Annada Marie Vergo

Marc and Annada were playing with play dough outside. Annada assigned Marc to make a daddy and she was making a baby. When they were done they showed them to each other.

“Here is my baby, Daddy.” Annada said. “It is a boy baby. I know because it has a penis.”

Annada took a piece of play dough and made a small snake. Then she stuck the snake in roughly the right place.

Annada picked up the baby and began to play. Meanwhile, Marc was trying desperately not to burst out laughing. He lost it, though, when the piece fell off.

“Oh no!” Yelled Annada, loudly enough the boys riding by on bikes turned to look. “His penis fell off!”

Making Christmas decorations

I have a parenting confession to make: Annada was wondering the Boardwalk hotel last night at 11 pm.

We had our team Christmas party at Epcot and watched the candle light processional (in the rain – but still soooo beautiful) and stayed for the fireworks. It was the first time Annada enjoyed the fireworks. She kept yelling, “My favorite colors!” And every time they paused she begged me for more.

We walked back to the car through the hotel with Lucky and Jessica when we decided to stop and eat brownies together. I had totally lost track of time and everyone was having a lot of fun. Annada was being particularly charming.

We sat above a staircase together and Annada asked to walk down the staircase to go “shopping for vegetables.” I watched her carefully as she walked down, pretended to go shopping and came back to us to drop off her groceries. From where we were seated I could see her clearly but from the ground floor you couldn’t see us.

After about 20 minutes of Annada “shopping” a cast member in a suit met Annada halfway down the staircase. “Good evening Princess. What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m shopping.” Annada replied. I stood up, ready to run down as the man looked around for any sign of a parent.

“Where are you going?” he asked again, looking more concerned.

“I’m leaving my Mommy and Daddy,” she replied.

Doing puzzles at Meme and Pepe's.

Annada is currently “not-napping.” She has an awful cold and was up coughing most of the last two nights. Marc and I are tired from coming in and giving her water when she can’t stop hacking.

Last night at 4 am I brought her water and she asked to come sleep in our bed. She sounded pathetic. So I agreed to crawl into her crib (at least Marc could sleep that way). Annada has the amazing ability to wake up by talking. So the longer I lay in there the more awake she got. We talked about spiders, her plan to bring Meme to our house after Christmas (It will be okay Mommy. Really it will. I will wear my seat belt on the plane.), and how she is almost three so she should be able to get out of bed at 4 am.

After about 30 min of half-sleeping, half-talking, I left Annada sitting up and playing with dolls in her crib. I thought I could catch up on sleep this morning. Nope, Annada woke up coughing and saw the sun was up.

After Thanksgiving dinner with Rabia, Jessica and Lucky.

So, Marc and I decided she would take a nap. Marc is napping. Annada is jumping up and down (literally) in her crib making up songs. I can hear her on the monitor. She’s unintentionally hilarious. She is saying….

(Loud blowing noises.)

“I can blow my nose on my shirt, Daddy! I can. I can. My shirt is washable. It is okay. You will wash it. I did it! I blowed my noise on my shirt. It is okay. The snot comes off. You can wash my bed.”

“I am awake! I am awake! I am awake! Open the door! I don’t need a pull-up. I am awake!”

“Meow. Meow. I am a kitty. I am awake. Let me out. How can you do that to a kitty? I want to go. Let me out. I woke up. How can you do that to a kitty?!”

(Don’t worry. I’ll limit the kitty torture to an hour. I really do wish she would take a nap, though.)

We made it a day and half into our “sugar-detox” diet when… the ice cream truck came.

Wednesdays, ice cream truck day, is a highlight of the week for Annada. But after a day and a half of no candy or ice cream? When she heard the song coming from the truck she threw her hands in the air and yelled, “Thank you God for music!” Then she ran around the playground in circles.

Playing at Meme and Pepe's house.

Tonight I was putting Annada to bed when out of the blue she said, “When I grow up I am going to drive the ice cream truck.”

“The lady that drives the truck is going to get bigger and bigger and when she is too big for the truck she will drive it to my house. I will be bigger, so I can drive. I will drive to you and you can have any popsicle you want on your birthday.”

Annada sat up and pressed her nose to mine, then whispered, “Even Tweety Bird.”

Annada laid back down. “You will get in the truck and I will shut the door. Then we will ride in the truck together. I will have a potty for you in the truck.”

Last night Annada and I returned home. Annada has spent 3 weeks with Meme (one in Orlando, two in Omaha). As usual, Annada seems to jump forward developmentally every time she is with Meme. From puzzles to vocabulary, Annada is 2 going 6.

Annada plays dress-up with Aunt Erica. She's an Indian Princess.

This trip her biggest jump seems to be in bargaining. Marc and I decided we are all going candy free for a couple of days to help break our dependence. As a result Annada has become a first-rate lawyer:

“The sugar in soda will make my body grow strong, Mommy. It will!”

“If I don’t eat all my lunch I will need a popsicle. If I do eat it all, I should get some candy.” (My favorite.)

(I received some candy from Taylor for my birthday.) “I’ll help you eat them, Mommy. I can even open the package.”

“I want to buy some candy for Daddy to say welcome home.”

“Mommy, you haven’t had any gummy penguins today. I’ll get you some.”

“I need a snack. Candy is a good snack. It is even fast!”

My 30th birthday has been an amazing one. While it felt strange and gloomy to be turning 30, God set up an awesome celebration. It started with having fondu with my parents, Marc and Annada. Then many friends sent cards. On the actual day, I had breakfast in bed, read Annada book, attended a beautiful wedding then went to the Dessert Lady with friends. I followed it with a hectic week (YearOne 8 week check in and a graduate class)… and then… going to Asia!

In fact, I’m writing this from Japan. And in 24 hours from now, Marc and I will split and I will go pick Annada up from Omaha. On one hand I am sad to leave, on the other hand I am ecstatic to see Annada again.

The restaurant we ate at the first night we arrived.

Notice the awesome turkey pumpkin by Meme and angel pumpkin by Annada.

This is the first year Annada was old enough to really anticipate trick or treating. Everyday for two weeks she asked me if it was today.

Annada had plenty of costumes to choose from. A belly dancing outfit, a flying horse, a ballerina and her mideast princess dresses were all options. She changed her mind a couple of times a day leading up to Halloween. But in the end… she choose the German princess costume Meme brought her that day!

Meme and Pepe came to take Annada trick or treating, celebrate my 30th birthday and help us while we took a class. I loved having everyone together.

On the big night we decided to let Annada eat as much candy as she wanted. We thought perhaps she would eat 3-4 pieces and be done. Um… nope. Before the night was over she had about 10 pieces of candy and was walking a bit wobbly!

She sorted her candy by type, taking each piece one at a time to a table. Later that night Marc and I took all but a few of her favorite pieces and brought the rest to work. I wondered if she would be upset when most of it was missing, but she didn’t complain.

She did, however, hide the candy that was left and the bag. I think she hid it very well, because she can’t find it and neither can we. She keeps looking and has asked a couple of times if we took it. Neither Marc, Meme or I remember touching her bag after that morning, so the mystery of the missing candy bag continues…

Playing with flowers at Epcot.

Meme (blessed-be-she) is here watching Annada during the day while Marc and I take a class. They have made the coolest pumpkins! (Pics to come)

Meme also brought Annada a kit to decorate a princess mirror. Annada loves it. She’s been running around holding it up to us and chanting…

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best Mommy of them all? It’s Mommy!”

Or

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the greatest Daddy of them all? It’s Daddy!”

Or

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best Meme of them all? It’s Meme!”

But when she points it at her she says, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most beautiful of them all? It’s Annada!”

Going Trunk or Treating with our neighbors Oct 30.

I had just finished praying with Annada before bed last night when she said, “God gave you an excellent baby. You loved your baby. She got bigger and now she is Annada.”

All I could say was, “You are right.”

Annada drew us a mural. She was so clueless that drawing on the wall was a bad idea, she even showed it to me. And… we now have to repaint the wall. I can’t help but laugh whenever I come up the stairs.

The mural day was a particularly busy one – Annada filled the toliet with so much paper it wouldn’t flush, put tissues down the sink (hours later, different bathroom) to it wouldn’t drain and broke a few toys. (She really wants to go potty “all by herself” but I may have to keep the tp with me.)

It was a rainy day and we were stuck inside – I am grateful to live in Florida where she can run off energy most days. And I love having a healthy, curious girl.

Annada wanted to do use face paint to make scary butterflies. I did her make-up, she did mine.