Halloween, here we come!

I've been waiting for Halloween to come for weeks and weeks, and it's only a day away! I've really been getting into the Halloween spirit over the past month, whether it's wearing fun outfits...


Or decorating pumpkins!


Dad and I made a Mr. Pumpkin Head (instead of a Mr. Potato Head) out of this one. Take a look...



And earlier today I had a Halloween parade at school, then I went to Dad's Halloween party at work and did lots of trick or treating there. And of course tomorrow is the main event. I'll let you know next week how it all went. Until then, Happy Halloween!

Top of the World Series

I should have put this up yesterday, but the Yankees are in the World Series for the first time ever (well, at least the first time ever since I've been around)! So Henry and I are doing our part to root for the Yanks.


Here's a quick video, which includes my reaction to seeing Derek Jeter introduced before Game 1 last night.


Even though they lost Game 1, we're still keeping the faith! Let's go Yanks!

Lobster tale

Three more days until Halloween! But the festivities started early for us, as I attended my very first Halloween party on Sunday — and put on my very first Halloween costume. As you can see, I was an absolutely adorable lobster!

We also went to the annual Halloween bash thrown by Mom and Dad's realtors. Julia went as Abby Cadabby (though I think she'll be going as a princess for the Big Event on Saturday). Here are a bunch of photos from the party:









And of course, we didn't forget to include a video:



There's more Halloween fun to come this week, so stay tuned!

Potty hardly

After Mom showed me the new big-girl underwear she bought for me — it had Dora on it! — I announced that I wanted to wear my underwear, not my diaper! So Saturday morning, Mom and Dad put my underwear on me and explained how I needed to use the potty: pull my underwear down, sit down, go potty and let them know when I was done. So far so good, eh?

Cut to an hour later, when I was upstairs with Mom while she was showering. Mom saw me crouch down and — oops! — I made a yellow puddle on her white bathmat. And suddenly I wasn't so thrilled about wearing underwear after all...


"I want my diaper on!" I announced. And I've kept my diaper on ever since. Hey, at least it was a first step!

Five for five

Today marks two big occasions. It's my five-month-birthday (thank you very much!) and Mom and Dad's five-year wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary Mom and Dad!

In honor of my birthday, I wanted to catch you up on all the great things I can do now. Like munch on my feet...


And munch on teething toys...


I've even started to figure out how to jump around in my jumperoo...



And saving the best for last, for the past week or two I've finally been rolling over onto my stomach. It's fun when it happens downstairs, but not so fun when it happens in my crib! Anyway, I've been resisting Dad's efforts to record me doing it, but he finally wore me down. Here's a look at how I come tantalizingly close to turning over, and then Julia monopolizes my time for a bit before I finally pull it off. Enjoy!

Down with the sickness

Don't let this cute photo of Henry and me fool you. We are a couple of sick individuals! Yes, we've been passing a lot of nasty germs back and forth over the last several weeks. In addition to the cold we got a month ago — and continue to struggle with — there was my pinkeye last week (which is all cleared up, thankfully) and now Henry is battling an ear infection and slight fever, while I have a nasty cough. But things are looking up: after two straight days where we combined to wake up more than six times each night (sorry, Dad!), we both slept through the night last night! In fact, Henry slept for a whopping 13 hours, although the amoxicillin he's taking for the ear infection probably had a lot to do with that.

Fingers crossed that we kick our respective illnesses in time for Halloween next week!

Another month, another Baptism

A month after my Baptism, I wanted to see someone else get drenched in Holy water. So we went to see Saffron and Jonathan's Baptism. Mom was very busy because she was asked to be the godmother to both kids, so Dad watched after Julia and me. I also got to wear the outfit you would have seen me in at my Baptism lunch if it hadn't been sweltering that day.


Pretty cute, huh? Julia had a beautiful dress on, but unfortunately Dad didn't get a good picture of it.


That's as good as it gets, sorry guys. But at least he got some good shots of me and Mom!

Stroller buddies

Hi there. I uncovered just a few more photos and a video that piled up during our hiatus a couple weeks back. This one was taken the first day we took the carseat adapter off the double stroller. Now Henry can sit in it just like I do!


You might wonder what is on my face. It's a butterfly that I got painted at a festival earlier that day.



And finally, here's a video that compiles a few different things I was up to over the past couple weeks: hanging out at home in my princess outfit, playing basketball in the backyard (Mom and Dad are laughing because seconds before Dad started filming, I turned my back to the basket, threw the ball up behind me, and made the shot - I kid you not!) and a look at the squeezable yogurt I've grown fond of snacking on.

Roller derby

Ever since I went on the rides at Wildwood, I've been talking nonstop about going on a roller coaster with Dad when I get older. Well, that moment arrived much sooner than I ever imagined, thanks to our generous neighbors, who gave Henry and me some of their outdoor toys that they've outgrown. The best one of all? A toy roller coaster that's all for me! I couldn't wait to try it out.


It was so much fun, I played with it for almost an hour! Take a look:



There was some other great playthings too, like a gigantic VW Bug.


Unfortunately, it looks like it will be raining all weekend, so I don't think I'll be playing with them at all over the next couple days. Hope you all manage to stay dry!

Pickin' pumpkins

Over the weekend we visited Wightman's Farms, which was a madhouse! But we managed to get lots of pumpkins and also go on a hayride (although the apple picking will have to wait until next year — it was just too nutty there!). We weren't able to do a hayride video this year, but here are a few pictures of yours truly.




Now we're all stocked up at home with pumpkins and gourds. Hopefully Halloween will be here soon!

I'm bringing Turtle Back

Before Mom went back to work a couple weeks back, the whole family went back to the Turtle Back Zoo for the day. Henry was there too, but he just hung out in the Baby Bjorn all day, so all the photos are of yours truly.

My favorite attraction at this zoo isn't an animal, but rather the choo-choo train.


I love going on that thing! The zoo was also decorated for the fall, which lead to this great photo op:


And while I did get to ride a pony, feed some goats, chase a few peacocks and see a bunch of other animals, I was happiest when we went on the carousel:



That was Henry's first-ever trip on a carousel! I wonder if he'll like them as much as I do?

Ask Julia & Henry: 10/13/09

I've been flashing this smile a lot these days. More likely that not, if you catch my eye, you'll get treated to one of these grins. As I answer my share of the Ask Julia & Henry questions today, I'm going to sprinkle a few other cute photos of me throughout the post, so keep reading!


First up, here are some questions from Aunt Paula:

You sure enjoyed watching the Elmo character. Does Julia like it any better now?
No, she's still disturbed by him. Which is good news for me, because that means there's at least one toy that Julia won't be snatching away from me. Most of the time, if she sees me taking interest in a toy, she takes it away. Boo!

When are you starting to eat cereal?
I started last week, and it's still going really well! I've moved on from rice cereal to oatmeal. Next up: barley!


I see that you are in your bare feet alot this summer. Do you wear tennis shoes yet?
No shoes for me yet, but now that the weather is getting colder I'm always wearing socks. Which is too bad, because I love playing with my toes!


And here are a bunch of questions from Aunt Rebecca:

Will you give Julia all the candy you get when you go trick or treating with her?
I don't think I'll have a choice, to be honest with you. Like everything else in the house, if I take even a slight interest in it, she's probably going to snatch it away.

What new things are you able to do?
Well, remember last week when I kept coming really close to turning over? I turned over my myself twice this weekend! Ever since then I seem to have forgot how I pulled it off, but I did actually do it!


Did you break Daddy's computer?
Don't blame me! I don't think I've even been in Mom and Dad's office before. Though I guess it's possible that all my photos and movies helped break it. Those HD videos take up a lot of hard drive space!

How many hours do you sleep at night?
I usually average around 11 hours, but during the past three weeks that I've been sick, they unfortunately haven't been consecutive hours. I've been getting up once or twice a night, every single night. But I'm proud to say that last night I slept all the way through for the first time in three weeks! Dad was worried that I had forgotten how to do it, so he was very relieved!

What size clothes are you wearing?
I'm in 9 month clothes right now. By the end of the year I'll probably be up to 12 months size, I bet.


Do you have an iPod yet? I hear that younger and younger kids are getting them these days.
I had an iPod the day I came home from the hospital! Technically it's Mom's old iPod mini (not a Nano; a mini!) that's about six years old. It stays in my nursery and plays an endless loop of white noise (rainfall), which helps me stay asleep (when I'm not sick, that is). And Julia has Mom's old U2 iPod that she bought during her and Dad's honeymoon (which is almost five years ago, if you can believe it!). We keep Dad's old iPod downstairs, which is loaded with all my favorite music.

How often do you get a ride in the stroller?
Daily! Somedays I use the snap-and-go, other days it's the double travel stroller, other days it's the double Mountain Buggy and still other days it's the single Mountain Buggy. I certainly never want for strollers!

What do you do while Julia's at nursery school?
Sleep, go for walks and enjoy the silence!

Are you good for Mommy when she's tired after coming home from work?
Usually when she gets home I'm about ready to turn in for the night. So we have some quiet time together while she gives me my last bottle and puts me down to sleep.


Thanks for the questions everyone! Now that our inbox is all cleaned out make sure to send us some new questions so we can do this again soon.

Ask Julia & Henry: 10/12/09

The Ask Julia and Henry questions have been piling up in our inbox, so Henry and I are finally going to answer them all. I'm up first, but before I start answering, I have a health update. Both Henry and I are still holding on to those colds we've had for three weeks now, and I added a new wrinkle to the mix when I came down with pinkeye on Saturday. Mom diagnosed me very quickly and got me started on drops before I could infect Henry, but for the next day they wouldn't let me touch my little brother at all. It was 24 hours of torture - all I wanted to do was reach out and touch Henry! I'm okay, aside from the eyedrops I have to take the rest of the week. Meanwhile, Henry's face broke out thanks to a virus that was brought on by his sickness. It was quite a crazy weekend.

Here we go. First up is Aunt Paula:
You have such beautiful dresses. Do you always wear dresses to school? What are they teaching you?
No, I don't always wear dresses. They're teaching me lots of things at school: songs, new words and phrases...and how to get pinkeye.

Are you still eating lemons? Do you like lemonade?
I still eat lemons, though not as ravenously as I used to. And no, I've never tried lemonade. If you're not sucking the lemons yourself, what's the point?

Are you still helping mom sort the laundry? You are sure a good helper.
I try to help whenever I can, but they don't always let me. The nerve!

Have you picked out your Halloween outfit yet? Do you think that Henry will go trick or treating with you?
I have a few ideas, but I'm still keeping my options open. And yes, I think Henry will go. But I'm going to hold his candy for him.

Now it's Grandma's turn to ask away:

You sure are a very loving sister to your little brother. You're always thinking about Henry, talking about Henry or affectionately touching Henry. I hope this fondness for your brother continues (especially when he starts crawling after and grabbing your toys!) What keeps you so attentive to Henry? Is it his constant appreciative smiles? It's very easy to see how much you love him and he loves you.
This is a very good question. I'm not completely sure. Partly it's because I love him so much and I'm very protective of him, and partly it's because he's like a big ol' toy for me to play with.

Can you tell us a little more about school? Most importantly, do you have snack time?
Yes, there's snack time. We almost always have crackers, apple juice and water. We also do puzzles, have story time, and have lots of playtime.

Currently, what is your favorite TV program treat?
I'm back to loving Angelina Ballerina, but I've also been watching a couple DVDs that have ballets, like Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

And finally, there are a bunch of questions from Aunt Rebecca:

Do you have a nice nursery school teacher? The reason I ask is that Diana's first nursery school teacher was very nice, but Kathy's was nicknamed Mrs. Meanie.
I have five nursery school teachers, and I love them all, but especially Miss Alicia, Miss Benson and Miss Burnett . They are all very nice.

For Halloween this year, are you and Henry going to dress according to the same theme, or are your costumes going to be completely different from one another?
I keep saying that I'm going to be a princess and Henry's going to be a prince, but I don't think Henry is completely on board with that plan.

Are you good for Mommy when she comes home from work? Your mommy misses you very much,but she has to go back to work, and you can help her out by being helpful. That includes not passing on your nursery school germs to Henry, you know.
It's too late to tell me not to pass on germs, as the damage has been done. But I'm always excited when Mom comes home at night. As long as she tells me what I want to him (namely, that I'm allowed to do whatever it is I'm asking her about), then I'm very good to her.

Is Daddy going to take you to the Yankees playoff games?
Nope. We've been watching a few games, but I usually make Dad put on Angelina Ballerina instead. I hear they're doing great though!

Do you believe in the "Curse of A-Rod"? Will the Yankees fail to win a World Series with A-Rod on their roster? Will Teixeira make the difference by taking the pressure off A-Rod?
Unless the questions are about my two favorite Yankees - Joba and Derek Jeter - I can't help you out.

Why didn't Daddy take you to the Springsteen concert?
Mommy and Daddy saw Bruce and Clarence again last Friday! They said the concert was very loud, but maybe next time I could come if I had headphones on. They said a little girl was at Friday night's show. I don't know if I can stay up that late, though.

What is your favorite outfit that you like to wear?
My ballerina outfit, without a doubt. I like to put it on when I watch TV, especially ballet!

What is currently your favorite food?
I don't have one favorite food, but I'm a big fan of yogurt these days. My favorite is the squeezable kind, that you eat right out of the package:


I also like eating sherbet, especially when it's in an ice-cream cone!




Have you ever gone apple picking?
Nope, but we went to a farm yesterday to buy pumpkins. It was packed! I'll talk more about that later this week.

Are you being cooperative at bedtime now?
I'm doing much better at night, in large part because I'm so tired from the day. Usually after Dad leaves the bed, I curl up under the covers, turn my back to the door and quietly fall asleep. I'm not completely back to where I was in June, but it's pretty close!