Christmas Comes Early

Santa made an early visit to our house last night. He must have known that we will be visiting both sets of grandparents over the real Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

He brought Mabel an amazing kitchen of her very own. She's already cooked up some delicious peach cobbler and a delightful pasta with red sauce. And Elmo won't stop calling her on the phone that came with the kitchen.

Along with her kitchen, she had a stocking filled with books, some Ms. Potato head accessories, her first slinky and an Elmo toothbrush.

Santa also brought Mabel her very own electric guitar and keyboard (although the keyboard looks mysteriously like one that daddy got in college...). We made sure to capture her first strums on her guitar so it can be played in her VH1 "Behind the Music" episode.

Potties, Peej, and Ponytails

Mabel got her first potty recently, but hasn't quite figured out the correct approach.

Her hair is finally long enough for the single ponytail, but her favorite new game is to pull out whatever is in her hair and then ask me to put it back in. Over and over. Fun for everyone!

We recently put up our tree and Mabel helped hang an ornament or two. She also attempted to place baby Jesus in the manger scene, but was distracted by her Hello Kitty book.

Finally, the most recent pic is the one with her in her Packer Peej. She happened to rediscover her Packer nuk which we let fly since it went so nicely with her outfit.

Thanksgiving '08

We all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. We started up in Peshtigo with Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Dick. The ladies made some fantastic sides and Grandpa Dick grilled up the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Mabel sported one of her beautiful "sissy" dresses.

We spent the second half of the weekend at Gammy's. We had a nice visit with Gammy and Dave on Saturday and then Mabel spent Sunday in their excellent care while mom and dad went to the Packer game.

I also included a video from dinner tonight. It's hard to hear, but Mabel is showing off her new Muttley laugh.

Thanksmas

Yikes! No posts since Halloween. Hopefully our little blog still has a following out there.

We spent last weekend in CT visiting Mabel's Aunt Jill, Uncle Darren, & cousins Ab & Sam. Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Dick decided to join us so that we could celebrate an early holiday together. We declared it "Thanksmas". We enjoyed some delicious meals, strong drinks, and good laughs.

I included one video of Mabel a week or so ago playing with daddy. There's also a video of her dancing to the new Beyonce song while in CT. I think they should redo the video and have her be a dancer. We also have a pic of her playing with one of her favorite Thanksmas gifts - Mr. Potato Head.

Halloween 2008

Mabel's Halloween was full of treats and free from tricks. Last weekend she went to WI to visit Grandma and Grandpa and also stopped by the Wigchers to see her Aunt Meagan, Uncle Bill, Alayna, Emilie, Olivia, Gammy, and Grandma Katie. She attempted trick or treating with her cousins, but only made it to one house. There was a little too much wind and a little too much walking for a 17 month old.

Mabel's partying continued through the week. She wore her ninja costume to school on Friday and came home with a goody bag and cute craft project, so it appears there was a party at school. After school, Mia and Sara came over and we all headed out to Big Jones for a spooky Halloween dinner. The restaurant gave away goody bags to all guests and Nathan's contained a certificate for a VIP dinner for two - free apps, entrees, desserts, and a $30 bar tab. Not a bad haul for only one stop of trick-or-treating that night.

Though we suspected this earlier, it is confirmed that Mabel can sing. I included a video (really just audio) of her singing the hello song from Wiggleworms.

Dada. London.

Mabel and I are SO ready for daddy to come home. I did enjoy some red meat and left a few dishes in the sink, but that wore thin real quick. And Mabel just wanders around the house saying "Dada?" and looks in all the rooms she has access to. For those of you who don't know, Nathan went to visit his friend, Brad, in London. Their daughter, Zadie, is one of Mabel's links on this blog.

Speaking of good friends, Mabel and I had the pleasure of meeting Brandon Steele this afternoon. He is as close to perfect as anything I've seen. He is the newest arrival of our friends, Denise & Brian. They also have a blog and you can check out pics of Brandon by following the links under "Mabel's friends."

Daddy has the camera this weekend, but I thought I'd put a quick shot from Photobooth.

Weekend Update

We're having another great Saturday kicked off by a visit to Wiggleworms. Mabel had a fun time, as always.

Mabel has been working on her animals sounds. We included a few videos.

Dad is off to London on Wednesday, so it will be Mabel and mama alone for a few days next weekend.

We also included a sneak peak of her Halloween costume. Can you tell what she is?

Ba-na-na

A few new tricks to share... Mabel copies us when we imitate the Count in one of her books. Plus she picked up a new word tonight during dinner.

Packer Nuk

Mabel rediscovered her Packer nuk while watching the Pack today.

S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. Night

Just hanging out on a Saturday night when suddenly Mabel went a little nuts. See the video for details.

She had a really nice weekend so far. We went out for dinner at T's, a local bar & grill, and Mabel walked ALL the way home by herself. Three blocks! She had Wiggleworms with Mia this morning and brunch afterwards with Mia and her fam. Then a nice nap while mom went shopping with some gal pals from work. Finally, some awesome playtime and dancing at home tonight.

Mabel is REALLY looking foward to some bonus days home with mama. Well, maybe mama is looking forward to it even more. Mom has this Tuesday and next Thursday off of school for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Play Dates with Mia & Nora

Mabel had a full social calendar this week. Mama's friend, Brooke, and her daughter, Nora, came to visit. The girls had a great time playing at Mabel's house and watching daddy play in his band.

Mabel also got together with Mia this morning to kick it at the playground. No Wiggleworms this weekend and Mabel couldn't let a weekend go by without some quality Mia time. Mabel continues to despise swings, but she did start to warm up to the slide this morning.

We're Back!!!

The computer dark times are over!! Our MacBook was under the weather for a few weeks, but has come back to life thanks to hard work from daddy. I have also transferred our entire photo library over to my work computer, so there should never be significant down time since my work laptop has it's own service dept. Anyway, sorry for the long break and I'm hoping to pick up the pace now that our electronic life is back in order.

Mabel continues to be a total hoot. Lots of new words. Check out the vid for her first crack at "touchdown". And FYI - pants were optional at our house this weekend. Other new tricks... sumo walk (I'll try to get a vid of that), identifying the letter M, turning the Wii on and off, reaching stuff on my desk in Craft Corner (not something I'm particularly pleased about), pretending to cook us stuff in her little kitchen, and just overall cracking us up.

Mabel has already been to two Wiggleworms classes. It's a class at the Old Town School for little tykes. We sing, dance, catch bubbles, play tamborines, and all kinds of fun stuff. The first week Mabel just pretty much watched, but this weekend she joined right in. There is no class next week, but we're looking forward to class on the 27th.

We also had Mabel's 15 month check up. All is well. So nice to have a short paragraph on that.

Finally, in general, here's what Mabel has been into lately: Elmo, strawberries, talking Leap Frog, Isabel, her kitchen, books, the moldy frog that she plays with in the tub (she brought it to day care two days last week and to Wiggleworms), creamy milk, her puzzle, her toothbrush, and her new magnetic letter thing (stick the letter in and it says the letter and sings an annoying song).

Just sayin'

Packers' record against the Vikings and Lions since Mabel's conception: ten wins, zero losses.

Labor Day

Just a real quick post to let you know we're still here. Life has gotten a little crazy with mama back to work. Teaching high school level math that she hasn't been exposed to since high school hasn't helped.

Mabel had her 15 month check up recently and all was well. Growth and milestones were all on track. No referrals which is always a plus. And Mabel was a real trooper for her shots.

Recent milestones... lots of new words (more, again, up, down). Dancing. Picking up books that we ask her to get. All kinds of other cool stuff that we'll report on in more detail soon. Our Mac laptop is out of commission at the moment which has limited our ability to upload photos and document our life.

Millennium Park

Mabel made her first trip to Millennium Park today.  The weather was perfect for a dip in the fountain.  Mabel wasn't into running around too much, but she sat for almost 30 minutes just splashing and laughing.

You Spin Me Round

The mama is back from the 2008 Stampin' Up convention and glad to be back with Mabel. (Check out danaeciske.stampinup.net for all your paper crafting needs :) Mabel spent a few days up in Peshtigo and now Grandma Joyce is in Chicago hanging out with Mabel and mama.

Mabel has LOTS of new tricks. I've included videos of two highlights - her spinning around and acting out the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" song. Other tricks include pointing to herself, her nose, and her mouth, doing peek-a-boo herself, attempting to complete her first puzzle, and finding many resourceful ways to get into places where she doesn't belong.

Cat

Mabel had a great day on Friday with her friends Nora and Jack. Nora is Brooke's five-month-old daughter and Jack is Erin's 14-month-old son. We went to the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Cheesecake Factory and lived to tell about it. The babies all had a great time and the moms agreed we need to do it again very soon, but perhaps later in the evening. And perhaps at a more adult setting. And perhaps with babysitters.

Mabel has been cranking out some new words. She has a word for diaper that sounds something like "ada" and she likes to say "gat" very loud and chase Isabel around the house (see video).

By the way, be sure to check out the "Mia" link on the side to see some recent posts that feature pics of Mabel with her friend Mia. I forgot my camera at both events.

Back from Vacation

We're finally back from our three weeks out of town. After a little over a week in WI, we flew out east for a family road trip.

We put over 1600 miles on the rental car, stayed in about 8 or 9 hotels, each received about ten bug bites, and walked for miles, including Mabel! She really mastered her walking while on the trip. Her favorite part of every day was checking into the hotel and walking around the room.

For the most part, she was great during the trip, but she eventually did tire of being moved between the car seat and stroller. She was definitely glad to get back to her toys and her cat in Chicago.

A highlight of the trip was our visit to Nathan's Aunt Kerry and Uncle Bill. (That's Kerry in the bottom picture.) They live in Newport, VT. We were able to see their beautiful home and get a peek at Bill's sailboat in the harbor. It was a great visit and we hope to see them again soon.

Walking Update

Mabel has made ALOT of progress on her walking today.  Thought I'd put up a quick video.

She also had a perfect Fourth of July.  She enjoyed playing with Uncle Darren, Aunt Jill, Sam, & Abby.  We went on walks, boat rides, saw a parade, shot off fireworks and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Just one other comment on the photo of Mabel in the red outfit.  This outfit definitely qualifies as "vintage" - It was mama's when she was a baby.

Cubs Game, New Couch, Purple Dress

Mabel was excited to get her new couch today. Lots more snuggle room for the whole fam.

Also wanted to include a quick shot of Mabel in her pretty purple dress from Grandma Katie. She wore it out to breakfast. If only her demeanor could have been as pretty as her dress. Mama had to leave abruptly from breakfast a bit early after Mabel smashed a plate during a fit.

We attended a Cubs game yesterday. Mabel enjoyed a refreshing cold beverage in the hot weather. Don't worry - the cup pictured was empty. She only enjoyed good ol' H2O from her sippy cup.

Catch

No big news here. Mabel continues to refuse to walk without the walker, but she still manages to get into everything she's not supposed to. The other day I had taken the box of kleenex from the bathroom to have nearby since Mabel's nose was running just about as fast as her behind her walker. I stepped into another room for a minute or so and, in that time, Mabel had just about emptied the entire box of kleenex. Luckily I caught her before she ate any of them.

I bought Mabel this 99 cent ball at Target today and it has quickly become her favorite toy. She likes to kick it with her feet, but, of course, only when sitting down.

One other quick update - we had an eye appointment with Dr. Rabiah yesterday. He dilated her eyes and is quite confident that the vision she does have in her strong eye is very good, perhaps even 20/20. We won't know for sure until she can tell us exactly what she sees, but overall, a good visit. And, since her tear duct is now working properly, we're not due back to see him for another six months.

First Steps

Big news today. Mabel FINALLY took a few steps without her trusty walker. She still prefers the walker, but I think we're making some serious headway towards becoming a biped.

And now for a few captions...

The first photo is an addendum to our Memorial Day post. We once again participated in the tour of all the Kramer/Drees graves. They all looked beautiful and we shared stories with Mabel about her family.

The pic of Mabel eating the famous "windmill cookie" is taken at Schaffers. Schaffers is kind of a legendary chicken place up in Crivitz near the area of our wedding reception. As always, the chicken was superb.

The shot of Nathan in the tie was taken at my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Romie's 50th wedding anniversary party this past weekend. It was great seeing the Kramer clan and sharing the big event with my aunt and uncle.

Mabel has had two play dates recently. The first was with her gal pal, Mia. Mia's mom and dad brought her over for some chicken kabobs, a wagon ride, and some delicious beer. No worries - the beer was for the adults only. Mabel also spent some time with her good friend, Jack, up in Peshtigo. Jack's mom, Erin, is Danae's close friend from Peshtigo. Erin's parents still live next door to the Kramers.

One last note... both Mabel and mama are officially on spring break, so we'll be working hard to keep the blog a little more up to date!

Fun With Photo Booth

Just a quick hello from Peshtigo.  The weather has been so-so, but we've had a great time visiting family.  We've been staying with Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Dick and playing with their new MacBook (thus the crazy pictures from Photo Booth).  We also got to see Aunt Meagan, Uncle Bill, Emilie, Alayna, Olivia, and Gammy today at the vacation house.

Look, Ma! No hands!

Mabel had her 1 year check up last weekend and all is well. Here are her stats:

Weight - 21 lbs - 47%
Height - 30 1/2" - 88%
Head - 48 cm - 99%

We were excited that everything checked out normal. No meds, referrals, etc. Very exciting.

Some of Mabel's new tricks are to try to stand without holding on to something, blowing kisses, and finding our nose, mouth, and ears. She's also starting to copy more of the sounds we make, but we're still waiting for her first word other than the occasional "mama" and "dada". For some reason "mama" is always what comes out when she's angry and frustrated (like tonight at bedtime) and "dada" comes out when she's playful and happy. Guess that's what I get for being the strong arm that makes her go to bed.

Try as I might to capture the blowing kisses on video, I haven't been able to. I have included a picture of her standing. You can check out her new xylophone from Uncle Darren, Aunt Jill, Ab & Sam. It's next to her other smaller one. This new one is a major upgrade. We now have all 8 notes in the scale. Daddy has been playing all sorts of songs for Mabel on it. He was also pleased to discover that it's tuned the same as the little five note gator xylophone, so, eventually, they'll be able to play duets perfectly in tune.

It's My Party

Mabel is officially the big 0-1. On Thursday, her actual birthday, we took her out for some polenta cakes, scallop risotto, and four cheese pizza. She also received some awesome gifts from Uncle Darren, Aunt Jill, Abby, & Sam.

Her big celebration was this afternoon. We were blessed with a morning nap before the guests arrived, so Mabel was well rested and ready to party. Guests included Gammy, Grandma Katie, Aunt Meagan, Uncle Bill, Alayna, Emilie, Olivia, Grandma Joyce, and Grandpa Dick. Mabel received some wonderful gifts and enjoyed her homemade carrot cake. It was all a bit much for her so she crashed for another two hours right after the big cake event.

Thank you to everyone for driving in for the big event and for all the generous gifts. Mabel says a big thanks and sends her love.