lions and tigers and giraffes...oh my!

One day it is negative 20, and the next it is a balmy 40'. Apparently, people in Chicago go crazy when the weather gets slightly warm, people are out jogging, riding their bikes, wearing shorts, walking their doggies.

Mommy decided that our bi-weekly playdate with Lily, and her mommy, Julie, and Julie's mom this week, would be at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

I finally got to leave the confines of our house from the bitter cold. Since it was so sunny and nice out, I decided to let it slide and not complain when I had to get taken in and out of the car numerous times...first for lunch, and then the zoo.

First, we went to the African house and saw lots of cool things. I even heard my mommy say that in all the time she has been in Chicago, she has never been to that exhibit either. We saw a warthog and a crocodile, and lots of fish. The meerkats must of been sleeping. But the most scary thing of all...was the hippo. I thought we were just looking at a fish tank, and then all of the sudden a hippo puts its nose up to the glass and shows its teeth. I went running, and mom had to chase me.
We saw lots of neat things that afternoon...giraffes, monkeys, birds, penguins (my current fav), lions, tigers, spiders, an anteater. When we were outside, Lily and I got to run around together. We tried to escape, but our mommies caught us.
We walked by the gift shop, and I saw the cutest toy dogs in the window, I pointed and begged, but mean mommy wouldn't take me inside.

That was a really fun day. 3 days later, we had a a huge blizzard/snow storm, and again, we are stuck in the house.

I hope the weather gets warm again soon, I am ready to explore the new neighborhood with my tricycle!

family & friends

Unfortunately, all of my family lives so far away. My mommy's family is mostly in the South, except for aunt Lesley, but she is about to move to Michigan. my aunt Debbie is in Atlanta. I always hear my mom call me Debbie by mistake sometimes I wonder why that is?

I have been to Atlanta and to Florida to visit all of them, grandpa Jerry and Lesley and uncle Spencer, and grandma Joy and Jim, and they come see me sometimes, but it is not enough. I really wish I saw them more often. Whenever they come visit, I get really shy for the first day, but then I really warm up to them, and get so excited to wake up and see them everyday, and then all of the sudden, they leave.

Me and Aunt Debbie in August 2006, in Hilton Head:

With Grandpa Jerry:

Grandma Joy, mommy & me over Thanksgiving 2006:

Grandma Joy explaining something to me, probably how not to get into all her golf balls:

Aunt Lesley, Aunt Debbie & me over Thanksgiving 2006:

My daddy's family is all on the other side of the big pond they call the Atlantic. I am going there for the first time in November. I am really happy and looking forward to that. I know I was there in my mommy's tummy, but i don't remember anything. My grandma Doreen and uncle Gary have come here to see me, and it always makes me so happy. I will get to meet my grandpa George for the first time when we visit. I can't wait to meet my daddy's daddy.

Grandma Doreen, daddy & me, at the airport after Christmas 2006:

Grandma Doreen & me in Hilton Head, June 2005: (I am bald - ugh, please no Britney Spears jokes)

Uncle Gary, daddy & me at the airport, July 2006:

I wish I had cousins to play with too...hint...hint!

Luckily, I have some friends here to play with, but now that we moved outside of the city, I don't see them as often either. I see my boy, Nathan, weekly, on Saturdays at our weekly music class. And I see Lily, my best gal pal, every other week, when we have a day long playdate at her house. Mommy will drive daddy to work, and then we go and hang out with Lily and her mommy all day. After rush hour is over, we leave and pick daddy up on the way home. By that time I am so tired, and fall asleep right away.

Here is me with Nathan:
This was from our first music festival together, Intonation Fest in the summer of 2005. I knew then that there was something special about him.

This is from this past summer, 2006, in Hilton Head, we loved playing in the water & sand together!

On a walk through the hood after our Gymboree class:
Here is me with my girlie, Lily:
And a shot out to my friend Benny, who I don't get to see too often, since his mommy is expecting twins, but who I love when I do see him and make him my slave:
This was taken back in the summer of 2005..when our parents made us go see Rufus Wainwright. Benny was my horse!

watch out above

i was really scared yesterday...

we went to our music class as usual, and then afterwards we met with some of mommy & daddy's friends for brunch. they were talking about a lot of stuff i didn't understand, so i just sat happily in a high chair dipping my mac n cheese in ketchup and keeping busy...then i just decided to eat the ketchup with my fingers, and ditch the mac n cheese instead. it was yummy that way. but then i really suffered when mommy kept trying to clean me with those d*mn cold wipes!

after brunch we went over to their friend's place to hang for a while. well, the friend has a bird...and she let the bird free in the house. i was just standing around, checking out what i could get into, well all of the sudden, the bird flew over me. i dropped to the floor and started crying hysterically and shaking. my mommy came and picked me and gave me a huge hug. but i was really scared. i didn't like the bird coming near me.

but i ate some yummy cake and felt better, and by the time i left, i went up to the bird to say good-bye.

why do they make me do these things??

my calling?

me in november 2005, and today, february 8, 2007. i still love to play musical instruments...but now i can play anywhere in the house and make lots of noise.

in november 2005:




me today:

life is good

this is my first entry. i thought i would give this a try, so everyone i don't get to see often can not only see photos of me on our web site, but they could also know what i am up to.

i am about to turn 2, and wow that went fast. i live with my mommy and daddy, and 2 cats that can't seem to leave me alone...but that is ok..because i like following them too. i spend my days playing with my toys, i especially love my wooden puzzles, my baby, my penguin and playing with my kitchen. sometimes i even make dad follow me as i push the shopping cart around the house again and again, and if he stops following me, i get very cranky. i can't wait until it is warmer to use my tricycle outside again.

i also love my morning tv while having breakfast. i recently discovered Postman Pat, this one i can watch over and over again. i love to hear the accent of all the people where daddy came from. i also love Jack's Big Music Show, because i can dance to the music. sometimes during the day, mommy or daddy will play the music from my music class, and we will dance and play instruments around the house.

but my all time favorite thing to do during these cold winter days, is to take a bath. i could spend hours in the tub, as long as i can have my baby (doll) in there with me, and as long as mommy does not constantly try to wash my hair and face! she always makes me get out when it starts getting cold, but i don't care, i never want to leave the bath no matter how purple my lips get!

once a week, my mommy and daddy wake me up early on a saturday morning, and for this i am not happy, they get me dressed, put me in the car, and then we go to our weekly music class. i love going to class. i get to see my main man, nathan, and all of the other kids. we clap hands, run around, and play with musical instruments. most of all, i like to see mommy and daddy sing and dance and being silly too.

it has been really cold lately, so we haven't gone on any walks, like we would normally do, but i do get to watch all the snow fall...as long as i don't have to go out, i am happy.


i have finally stopped resisting, and started talking...sometimes mommy and daddy look at me like they can't understand me, and this gets me very irritated and sometimes i cry...but usually they understand what i am trying to say. if not, i take them by the finger and show them. in unsual cases, i will throw myself on the floor and whine until they understand. i know how to manipulate them!

and, they are always trying to get me to eat, but i just don't have the attention span to sit there in the dinning room for an entire meal while toys are waiting for me in the other room. mommy always tells me to sit or she is going to take my food away, so usually just laugh at her, and run away. i know she will give me food later when i want it...sucker!

at the end of a big day, my favorite thing to do is to crawl in bed with my parents and fall to sleep. yes, i have talked my way into sleeping with them to this day. i don't think they usually mind unless i happen to kick one of them in the face while sleeping, which is an accident - really. sometimes i hear them say they are going to get me my own bed, but hopefully it is all talk, because, in the morning, i get to wake up all comfy and in between mommy and daddy and do all the fun things all over again.

next time...friends & family!