Taite Robbins

Aunt 'Cake' (Kate)

You were looking forward to the visit from Auntie Kate for several days in advance. I kept telling you “Auntie Kate is coming in x days!” and you’d look up at me angelically and say “Cake??”. Hence, Auntie Cake’s arrival was highly anticipated and, well… a picture says a thousand words. We took Kate back to the airport today and when we got home, I told you that Kate went on a big plane up in the sky. “Opa!” you said. (That’s where Oma went on a big plane…. to see Opa.). As soon as you would wake up in the morning you went pitter-pattering down the hall looking for your Auntie Cake. “Kate,” Kate would tell you, “my name is ‘Kate’. “Cake!” you’d nod and pipe back.

Face painting at Discovery Museum

More photos

Your friend NoNo (Nolan) was in hospital and every day you were asking for him. Since you couldn’t see him in person, you decided to call him on your toy phone. It’s quite cute how you nod your head, pause and say “Ohhhh!” as you’re holding the phone. Phone call with NoNo — listen in!

We went to the Oakland zoo this week. You watched as a giraffe reached his neck high to the hay bin, and then to the water bin. His tongue flipped water in and around, up and down as he drank. After we had our lunch I asked if you were ready to go to the car or if you would like to see more animals. Your little tongue started darting around, in and out, up and down. We went back to visit the giraffes.

As we approached the alligator pit, other visitors were pointing at one of the alligators, and I overheard them saying that it was having a baby. You heard ‘baby’ and got all excited. Quickly I grabbed my camera to capture the baby alligator being born or hatched, I suppose. The alligator’s back was undulating and writhing. And out came a big poop. We all laughed, and you giggled “poop!!!” Just like in your book, Where’s The Poop, with all the animals pooping. Once home, you told dadda all about the zoo. Your tongue darting around like the giraffe’s. “What else did we see at the zoo?” I questioned. “POOP!!!” you squealed.

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It was Nana and Papa’s 45th wedding anniversary yesterday and we went out for Chinese food.

You let me put pony tails in for the first time. Although you tugged at them in resistance, I said, “Oh, wait until Nana sees your ponytails!” and you conceded. You must have been very excited about going out, because you also allowed me to put on your poncho that Oma brought from San Miguel.

Papa fed you with chopsticks and you thought that was a lot of fun andwanted more. Eating long noodles with your fingers was also a favorite. From plate to plate… you ate.

You have started to hide artwork or a small gift for Dadda when he comes home from work. It’s always in the same spot…  under his pillow. The other day, we had two gifts, so we put one in the backgammon board beside the bed. You could hardly wait to escort him down the hall to the bedroom, pointing excitedly at the pillow. After he found the first one, you nodded emphatically toward the backgammon board with a look of glee.

“Doc-ter” — pointing to the building, driving by dermatologists office. With a ‘tsk’ you point to your forehead and then another to your hand. The doctor had examined a mole on mommy’s forehead and then, in jest, looked at your freckle on your hand.

“Dark” — when entering a dark room.

Two days ago, as I was loading our plates into the dishwasher, you muttered “be-be” and wandered off down the hall. A few minutes later, I find you sitting on the potty all by yourself, having pulled your pants down, and peed. This was the first time all by yourself! I was so surprised and proud of you!!

After your fever spiked to 105.3 F last night, we were instructed by the Advice Nurse at 8.30 p.m. to take you in to ER. With the help of some Motrin, the fever came down enough that you were quite excited when you picked up on the idea that we were going out and it was already dark. “Car,” “Car” you anxiously repeated. A couple hours later, after a chest Xray, and after you successfully delivered your first urine sample in a jar, we were told “Pneumonia”. By midnight, we were released, prescription in hand, and ready to go. You were upset that it was time to leave. “Don’t you want to go home and snuggle in bed?” I asked you. “No!” you pouted, before waving in submission, “Bye -bye hospital”.

You are getting so big, so fast. You’re taller than I was at your age, luckily not as heavy!
I think you’re very smart — you seem to surmise things that amaze me. We had a little girl over on weekend, whose name is Hazel, it was your first playdate. Hazel’s mom calls her “Hazelnut” so I was referring to her that day as “Hazel – Nut”. After they left, later in evening I asked if you had a fun playdate with Hazel.
“Nut!!” you replied.

Tania, whom you call “Nania” came for a hottub with Mama one day. Sitting on the potty later that day, you saw her swimsuit that she left behind hanging on the towel rack. “Nania!” you declared, pointing up at it. I don’t know how you knew it was hers, you didn’t see her wearing it or even see us go to the hottub.

Reading a book on the potty, you see a promo for another book by same author on the back cover. You get up, telling me with a finger in the air that you’ll be right back, and a minute later after examining your bookshelf, you return with the depicted book, “A Caterpillar Summer”.

The photo above is what you wore for the photo shoot with Margot on Saturday. Naartje. Can’t wait for the photos.

I love to cuddle with my Oma!

On the way to the airport you kept saying “And Opa!” when I told you we were going to pick up Oma. When we got there I asked you who we were going to pick up and you said “Baby!” with an expression of hope.
Spoiling the grandchildren with gifts is something Oma and Opa do naturally. Finger puppets, a little picnic basket tea set, a poncho (which you refused to keep on for more than a minute less we had any grandiose ideas).
You snuggled right in with her after both of you napped and exchanged a few gifts… here she’s opening the book we made for her of the grandkids.

You loved teasing Oma with food, extending some little forkful of tidbits in her direction, then lunging at it like a hungry snapping turtle. You’d giggle, and offer her the next forkful.

We had lots of activities, we wanted to show Oma all the fun things we do here together. We had a picnic and played at Vasona park, we spent a morning at Discovery Museum, we shopped until we dropped. Oma saw you playing at Gymboree with Nana and upon witnessing how much you love Gymbo the clown, she secretly bought you the largest one. You were flabbergasted when you opened it.

One day we went over the hill to Aptos for brunch at the Red Apple and to Glaum’s egg ranch to see the dancing chickens, and stopped briefly at the beach.

Then it was time for Oma to head back to Opa in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The time went by so quickly, but we had a lot of fun. I’m glad that it is so important to her that you know her and that she knows you. It’s a long way for her to go, or for you to go when we visit in Canada, but well worth it so you will know your Oma and Opa.

We dropped Oma off at the airport. You pointed in excitement at the planes, trying to get out of your car seat. Love Oma, love the planes, but you were quite content to wave goodbye and come back home with Mama and Dada.

All those laughs, all those trips, all those presents, you were so very glad we picked up Oma at the airport and not a baby.

And the next day, after she left, you were looking for her.

See photos of Oma’s visit.

Wow! At your two year checkup, you measured 35.5 inches, which is half an inch taller than I was at your age (and Mama’s 6’1” today!). Luckily you weigh only 27.6 lbs, which is about 7 whole pounds less than I weighed at your age. (Luckily for Mama, my weight evened out as I grew!).
Dr Halaburka is very pleased with your growth and development. Asked if we were considering starting potty training and seemed rather impressed that you’re almost completely potty trained and wearing big-girls.

Growth charts

Birthday morning

So much still to catch up on with blog, and it’s so late. You’re asleep in your room, Dada’s snoring beside me, it’s 11.30pm and I’m ready to drop.
A lovely day, giggles in bed this morning as you discovered yet another doll, this one drinks and pees (not sure what I was thinking, I almost have you out of diapers! Forget to write earlier, New Year’s Day you woke up dry and went both #1 and #2 on potty!) Dada set up a jumphouse, borrowed from Connie and you got some beans out there. You discovered the cake and chirped “cak” and pointed excitedly, so you had some of the M&Ms and candies from it after breakfast.
Attending:
Nana and Papa
Connie, Rania and Francis
Lewis, Clarissa, Abi and Katie
Tania
Olchi, Dima and Andre
Heather, Dave and Nolan

You’ve been practicing blowing out candles after we sing Happy Birthday the last few days. The first time, you and I were lying in bed and I sang Happy Birthday. You blew as if there were candles, remembering I think a few days back when you helped blow out dada’s candles.
And you did well tonight, after we sang to you, you blew them out.
Candles spelled out “Taite 2” and I made the cake as a bunny. We had loot bags with tutus for the girls (the boys liked them too!) and gave them at the start so everyone had them to wear for the party. You all had fun in the bounce house. You shared very well and everyone went home tired!
Happy Birthday, sweet pea. Now you are our Taiter Tot!

Your second Christmas. You ‘got it’ quite quickly. Opening gifts came naturally, you linger over them and we open each package and play before moving onto the next. I know this will change, and it’s nice to watch you enjoy the gratification with each one. It did, on the other hand, take two days to open all the gifts. Daddy made you a beautiful mahogany rocking horse, which greeted you Christmas morning with a red bow around its neck.

One of the highlights of your gifts was a doll that says different things, depending what position she’s in. “Hug me” “I’m tired” “I’m up, let’s play”. “Time for a nap.” I asked you what you would like to name her and you squealed “Doug”. So that’s her name.
Another fave is your new Kettler tricycle, red yellow and blue with a push-bar handle.
Your Uncle Scott and Aunt Sarah were here from Boston for Christmas and got lots of giggles in with you. Sarah seemed to love freewheeling you around the house almost as much as you did.

We had Christmas morning and brunch here with Nana, Papa, Scott and Sarah and then, after your nap rejoined at Nana’s for a lovely Christmas dinner. Nolan, Heather and Dave Rollins joined us. We had gifts for Nolan and there were yet more for you, so you two spent time unwrapping more there before dinner.

I missed my family at Christmas, missed sharing the fun of it all with you with them. I hope you never grow up and leave and live far away like I do from my family… oh, the thought of it!
Your Christmas card this year was a series of shots I took one morning, which Heather composed into a fun little card.

Dear Santa,
I’ve been very good this year. I’m using the potty and wearing ‘big girls’ most of the time now. I stay in my toddler bed all through the night usually and let mama and dada sleep in until 5.15 am or so. I use my spoon and fork and never throw my food anymore (unless I’m really tired!). I love to play ring-around-the-rosie and hide-and-seek, and have picnics with my teddy bears and my friends. I promise to leave you some cookies and milk and a carrot for your reindeer.
Love Taite

“Broke” — One candy cane after another squeezed in your little fist.
“Beep beep” you peep when you want to go past someone.
“Up” … when tugging at my pantleg no longer does the trick.
You love having a real live tree in your living room. Before bed you wave goodnight to it, to the angels, to St Nicholas on top of the tree, to the Nutcracker, and to the lights on the hallway wall.
You don’t want to miss anything and so have developed a repertoire of events to postpone the onset of that hour in the day known as bedtime. Holding your hands to your mouth and smacking your lips together. Drawing your arms wide out and then in with a ‘pop’ — potty time. Finally you climb into bed and lay on your tummy, and with an arm extending back and patting your own back, you look up at me and it’s clear what you want.
Everywhere we go you are on the lookout for babies. If you see a stroller or any evidence of a baby, you pipe up “Bebe” and point in the direction. If you are within human contact, your arms are raised out straight in front of you, Frankenstein like, and you walk with a certain intent toward the baby. If you’re lucky, you sometimes get to touch or hug one. Parks, museums, libraries, grocery stores. You adore Olchi’s new baby, Andre, and will sit with him rather than play with Dima or the older kids.

New words
Broke — for anything broken, not working, or that’s fallen
Bubbles
Woof woof
Uh oh!
You try to say blueberries, avocado, bellybutton.

Christmas Photos here…enjoy!