"I want to Dream of Puppies"

She loves when I tell her stories of when she was first born and when she was a little baby. She wanted to know exactly who was at her birth, it was almost as if she remembers it. She has an outstanding memory and really remembers everything that happens to her, it just blows me away.

Today I put her on the kitchen counter while I was cutting a cucumber, she loves watching everything I do. While I was cutting, she tapped me on the arm and said "be careful mommy, OK". She's always looking out for me and people she's close to, she's always so caring and loves to take care of people.

When we were getting ready for bed the other night, I always tell wish her "sweet dreams", she said she wanted to dream of puppies:) I hope she did and will always dream of only sweet things.

I think Esther Frayda at the tender age of almost 3 is already bordering on teenager-hood . Her new phrase now is "oh my gosh"! Everything is "oh my gosh", "oh my gosh".. and she say's it with a high note in the middle. This girl makes her mommy laugh, that's for sure:)

"I'm too little"

Gershon took Esther Frayda yesterday and spun her around by her arms then when he put her down at which point she raised her finger to him and said "I no like it, I'm too little".

She likes to tell him "this is MY mommy", just so there is no confusion... and then I reassure her, "Yes, I'm your mommy and I am sooooo lucky":)

A few days ago while we were getting ready to go to playgroup she gathered up 3 of her animals (including of course Precious and Gizmo) and said she wanted to bring them with her, she basically wasn't leaving without them, I let her bring them. When she walked in all the kids ran up to her and asked to play with her animals, so she proceeded to pass each one out. It was very sweet of her, she really does like to share:)

"I don't wanna go to sleep"

Esther Frayda has never been a "sleeper", she just really does not like to sleep. Tonight it took 2 and half hours of trying to get her to sleep, oh did I mention that she is also a night owl. The two combined makes for some very late nights. Lately she has been coming up with every excuse under the sun. First its "I'm hungry", I say no a couple times but then she becomes more insistent  I don't want my baby to starve, so I take her into the kitchen to have some oatmeal.. then its "I want Gizmo", so I go and look all over the house for Gizmo.. then its "I have to go to the bathroom", of course I take her because I'm in the middle of potty training and want to encourage going to the bathroom... then its "I want Abba", so I tell Gershon to come into the room. Then its turning on the light saying she wants to read a book, well this went on for over 2 hours. My little very persistent girl in now sound asleep. Of course I always lay down with her until she falls asleep and then sneak away to do relax and do some work. She definitely has a mind of her own, I have a feeling she's always going to be a night owl, just like her mommy.

She did something funny today, I gave her a cup with her herbs in it (she has a cough). She didn't want to drink it but I told her she had to drink it first and then she could have her yogurt, so she took the cup and held it up as if she was drinking it then made a loud sipping noise. Basically she was trying to fool me into thinking she was drinking it, my little jokester!

Esther Frayda is going to be 3 years old in a couple of months. I'm really seeing her blossom, she's been expressing herself so much lately. Well she's always been VERY expressive but lately she's been able to verbalize it more. We've had some very sweet moments recently. 

Yesterday we were in the kitchen eating fruit. Esther Frayda was sitting on the sink counter and I was holding her then she laid her head on my chest as she was eating and then she said "I love you" very softly, it was so sweet and tender that she was feeling that emotion and then expressed herself. She is definitely a "mommy's girl" and I'm not complaining at all. She see's me as her mommy and best friend, it is so sweet and I always tell her how special I feel and lucky I am...and then I make her promise even when she's a teenager that she will still love me this much and want to hang out with me:)

Esther Frayda hates taking baths, its usually a struggle to get her in but then she's usually fine, especially if I have bubbles. I usually have to take a bath with her so she'll stay in longer. Last night she was really happy and playing with the bubbles then she asked for a butterfly kiss and stuck out her nose. Well, I couldn't resist that so I gave her a great big BUTTERFLY KISS.. and then she asked for another.. and another.. and another.. and another

just some ramblings

Esther Frayda has been going to the bathroom on her own. At home she wears pants with no diaper and knows to pull them down to go. Yesterday I found her on the big toilet all by herself, she wanted to use "mommys potty", she had climbed up and was barely hanging on, well she ended up falling in. So, I told her we were going to buy an attachment for her to use the big potty. Now she is completely independent and doesn't wear diapers at home. She is so proud of herself. When I saw her today, she was already in the bathroom and put her seat on, she said "Esther Frayda did this, not mommy". She was SO thrilled and was just beaming!

I want to sit like this now try it like this
cheese.. i want a lollipop

Roots & Rainbows!

Esther Frayda started a new playgroup today called Roots & Rainbow. She actually went there last year but only for a couple weeks because we had moved and it was too far. Well they moved and had an opening so we jumped on it. She knows some of the kids from Gymies. OK to the point, she absolutely LOVES this playgroup. I was very worried about nap time because she had a bad experience with this last playgroup she was in the last two weeks, that was only temporary. Most of the kids are younger so they forced nap time and that did not go over well with Esther Frayda. She told me she did not want to sleep there, that she wanted to sleep with mommy in the big bed at home. This play group does not force sleep or let them cry, gd forbid.
When we got there this morning she went right in and joined the group. I picked her up an hour early and she was sitting at the table eating lunch. She was just beaming and in such a good mood. She asked me if she could have a cookie from whole foods (her favorite store)..I just can't believe how happy and excited she was. She didn't want to leave. This is partly due to a wonderful teacher, Morah Mushky who really loves Esther Frayda. I just can't describe how happy it makes me to see my baby so extremely happy and full of confidence. She was running around the room playing and showing me everything. She didn't sleep there but she did rest and I think she may get comfortable enough to sleep. I told Morah that I could pick her up at any time, my main goal is that she has a good experience and enjoys herself.

Esther Frayda is the heaviest sleeper, she often wakes up in the middle of night and sometimes she'll cry out different things. The other night Esther Frayda cried out in her sleep "I want cereal brown please"! She repeated this several times in an anguished  cry, poor baby. Gershon has coco puffs cereal in the house and its not the healthiest, so of course I keep it away from her... well she got a taste of it and that was it! She has been asking to have it to which I offer her a distraction  Although, I felt so bad after she cried for it in her sleep that I gave her a very small bowl of it the next morning:)

My girly girl loves purses and plays with mine almost on a daily basis, she likes to go through my wallet and look for money. She already loves money. Yesterday there was no money in my wallet and she asked "where the money was". I told her I didn't have any money then she asked me if we can "go buy some money". I love to see how her precious little mind works at this age.

I'm a piece of Heaven

I was singing to Esther Frayda this evening while she was eating dinner.. "you're a piece of Heaven", then she started saying after me.. "I'm a piece of Heaven".

She is talking more and more each day. Yesterday I asked her how old she was and for the first time she said "I'm 2 and half", I wanted to gobble her up! I also taught her that Esther starts with the letter "E", although I think she is way more interested in her colors right now than her letters. She points out the colors to everything. I think her favorite color now is Yellow, she wants to wear everything yellow. She will only put on her night shirt if its yellow. My sweet yellow sunshine:)

Esther Frayda in her winter pink hat. She also put a hat on her bear and doggie and wanted to bring them with her outside:)

Videos!

Kissing feet

Precious

Stroller

Walking home

Ice cream truck at Gymies

Insider Tips

We are officially going to California on Aug. 28 iyh. Yay!!!!!!!! Thank you Dad, we can't wait to see everyone:)

Most of you haven't seen Esther Frayda in some time, so I thought I would right this post for some insider tips on how to get close and earn some quick points with the queen of all queens, the one and only Esther Frayda!

• Don't be too eager to pick her up, it will backfire.
• If you have a small doggie, you will instantly win her heart (Brenna).
• She LOVES stickers and paper.
• If you offer to watch Elmo with her, she would be pretty happy.
• If you ask her questions about zoo animals in particular sheep, she will get very excited.
• She loves to work, so feel free to give her little jobs. She can do anything from organizing your clothes to running small errands around the house.
• Of course it doesn't hurt to make funny faces and act silly, she might even dance for you and then you know your "in"!

Just remember she understands every single word you are saying even if she can't pronounce it. I hope this helps, just remember to relax because she can sense nervousness a mile away!

We love you guys, can't wait to spend some quality time together!

"I wanna play with mommy"

My sweet ball of love.. We went to Rocha's over Shabbos and when we got there one of her children asked Esther Frayda to play.. her response: "I wanna play with mommy", "I wanna play with mommy" as she was pointing to me, she was repeating herself making sure that she was understood. It was such a sweet and authentic thing to say. I hope she will always want to play with me even when she's a teenager because I will always want to play with her even when she's old and grey:)

Mazel Tov Mom & Yossi!

Esther Frayda and I received a call this evening with a very special surprise... DRUM ROLL

Nani is engaged!!! A very big Mazel Tov to Mom and Yossi! May you both be blessed with eternal happiness, an abundance of parnasus, good health and a life full of laughter!

I am truly happy for you mom & Yossi, I love you guys!

Mommy & Me Day:)

Esther and I spent the day together, just the two of us. She's not in playgroup for the rest of the summer, partially because of her fractured elbow but also because I didn't like the playgroup she was signed up for. So, I am trying to take advantage of this time we have together. Today we woke up late snuggling together (like we do every morning), then after breakfast we got ready and went to the Jewish Children's Museum. She had so much fun running around and looking at all the exhibits. She loved this one exhibit where you get to paint on a stone wall (of course my little artist loved this:), she also loved the Rambams exhibit because there was a stethoscope, so she was checking her heartbeat and then I asked her to check mine and she loved doing that.

now for some pictures (these are unedited but I wanted to post them because if I make them perfect then it will never happen)

(keep on reading for the sweetest thing anyone has ever done:)

After we left the museum, we picked up some sushi and went back home. I thought she would want to take a nap but didn't want to, which is no surprise! When we were out I bought her a package of dried strawberries that she saw in the store. She wanted to know what they were called, I said "candy" because they had sugar in them. She of course went crazy for them! After stuffing several in her mouth I told her I was going to put it away until after dinner. So, after dinner she reminded me (with her excellent memory!). She was waiting a long time for these puppies because she kept asking me about them.. Finally when I gave them to her she ran over and made a little spot on the coffee table/trunk and pulled up a little stool and sat down so happily with her bag. She took a while to open it, I think just savoring the feeling that she had the bag now in her possession. I just thought it was so cute and wanted to share in this moment with her, so I sat down on the coffee table and asked her for a candy. Well, what did my sweet little girl do? ... and I have to say this is the sweetest gesture, I think anyone has ever done but she got up and offered me her seat. She said "mommy sit" and had me sit in her very special seat. She offered me some candy and really enjoyed sharing with me. It may not seem like a big deal but it was such a selfless and loving thing for a little girl to do, giving up her special seat for her mommy. After a few minutes she did want her seat back but she walked over and grabbed one of her heavier wooden chairs and carried it over (using one arm and her splint) and had me sit on that so she could have her seat back. How thoughtful is that?! I am one lucky duck:)

Then she helped me in the kitchen. She watches everything I do in the kitchen. Now what she does is drag in her chair so she could reach the counter and basically tries to cook. She knows where everything is and even how to turn on the oven and burners. I of course need to keep her away from this and keep a very close eye on her. She doesn't understand that she is only 2 and cannot yet cook on her own..

Before we went to bed we read books together. Her favorite book right now is Thomas the Train or really its the little Engine that Could but she thinks its Thomas the Train. She was getting really silly before going to bed. She was sitting on my chest as I was ready and laughing...then she went to kiss me but instead licked my nose and was cracking up and giggling like there's no tomorrow! I kept on turning my head to avoid a big sloppy kiss and she thought this was so so funny but only made her want to catch me by holding my face still while she had her way!

What a perfect day to end it laughing and kissing my most favorite girl in the whole wide world!

Thank you Hashem

Tonight Esther Frayda helped me make a lemon cake. She did all the mixing and she didn't want any help. You could see she was very proud to be able to do this. We then poured it into the cake pan together, then I told her I had to cook it, of course she sneaked in a few tastes. She did not forget about that cake because as soon as I took it out of the oven, she said "cake, cake". I've never seen her get into her high chair so fast!

Esther Frayda is literally maturing each day. She is so aware of her surroundings and the people around her. The other day I ordered pizza. I was eating a slice and I gave her a slice (Gershon didn't want one), she saw Gershon wasn't eating and she went up to me to get a slice for Gershon and said "Abba, Abba". Once she had his slice then she ate. A few minutes later Melissa came into the room and she looked at me again and said "mel, mel" pointing to the pizza. She wanted to make sure everyone had a slice and was eating. She's a little "mommy" :)

Over Shabbos it was just me and Esther Frayda. She's my best lil friend and most favorite companion. She just seems like the happiest little girl in the world. She is always laughing and smiling and has such a good sense of humor. She is such a free carefree spirit and so sensitive and caring. This Shabbos my friend Maayan came over with her two little boys and we went for a walk. Esther had so much fun! She started this game where she would run half way down the block then turn her head as she was running to try and see if I was following her. Of course I was running after her, calling her name and she just though that was the funniest thing in the world. She wouldn't run too far though, she would stop turn around and run back to me with the wind blowing in her hair and a huge smile of her face like it was the biggest thrill of all time.

She says her name now, she started saying it a few weeks ago before Nani came to visit. Sometimes she'll say Esther Frayda but a lot of the times she calls herself "Frayda". It's so sweet, I'm sure my grandma Frances is smiling:)

We are really missing everyone, Dad and Brenna, its been way too long. I really hope me and Esther could come down and visit this summer so you could spend lots of time with your granddaughter and niece.  

A big hug and kiss from me and "Frayda" to everyone, we love you!!!

Shma

Every night before we go to sleep, I say to Esther Frayda "lets close our eyes and say Sh'ma". This is the Jewish prayer that you say before you go to sleep: "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad." Well tonight I said the first 2 words then Esther Frayda said "Adonai" as she was covering her eyes. The sound of her voice uttering the most sacred word in Judaism was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

It was so cute, we were in Ikea today and Esther Frayda just finished eating a bag of chips as we were passing the bathroom area. Ikea had all these faucet displays and Esther Frayda got so excited and wanted to wash her hands. I tried to explain to her that we couldn't wash her hands because there was no water, that they were :fake" faucets but that's a difficult concept to get across to a two year old! Anyways she was not too happy about not being able to wash her hands. She was looking at me so desperately saying "wash, wash" as if I didn't understand what she wanted. My sweet little baby:)

Monet in the working!

Esther Frayda has been obsessed with painting. I bought her some eco-friendly paint a few months ago. The package had 6 colors in small containers. Every morning, literally the first thing she does is grab her paintbrush and ask me to pour our a little of each color for her on her colors plate. She know if I miss a color and will follow me around, pushing the paint in my hand until I pour some out for her. She does this at least a few times a day. This is very exciting, I really want to create an environment that is creative for her artistically.

When I picked her up from Gymies yesterday, Morah Chaya said they painted that day and Esther Frayda was SO into it. She was very focused and didn't want any help. She is one independent girl, that I know:) The teacher really loves her and can't say enough nice things. Esther Frayda loves going to school and runs right in when we get there without even looking back. It was cute, when I picked her up today, Morah Chaya said that she knew before I got there that is was time to go, so she went to put on her coat and scarf and was all ready when I got there.

 

Potty Trained!!!

When nani was here visiting, she bought a potty for Esther Frayda. We set it out for her and told her when she needs to go "pee pee" just use the potty. I didn't really focus on it because the plan was to do some research and buy a book this next week to learn how to go about potty training a toddler. Well, lets just say I won't have to do that now:)

Last week she used the potty a few times then yesterday she sat down and went #2 all by herself. I didn't even know until I looked at her and she was pointing to the potty. I went to go look and lo and behold she left a present inside! I could not believe it, I really praised her. I then picked up the potty and Esther Frayda followed me into the bathroom to throw the contents of her potty away. She flushed the toilet herself and waived "bye bye" to her present. She was very proud:)

Since then, I haven't had a diaper on her while at home and she is using her potty every single time! Good job Esther Frayda, mommy is so proud of you!!!

Thank you Grandpa:)

Esther Frayda got a big box in the mail today from Grandpa for her Birthday. The most beautiful dresses I have ever seen! I cannot wait to do a photo shoot with Esther Frayda and her new birthday dresses. She opened up the boxes but was pretty taken by the jogging set, she wanted to put the pants on right away and walked around the house all morning in them. 

Thank you Dad and Janelle for the very beautiful and special clothes. Esther Frayda sends a big hug & kiss. We miss and love you guys!!