The Truth Revealed

"Who made that bat art, Sadie?"
"Stuffin'"*
"I thought you made it at Mimo for Halloween."
"No, Stuffin' make it."

*Stuffin'=her teacher, Stefanie

No bath tonight

A "large water main" broke on Campbell Street, near the green in Lebanon. We're all doing just fine with our minimal trickle of water, and we are hoping that this doesn't mean Sadie's daycare will be closed tomorrow.

Mommy and Sadie

Sadie and I are looking at Nick Jr. Magazine, which we got as a free sample from her daycare. It's not a very good "mah-zah-zine", but we had fun looking at the pictures together.

Daddy and Sadie

Sadie and Dan watched the football game together yesterday. The Patriots lost, but I think Dan's dismay over the loss was tempered by lots of Sadie-hugs.

365 Days

This is Sadie just a few minutes ago.

This is Sadie exactly 365 days ago, in a picture taken on on November 12, 2005.

It's interesting to look at pictures taken one year apart. She is so different from who she was a year ago, but in the most inherent way, she's still the same Sadie.

Saturday Snapshot

My plan for Saturdays going forward is to just post a recent snapshot of Sadie rather than a longer post. I deserve some "time off" on the weekends, right? Right!

Last time until Spring?

Sadie was thrilled to get to playgroup this morning and see that the children were playing outside. We thought that the group had officially moved indoors for the winter, but with the weather in the 50s today, the leader decided it was nice enough to play outdoors.

We had a great time. There weren't too many kids there, so Sadie got to drive the black truck for as long as she wanted.

'Tis the season...

...when parents try their hardest to take an amazing picture of their child for use on holiday cards. We have tried a few photo sessions now and have taken over 200 pictures without getting one that has us totally satisfied. We do have a few that are in contention and we are going to keep trying.

This one is really pretty but didn't end up making the cut.

In Action

I love this picture of Sadie, taken when we went to the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of weekends ago. It captures her in action, full of energy and ready to explore something new. Plus, she looks really cute in this hat.

Breakfast

"What do you want for breakfast, Sadie?"
"Cheddy-cheese and ah-pel cut in da pieces pease!"

Fruit and cheese for breakfast...very European. She ate it all up and had a bowl of Cheerios too.

Being Observed

We usually use this blog for Sadie updates for her family and friends, in person and all over the internet, so the entries tend to be photos and short anecdotes. But, since I've committed to daily posts this month, I feel like I've freed myself up to do some more writing.

(Sadie watches dinner baking in the oven)

Being the parent of a toddler is very different from being the parent of a baby. Sadie is incredibly aware of everything going on around her and is very interested in whatever Mommy and Daddy are doing. This means I have to constantly be aware. Yesterday, Sadie and I were grocery shopping and she looked at me and said, "Daddy says 'fingahs outta mouth' Mommy!". Daddy does tell Sadie to take her fingers out of her mouth, but this time, I had my finger in my mouth (I was biting my cuticles) and Sadie corrected me.

She is always watching and listening. At Halloween, another mother asked me if I had made Sadie's costume. I laughed and said, "Absolutely not!". I said the phrase once, but it must have caught Sadie's ear. Now, she is saying "Ah-sa-looly Not!"

(Sadie helps out by spinning the salad greens)

Dan was raking the lawn on Sunday and Sadie and I helped for a little while. It was chilly out and I wanted to take her back inside, but she couldn't get enough of working with Daddy and helping with her little rake. Even this morning, she wanted to "freep wif Daddy". She has a little trouble with initial S-blends, so "freep" is her approximation of sweep, which is what she thought we were doing.

It's amazing how closely she watches us and copies us. I love it, but it's also a bit daunting to realize that she's watching all the time and that she'll learn about how to live in the world from watching what we do, how we speak, how we treat other people. It's a big responsibility.

Speaking of which, tomorrow is Election Day. Dan will be taking Sadie to the polls with him in the morning. Please remember to vote.

Cousins!

Sadie had tons fun playing with some of her cousins at Nana and Bob-Bob's this weekend. Although she was the youngest, she wasn't intimidated at all and jumped right in to play with them. The kids all enjoyed playing together, eating pizza and playing some more.

Left to right: cousin Olivia, Madison (Anabel's friend), cousin Anabel, cousin Sophie, Sadie, cousin Jake, cousin Mariana

It's really nice that Sadie has lots of cousins, as well as three terrific aunts. She's getting excited to see more cousins at Thanksgiving in a few weeks. With that group, she's not the youngest one.

Family Time

We're off to Nana and Bob-Bob's house to see some of Sadie's cousins...not just Anabel and Sophie but some other ones too! We'll post pics when we get back.

Daycare and Nana's Question

In November, Nana asked what Sadie does on a typical day at daycare. Here is Sadie at daycare on the morning of Halloween. She's in the cubby room and the cubby behind her with the yellow tote bag is her's. Most of the toddlers share a cubby, but since there are an odd number of children in her group, Sadie has her own. In the tote bag are extra clothes, in case they are needed.

A typical day for Sadie at daycare:
7:30-8:00 Arrival. Sadie takes off her coat and changes to her indoor slippers.
8:00-9:00 Free Play. The toddlers play in the big room, which has an indoor climbing structure, little bikes and push toys and an imaginative play corner.
9:00-10:20 They go into the classroom and have circle time, a story, and some kind of special activity: an art project, music, dance or Spanish. Towards the end of this time, they have morning snack, which is usually crackers, fruit and milk.
10:20 Time for a walk! The toddlers ride in a wagon.
10:45-11:30 Playground! (Sadie LOVES the playground and often needs a change of clothes afterwards because she gets so dirty)
11:30 Back inside, wash hands, story time, get ready for lunch.
11:45 Lunch. She brings her lunch from home. They provide milk or water.
12:15 Naptime. Sadie generally sleeps until about 2:30.
2:30 Snack.
2:45-4:00 Free Play in the big room, or more playground (weather permitting)
4:00 until pick up is quiet play and stories.

Sadie's favorite things at daycare are the other children, her teacher Stefanie who Sadie calls "Stuffin", the playground, and music. She also loves the art activities and has made some great artworks.

Scoopin' Da Pumpkins!

Sadie loved helping us carve our jack o'lanterns. It was so funny to watch her working hard on this activity.

Sadie liked to hold the pumpkin's lid while scooping.

Daddy was the best at loosening the pumpkin guts, which Sadie then removed.

Here is a movie of Sadie scooping out her pumpkin.


Sadie is 23 months old today...one more month and she will be 2!

Trick or Treating

Sadie loved trick or treating at the Powerhouse. She said "trick or treat!", "tank-you!" and "Happy Ha'ween" to all the people who gave her candy.

This is a lollypop that she got at EMS.

Isaac wasn't very impressed by Sadie's costume and Sadie didn't seem to notice that he was wearing a bat suit himself.

They had more fun together playing at Isaac's house after the trick or treating was over.

Today begins our attempt to post daily for the month of November. Thank you for the questions...those will all get answered!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I am a peacock today!

Tomorrow's the Big Day

Tomorrow is Halloween! Sadie has been eagerly anticipating this for weeks. Tomorrow, she'll wear her costume to daycare and the kids will visit a nearby nursing home. They'll also have a pizza party for lunch, so we don't need to pack her lunch box! After school, we'll visit Aquila to show off Sadie's costume and then head to the Powerhouse Mall for trick or treating with Isaac. A lot of Sadie's pals are trick or treating at the mall, so it should be lots of fun.

Tonight, we carved our pumpkins. Sadie loved "scoopin' da pumpkins!" She did this with her class last week and her teacher reported that Sadie was the only one in the class who would put her hand into the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and other guts. She attacked the goop with gusto. It was so funny. We'll save the pumpkin carving movie for November...we're already planning how we're going to post daily.



(No Halloween costume guessing contest this year...too many people have already seen Sadie's costume. We'll do some contest in November)

Pose your questions

To make daily posts in November easier, please leave a question in the comments area and it will be answered sometime in November when we are not sure what to post that evening!

Fun in NYC

We had a wonderful time in NYC, including Kate and Ry4an's beautiful, super-fun wedding, tons of quality time with Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Jenny, meeting Baby Cordelia in person, and lots more.


We're rapidly approaching "Ha'ween!" (as Sadie calls Halloween). She is very excited to wear her "Ha'ween ca-foom" (Halloween costume). Her daycare will be visiting a local nursing home in their costumes and in the evening, we will trick-or-treat at the Powerhouse Mall.

In November, many blog writers are pledging to post on their blog every single day. I think I am going to try it. We look forward to lots of comments to support the many posts.

Cooking

Sadie decided to help mommy cook yesterday. She had a lot of fun, and especially liked the dish towel apron that Ann made her. Ann was happy to finally have someone help with the meals, because I never do. Once dinner was ready, all Sadie wanted to eat was the mashed potatoes she helped make.

[Cooking note - you may notice that Ann uses the standing mixer to mash the potatoes. It works great, although I guess it technically means they are whipped potatoes]

Nearly 70 pounds

Approximately 40 pounds of pumpkin plus 27 pounds of Sadie equals nearly 70 pounds on the pumpkin scale!

Sadie loved visiting Riverview Farm today to eat a doughnut, drink cider, choose some pumpkins and explore the corn maze with Daddy and Mommy.

(Sadie is waving her doughnut to make sure Mommy sees it.)

This past week, Sadie had her first ear infection. Thank you Nana and Bob Bob for providing some emergency childcare. Sadie loved spending time with you. She is feeling a lot better now and had a really great time these past few days.

On Thursday, she had fun playing with Pete and Danielle, who visited from California. Friday, we had a great visit with Mommy's old friend Katie and her three year old boy, Jack. At night, Sadie loved the Homecoming Parade and the bonfire.

Saturday was Homecoming and we went to the Young Alumni Tent where Sadie entered the kid's coloring contest and won a prize in the Under 6 category. It was her first time winning a prize! She got a fun Dart-Moose stuffed animal. We all enjoyed the beautiful weather and the football game.

Aili's birthday party at the gymnastics studio topped off our very exciting Saturday. No wonder Sadie took a morning and an afternoon nap today.

Less than one week until our visit to NYC for Kate's wedding and to see Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Jenny. We are looking forward to it.

Football

The Dartmouth team is not great, but the weather was beautiful and we had a fun at the game yesterday. These tackling dummies were an interesting thing:


Sadie enjoyed watching from Daddy's shoulders:


Playing in the kids' area:


Some cuddles with Mommy towards the end of the game:

Happy 30th Birthday Mommy!

Sadie wants to wish her Mommy a very happy 30th birthday! She thinks that there is no way Mommy can be that old since she is so cute and pretty, and Daddy agrees. This picture was taken at Ann's party yesterday at Tom Dent Cabin; thanks to all of you who came - Ann had a great time!

She saw...

...the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats
floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz...

Sadie loves this little edition of Howl. Maybe the small size appeals to her? Note the very serious, beat poet expression on her face. Try not to note the pink plaid outfit. If we had staged this photo, we would have dressed her in a black turtleneck, jeans and a beret.

Weekend Fun

Sadie was being extra cute this morning, playing with her toys and giving lots of snuggles. Daddy got this picture of Sadie posing by the kitchen door.

Yesterday, Sadie was playing quietly near the front door while Mommy looked through a magazine. When I looked over to make sure all was well (it was very quiet), I saw that she had stuck almost an entire sheet of return address labels all over the door! What a proud expression she had on her face. Peeling them all off was a fun naptime activity for me. We have a genuine toddler on our hands!

Nana stopped by for a quick visit this afternoon and we went for a walk in Hanover. Sadie had fun exploring the green.

"Happy 'Shanah!"

We worked on teaching Sadie to say "Happy Rosh Hashanah" but the best she's been able to manage is "Shanah!". It's pretty cute. The brisket is smelling delicious and the kugel is ready to go. Isaac, Laura and Andy are celebrating with us. It's a happy New Year here even though we miss our New York family. Lots of love and l'shana tova!

New Hat

Thanks for the new hat, Grandma! It's so soft and cute and perfect with the winter jacket!

Overheard...

Sadie, scribbling with crayons: "I'ma wrice ma name, D 6 7 8"

Sadie, playing with a keyboard: "Daddy, I'ma checkin' ma email!"

Shoes!

Sadie loves putting on our shoes and trying to walk. It's a very funny sight.

It's much easier in Daddy's sneakers than it is wearing Mommy's boots.

Fall is here.

We had a very nice visit from Grandma and Grandpa this weekend. Sadie had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa at the Farmer's Market, visiting the apple orchard, walking around Hanover and playing with her toys at home. It's always special to spend time with them!

We had some beautiful warm weather on Saturday, but now it feels like fall has arrived. For the upcoming week, the highs are predicted to be only in the mid to upper 60s. Sadie's favorite playgroup these days, the outdoor group in Norwich, will continue to be outdoors until the temperature hits the 50s. We hope to have a few more Fridays outside.

Sadie and Samuel

Sadie loved meeting her new friend Samuel on Tuesday. She gave him a gentle kiss, looked at him for a while and offered him a pretzel. It looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

When Sadie saw Daddy taking some pictures of Jake, Beth and Samuel, she wanted to get in on the action, so she climbed right up and joined them.

Report: First Week of New School

Sadie is loving her new daycare, Mimo, which she calls "Mimo School". We are loving it as well. Mimo is walking distance from our house, or a very, very short drive, so it's easy for either Mommy or Daddy to do the drop offs and pick ups. Sadie has had happy departure from us each morning as she runs into the Big Room (a large room with climbing toys, little bikes and other physical toys) to meet her teacher Stefanie and see the other children.

(Sadie enjoying breakfast before a busy day at Mimo)

Every day, we get a Activity Report from her teacher. It's fun for us to read about what she did during the day. Here is an excerpt from yesterday's report: "Sadie had a good day. She played in the Big Room. She ate a yummy snack. She liked circle time. We read books and sang songs. She loved going for a walk and playing outside."

(Heading to the car on her first day at Mimo)

Sadie does love the regular walks her group takes in a big wagon. The playground is full of great equipment and lots of space to run around. Yesterday, when I picked her up, she was wearing one of her back-up outfits. She had had so much fun playing at the playground and had gotten so muddy and dirty they decided to change her when they came in. Muddy clothes=proof she's having a blast!

(Relaxing in Isaac's hammock over the weekend)

Welcome Samuel!

We are so happy that Beth and Jake's baby has arrived. It's a boy! Samuel Hiram arrived today around noon and weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Good job Beth, that's a big baby!

Welcome to parenthood, Beth and Jake. We're thrilled for the three of you.

21 months old

Does this mean Sadie is now legal to drink milk?

To celebrate Sadie's 21 month birthday, we hiked Mt. Kearsarge with Isaac "I-gat", Laura and Andy. This is an ideal hike with babies, as you drive up most of the mountain and then just hike half a mile to the summit. It was cold and windy at the top but the view was great, even though it was cloudy. Sadie said, "Windy! Hurting me!"
Sadie loved being in the backpack with Daddy during the hike.

Here, she looks pretty happy to be back at the car.

We needed a little snack after our hike, so we went to the Flying Goose Brewpub in New London. Sadie was very eager to read the menu to I-gat. She likes to be helpful.