Abby's Exciting Announcement

Well folks, in case you didn't get a phone call, email or Facebook notification, it is with much excitement that I share Abby's big announcement: she is going to be a BIG SISTER! Yes, we have decided to populate the earth with yet another little Strongin running around and we couldn't be happier about it. The estimated due date is May 1, 2010, so Abby will be turning 3 just a few weeks later.

While we know we are in for a lot of craziness and a wild ride with two kids, Jason and I are looking forward to giving Abby a sibling and someone else she can push around (figuratively and literally). After all, lately she has been Miss Bossy, telling us to "sit down, Mommy" or "stop it, Daddy" or "I want more" - all things which we are sure she will love telling her younger sibling.

As an only child myself, I am very curious and can't wait to see how the sibling relationship will play out. I hope Abby loves having a sibling as much as I wanted one when I was younger. The only person who may not be thrilled with another little person in the house is Sadie, who probably could live many more years happily without another baby chasing after and taunting her!

I'll be happy to keep everyone updated on the exciting milestones, including the gender announcement in a few weeks!

Halloween Debate

'Tis the season for apple picking, pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating. So aside from looking forward to all the extra sugar and calories we'll be consuming, a dilemna bigger than should-I-eat-the-Twix-or-Milky Way-first, is do I let Abby choose her costume this year or do I get to have one last year to choose for her?? No doubt by next Halloween, she'll have quite an opinion about what she wants to be.

Abby only really knows Sesame Street characters at this point (Elmo being her favorite) and Clifford the big red dog. Going as a red monster or a red dog doesn't seem very girly but she could probably care less if she went as a princess or Dora or a cupcake. If I take her to a store to pick something out, all hell could break loose when she wants everything. If I choose for her, am I causing her years of therapy when she looks back on pictures and isn't happy with my choice??

Ahhhh...dilemnas....if only things could be as easy as Twix vs. Milky Way!

EDITED ON 10/9/09 TO ADD:
OK, the decision has been made. My little Abby will be Abby Cadabby (the Sesame Street character, for those of you who don't know) for the big day. Her friends Maddy and Jordan will be Elmo, her friend Sammi will also be Abby and I'm hoping to convince Sammi & Jordan's daddy and Abby's daddy to go as Bert & Ernie :)
The good news is that the costume comes with a headpiece, complete with fake pigtails since it will be a long, long time before my child will have enough hair for pigtails!!!

Are You Smarter Than a 2-year-old?

It has recently come to my attention that my 2-year old is smarter than I am! I realized this fact this morning when I saw a pair of blue and white striped socks sitting on Abby's changing table. Aside from being 5 sizes too small for her, I knew she didn't own any socks like that. I asked my nanny if she knew where they came from and she said she didn't know, but they were upstairs so she washed them with Abby's laundry.

So I took a chance and asked Abby "whose socks are these?" And she replied: "Monkey's." I realized then that she was referring to her dress-up monkey (who lives in her playroom) with "real" clothes that come off - of course!!! And Abby looked at me like "of course, Mommy, duh!" Silly mommy.

She also has recently become much more aware of her surroundings - last night, for example, she claimed "I see Justin right there" and pointing to every SUV that resembled her friend Justin's car. She tells us to go "that way" when we pull out of the driveway to get to Justin's house or her cousin Matthew's house.

I just wonder at what point her homework will be over my head?!?!?