Daniel uses chopsticks

This video speaks for itself.

Zeyda and Meemaw's wedding

This weekend we braved the weather and headed to Ocean City Maryland for Zeyda's wedding. We are so happy to welcome Judy to our family. Daniel had a little bit of difficulty sleeping so he was a little cranky (this explains him wearing his winter coat to walk down the aisle...) but it was a nice weekend and a beautiful wedding.

Chanukah and Poppop's birthday

Daniel started to "get" Chanukah this year. He likes to open presents and he enjoys the candles although he usually sings happy birthday and tries to blow them out. He also followed a long family tradition and LOVES our family Chanukah cookies. We also celebrated Poppop's 60th with a nice family dinner during which Daniel behaved so well we couldn't believe it!

2 Years Old!!

Wow, another year has come and gone. We had Daniel's 2 year appointment just a few days after his birthday. He is 28 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall putting him right in the 50th percentile for both. Of course these were both approximate since he was less than cooperative. He also now "gets" what going to the Dr means and is less than pleased at the prospect. He is now talking non stop, even putting together 4 and 5 word sentences. Of course him being able to communicate means he can tell me what doesn't want to do just as often as it allows him to communicate what he does want. We had an awesome party to celebrate at Bouncetown with all his friends and quite a bit of family too. He had a great time and can't wait to go back again. His new favorite thing to do is sing Happy Birthday and eat "happy cake".

Halloween!

Halloween can be difficult when your kid barely likes to get dressed and won't wear a hat of any sort since most costumes for toddlers involve a head piece. So this year Daniel went as a Dr wearing his very cute Dr. Daniel scrubs. We first celebrated Friday night at the Art Museum with Aunt Debra, Uncle Jason, Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Steve. Saturday, which was Halloween was trick or treating in our neighborhood with Daddy, Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Steve. Daniel did seem to get the idea of trick or treating by the end and he has enjoyed sharing some treats with his Daddy.

23 Months

This month we have had a huge language explosion. Daniel is really talking now and not shy about expressing what he wants. He is very bossy, there is a lot of "mommy sit, mommy come" etc... We have also had a few instances where Daniel was tired and ready to go home and he loudly announces "Go home now!". He does not of course perform so when I try to show off all his new words he immediately clams up. Our new found communication skills do sometimes help at mealtimes as he can now make requests instead of just refusing to eat what I choose. Of course sometimes I like to still be in charge so that doesn't always work. Like when he requests chicken for breakfast! Daniel also likes to point out all the cars, trucks, buses etc that we pass on the road. He apparently takes after his daddy and can now point out multiple different makes of cars, including his favorite, "corvette". We have also developed a selection of bedtime delaying tactics. His favorite is to stand in his crib and request "more hugs". How can I say no to that??? After several rounds of more hugs at some point it does have to be bedtime. His other new delaying tactic is to inform us that he needs to "poop on the potty". Keep in mind he has yet to ever do anything on the potty but he knows we would like him to so he figures that we won't turn that one down! We have been having a really good time, this is such a fun age!!

Debra and Jason's wedding

 

Aunt Debra and Uncle Jason tied the knot on October 24 at one of Daniel's favorite places, the Please Touch Museum. Aunt Debra looked like a princess and everything was wonderful but I think Daniel's favorite part was when the museum closed and Daniel got the Septa bus all to himself!!!

22 Months

My baby is really turning into a little boy now. We are getting closer and closer to the big 2nd birthday. Daniel has gotten very opinionated and bossy (no idea where that comes from!) His favorite things to play with these days are cars, buses, trains etc... He knows who drives which cars (we all know who is gets that from!) Anytime we drive in the car he yells BUS at the top of his lungs for every bus we pass, which in the city can be pretty frequent. He takes his little yellow school bus everywhere with him including his crib. We also still read a lot of books. He is starting to point out the objects in the books, especially the ones he knows the words for. Daniel is learning lots of new words and becoming very verbal. It is definitely helpful that Daniel can communicate his wants/needs better. Of course I now hear "mom, mom, mom, mom" all day long! He also has started calling me honey. It is so cute!
Now that football season is upon us our little fan has learned to yell GO EAGLES! The games mostly take place during nap time but he usually gets to see the first series and the end of the 4th quarter. We also had a great trip to the aquarium this month. Daniel very much enjoyed seeing all the "ishies". We also endured our first real childhood illness this month. Daniel had a nice little case of coxsackie virus (otherwise known as hand foot and mouth disease). He was clearly not feeling like himself but overall he took it like a champ.

Dancing fool!

Daniel and Daddy dancing at cousin Logan's bar mitzvah!

21 Months

August has flown by! Daniel's language skills are really starting to pick up. He is saying new words every day. Mostly imitating me (guess I better be a little more careful!) He is still being pretty difficult with food although it seems to vary from day to day what he will and won't eat. Luckily he is back to eating fruit at least some of the time. His favorite food right now is crackers with peanut butter. Luckily that is an easy meal that travels well. Daniel has been working hard on his jumping skills. He likes to jump over small things or off of low steps. However, he also wants to try more daring acts like jumping into the pool over and over again. Oy! This month we took an overnight trip to Connecticut for cousin Logan's Bar Mitzvah. Daniel had a great time playing with all his big cousins but the excitement of the hotel room meant not much sleep for any of us! Hopefully we can go visit again soon. We spent the other weekends down the shore playing in the ocean. Daniel is going to miss his beach weekends once Labor Day hits. Aunt Francine and cousin Suzy came for a day trip in the beginning of the month. Daniel was happy to show his cousin how to dip her toes in the ocean. He even let me hold her for a few minutes! We visited with Aunt Ruth and Uncle David when they were down the shore and then spent the weekend with all the women in the family the weekend of Aunt Debra's bachelorette party. The last week in August GG came to visit. Daniel had a great time playing with his great grandmother! What a lucky boy. Daniel and Kyle drove GG down to Ocean City Maryland for the weekend so that I could spend a weekend on Cape Cod with my girlfriends. It was the longest I have been away from him! We had a great reunion when I returned. So we have had a busy fun summer, now we are looking forward to fall.

Video's

I am pretty sure I would have been in big trouble for pouring water on my mother but being a mommom has turned her into a big softie!

Ocean City Maryland

This weekend we took a trip to Maryland to visit Zehda and Grandma Judy. We enjoyed Daniel's first boat ride, he even got to drive! We also hit up the boardwalk for some rides and dinner. Daniel also really enjoyed helping his Zehda feed the ducks and geese at the pond. We had a nice time visiting and can't wait to come back again.