November-December 2002

As we mentioned in the last installment, Sophie has gotten very "casual" (read: apathetic) about going in the potty, so instead of getting stressed and angry about it, we've recently just started putting her back in pull-ups, and we're getting along much better!  She's still only three years old, and she's proven that she can go on the potty, so I expect that eventually she'll get over this accident phase.  My own goal (this is Judy writing) is to try to relax about the whole thing, to not have a whole bunch of expectations and emotions tied up in it.  

Late December:  By the way, it seems that as soon as I calmed down about the whole potty regression thing, it seemed to resolve itself, i.e., no more (dare I say it?) accidents!  So, I'll just take it as a "life-lesson," to try not to get all (unnecessarily) emotionally worked up about things in general.  How's that for a great resolution for 2003?

On a positive note, Sophie is still very fun and friendly and extroverted, loves to sing in English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Hungarian (so far), loves to dance and play all sorts of music, loves us and her baby sister (when she's not torturing her!) and all her friends from school. She loves her ballet classes and nursery school, and she seems to enjoy it when I come to teach her class (about 3x/month) Israeli folk dances and Hebrew language songs and games like Yadayim Lema'la ("Hands Up"). We'll sing the songs together at home, and she'll say, "Hey, mommy, I learned that in school!"  And then I'll remind her, that, yes, I actually taught it to her there!  She still loves to practice signing ASL, play with her ASL card game and board game, and she loves to "teach" Dalia to sign, demonstrating for her and sometimes shaping her little hands into the proper hand shapes.  Once, as I was practicing for a story I had to tell in my ASL class, Sophie kept interrupting to sign to me, "I love you, Mommy!"  (Don't we just live for those little moments?)

Sophie often creates "scary monster" and other fantasy scenarios and stories.  She is also "Queen of the Non Sequiturs," coming up with things like, "You are famous and you are going to be charged.  You are in trouble!"  (Huh?!)  She also likes to say, "Oh, yeah?  Prove it!" which is straight out of one of her "Magic School Bus" videos--she has no idea what "Prove it" actually means--she just knows that it annoys me.  We're trying to teach her about appropriate vs. inappropriate things to say to people--wish us luck.  Another favorite response of hers is, "Oh, forget it!", which is right out of my (Judy's) own mouth, I know!  On another positive note, she loves to tell very silly jokes that she makes up on the spot, and she loves to make up songs.  She can write her name now (!), self-taught (see 3rd picture below for an upside-down rendition).  She adores baking with me--it's hard to keep her from eating the dough, cookies, sprinkles, you name it, but I guess it's all part of the experience!

Above  L to r: Judy and Sophie baking "Sun Bread," Sophie rolling out cookies, Sophie successfully writing out her name by herself, for the first time; Dalia playing at the local library playgroup, again at home with a stacking toy, and looking adorable in her cute "tushie" pajamas, which Aunt Deb sent from Israel two years ago. (See our Nov 2000 page for Sophie wearing the same ones!)

Dalia has been sprouting teeth like crazy! She now (late Dec) is cutting her bottom two eyeteeth, so she has 16, counting those. She is a real "boobah," (doll in Hebrew) sort of like her name! Such a sweet personality, so easy-going. Also loves to listen to music and bop or bounce. Her sleep patterns also seem to be much more "organized" than Sophie's ever were. She wakes up in the morning around 7am, wanting to play, nurse, eat breakfast, etc., then wants to nap 11-12, then gets up and plays and does her thing, then wants to nap 3-4, then plays, etc. until dinner, and is ready for bed at 8:30pm! She also likes to take toys, cups, magnets, etc., out and then put them back. Maybe she'll be neat and organized when she's older, too! Except for pulling books out and throwing them on the floor, saying, "book, book (meaning, "Read to me!")!"  Dalia also has more and more words every day, and as I'm teaching her the ASL signs for all the words, she has a good "tag" for each of them, i.e., two clues instead of one. I don't know if it works this well for all babies, but it's definitely working well for her. Something for me to research for the future.....

A couple of pics of Dalia's signing skills: (l to r: daddy, hungry, please, work, more)  How cute is she, huh?  My friend Lora is actually using Dalia's picture on her Babyfingers website as advertising!  (see links page)

Dalia's new words in November were toy, work (with sign), puppet, clock (kwok), block (bwok), nut, apple, cup, please (peas) with sign, teeth, shoes (juice), Sophie (dofi), snow (no).  Her funniest new trick is to pucker her beautiful lips up as if to kiss somebody when we ask her to do "poochie lips." 
  
In December, her new words are bagel, man (for the snowman), (s)winging, one, two, (s)ock, bubbles, s(l)eep, HI and FINE when talking (or pretending to talk) on the phone, "DONE!" with hands up when she's finished eating, girl and boy (with signs), button (on phone or on card swiper at grocery store), TV (for the remote), bed, tub, happy, sad, surprised, ang(r)y, morning, night-night, have it, want it, see it, mine (with sign), pretzel, open, can't, again, dolly, Maisy (character in book), plus many body parts.  She likes to pretend to count things, like flowers on her shirt, and will point to them and say, "One, two, one, two," or just "one, one, one" and look up at us and laugh adorably or clap for herself.  She likes to tell us, "LOOK, LOOK!" (wook, wook) at whatever she wants. She likes to brush her own hair and teeth, and she says, TEETH, TEETH! whenever she sees a toothbrush.  By the end of December, she's pronouncing Sophie's name properly, even calling her "Soph" occasionally. When we listen to music on the radio, she claps and says "YAY!" when it ends, as if it were live music.  She's imitating us like crazy, and her vocabulary is growing exponentially, both words and signs.  

   
Noel and Dalia enjoying Életfa's music at a Hungarian táncház; Noel dancing in a show; Dalia pretending to draw; Sophie, Dalia, and cousin Aleeza (Thanksgiving in Amherst); Noel and the girls; Sophie, Noel, and frozen Lake Celeste, Dalia and Noel on a hike; Sophie building a snowman with Öcsi; Sophie building with blocks, Noel and the girls with Ruth Zachary; Judy, Cathy Lamont, and the girls at another táncház; and playing with the Munitzes at home. 

As you can see from these pictures, we've been keeping busy as usual.  We celebrated Thanksgiving and the beginning of Hanukkah in Amherst with Noel's parents and brother and his family, before Allen and Rita's departure for their six months in Israel.  We attended the November and December Hungarian táncházak in NYC, which we and the girls thoroughly enjoyed.  We also had a lot of fun playing in the snow, building a snowman with Öcsi and Trixie (Magyar) early in December and sledding with our friends Drew and Teresa and Quinn and Kai and their children after the Christmas snowstorm.  We visited Noel's elderly relative Ruth Zachary, who really enjoyed getting to know the little ones, whom she hasn't seen in over a year.  Noel participated in another performance of Balkan/modern fusion, and he seemed to really enjoy the whole experience, in spite of fighting a bad cold.  Christmas Eve we spent with our friends Shari and Andy Munitz and their two children, having a belated Hanukkah celebration, complete with latkes, applesauce, other yummy food, candle lighting and gifts for the kids.  We haven't been skating on the lake yet, because the conditions haven't allowed for it, but we hope to get out there in January.  We also still haven't finished putting up the interior wall in our living room, but hopefully that will be done in the next couple of months.

As I (this is still Judy) watch how the girls seem to enjoy using ASL, I am really inspired to create a project, program, or something similar for deaf and hearing children to play, interact, do dancing, drama, signing/singing, drumming, etc., with the goal of creating rapport and understanding between the two communities.  I haven't formulated all the details yet, but it's a budding idea that I'm discussing with other friends.  Meanwhile, I'm going to keep taking ASL classes, practicing with the girls, and collecting and using ASL books, games and other materials.  If anyone has any ideas about how to generate interest, especially among the deaf community, please let me know!

Judy has a new haircut (see pics)!  Not that that is big news or anything, but I've been wearing my hair up in a ponytail for so long, and I was starting to feel frumpy, so I went wild and cut bangs and layers and got highlights.  I feel less frumpy now!   Now if only we could all get some regular exercise!  Another new resolution for 2003!