Coming Soon....

Sorry for the quiet around here, we took a trip back east to celebrate Sabine's great-grandmother's 100th birthday, and we didn't have any computer access during that time. It was a wonderful trip, the party was a huge success, and we saw lots of friends and family in one short week. We also missed Nana Lin very much, since we had to miss her birthday because she shares the exact same day with Great Grandmom. Happy birthday, too, Nana!

There are lots of pictures to come from our trip, but I haven't finished going through them yet. For now, here's a teaser. I think it's my favorite picture from the whole week:

New Shovel

Our little helper bee at work

Long Week Already

We're having a rough week, Sabine's got another little stomach bug. While it isn't (knock on wood) as bad as the one she had earlier this month, it's definitely put us out of commission for a few days. We even had to skip going to the farm yesterday, which was disappointing to both of us!

Here's a quick picture of Sabine from last week, when she was feeling peppier. I love that grin!

At least the weather's been nice this week, and we've gotten out for a few walks to get some fresh air.

January Happenings

Last weekend Uncle Eric and Aunt Diana were in town visiting, so nothing would do but we had to meet them at the train museum.

We had a lot of fun wandering around looking at trains

But eventually the cold and wind got to be too much for even the most enthusiastic of us

So we went inside to enjoy the model railroads. And debate the inner workings of the control switches. Lessons were given.

Chairs were not shared.

Stubbornness wins. Take note.

Then we spent the afternoon visiting cousin E, who was sporting his snazzy new helmet.

Bonding

Overall, lots of fun. Day 2 at the farm (Monday) went well. Sabine had a great time, minus getting too close to the cows, which she informed us "MOOED AT ME. I DON'T LIKE THEM. THEY SCARE ME!" Apparently she let the teachers know this as well. The Fear is still very real and present in a lot of our day-to-day lives, and it's hard to predict what's going to set her off, but I am glad she's able to communicate it so well. It makes moving on and finding something else to enjoy that much easier.

27 Months

Today Sabine turned 27 months old. I missed a few monthly updates there, but I want to get back on track, because I think it's interesting to go back and see all the changes from month to month. Sabine is officially wearing size 24 months and/or 2T now. She fits 18-24 month clothes perfectly, but there are only so many of that in-between size. We are retiring most of the 18 month stuff, especially pants, since they don't quite hit her ankles anymore!

Sabine is talking a lot and starting to make up her own songs. The very first one (that we ever heard anyway) went:

Going to buy a ticket!

For the merry-go-round!

At the zoo!

Ride the cheetah!

I assume rhyme-scheme comes later.

Sabine has also figured out the one-to-one correlation with numbers. She can now accurately count for you (most of the time), and shows off with things like counting fingers (hers or yours), blueberries on her dinner tray, and blocks on the floor. Before, when you'd ask, "how many x,y,z are there?" she'd just count to ten, understanding that counting meant numbers, but the correlation of one number per object is new.

Her two-year molars are starting to come in, so there's been more chewing during the day and waking up in the night recently, but overall sleep is still going o.k.

Day care has been the new big addition, and Sabine has been asking to go back to the farm daily. We promise we're going again soon. We still do a little dance class on the weekends with her, too, and she still loves it. She practices her step-and-curtsey all week long. We tried gymnastics last fall, and while it was a fun experience, it did not elicit nearly the excitement that dance and the farm have, so we're not going to do gymnastics again for a while.

Sabine likes to walk on her heels, that's a new trick, along with spinning on her knees. She loves to run up and down the hallway in our house and have daddy chase her, especially if he chants "arms! arms! arms!" (I believe that came from one desperate attempt to get a coat on her, recently.)

She plays more with her friends now, trying to engage them, even though there are still often tears and "I WANT THAT TOY"'s when we're at play groups. Sharing is a tricky one to learn.

Overall, this is a really fun age. We haven't hit the terrible twos yet, although we know they're coming, so we're trying to enjoy this phase as much as possible. Sabine's very empathetic, she loves to talk, and she takes herself seriously. It's a really fun age, we're able to communicate so much more, and enjoy life and new adventures together. It's fun to hear her ask questions, and even talk in her sleep. It's fascinating to get glimpses of what's going on in her mind. She's very creative, and likes to "pretend" to do things when she's not allowed to actually do them. (Like shave or cook.) The weather's been really agreeable recently, too, so we're all benefitting from more vitamin D than we're used to getting in January, too.

27 Months = Awesome

(Showing off a semi-fake smile and busted lip. Toddlers keep life exciting!)

First Day of Preschool

From Drop Box

We enrolled Sabine in a preschool/daycare at a local farm, one half-day a week. Their focus is really just on being outside, experiencing the farm. The kids help feed the animals, plant seeds, pick the fruits in the summer, etc., mixed in with lots of digging in the dirt, playing on...rustic toys, and chasing peacocks. Given that we don't really have much outdoor space of our own, this sounded like a wonderful opportunity for Sabine to get a little more outdoor time.

She's a little young, normally they accept kids starting at 30 months (Sabine is almost 27) but they took her on a trial basis to reserve her spot. I dropped her off this morning, full of emotions, not knowing what to expect. Sabine saw a llama and that was it. I told her I was going to the grocery store, and she informed me she was staying with the llama. "Bye-bye, Mama!"

So.

That was easy.

(For her, anyway.)

I picked her up at 12:50, I got there a little early since I wasn't sure what state she'd be in. Not only was it her first day, but it was 20 minutes after her normal nap time. She was galloping around carrying an unopened string cheese. I assume lunch was too boring compared to everything else she had going on.

The teachers were busy helping all the kids pack up, so I didn't get to talk to them much, but they did both tell me that Sabine did really well. Apparently she particularly liked the chicken coop. (Germ-a-phobe mom is trying very hard not to think about that pre-lunch activity too much. A little dirt is good for the immune system, right?) One teacher told me Sabine communicates exceptionally well for her age, and both said she is a definite leader. I don't know how much of that was lip-service to a first-time parent, but this mom totally ate the compliments up with a spoon, and I am so crazy proud of Sabine for doing so well.

As we were leaving, one of the teachers happened to be moving to another building where some older kids were coming in for the afternoon. Sabine asked where she was going and she explained she was going to play with the big kids, then she paused and said, "You'd fit right in, wouldn't you? ... Two going on twenty!" Sabine agreed in all seriousness, but opted for the car instead, where she fell promptly asleep before we were even out to the main road. She's still napping right now. I'm not sure what to make of the two-going-on-twenty comment, but it was meant as a compliment, so that's where I'll leave it. At least she hasn't asked for a cell phone, yet!

Channeling Monet

We recently introduced Sabine to watercolors, our first foray into painting since THIS memorable adventure.

She took to it immediately, we paint everyday, and Sabine will often emerge from her room still rubbing her eyes, wearing pajamas, and demanding PAINT!

Her palette so far seems to consist of green, blue, and purple. Once those run out, I'm hoping she ventures into other colors. But for right now, it's fun to see her get so excited about an art activity!