Gametes In Love

The highlights from December

This is how G draws a spider (look at the green doodle). Given that there’s a circle for the thorax and some sticks coming out of it for the legs, I’m pretty impressed. Granted this spider only has 5 legs, but still: it could be a spider.

12.2010

12.11.2010: Raindeer

12.12.2010

12.13.2010

12.15.2010

12.28.2010

12.29.2010

We were in the car the other day and G was trying to get S’ attention. I chimed in asking “Ok, buddy. What do you want to say?”, only to be told:

“No mama, me talka to daddy!”

Uhmn… OK. Mama’s been shut down… by a 2yr old.

Well, we kind of missed the boat on making Christmas cookies before, well… Christmas. So instead we made New Year’s cookies. Making dough was a bit more than I wanted to handle with two toddlers, so we opted for the easy approach: store bought cookie dough.

S and K had a fabulous time rolling out dough and stamping it with cookie cutters.

In the end the cookies didn’t really look like the shapes they came from. Really they looked like big sugar blobs. Also they tasted pretty bad, which, to be honest was a good thing. They made their way to the trash in the end, vs. my belly (and later my thighs). We had a great time though, and this has sparked a whole new Mommy/G cooking duo. We’ve since made pancakes (a breakfast win) and pizza (also a win).

Here are some pics from our cookie makin’ adventure. Yes, the background looks like a mess, but I needed to get the counters cleaned up from the reach of toddler fingers. Knives and 2 year olds don’t really mix ya’ know.

The sous chefs

Cookie stamping is serious business

We kinda had to teach them that you couldn’t just lift the cookie cutter and push it down over the same spot all over again.

K, hard at work

So this is a rolling pin, eh?

This is the face of a girl who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. Or her eye-brows 🙂

What? Do I have something on my face?

Our cookies. Or cookie blobs.

Enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Cookie making time was promptly followed by two toddlers who ran circles around our house. I’m really not kidding. From the living room, through the kitchen, into the dining room, then back in the living room. And round and round it went. Note to self: next batch of cookies is getting baked in the morning 🙂

We had our pink tree monstrosity cut down last week. G got to watch. He was fascinated.

Look at that smile!

We call this a passed-out beeb

I’ll take ‘Things that make you go “Hmn!”‘ for 100, Alex!

“Fine. If you take my basket, I will sit in yours.”

“There! Now, THAT’S more like it.”

Mr. Potatohead art

G insists on using every block when making a tower. He’s really more of a supervisor. We end up being the builder bees.

Hmn… I guess I won’t be hiring THAT guy to babysit

On Tuesday evening, we went out for Thai Food. I guess this was the first time that G’s noticed someone clearing away empty plates, because when one of the waiters came to take away the empty Spring Roll plate, G immediately asked

“Daddy, what da man doin’?”

We explained to him the concept of taking empty plates away, and he seemed quite content with our explanation. Please note that at no point in time did we use the term “Bus boy”. We actually never put a title on the roll at all. We just explained what the guy was doing and why.

Then later, our waitress came and asked to take away another plate. G protested, because he only wanted the guy to do it. Fun stuff. Going out with him these days is certainly interesting. Let’s put it that way.

Baby & Daddy cuddles

Now is this comfy TV watching or what?

This year’s European snow blizzard left my mom stranded in Bulgaria. I’m happy that she gets to spend this holiday with her mom, but also a bit sad since we had planned for her to join us here. However, Skype was our friend today and brought both S’ and my (missing) family closer for even just a little while.

Our day started surprisingly late. G didn’t wake up until 7:30am. Given that yesterday was a 6:00am wake-up call, I had expected today’s to be the same. I should be thankful, though, since next year, G will likely be knocking down our door at 5:00am to open gifts. Late last night, after my stomach bug had finally ran it’s course, I finished putting out the rest of G’s toys, specifically the big ones that I had not enough paper-wrapping skills in the world to manage. Until now, the rest of the gifts had been under our tree and G paid absolutely no attention to them. However, as he walked into the dining room this morning and saw his shopping cart and easel, his eyes lit up and immediately asked to “open it!” Then all was lost. Daddy was still brushing teeth upstairs. My mom was trying to get connected to Skype, and here I was with an impatient toddler trying to keep him away from new toys. It’s like keeping peasants from the invasion of the Bastille.

G’s main role today was to hand out boxes. He did an excellent job. Until now, he’s had no interest in wrapped packages. I think as of today that will change.

S2 on the other hand, spent the morning session of activities 1) eating; 2) pooping; 3) supervising the gift distribution. In that order.

Mom and Grandma. 6,500 miles away, but still with us today.

The tree: pre-gift opening devastation

G and his Daddy

“Where’s my loot?”

Holding up gifts for Gamma to see

Winner of the “Most annoying toy!” category this year. Also, winner of “Batteries will magically run out overnight” category toy too. I need to take video of this for you to understand why. Cute otherwise.

G, showing off his new tool-set to Grammie.

Christmas is hard work. S2 conked out for a heroic 4hr nap.

A week ago, we took the boys on a walk around one of the streets in the neighborhood, known to decorate for the holidays. I hope we’ll get to do this every year. G is excited about the lights, so we thought it’d be fun. And it was. Every house on the street was decorated. Some far exceeding Christmas lights quotas. Apparently, decorating for the holidays is listed in the purchase docs if you buy a home here. Talk about pressure, huh?

Look at this crazyness!

Merry Christmas!

Would you like some time off from school/your job? Have you missed some cuddle time with your toddler? Has it been awhile since you’ve bonded with the porcelain god? Well, then come on down to Crazy Jumpers and rent a bounce house for your child’s next party event.

I jest. But it is true. Every single time a child at G’s daycare celebrates a birthday, and the parents rent a bounce-house, it feels like the plague spreads through the school 2-3 days later. Every.single.effin.time. Last Thursday I saw a bouncer deflated as I was picking G up. I joked saying “Gee, I wonder what bug we’ll fall victim to this time?” Well, this event’s party favor? The stomach flu.

S came down with it yesterday and he was miserable. I’m falling victim to it today, and I am hoping… no… praying, that the boys (especially S2) don’t go through this next. We think G might have had it a few days back, and gotten off with the, ughmn, rear-end effects, but not with the pukies. I am at least thankful that S is stronger today and can handle him while it’s my turn to lick wounds in bed. Having us both be bathroom confined with two kids has to be impossible. I gotta tell you, this whole “In sickness and in health” part of wedding vows has a whole different meaning when you add kids to the mix.

The part that sucks is that G doesn’t even like bounce houses. He’s scared of them. The closest he’s come to being in one is at the opening, while no one else is inside. Yet, once his friends get sick and drool over all the toys, he comes down with it too. And as much as the teachers do a great job sanitizing, by then it’s just too late.

Yes, I know this is a side effect of daycare, and normally I can roll with the punches. Today I’m just pissy because 1) the parents got sick too; 2) I have an infant that I can’t do anything for if he gets it; 3) my family is visiting and I worry about passing it onto them, and 4) did I mention it’s Christmas Eve?

Merry Christmas y’all. I hope someone leaves some Gatorade under the tree.

It’s actually kind of a serious question. You see, G is trying to drop his sole nap at home with us. And I’M NOT READY!!!

In lieu of nap-time I’m trying to institute quiet time. However, quiet time, when we leave G alone produced him grabbing everything he could reach out of his closet and throwing it out in the hallway. He was making a “tower”.

Oh and here is Daddy trying to “model” good napping behavior. The result? S got a good nap in. G on the other hand, again decided to build a tower. This time out of books… over the Daddy.

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

4 a.m. gave to me:
One snoring husband
Two snoring children
Three toddler loveys
A four legged fur-ball
ALL IN MY BED

I’m thankful we have a King.

PS. Yes, I recognize that the 5th day of Christmas is really Dec. 29th, but the song wouldn’t have sounded as good if I went in the negative numbers.