Final Post

Don't get worried by the title - this is just the last post on the Mookie's Nook because I'll be starting up the "sequel" blog shortly. But here are some videos of Sarah ages 18-24 months. Enjoy!

First, here's Sarah when she first really got into her "chatty" phase. This one is in two parts...





Of course, Sarah also practices her artistic talents...



...and she loves to unwind with a good book...



In October, our family took an all-Hurwitz trip to the Kierland resort in Arizona. Here's a gang of Hurwitzes floating down a lazy river. Sarah, of course, had her own special boat.



She also loved splashing around the fountain by the pool area.



Next we have Sarah in her daycare's Halloween parade as one of the Room 4 bats...



Then, in November, our little girl turned 2. Here she is playing at her birthday party at Jumping Genius with her two BFFs from school, Madison and Elissa...



...and dancing her happy dance...



...and showing the moodiness only a 2-year-old can, going from thrilled at the "happy birthday song" to crying that the cake got taken away within seconds...



...then she played air hockey with her Zeydah. A great party, all around.



And now, as I write this, Sarah's mom is about to get started on the epidural, as we get ready to welcome Sarah's sister! Stay tuned for the announcement of the new family blog. And thanks for reading the Mookie's Nook!

June 2009 - a Chat with Sarah

Happy summer! It's been a while, but we've been busy watching our Mooks grow into a throughly enjoyable toddler. Many of you are my facebook friends and thus already saw this post's featured video there, but for the rest of you, below is a conversation with Sarah.

Of course, here, she doesn't "say" much of anything. But she does know and use a bunch of words. For example, Sarah knows and says:

Mama, Daddy, Grampa, Bubbie, Granny, Tasha (Aunt Natasha), baby, Blue (the sleuthing puppy), Steve (Blue's owner), clue (Blue's pawprint), Elmo, Oscar (the Grouch), up, down, yeah, no, tree, key, car, shoe, bubbles, please, cow, "moo," "neigh," "quack," "whoo," "baaa," "roar," "meow," "tweet," hi, hello, bye, ball, and cookie.

She can also point to and identify Uncle Carl, Uncle Looney, Zeyda, Noah, Aunt Kate, juice, Mailbox (from Blue's Clues), Sidetable Drawer (ditto), Tickety Tock (again), Slippery Soap (she watches a lot of Blue's Clues), Grover, Big Bird, juice, cheese, spoon, horse, sheep, dog, cat, bird, elephant, monkey, jump, go, bath, crayon, and so much more.

But anyway, here's that video of Shelley and me chatting away with our adorable narrator...

April 2009 - 16 months old!

Ok, so I've been really lax about updating Sarah's blog. She's been so much fun to play with, who's had time to shoot video. Here's a little collection so you can see what she's been up to.

This first one's a couple months old already. The "grownups" were talking in the kitchen, so Sarah just climbed into one of her little corners, and started entertaining herself...

Not entirely sure where Sarah learned how to push a stroller. But she is a great mommy to her doll, M.K.

This is Sarah chasing bubbles all over the driveway. She loves bubbles!

The world's cutest tushie shuffles on over for bath time.

Sarah became star-struck for the first time in her life when she met the real, honest-to-goodness, actual Elmo (complete with his real puppeteer).

Sarah has taken up yoga. Here, she uses Downward Facing Dog to retrieve her binky.

And, finally, one more trip to the bathtub. This little video of Sarah cracking up while being tickled by an Elmo washcloth is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

At Long Last - Walking and More!!!

Whew! It sure has been hard to find time to sit down and "blog" about our little Mooks. As this batch of videos makes clear, she's fully mobile now! And once she gets a head of steam going, it's hard keeping up with her. On top of that, her new hobby is to get into everything she can get her little hands or mouth on, which means any time we're not chasing her around, we're baby-proofing new parts of the house.

None of which is to say that this hasn't been a blast. Sarah is so much fun now, and is developing a fascinating personality. She's endlessly inquisitive, affectionate (when she feels like it), and has a pretty good sense of humor (by the standards applicable to 14-month-olds). She's gotten through most of her brief anxieties about things like bathtime and bedtime, and, this week, she graduated from the "baby" rooms at her daycare into the "toddler" room, where she'll be rejoining her BFF, Madison, starting Tuesday.

But enough of the narrative, I know y'all want to see some super-cute video. This post features some "guest" camera work from Bubbie and Zeyda, who spent a few weeks here in December, and got a little video camera as a Hannukah gift from Uncle Carl and Aunt Kate.

So without furthere ado, let's start with some of Sarah's first steps ever...




As Auntie Tash and Mommy kept helping Sarah with her walking practice, the little one noticed Daddy with his camera, and curiosity took over...




The walking got better, and fast! Sure, she stumbles a bit, but as Bubbie and Zeyda discovered, Sarah loves exploring from room to room...







She had a great time with Bubbie and Zeyda. Here's Sarah riding a merry-go-round, with Zeyda cheering her on...



I don't know how to describe this one, which was shot at brunch when Daddy's Aunt Marilyn and cousin Susan were visiting, except that it's Sarah, singing "Jingle Bells," as played by a mariachi band...




It's hard to tell who had more fun at the park, Sarah or her Zeyda...



So that's about it this time around. We (think we) have pretty much finished baby-proofing, so it's time to start some more baby-filming! Not that she's a "baby" anymore. Sarah is a full-fledged, grill-cheese munchin, walking, babbling, happy toddler! And we're having more fun with her every day.