• Home
  • About
  •  

    17 months

    March 31st, 2012

    S2 is a month shy of being a year and a half. I feel both torn in that with each passing day, the baby in our home is growing up, and yet also not being able to wait for him to be more expressive, and reasonable…. althought judging by older bro, I’d love to sedate him past the age of tantrums πŸ™‚

    In this last month, S2 has re-discovered his toes. He looooves his bare feet at changing time. Specifically he loves to pick out the lint in between in his toes… and eat it (yuck!). Kid seriously digs for gold, and inspects each crevice with great care. While it’s kinda gross to watch, it keeps him occupied, and I’d rather have that over a dude who is trying to perform break-dancing moves while I’m trying to wipe a poopie bottom.

    He can’t seem to keep shoes on his feet. His new favorite thing is to remove his shoes while we’re in the car, and toss them in nooks and cranies I can’t get to. It’s fun stuff in the rain, let me tell you! I’m pretty sure his next set of shoes will either come with laces, or duct tape.

    He wants to walk out our front door all on his own. He’s not loving being carried out to the car, and wants to walk down the stairs like a big kid. It’s sweet. And then he makes a run for the street as soon as I try to get bags in the car. Not sweet!

    He loves to feed Neko. He comes home, and before he’d sit down for his own dinner, he’d point to Neki’s dry food and gesture he wants to give him food. I’m pretty sure these guys will be best buds in a few years. Neko in turn will come and check-out S2’s nursery in the morning, and there’ve been a few times I’ve seen him snuggled up in the rocking chair. Once S2 gets a big boy bed, I think I might find Neko cuddling up with him at night.

    His hair is coming in a bit thicker now. The sides are getting just a little shaggy, and the back is forming a nice little tail, but the top still has a ways to go to fill in. I think he’s getting ready to rock a mullet.

    Child is also still a climber, and testing limits daily. I wonder if Planet Granite will make an exception for him, and let him enroll in climbing classes ahead of 5.

    There was one thing he did at daycare this week that made me really impressed and proud: he did his morning poop delivery while I was still in the room, and when called out, he dropped what he was doing, walked over to the changing room, climbed onto the changing surface and sat down. And he did it two days in a row! I was both a little jealous our setup at home was not as convenient, and also grateful since the top of the changing are is NOT something I want him getting into. But hey, the dislike of a poopie diaper may spell out earlier potty training with this guy.

    Now… onto stats:

    Weight: 24lb, 11oz
    Height: 31.89″

    Favorite food: yogurt

    Favorite toy: not really showing interest in any ONE thing specifically. He’s been into G’s power tools, but also still very much the kitchen

    Favorite activity: climbing onto the couch over the couch arm

    New accomplishment: really wants to feed himself. He grabs spoons out of my hands so that he can do it on his own. And then he tosses them, with food still on them

    Number of teeth: 7! We’ve got our first molar, and it’s amusing to me that he’s growing things very a-symmetrically.

    Number of words: 7. There may be more, but he says “Dis!” implying “this”

    Naughtiest moment: uhmn, draw between running for the street, or starting fights with his brother

    Temper tantrum meter: low


    The first fight

    March 31st, 2012

    Today, our dudes had what I would interpret as their very first (physical) altercation. It begins… (although I’m hoping future fights won’t be too terrible). It went something like this:

    S2: [walks over and grabs the blue Lofty Lego crane that G was actively playing with (and minding his own business, mind you!)]
    G: Hey!!!! That’s mine!!!! [swipes crane back]
    S2: [moves out 2′, picks up decorative couch pillow off floor, walks back to G and smacks him on the head with it]
    G: [proceeds to tackle S2 down to the floor, relatively gently, and backs off]

    It stopped here.

    Fun times ahead!


    Ma woman!

    March 30th, 2012

    This is one of S2’s little friends from daycare. Apparently she is his woman, and only he gets to stroll her around (and bump her into objects). No kissing from anyone else is permitted.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1PWxEdOets]


    Foto Friday

    March 29th, 2012

    I attended a very regretful event earlier this month, and as I watched a slide-show of a man’s life, I realized how important photos of US with the kids are. Photos of ME with the kids. Yes, I make it a point to have a photographer visit us at least once a year, but in the grand scheme of things: not enough. So I’m trying to get better at getting IN some images myself. So here go, some not-so-technically correct pics, but ones I’m happy with regardless πŸ™‚


    Yeah, I think we’re on track

    March 28th, 2012

    In advance of S2’s 18m appointment, we were given a 23-question questionnaire to fill-out. I suspect the purpose is to detect early markers for Autism, based on the questions. It must be a new thing for our office, because we didn’t do this with G. So let’s see…

    #3. Does your child like climbing on things, such as up stairs?
    Climbing? Why yes, especially foot-stools that lead up to sinks, because he is completely OCD when it comes to washing his hands. He also enjoys falling off of said step-stools because he mis-calculated the distance between his reach and the location of the hand-soap.

    #6. Does your child ever use his/her finger to point, to ask for something?
    Yes. Obsessively! Followed by the sign for “more”. And the sound for what I’m pretty sure is “this”. And he’s determined to not stop asking until he gets what he wants… or may the force be with you.

    #13. Does your child imitate you?
    Uhmn… I hope not. Sarcasm doesn’t look good on a 16m old.

    #19. Does your child try to attract your attention to his/her own activity?
    Well, does grinning ear to ear when he’s doing something naughty, and hopes you will smile instead of get mad count? ‘Cuz we’ve got that!

    #20. Have you ever wondered if your child is deaf?
    Selectively? Yes, I’m pretty certain he is, because I know I’ve told him not to try and pull off the safety guards off of our electrical outlets, and he (chooses not to) hear me.

    So I think we’re pretty good.


    This is why daddy doesn’t sing at night

    March 26th, 2012

    Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top
    When the wind blows the cradle will rock
    When, uhmn, the wind blows…
    Something, something, something
    Baby falls down

    Overheard tonight as S was in G’s room with the boys and I was in the bathroom setting up toothbrushes.

    Yeah… this is why daddy doesn’t do the singing


    Movie Monday

    March 25th, 2012

    We’re starting a new family tradition: Pasta Pamadoro on Tuesdays after swim class for the boys. S2 is discovering many uses for crayons. Here’s one: as an utensil. (Killing the sound on this video is actually preferred: there’s no audio of interest and far too much restaurant noise. So if you’re on mute, good — keep it that way)

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8HMNWn-3ng]


    Catcher, our new dog

    March 23rd, 2012

    Inline with stories of G’s father, today, I was regaled with stories of his new dog.

    G’s dog is purple.
    He’s big.
    He gets along really well with Neko because the two of them get to chase each other around.
    And his name is Catcher (actually this is a cool name, andΒ  should I ever be insane lucky enough to take on a dog-child, I’d probably rally for this name).

    By the end of this evening, G had adopted not one but two dogs, but stories of the second are yet to come.

    I think he’s finally put a story to Poppa’s invisible dog leash πŸ™‚


    Everyone’s “Mama”!!!

    March 23rd, 2012

    So while I’m lamenting the loss of the “mama” title on one end, S2 has decided to step it up a notch and is now calling his daycare teachers “Mama”. All four of them.

    I’m actually amused by this: I don’t feel threatened or sad by the fact at all. A part of me feels like I should be. But I’m not.

    Apparently he’s not the only one that does it, though, and is just the latest thing he’s picked up from the other kids in his class. I wonder how their moms are taking this bit of news πŸ™‚


    I’m no longer the mamma

    March 17th, 2012

    This past week G stopped calling me “mamma”. I am now “mommy”. I feel down-graded.

    There are worse things I could be called, that’s for sure, but I don’t have to like this new monicker. I feel like everyone else can be “mommy” if they want to be. But I’m different, and special, so I’m “mamma”. “Mamma” also carries over from Bulgarian. And it’s what my little guy says. Not my grown up kid. And while grown up kids are in our future, WE’RE NOT THERE YET DAMNIT!

    When asked, he says he doesn’t like to call me “mamma” anymore. I don’t know what changed between last week and this week, but apparently it’s not cool to anymore :-/

    Sigh — there goes another toddlerism lost…