September 2014

Here she is just being her normal playtime self.  I thought it might be nice for you all to see how she carries herself.

And now I AM CAUGHT UP!!

I am really proud of how Sanaa is coming along.  It's like I genuinely understand who she is, and what makes her tick.  That makes me feel confident.  And, I simply do like her as a person - is that weird to say?

I think it really sunk in for me when we went to a friend's 4 year bday party and she carried herself so well in that group of older kids.  That's just our girl...she has manners, she knows how to be independent (you are not going to get her to just do something because everybody else is doing it - she has to see a reason or rationale for why it's a good idea), and she's very clear on what is okay and not okay behavior.  I was very proud - can you tell?

More firsts - first trip to the hair stylist, first outing (to the Shake Shack with her best friend Jamieson), and first baseball game.

More pics from the month.

August 2014

The video above is one of my most favorite "Daddy-daughter" videos ever from these two...true joy at being with each other.

Anyway, August started with the St. Michael's trip (video above is from the marina there), which I still think about fondly.  What a treat to have a homey place to stay, complete with kids' toys, beach towels, and cozy linens!

In August, we celebrated Sanaa moving to a big girl's bed, getting her first backpack, taking Auntie Ebonie out for her birthday, getting a medal at Soccer class, and the first extended family beach trip to beautiful and quiet Cape May, New Jersey.  She is pretty proud of that backpack since her best friend Jamieson already has a backpack too, and she loves her big girl bed.  And no...she still hasn't figured out that she can get out of her bed herself to wreak some havoc after bedtime and before wakeup time.  I can't imagine what it will be like the first time she walks around in her room, or heaven forbid, out of her room for the first time!

Pics of all this here.

July 2014 - Summer fun

I remember back to July and I remember a lot of good bonding moments with this one.  I just felt like I really understood how she works, how she thinks, and what works with her.  That was very comforting.

July was a mix of soccer class, coaxing her to try to take a nap at school by offering way too many trips to fountains (I gave up finally), swim class, and lots of restaurant dates.  That's how I remember it.

It was capped off by a lovely trip to St. Michael's, Maryland to stay at "Tallulah and Atticus's grand mom's house" when they were not there, and I'm pretty sure she heard the "Tallulah and Atticus" part but didn't understand that they would not be there.  She walked through every room trying to find them, but alas, it was just the 3 of us having a really lovely family getaway.  MUCH needed.

Some pics of July are here...

June 2014 - We don't need no stinkin' diapers!

June was AWESOME.  Sanaa learned to use the potty in a matter of a weekend.  A dedicated weekend at the beginning of the month, following this method from the trust Dr. Sears family.

We had some good help and encouragement from Grandmom, and her teacher Miss Emma was awesome.  She made Sanaa this Potty Princess crown to use at school, and within a couple of days, the kid was done.  She did drive me crazy for the first couple of nights with the incessant "I need to pee Amma" calls from the crib.  But by golly, she did need to pee each of those times!

Sometimes, I cry and thank my lucky stars at how easy she makes most things.  Here's to aiming to make the next 50 years just as easy.

The rest of the month was full of good times as the weather warmed up...trips to the zoo with cousins,  to her first play to see Cat in the Hat with her friend Hannah (I am STILL having to tell her the Cat in the Hat story at bed time), and lots of cute dresses.  :)

Here are a few pics from the month.