Month: November 2008

This year, we went to Aunt Tittoo & Uncle Teji’s house to join their annual Thanksgiving celebration, followed by a more traditional turkey dinner at home.

From Hey Diddle Diddle

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Often when Dada is trying to get Austen moving (she’s often poky about putting her clothes on, or going downstairs to the car), he’ll say, “Let’s do it, baby!”

Of late she responds to being called a baby with a reminder of her upcoming sister status. “I’m not a baby! I’m a sister.”

From I’m a big sister

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Austen can dress herself head to toe and is very proud of herself when she does so. Shirt, underwear, pants, socks and shoes. “I did it all by my big girl self.”

When in a hyped up, overexcited mood, she still has a tendency to refuse to help get herself dress, squirming around and ‘playing’ instead of cooperating with dressings. Mommy is overheard using many threats: no princess videos, etc.. However, Austen seems to be, for the most part, over the fighting and kicking stage when getting dressed. Of course, all bets are off if she’s overly tired; in which case she’ll fight you over ANYTHING because her rebellious, independent side goes haywire.

Mommy and Dada love the way Austen appreciates her own appearance now — not in a vain sense but in a “I want to do it” sense. Just yesterday she checked out her new hat the mirror at a coffee shop and seemed quite taken. The striped, pink hat became “goat ears.” For Halloween, Austen was thrilled with her princess, flower fairy and chicken outfits. Looking at herself in the mirror inspired her to keep the outfit on, even when it wasn’t 100% comfy.

Since Austen’s been watching a lot of princess stories (Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella), she’s starting talking about the princes (noting their names, pointing them out when she sees them).

One day while Mommy and Austen were about to get out of the car to go eat lunch at a restaurant in town, Austen noticed Mommy’s diamond ring, and Mommy told her about how Dada gave it to her when they decided to get married. “You know how all the princesses get married to a prince at the end of the story … Well, Dada is my prince.”

Austen was furious. “No!!!!! Dada is my prince, not yours.”

Mommy tried to offer to share but Austen wasn’t having it.

After Austen calmed down (days later) she asked “Who’s my prince?” Mommy tried to convince Austen that, when she’s older, she can choose her own prince, if she wants to.

For five days straight, out of nowhere, at random times, Austen suddenly exclaims, “Julian broke his leg!!!” When Alyson and Julian came to visit last Friday, Alyson told the other moms the story of how Julian broke his leg when he was 8 months old. Austen was apparently listening and the story has made quite an impact on her little psyche. Out of nowhere, it all comes back to her, and she yells, “Julian broke his leg!!!” as if it just happened ten minutes ago and she’s telling us for the first time.

If only Alyson would come tell a rapturous story about how pushing little kids is not cool. 🙂

Pirates, train engineers, a knight, a cookie monster, witches, a dragon and a princess gathered to celebrate Halloween. In their normal style, they ran around, went wild in the jumpy castle, played games and gobbled up treats (as if they needed more fuel!). Four hours later, the only ones slowing down were the adults; I’m sure there were plenty of napping monsters this afternoon.

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