first sentence

on friday, hubs and big guy were home together. And contrary to the texts with pics I got throughout the day, I still picture the two of them running around the house with underwear and undershirts yelling incoherently with joy. I'm sure it happens at some point. The day went very well- full throttle fun. And something new happened (do we believe it?)

Big guy has been talking a lot lately. Stringing together all of his favorite words- choo choo, bye bye, car (said with a boston accent), uh-oh! he'll say them in any combination. It's so precious. He's even been talking in his sleep. he'll roll over and say "choo choo." So I've been thinking that this whole saying sentences thing might be starting soon. Hubs texts me that it has happened. The first sentence was: I want to go! And then big guy pointed outside.

and of course this happens under hubs's watch- which means I won't get to hear it for a while. Just like when big guy learned to roll over. geez. Oh well, at least we are starting this complex world of sentencing!

A fish out of water

my favorite book as a child is called "a fish out of water." a story about a boy who buys a fish, feeds it too much, it of course grows out of control, getting bigger and bigger, until he has to call the fish store guy (mr. carp) to make him small again- so good! the fish's name is Otto- so of course any fish I have had has been named Otto. When I was preggo with big guy, grandma Dino bought a new copy, since my original is really old, falling apart, and I took it with me to college.

Hubs started reading it a few weeks ago when we were going to bed. big guy loves it! He thinks it's really funny when the fish starts to get big. and he appropriately says, "uh-oh" when the fish crashes through the bathroom door! And he smiles when the fish is restored to it's normal size. it's so cool to see him love a book I loved as a kid. Now we need to buy the cat in the hat, to see if he likes the hubs's favorite book as much!

First cold of the season

Friday night was not a good night. Big guy and I didn't sleep well- and by that I mean, big guy didn't sleep well, so I didn't sleep. We both woke up on saturday morning with running noses. And we essentially spent the whole weekend asleep or awake & grouchy. Not much fun if you are the hubs- who was on super dad-duty b/c I was so exhausted. We are still getting over it (it's thursday) but are doing much better.

Today is Rosh Hashanah -the Jewish New Year. A new beginning, repenting for all the bad stuff one does during the year. Reflection. big guy and I have off together. We took a walk, played, went to the supermarket- where he did awesome! And then he passed out in the car before lunch. Guess he's used to going to naptime hungry since he never eats at school. Oh dear. I'm thinking about what I need to work on- patience, controlling my temper ( my fuse is short these days), and finding more ways to get big guy stimulated with differing train activities. It's a big list- good thing the year is long!

Be gentle

last week, every time I looked at big guy's sheet from school- it said how big guy had to be reminded to use "nice touch." which to me sounds creepy- but I was getting the message- big guy was not being gentle in his class. after the third day, hubs and I spoke about it. I told hubs he better tell the teacher that the word we use at home is gentle- it's how we practice being nice to the cat. And big guy is awesome with her- touches her gently, gives her kisses. And he's just as nice with other animals we meet in the world.

Hubs called me later the next morning. Apparently, big guy has been grabbing kids by the neck and throwing them on the ground. oh no! but wait, it's actually big guy trying to hug the other kids, but b/c he's so much bigger and stronger than everyone else- he knocks them over. whew! so, we aren't heathens, but we do need to practice being gentle. big guy is definitely a full throttle kind of guy- even we love is involved!

a little tummy something

Big guy has been having a little tummy something this week. It all started over the weekend when big guy was chugging the apple cider. Not such a good idea- as it got big guy's system moving! And everyday this week when I've picked big guy up his teacher has told me how he's been having diarrhea. Which is obviously not good and not what I'm seeing at home either. I mean, it's definitely loose, but not diarrhea. I think our definitions are different.

Yesterday (wednesday) I get a call around noon that I have to come get big guy- he's had two bad poops. Great. I race over and his butt is RED. poor thing didn't want to lay down, didn't want to be held. I let him run naked for a little bit and then put him down for a nap. He was out pretty quickly, only a couple minutes of tears. Grandma D came over and played with him when he got up. Bath time was sad- he sobbed the whole time. Something was definitely going on.

When I called the Dr's office, the nurse said it could be from the cider or she said he got a little tummy thing. Which unfortunately just has to run it's course. Lots of yummy binding food- cheerios, bananas, yogurt, pastas. All of what he's been eating this week anyway. This morning I called the director on my way to work. I let her know what the nurse said and asked that big guy be changed every two hours with aquaphor. And then I asked her to check the poopy diaper to see if she considered it "diarrhea." Turns out, big guy had a great day! Only one super messy poop. Otherwise- all was well. And big guy got his "fall cleansing" out of the way!

Thomas the Train

Big guy and I the morning of the train ride

Waiting in the corn field for the school bus

Big guy checking out the scenery

Big guy enjoying the train ride

And the big deal part of our trip out to lancaster was riding the Thomas the train! It was crazy, I've never seen anything like it. We were going to the Strasburg railroad again, but this time we couldn't park in the parking lot- instead, we parked two miles away. In a corn field. And took a bus back to the railroad. And while this might in normal circumstances be a pain in the butt- I have to say, the bus ride might have been big guy's favorite part!

big guy was thrilled to finally get to ride in a big yellow school bus across a bumpy corn field and without a seatbelt on with a ton of people- he actually cried when we got off the bus. And of course we were late, so we ran to get our train and it was leaving. After arguing with a few people, I finally got to the man in charge who asked us to wait with the other losers who missed the 11:45 train. Luckily, the wait wasn't too long. We got an awesome seat on the train.

Hubs picked out a double seat (two that face each other) and no one came to sit with us. We got a nice window view and it was a good 15 mins on the train. Big guy was hooting and hollering with joy! Yelling- choo-choo! The conductor came by and yelled, "all aboard!" it was just awesome. Getting off was actually better than the bus. We ate some lunch and yummy kettle corn- which big guy is obsessed with! Then another bus ride to the car and we head for home. I was hoping the Thomas train would sate big guy's appetite for trains, but I think it might have just added to the obsession! Next year, I think big guy will be good to take the normal train and maybe we can eat in the dining car!!

A visit to F&M

Big guy enjoying the mulch

big guy and I playing in a garden

Big guy, PE, and I at the track

Sunday morning (pre-thomas the train) we went to visit a special person, PE. She's this totally fabulous young woman who goes to F&M. PE is one of those awesome people that you want to awesome things to happen to and to be in college and wake up early on a sunday to give us a tour- she's priceless! We got to her campus around 8:45. We walked the beautiful grounds- rolling hills, lots of trees, plenty of squirrels! Big guy was of course in heaven! Grass to pull up, mulch galore, and plenty of room to run.

We had breakfast in the cafeteria (oh, it brought me back) and made our own waffles. Big guy stole PE's bowl of chex. Then we wandered for a little while longer before ending back at the football stadium. A really great visit!!

apple pickin'

Saturday we went apple picking. Big guy LOVED it!! Any place where big guy can run through a muddy field and throw stuff is the place for him. Big guy was wearing his new fall clothes, as it was quite chilly! (the vest is so cute- I might be obsessed!) And one of the best parts of apple picking, besides the mud, you get to eat lots of yummy apples- big guy is a big fan of honey crisps- which is my favorite and we ate plenty of them! So much fun, we are definitely going to go again until it's too cold to do it! Just view this to see big guy picking his first apple:

uh-oh

big guy has started to say uh-oh again and it's extra adorable. Why? Because he will purposefully throw stuff on the floor and look at me all sweetly, "uh-uh-uh-oh!" Multiple syllables, even cuter. I keep telling him that if you do it on purpose it's not an uh-oh, but try being logical with a toddler, it just doesn't work!

I'm super cute

I bought big guy these really adorable pj's from old navy a few weeks ago. They are navy blue and red. the pants are red and blue stripes with the stripes forming circles around his legs- extra cute points b/c big guy has delicious chubby legs and they are super long. The shirt if navy blue with red cuffs and collar. In the middle in white writing is "I'm Super Cute." adorable.

When the hurricane hit, big guy was wearing them. And hubs was sick, so wasn't there for the bedtime routine to see how cute they were. The next morning, we went outside to see the tree that fell down on some wires. A bleary eyed hubs looks at big guy and asks me, "Does that shirt say, I'm with stupid?" Um, no. That would make for horrible pj's!!!

No lunch for you

Big guy has decided he doesn't really want to eat anymore. Sigh, he was such a good eater. And occasionally still is but I definitely am thinking back fondly to when I could anything in front of this kid and he was ready to rock and roll. I think it has to do with being back at school. He refuses to eat his yogurt. So, he's mostly eating snacks, which drives me crazy. Not that I can do too much about though.

I've tried sending some yummy italian meats- thrown to the floor and apparently at other kids. I've tried sending grilled chicken strips- ignored. I've even sent a go-gurt (portable yogurts) and I think he ate it, but they are so full of sugar! The only thing he did eat were some leftover four cheese ravioli. Tomorrow I'm sending leftover turkey meatballs, which are usually a guarantee, but he only ate half of one tonight. Sigh again.

And for some reason, it's trickled into dinner time. More often than not, big guy is eating yogurt for dinner while hubs and I eat the real dinner. it's just so frustrating. Maybe it's a tummy thing- he did have diarrhea today and major diaper rash. Maybe it's a toddler thing. The good thought I have is that he's solid, so I'm not too concerned that he's going to melt away!

Hand, hand, fingers, thumb

big guy has been pointing for a long time, but now he likes to grab my hands (or hubs) and point our hands at something. Sometimes he'll put our hands onto what he wants- like onto the computer screen to point at the train going by. Or he'll grab our hands and take us somewhere.

Big guy will grab my hand and pull me onto the floor so we can sit together. so precious. And the best new thing? He likes to hold hands when we go for walks. It used to be I would carry him down the street to go for a short walk, like if we just need to cool down for a bit. But I recently realized that big guy likes to walk on the sidewalk and explore the neighborhood. and now he'll walk with me down the street holding hands.

Besides being really sweet, it also provides me with some control to slow him down and prevent falls. Always a good thing. I must say that when I started the walks, I grabbed his hand. But now he reaches back and takes my hand like it's the most natural way to walk.

A case of the grouchies

Big guy, hubs, and I were grouchy today. Each in our own ways and at varying times during the day. Hubs always says that the mood I'm in is the mood the family is in. Usually this is true, except today I was in good spirits, and the boys had a serious case of the grouchies.

We were going to go to the park today, but big guy was pretty exhausted from his day of fun with hubs on friday, that we just walked to the duckpond. Big guy was ok until he wanted to go a little too crazy in the mud- I'm all for getting dirty, but this was too much for me. meltdown! Luckily, we had stopped and gotten an egg, cheese, and sausage bagel- so big guy conveniently munched on that for the walk home.

Hubs was pretty much grouchy all day. but he did get in better spirits after a very short :( naptime. We went to the farmer's market to pick up some italian meats, fruit, and snacks. BIg guy and hubs snacked on blueberries, soprasada, and sausage very happily until we went to our first b-day party for one of big guy's friends. And he was surprisingly good or we were lucky that there were a bunch of other kids w/parents who were totally cool with his wildness! So, while the day started out with a case of the grouchies, it actually turned out to be awesome!

bathtub disaster

tonight I was giving big guy a bath. He was really comfortable- apparently- because he took a huge poop. Luckily, I saw it right away, but obviously had to get big guy out as fast as possible. I yanked him out of the tub and set him on the floor. Darn, I hadn't cleaned his butt area yet! I yell, "HUBS!!" I'm in need of help. Wet, slippery baby. Poop in tub. big guy attempting to get back in and clearly upset that his fun was interrupted so abruptly.

I hear hubs running up the stairs yelling, "Oh my g-d, oh my g-d." Then I realize, hubs thinks there is an injury. I say, "we're fine, but there's poop!" He calms down when he sees us. I ask him to hold big guy while I suds his rump and then dump a cup of water from the sink on him over the tub. He does and we end the bath time quickly. As I'm walking out, I notice the roll of paper towels hubs brought up. I ask, "what's with the paper towels?" Hubs looks at me and says, "well, either we were going to the ER or there was poop." I'll take poop any day!

Dancing

big guy is quite the dancer. Ok, by dancing, I mean bopping up and down and some foot stomps thrown in. it's adorable, to say the least. it's funny how he will just start dancing when he hears a good beat that moves him. Like tonight, we were watching beethoven's second (it was raining, we were all tired from a bad night's sleep, and big guy is still battling this mini-cold) and hubs starts to sing some funky beats. Big guy is staring very seriously at the st. bernard's on the screen and he just starts bopping. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Then a foot stomp comes in. Like he was dancing not of his own volition. sometimes we just start funky beats to see the dancing.

Chocolate

Big guy has recently decided that he wants to try some new stuff food wise. And unfortunately it's the unhealthy stuff he suddenly has an interest in. Chocolate being the main yum-yum on his radar. Suffice to say that as being related to my mother means that I LOVE chocolate. It's true, I need to have it everyday. It makes me happy if I'm sad, calms me when I'm tense, and um, pretty much any excuse to eat it, I will find- get the picture?

So I was very surprised when big guy did not like chocolate upon first taste. Or second. Or third. It would go in, and then come right back out! I think it's mostly a texture thing. Anywho, the other day I made brownies for a party and then we didn't go, so I was sadly (ok, not that sad) given the opportunity to eat the whole tray- hey, it was only an 8X8 pan! I took a bite of one and big guy came over to investigate. I gave him a taste expecting the spit out, but instead, he chewed, looked up at me, and opened wide for another bite.

Uh-oh! Not to fear, he didn't want more after that bite. But he has been dabbling with chocolate ever since. Chocolate covered biscuit, don't mind if I do. Non-pareils, mmmm. He still won't do ice cream though. Oh well. He will eventually discover it's yummy-ness!

bedtime song

The past two nights big guy has been very cuddly before bed. After we finish our milk, I walk him over to his crib and hold him while we sway for a few minutes. Sometimes longer than other times! But the past two nights, he has given me delicious hugs- arms around my neck, legs around my waist. And he has started to sing this really cute song.

It sounds like he is humming- "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. mmmm, mmmm." Just like that- set of three, set of two, set of three. Over and over for a few minutes. Then at the end of his song, he starts to giggle, like he's just uncovered a secret or something. then I get a kiss and he's into the crib. Very precious.

not our day

Today was the beginning of the labor day-four day weekend. Big guy didn't have to go to school and neither did I. I thought it'd be a great day. Boy, was I wrong. It just wasn't our day. big guy decided to wake up at nine o'clock last night, inconsolable. I put him in bed with me and then moved him back to his bed after he was asleep. But then he decided to get up at two am and not go back to sleep until four am. He and I were both exhausted when he decided 6:15 was a good time to wake up.

The only good thing (besides hubs getting me an extra large Hot Chocolate from the dunkin' donuts and a bagel w/ cream cheese for big guy and I to share) was that we could take a nap later on b/c we had no where to go and nothing to do. And usually this works our for us, but like I said, it wasn't our day.

We watched some sesame street and curious george- our norm- ate a good breakfast, and walked hubs to the train station. It was a great morning outside- we were out for about two hours- watching trains, watching the construction across the street- they were paving a road! giant dump trucks, pavers, rollers- it was awesome. We came inside and had a banana. I took us up to lay down around 10am. I was very excited for a two hour nap and so was big guy- excited that is, but not to sleep. He thought it was play time. Fine, we go downstairs and play. Unload the dishwasher, eat lunch.

Around 12:15, I drop him in his crib and I pass out on the couch. Only to be awoken at 1:40 by a screaming toddler. Craaaap! He wouldn't go back to sleep in bed with me- he was hysterical, from exhaustion. He fell asleep on me for a little while on the couch. After a full on tantrum, we was in good spirits. we were going to walk to the post office, but then big guy decided to shove his hand into the door jam of one of our cabinets and ripped off a chunk of skin and formed some blood blisters on his left index finger. Sigh, when was this day going to end?

But wait- there's more. After calming him down and calling the dr, we met hubs at the train station. We booked it back home to eat our leftovers from the week for dinner. I was so excited b/c I was having the left over chili! And then it slipped out of my hand and spilled all over the floor. It just wasn't our day.