round and round we go

Today while I changed the sheets, you drove your golf cart car from Nana and Grampa all around the perimeter of the bed, back and forth. If I spread out a sheet and it got on top of the car or your arm or whatever, you'd just pull it out and keep driving. All with a very serious look on your face. Things always got a little precarious when you got to the end of the bed and you had to step on the comforter. There were a few times you almost bit it right into the corner of the bed frame, but thankfully you never did!

all wound up

Tonight we decided to take advantage of some free babysitting at church. I hadn't been entirely sure how you would do, but then realized that with all the people around and basically a bunch of play time, you'd be perfectly fine :-)

We dropped you off about 6:15. At first you didn't seem so sure, but I think it's because you were hoping to go run around in the sanctuary. But by the time we came back, it was pretty clear you were having loads of fun. You ran up to say hi to daddy, but when he picked you up, you squirmed to get down again and you went right back to running around with the other kids. The report was that you had done all sorts of things including coloring, running around outside, playing with the lights, and even sock puppets. We got your things together, thanked all the CrossOver girls, and rounded you up to get home for bed. You yelled happily in the hallway as we headed out. You were SO wound up!

You babbled contentedly for most of the ride home, saying lots of heys, yeahs, ohs, and nodding your head a lot too. When I got you out of the car, I noticed you were still warm from running around so much! We quickly got you ready for bed, gave kisses, and tucked you in. I expected to hear you jabbering for a while, but as soon as we closed the door, not another peep. Guess you were all tuckered out :-)

rollin rollin

Lately one of your favorite things to do is take the little golf cart car that nana and grampa sent you from a happy meal purchase on the road and drive it all over things. It's been around the dining room table and over the backs of the chairs several times. This morning you drove it all around the couch: across the middle of the pillows at the front, down the arm, across the back of the couch frame, and then back down the other arm. All with a very serious look on your face--that one you get where you pull in one side of your lip slightly. You'd get a big smile on your face though whenever mommy would turn around to say "beep, beep!"

kaboo

One of the hand-me-down books we have for you is a Winnie the Pooh book with flaps you can lift up to reveal various things. This afternoon you were reading it on my lap, and every time you lifted a flap you'd say "kaboo?"

growing up

normally when you're done being able to get everything out of your bowl of oatmeal, I take the spoon and scrape the sides down to get three or four more big bites for you. I also scoop up a few drops from your bib. This morning, however, you had already taken care of getting everything off your bib (wish I'd seen you do it!) and when I went to scrape down the sides, I could only get two small bites from it. You are growing up way too fast.

then while mommy was eating breakfast, you played quite the song for me on the piano, every once in a while inserting a heartfelt solo. It's possible that it may have been the first movement of a symphony or something because you went on for at least 10 minutes.

right before lunch you were able to get on video chat with nana and grampa. while mommy went to make you lunch, nana sang the wheels on the bus and itsy bitsy spider with you. I could tell by nana's exclamations of "that's right!" and "good job!" that you were doing the motions, so I peeked around the corner and got a good look at the wheels going round and round, the wipers swishing, and the horn honking. and mommy wasn't even there to help you! you really are picking up things so fast these days.

for dinner tonight, mommy made pasta fagioli, so you got a deconstructed version, with the ditalini pasta, and some of the meat and beans from the soup (without the broth), and then some peas to go along with it. You of course liked the pasta, but absolutely loved the soup stuff. Once you'd polished off most of that, you had about 8 or 10 little ditalinis left on your plate. You started taking them out one by one and putting them on the placemat, being very careful to stand them up. I usually wouldn't let you play with your food, but I sort of wanted to see what you were going to do. Once they were all standing up, you took a pea and placed it on top of the noodle, and then picked them both up and ate them. This continued until all the pasta was gone. It might be the silliest thing you've done with food yet.

Tonight was the first night you've helped with cleaning up your toys without me talking about it or asking you to (which you still haven't understood/followed yet). Well, at first you actually didn't help, throwing all the lego pieces after I'd pushed them into a nice pile. But then all of a sudden you seemed to understand and next thing I knew you were gathering up your shape sorter pieces, putting them in the box, and then you put the box on the shelf. Then I heard the little pegs bouncing into the holes of that wooden toy nana got you on freecycle. Then you were putting the golf balls in the golf bag thing you got for your birthday. And then you helped mommy put a couple of books on the shelf. We might be on to something here!

our little handyman

This morning on the way home from staying overnight at grandaddy and granmommy's, you got to run some errands with daddy. He said that at Lowe's you spent a lot of time looking up with your mouth hanging open. It's a big place, and I think the big ones always elicit that response from you. Then you went to Pepboys to get some headlights and wiper blades. Daddy said you really enjoyed that, lots of things all in order, on racks or in bins. He said that you just wanted to organize stuff and even started stacking some headlight receptacles.

When you got home, you were quite a happy little guy. Since mommy's episode with the crickets in your toy basket a couple days ago that resulted in it being dumped out, you've discovered an orange two-person Little People airplane. You were driving it all over the love seat, on the floor, on the couch. Guess I need to teach you how to make propeller noises.

Then daddy settled down to fix mommy's lamp, which needed a new switch. You were very interested in the lampshade, which you kept turning over and over. Then you thought it would be a good idea to drop things through it, especially since it's open on both sides. The old switch, both pairs of pliers, and a screwdriver were good for that. But you were a big help to daddy, even handing him tools and watching as he screwed everything back together.

Recently you've figured out how to pull open the sliding glass door just enough for you to get yourself outside (don't worry, we keep it locked most of the time). This becomes especially problematic when daddy is outside grilling and the door stays unlocked. Tonight was one of those nights. Daddy would go out, shut the door, and be doing something on the grill, and all of a sudden he would hear this little voice behind him. Standing in the kitchen, I can hear daddy greeting you ("Oh, hi, bud!") and you responding with a string of babble. Good thing you're generally good about 1) staying on the deck, and 2) coming back inside when mommy asks you to!

trains, naps, and things at the park

today we tried to go to story time at Barnes & Noble, but you were not interested in sitting still for that. So instead we went back and played with the trains at the Thomas train table. You had great fun pushing the cars through the covered bridge and watching them shoot down the little ramp at the end. By the time you were ready for something else, story time was over, so we walked/ran around the kids area and you climbed on and off the stage for quite a while. it wasn't long before you ended up back at the train table though. something tells me mommy just might have to find a train set like that for you on freecycle...

this afternoon when I told you it was nap time, you were playing on the couch. I walked into your bedroom to put the shades down and I heard you start saying "night, night," then the pitter patter of your little feet coming towards the bedroom. You walked right in, got up on the bed, flopped down and waited for me to put your blanket over you. didn't hear a peep out of you for the rest of the afternoon!

after snack time we went to the park. we had the park to ourselves for quite a while and then a little girl showed up with her mommy. you followed her around and were very interested in all the things she was doing. you stood in front of the swings with your hands behind your back in your classic observation pose, and of course right underneath her while she was climbing the rock wall.

daddy was late getting home, so he met us at the hair salon and we switched cars. Apparently you talked all the way home, with a few hand gestures, although daddy said it was just kind of at a regular conversational talk level. Once you got home though, you raised the volume and included some pretty dramatic hand gestures, including both hands over your head! I think maybe at that point you were telling him about the trains or the park.

dancing by the couch

this morning mommy turned on the new David Gray album that daddy bought for her. while i was making muffins, i peeked out the kitchen door to see what you were up to since all was quiet. you were standing by the couch in your usual listening-to-music place and doing a little jig to track #1. priceless!

lately when I come in to get you up from sleeping, you have to push your blanket off the bed first, and then you can slide off after it. today when i came in to get you from your nap, you were quite wrapped up in it, and sort of sitting on part of it, and you couldn't get it pushed off the bed. you kept trying to pull more of it to pile in your lap so you could shove it off, but were getting a little frustrated that there was still more blanket. mommy finally showed you that it need to come the other way around your body, and then lickety-split it was off the bed and so were you. ready to tackle the afternoon with vigor and lots of talking.

tonight after dinner you weren't itching to get down, so we all sat at the table for a little while. daddy and i were talking and you were really kind of minding your own business when all of a sudden you launched into what daddy ended up calling your opera. you sang and sang and sang, often at the absolute top of your lungs (veins popping out in your neck and everything!). i got a couple minutes worth of video, and we're pretty sure it went on for at least 10 minutes. it'll be great to find in a few months (hopefully) exactly what you've been singing all this time!

getting your swing on

today you got to video chat with nana and grampa for the first time since your birthday. you were very intent on showing them your golfing skills--not so much your typing skills this time around. we set up your new grow-to-pro golf toy with the 4 balls we could find, and got you all set with your driver. mommy helped you get the ball on the tee, and then you'd check to make sure that nana and grampa were watching and wail away! lots of clapping and cheering after every shot.

after dinner you were pushing yourself around the kitchen on your ride on toy and you made a pit stop by the shoe box. you proceeded to unload and reload (mostly) the box all the while staying seated on your ride on toy. very silly.

then out of nowhere, it was time to bring the seltzer water bottles to mommy and/or daddy, depending on how you were feeling. you'd hand them over to get them to the other side of the table, then walk around the back of the chair and hand them back to go to the other side. you kept yourself busy with all that for so long we didn't even realize it was past your bedtime!

2

today we celebrated your 2nd birthday. can't believe it's already been that long.

after an uneventful night in your big boy bed, we had breakfast and then opened your gifts so that you'd have all day to play with them. Aunt Alina got you sunglasses and a Buzz Lightyear flying toy. then you opened mommy and daddy's little gifts - a Sesame Street coloring book and a package of grow capsules. there was also a Jamberry story book from Nana and Grampa. They also picked out a grow-to-pro golf set for you. it looks like a golf bag and has a place for 5 golf balls and 2 clubs. the golf balls automatically "tee up" when you pull down on the lever. then you can whack it with one of the clubs. you were very excited about that one--a huge opened-mouthed grin as daddy showed you how to do it. mommy and daddy's big gift to you was your very own laptop, complete with an apple sticker. you really like opening and closing it (just like daddy!), typing, and moving the mouse.

you played and played (with a brief interruption for lunch) and then it was nap time. this time, you did fall out, and were quite distraught. nothing a little cuddling and music couldn't solve and then you were back to sleep.

for your birthday dinner you had barbecue chicken nuggets, sweet potato, and corn. you ate like a champ. mommy had made cupcakes for dessert, so we lit two candles and brought it to you. you smiled and smiled while we sang and were too shy to blow out your candles, but daddy helped. then you weren't sure about eating it; you just kept tapping your finger against the icing and eating that... until daddy broke off a piece of the cake and gave it to you. not much of a problem after that! you ate almost the whole thing.

we had great fun celebrating your 2nd birthday. you sure do keep us smiling.

big brother

today we found out you are going to have a little brother! his name is Nephesh Liron, and we will call him Neph. can't wait for you to meet him! You have no idea what's coming...

we also put together your big boy bed today, and you were such a helper! you put the screws in all the holes, and daddy even showed you how to turn the allen wrench. once it was all together, you kept climbing on and sliding off. I think maybe you were a little excited about it, and somehow instinctively knew it was a special thing.

songs and bath toys

this morning we were finally able to video chat with Nana and Grampa in Alaska. for the first time in a while, we sang the wheels on the bus. you did quite a few of the motions, including the wheels going around (although your arms were quite far apart), the wipers swishing, the horn (you even touched your nose and said beep, beep, beep), and the driver shhing (with your finger against your mouth and a little bit up your nose! ssss, ssss, ssss).

at Target, I couldn’t resist going down the kids bedding aisle, and almost as soon as we turned down it, you started saying “night night” in kind of a quiet voice and then kept saying it every few seconds until we left the section (two aisles).

this afternoon while I was hanging up the new shower curtain liner, you found your boat (bath toy) on the side of the tub. next thing I knew, you were holding it up to your ear and talking on it like a phone! I must say it looked extra silly with the lifeboat dangling from the bottom.

feel the wind in your hair

lately when I’m drying my hair in the morning, you start in the hallway and then run out to touch the couch, turn around and run back toward the bathroom, a grin of sheer anticipation spreading across your face with every step, and as soon as you cross the threshold, I point the dryer at you, at which point you squeal with glee and turn around to repeat the process.

busy day

today we went swimming at the Cromwell’s and daddy was able to join us. he spent some time in the pool with you out of your float, throwing you up in the air--the kind of things mommy can’t do. you absolutely loved it. you also downed almost a whole hamburger all by yourself at lunch time. you promptly passed out in the car on the way home. pulling into the driveway you woke up saying “woah, woah, woah!” and though mommy thought the transfer from the car to your crib went pretty well, you didn’t end up napping.

that night we took you out for ice cream. you were interested in the first several bites, and then after that you were over it. Guess you don’t have a big sweet tooth, which is a good thing, really. it was cute to watch you miss your mouth and jam some ice cream in your nose though.

playing catch up

tonight when daddy got home from his week away, you followed him everywhere around the house talking almost the whole time. guess there was a lot to catch him up on.

swimming pools and phone calls

this morning we hung out with the Thompsons.

they have a 1 ft deep kiddie pool at their community pool and though you were a little timid at first, it didn’t take you long to start wading through the water to the other side. you did it over and over, each time getting a little braver, going a little faster. I was sure you were eventually going to lose your balance, and that you would either fall on your bum, which would bring the water up to your face, or you would pitch forward to catch yourself on your hands, thus thrusting your face in the water. well, after several laps, the latter happened, and you were pretty scared. luckily it didn’t seem like you inhaled any water because you weren’t coughing or anything. you cried and I held you on my lap, but within seconds--while still crying a little--you were squirming and schooching to get yourself off and back into the water.

at that point, rather than risk another “episode,” I stood you up in your yellow float (it took you a second to understand that you could still stand up and touch the bottom even though you were in the float!), so that when you did stumble, you would just fall right down into the float, no problem. you loved it. must have done 30 or so laps.

when we got back to the Thompson’s for lunch, daddy called and as usual, I asked if you wanted to say hello. I put the phone up to your ear as you stood bent completely over at the waist with your hands on the floor in the middle of the kitchen, and you spouted off a stream of babble for 30 seconds or so, and then abruptly said “bye!” Mrs. Thompson watched you with her mouth kind of hanging open and then burst out laughing when I got back on the phone with daddy, who said “I couldn’t get a word in edgewise!”