Today

It was just A and I today all day. He kept asking for Daddy. He always loves to point to the picture of Daddy and Grandma on the wall, and today, he stood on the couch, pointed at Daddy, and then started playing peekaboo with the picture. So cute.

I took some pictures today in the glider. I figured that I haven't done that since he was a year old, so it would be interesting for comparison, and boy was it. He looks HUGE in the chair and compared to Tempy. He was having a great time rocking the glider, standing in the glider and making it rock. Those pictures and videos coming soon.

I take it back

Yesterday when we picked A up from school, I noticed the arrival of his FIFTH tooth! He got the one to the left of center (our left--so confusing) on the bottom. And when I brushed his teeth last night, I felt a TON of bumps.

Words

No tooth yet, although I do feel lots of bumps on his lower gums.

My son has started with one of those words that toddler parents dread. He now says "Mine."

He also LOVES to say his own version of "cereal bar." It sounds like see bah. Cracker and cookie are frequently said, as are kitty and car. He no longer says 'Balloon,' but instead calls them "ball." LOVES to point to shoes, and brings Daddy his shoes ALL the TIME... and even puts them on Daddy's feet.

Wordle

My buddy S sent out an email about this site wordle.net. It's just a silly little thing, but the word cloud it made from this blog is:

Pictures

Here are some of the pictures I uploaded the other day. They decided to go here in their own order, so you'll have to use your imagination a little bit.


The Boy didn't sleep well the other night, so crashed on Daddy's chest after school.

The Three Musketeers, together again!

The only way A will eat chicken nuggets. He loves to dunk!

H put her head on A's shoulder, and then he put his head on her head. SO STINKING CUTE!



Cousins! I'm so glad that the girls just LOOOVE A, and they remember him too despite only seeing him once a year.



Look at those beautiful girls. Their daddy is in trouble.

Peekaboo!

A did this on his own one morning before we left.

Hugs for Mitten.


Daddy's shoes; a perfect fit. Yep, A did this on his own too.

I love this picture. The expression on his face is just priceless, even though the picture itself isn't that great. He also did this to himself with the letters.

A New Tooth

I think A is finally getting his fifth tooth. He is putting everything in his mouth today, so hopefully something is coming in!

Door handle

A can now open the bathroom door.

We have the lever handles (like this), and he can do it now.

He only seems interested in opening the door to get OUT of the bathroom, but I guess that's because we no longer have the privacy of leaving the door to the bathroom closed... that's right, if he hears the word "bathroom," A knows where to go, and that it's his right, his duty, to follow us in.

Funny Story

About a week ago, I was gathering my (reusable) bags to go to the grocery store as I was getting us ready for school/work. I remembered I had left something upstairs, so left A (and the bags) in the middle of the kitchen.

I came downstairs to find A at the bottom of the stairs and the bags too. He had carried them to me!

I tell ya, this kid is just too much!

I uploaded tons of pictures last night, so hope to get them here tonight or tomorrow!!!!

WHEEEEE MIDTERM WEEKEND!

Ouch

Way Back Wednesday!

Woo, I remembered!

Check these pictures out, from around the time A turned 6 months old!



Believe it or not, A still wears those socks!

How small he looks in these pictures!!

Historic

Round Here....

A has taken a liking to his blanket. It isn't full on Linus just yet, but there are times when he MUST bring his blanket out of his crib and downstairs with him. We have a rule that he cannot eat and hold his blanket, but this rule has proven problematic if he takes a nap before eating. If I wake him up to eat, he is still sleepy and wants his blanket, screaming if it's taken away. I've tried getting him to like the smaller ones that are around, but sometimes only the big blanket will do.



Monkey see, monkey do is in full effect around here. First, A took the Swiffer Duster from me and was dusting the house--the floor in particular. So cute. Then he took the Dry mop from me and was walking around the house sweeping the floor. Today, we went out for breakfast. He must have seen us putting syrup on our pancakes, because he took a creamer and "poured" it out over his plate. Finally, I think I mentioned on here before that he has taken to giving us raspberries on our bellies and tickling our tummies.

A loves to dance; if he hears any music at all, he starts moving.

Words continue to grow. I definitely heard "bye bye" today, and "ewwww" has become a favorite. "Apples," "Elmo," "Kitty," "Duckie," "Mama," "Dada," "Cup," "tree," Car, Cookie, cereal, Puffs, More, and cheese. I can't think of any others right now.

Double stroller contest!!

Vanessa at I Never Grew Up is offering a Bumbleride double stroller up as a giveaway. What a sweet giveaway. Check it out and also take a look at Vanessa's fun blog!
Here's the contest.

FUN

My son is too much fun. I meant to add this to my last post, realizing that I probably sounded like I am not enjoying this. Trust me, this age is just AWESOME... I just need to better figure out how to deal with the frustrations he goes through.

My son has discovered the legendary "zerbert." That's right, he now tries to raspberry our bellies.

Speaking of bellies, one of his latest imitations is of Daddy lifting his shirt and patting his belly. He walks around saying "Beebo" for belly button.

This morning, I took him out of his crib and he said those magic words, "Mama." Awwwwwwww.

I meant to mention here about a recent trip to Mom Mom's house... I Really feel like I've shared this already, but just in case. A few days before Christmas, we drove to Mom Mom's to give her a Christmas tree I had gotten for her. Mom Mom has some really old pictures along her mantle. I picked up one of my mom's school pictures from the early 90s and showed him--he gave Grammi a kiss! I then pulled down my senior portrait and got a kiss too. Awww.

A continues to be in love with cars. Did I mention that he now knows Elmo? He says his name, often! It's still cute, though!

A and I (errr, I, I guess) invented a game. Our sofa is backed against empty space, so the other day, he was looking "over the edge of the world." I asked "what's out there, what's out there? OH NO it's a SHARK!!!" and we hid on the other side of the couch in a fit of giggles. Stupidest game ever? Yeah, maybe... but if it gets me and my boy laughing, it works for me.

Well, it's official.

My son is officially a toddler. First, he's approaching running. The other day, he was walking around on his tip toes, which reminded me of my cousin, whom I remember walking like that as a 6 or 7 year old.

Next, well, the tantrums have begun. I was all alone with A from waking to sleeping yesterday and he really wore me out. He has been refusing most of the things we offer for dinner (although my Elios sure was appealing last night) so he's hungry most of the day. And screams as a result. And then refuses the food we offer.... unless it's fruit. Sigh.

It was very clear to me that the same old same old toys were boring him after so much time at home this week, so we hit the mall just for some new sights and sounds. It helped, but he quickly wanted out of the stroller.

It was lucky for me that A wanted to go to bed early, because I was POOPED out by the time he went to bed.

It isn't all bad, though, please don't get me wrong. A climbed up on the couch just to sit next to me. And then he climbed all over me. Then he gave me lots and lots of toothy kisses (that's right--kisses aren't sloppy, they're TEETH first!!).

Another funny story--for his Birthday, A received a stuffed Elmo. (that's one of his words I forgot to mention!!) Ever since his visit to Best Bud's (who has an Elmo Live!), A tries to squeeze his Elmo's nose to make it sing and dance. It's hilarious, but I'm wondering if he should get one too???

As I mentioned earlier, A has really sprouted in the past few weeks. He will soon be saying goodbye to all his 18 month clothes, which really stinks because we weren't anticipating it!!!

At 17 months,

A can reach the door handle
A is, for the first time, larger than Best Bud.
Gives the best hugs and the wettest kisses.

Melts my heart

M got A saying "Ma Ma" yesterday. He was doing it over and over, and it nearly brought me to tears.

He doesn't necessarily call ME Ma Ma, but at least the sound is there. I'm still not sure who is Daddy, or if Daddy is a universal for parent.

A has lots of words at this point:
Apple
Ball
Cheese
Shoe
Car
Tree
Ditty
Daddy
Duckie
Cookie
Ashley (Ashy)

M also taught him how to sign "eat," although he only does it after we ask if he's ready to eat.

Mornings have been rough. A isn't really eating his dinner, so he is starving when he wakes up. He throws a major tantrum as I'm trying to get him dressed. All was well once we got downstairs and got some banana in him, although that was a bit of a struggle at first too... thank God bananas are cheap at BJs!

Sick

It's been a rough two nights for our Mr. A. On the night of the 27th, he had that hacking cough he gets when we woke him up at Grandpa's. My gut tells me that there's something in the Pack and Play, because I seem to remember this happening another time he slept in it. Anyway, he was fine for a few days, with a runny nose and cough, but not much else. On the 30th, though, he would not go to sleep. We had to rock him, pat his butt, etc etc to get him down. The same thing happened last night. It really isn't so bad; once he's to sleep, he stays asleep, but it's much harder than it normally is to get A asleep in the first place.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Melting Pot for a very early dinner. We got there at 4, in the hopes that A would work with us and that the place would be very empty so our meal would be quicker. The problem was that 4pm is NOT A's dinner time, but rather his snack time. Nonetheless, he was so very well behaved. Since the place was so empty, we took advantage of it and let him walk around the store.

We went over friends' house on the 26th, and A did well there too. He was more interested in their son's toys than in his gifts, but he was a great little boy there too.

On the 27th, we went to Grandpa's house, and Grandpa took care of him for a little while before A went to sleep. They did really well, and played with lots of toys. Grandpa had a little bit of trouble getting A to sleep, but the famous radio set to static worked its trick.

On the 29th, M and I went to Atlantic City! A stayed with Best Bud and had a great time! Best Bud got lots of fun toys, and A enjoyed playing with him. Best Bud kept calling A "Ami" (like Ah-me, not Amy), since that's his frequent playmate's name, which was so funny. The boys slept in the same room (A in the crib and Best Bud in his toddler bed) and both slept really well.

So, that's what we've been up to around here.

Happy New Year!!!



New Year Comments | Discount Cigarettes





Oh, and though I don't usually use this as a forum for politics...

Holiday 2008

Hanukkah Night 2!

A loves Hanukkah Pooh.

We went out to a yummy dinner at the Melting Pot.

Christmas Morning... A was hanging out in the window.


A got this from his Secret Santa. It plays Take Me Out to the Ballgame when he presses a button-he LOVES pressing the button over, and over, and over. He has started saying "Elmo" as a result.

A's Christmas present--slippers just like Daddy's!


A's buddy!

Angel? Devil? Dunno, but A sure does love his ball xylophone!


A's Hess truck. For three days, he carried this part around, even to the extent that he grabbed it immediately at RZ's house!


A and Mom Mom!


At Grandpa's house.




New Year's Eve... the third year in which A has lived!


This was hilarious, but I don't remember why! He was running around, cracking up!

Mommy and Daddy at midnight.

Christmas!

Pictures are coming soon!

Christmas in our house was a lot of fun. First, we went to our Christmas present dinner at the Melting Pot, and A was so well behaved especially considering the length of our meal. We went early so he would be alright, and as long as I let him walk around a little, he was great!

On Christmas Day, A was beyond well behaved. He interacted with the family so much better than last year. He knew that Grampy was the go to guy for playing, and on several occasions reached out for him. He didn't need any warm up time for Grammi, Grampy, or even Mom Mom. He was a little bit less comfortable with Grandpa and his great-aunt, but did warm up to them pretty quickly.

Since receiving the Hess truck, he has been carrying it around pretty much non stop. A enjoyed all his toys this year, which included an xylophone that comes with balls, a Little People car, Animal Bowlingl, a Little People airplane, and a huge floor puzzle. He loves them all, which is so great to see. He also got some books, clothes, and an ornament.

Grampy and Grammi left for Florida yesterday morning, and arrived at their first stop early this afternoon. We'll miss them but know they'll have a great time, fishing and shrimping and bridge playing and swimming.

Found

A Visit to Mom Mom's...

We made a hasty visit to Mom Mom's house yesterday, and something adorable happened.

Mom has a mantle full of family pictures. So I got one of Grammi's old school pictures and showed it to A. He walked around with it for a little bit then gave it a kiss. So then I got down Mommy's graduation photo, and he showed it to Daddy and then gave it a kiss. As an experiment, I took down a picture of my cousin with his wife and daughter and gave it to Alex. He smiled and pointed at the baby, but no kiss. How cute!

He warmed up very quickly to Mom Mom, who he has not seen since Thanksgiving. A good sign for Christmas!

He also seems to remember some things from her house (we were there about a month ago). He went into a drawer he was playing in the last time we were there and took out these cigar cases in which she keeps crochet hooks and started shaking them, just like he did last time.

We didn't bring A's chair along for the trip, so he sat on a chair on a phone book, just like Mommy used to at her great Grandmother's house!

What's shakin'

A lot has been happenin' in the world of Mr. A.

First, it is clear that this is my child. My mother used to lament that my teachers all thought I was a perfect angel, but that I was a PITA at home. A's teachers say that he only cries when he gets hurt, doesn't thrash for his diaper changes, etc etc etc, and are surprised when they hear that he often cries in the mornings.

Next, the return of the mayor. I'm told that A is a fantastic sharer. He gives toys to the other kids in his class often... pretty impressive for such a little guy. I'm amazed that EVERYONE seems to know this child; we'll be leaving and parents I don't know will say "Goodnight, A!" and so will kids who are much older. They all know him, and by name! So he's clearly Grampy's grandson too.

We visited Santa again yesterday. He was fascinated by the big guy while we waited in line, and I thought that there might be a chance. As we got up to see Santa, however, A became VERY clingy and started crying as we approached. We ultimately took pictures with me sitting next to Santa, but A didn't look great and I didn't look so great at all. So, definitely not worth the $25 (!!) for 2 pictures.

While we were at the mall, we met up with Best Bud and his mom. Despite not having seen each other in what feels like forever, they went right up to each other and started playing. They were so cute, having conversations and feeding each other snacks. A now weighs more, but Best Bud is still a bit taller.

Last night, we went to Grampy and Grammi's house. Grampy took A almost immediately after he got out of the car, and to my surprise, didn't make even the slightest fuss. He was very happy to be with his grandparents and also very happy to see his old toys.

We also went to the annual Christmas party. Last year, M and I had to leave after about half an hour because A was INCONSOLABLE. What a difference a year makes--not only was he a perfect party guest, but he also went to sleep in a bedroom for a several hours. It took a bit longer than normal to get him to sleep, but he did go down eventually! Hooray for sleep training!

The most adorable thing today... we were out at the stores, and couldn't get A to hold our hands as we walked through a parking lot. So, in order to force him to hold our hands, we did the old swing the kid between the hands trick. But we weren't doing it for awhile and so we hear A make a noise just like our "1, 2, 3 swing!" and then he did like a kick thing. It was hilarious!

That's what's shakin for now. Have a great week!

Updates

A has added some new words to his vocabulary. He now says:
Cookie (a favorite in our house)
Cracker
Kitty
Duck
Daddy
Dada
Car
Jimmy
Michael

He can point to his head, ear, eye, nose, and mouth. When I say "Gimme that foot!," he brings his foot up to my mouth for an eating and giggle fest.

He can walk pretty well now.

His room has a new teacher at daycare. I really liked his old teacher, and the new teacher has brought some concerns. The other day, she told me that his diaper rash was fine at the noon changing, but that he had developed a BLISTER by the 3pm changing. My poor baby was in so much pain, but luckily it only seemed to bother him when his diaper was off. I'm concerned because I thought he was supposed to be changed every two hours, but she was clearly changing him every three. So I left a note yesterday (there is only one teacher in the school when A is dropped off) to please change him at least every two hours and to make sure he was slathered with lots of butt cream. As of last night, it looked a lot better and the blister is starting to heal.

I also worry because A begs for the teacher's food, and she gives it to him. It seems as though she gets McDonald's every day, so he has had french fries the past few days. It isn't a big deal--he's had french fries with us before--but I really want him to eat as healthfully as possible for as long as possible; to get him eating the good stuff before he knows any better! I also don't want to be THAT PITA parent... a tough balance.

Finally, we took a holiday visit to Picture People and Santa the other day. The Santa picture didn't come out so hot, so we didn't get it... A didn't scream at all, but Daddy was in the picture and A just had a weird expression on his face. I'm currently debating whether to get photo cards made up or if I should just use the regular cards I already have and add in a small picture of A... At any rate, here are some of the shots from our PP session: