Alia is 29 Months old!

So let's see, where are we this month....
Well, first of all, Alia says some really funny things. The other evening she was attempting to make a bead necklace in the shape of a square on the floor, and as she pulled one corner, the opposite corner followed. We heard Alia say "Hold on, Tiger!". Seriously. Where does she get this stuff? She also told us this week to hold on, she has to go "wipe Froggy's butt". We can thank pre-school for that one, since we call her cute little bottom a bum-bum and have never even said butt in her presence!

So what else? Well I can't believe I didn't just dive right in with this news....Alia is pottytrained!!!!! For the most part. Still wearing pull-ups at night. And still terrified of poo-poo in the potty. We had 3 accidents but it finally seems to have stuck...We are now 4 for 4 on getting the stinky stuff in the potty. Woo hoo!

This month Alia's level of interaction and engagement has reached an all time high. She demands story after story, whether it's my nanny's story about when her dog climbed on the table and ate all the spaghetti or my sister's story of her dog Lyla's favorite toy, Chicken. My sister even sent a photo spread email of all of Chicken's adventures...when Chicken takes a nap in Lyla's bed, when Chicken sneaks out and plays in the snow...you get the idea...anything is a story...to be repeated and repeated! Based on my sister's story, I made my own photo shoot of Wee Wee Wah, one of Alia's frogs for whom we've adopted a very silly and sometimes naughty personality. Alia thinks is the best thing ever looking at Wee Wee Wah trying to climb the Christmas tree, trying to climb in the oven, sitting too close to the fireplace while there's a fire inside.

Speaking of Christmas, this year Alia was fully engaged. She left cookies for Santa and did her very best to be a good girl for Santa...of course, it was because she wanted toys and presents, but who cares!

Alia's vocabulary is growing tremendously. She told us "I decorated that" while pointing to the Christmas tree. I have to laugh considering no one in the family decorated it...finally my nanny took it into her own hands and knocked it out in an afternoon because we tend to collapse after the girls go to bed at 7PM!

Alia had a two week hiatus from school and Mommy became just like every other Mommy that Mommy previously judged and happily counted down the minutes for those school doors to reopen...you know, so she can keep learning stuff and stop shouting at me.

See, we've been rained in here in Laguna Beach...more rain than sunshine this month which had us insane with cabin fever but finally provided me with the opportunity to be consistent with her potty...situation. On the other hand, there are those days. You know,, the ones that make you feel like "I can't believe this...I actually don't like my kid". I love her. But there are days I don't like her very much. The funny thing is this whole Mommy job is much different than I imagined...the amount of love I have felt for Alia is a love I have never known before. But the 13th day in the house with two that are two and under, with colds that won't go away, bored because there is nothing but rain in sight....well, it's tough.

But all in all? I wouldn't trade her. She's my Alia. Testing. Pushing boundaries. Trying to find limits. And smiling and laughing and jumping and hugging her baby sister and and and...

Alia is 27 months old!

Where is the time going? Amelie just had her 1st birthday and I still haven't written about Alia's past month!

Well for starters, Montessori is going amazingly well. We decided to move Alia from 3 mornings a week to 5 because the structure suits her and the days she doesn't go, she asks to go. She gets along with her teacher very well, and loves to tell us about her day's activities when she gets home. She is still indifferent about the other kids there, but that's a HUGE step forward from where we started when Alia was openly frightened of the other kids and refused to enter the classroom.

Alia's language development is blowing us away monthly! She has gone from referring to herself in the third person to "I" this month. She counts to 20, and has a real grasp of the alphabet. She identifies "D-like Daddy!" and "M- like Mommy" and "O-like Dr. O" (her pediatrician).

Alia's terrible 2's have prompted me to reach out and talk to other Moms about how to steer kids at this age. I bought a parenting book that gives me a lot of hope called 1-2-3 Magic, and although I've only read 21 pages, the tools I've already picked up work well.

Alia's favorite thing is still Froggy, Daddy, her Olivia books, or anything her sister is playing with. She loves Elmo, talking about her day, hearing stories of things we've done together, and waiting for Daddy to come home.

Alia began eating turkey this month after about 10 months of refusing meat. We can thank Costco samples for that...you just never know what she'll eat while out and about.

As a Mom I'm focusing on following the guidelines of 1-2-3 Magic by consciously showering her in love and affection and praise for the good things she does. I try to start out our day positive by playing peek a boo with her with a stuffed animal when I get her up in the morning. I find if she starts the day laughing, her Diva alter ego is more likely to stay repressed, and my Angry Mom persona can have a break too!

Alia makes us laugh. Her smile melts our hearts. She has that affect on a lot of the people in her life, from family to teachers to Moms of her classmates. We are so fortunate to have this wonderful albeit boundary-pushing little person in our lives.

Alia is 26 Months old!

Not a lot has changed this month, other than the fact that Alia chats away non-stop!
Her sentence development is really coming along...she strings 6 or 7 words together at a time very regularly, and has grasped concepts and come up with her own way of saying things very clearly, such as, "no poo poo on the potty right now...later". That's right...we had poo poo in the potty! Once. And since then? We get "no poo poo on the potty right now...later". And when she says "later" she scrunches up her nose. It's cute...very cute....but somewhat...well, frustrating!

Alia is definitely in transition with a lot of things. She is riding the line between baby and little girl. She participates in crafts at school, works puzzles like a maven on her own at school. She is becoming more independent every day much to my delight and also much to my sadness. I am so proud of her and her progress. She amazes me. But I also want to stop the clock and hold on to this lovely little toddler that greets me every morning with "Hi! Mommy! How! Are! You?!" with fuzzy hair and footy pajamas holding her frog between her big head and little shoulders.

Alia says "I love you, Mommy" and "I love you, Daddy". And just when we think we'll melt at all the sweetness going on? She says, "I love you, Elmo" and "I love you, Potty".

Alia got new shoes for school. She has reverence for them because they are her very special school shoes. She only gets to wear them at school (for the most part) and treats them very nicely.

Alia has come out of her shell even more this month. She greets all adults whether she knows them or not. At school she observes closely as other girls go potty in the big girl potty, as well as how boys shout and wrestle around with one another. Alia reports back things she does, things she likes, as well as things she does not like. For example....when I'm around and our nanny is here, Alia says "Alia no like . Alia like Mommy better". And when Daddy's around? Alia says, "Alia no like Mommy. Alia like Daddy better." We've got our work cut out for us in this area! She has such a hierarchy in her mind and feels the need to tell us very explicitly just what she's thinking!

So there you have it...another month flew by in a flash. And my little baby is one step closer to being a little girl!

Alia is 25 Months old!

Okay, so here we are in the middle of Alia's 25th month on the planet. In addition to beginning pre-school with two weeks of orientation, Alia has had other big developments. Like sentences! Alia regularly points to the big 76 ball at the gas station and says "Lilo, peez get big ball down! Aya! bounce! Mommy!"meaning (for those of you that don't speak Alia) "Leonel, could you please get that big ball down? Alia and Mommy are going to bounce it." Yes we are talking about the big round sign at the 76 station, but those are details.

Alia has made very little progress with potty training simply because we haven't driven it home. We dropped the ball. We went from putting her on the potty every day throughout the day to basically....not. But I swear we'll get around to it this weekend....when we get time. See? Not her fault!

Alia loves Elmo. A while back I bought Elmo in Grouchland, which is a full length movie starring Elmo.  Alia can now explain whatever is going on....such as "all fell down! Slipped banana!"

In an effort to continue socializing Alia, we have begun playing toddler soccer on Sunday mornings which is just awesome. The main focus is to kick the ball. That's it. So everyone brings a ball or two and watches the chaos as a dozen or so toddlers run after balls, collect them, point to them, cry at them, and yes, sometimes even kicking happens!

Alia is also really socially develping too. She says hi to everyone! Going down the street, she'll wave to neighbors, flowers (she says hiiiiii, flower!), and also waves bye-bye and will even offer kisses to her favorite people. Her language skills have really taken of. Her ability to communicate her needs and wants have improved dramatically. When upset, Alia cries and says "Daddy hug Aya" or "Mommy hug Aya"

Alia's favorite things are still Froggy, macaroni and cheese, avacado, nectarines, Daddy, looking cute in special outfits, and ribbons in her hair. At mealtime, she has created a game called "hide Daddy Monkey" on her favorite plate which is full of-you guessed it-a family of monkeys. She likes to uncover each monkey and shout "Mommy monkey out! Hide Mommy monkey" which is her way of saying, more, please!"

Alia's latest favorite phrase is big-girl-self. Meaning, I can do it, I'm a big girl, by my self! Alia loves her two Olivia the Pig books. She reads along with them with her finger following the words and really loves the parts that refer to having a baby sibling.

Alia still loves music and sings several songs....loud, proud and almost accurate with the words. Twinkle, Twinkle goes a little something like this...."twinkle TWINKLE LIT-TO STAW,  how iwundoupu-are. UP UP UP world sohigh, dimonsky. TWINKLE TWINKLE LIT-TO STAW, how wonda-u-are.

And finally this month, Alia has proclaimed her love for Ajay once again by letting us all know she is a boy....like Daddy.

Alia is 24 months old! That's right, 2!!!

Alia turned 2 this week, and as her Mommy, I couldn't be prouder. Alia continues to grow and develop before our eyes. Her verbal skills simply amaze us. Last month, Alia became a real pro at our iPhone...in fact, she played with it all the way to and from Turkey. And this month? Alia's skills of asking for the iPhone went from, "iBod!" to "Peez, Daddy iBod" meaning she wanted Daddy's iPhone. And when we give it to her? She replies with "Peez, Mommy iBod, one, two iBod" which means, "I would like Mommy's iPod too, you know, both of them!". So any time Alia wants both of anything, both toys, both spoons, etc., she says "one two toy" or "one, two spoons". She is a counting maven. The only problem is she gets excited and moves ahead of herself sometimes...."one, two, FIVE!" is a common expression in our house.

Along with Alia's counting, she says "whassup, Mommy!", "whassup, Daddy!", and of course, "whasup, iBod!"Alia also has learned to say "sorry" in addition to signing it when she's done something wrong. Only it comes out "sozzzzzy", which is about the cutest thing ever when coupled with her big round brown eyes looking up at you like a pathetic puppy while signing "sorry".

Last month, Alia surprised us with her first string of 3 words, being "ice, ice, baby!". And this month? We hear Ice, Ice, Daddy! Ice, Ice, Mommy, Ice, Ice Amonie!, Ice, Ice, iBod! ....Alia definitely has a great sense of humor!

Alia has begun potty training, although I'll be the first to admit, I'm somewhat feeling my way through this and could be a whole lot more diligent. Basically, first thing in the morning, I put her on her potty. Then later in the day we go to sit on the potty. The first time we did it? We got pee pee in the potty!!!! and out of all the times since? We've had success two more times. We did find that she will sit on the potty indefinitely if we keep her company and offer her very special new "potty toys" which Ajay was wise enough to shop for. These are toys that are only played with while on the potty and not allowed anywhere else. However, today? I noticed her interest in the toys was much greater than interest in making pee pee in the potty. Finally, I asked Alia, "Alia, where is the pee pee?" and she responded with her big smile and pointed to her little hoo-hoo and said "pee pee hide!"

Which is the perfect segue to Alia's other new favorite pass-time...hide and seek! Only in our game? Mommy sits in a dining room chair and feeds Amelie and Alia runs and hides under the table and yells, "HIDE! TABLE!" and I respond with "Oh, no! Where has my Alia gone? I can't find her anywhere!" and then she dashes out and waits for me to say "There she iiiiiiis!" and she comes and hugs my legs. Oh, and hugs? Alia now gives them freely and asks for them when she's sad. Only she pronounces it "ug!, Mommy!"

We celebrated Alia's birthday on a boat with the people she requested to be invited...being, my friend Z, her husband Barry, their baby son Sirous, as well as our friends/neighbors Jim and Carol. We did a two hour harbor cruise and had cake. Only Alia didn't want cake (fine by Amelie...more for her!). She wanted MINT! Ice cream that is. Her favorite favorite food in the world. Plain mint. No chips. Like the ice cream she ate in Turkey every day.

So there you have it. I have a two year old. Sweet? Oh, yes! And naughty? You tell me....(that's my cream couch with purple crayon if you couldn't tell...)

Alia is 23 Months old!

We celebrated Alia's 23rd month birthday (okay, actually it went unacknowledged in favor of a pre-2-year-old birthday celebration) here in Turkey. As I sit here in the living room looking at the royal blue Agean listening to music pumping, I reflect on the last three weeks we've spent here and how Alia has blossomed.

During our stay here in Turkey, I've watched Alia grow beyond belief. Physically speaking, Alia has actually put on a little bit of weight. She has come out of her shell and has been eating very well. She loves the fruit here fresh from the neighborhood fruit stand. She's eaten unfamiliar things, different cheeses, and even branched out into mint ice cream. She is brown, thanks to her dad's genes. She also seems taller. All in all, the time away from home with non-stop Daddy time and non-stop Grandma time has done amazing things for her.

Socially, Turkish people have really helped her to come out of her shell. Before the trip, Alia was very shy. Although she did begin to show signs of improvement before our arrival, the Turks are lovers of babies and kids, and every evening when we strolled through the village, men and women alike would approach to admire her, offer her flowers, kiss her feet, pinch her cheeks. I'm not kidding...the Turks love children, and not in the "if I were in the U.S., I'd feel creeped out" way. The affection is genuine, and as a result, Alia now greets people with "Hi" and her version of "Marhaba"(hello in Turkish) which sound  little like "AAbba".

Alia's verbal skills have also made tremendous strides this month. She counts. She strings two and three words together. Her first string of words was "Ice, Ice, baby!"...which may make us bad parents, but we really enjoy our little trained monkey! She also free-styles nursery rhymes....one, two, buckly my Froggy! three, four, shut the Goka! (Alia speak for yogurt), etc.

Alia went swimming nearly every day we were here with her new water wings. In the beginning she was a little concerned about them, but once she realized their value, she happily complied.

It has been a wonderful month for me as well. I feel that this holiday has done both of us good. Our relationship is no longer one filled with daily battles. I have been able to let go of the every-day stress and really enjoy Alia again. She is a bright, funny little girl, and no longer a baby.

Alia is 22 months old

It finally happened. Here I sit at my computer on the 27th of the month and I just realized that I forgot Alia's monthly birthday for the first time ever.  It blew past without so much as a realization.

That should clue you in to how busy and how at times overwhelming things have been around here. We're getting ready to take off for our annual visit to Turkey and I suppose the preparations for the trip in addition to all the activity of the household, the month passed unnoticed. So there you go...nobody's perfect.

This month I have felt a lot less than perfect when it comes to parenting Alia. It was a huge relief to me when my Mom came for a visit. I swear up until the day she arrived, I could bet that Alia's goal in life was to defy me and test me for all the waking hours. That said, it's getting better. Although there were days that I felt like crying from the moment I got up, that is just one side of Alia. The other side? The one that uses her smarts for good versus evil? Well, she is a delight.

First of all, the words just keep coming. Mango, knees, wine, nuts, bus, eyes, nose, ears, duck, quack, doggie were all learned within a couple of days...some within minutes of the others! She is getting a little more comfortable around other kids and often will wave hello when she sees another child. Unfortunately, she waves endlessly and sometimes the other child will walk away without acknowledging her or will swat at her ever-waving hands. It's tough being a baby/toddler!

Alia is tall. Most people think she's 3 instead of not-yet-2. She wears a 3T in most clothes, and a size 8 shoe! Ajay jokes that she should just share my shoes, but I tell him it's not the same 8.

If there is one theme for my life with Alia, it would be complicated at the moment. She tests me. She resents my attention on Amelie. She still slaps and kicks. She is given time-outs. But she is also a prankster, a jokester, a little girl with a punchline at the ready. She is beautiful. She is quirky. She is very bright. Alia is healthy. Alia likes healthy foods, but not NOT meat. No way! Avacados, yogurt, cheese, and milk are staples. She also likes oranges and bananas, raisins, and nuts (cashews and almonds specifically). Alia likes more than anything her Daddy. Her world begins and ends with him. And that makes him a very lucky man!

Alia is 21 Months!

That's right...our little jokester has put another month to bed. This month, it's like Alia's sense of humor blossomed before our eyes. She enjoys punchlines...usually "GOKA" which is what she calls yogurt. Here's an example...
Me: Who loves Alia?
Alia: Daddy!?
Me: who else?
Alia: Mommy!
Me: Very good, Alia. Who else?
Alia: Noni! (My Mom) Amma!!! (Ajay's Mom)
Me: Very good...who else!?
Alia: GOKA!!!!!!!?

And Goka is said about 40 octaves higher than the other names for impact. Yep, that's our funny girl. Alia is also making lots of connections in her mind....for example...she knows how to sign "wind"...you put your hands in front of yourself with your palms facing each other and then sway your arms back and forth. Well, Ajay and I have always used "did you make a windy" to mean, well, you know...pass gas, and the other words I hate for the natural occurring event. Only now? When Alia makes a windy? She signs "wind" and smiles her biggest Alia smile. If it didn't smell so bad it would be adorable!

Alia is learning sometimes several words per day. All you have to do is get her to focus and she'll play along as long as her attention span allows.

Alia began going to many more social things this month. She goes to gymnastics on Monday and music class on Friday. On the days in between we go to the library for story time. She especially likes the songs...she looks up at me like she's in heaven as soon as the begin Twinkle Twinkle.

Alia has finally gone down to one nap per day. Moving her from a 10AM nap to an 11AM nap in order to accomodate her class schedule has been relatively easy. Now she sleeps a solid two hours and usually chugs all the way through the rest of the day with no need for her former 4PM quiet time. Although if she's cranky? A little quiet time never hurt anyone!

Alia's favorite things are Daddy, Froggy, Yogurt, Amelie, Mommy, Aunt Carol, books, puzzles, and somersaults. She likes to inject Noni and Amma into her stories....Noni rides skateboards and motorcycles, while Amma finds worms with Alia on her walks. By the way, Noni and Amma are Alia's grandmothers who refuse to be called Grandma.

Alia loves her bath. She will not sit in a filled tub, however. She prefers the spout to constantly produce a nice stream of warm water so she can back her bottom up to. She sticks it out for the perfect water/bottom contact. She loves to fill buckets and cups full of water and dump them on herself and all her toys.

Alia is transforming from a toddler to a little girl. She is more sure-footed. She is more tenacious. She is a confident little girl on the cusp of developing more independence. And until then? There's Daddy!

Alia is 20 months old!

Well, almost a week ago, Alia turned 20 months old. I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks, gathering mental notes about what was special about this month.

This month, Alia has begun to show fears...of the janitor at the mall that pushes the big trash can, the vacuum cleaner, and above all, the foot measuring device at any given shoe store. While some of these fears are cute, I have to say that the foot measuring device fear is downright sad. I have never seen a more scared baby-child. And baby-child she is. Alia is straddling the definition of both. She still looks babyish. She has chubby cheeks and legs and dimpled hands. But her chubby thighs are stretching out, and the fat fold that I have always loved is slowly vanishing. Alia's hair is no longer a short little fountain of a pigtail, but a true ponytail. Alia runs. Alia jokes. She is becoming a child in front of our eyes. And did I mention tall? Note the comical display of Baby Alia in Amelie's bouncer....wrong. Just wrong.

Alia is warming up to Amelie, and understands that she is a part of our family. In fact, when Alia is distressed, she will call for Amelie in between her sobs....Ahhhhhh-muh-neeeeeee! that's right....AmeNie. We're still working on L's.

This month, Alia has learned to say Purple, Yellow, Buddy (the neighbor's dog's name) as well as working on learning to say "Take Care"...right now she believes she's saying it right, but it comes out "Goe-dthee!". Here, Alia models her favorite shirt while reading with her pal Froggy...who has his own chair just like hers.

Alia has become a Starbucks addict like the rest of the world and cries for us to go in every time we pass....see, they have only chocolate or vanilla milk, so in a pinch at times, I've allowed chocolate milk to enter her world. And now she is a full blown chocolate milkaholic. Like Mommy like baby, I suppose...chocolate that is, not chocolate milk.

Alia enjoys going to the Irvine Spectrum, South Coast Plaza, and anywhere that has a carousel. She is a connoisseur, and currently prefers the one at the Spectrum above all. See, the one at South Coast? Switched the horses out for Easter Bunnies and that just ruined the authenticity for Alia.

Alia's favorite clothes are her two Snoopy t-shirts and her Hello Kitty shirt with matching leggings. If she has her way, we'd get rid of all the other clothes. I do allow her to pick out her clothes, and she is really good about understanding when something isn't currently available/clean.

Alia is still going through a picky phase when it comes to food. She may or may not eat what I give her, and the old stand bys are no longer reliable. One thing the girl loves? Cheese. Started out with string cheese, moved to cheddar, and then swiss, which she calls peek-a-boo cheese because she can look threw the holes and play peek-a-boo. She has now ventured into aged parmesano riggiano and french mimolette. The girl is a foodie waiting to happen...no big surprise considering her lineage, but right now, picky wins over adventurous. So I have to be patient and realize that she will eat, when she's hungry enough. And just when I'm ready to begin the force-feeding? She eats enough to sustain an NBA player.

Alia is still a Daddy's girl. She now tells me no no no, and points to Daddy. When I ask her  "do you want Mommy to leave?" she replies with "Yeah! Daddy!" and points to him, just in case I'm not clear on who she prefers. But you know what? Although it pains me, it's okay. I want her to feel that she can choose him. I will still love her all the same regardless. Plus, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve...I can always get her to run to me by picking up Amelie and fawning over her!

Alia is 19 months old!

It just so happens that Alia is 19 months today, on my 38th birthday. Well, more on that later, but this month can be synthesized into one simple thing that happened...one event that just personifies Alia's personality, confidence, sense of self, sense of humor, and outlook on the world.

Here, Alia demonstrates the Incey Wincey Spider

This past week, we were at Main Beach park downtown Laguna. Alia was her normal active self, going up and down the stairs to the toddler slide, climbing through the peek-a-boo tunnels, and demanding to be pushed on the swing. Then I noticed two TWO big bright shiny firetrucks...gleamingly clean, sparkling red...big BEAUTIFUL firetrucks. And yes, Alia wanted to go see them.

So we ran over to them...her at full speed ahead, and me briskly walking beside her. Alia approached the trucks, the firemen, and the small crowd surrounding them with wide eyes and her most brilliant Alia smile.  She was so happy that she pulled out all her best tricks....she twirled in circles. She did pop-ups which is where she bends down into a squat and pops up with all her might, in an attempt to jump up (but her feet sadly never leave the ground). And then her little maestro finger came out....directed at the firemen. When the fireman asked what it meant, I told him that she wanted them to sing her a song. Then she did the hand movements for the Incey Wincey Spider. So I passed along that information. And before we knew it, the Laguna Beach Fire Department's entire posse of firemen were serenading Alia with multiple renditions of her favorite song. And that's the way the world works in Alia's little slice of heaven right now.

This month, Alia thrilled both Grandmothers by learning to say their granny names....Noni for my Mom and Amma for Ajay's Mom. What's wrong with Grandma, you may ask? Well, we don't know...we just go along with it. So anyway, when Alia says Noni, she claps her feet together because she remembers that Noni loves to play pat-a-cake with her, (only from a young age I taught her that you play pat-a-cake with your feet because her hip sockets allowed and I thought it was cute) and when Alia says Amma, she wiggles her index finger like a worm, because when Ajay's Mom visited last, they went on lots of long walks together and looked for worms in the irrigation run-off.

This month we got out the training potty....but something tells me she is NOT taking it seriously....at all...

Alia is tall....35 inches. She weighs 28 pounds. Alia's previous outlook on food has changed from "put it in front of me and I'll eat it" to "guess what I'll eat today....no, not that". So the pride I took in her openness to wholesome and nutritious foods? Yeah, I've suddenly realized that most kids start out that way and then learn to exercise their control where they can.

Alia is coming to terms with her sister...she does not like to hear her cry, but she also does not want her near her most of the time.  Alia's favorite person is still Daddy, second is Mommy, and third? Probably Auntie Carol...our neighbor across the street. NOT the nanny...she will not, under any circumstances, be pawned off on the hired help...that's for her sister.

Most days Alia is the sweetest of the sweetie pies. There are some days that she is showing me exactly how challenging the terrible twos are going to be. Happy 19 months, Alia, my love!

Alia is 18 Months Old

This month Alia is a year and a half old. It's cliche, I know, but where has the time gone!? I feel this way with every month that passes, for both Alia and Amelie.

Well, first of all, this month, and more specifically, this week Alia learned to say "no". Before now she would only shake her head for no. Alia's little no sounds like "NNNu-yo". It's very cute. Not so cute when I'm trying to get out the door, but cute!

Along those lines, Alia also learned moo like a cow, and moon this week. Her verbal ability is really blowing my mind...just today from the back seat, I heard "Pepper!"I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her pointing to her counting book on the page that features 7 peppers. Yesterday? She began spontaneously shouting HAP-PYYYY!

Alia is also making serious progress with sign language this month. She picked up tree, grass, flower, car, rain, wind in addition to her old repertoire of shoes, socks, more, thank you, please, eat, drink, banana, apple, frog, dog, cat, milk, water and hurt. Yesterday when she woke up she signed for milk. I told her she'd have to say it to get it. So she started out moo like a cow. I told her to add a K sound and told her "K-K-K, Alia". So she says milk like mooooo and then she pauses and then a few seconds later says K-K-K and smiles her big Alia smile and claps for herself. Cutie pie! This month, Alia is fascinated by trucks, the bigger the better.  I told her "say TRUCK, Alia....T-T-T-TRUCK" and so now she calls trucks TUH-TUH-TUH. And smiles and claps for herself.

Lately I've been trying to socialize Alia more. She is shy around other kids. We typically go somewhere in the morning, and another outing after lunch. I try to make sure that she has some outdoor time, at the park or the beach, every day. I also try to do things that will put her around other kids and learning opportunities. Sometimes we just go to one of the malls and ride a carousel once or twice.

Currently, Alia's favorite things are her Froggie, her tent, spaghetti, and the song Da-Da-Da by Trio. She loves her Daddy more than anything. Alia loves Baby Signing Time DVDs, and waits anxiously every evening for her 10 minutes of watching time after dinner. Alia has begun to enjoy drawing and coloring. She loves telling stories with a mix of words, signs and gestures. Alia has taken a new interest in her toys, and happily runs to her play area every time we return home.

So that's where we're at. Happy. Tired. Amazed at this little girl's brightness, love of approval, and spongelike gathering of new information daily.

Alia is 17 Months old

This month has been a busy one. Getting through Thanksgiving and entering into the Christmas season all while entertaining and caring for two babies (while having gallstone attacks) has been crazy at times. But Alia? She just keeps on impressing us.

In this past month, Alia's Grandmother left us after being here for nearly 2 months. Alia's Aunt Chris also came for a visit, as well as Grandpa Mike. With all the coming and going, we realized that Alia is very well adjusted, but needs to know all the information. No more sneaking out the front door so she doesn't notice one of us has left. Yes, in the short term, it may upset her a bit when Daddy has to go somewhere, but after all her relatives came and went, she seemed to feel insecure, as if she felt one of us might sneak off and not come back.

This month I finally gave in and allowed Alia a little bit of television. I had hoped to keep it out of her life until she was two, but I decided watching Baby Signing Time was a good idea, since much of Alia's frustration is derived from her inability to express herself. So this month we turned on the TV, popped in a video, and now Alia signs away with the best of them. She can sign milk, juice, cracker, hat, shoes, socks, dog, cat, sleep, and baby, off the top of my head. And while she sometimes becomes relentless about watching Baby Signing Time, let's face it, the 5 minutes that the program has her attention allows me to pee from time to time.

Alia is still a pretty good eater. This month she found that she loves kiwis. She also loves string cheese and will do anything for orange juice.

Alia's favorite person in the world is her Daddy. She is very possessive of him and does not like when he holds Amelie. On the one hand, I want her to understand that Amelie is a part of our family and that Daddy will hold her from time to time, and on the other hand, she's still not even 1 1/2 years old, and her frustration is totally predictable. If anyone has any insight into integrating a new baby with an existing baby, I'm all ears!

Alia now wears shoes proudly since she is easily excited about them...all we have to do is sign "shoes" and ask if she wants to wear them and she responds with ooooooooh yeah! which is one of her new adorable expressions. Alia also loves her winter coat, and even napped in it one day because I just couldn't convince her to part with it.

Alia has enjoyed touring various libraries this month and loves to see other little people. She is sweet natured and is happy to share whatever she has with others.

All in all, it's been a fast and busy month. Some days we just scrape by and others are quite charmed. Now if I can just get through this gall bladder surgery tomorrow, we'll be in business!

Alia is 15 months old!

I'm sitting here with my feet on the coffee table. I can barely see my swollen piggies peeking over the top of the laptop. I am very, very pregnant. In fact, this is the last time I'll be writing Alia's monthly note with her as an only child. Her sister will join us in one week, five days.

This month has been one of big adjustments for me personally. I've had to come to terms with the fact that I'll be in the hospital for 3, maybe 4 days when Alia's sister Amelie is delivered. She's frank breech, which makes another c-section my choice, which means perhaps a little longer stay away from my darling. I can't imagine how hard it's going to be to be away from her for a few days. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. I haven't been away from Alia for more than 2 or 3 hours in her entire life, so leaving her is huge for me.

That said, let's talk about how my big big girl has grown and developed this month. The word toddler...it means something now. She toddles about all day long. When she's tired, she turns into a human pinball, bouncing from one piece of furniture to another, and nearly always being and inch from eminent danger in this wobbly state.

Alia's personality is developing daily. She is a very sweet girl who loves to share her favorite possessions with everyone who she comes into contact. Of course, she's more showing you, "hey! here's my Froggy! take him! now, give him back!" and if you miss a beat? She becomes just a little impatient that you're not giving it back in a timely fashion.

Alia's vocabulary is growing at an impressive rate. Her understanding of what we're saying is really impressive. Just about any household item is recognized, and she's happy to retrieve anything you tell her...the ball, the pillow, the pointy scissors, the kitchen knife....you name it, it's in her hands and she's happy to run it over to you.

Alia is now showing signs that she's ready to move from two naps to one. Her morning nap is inching later and later into the day, and her afternoon nap is nearly always only 30 minutes...at least, that's this week. She does change from week to week. My hope is that she'll be steadily converted to a one-nap day by the time I go to the hospital, just to simplify her Grandma and Daddy's job.

Speaking of Grandma, Ajay's Mom arrived a couple of weeks ago. Once again, Alia has taken to Maya like a duck to water. Alia has been a little more clingy with me lately, which I believe is because she senses my pregnancy and the changes that are happening around her.

Alia is very interested in how things work, and if I didn't know that her curiosity about how things work is her driving force, I'd swear she was up to mischief. Some of her new favorite past times are toilet paper unrolling, safety corner unsticking (from the pointy edges of the tables), and pulling all my clothes off hangers in the closet. Yes, I am giving her the benefit of the doubt...she's curious, not bad!

Alia says lots of words...they just might not sound like words to people that don't know her. For example, golk-golk means yogurt. She also knows the sign language for eat, banana, car, cat, and birdie. Oh yeah, and she shouts bow wow wow at the top of her lungs anytime she sees a dogs

Alia is an excellent pointer. She points out her ears, nose, eyes, hands, fingers, toes, feet, and belly button. She points to Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandad, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Carol on demand. Alia also points at the moon, airplanes, birds, bees whenever she notices them. Her hearing is noteworthy...we can be sitting in the living room singing along with songs on the iPod and she'll point to the ceiling, at which point I'll notice the faintest sound of an airplane over-head. Same with neighborhood dogs barking...they can be blocks away, and when she hears them she shouts BOW WOW! Here Alia points out a plane overhead....above all the noise of the park, she hears it! Even if it is flying at 70,000 feet!

Alia is addicted to Daddy. She can't get enough of him. Before last week, Alia woke up at 5AM for a bottle, which Daddy would give her, change her diaper, and put her back to bed....she would then sleep until 7AM give or take. But these days? She's figured out that he's only home for the a tiny window in the morning, so she stays awake and cries for Daddy so she can spend time with him before work.

Oh, and did I mention? Alia is now wearing shoes from time to time. She's been a barefoot baby up until fairly recently. The reason she's finally agreeable to wearing shoes is that she hates to be dirty...no dirt is allowed on her hands or her feet...which makes a trip to the park very tricky without shoes...

Oh, and speaking of fashions...were we speaking of fashion? Here's my lastest little project...Alia's jeans jacket for fall....which I dolled up with a cute heat transfer. And did I mention? Alia's new favorite thing?
Teething biscuits.

Alia is 14 months old!

I'm writing this as Alia is being taken for a stroll around the neighborhood by Mommy's Helper. No, I still haven't come to terms that I have a very part-time nanny...hell, just writing down that I have (and need) help was a big step for me. But that's not the point.

As I'm watching my 8 month tummy do lots of dances, I think about what's to come, but wanted to focus on where we are currently rather than allowing myself to jump ahead. I just realized that I only have 2 more months of writing about just one baby...as of 11/2, we'll be a 2 baby household. Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea to jot down a few things about the daily activities and requirements of Alia right now so that we have a point of comparison 15 months from now when her sister is the same age.

Let's talk about sleep. My girl requires a little more than average. She is sleeping on average 11-12 hours per night, and still does 2 naps a day...for a total of 2-3 daytime hours of sleep. I've read that most toddlers her age need about 13 hours per day, but on the days that she gets only 13 hours, she's blitzed by the end of the day. Crabby, hysterical, flailing about. You get the picture. So like I said, she just needs a little more sleep than the average toddler. And it's not surprising...she's growing like crazy and is a very active girl. She doesn't sit still for a moment; while she loves reading, she prefers books that require her to move and interact. For example, right now she loves From Head to Toe by Eric Carl. It starts out "I'm a Penguin and I can turn my head....can you do it?" and to this Alia responds by clapping her hands. See, in a few more pages, we'll get to the seal, who asks if she, too, can clap. And she also loves to stomp the floor when the elephant asks her to do so....but she stomps with her hands because that's what her 8-month pregnant Mommy taught her to do. No, I cannot get up and stomp my feet every time we read this book...hell, I can hardly get up to go pee at this point. But that's neither her nor there.

In addition to being a good sleeper, Alia is also a good eater. Her diet is mainly vegetarian, but she's had fish, turkey, and chicken and even beef too. She tries everything, but still has her favorites....among them plain yogurt, yogurt mixed with fresh fruit, strawberries, peanut butter sandwiches, melon of any kind, black beans, and spinach frittatas (yes, she's my little foodie). She likes pasta, Indian food, and a new favorite....toast with butter. We discovered this on a recent trip to Costco, when they were giving out samples of a multigrain bread, toasted with butter. Basically she eats everything we eat, simple or complex.
Socially, Alia interacts well with adults, and is very intrigued by other little ones...especially older little girls. Alia is also very aware of her cuteness...or perhaps I just can't imagine that she's not aware of it. When she comes toddling toward me with her biggest smile, clutching Froggy to her cheek, I am just amazed at her draw. She's like a force field.

Alia has enjoyed the pool this summer...she swims with Daddy every chance she gets. Many days I join the dynamic duo, but at this point, it's better that Daddy wrangles our little rascal...her thrashing arms and legs can be very painful when they connect with my big pregnant belly.

Alia has always been good at sharing her feelings about things. Take this morning for example...I thought it would be funny to put socks on her Froggy. Alia did not like this...at all. It wasn't funny. It was the opposite of funny. It was a very bad idea. Bad Mommy. On the other hand, Alia loves '90s rap. Naughty by Nature (O.P.P.), and DJ EZ Rock (It takes two). I don't know what else to say about this other than when Mommy plays it, the maestro finger goes up and keeps a perfect beat. It reminds Mommy of college fraternity parties where we drank from cheap kegs and had a lot of hangovers, but that's neither here nor there.

Alia is now a combination clown and comedian. You ask for a funny face? You get one..

Oh, and by the way...did I mention the swing? She is once again a bona fide swing hog. Alia will swing for an hour at a time, and will cry when she's finally dragged off.  We actually have to trick her and pull her off the swing while standing behind her so she won't see that her favorite ride is over.

This month we've seen some truly amazing cognitive development. One day she began using sign language to communicate as if it were nothing...she saw a banana in a book and pointed to it and then made the sign for it. I asked her if she was hungry and she responded with the sign for eating. Like I said, truly remarkable development in a very short time. She is very teachable right now, which means I'll be watching more of the Baby Signing Time videos and teaching her as much as she's ready to learn (no, I still haven't caved and allowed Alia to watch TV...I know, I'm a freak, but I'm happy being a freak, so leave me alone...and bring me a piece of cake while you're at it...chocolate).

So that's where we're at...Alia is still the baby of the house, but only for about 6 more weeks. I cannot believe this can possibly be true for a variety of reasons, but watching my baby transform into a toddler in such a short amount of time has taught me the importance of living in this moment.

Alia is 13 months old!

This month has flown by. We spent the majority of the month in Turkey, and what a great time that was for all of us, Alia especially. I mentioned last month what a wonderful impact having all the family around Alia was, and the continued contact with family and friends just got better and better.



Alia's one year check up proved that I was not crazy...she was in fact growing like a weed over the last few months...3 inches total since her last visit (she's just shy of 33" tall), as well as a 2 pound gain (weighing in just over 25 pounds). That's our little greater-than-95th-percentile girl!

This month, Alia showed us that she loves music. Her favorite CD is Baby Beluga by Raffi, to which she keeps the beat with an extended index finger. While she likes just about every song on the CD (Mommy fast forwards past the religious crap) her favorite songs are Baby Beluga and Joshua Giraffe. All I have to do is turn it on and watch as her gorgeous little face lights up and smiles with an expression that says, "heeeey! I know this song! I love this song!!!"

Earlier this week, Alia took those first "come to Mommy steps" across her bedroom. Actually, to be honest, Mommy was holding her favorite possession in the whole wide world, Froggy, so really they were the "come to Froggy" steps, but I'll take what I can get. And later in the week, she repeated this feat only this time, she walked twice as far, beaming the whole way, arms outreached to me (or was it her hair barrette?). My heart melted. Alia still isn't comfortable walking around as her first choice, but she now grabs an extended finger and will walk with us across the room. But in a hurry? It's back to the good ol' walrus crawl, which is surprisingly very fast!

Speaking of being on two feet, Alia loves scooting along the furniture, walls, chairs, coffee tables....you name it. She tirelessly removes magnets from the washing machine. She pulls them all down, and then looks at me like "well? What are you waiting for!? Put them back on." And while I've tried to show her that she is capable of putting the magnets back on the washer, apparently it just isn't the same.

Alia is very much enjoying her new face-forward car seat. No longer does she look like an overgrown toddler crammed into an infant seat...once again, she looks petite while riding in her big, cushy seat. And facing forward is the best...she constantly interacts with me with lots of smiles. She loves it when I ask her "Where are your feet? ...Ears? ....Nose? ...Hands?" She loves to demonstrate and is so proud to get them right. The funny thing is that rather than pointing to her nose, she exhales heavily through her nose, which means that sometimes you get a prize with that request.

Alia is much more vocal this month....she says four real words, but her favorites remain "wi-doo wi-doo wi-doo" and "wi-joo, wi-joo, wi-joo" in addition to pointing at something and saying "oy oy oy oy". What these things mean, we do not know, but she has a very sweet soft voice and I'm happy to try to decipher!

This month, Alia has learned that our neighbor's fountain is just about the most interesting thing there is...it's basically a slab or rock with water streaming down the sides. Alia likes to sit directly next to it and feel the water streaming over the rock. She always ends up stripped to her diaper because everything she was wearing gets soaked. But she doesn't mind...it's a great way for her to spend 20 minutes!

Finally, upon my return from Turkey, I was happy to see that the video monitor arrived. I ordered it with the new baby in mind, as an upgrade to our former borrowed audio monitor. Well let's just say I don't know how I survived without this device. Now I know what's going on in there. I don't have to risk cracking the door to check that she's still sleeping and risk waking her. And on the flip side, I'm amazed at how often she wakes and talks with her Froggy and other animals and is happy to hang out for awhile on her own. If there's one purchase I strongly recommend new Moms, it's a video monitor. The one I bought was the Summer monitor from Costco...it has 2 cameras and 2 monitors. I love it!

Alia is still Daddy's little girl. Every day, she enjoys sitting on the front porch and waiting for Daddy to drive up. She points up the empty road and says "wi-joo wi-joo wi-joo" and when his silver car finally emerges from around the bend, she claps and smiles and can't wait! Once Daddy's in the driveway, Alia loves to "drive" the car into the garage on Daddy's lap. Mainly this involves her slapping the steering wheel, but c'mon. She's only 13 months old!

And did I mention? She now talks on the "phone"?

Alia is 12 months old!

As I sit at Maya's computer here in Turkey, I am thinking about heading back to the U.S. in a few days. The past few weeks have been great ones, but I am looking forward to the next phase of new adventures in Alia's life.

On July 21, Alia turned 1 year old. We celebrated at the very cool, trendy Kuum Hotel of Turkbuku. Alia was surrounded by her grandmother, Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Aruna. The day was sunny and hot, and Alia very happily showed off her two best outfits! Alia also loved her birthday cake which was a classic Turkish recipe made of...get this....spinach and olive oil. Yes, Alia's grandmother is ahead of her times when it comes to health food, and I did manage to tease her quite a bit about offering poor Alia a spinach cake for her first birthday and first cake experience, but I gotta say, that was some damn good cake, spinach or no spinach!



I sit here almost overwhelmed with emotion as I try to put into words what this last year has meant to me. Every month I write Alia a monthly update, talking about her progress and development of that month. It almost always ends with me gushing about how much I love her. And now, with an entire year to reflect on, I find it difficult to capture "it"...you know, what it is I'm trying to convey. I suppose I can start by focusing just on this month...since my last monthly note.

This month has been a very social one for Alia. She met and got along fantastically with my new nanny, whom I've hired to help in her care as I get bigger and incapable of keeping up with her physically. On the social side, Alia has also discovered that she's a guy's girl....she loves men! In Turkey, she met her Uncle Shuja, and for the first time ever, refused her Daddy's awaiting arms in preference for Uncle Shuja. Similarly, Alia fell in love with Maya's handyman, Emin, as well as a bartender at the hotel in Istanbul. Let's just say Daddy is worried!

On the physical side, Alia is growing like crazy right now. She shot up 2 inches in the last 3 months, and gained two pounds. She is also cutting 2 of her one-year molars, which surprisingly come in before the K-9s. I thought Alia was unique in that, but her pediatrician says that's how it's supposed to happen!

Although Alia hasn't taken those hallmark "come to Mommy" first steps yet, she is standing up from a seated position without assistance, but isn't convinced that she can walk without the help of a couch, a hand, or anything more stable than she is. It's going to be any day now, I just know it. And, and while we're on that topic, Alia now crawls like a baby sometimes, as opposed to her preferred crawling method, which resembles that of of a walrus.

To recap Alia's adventures this first year, Alia has stepped foot on 3 continents (North America, Europe and Asia), taken 3 plane trips (Florida, San Francisco, and Turkey), stayed in 4 hotels (Ojai Valley Resort & Spa for Christmas, Hotel Vitale in San Francisco for New Years, the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara, and the Sari Konak in Istanbul). Alia has been to 2 zoos, Santa Ana and Santa Barbara, and her favorite animal remains the lion!

To recap Alia's physical accomplishments, first of all, she learned to breath, eat, and eliminate for starters...which if you think about it is a big accomplishment from just hanging out in my belly letting nature run it's course. She learned to flip from her tummy to her back at 4 months, sat up on her own at 5 months, and flipped from back to tummy at 6 months. Alia learned to crawl like a walrus, and then transitioned to a full blown baby crawl. And now, she walks with assistance! Alia has also learned 4 words...her first being "wow!", followed by what doggie's say "bow wow" (do you see a pattern here? only derivatives of wow?) and she knows how to say Mama and Dada. My pediatrician says that 4 solid words with purpose puts her at a 15 month level, but I didn't even mention that there's a 5th mystery word that keeps coming up...."Dibba Doo!"

Right now I'm just a little over 6 months pregnant with Alia's new little sister. I can't wait to see how these two interact, how Alia will be changed by having a sister, and what new adventures lie ahead for all of us.

Alia is 11 Months Old

As I sit here typing my latest monthly love letter about my darling Muffin Monkeypants, I try to reflect on the last month. I take a deep breath and let out a huge slow exhale. I suppose the single word that encompasses Alia's last month would be independence.

While Alia has always been a bright, interactive, social girl, over the past month Alia has really come out of her shell. Not only is she more confident around other people, she is very comfortable telling me her opinions on just about everything. Yes, some days I wish some of those really LOUD opinions would be kept to herself....as well as the really whiny ones (you know how I feel about whining). But I am happy to finally realize that Alia's new found freedom to express herself and her views is a good thing; it means she's thriving, bright, and confident. I like to think that that's part nurture as well as her nature. I like to think that my efforts have something to do with her catapulting into her terrible wonderful twos at 11 months old!

So what did we do this month?

Alia enjoyed a wagon ride with her cousin Ciela

Alia enjoyed swinging at the beach with Daddy and Mommy

Alia enjoyed her first trip to the zoo...

Alia loved her trip to the Natural History Museum in L.A.

Alia learned that the playpen isn't just a cage....she can stand in it!

We finally installed her swing, which has become part of her daily routine

Alia outgrew about two thirds of her clothes, which means she got lots of new dresses for summer...

Did I mention standing is the new thing? Anything looking remotely like it could support her is grabbed onto...usually my leg...and used as a device pull to a standing position. But who could say no to that little face?

Again...standing....anything can be a tool for her goal...and this one seems to taste good too!

Aside from sharing highlights of Alia's month as well as photographs, I must say that this has been among the most challenging of months for me as a Mom. I'm not the Mom of a newborn anymore. I haven't had that "oh my lord, what is this baby thing, and how do I keep it safe" feeling in a really long time. I'm no longer waking in the night and feeding a newborn. I'm no longer figuring out what the crossed wires of a newborn mean. I'm a confident, happy Mom for the most part. For the past 8 or 9 months, I've felt like I know what I'm doing. However, this month? There have been days that knocked the wind out of me! Alia is a much more complex girl now, even though she's still a baby. She has opinions. She wants to control her destiny. She is a fireball on the changing table, needing constant distraction. And all of these new characteristics seemed to come to a full boil over a matter of days. Although Alia has always had these elements in her personality, they've never been so potent!

Alia is also getting less and less interested in baby food, and more interested in what we're eating. Basically we feed her whatever we're eating. From veggie burgers with lots of pickles to spinach frittatas with garlic, she's a girl that loves flavor. And her absolute favorite thing in the world? Plain full fat organic yogurt. However, I've determined that this new source of dairy has caused her little system to back up, which means that at every meal, I have to look into those big brown sad eyes and explain why there won't be any yogurt today.

Alia has also finally taken to a favorite toy...her Froggy. She doesn't want to be without him. She hugs him vigorously, bites his face and growls with happiness while doing so. She wants Froggy when she's happy. She wants Froggy when she's sad. She wants him when she's tired. She wants him when she's awake. Thank God Froggy can be tossed in the washing machine, because after all the slobber and biting, Froggy can get pretty foul!

All in all this has been huge growth month for Alia and me....mentally, not so much physically. Well, actually, now that I think of it, my belly has grown quite a bit, and we swear Alia is on her way to being 14 feet tall. So, yeah, we've both grown a little in many ways this month!