my sidekick

there are plenty of moms that write, in blogs, books, or otherwise, about how their children (daughters in particular), are their 'best friend'. i always thought that seemed a bit odd. i mean, how could a 16 month old and a 31 year old have enough things in common to label their relationship as such. but greta and i were out taking a walk this morning and it occurred to me that i get it now.
i'm not saying that greta is my bestie. i'm just saying that when you spend as much time together as we do, you know each other in ways that some might consider a sort of friendship. looking down at her walking right by my side, i decided it was like having a sidekick. there we were, on a actual walk. wasn't it just yesterday that she was swaddled in a blanket, completely helpless and tiny?? and now we're WALKING. together. sure...we don't get far. but there she is. by my side.
and we do have great conversation. the latest one that occurs about 20 times a day goes like this,"
door slams, stairs creak, some noise occurs...
Greta: "papa?"
Melanie: "no, papa's at work, remember?"
G: "guys?"
M: "yes, that sound was the guys who are working on your new room upstairs"
G: "guys!!!"
M: "yep"
G: "busy!"
M: "those guys sure are busy working on your room, aren't they?"
like i said...stimulating conversation. and this afternoon, we shared a thin mint. she had two tiny bites. and 20 minutes later, she said, "more cookie". if we're not best friends, we sure do have similar taste in sweets.
my sidekick also helped me prepare a pot roast this morning. check out the above video of her tossing the carrots in. oh, and did i mention she ate a piece of raw onion??
so, let's call her my sidekick. the cutest, funniest sidekick there ever was. one who laughs at my jokes, thinks my singing voice is fabulous, and who gives kisses out for free.

water fun

greta has been under the weather for the past few days....that's putting it mildly, actually. i'll spare you the details. but today she was close to being her normal happy, busy self. i filled the sink with water and bubbles and brought her bath toys down to play with. a wet mess was the result....but boy, was it fun! check out the two videos for greta in action.

4d ultrasound

so i had a a 4d ultrasound yesterday. you might remember when we did this with greta....ultrasounds are so cool just in general, since you get to see pictures of your baby and find out how he/she is developing. the 4d ultrasound is just amazing....you are actually able to see what the baby looks like, watch it move, etc.

joe, greta, and i were all amazed at the sight of our little guy. he was sleeping and kept scrunching up his face as if we were disturbing his nap. he opened his eyes a few times (you can see that in a few of the images), and he had his arms folded up near his face. you can see his elbow in most of the pics.

check out the slideshow below for some of the images from yesterday. you can just watch the slideshow as is, or click on the picture to see the images a bit larger. what do you think....does he look like greta? joe and i have differing opinions. either way, he's cute as a button and growing right on schedule.

fair warning

just fyi....there are pictures of my pregnant belly below. i added this post (with adorable pictures of greta thrown in) just in case you needed a warning about belly pics. didn't want to shock anyone too early in the AM. enjoy!

belly shots

they always say that the second child gets sort of lost in the shuffle and doesn't get all of the attention the first child does. (i'm sure my brother would agree to this....story of his life). if my pregnant belly pictures are any indication of this, this little guy is in trouble. no worries though, we (greta included) will smother him with love and affection when he arrives. we have just been lazy....and besides, who wants to stand in a sports bra in the middle of winter to get their picture taken. anyway, here is my belly as of yesterday....week 30. lookin' good....lookin' real good.
as far as this pregnancy goes, i've been feeling great, just like i did the first time around. this little guy moves ALL THE TIME....i haven't discussed this with joe yet, but i think we should nickname this baby karate kid. it feels like he is practicing all of mr. miyagi's lessons (wax on, wax off, paint the fence, etc) at the same time. he especially likes to move around when greta sits on my lap for me to read books to her. i don't know if it's because he hears my voice, or because he's getting ready to bully his sister around already, but it's pretty neat. i haven't been allowed to exercise for a while due to having a partial placenta previa, but we'll find out in two weeks if that's remedied itself. and i failed my first glucose test, but i passed the 3 hour glucose challenge with flying colors. (no gestational diabetes). so all is good. we've got a double stroller (or two), we've got some work scheduled to start on greta's new bedroom this week or next, and we have a 4d ultrasound tomorrow where we'll get to see the little guy even more close up. stay tuned for more pictures....

smoothies taste good

greta shares a smoothie (and a frozen strawberry she managed to grab in the process) with mama....yum!

super bowl 2009

thanks to the nawroths for hosting the super bowl party again this year. with the craziness of 6 kids, 3 pregnant women, AND the actual game to watch, we didn't really take many pictures. but it was a fun party nonetheless!









pictured above are janet and ella nawroth and greta. the picture in the princess tent....left to right are graham, gavin, greta, and gabby. i guess you can only play in there if your name begins with 'g'. also, notice greta shoving both gavin and gabby. nice.

valentines day playdate

ella came over to hang out with greta on saturday night so that her parents could enjoy a valentines day dinner for two. (joe and i are celebrating with a dinner date this week). the girls had fun....although it is hilarious to watch them be completely oblivious of each other whenever they are together. here are some pics from the evening!





ella does some browsing in greta's closet....















greta pretends to be bored by the whole affair....











the girls 'playing' together....

to our 16 month old class clown

greta, you just keep getting more and more hilarious. i am laughing to myself thinking about what exactly to write in this letter. you are hilarious.....like when we heard you going, "tickle tickle tickle" in the car and we turned around to see you tickling your own bare feet as we drove along. (why are your feet bare in the middle of winter....because you seem to think taking your shoes and socks off for EVERY car ride is hilarious). you are hilarious.....tonight when i took your clothes off before your bath and you patted your belly and said, "naked". you are hilarious when you ask for a granola bar (which sounds nothing like 'granola bar' but i just know that is what you are saying) at EVERY snack, and then you will shake your head and say, "nah" because you know that's what i am probably going to say.
you are just the funniest little thing....you like to make faces and your papa just keeps teaching you new ones. you have your mean face, your surprised face, and now your kissy face. you love seeing new people and going new places, and you like to pretend that you are shy and hide behind mama's legs.
you have mastered climbing the stairs both up and down, and lately that's all you want to do. you like to go upstairs and wander around the rooms, looking for new things to play with. lately you like to play in your room, and like to take out the nesting cups and help mama build a tower that you can knock down. you also like to say, "knock knock" at your closet door so that mama will open it. then you proceed to play with anything and everything in there....diapers, shoes, a pillow. you like to say, "baby" and point to the infant carseat that soon enough will hold your little brother. actually, you seem to be very interested in any and all babies that you see. i had to practically hurdle a few people at the library to stop you from manhandling a baby in a carrier whose mom had stepped away for a second.
speaking of the library, you have suddenly taken an interest in what actually takes place at the library babies program we go to each week. when we came home from the library 2 weeks ago, you started 'singing' a song that is sung there and doing the hand motions. i barely know the motions, but we have quickly learned them together since all you want to do lately is sing that song. you've got the motions down to twinkle twinkle as well. and the best is when you sing along with us, or tell us 'no' if we start singing a song that doesn't suit your fancy.
like always, you are saying new words almost daily. the best is that you are starting to put two words together, like when you say, "help please" or "hi mama". lately you like reading the books 'goodnight gorilla', 'we're going on a bear hunt', and nursery rhymes including jack and jill. you ask for 'jack and jill' by name, saying their two names together in a flurry of sounds that sound like 'jahjoo'.
you continue to amaze us....whether it's your new spinning dance moves, your ability to use a fork, or just how stinkin cute you are.....we enjoy every day with you. even though your short naps cause mama some stress, you are constantly happy and busy and full of life. thanks for letting us smother you with kisses and humoring us when we ask you for a snuggle or a hug. i think we could hold you and sing to you all day long and never grow tired of loving this incredible girl you are turning into.....

Rock Out - Justin Roberts at the JCC

Greta went to her first real concert (she's been to SXSW already, but that was mostly music for her parents that she was tagging along for). This was a concert for Greta, and her friends. Greta makes a CD every year of 'her' favorite music which is a mix of age appropriate songs from regular musicians mixed in with some good 'kid-specific' artists. 

Far and away her favorite song (so far) is Pop Fly by Justin Roberts... she will request other songs on occasion, but her 'stand-by' request is Pop Fly. So when we saw he was coming in for a kid-friendly show (showtimes 11 AM and 1 PM) we were pretty pumped. Greta wore herself out by about the third song, but I think she (and her friends) had fun... see in the pictures below, everyone got a little dancing in! 

Ella busting a move

 Gavin getting his groove on

Sometimes music is serious... you have to pay attention really hard! 

Greta dancing with Stacy... Gavin checking out the moves.

The whole gang... Ella, Gavin, Greta, Jackson

greta sets the table

here are a few pics and a short video of greta working hard to set the table. we even got a kitchen set post-christmas because all the food, plates and whatnot were such a hit. she does this table setting several times a day, and is always very intentional with what she is laying out where. for example, the bunny in the video was assuredly placed IN the bowl.

peekaboo!