Our Little Italian

As with many Americans, Abby's heritage is a big mash-up of several different European countries. While she gets some lovely German-Irish genes from me, she gets great Italian and Belgian genes from Jason's side of the family. This came to mind tonight as I watched her munching on a handful of pepperoni while she waited for the pizza she made cook in the oven. I couldn't help but look at her and think: She is so Italian! This got me wondering what other characteristics she shared with her Italian relatives, so I Googled "Italian characteristics". I found some pretty funny sites and lists (the best one was here), and I thought I would share some Italian traits that I found, and some I thought of, that fit Miss Abby to a T.

Family is Everything

When I think of Italians I think of great large families that get together often and would do anything for each other. If Abby could get together with extended family every day she would do it. Abby loves the family, and loves being around them all. She loves gathering with everyone in Nana's kitchen to laugh and enjoy the copious amounts of food. 

Express Yourself

One article I looked at mentioned that Italians tend to be "expressive with their emotions". I think I laughed out-loud when I read that. No one would argue that Abby is not expressive - in fact, there are many times when she may be a bit too expressive. There is never any doubt as to what Abby is thinking or feeling, because she lets you know - usually in a big way.

Pizza, Pasta, & Pepperoni - Oh My!

When I think about the list of Abby's favorite foods I realize that it is dominated by Italian food. I've never known her to say, "No" to pizza, and if you gave her a bag of pepperoni, she'd be a happy camper. She also loves pasta (or "noodles" as she calls them), with Dada's yummy marinara sauce. Yes, her dinner menu is dominated by the food of her people.

Maybe tomorrow I'll share my thoughts on the German-Irish side of her....that combination could be very interesting to explore.

Expressive?.....Umm....Yep!

Pepperoni anyone?

Merida/Abby

Today was a day that Abby has been waiting for since June 22, when she experienced her first theater movie. Today the movie "Brave" came out on DVD. I can't tell you how many Youtube clips of that movie we've watched since that day in June. She was so excited about finally seeing the movie again that she woke up this morning with it on her brain. Since she has a Dada that loves to surprise her, he went out and got that movie for his little peanut and had it waiting for her when she got off the bus. The minute I told her she had a surprise waiting for her, she knew exactly what it was and she was so excited she started dancing right there in our driveway.

As we watched the movie I couldn't help but think of how similar Princess Merida and Abby are. If you haven't seen the movie, and you don't want to spoil it, you may want to stop reading here - I'd hate to give anything away.

Abby must have made some comparisons as well, because tonight she declared that I was Queen Eleanor, Jason was King Fergus, and Bruiser was Angus - she, of course, was Merida.

Grocery Shopping - Abby Style

I have come to the conclusion that everyone should experience grocery shopping with Abby at least once in their lifetime. Let me give you some tips if/when you ever get that chance.

1. Try not to bring the cart to a stand-still. I'll count it as a given that you should have Abby in the cart - if you let her roam free you might as well give up. She does fit in the front of the cart still (as we found out today), but she will insist on using the seatbelt, and those can get a bit snug. No matter where she ends up, front or back, if you bring the cart to a full stop she will want to trade places - and she doesn't just request a change, she starts to move, so you'd better be ready.

2. Steer slow enough for her to say, "Hi!", but too fast for her to elaborate. Abby has to say, "Hi!" to everyone we pass. The responses that we get are anywhere from a surprised and bashful, "Oh! Hello," to a big smile and a chuckle as they return her greeting. Today one man even said, "Well, if you have to be at the grocery store, you might as well be happy." Yup. I'm always fearful though that if we go too slowly she'll start sharing embarrassing information, or say embarrassing things. Today after greeting a little girl with, "Hi, it's me...Abby!" she continued by pointing to her and yelling at me, "Hey Mom, did you see that? It's a girl!" I got going before she started to elaborate.

3. Abby has sticky fingers, so don't get too close to the shelves. Today, as I was trying to decide on something, I noticed that Abby had quickly (and expertly) pulled something off the shelf. Since she choose a bag of chocolate covered cashews I didn't fight her too hard to put them back.

4. Keep her busy. Usually when we are about half way through she starts to get antsy. The best thing to do is to give her a job, or to talk about what we are going to do when we get home. Today she had the job of holding onto the ream of paper we were getting and handing me the groceries so that I could scan them at the end. We also talked about how she could help me make a cake for a party at Jason's work tomorrow. Keeping her occupied and focused is generally a good idea.

5. Keep your sense of humor. A good rule of thumb with Abby on any given day is to not take things too seriously. Teasing her and laughing with her may have her calling you a "Goofball" for all to hear, but she'll also tell you that you are, "so funny" and laugh loud enough to make the people that are sharing the frozen food section with you smile.

So, now that you have the tips I will be happy to fit you into an open time-slot. Abby is available most afternoons from 4-6 for any takers.

Today Abby needed to come to child care for a bit while
I went to a staff meeting. She ended up in the office with the
principal's wife. When I went to get her she told me she was
Mr. E/Abby and that I was in trouble. From her look I believed her.

She was "writing notes" and "typing" to show how busy and important she was.
Did you notice that she is wearing a Pirate wench's dress? Hmmm...

I finally finished up the sweater I made for Abby tonight.
I got a nice picture of her looking sweet, and then she started
mugging for the camera - this one just screams "Abby"!

I love this one. She was so hard at work writing that her tongue was poking
out - like Michael Jordan.

Lazy Days Ahead....Hopefully

If you would have told me, even a year ago, that we would have days like today, I'm not sure I would have believed you. I can't decide if it is because Abby is an only child, because she has some developmental delays, or because that's just the way she is, but she has always had a hard time entertaining herself. It is rare to find her playing up in her room, or off doing her own thing. I love that she wants to be around us, and I want to be with her, but sometimes it is difficult to always be her primary playmate. There are times when I just don't feel like playing Barbies, or being the patient to her doctor and vice versa. Is this horrible....because I do feel guilty when I don't want to play. I will hear other mom's talking about their weekends and how they were able to while away hours reading or crafting, and I have to admit that sometimes I'm envious of that. Now, don't get me wrong, I get my fair share of crafting done, but I usually feel incredibly guilty when I send her off with a popsicle so I can finish a seam.

Today, though I had a nice picture of what life will become as she continues to mature and grow. She woke up with some cruddy eyes, but we chalked that up to allergies by the afternoon, when it had cleared up. As I finished up a sweater I've been knitting for her, she played with her Barbies, colored pictures, and even read to Bruiser. It was wonderful to spend time with her, and yet to not be responsible for her entertainment. She is learning to keep herself busy, and that is truly a marvelous thing.

Even though she had her stubborn moments, it was such a nice, relaxing day, that I can easily overlook those bits. I was indeed a perfect way to kick off a busy week.

Last night, before bed, Abby was
incredibly proud to show me the tower she
built with Dada! Pretty impressive, don't you think?

Reading and yoga - a good combination.

She helped Uncle George and Dada walk Leah and Adaire this afternoon.

Leah (who is a retired Service Dog) is perfect for Abby to guide. They both
are doing quite a good job of keeping control - Bruiser would not be so well behaved.

House Cleaning

Today was one of the most productive days we've had in quite a while. Seemingly from the moment we got up, Jason and I set about transforming our house - from messy to clean. Furniture was moved, toys were purged, and trash was hauled. Abby was pretty good - only pulling out what we put away a few times. For example, I was able to fold and put away the laundry with only one casualty - usually she wants to wear everything in the basket.

The wonderful thing was by the time afternoon rolled around we were enjoying our polished home. Abby enjoyed it as well, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

See that blur on the floor? That's Abby break dancing. She found a slippery spot
where some Pledge had gotten away from the dust rag. She was in heaven!

One of things that spurred us on was that we got a new TV cabinet today.
It has gotten Abby's smile of approval. 

We opened the piano and Abby wanted to take a turn playing. What a smile!

By the evening we were all feeling a little worn out. Abby enjoyed
some floor time while watching The Amazing Spiderman - which is
as she declared, her "favorite cartoon!"

Teacher Mama

Ah, Friday...I tell you, it is a lovely feeling on Fridays when all my lovelies are sent home and I stand alone in my classroom. I love knowing that for the next few days my time is my own. I don't have to do too much thinking about school, grades, and schedules. I don't have to listen to any tattle-tailing, complaints about homework, or conversations about bodily functions while I'm eating. I love teaching, but I tell you there are some weeks that I am very ready for the weekend.

Today marked the end of a particularly long week and so when I got home I was very glad indeed. I waited patiently for the bus, enjoying some much needed quiet time and a nice cup of English tea. Soon enough Abby pulled up and after a quick spin on the mower with Dada we went inside. She immediately got to work emptying her backpack, something she doesn't normally do. It soon became clear that she was looking for something, because as she emptied she talked about "playing hearts". I wasn't sure what she was muttering about until she pulled out some pieces of paper that she had colored. It seems that they played a matching game at school where they matched numbers to dots. I was game to play, and as I laid the pieces out on the coffee table, Abby went to get her little chair. We played for a while and she did a great job. We counted, we matched, and she was spot on when I quizzed her.

Soon she tired of that. She sat back after I'd cleared the table and told me to "give her a clue". Hmmmm...a clue? I asked her what I was supposed to give her a clue about and she just repeated (a bit louder) that I was Mrs. Currie and I was supposed to give her a clue. Apparently they'd played other games at school that weren't so easy for me to discover. After getting extremely frustrated that I wasn't following her, she gave up - but still insisted I was the teacher. She sat at her "desk" waiting for me to "teach" her.

I gave her a book.

That didn't really work. She pushed the coffee table out of the way, handed the book back to me, and sat down on the carpet - criss-cross applesauce with her hands in her lap. In her mind I wasn't done teaching. So, as she (and Bruiser) sat on the carpet, I read them a story about snowdays and snowmen. I made sure to read upside-down, so she could see all the pictures, and stop often to ask questions about connections to what was happening - like any good teacher does when reading to her class.

When the story was finished she finally let me move on to something else, but tonight as I thought about our time together I had to smile because it seems that I wasn't quite done with teaching at 3, as I had originally thought, but then again no parent is ever done teaching - are they?

At least she didn't tattle on Bruiser.

Sorting

Counting

Pleased as punch

"Stop Talking!"

Abby is a conversation hog. For some odd reason she does not like it when Jason and I talk, and she's not included. When we try to have a conversation, say in the car or at the dinner table, she will protest loudly - interrupting and bringing the focus back to her. Now, she doesn't do this all the time, but she does it enough that it is noticeable.

Take tonight for example. Jason had set her up in a nice warm bath and then he joined me across the hall in her room. As we laid on her bed, we got talking about something that had happened to him today. Not long after he started his story we heard Abby yell, "No! Dada please stop!" We paused in our conversation, but when there was no more from the bathroom we continued.

"Maaaammmaaa! Daaaadddaaa! Nooooo! Stop talking...please!" Abby yelled.

I finally asked her why she didn't want us talking, and she then told me that she wanted to talk to Dada. We smiled and I told her to go ahead.

"Dada!" she said.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Guess what?"

"What, Abby?" he asked. Knowing what was coming, I began to smile.

"Chicken butt!!" Abby blurted out, followed by a loud and boisterous laugh, which we added to

So what's the lesson to be learned? If you don't include Abby in your conversations, you'll be subjected to interruptions and corny jokes.

Abby being insistent while out for a ride!
She's hard to ignore.