all o'er me all o'er me. She's now singing in sentences that I can understand. I love it.

Friday night at Vitelo's Restaurant

Since we are a two income household we aren't able to have the traditional dinner at 6 with the kid. So Friday nights we try to make it family night out. Tonight we ventured out to Robert Blakes old haunt. We were lucky enough to get a booth in the corner and even luckier that our favorite waitress Robyn was serving us.

It always feels like managed chaos when you're out to dinner with a toddler. Everything has to be timed just right, if not, your nice dinner will melt into a "why did I ever leave the house moment". Robyn picked up on my energy and moved into high gear. While Cathy was on the phone Robyn asked if I would like to order. YES, I said. The pizza and bottle of wine please. Check that off the list and I gave the kid a book and milk hoping to stave off the meltdown. Food arrives and inhale it. Addison waves bye bye to her pizza after two bites. We have approximately 5 minutes before she'll want to "Up, Up." Then something happened. Addison asked Cathy a question...in a sentence. She asked, "we go home?" We looked at each other and knew that we no longer had a gelatinous babbling baby with us. We had a little buddy who wanted to know when we were going to go home. I welled up. I can't believe how much our little girl has grown in 22 months.

22 months and seven days

Addison,

I figured I better get on the mommy blogging wagon before you're 21. I have been reading all these great letters Mom's write to their kids every month. Better late than never I say.

Everyone had told me to enjoy every minute with you because time flies by. It sounded so cliche but it's so true. You are 22 months and I'm in shock. Time did go by like a flash of light and now we're sitting at you're table drinking milk, eating bananas and making funny faces at each other.

I think you might be the happiest child on earth. I never knew someone could belly laugh at a game called "I'm going to getcha!" Your smile is infectious. When you were in my belly and I had 6 weeks to go before you were born, I went to the doctor to get a sonogram. She took the perfect picture of you and your cheeks. Right then and there I knew you'd have a great smile. We also dubbed you with the nicknamed "CHEEKS!"

Right now you love to play with your legos. Building and taking apart, over and over. You also like to figure out how things work. When we took you to Parent and Me last week most of the kids were playing with the balls, you were focused on figuring how a toy worked. I loved it because I could see that you are an independent thinker.

You are a great sleeper. 7 to 7. I don't tell many people that because I think they'd hit me. I thank you every morning for a good night sleep.

You give me and your Mom so much joy and happiness that it makes us cry we're so happy. I love watching you and you Mom play with your toys. She Mom lights up when she's around you. You are our world. We look forward getting up every morning so we can start the day with you.