It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

Dad & I looking for a Christmas tree!

 Well, OK, so here in Jordan it doesn't actually look a whole lot like "Christmas": blue sky, bright sunshine, sweatshirt-only weather. But we do heat our house with a wood-burning stove, so Dad & I tried the "Chestnuts Roasting on a [Closed] Fire" thing. And we had some of the other more traditional Christmas things: red footy pajamas, Christmas breakfast together, presents to open on Christmas (including two dollies that Grandma Ginna sent from Japan--one of them has eyes that open and close and the other one has a bottle that I can feed to her!)

But it's been a while since I've updated you all on life here in Amman, so I thought it was about time.

We may not have had any snow, but we had several days of a lot of rain . . . and Mom & Dad soon found out that if you make a sandbox out of a children's swimming pool, then sometimes you end up with "high tide"  after a heavy rain. No problems for me: I loved  being able to dig around in the mud, and when Mom wasn't looking, I even climbed in the sand/mud box! Big smiles there!!

Other things that have been keeping me busy include lots of time with friends, continued walks with Dad (though no longer in the stroller: that just got too boring. Now I walk as well. Yes, this does mean that we stop frequently to sit on curbs and explore things, but it's still much, much more interesting! And we still sometimes get to see the neighborhood dogs, so life is good), working on getting Mom & Dad to understand me (I've got "meow," "woof-woof," "up," "mama" and "baba" down; we're working on "milk" and other words). And then of course there's eating, talking on the phone, exploring, dancing to music, and simply enjoying life!

I'm SURE that if I just keep working at this,
SOME day I'll find the right key!

One of my new baby dolls

Hello! Grandma Ginna?

Christmas Breakfast

Two of our Christmas trees (we decided
to go live & go local)

Thanks!

 Hi again! Yes, I know that official Thanksgiving is over, but I figured it wouldn't be a bad time to take some time to chronicle the things I'm thankful for.

1. This may seem a bit odd, but I actually am thankful that all around Amman are curbs and door sills that are just the right size for me. I've tried out quite a few (just about every one that I notice), and almost all of them make for great places to sit and to observe life from.

2. So thankful that Mom & Dad are finally starting to understand me! I've tried articulating much more clearly (ba--bo, said with great enunciation and expression), and every once in a while, they actually get it! It helps a lot if I also use gestures. For example, when I hold my arms up and stand right in front of them, they usually get it when I say "up."

3. Yes, I know this is a recurring theme, but WALKS and the outside.  Dad and I still get out every morning, usually right about the time that Mom heads out to work. And Dad was smart enough to pick up this great jacket for me. Mom initially laughed at him--she said something about it being size 4T?--but it works great on the cold mornings, especially when it's a bit drizzly.




















4. Fun things to do around the house, like helping Mom in the kitchen and play in my sandbox. Again, Dad wins the prize for thinking ahead: he bought several clear tarps and covered over my play area so that I could play in the sand, even in the winter. As an added bonus, when we hang clothes out there to dry, they dry faster than they would otherwise . . . apparently it's almost like a greenhouse or something?

5. FRIENDS!!! I love where we live: all I need to do is walk outside, and I am almost guaranteed to find at least someone out there to play with. On Thanksgiving Day, Mom had the day off, so we invited my friends over to make and decorate sugar cookies (we'd been using the cookie cutters in the sand, but we've decided that cookie dough is much easier . . . and a heck of a lot better tasting!!). Of course, I slept through most of the event (what's all this about a schedule?), but I woke up in time for cookies and milk. Not a bad combination, I've got to say!

And I could keep going and going and going with my list . . . but I think it's time to head outside again :)

Fall(ing)

It's started to get a bit colder here in Amman, which means that I get to wear socks under my sandals (something Mom says she picked up in the Pacific Northwest?) and jackets on my morning walks with Dad. Apparently, it is now "fall," which means Mom is back at work, and Dad is working hard to cover my sand box so that I'll still be able to play in it, even when it rains.



As Mom said in our last post, I've been pretty busy--and still am--but when I noticed that there was only one post for October, I realized that I'd better do a bit of "catching up."




I have a new nanny this year, and I love playing with her! We spend a lot of time walking up and down our "haara" (the dead-end alley our house is on), playing in my sand box (or going down the slide), reading books, dancing to music, and sometimes playing with the kids in the neighborhood. One thing is for sure: we always have a great time! She's also taught me where my eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and tummy are (though I have to pull up my shirt to show you my tummy), and we're working on the sounds that dogs and lions make.

I did do my first face-plant a few weeks ago, and wow, did that create a scab! (Kids: do not attempt this at home!) Right on the tip of my nose. I guess maybe Mom & Dad were on to something when they kept reminding me to go backwards (slowly) off of steps: even one can do some pretty serious damage!

Fortunately, the rest of the news is good. We had a visitor from America a little while ago:  the mom of one of my mom's good friends came to Israel & Jordan on what she called "the trip of a lifetime." (Hmmm. I wonder if that was because she got to meet me?) We went over to see her at her hotel, and I had a lot of fun running around the lobby and exploring the pool (the rocks by the pool are the perfect size for putting in my mouth!). She also made me a great hat for winter. I even tried putting it on my softball, and it fit really well. Mom said it looked like I was carrying around a little doll. Wonder what that is. (Side not from Mom: yes, I am embarrassed to admit that Katie does not, at this moment, have any dolls. Trucks, yes. Blocks and shovels, yes. And lots of stuffed animals. But we're going to need to look into doll purchasing some time soon!)

So: other things that have been keeping me busy. Well, I help Mom & Dad a lot. Not long ago we harvested olives off of the trees in our garden. I made sure to inspect them all by looking at them one by one (sometimes) and also by dumping them out and letting them roll all over the patio. They looked pretty good. I also love to help Mom in the kitchen. The sink is especially great: I help with the water--making sure that it still splashes and (at times) tasting it to make sure it still tastes right. I like to help Dad outside: I'm quite adept at moving sand, and I'm very good at finding little rocks.

And, of course, I help with the neighborhood kids by playing with them. Most recently we've been experimenting with the properties of sand & water as well as with how to increase speed by reducing friction (they've found that it helps to throw some dry sand on the slide before sliding down: it makes you go a lot faster!). Oh yes, we've also been experimenting with trajectories: if a tennis ball is thrown upwards by a three-year old boy, with a wind speed of x and at an angle of y, then where will the ball land? Haven't totally figured that one out yet.

But all in all, life just keeps getting more and more interesting--and more and more fun! 

I think they call this "sheer delight"!

From Mom Again

Before Katie started walking, people told me that my life would change once she did. I have to admit, I kind-of dismissed what they said: after all, she was already  mobile; how much difference could walking make?


OK, so I was totally wrong. Jim and I can no longer both sit down to eat when we go out to eat downtown: one of us eats while the other is on "Katie duty." And as far as leaving her to play while I go do something in another room . . . only if I know the room she's in is "Katie proofed" and only if I check on her frequently.  And the "no" conversations are increasing in frequency: "Katie, we sit in chairs; we don't stand." "Katie, remember how to go down stairs?"

Playing on the "Big Toy" at my school, with
her friend, Marin.

But oh, how much fun it is!! I've had trouble capturing it in photos because she is constantly in motion, delighted at her independence and her ability to walk. Sometimes she just walks in circles, with a huge grin on her face, as if to say "Wow! Look at what I can do!!!" And yes, keeping her safe is harder, but it is so much fun to watch her walk, climb, explore, dance, and play all the more.


Her "vocabulary" is also dramatically increasing. She loves to talk and does so with great frequency--intonation, words of her own making, gestures, facial expressions, body language: she's got it all! Too bad I can't understand it yet. There are times when I think I do, like the time she touched the still-warm stove, looked at me in surprise, and said "hot!" I was delighted: listen to my daughter!! But of course, since that time, ice has also been "hot," as have many other things that I wouldn't exactly call warm . . . . And then there was the time we were fruit & vegetable shopping. She pointed to a large pile of apples and very clearly said "App-o." Again, delighted at my brilliant daughter, I couldn't wait to share her accomplishment with the world. Until, that is, we continued walking down the aisle, and onions, carrots, peppers, and many other things were also  "app-o." I guess the one-to-one word-to-item correlation still needs work :) I have attempted to capture her speaking, though: one of the videos below may seem terrible, but it's because I was trying to allow you to hear her "talk."

The rest of the pictures & videos are just her--sliding, playing in water, helping with the dishes, playing more, walking, playing, talking . . . and even sleeping.

Captured! (on video, that is)

Life

You know, it's easy to think that I can't write a new post unless something "exciting" has happened, but today I decided to just give you a glimpse into "normal life": what I do, what I like to do, who I spend time with, etc.

So . . . here goes:

Favorite (normal) thing #1: Playing outside, especially with friends.

Mom & Dad bought play mats for
our outside patio area, so they're
comfortable to sit and crawl on, and
then Dad strung tarps so that there's
shade all day!

Tareq comes to visit his grandpa (our neighbor) almost
every day. I LOVE it when he comes over and plays with me!

This is Tareq's grandpa and little
brother. They usually don't come
with Tareq, but one day they did :)

Some of Mom's friends gave me this
pool. I humored Mom & Dad
once and got into it, then decided
it was too small. Fortunately, Dad
found a much better use for it
(see below)!

Sometimes there are a lot of us playing--and
even though they're all bigger than me,
they help me out! This is me, Tareq, Elia, and Jad.

Elia & Jad's older brother, Wa'el
comes over a lot too. He can
create some pretty neat structures!

This was the day I got to play
with the markers the big boys
were using. The pink one
tasted OK :)

All of us. Pretty normal day.

Favorite (normal) thing #2: Go on walks!
Daddy takes me on a walk every morning in my stroller. Sometimes Marilyn (my nanny) takes me on walks during the day. And often, in the evenings, Mom and Dad and I will go on walks--around Jabal Weibdeh, downtown, to other areas. And sometimes, on these walks, I get to actually walk!

Daddy & I on one of our walks
downtown. Check out my Bob the
Builder overalls!

 Favorite (normal) thing #3: 

'nuff said.

Favorite (normal) thing #4:

Like I said, Dad found a much better use for
the small swimming pool!

Favorite (hopefully normal) thing #5: J'imagine.
One of Mom's friends told her about this great place called j'imagine. They've got toys and space and light and more toys and more toys . . . and other kids!! I love going there, and I'm hoping I'll get to go often!

 Favorite (normal) thing #6:
Hanging out in our entryway. I love this room! I can look outside, watch the birds and the trees and some of the neighbors, watch for Daddy and Mommy, play with the water bottles or my strollers or the chair, explore my toys . . . and just enjoy the sunlight!











Favorite (normal) thing #7: Clapping, dancing, jumping, talking, laughing, crawling, wrestling, playing, exploring, climbing . . . whew! The list is endless.