Nothing Much Happening

Hah! Busy as heck! Growing up! Turning 2! Left and Right! What wasn't happening was posting. My website quota filled up with Petra postings, at the same time that I got a new computer, so it took a while to get the new software configured and then reallocate my web space to accommodate more Petra!

So, let's work backwards.

Petra is two! We celebrated at least three times. Grandma and grandpa came down on her birthday (Thursday), and picked her up from day care. That was a big thrill! She just LOVES her grandparents! She was so giggly and happy to see them, she was just bouncing up and down. We went out to dinner at Farmer's Market, and had a great time. She especially loved the 'Pink Cake' (jelly roll with candles). Surprisingly, she slept like the dead after we got home, though she was singing "happy birthday Petra" as we came up the steps.

Friday I dropped her off at the hotel to spend the day with the g'rents (I was late to work because she slept past seven! But when she woke up she was instantly excited to go to see grandpa and we got dressed and left without even having breakfast). She spent the day eating pancakes, swimming, shopping (blinking light tennis shoes!), and napping with grandma. For dinner we went out to a great (new) little Italian restaurant on Robertson (Bella Roma SPQR) where they adored her and we adored the fish and pasta. And you should see Petra snork down prosciutto e melone!

Saturday was the official birthday party. 9 kids from the neighborhood came, all Petra's age or younger. Everyone was well behaved. No tantrums or fights over sharing or anything! She was absolutely ecstatic about having everyone sing to her. Her little face was shining!

She definitely knew her birthday was coming up. In the mornings I'd sometimes hear "birthday cake" or "party hat" from her room.

A week ago we took Petra to a harvest fest/pumpkin patch. She was very excited ("pumpkin patch" came out of her mouth at least a hundred times that weekend). She rode a little tractor, went on the wagon ride, counted pumpkins, and rode the little train (twice, with Katie). She also saw the hay bale stack ("pyramid" she said), and climbed straight to the top (with Mama trailing behind, just in case). She had fun, but we didn't leave until 3 (it took forever to get there), and she was ready to melt down. She didn't completely recover until the next day. Poor thing, bad parents for running you ragged!

Suddenly, Petra knows left and right! Either she has been practicing in secret, or she picked it up in one repetition, because the first time I tried it with her she nailed it 100%!

Did I mention dinosaurs? Well, the birthday was dinopalooza. Books, puzzles, rubber dinos etc. She loves them all (and even gave uncle Guillermo a hug to thank him for her Triceratops- a first!). She was thrilled when I found a Triceratops finger puppet, then got all sad and nearly cried- "Lost its Mama!" she said! We had to go find a larger one to be its mother, otherwise she would have cried! So sweet! She knows them all- Triceratops is her favorite, but she also knows Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus (also called "pokey one"), Brachiosaurus ("long neck to eat trees"), and Iguanodon! We'll have to get our paleontologist friend to come visit!