2011 round up

2011 was amazing - penny has become an absolutely incredible little girl.  the big news of the day, as you can see from alex's photo below, is that penny is spending her first night in her big bed!
she's been basically putting herself down for naps, so we offered to convert her crib into a bed!  this is how we feel about it:

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earlier in the week, i was astounded to see this:

no help.

she has been spending her days using her imagination - she started off the day this morning by saying "good morning gonzo, good morning fozzie bear!".  she was talking to each of her feet.

alex and i reviewed the year, and we agree that it was good!  the rewards of being a good parent now are more than penny simply not crying - now she plays with us, and will occasionally fling her arms around our necks, give us kisses and say "i love you".

again, she has met and surpassed all of her resolutions for 2011, so we've decided that this year we'll work on reading, getting off the pacifier, and counting to 20.

seriously, look at this child:

Big Bed!!!!

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Jumping Mice

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Penny Put Herself To Nap

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Penny just told us she wanted to take a nap, then crawled on the couch and after about ten minutes fell asleep. With no help from us. Which is kind of amazing.

Penny's First Movie

Cousins!

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Grandparents!

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"Caps For Sale!"

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L'il Duckface

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"Hey Penny, can you make a face like a cool dude?"

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how to impress your pediatrician

we went in for penny's 2 year old checkup today.  we LOVE our doctor, and she is very much smitten with penny.  here are the proper responses to your pediatrician's questions, if you'd like to start drilling your own toddlers now:

Dr. Julie: I'm Dr. Julie; what's your name?
Penny: Penny Ruth Zalben
Dr. J: Does she really know her first name, middle name & last name? Ok....how old are you?
P: Two months old.
Me: Two YEARS old, Penny. (to Dr. Julie) We're working on that. Penny, would you like to show Dr. Julie two fingers?
P: Mommy please help me.  I can't do it myself.

Dr. J: Did you have a birthday party?
P: Cake!
Dr. J: Did you blow out the candles?
P: Penny did it. Daddy not help.

Dr. J: Do you drink milk?
P: Milk from cows!
Me: We were talking about this earlier.  What other animals give milk?
P: Sheep!
Dr. J: And do you eat chicken?
P: (While climbing into a chair) On the bone!
Dr. J: Do you eat broccoli?
P: (Nods)
Dr. J: Do you eat spaghetti?
P: (silence)
Me: I'm not sure she knows what spaghetti is.
Dr. J: Do you eat pasta?
Penny: Noodles!

alex and i were silently hysterical for most of this interview.  though we know in our hearts we have an awesome kid, we always panic a little bit that maybe we're missing something hugely important, or maybe penny is terrible in some way that we  haven't noticed and won't be able to correct.  it was really gratifying to have her answer the doctor perfectly, have a great checkup, give the doctor hugs and kisses, and then hear the doctor repeat penny's answers to the doctors and nurses outside of the exam room.

her current stats, though we forgot to get the percentages, are:
34 1/4" tall, 26lbs, 9.5oz

when we got home after the appointment and some playground time, penny got to open a ton of mail - holiday cards, birthday cards, and one birthday card PACKED full of stickers.  she was sticking the stickers to a piece of paper we have hanging on the wall, and they were having trouble staying stuck on.  i said to her, "let's see if we can make everybody stick" and she said "everybody sick".  i said "no, no, no, no...SSSTTTick".  she said "SSSSSIck".  and it turned into a 20 minute running joke.  AMAZING.

also, we have this book (highly recommended), and she calls me mama mama red pajama.  she tells me not to stomp and pout.  i tell her to save the llama drama.  we can complete each other's sentences when one of us starts "baby llama what a tizzy, sometimes mama's very busy".  this kid is really something special.

Penny Likes Reading

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birthday 2.0

dear penny:

tonight i put my one year old baby to bed for the last time.  you were charming and adorable, and took out your pacifier and put it on the arm of the couch so that we could read "one more story, mommy" and you could be awake for another 10 minutes.  you put your empty bottle in the sink.  you walked over to your crib by yourself.  you gave me a big hug and lots of good night kisses.  you are wearing your pirate pajamas.
i thought your first year went by quickly, but as it turns out, it had NOTHING on this year.  right now, you are an incredibly articulate, absolutely gorgeous, magical human being.  i love how you can entertain yourself using your imagination, how you sing as enthusiastically as i do, and how i know what phrases i use most commonly by what i hear coming out of you - "woah, woah, woah, woah" is apparently a popular one with me.
there is so much you have learned this year - walking, talking, coloring, sticking stickers, putting on and taking off your own shoes & socks...so much more.  you are the most affectionate cuddle bug, hugging your new friends, waving to complete strangers, giving kisses, hugs & fist bumps.
i don't know what we did before there was you.  every morning, you find our glasses, hand us our phones, and remind us to put on pants.  over the past couple of weeks, you have taken charge of making the coffee.  you took a music and movement class for the first time this semester, and you totally rocked it.

i have heard that the terrible twos are right around the corner.  i don't believe it for a second.  i miss you every moment that i'm not with you, i love to hear you tell me the story of your day, and i am delighted that you will be starting your third year on this planet as such a capable, caring, loving, intelligent wonderful human being.  i love being your mommy.

Penny vs. Bird

Bagel & White

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almost two!

this week penny has decided that:

• she would rather sit in a chair with a booster seat than in her high chair
• she would like to hold her own bottle
• she would like to try to pee in the potty (she did it the first time she asked!)
• halfway through meals, she is a baby who cannot use a fork or spoon and "needs help"
• the letter "u for umbrella" and "p for penny" spell "up"
• her "guys" keep making new friends, and need to be constantly introduced to one another

Snacktime

Tunnel

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http://twitter.com/azalben

Official Album Cover For PennyAgnesDahlia

I Swear I'm A Good Dad...

penny's first joke!

at the breakfast table this morning, alex asked penny if she knew any knock knock jokes.  she said that she did, so alex asked her to tell him one.  ladies and gentlemen, i give you the beginning of a brilliant career in comedy:

Penny: Knock, knock
Alex: Who's there?
P: Poppa
A: Poppa who?
P: Poppa Steve!

she's working on a tight five, and we'll keep you posted on her upcoming appearances.

...Because Of Course Union Market Has a Shopping Cart For Kids