Our little Polish girl

It's that time again. A few days (or minutes) have passed and I already have enough material to write another book about how amazing and adorable Anna is. Plus, our friend Maria gave Anna a cute little traditional Polish folk dress, so I thought I'd put up a few pictures for you to look at before I continue to gush.




Cute! And now for the rest of the Anna Update.

Spoonerific
I'm sort of a word nerd. Sure I like to read and dabble in writing a bit, but word jokes have always made me laugh. I love thought-you-saids and spoonerisms will always be classic — ever since the day my friend Tamra Rhodes introduced herself as Ramra Toads. (Thanks for bringing them into my life, Tam.) Anyway, my sisters and my mom love a good mix-up as well. The day my mom said "beats and pisses" instead of "bits and pieces" will live forever. And we like them even if the mix-up isn't quite an official spoonerism, like the time my dad announced in church that the closing song would be "Ring Out, Wild Bears." (It should have been "bells," for those of you who are unfamiliar with the rare tune.)

OK, so I think I got a little carried away with my introduction, but I guess that's pretty telling about how much word jokes make me laugh. The point is that some of Anna's common phrases have been spoonerized and you can imagine how much delight I get when I hear them.

good night = nigh good
get down = det gown
goodbye = buhgye

The F-Word
Now I've got your attention, right? A few months ago, Anna used the word "fix" for basically any way she needed help. Opening things, putting her shoes on, etc. And yes, a few months ago her version of "fix" sounded unmistakably like that unmentionable f-word. We worked hard on her pronunciation and I guess you could say it's paid off. She's definitely got the right vowel sound down, but she's still working on the 'x' sound. So for now, it sounds like "fick-s." It's so cute, all drawn out like that. And it's the same when she says the name of her little friend Max. She's even working on possessives. She'll point to things around the room and say "Mom'z," "Dad'z," and "Anna'z." (Man, it's hard to transpose verbal toddler language into written prose.)

Old Lady Anna
She's always been rather polite, but lately Anna has started saying a very hearty "Oh, thank you!" whenever she receives anything, be it a treat, a bath, or a diaper change. And if that weren't enough, she also started saying "Thank you much" over the last couple weeks. I have no idea where she got it, but it makes me laugh. Little old lady Anna.

OK, I think that's enough for now. Here are some other random photos for good measure:

Working at the penloo with Dad. How did "penloo" come to be the word for "computer"? Your guess is as good as ours.

Anna loves playing on the balcony, and this time she happened to bring some friends to sit out there with her. I like how she set them up so that they surround her in a circle, including the topless barbie.

On the train to Warsaw. I don't quite know what face I'm making, but Anna's is adorable.

Playing at the Arzapalos'. (The orange outfit, glasses, and crazy hairdo are courtesy of Maria; the insanely cute girl is courtesy of . . . me and Trevor.)