December 27/28 with the D's

J & T stayed the night with us on Sunday so we could get a nice early start for our trip to the big city on Monday morning. We took the train in, went to Rockefeller Center, the World of Disney, went to lunch at the Mean Jester, went back to FAO Schwartz (ran into a friend there; amazing! I knew we should have gone to Serendipity!), then tried to hit the M&M's store without success (we had to take that last train before rush hour). Along the way, we stopped by Columbus Circle.

A had a great time, despite the wind and cold. He loved the Disney store, and probably could have spent another hour or two in FAO Schwartz (way too crowded, alas).

On our way into town, we took a double decker train--a first for all of us. It was really neat, and A was enthralled by it too.

Here's the slideshow!

December 26 with the Z's

A little bit of a different slideshow; hope you enjoy!

Photos, Christmas Day

Christmas

Christmas was a huge success around here. A was so well behaved in church (hooray for finally finding an 8am Mass!!), several people approached me to tell me how well behaved he was. YAY!

As for the day itself, we had a lot of fun with all the family, food, and presents. Although A was very excited to open presents, we were pleasantly surprised that he wanted to play with each one (although he definitely has his favorites) rather than just going through the process of opening packages, amassing more toys. He was very excited to see all his grandparents, and Mom Mom too.

The day after Christmas, we went to the Z's house for more celebrating. A and R were so happy to play with one another, and they even went to sleep in the same bed. Awwww.

The day after that, Aunt J and Uncle T came to visit so we could all go into NYC for the day on Monday. He was so happy to see them too! We went out to dinner, and A got to eat quesadillas. He loved them, and loved eating like a big boy too.

We had a great, although very windy, day in Manhattan. We walked around (and around, since we backtracked at least twice), saw some things, and ate some food. Of course, A was so happy to take the train--as soon as he saw one, he said he wanted to sit on it. He fell asleep as we walked around, and woke up around the time we were all eating lunch. For some reason, he refuses to wear gloves, and I really wished we had brought some blankets or had a Bundle Me. Alas, we didn't, and things turned out ok...

Happy holidays, and Happy New Year too!

Belly

Sans makeup.



For giggles, 25 weeks with A:

Snow!

Last night, we had our first real snow of the season. We just got in from outside. I'm so proud of A's snow outfit, since not only does it all match (except the gloves--the matching ones are WAY too big) despite being bought at all different times, but I got everything on deep discount (clearance or sale on top of coupon) or consignment. Sweet!

My son, who has thus far refused his gloves and hat (saying, "No hat, I wear hood"), wore his hat and gloves. Mommy and Daddy have started to get smart, and started last night with "Do you want to play in the snow tomorrow? Well then you have to wear your hat and gloves!" He was actually EXCITED to put them on today, same for his snow pants, which I couldn't even get on him to try on previously.

He liked the snow, and wanted to build a snowman...unfortunately, this snow isn't right for it, but was not at all a fan of the snowblower. He wanted to go by Daddy, but didn't like the snow being thrown. Speaking of which, our snowblower wouldn't start this morning, but luckily our neighbor is wonderful and loaned us his. I had picked up some kids' gardening tools from freecycle, and had the brilliant brainstorm of giving them to A to play with--a big hit. He helped me shovel the walkway with his shovel!

I tried to get A on my old Flexible Flyer, but the sled was just too heavy for this light snow. Maybe it will work when he is bigger and we can take him to the big sledding hill over at Rutgers where it will be packed more...

He didn't last a really long time, though, which was good because it was right about the same time my cheap snow boots had gotten my toes good and numb, but not TOO numb.



Pictures coming soon!

Swimming!

At swimming class yesterday, we reached a few new milestones. First, A got to pick the songs we sang. He was very interested in singing certain songs, and told the teacher so. Next, he is now a BIG fan of JUMPING into the pool. He's still timid about doing it, especially from a standing position, but said YEAH! every time I asked if he wanted to jump in. It's funny when I think back on how upset he would get when he would get splashed, and now he just giggles. Next, the teacher had everyone go for a "big swim," where the kids take either a noodle or a barbell to kick the length of the pool. Since he wears a bubble, I decided to let go and see what happened. Sure enough, A kept on going, but got mad at me when I tried to show him how to kick from the hips rather than from the legs.

Thunk thunk...

I'm getting kicked from the inside. It's especially interesting when one child is kicking me from inside and the other is going to town outside. I'm not yet at the point where you can see my belly ripple, but definitely at the feel the thunking from the outside point.

We had the ultrasound on Friday, and things went pretty well. The tech said, "look at how CUTE your baby is!!" to which I replied, "how cute for an ALIEN?" Mean Mommy.

They did find a little thing of concern in baby's brain; that's right, freak out Mommy spot of all places to pick. I can't even remember what it's called, but there's a part of the brain responsible for producing fluid that sometimes creates a...pocket of fluid. She reassured me that, due to the 12 week nuchal test, our chances of Downs is something like 1:10,000 but it does require another ultrasound in a few months to ensure it's been resolved. Add this to the fetal EKG we'll have in 2-3 weeks, and this baby will be at 4 ultrasounds.

We, unfortunately, did not reach a decision on names before M found out gender, so now the slope is a little trickier. Is an alliterative name too... superhero? What about "matching" names... how would the two of you reading this know if I was talking about A or A?

This weekend, we went to an annual Christmas party, and how much of a change A has had since we started taking him. At four months, we stayed for about 20 minutes before his screaming meant we had to go home. At 1 year four months, he slept just dandy in a pack n play in a bedroom, and at 2 years four months, he slept right on a regular bed, without any rails. This year, he was a hit and really enjoyed gambling and drinking...err, playing with the gambling games (craps dice and roulette were favorites...just like Mommy!) and sipping his juice. As always, he was thrilled to see Grampy and Grammi and Olivia. The highlight of his weekend, however, was his new toy; S & J gave him a firetruck. He loves this thing!!




I'm debating what to do about the big guy in the red suit this year. A freaks at the mention of his name, yet loves looking at images of Santa. So many people I know with kids his age had a lot of success with it this year, despite horrific experiences last.

I'm in love.

Spent some time today with M's extended family, and Bepah bought lunch at a kosher deli. In the spread he got was a jar of three types of pickles--Kirby (ew), "semi sour," and "sour." I was in love with the vinegary, garlicky sour pickle. It was wonderful.

Sick

I've been fighting off something for almost a week now (sore throat, constant sneezing, etc) but it seems to have hit me full force today. Having spent much of the morning sleeping, the only remedy we could find that seemed ok was Tylenol Cold (nighttime), which I'm not even positive is ok. So, this stuff just knocked me out, and here it is, 11:00, and I've achieved nothing on my list.

So, this is how I get to spend our time off/weekend. I can never figure out whether it's better to be sick during the week (which can be so awful, not getting the chance to sleep in and really recover, being exposed to even more germs) or to be sick on a weekend/day off (extra sleep, no real stress/pressure, but then, it's your OWN time).

At least I feel less sinus pressure and less headachy. I also think that once the sleep medicine wears off, maybe I'll be able to get something done.

Please vote for A!

Every day, please vote!
THANKS!

Hi,

I just entered my child in the "Parenting - Baby and Child Model Search contest" and we need your vote to help us win!

You can view my entry and vote for me here!

Thanks and wish me luck!

Please vote for A!

Hi,

I just entered my child in the "Parenting - Baby and Child Model Search contest" and we need your vote to help us win!

You can view my entry and vote for me here!

Thanks and wish me luck!

Commonly used words

Wordle.net is responsible for this nifty little thing. It's funny how it's changed when I made it last, in January 2009!

Stuff

A is very much influenced by what he sees and does at school. Today, he picked up a marker and starting making shooting noises. M said he saw this happen on the playground; a boy who is a little bit older did it, was scolded by the teacher, but it seems as though A has learned it too.

Then there's the famous "Don't talk to me," which A said to me one morning with a growl. He then said, "Don't say that word!" (I have no idea what the word was!)

As for #2, movement is getting stronger, and this week, can be felt on the OUTSIDE (occasionally).

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Imagination, stories, and other tales

A has come to love the movie Cars so much (he tells us it's his favorite), it has worked its way into his imaginative play. If you aren't familiar with the movie, this is Lightning McQueen:



And this is the truck who takes him where he needs to go, Mack:



A has a Matchbox race car that is blue and red that he calls Lightning McQueen.

And, he is hauled around by "Mack," last year's Hess truck:




Not sure why, but I started singing "Yellow Submarine" to A this morning while changing his diaper. He then asked to hear the Submarine Song, and has been asking for it all day.

We then read Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. There's a section in which they chant, "Milk in the Batter, Milk in the Batter!" and so A was looking through the book chanting "Milk in the Batter, Milk in the Batter! Yellow Submarine!!"

Another story

The other day, A said to me, "...all night long!" So, I started singing Lionel Richie.




He responded with, "Mommy, sing! Sing Lightning McQueen song!"
Ok. So, I sing this, which is the "Lightning McQueen Song"...


At the chorus, I realized the lyric is, "If you're going my way, I wanna drive it all night long."

Ah, my son and his obsession.
Strangely enough, we've reached a point where he no longer wants to wear his Cars hat. After wearing his yellow hat or his Cars hat every day for weeks, he no longer wants to wear it even when I offer... like yesterday, which was a TERRIBLE hair day. Alas.

Funny guy

A few funny stories this week.

Up first, my 2 year old locked me out of the house yesterday. I was in the garage, putting my school stuff in the car. He came out with me, then went back in. Despite my saying, "Don't close the door, A," he did. I then heard him lock the deadbolt, which I didn't even think he could reach. Turns out he can. It also turns out the rest of the house was locked, and my keys were in the house. We also have no key to unlock that door. SOMEHOW, I got him to unlock the deadbolt, and wasn't even late to work.

Also yesterday, my son decided to wake when I was about halfway through my shower... and after Daddy had left for the day. He came into the bathroom, cried when I told him Daddy had left for work, and left the room. I called to him to come back in and play with his (bath) toys, to no avail. I quickly finished up my shower and went to find him... I discovered A on the stairs. With a banana in his hand. Apparently, coming back UP. He had gone downstairs, pulled his stool over to the banana spot, pulled a banana off the bunch, and then came back upstairs.

I had another funny story, but at this time can't remember it.

The Aquarium!

We went to the aquarium in Camden today with Grampy and Grammi. After taking 333 pictures, here are the best of what I got...





And, since that posted so small, click here to see the slideshow larger.

Pumpkin Picking Pictures

Our pumpkin picking pictures. I didn't take out the bad ones, it was hard enough adding all of these to photobucket.

A bit delayed

A little late, but here's the ultra sound picture at 12 weeks on October 8, 2009!

We were just on our way home from voting when A started to say, "Go Mets!" then turned it into this:

SME

My friend from college took several pictures of A. You can see her story about how much of a ham he was on her blog, but here's the picture she shared! Go here for her blog!

Imagination.

It seems our son has discovered imaginative play. Today, he was reenacting the Cars movie, using his Hess truck (Mac) and red race car (Lightning McQueen). He even wanted to take "Mac" with us for our errands. He was playing with something this afternoon and said, "Bye bye, Thomas!"

Yesterday, we did not go trick or treating at all. Instead, we played in the rain and mud at the University of Delaware's homecoming game. The team lost. The band rocked. The alumni band was REALLY BIG!! A had a great time, and was the PERFECT CHILD ALL DAY (once we left the house, that is). He took about a 30 minute nap on the car ride home, and ultimately fell asleep during post game sometime. He was a little charmer, and did a great job yelling "Go Hens!" and "Blooooooooo Hens!" He had a great time pointing out that "they're running!" too.


In the parking lot after the game, the drum line came over to where we were and A got to see them drum. He was in awe, fascinated, and terrified, all at the same time.


A's first tailgate experience!




Having a blast in the drizzle and with the railing... more of these to follow.




The Band.


Some did not make it to postgame.



Running on a great big football field! (This is back to before the game)



Anticipation.... (Actually, I think he's talking with Aunt Jen here). Due to the way we were seated, A refused to allow our customary family photo.



A Puddle! Oh, boy!!



Ham!



From the field; In my Life!



Another puddle, OH BOY!




No longer at all shy with Mr. Puddle.






Maybe I do, maybe I don't, need to say that my son was wet from the bottoms of his feet to at least his knees. He, of course, had not a care in the world and would have happily left his socks, shoes, and jeans on. We nonetheless stripped him down to his diaper and took him promptly to Kmart for some quick new clothes.

In all, a fun day at the game was had by all!

Pumpkin Picking

Yesterday, A and I went to a farm in Hillsborough to pick pumpkins. We took a tractor ride, ran around in a hay maze, and even saw someone in a hot air balloon... as well as picked out pumpkins!

As far as pictures... they're available, but blogger is giving me issues... another time.

Funny morning

This morning, A came out of his room, and is typical, threw a tantrum on the hall floor. Needing to get myself ready, I let him go to town and continued doing my thing. I heard silence, and so went into the hall to find him admiring the old space heater we have in the hall. He asked me something about it--can't remember what--and went about his merry way. I came back a few minutes later to find he had switched that space heater with the one in his room... silly.

He then came into the bedroom, and asked to put his blanket on the bed. I helped him do that, and then he asked to go up on the bed. He had already asked for his "football game," so I put A, along with the football, on the bed. He then curled up, football cuddled, with his head on the kiki and the thumb in the mouth, to be bop to the classic rock station on the clock radio.

Meanwhile, I just came home from the world's longest doctor's appointment (3:45 appointment, walked out the door at 5:20, saw the doctor for all of 10 minutes). Things look good, not that they really look at anything at these appointments, but heard the heartbeat! It is good, and 147 bpm!

Picture People, take 2...

We went to Picture People again yesterday, this time with A alone. This time, we brought a LOT a LOT a LOT of props. What a difference... and wait till you see the best (and yet worst) prop I found.

We had a really tough time picking this time, but did manage to bring it down to 3!

Here ya go!

As an aside, I'd LOVE to tell you we posed A with that stool, but we didn't. He saw it, he grabbed and dragged it, and he even posed himself with his foot on the stool.

Morning fun.

This morning, A decided he wanted waffles for breakfast. I don't usually feed him breakfast, so this was a surprise. He ate them as I watched CNN, and Mitten joined in the fun.

At some point, A started saying, "Go ahead, Mitten," although I forget what he wanted her to go ahead. I couldn't get him to say it again, of course, once I got the phone pointed and ready, but I figured it was cute and I haven't posted anything interesting in awhile.

What's new

Not a whole lot is new around here... A continues to wake up sometime before 6. It seems that M's telling him a few nights ago to "Get back to sleep!" worked as far as the middle of the night wakings, but he hears M getting ready and gets up and at em. Yesterday, this resulted in a VERY sleepy boy waking as Daddy came out of the shower (that's right... before 5:30am), watching Cars, screaming when Mommy tried to turn OFF Cars, and a difficult time parting from Kiki and his thumb at school.

As far as new CAN DOs, he can now identify letters. He has letter sheets, and has started pointing out letters of his choice as well as what we ask him to identify too. The sheets also have numbers, which sometimes trip him up, but overall we're pretty impressed anyway!

He seems to come out with a new phrase every day, the latest is asking which of our cars is broken.

As for the OTHER one,

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

Pictures

We went to Picture People the other day, and took Best Bud with us. Here's the results of a not very successful photo shoot:
Link

Funny

My guy is funny these days. Some mornings are VERY difficult, as he screams and thrashes as I try to dress him or put on his coat. However, the other morning, he was simply a joy, and had me cracking up.

First, I'm changing his diaper when he said "Cream on it." Thinking he meant milk or something, I asked what do you mean, to which he replied, "Cream on my butt."

Then, he was in my bathroom with me as I put on my makeup, and grabbed the blusher brush... he used it to brush his hair. "No, Alex, it goes like this:..." and I put on my blush, complete with a little "dee dee dee" as I brushed. I put down my brush, and he did the same on his face, complete with a little "dee dee dee" as he brushed.

A's first hockey game

We, along with Bepah and Colleen, took A to his first hockey game last night. We saw the Flyers WIN (YEAH!) over the Devils.


Cell phone self portrait.





Someone somewhere gave A a balloon hat. He looked funny in it, but wasn't very enthusiastic.


A did so so well at the game, despite the bedtime start time! He was so enthusiastic about the game, all the lights, the action, etc, etc etc.

He kept yelling, "Run!" and "Go Mets!"

I have to say, it's way more fun to be a Flyers fan at a Devils game than a Devils fan at a Devils game. M and Bepah walked around in their jerseys and no one said a word to them, but everywhere I went, people cheered at me and my jersey. Even a Newark cop said, "You're raising him a Flyers fan, right??"

After every period, we took A for a walk to stretch and get a change of scene. At one point, we walked around the arena and some guy walking the other way put his hand on A's head. Weird, right?

We were super lucky in that the two seats next to us were empty for most of the game, so A got his own seat. That made him really happy and made it much easier for us.

All in all, a great night. It's reassuring to know A enjoyed it so much that we can bring him back again...even for a 7pm start time!

A real ham

This boy. He frustrates the hell out of us, but he can really really make us smile. It's all in the eyes, you see. This afternoon, while out running errands, M was putting A into the car. I can't remember details, but I feel like they were having a pretend screaming match. A looked over at me and just gave me this look that CRACKED me up. When we're eating, he'll look at me and just start nodding his head, then shaking it, always keeping eye contact with this mischievous expression.

I discovered this little gem on a website I get in my email. It allows you to compare your sun sign with that of your child. The perfect match was my "second sign," having been born on the cusp. A and me, perfect together:

Your Leo child loves performing for you because you make such an affectionate, encouraging, and generally rapt audience. Your little one's flair for drama is apparent from an early age, and she adores being the center of attention. You're a wonderful parent to her in part because you so enjoy her bright, happy energy. Plus, she's naturally popular (which she must have inherited from you!), so playdates, birthday parties, and other get-togethers are fun for both of you.

You can foster your child's natural creativity by taking her to plays, films, art galleries, and museums, and instilling in her your own love of art and performance. Most of all, give her all your affection and encouragement, because although your little Leo seems as courageous as a lion, her pride is easily dented if she doesn't feel she's getting the adoration she craves.

Yikes

Wow, it's been a long time. This year has been very crazy, and really, I have nothing new to report right this second.

A has been doing really well at school, although I'm very surprised to find him still asleep most mornings when I go in to get him up. He has no problem waking up at 6am on SATURDAY, however. His latest weekend thing has been to make the bed rail squeak. With his hand, and then with his feet.

He is OBSESSED with baseball lately. Of course, football has been on tv a lot lately, but he sees that green field and says "baseball game." He asks us to sing the "Baseball song," and sings along to JACK....BACK.... GAME!!!

On that note, he has developed way more of an opinion on his clothing. Most days, he asks for his baseball shirt, which is a shame considering he only has one. He has been opinionated about his shoes for quite some time, but has become very interested in picking out his shirts lately.

He is so funny about the car. He is very aware that Daddy's car is broken, and needs to be fixed. He points to the loaner as Daddy's new car, but he always prefers to ride in Mommy's car.

I had a very good, although very low key birthday. My boys gave me some wonderful gifts, and we went out to dinner. I then got to follow up my birthday with one of the longest days of the school year, Back to School Night. The weather has been stunning, which of course makes being back to school difficult... oh the days of stay at home mom-ness....

As for school itself, it seems to be a good year so far. Lots of things going on around here, although, nothing to really report so much.

As for potty training, it seems to have stalled. The hubbub (is that a word?) of back to daycare and what goes along with it, and he really isn't interested in going to the potty anymore. I guess they're not doing much with it there, and we don't really have the time with him to do much with it on our end.

This boy loves to run and he loves to jump. It's a struggle these days to stop him from jumping in parking lots, and getting him to hold hands has been too. Generally, he does it when it matters, which is what's important, I suppose!!!

More coming VERY soon!

First and second week of school!

A's first week of school went great! We somehow missed transition week, so he spent the week in his old room with his old friends and old teacher. He did fantastic. I was so optimistic that the school transition would be a breeze!

Alas, our first day of the second week brought about a different boy. On the first day, he cried when I left him. The rest of the week, he cried every morning, and most afternoons at pickup too. The only day that went well was Friday. Due to car troubles, Daddy left for work a little later than normal so A got to spend a little time with him. I think that might have made the difference.

Otherwise, things are going well here, with back to school being a smooth transition for all of us.

Potty

Here's where it starts to get gross again.

A followed me into the potty, and said Poopy. I said, Do you have to go poopy? Yes, he said, diaper off!

Sure enough, he went on the potty! The insert then stuck to his rear end, with the yucky heat we've had today, making a lovely mess on THE fLoor.

But, he did it AND told me HE had TO! YAY!!

Poopy Diaper

M: A, who do you want to change your diaper... Mommy or Daddy?
A: Grampy?
M: Grampy is not a choice... who should change your diaper... Mommy or Daddy?
A: Grampy change my diaper.
M: No, NOT GRAMPY!
A: Grammi?
M: N...
A: Grampy? Livy?

My A...

I got this idea from Megan.


AKA: Boot, sweetpea, sweetness
Loves: DADDY.


Kitties. Livy (my parents' cocker spaniel). Choo choos. Animals of all kinds. The boat.
Helping. Swimming. The ocean.

Reading.





Favorite Foods: Lemons; if one of us gets iced tea or water with a lemon, he asks for it or maybe just grabs it, then eats it, rind and all.

Bananas. Ice cream. Berries (especially strawberries). Applesauce.

Favorite TV Show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, although he won't turn down an offer to watch Elmo, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, or Yo Gabba Gabba.

Favorite place: Outside. A loves to be outside. He loves to help water the plants, and if Daddy is mowing the lawn, he wants to use his bubble mower. He has also really come around to the beach this year. After a few trips in the water with Daddy, he just LOVES to go swimming in the ocean.

Other info: A can be a really timid little boy, but other times, he loves to be adventurous. It's hard for me to explain, but he will NOT try things he doesn't WANT to try. For example, he loves to play in the water, but he HATES to get splashed. We went to the spraygrounds, and he had fun, but would cry (and as he got more tired, scream) when he got splashed--especially in the face.

A absolutely adores animals. Went went to the Popcorn Park Zoo last week, and he was so fascinated by everything there.

He is starting to get a little bit rough with Mitten, but knows he's SUPPOSED to use nice hands with her.

When he gets sleepy, he loves to cuddle with us. In fact, that's what he'll say, "Mommy, cuddle."

Favorite phrases these days include "My turn" (although, more often than not, we're not sure what it's his turn FOR), "Where'd Grampy go?", "Mitten sleeping," "I reach it," and calling Daddy by his first and last name.

Bed.

This weekend, at Grammi and Grampy's house, A spent his nights and naps in the trundle bed. He slept very close to the floor, and had no problems.

Tonight, we are taking the leap and he is sleeping in his big boy bed in his big boy room!

I tried to get a picture of my LITTLE two year old in the GREAT BIG TWIN BED, but my camera was all wonky. Maybe tomorrow.

Ham

My son is a ham. At our Picture People sitting yesterday, we did a picture of M, A, and me. The photographer asked A to lie on his belly, and he did it super fast and started posing.
We got some really nice pictures, and gave PP a LOT of money, which I suppose is to be expected when you have 5 people who want pictures and some want frames...

Here's yesterdays' sitting.

And, after much delay, here's A's 2 year old sitting.

Recent pictures

Boys playing with Choo Choo.






Playing catch.




I said "Keep your eye on the ball," so he did.






Playing with LJ.
















Boys playing with their laptops.