Let’s Twist!

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Last night we were watching “Finding Nemo,” and apparently the theme got to Anya. I guess she figured if Nemo could get the pebble in the tank filter even with a gimpy fin and if Marlin could travel the ocean to find his little boy…well, then, Anya surely could stand up on her own two feet and dance the night away!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

After 24 hours, she is a pro at walking barefoot on flat floors. Walking in shoes or outside still is a bit of a challenge, but she’ll get there. I told her she could run around outside nakie butt when it warms up, and I believe she is motivated to reach that goal.

I am very happy and very relieved that Anya has hit this milestone. I knew she would walk, but sometimes I wondered anyhow. Plus? She is getting very heavy. I told her if she got much bigger without walking, I was going to strap wheels to her butt and pull her around.


Renaming Journal

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I think I’m gonna rename this journal, “Potty Time,” because most of the news lately is about pottying. Drumroll please….

Anya pee-peed and POO-POOed in the potty this morning! Yay!!!!!

I think Anya’s gonna be using the potty full time before she’s walking full time. It’s a bit strange, but I look forward to diaperless days.


Anya says, “NO!”

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Anya’s been very busy lately, and so I felt like it was time for a list of neato Anya things.

Anya…

+ pee-peed in her potty nearly every morning for the last week
+ uses signs for: sun, bottle, more, ball, fish, bird, book, all done/gone
+ says in a regular way: uh-oh, bye-bye (dye-dye), bottle (dottle), book (buh), all done/gone (all on), no, and animal sounds for dog, cat, bird, sheep
+ said a few times: thank you, daddie, doggie, baby
+ pats the couch/bed if she wants you to sit down
+ pets the kitties very nicely (most of the time)
+ uses her step stool to crawl up onto the couch
+ gets the shapes into the right spots in the shape puzzle
+ points to things in books when you ask
+ unwraps presents expertly
+ does some of the hand movements to itsy bitsy spider
+ squeals with delight
+ adores The Cat in the Hat

I suppose that’s all for now.



Time to brush your teeth!

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Evidently, the people who designed Anya’s toothbrush were not gardeners.

Too bad I didn’t notice the similarity when I bought the toothbrush because now every time I see it, I squirm a little bit. I could never use this toothbrush myself, but lucky for Anya she hasn’t had much experience (yet) with the disgusting tomato horn worm.

The tomato horn worm is the most repulsive garden pest. It is yicky and it hides and you don’t see it and you are all “la la la” merrily picking yummy tomatoes and then you grab one and it bites you with its dragon-sized fangs of doom and you shriek and run and flail your arms in the air and fall to the ground in a puddle of hysterical bawling.

My mom has this huge industrial-sized pair of tweezers that she reserves for the hideous task of plucking these nasty creatures off a plant. I don’t have any of my own and have tried kitchen tongs…but they really don’t have a good enough grip to pry those nasty beasts away from their homes. And of course you can’t pull them off with your bare hands because you’ll get leprosy or flesh-eating sores or zits.

One time, when Andy was away at school, I found a tomato worm in the garden. I did the required shrieking and flailing, and then I called on my very brave roommate to save me. She got the bug off the plant and put it on the driveway and BAM SPLAT dropped a brick on it. The only thing more disgusting than a live tomato horn worm is an exploding tomato horn worm. Hrm. Or perhaps a tomato horn worm being ripped apart by a flock of hungry ducks.


Rebecca’s Tale

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Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who longed to move to the City. When she grew up, that’s just what she did. For many happy years she lived in the Big Apple and was wild and crazy. Then, the girl got married and bought a house in the Burbs. This is where our story starts…


“Oh, I wonder what this package could be! I love presents!”


“Ha Ha! You’re so funny, Uncle David! Always wrapping stuff in tool boxes. Hehee!”


“Er. Um. What’s this? Honey, what is this? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”


“It is a sander.”


“Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do with a sander?!?!”


“You sand with it.”


“OMG! A sander? They got me a sander? My husband won’t let me use a sander! I don’t use power tools! My family is nuts!”

Hours later…


“A sander?”

THE END.


Anya’s Tale

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Mama and Daddy didn’t think we were gonna go anywhere for Christmas, so they let me open my presents one a night.

They changed their minds, though, when they realized all the great photo ops they’d miss. So, Mama and I ran around town getting nutty bars for the long drive up North and doing some last minute gift shopping. Mama let me pick out gifts for all the folks on Daddy’s side of the family. I found some really great stuff at Family Dollar! Mama re-wrapped all my presents, so I’d have some to open. Silly Mama!

After Daddy came home from work, we hopped in the car and drove and drove all the way to Grandma Diane’s house. We slept a long time and then woke up and opened LOTS of presents! The paparazzi was there, and they took lots of pictures. Most of them were of me, of course.

I was really bummed ’cause Daddy told me there would be lots of snow, and we brought my snowsuit, but there was just RAIN. Hmfp. We still had fun, but one day I do want to see those mountains of snow Daddy told me about.

On the way home, we stopped at this thing called an “Outlet Mall.” Mama and Daddy were giggling with glee and bought some more FiestaWare (cereal bowls), and they also seemed pretty happy about the new glass storage containers they got to replace those icky plastic ones.

Whew. It was a long trip, but pretty neato. Here are some pictures the paparazzi were going to sell to the tabloids, but apparently the tabloids aren’t interested in babies unless they have two heads or movie star parents. Oh well.


“They make BREAD out of BEER?!?!”


“I don’t know why they are called clothespins. They should be called cookiebagpins.”


“Hey, Mama! Isn’t Santa awesome? He brought me this really neat ball that makes lots of noise and blinks!”


“Yeah, I only take a bath once a week. I don’t think deodorant is gonna do much for me.”


“I think you must be mistaken; these pearls are mine.”


“Daddy, Daddy! It’s going to eat my toes!!”


“HA HA HA HA! It’s a sander!”


Next project underway

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My parents are out for a visit, and you all know what means: Another home project! We are turning the downstairs porch into a kitty box / plant room. Finally the kitty boxes will be out of the living space, AND there will be a place to winter plants and start seedlings, AND we’ll be able to move the freezer downstairs, which means we’ll have room to build the tabley thing in the kitchen! YEEHAW!

Here’s a look at the project so far:


18 Months

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We finally managed to have Anya in her diaper when the sun was out and the camera was near by, so we took her 18 month photo. I’m not sure how much longer the changing pad thingy will last, or how much longer she will fit on it.

We all had a busy day today getting the house ready for Grammy and Grampy to visit. I mopped, Andy tidied the driveway, and Anya did some laundry

and washed dishes.


Vote!

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After we voted this morning, we stopped at the Hardees in town. It only took us half an hour to get through the line at the polls, and we had some time before daycare “opened.” Probably 85% of the people in Hardees were wearing “I Voted” stickers, and I was thinking to myself how cool it was that so many folks had already voted. Then I thought…”I’m surrounded by a bunch of adults all wearing the same sticker on their shirt/coat/sweater.” I giggled. ‘Cause it’s funny.

So, go get your sticker and be one of the cool kids! Go vote! (This message not intended for Canadians or other weird foreigners.)