Pop! Goes the Weasel

Here's Hannah singing her own version of Pop! Goes the Weasel in April 2009. Isn't this just the cutest thing?!?!?!

Jamming at the JCC

We took Hannah to a Purim Carnival at the SF JCC yesterday. It wasn't much of a carnival, but they had a few bands playing there that Hannah was mesmerized by. Here's some video of her jamming. The look on her face when I spin her around is priceless.

Breaking News: Queen Esther Does The Hula Hop!

To celebrate Purim, we dressed Hannah up as Queen Esther. As you can see from lots of our pictures and videos, we don't really do the girly thing, but we did yesterday, and Hannah loved it. Although the clip-on earrings and tiarra bothered her. Here's a video of us doing the hula hop before we left the house to go to the Purim Carnival.

Peepee on the Potty!

Potty training officially started today, and our first try was a success. Hannah got big cheers after her first try went in the toilet, and she cackled with pleasure at the fun of it. It's a silly thing, but we're so proud of Hannah. It's amazing to watch her grow up, and she certainly enjoys wearing her big girl underpants and going to the bathroom like Mommy and Daddy.

More Change in 2009 :)

2009 will be a year of change, and I'm not talking about President Obama taking office, although I am proud and hopeful about his Presidency. I'm more talking about the personal front. Changes to Hannah as she enters her 4th year of life; changes to our family with the addition of another baby girl in early June; and changes to both Maria and I as we continue to develop as a couple, as individuals, and as parents.

While all of these changes are profound, some take time to develop and become observable. I think one of the most amazing things about raising a child is how much this change takes place right before your eyes. Literally, day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month. There is always something new to learn or discover about one's self, or about the world. Part of the reason 2 year olds can be difficult is, I think, that all of these things--physical and emotional--are becoming palpable for them around this time, yet they don't understand it all yet. New expressions, new emotions and how to express them, new ways of playing and new things to play with, new things to discover about the world and its inhabitants, and new and deeper trust and love for parents, and many other things too. Because this is all so amazing to watch and be a part of, I think it's worth stopping, as frequently as possible, to enjoy the moment and appreciate the gift of life, and the joys of childhood.

Now that's I've done that, let's talk about January :) It's getting easier and easier (and more fun) to go out and do things with Hannah, and we've been making an effort as much as possible. We'll need to learn how to continue this with a newborn, but that's for later. In the meantime, we did some fun stuff in January. We had a great warm weather spell here, and on one of those days, I took Hannah to the Zoo in SF. She loved that--especially the family farm they have where you can walk around and interact with the animals. We also took her to Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay, where the biggest attractions were the bouncy room and Peewee the Pony sneezing. And at school one day, I was amazed to see her zooming around the yard on a tricycle. I had no idea she could do that, and what little kid doesn't love to go fast!

Anyway, enjoy these pictures from January 2009.

December Funkas!

December was a busy and fun month for us. We had a birthday party where a fun Fairy came and entertained the kids, we went to the awesome San Jose Kids Museum, saw a whole bunch of different fishies at the SF Aquarium, and took a trip to LA to see Jake, Yaling, Cousin Zoe, Maya, Erez and Lia. 2 year olds typically don't play with each other (they play in parallel), but it was cute to watch Hannah and Zoe feeling each other out. And because Hannah and Lia are close in age and are both pretty outgoing, the two of them hit if off and actually played together. Their hugs and kisses at the end of the night were just adorable :)

Hannah is at an incredible stage right now, and it's an absolute joy to watch her grow up, get to know her personality, and help her experience and discover the world we live in. Aside from how adorable she is, what's most amazing right now is how much she is talking. Her vocabulary is incredible, and you can have full on, multi-sentence conversations with her about many things. She learns new words, phrases, and grammar constantly, and occasionally she'll say something, in proper context, that we have no idea from where it came. There's definitely an element of the terrible twos with lots of crying fits, but that's probably more an element of her flowering strong personality than anything else. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask. And then ask again (and likely cry) until she gets it. She's also quite silly and fun to be around--making up words, singing songs, dancing, laughing, and generally reveling in the naivete of her toddlerhood :)

Cousin Zoe and Hannah Hug and Kiss

How cute!

The Hula Hop

On command, if you start singing this song, Hannah starts jumping up and down. It's classic.

Lia/Hannah Jam Session

We spent New Year's Eve (or rather late afternoon and early evening) with our friends Erez, Mia and their daughter Lia. Lia is a few months older than Hannah and a great girl--adorable, full or personality, smart and playful. Most kids Hannah and Lia's age do not do much playing with others--they play in parallel. But on NYE, Hannah and Lia completely hit it off. It was adorable. They were playing with eachother all night, sharing (with a little parental coaxing), and gave each other hugs and kisses at the end of the night. It was awesome to watch. This is a little video of a jam session the two of them had together.