Gosh, life has been sort of hectic lately. P and I both have new roles at work and it has taken it's toll on us, we seem to be in a never-ending nanny search and school starts up for me again in a couple of days. (Whee!) I keep watching the kids, thinking "I need to write this stuff down!" I don't want to forget so many things and yet when I sit down to write I can't come up with probably half of what I want to remember. So, in no particular order...
Gray:
Suddenly, jokes about poop and farting have entered his vocabulary. UGH. Yesterday he was sent to his room for saying the word "butth0le." Seriously, ick.
He has woken up "dry"eight out of the last ten nights. (!!!!!!!!!!!!) When I expressed surprise about this one day he told me, nonchalantly, "I just decided to practice it, Mama."
"Mama, can I go potty?" ("Yes, Gray, you never have to ask me that.")
"Mama, can I go floss my teeth?" (This is new and pretty funny to me that he will stop what he is doing in the middle of a meal so he can run and floss his teeth.)
I love that he says "Alex in Wonderland" and "vox" (instead of fox). Both guys say "blood plessure." Gray STILL says "orport" for airport.
I got them new "vox" fold up chairs this summer. Gray was sitting in his, stroking the armrests saying "You know, Mama, I like these chairs but they are missing one thing. Cupholders."
Into staying up "late." Poor guy still naps a solid 2-3 hours every day so he is never tired at night. I usually let him stay up and practice writing or play educational games online.
Begs for "puffy cheetos." I caved the other day and bought a bag against my better judgement. Yuck.
He also begs for chocolate dipped strawberries.
He can recite almost any commercial on Sprout. He told me the other day that I needed a Citivantage Card and every time we see the commercial for the sunshade (for porches) he tells me "I want one of those!"
Eli:
This weekend everything was DELICIOUS! or WONDERFUL! There were also a lot of "I love you mama, you're so pretty."
"Mama, I did it safe-uh-ly!"
Eli now is copying Gray's sobbing "NEVER, NEVER!" when he is in time out. It is the most annoying thing ever. And it makes absolutely no sense.
"Mama, watch me!" (he takes a bite of something) x100
I love hearing E call his brother "Gway."
I'm starting to realize that nothing escapes him, even though he acts like he is on another planet half the time. He will recite a series of events flawlessly when I would have bet money that he wasn't paying attention.
We discovered today that he can do a real push-up.
There is nothing quite like the full-body Eli wiggle.
The boys bicker endlessly, it seems. They will be shrieking with laughter and then it evolves into someone crying EVERY single time. I find myself yelling at them for laughing because I know where it's headed. In a week's time they will both be in preschool and I can't wait to see how Eli reacts. I think he is going to love it but it will be the first time he is not in Gray's shadow and he will have an identity of his own, somehow.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Dear Eli: 2 years! (and two months)
Yes, so I am a little late. I think this is what second-child-syndrome looks like. Sorry, pal! Now that I think of it, I probably should update your baby book too. It just seems like there is never enough time to do everything!
So. I have been thinking about the best way to convey the true essence of Eli at two, and... I am at a loss. You are like... pop rocks? (Sweet and fizzy and surprising?) Truly, I don't know how to describe you any better. You are a bundle of energy and opinions. Two has hit you (and us) in full force and you are as contrary and stinky (and cute!) as they come. Tonight I said, "Oh, Eli, I love you so much. Nobody will every love you more than I do." You retorted, "NO! You are NOT loving me! Can I have more mac and cheese?" We constantly argue about how big-or small- you are. Depending on the moment you will tell me that "I AM bigger!" or "I AM a baby!" I think you are in that stage where you don't want to totally give up your baby status in our household but you can see all these cool benefits to being a big kid. For instance, every night you beg us to sleep in Gray's bed. We won't get you a "big boy bed" yet because you are so unpredictable. In fact, I still have you trapped in a sleep sack every night because I know full well that you can climb in and out of your crib when I am not watching. The other day you also tried to pee standing up and you were so GIDDY over the prospect that I anticipate teaching you how to use Clorox wipes very soon. Dude, you are NUTS.
Every day starts with you mumbling "I want pancakes!" from behind that disgusting "ba" of yours. We seem to have permanently misplaced "pink ba" and are down to "fashion ba" and "school bus ba." I have warned you that when those two are lost the "ba" thing is over. You are a rough and tumble little boy and you love to wrestle with your brother, run around outside and play with your trucks. You also are a devious little soul and will try to steal anything that Gray has recently played with. As a result, there is a lot of shrieking and complaints of "he doesn't know how to share!" around our house. Good grief, you two goofballs are LOUD. It seems like the giggling always dissolves into crying and it's usually just a matter of time before that happens.
Recent developments for you include a sudden, passionate love of the song "Pumped Up Kicks" which has wildly inappropriate lyrics but you don't seem to mind (and you don't understand them anyway). You get angry if Gray tries to dance to it with you- it is yours alone. The other day, I came home from a work trip, walked in the door and there you were, dancing to your favorite song. I kicked off my shoes and joined you, and it was one of those wonderful moments that I hope I never forget. You also have developed this new laugh recently that sounds like a combination of Pee Wee Herman and Ed McMahon. It's this deep "HEH!" that is so bizarre but still makes us laugh every time you do it. You have become this wonderful little storyteller lately as well. You will string together events that you remember: "Then I go see Dr Suzy and she looks at my body ("bawdy") and in my ears and..." We just listen in fascinated silence to see what you will say next. I love your stories.
There's no question that you are a smart little guy, but for some reason colors just escape you. I am not sure if it's because we haven't worked very hard on them or maybe you just aren't trying...? I don't know. Last week we decided to devote a week to working on one color and it was yellow. I got some window markers and wrote "YELLOW" on the kitchen window and then we drew pictures of everything we could think of that was yellow. I would stand there and say "what color is the duck? the flower? the taxi? etc etc and you would say "lellow, lellow, lellow, BLUE!" I don't know if you were joking or serious, but it was funny nonetheless. This week we are onto orange and hopefully we have a little better luck.
Until recently, we sang together every night. These days you tell me "NO! I DON'T want to sing!" I'm hoping that is one part of the "no" phase that will end soon, because I love to sing with you every night. We sing "Father Mother" and "Day is Done." Every once in a while you will request something else, and lately (I'm not sure why) we have been singing the Star Spangled Banner. You are a delightful, mischevious, lovable little soul and I'm so glad you're mine. I love you, sweet boy.
So. I have been thinking about the best way to convey the true essence of Eli at two, and... I am at a loss. You are like... pop rocks? (Sweet and fizzy and surprising?) Truly, I don't know how to describe you any better. You are a bundle of energy and opinions. Two has hit you (and us) in full force and you are as contrary and stinky (and cute!) as they come. Tonight I said, "Oh, Eli, I love you so much. Nobody will every love you more than I do." You retorted, "NO! You are NOT loving me! Can I have more mac and cheese?" We constantly argue about how big-or small- you are. Depending on the moment you will tell me that "I AM bigger!" or "I AM a baby!" I think you are in that stage where you don't want to totally give up your baby status in our household but you can see all these cool benefits to being a big kid. For instance, every night you beg us to sleep in Gray's bed. We won't get you a "big boy bed" yet because you are so unpredictable. In fact, I still have you trapped in a sleep sack every night because I know full well that you can climb in and out of your crib when I am not watching. The other day you also tried to pee standing up and you were so GIDDY over the prospect that I anticipate teaching you how to use Clorox wipes very soon. Dude, you are NUTS.
Every day starts with you mumbling "I want pancakes!" from behind that disgusting "ba" of yours. We seem to have permanently misplaced "pink ba" and are down to "fashion ba" and "school bus ba." I have warned you that when those two are lost the "ba" thing is over. You are a rough and tumble little boy and you love to wrestle with your brother, run around outside and play with your trucks. You also are a devious little soul and will try to steal anything that Gray has recently played with. As a result, there is a lot of shrieking and complaints of "he doesn't know how to share!" around our house. Good grief, you two goofballs are LOUD. It seems like the giggling always dissolves into crying and it's usually just a matter of time before that happens.
Recent developments for you include a sudden, passionate love of the song "Pumped Up Kicks" which has wildly inappropriate lyrics but you don't seem to mind (and you don't understand them anyway). You get angry if Gray tries to dance to it with you- it is yours alone. The other day, I came home from a work trip, walked in the door and there you were, dancing to your favorite song. I kicked off my shoes and joined you, and it was one of those wonderful moments that I hope I never forget. You also have developed this new laugh recently that sounds like a combination of Pee Wee Herman and Ed McMahon. It's this deep "HEH!" that is so bizarre but still makes us laugh every time you do it. You have become this wonderful little storyteller lately as well. You will string together events that you remember: "Then I go see Dr Suzy and she looks at my body ("bawdy") and in my ears and..." We just listen in fascinated silence to see what you will say next. I love your stories.
There's no question that you are a smart little guy, but for some reason colors just escape you. I am not sure if it's because we haven't worked very hard on them or maybe you just aren't trying...? I don't know. Last week we decided to devote a week to working on one color and it was yellow. I got some window markers and wrote "YELLOW" on the kitchen window and then we drew pictures of everything we could think of that was yellow. I would stand there and say "what color is the duck? the flower? the taxi? etc etc and you would say "lellow, lellow, lellow, BLUE!" I don't know if you were joking or serious, but it was funny nonetheless. This week we are onto orange and hopefully we have a little better luck.
Until recently, we sang together every night. These days you tell me "NO! I DON'T want to sing!" I'm hoping that is one part of the "no" phase that will end soon, because I love to sing with you every night. We sing "Father Mother" and "Day is Done." Every once in a while you will request something else, and lately (I'm not sure why) we have been singing the Star Spangled Banner. You are a delightful, mischevious, lovable little soul and I'm so glad you're mine. I love you, sweet boy.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Christmas past
I really like Christmas. I had a lot of fun this year thinking up new things to do with the kids but it seemed like there was never enough time to get everything done, which frustrated me. (Being a perfectionist is exhausting!) Even though it sounds sort of insane, I want to come up with a better plan for next year so I have more time to enjoy the season and less time to stress over the things I wanted to be doing. This probably means starting to plan a bit earlier (which stresses me out because I don't even want to think about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving) and also taking some more time off.
This year I did an advent calendar where I put trinkets or activities in 24 little bags that were hung by our kitchen table. We missed a couple of activities due to circumstances but on those occasions I was able to improvise with something else. I really liked how this worked out. This was my working list of activities/stuff:
This year I did an advent calendar where I put trinkets or activities in 24 little bags that were hung by our kitchen table. We missed a couple of activities due to circumstances but on those occasions I was able to improvise with something else. I really liked how this worked out. This was my working list of activities/stuff:
- Elf on the Shelf- new for our family
- Mexican jumping beans- loved these when I was a kid!
- Mentos rocket
- Decorate Christmas tree
- Christmas books
- Plant paperwhites
- Donate a toy ("Giving tree" at work)
- Prisms
- Chocolate coins
- Go see Christmas lights (Gray was sick so we didn't go)
- Make a gingerbread house
- Make Christmas cupcakes for Phil’s work
- Tops
- Reindeer art (feet/hands)
- Light-up reindeer noses (learn Rudolph song)
- Go see Santa (scheduled on a day that the nanny comes so I could avoid the lines/crying)
- Make gingerbread men (read story)
- Window-scaling men
- Christmas movie night (postponed several times due to behavior)
- Make an ornament
- Deliver cookies to neighbors
- Picnic by the Xmas tree
- Zoolights (never made it due to weather)
- Reindeer food (ended up giving them "Xmas jammies" bc I didn't have the stuff for reindeer food)
The Elf on the Shelf was a new concept to our family. My two thoughts on this tradition: it is damn hard to remember to move that stupid elf every day and since the elf and the advent calendar showed up at the same time Gray thought they were related and would wake up saying "Let's see what the elf brought us today!"
I love to bake and give plates of cookies/candy away so this is the list of what I made this year: cut out cookies, candy cane cookies, three layer cookies, buttered rum meltaways (yuck), chocolate cookies with mint M&Ms, soda cracker candy, peppermint merengues (meh), pretzel M&Ms, white bark with pretzels and M&Ms, white bark with craisins/coconut/pistachios, puppy chow (YUM, I had no idea it was so good!). I think that's it. I tried several recipes from the MS Cookies cookbook that SUCKED and I was disappointed that I wasted time and money on ingredients. I also gave away a hell of a lot of jam.
This is what I would like to see happen next year:
- Advent calendar with most of the same types of things that I did this year. One idea to remember is to get a copy of Colorado Parent magazine in November because it has a ton of ideas in it.
- Make a gingerbread house based on our house- I tried to do this but messed up one of the walls so it was all catty-wampus and I ended up not finishing it because I was mad.
- Go listen to Handel's Messiah. There are so few showings of this and they are always sold out by the time I start investigating them.
- Consider going to a Children's mass on Xmas eve.
- Make a Xmas cookie/candy plan EARLY, as in Thanksgiving weekend. I'd like to do truffles (and have little paper wrappers that I bought on sale this year to use with them). I'd also like to do hot chocolate spoon mix-ins. Note to self: I really missed Russian Teacakes this year!
- Start working on the packages to be sent in November. It would be easier on us financially, and also a whole lot less stressful if I could get those packages out by, oh, let's say December 10th.
- Take time off. It's truly a luxury for me to be able to bake mid-week, or go shopping during the work day. I took two random days off this year and it was not enough.
- Remember that the kids do not need a ton of stuff- this year we asked for (and really wanted!) gift cards to the rec center so we could send the kids to some different classes and did not get one gift card. That sort of sucked. What we did get was an overwhelming pile of stuff that caused about 100000 fights on Christmas morning.
- Organize the ornament exchange EARLY in November.
- Organize a dinner with friends.
- Christmas "date" with Terri.
- I did a little photo book for each of the boys and put it in their stockings. It was a cute idea and they liked it but it got lost in the shuffle. Maybe do this as an advent activity instead?
I think that about covers it but I reserve the right to add to this list as I remember other things!
** Two more things: MAKE Phil put up the damn lights on Thanksgiving, like it or not, and think about pictures for Xmas cards in EARLY November!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Looking back, looking ahead: Resolutions
So, first let's look at what I wanted to accomplish in 2011:
- I'd like to run the 10k in Champaign in April. I have the ticket booked and can run 2 miles so far, so I think this is do-able. It would be great to run another "big" race later in the year as well as a couple of 5k races. I did two 10k races, then my sciatic nerve acted up again and left me thinking that I would not be able to do any more long races. I wanted to do more 5ks but that just never happened.
- I want to buy clothes I LIKE, instead of buying clothes just because I have to wear them.
I really am getting better at this but I have to constantly remind myself it doesn't matter how much it costs: it's never a bargain if it looks bad. - Complete the 365 project that I started. Grr.. I have had some phone/camera issues this year so I probably got through three months and then had to quit. I'd like to think about doing this again because it was fun and made me notice the world around me more.
- Take six sewing classes. (One down, five to go!) Boo! I am so bummed that this didn't happen, mostly because my work schedule interfered. It seemed like any time a class came up that I was interested in I was scheduled to be out of town.
- Take six classes at the rec center- I am mostly interested in yoga, but also would like to take a tap class. Another bummer. I didn't take any classes at the rec center.
- Conquer this last 20 lbs, and maybe go for 30 lbs. This year I kind of teeter-tottered around on the scale. I didn't get to my goal, which SUCKS. My attitude on this is that there is no whining allowed- I didn't get there because I didn't do the work, simple as that.
- Date night once a month. We didn't do too badly with this. I think if anything held us back it was that we (I?) built date night up into this thing that had to be fancy and nice and that is just dumb. Last night we went to a neighborhood bar that I've always wanted to check out and it was great and relatively cheap.
- Make and decorate "fancy" cut out cookies. When it came down to it, making a bunch of different colored icings sounded too bothersome and I didn't do it.
- Try to average 15 workouts per month. I did fairly well with this, even though I've been slacking off this last month (I think I did 11 workouts in December). I'm fully confident that I will change this.
- Accessorize. Part of making this more likely is organizing my jewelry in a different way. Maybe I have to admit that this is never going to be my strong point, along with wearing lipstick and taking care of my nails?
- Slow down and be nice. In my rush to get things done I am more abrupt than I need to be. Ugh, no comment. This will always be hard for me.
- Read one "classic" per month. I abandoned this goal when I was trying to slog through some boring crap that was deemed to be classic. I don't have time to waste on books that bore me, especially with getting my degree right now!
- Complete the egress window in the basement. We are so broke, this is somewhat of a sore point with me.
- Finish the kitchen backsplash. Done!
- Start the basement bathroom. See #13.
- Buy a fridge for the basement. Done! And I love it!
- Yell less. HAHAHAHAHA. It feels like nobody pays attention to me until I start shrieking.
- Remember that it's the little things that count... including things like calories and money. It all adds up. Um, yes, it does and all those little things have added up into an atrocious Visa bill that makes me sick.
- Remember that a quick phone call or email is better than nothing. I would say that I have improved a little on this.
- Plan for the future: set up wills and college funds. A complete lack of money has made this goal feel sort of stupid right now.
Okay, so here's my 20 for '12:
- Paint/re-decorate my office.
- Paint the hall bathroom.
- Train for a "long" race. Either a 10k or a half marathon- the jury is out on what race to do at this point. I need to look into this.
- More phone calls to important people in my family.
- Find a new set of sheets for our bed (this is a bigger task than it sounds- I don't like anything out there, it seems.)
- Continue to make some progress on learning how to parent my boys. (See: "less yelling.")
- Pay off our credit card debt.
- Sew more: make Christmas stockings for the boys, learn how to use a sewing pattern, get more comfortable with my sewing machine.
- Hit my goal weight by my 40th birthday.
- Start plants for my garden in the basement this year.
- Organize our wills.
- Start college funds.
- Meet with a financial planner and/or figure out a budget.
- Take my vitamins with (more) regularity.
- Travel somewhere new for fun.
- Finish working my way through my cooking magazines and start on my recipe file.
- It sounds trite, but "be present" with my family.
- Figure out a plan for next Christmas so I'm not scrambling at the last second and can enjoy it more.
- Make some progress on the basement, even if it is replacing ONE WINDOW.
- Blog once a week.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The perfect day
I really hate to admit this, but somehow, some way, I have managed to gain 10 lbs back. I am SO MAD. And tomorrow is going to be the end of that. I am truly puzzled about how this happened but I am going to fix it right now. In five weeks we are headed to Chicago for a birthday/anniversary weekend and I am going to make a difference by that time. It should not be a problem because after the truly atrocious couple of weeks I have just lived through the next couple look very, very easy.
This is what my perfect day looks like:
This is what my perfect day looks like:
- Work out for an hour- four days per week. One of my runs needs to be a long run (4 miles or more). On the fifth day I need to do something physical for 30 minutes, even if it is yoga or walking the dog. For the most part, this goal is easy for me since the only thing I struggle with is that fifth day.
- Good, clean eating and more water than diet coke. In fact, for the next month I am allowing only one per day.
- No sugar, April-style. This means no candy or baked goods. I don't try to sacrifice sugar in everything since I don't tend to have problems with it in other forms (ie I don't abuse it). There is no reason I need to have sugar for the next five weeks, so I am not going to have it.
- Write down everything I eat. I am going to try to use that stupid app on my phone that seems so cumbersome but I just must be doing something wrong.
- Vitamins- multi-vitamin, Cosamine, fish oil. Every day.
- Getting ready for bed at 9:00 and getting in bed by 10:30. Reading before bed.
This stuff seems so small, but would make such a huge difference if I accomplish it. See you in five weeks! (And after that, I plan on finishing endless diet that I have been on for almost two years... I am going to spend my fortieth year in the best shape of my life!)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Dear Eli: Month Twenty-One
Dear E,
So yesterday we spent the lunch hour in the emergency room because you had fallen and bumped your head at the park. Your nanny ran you home, I took one look at you and we headed to the hospital. On the way you kept yawning and trying to fall asleep while I shouted at you and hassled you, driving like a crazy woman all the way there. Eli, please don't scare me like that again. The goose egg on your head and the drowsiness terrified me and I don't want to repeat that any time soon! An hour later you had stopped crying, and were eating a popscicle and telling me "I accident!" Accident, indeed, kiddo. I have to admit that I thought "this is the first of many" trips to the doctor due to you hurting yourself. You are a little bit on the wild and rambunctious side! Gray will sit and watch a movie straight through and you will gallop around the basement throwing balls and trying (unsuccessfully) to catch them for a full hour. You are a nut.
You are a big fan of any type of ball or piece of construction equipment, the dogs and most of all GRAY. You love your brother and always want to hug him, hassle him, play with him and talk to him. He is somewhat aloof and this just feeds your need to BUG HIM. It's funny to watch but I'm sure this is going to escalate as the two of you get older! The other day you were standing outside his closed door saying "Where's Grayson? I love you Grayson!" Speaking of loving people, I am missing the days of exhuberant Eli kisses. You want to be held ALL OF THE TIME ("Mama, I wanna hold you!") but for whatever reason you don't want to kiss or hug me. You are a contrary little stinker pot and you know just how to push people's buttons!
You have become a great sleeper and I am so thankful for that. You sleep from 8 PM to 7 AM, although occasionally you will wake up a little earlier and sit in your crib and chatter to yourself until we come get you. You are a pretty good eater, although you have exactly the same fruit issues that I do- you like bananas and strawberries (sometimes) and that's about where it ends. Your favorite food by far is eggs or waffles. Your speech remains amazing and you say all kinds of crazy things. The other night you woke up at 4:30 AM because you had been sick and you were saying such funny things: "I hear crickets. I hear da crickets outside!" was the one I remembered the next day. The next night I was gone but your dada said that you woke up at 1:30 and requested your water bottle. At 2:30 you woke up again and he heard you calling "Yogurt drink or juice? Yogurt drink or juice?" which we thought was so funny. I have been singing songs from the Sound of Music lately and I particularly love hearing you sing "Doe a Deer." My favorite line is when you say "Gray... a drop of golden sun!" Oh E, you are so darling.
I don't even know how to explain how delightful you are. You are sweet and sunny and silly and I am so glad I get to know you, my little E! The world is a better place because you are in it.
Love,
Mama
So yesterday we spent the lunch hour in the emergency room because you had fallen and bumped your head at the park. Your nanny ran you home, I took one look at you and we headed to the hospital. On the way you kept yawning and trying to fall asleep while I shouted at you and hassled you, driving like a crazy woman all the way there. Eli, please don't scare me like that again. The goose egg on your head and the drowsiness terrified me and I don't want to repeat that any time soon! An hour later you had stopped crying, and were eating a popscicle and telling me "I accident!" Accident, indeed, kiddo. I have to admit that I thought "this is the first of many" trips to the doctor due to you hurting yourself. You are a little bit on the wild and rambunctious side! Gray will sit and watch a movie straight through and you will gallop around the basement throwing balls and trying (unsuccessfully) to catch them for a full hour. You are a nut.
You are a big fan of any type of ball or piece of construction equipment, the dogs and most of all GRAY. You love your brother and always want to hug him, hassle him, play with him and talk to him. He is somewhat aloof and this just feeds your need to BUG HIM. It's funny to watch but I'm sure this is going to escalate as the two of you get older! The other day you were standing outside his closed door saying "Where's Grayson? I love you Grayson!" Speaking of loving people, I am missing the days of exhuberant Eli kisses. You want to be held ALL OF THE TIME ("Mama, I wanna hold you!") but for whatever reason you don't want to kiss or hug me. You are a contrary little stinker pot and you know just how to push people's buttons!
You have become a great sleeper and I am so thankful for that. You sleep from 8 PM to 7 AM, although occasionally you will wake up a little earlier and sit in your crib and chatter to yourself until we come get you. You are a pretty good eater, although you have exactly the same fruit issues that I do- you like bananas and strawberries (sometimes) and that's about where it ends. Your favorite food by far is eggs or waffles. Your speech remains amazing and you say all kinds of crazy things. The other night you woke up at 4:30 AM because you had been sick and you were saying such funny things: "I hear crickets. I hear da crickets outside!" was the one I remembered the next day. The next night I was gone but your dada said that you woke up at 1:30 and requested your water bottle. At 2:30 you woke up again and he heard you calling "Yogurt drink or juice? Yogurt drink or juice?" which we thought was so funny. I have been singing songs from the Sound of Music lately and I particularly love hearing you sing "Doe a Deer." My favorite line is when you say "Gray... a drop of golden sun!" Oh E, you are so darling.
I don't even know how to explain how delightful you are. You are sweet and sunny and silly and I am so glad I get to know you, my little E! The world is a better place because you are in it.
Love,
Mama
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Gray: 3.5 years old
Dear Grayboy,
Tonight we let you stay up WAY past your bedtime (which has been effectively moved to 8ish, but you still take epic three hour naps) and watched you get sillier and sillier... you were trying to maintain a delicate balance of cute and funny but not obnoxious and it's interesting to see that you totally know where that line is and how not to cross it. (Your dada was at work all day today (and at a football game/bachelor party thing all day yesterday) so he was willing to let you stay up and act goofy so he could see you for a little longer.) Anyhow, it is so funny to watch you learning the ways of boys: acting goofy just for a laugh and then doing the same thing over and over (and over...etc) until we are begging you to PLEASE STOP. You are starting to play with your voice and will talk like a duck for a while, then talk like a zombie- and then there's the "poop" talk that you've started to venture into. I can't say I'm looking forward to that part of my life since it will probably go on for the next, oh, ten years or more?
You started preschool (for real, this time, because we got you in a class that allows diapers, ahem) and I would say that you generally like it. You don't say much about the actual school part, but you will occasionally mention something about one of your friends there. I asked the teacher about you the other day and she said that you are very social, and you really like girls. There is a little girl in particular that you have made it your mission to be friends with but apparently she is not having it- I don't know why, but she has not returned the favor for some reason and this makes you nuts. What I have been pleasantly surprised by is your willingness to go to school. On the rare day I drop you off I always prepare myself for drama but you give me a kiss and say "Bye, Mama" and that's the end of it.
You and Eli are like having twins- the two of you want to play with the same things at all times. We know now to just buy two of whatever so we can avoid a fight. Sometimes it doesn't matter; you guys will fight over the silliest little things. There have definitely been episodes of hitting (you) and kicking (Eli) and lots and lots of crying (you, Eli and me).
Random: you are really good at putting your shoes on the right feet ("Is this the right foot, Mama?") and if I say, "No, that's the left shoe" you will get it right 90% of the time. You are learning directions and we will play the game of "right or left" in the car on the way home, just to see if you know which way to get us home. You are learning the concept of time but mess it up (adorably) more often than you get it right: "Mama, we came here thirty years ago!" You refuse absolutely to dress yourself and you will not go on that potty no matter what. You are a tidy little soul and have nary a crumb on you at the end of a meal. You don't like to eat off of Eli's plate or share his drink because he's "too messy." (And you're right, he is GROSS.) Your dad calls you his "sister wife" because you are always bossing and nagging him about things, which I think is hilarious. You love to go to the park, go hiking, read and watch movies. In particular, you are quite a fan of Roxborough Park, the "red park" and we have probably watched Cars a million times. You will request the "Real Gone" song from Cars over and over- if you had your druthers you would listen to it a hundred times. You are a big fan of your Gram and this weekend we asked if you'd like to go by yourself to have a visit with her. You said "No, both of us have to go" and when I asked you to clarify who you meant you said "Eli has to go too because if he doesn't I won't have my brother." Too, too cute, Gray.
What I want to remember tonight is this: after you were put to bed (sobbing because we refused to give you one more cookie) I went in to snuggle you. You were laying there with your right thumb in your mouth and your left pointer and middle fingers crossed like you always do, making funny faces (blinking really fast, then squeezing your eyes shut)... and I thought you looked like such a BIG boy. You are getting hard for me to pick up, you say such adult, funny things and you are so thoughtful and insightful. Four is right around the corner, even though you always tell me you still wish you were two. When I left you tonight you said "Mama, do you want to come back and snuggle?" like you always do. And like I always do, I said "Yes, of course, baby."
I love you.
Tonight we let you stay up WAY past your bedtime (which has been effectively moved to 8ish, but you still take epic three hour naps) and watched you get sillier and sillier... you were trying to maintain a delicate balance of cute and funny but not obnoxious and it's interesting to see that you totally know where that line is and how not to cross it. (Your dada was at work all day today (and at a football game/bachelor party thing all day yesterday) so he was willing to let you stay up and act goofy so he could see you for a little longer.) Anyhow, it is so funny to watch you learning the ways of boys: acting goofy just for a laugh and then doing the same thing over and over (and over...etc) until we are begging you to PLEASE STOP. You are starting to play with your voice and will talk like a duck for a while, then talk like a zombie- and then there's the "poop" talk that you've started to venture into. I can't say I'm looking forward to that part of my life since it will probably go on for the next, oh, ten years or more?
You started preschool (for real, this time, because we got you in a class that allows diapers, ahem) and I would say that you generally like it. You don't say much about the actual school part, but you will occasionally mention something about one of your friends there. I asked the teacher about you the other day and she said that you are very social, and you really like girls. There is a little girl in particular that you have made it your mission to be friends with but apparently she is not having it- I don't know why, but she has not returned the favor for some reason and this makes you nuts. What I have been pleasantly surprised by is your willingness to go to school. On the rare day I drop you off I always prepare myself for drama but you give me a kiss and say "Bye, Mama" and that's the end of it.
You and Eli are like having twins- the two of you want to play with the same things at all times. We know now to just buy two of whatever so we can avoid a fight. Sometimes it doesn't matter; you guys will fight over the silliest little things. There have definitely been episodes of hitting (you) and kicking (Eli) and lots and lots of crying (you, Eli and me).
Random: you are really good at putting your shoes on the right feet ("Is this the right foot, Mama?") and if I say, "No, that's the left shoe" you will get it right 90% of the time. You are learning directions and we will play the game of "right or left" in the car on the way home, just to see if you know which way to get us home. You are learning the concept of time but mess it up (adorably) more often than you get it right: "Mama, we came here thirty years ago!" You refuse absolutely to dress yourself and you will not go on that potty no matter what. You are a tidy little soul and have nary a crumb on you at the end of a meal. You don't like to eat off of Eli's plate or share his drink because he's "too messy." (And you're right, he is GROSS.) Your dad calls you his "sister wife" because you are always bossing and nagging him about things, which I think is hilarious. You love to go to the park, go hiking, read and watch movies. In particular, you are quite a fan of Roxborough Park, the "red park" and we have probably watched Cars a million times. You will request the "Real Gone" song from Cars over and over- if you had your druthers you would listen to it a hundred times. You are a big fan of your Gram and this weekend we asked if you'd like to go by yourself to have a visit with her. You said "No, both of us have to go" and when I asked you to clarify who you meant you said "Eli has to go too because if he doesn't I won't have my brother." Too, too cute, Gray.
What I want to remember tonight is this: after you were put to bed (sobbing because we refused to give you one more cookie) I went in to snuggle you. You were laying there with your right thumb in your mouth and your left pointer and middle fingers crossed like you always do, making funny faces (blinking really fast, then squeezing your eyes shut)... and I thought you looked like such a BIG boy. You are getting hard for me to pick up, you say such adult, funny things and you are so thoughtful and insightful. Four is right around the corner, even though you always tell me you still wish you were two. When I left you tonight you said "Mama, do you want to come back and snuggle?" like you always do. And like I always do, I said "Yes, of course, baby."
I love you.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)