acting out the backyardigans

Big guy has several favorite shows. The morning is for sesame street. Then depending on the day Thomas the train, curious George, or dinosaur train is in the background during playing, eating, and getting dressed. Then before bed during cool down time it's usually bubble guppies or the backyardigans. Seems like a lot, but really it's not- I swear!!!

The other day we were watching the backyardigans. There was pizza and Mayan pyramids involved- it's too much to explain. Anyway- in one of the scenes, two characters are falling down a hill- big guy throws himself over and screams, as if acting out the scene- so cute!!!

Playground etiquette

We've been on a lot of new playgrounds recently and I have to say it's a very tricky place to navigate. For one, there are a ton of kids, their weird parents (with their own rules), and then the toys they bring. My general rule of thumb is -don't bring a toy you aren't willing to share. Inevitably kids want to play with other stuff besides the equipment and if you aren't willing to share, it leads to tears and frustration.

Friday we went to a park near where I grew up. It was gigantic! And there were a bunch of kids who brought balls. Fine, but when big guy would go kicking a ball or want to hold it and run, kids would get upset. One kid actually ripped a toy out of luke's hand- I had to intervene. And while I thought about pushing the little kid into the woodchips, I resisted! Instead, we strolled on the walking path.

Anyway, on sunday the weather was still gorgeous, so we went to a local park that I was told is ALWAYS empty- hubs and grandma C said this every time they have gone. So, I brought with us a big blue ball that hubs won at a carnival by smacking a hammer down and making the bell ring at the top. We show up and our neighbors are there- luckily they are super nice and their kids are older so they weren't interested in the ball. Then Grandma C, Uncle I, and Grandpop J show up! Uncle I had a tennis lesson on one of the courts. Then another little boy and his mom show up. Of course this little guy wants our ball. It was going OK in the beginning, but then big guy got a little possessive and I became that mom who brings the toy that won't be shared. I broke my own rule- but only by accident. Anyway, it all worked out, we found a tennis ball for this other little guy to play with. But this playground etiquette is sometimes dangerous to navigate. I figure as long as I don't push anyone, I'll be good :)

Happy Turkey Day

Today was big guy's second turkey day and it was awesome! The day was relaxed- finally we all had a good night's sleep. We played in the morning while I prepared the bird. We ate an early lunch, big guy actually ate with very little fuss- perhaps secure that hubs and I were really staying the whole day. Then big guy and I went up for a little nap and passed out! I woke up and couldn't remember if it was morning or afternoon. Then I went downstairs while hubs snuggled with big guy.

I very casually put in my sweet potatoes, cut up potatoes for mashed, and chatted with Grandma J and Aunt B. Then Grandma C, Grandpop J, and Uncle I came in and the real fun began. Hubs and big guy got up. Big guy was super clingy and tired- giving me great bear hugs for about a half hour. I finished cooking- still unstressed- I think b/c yesterday I heard an interview on NPR about aiming to just have all food room temperature instead of piping hot. TOok some of the pressure off of me.

We sat down and big guy was so excited to have everyone around. He ate turkey and munched on steamed string beans like a champ! After dinner we ran around outside in the crisp fall air. playing ball, stepping on the rotting pumpkins ( I mean why won't those squirrels eat them?), and generally screaming with joy. Following our romp outside- we played wii- the ABBA dance game- so fun! Uncle I was really getting those moves down. And big guy was dancing right along with him. That right foot was stomping up a storm with joy. dessert brought with it an obsession with hershey kisses and baby carrots. All in all a great turkey day!! full of fun, food, and family!

get off my purse

THis was the line I heard for most of my childhood from my mom (gmom Dino). She always had a black purse with a long strap that hung to her waist. And it happened to be just the right height for my sis and I to pull, hang on, grab when we needed her. And she would say, get off my purse. I never really understood why it bothered her so much, until I had a toddler.

Big guy is in some kind of super clingy phase. He will run over and raise his arms while grunting to be picked up. and if I don't pick him up, he'll grab onto my legs and hang on me. If I'm wearing pj bottoms, he will actually pull them down sometimes b/c he's hanging on that hard. When he does that I'll let him pull them all the way down and then step out of them! Then he's all annoyed on the floor with a pile of pants. Probably not nice but it does make me laugh.

He just wants to be on me all the time. And on the one hand, I love all the snuggles- he gives the best hugs. But then sometimes, I'm just like, GET OFF! stop grabbing at me, hanging on me, whining when you aren't on me, just let go! ah, that felt good. I know the time for him to want to hug and love me will be short lived- at least this is what I tell myself to get through the times when I feel like running away and perhaps replacing myself with a giant stuffed monkey. Damn- can't afford a giant stuffed monkey!!!

taking out the trash

big guy has recently become obsessed with the trashcan. He loves throwing things out and so far he's only thrown out trash or recyclables. If there is a paper towel I've just used, I can hand it to him and say, "please throw the paper towel into the trash." And he'll gladly take the paper towel, run to the trashcan, lift it up, put it in, and close the lid. then of course he is very proud of himself! And this morning I heard the lid open, I look over and he is putting the recyclables, which are right next to the trashcan in. very cute. I wonder if throwing things in the toilet is next, which would definitely not be cute!

shutterfly

I use shutterfly for pictures now of the big guy. Mostly b/c when he got his pics taken in Feb for school, if I paid online I got a free photobook for big guy. And then they starting sending me all these freebies- like free shipping and handling on any purchase- boo-ya, I got a free photobook and didn't pay for shipping. Then I got some ridiculous 200 pictures for free and only paid like $5 for shipping on some easter promotion.

Love it! And most recently I got a free 75 prints for sharing with friends, so, the past few days I've been uploading all 1,000 photos since february so I could choose some prints. In looking over the past eight months, I can't believe how much he's grown and changed. I decided to make a photobook every year for big guy to see his life, since I am terrible at ordering prints (except when I get free promotions). And I clearly cannot be counted on to make a photo album or scrapbook. I've yet to finish my scrapbook from my bridal shower- that was in 2008! But I'm doing my best to keep a log of how big guy has grown- through pics and obviously through his blog! but seriously, join shutterfly and get some free prints!

and we're back!

following our accident on thursday, we had a rough couple of days/nights. big guy was essentially miserable which makes for a miserable mamabear. big guy's teeth hurt- he couldn't chew, he was tired, and essentially a crank. But each day brought back a little of my big man to the fun loving boy he is. Saturday we took an epic three hour nap and then went to the zoo in the afternoon. We watched turtles, saw monkeys, went on the little train ride, ran around the treehouse, and ended the trip with the big cats. And big guy ate a great dinner and slept 12 hours!

Sunday we went to NJ to visit Aunt K, Uncle E, and cousin C for the day. We ran around, played with cousin C's trucks and trains, and then melted b/c he was so tired, but of course refused to nap. But we took an hour walk in the chilly air and felt much better. big guy ate a huge dinner and fell to sleep quickly. and although he didn't sleep well at night, he woke up in a very good mood this morning. Chatting happily, eating, and playing. Same goes for tonight- we went for a walk, saw some trains, ate yummy white pizza- and he really ate- a slice of pizza, a fruit/veggie bag, and a bunch of dried strawberries. And he was back to being my happy bubba. And so we're back!!!

and then I unloaded

yesterday when I picked big guy up from school- his face looked weird. And he was covered in blood that apparently his teacher didn't notice. Then I learn that he smashed his face into the concrete sidewalk and no one called me. ok...not good. We were home and he was being such a crank. I moved his nose back and forth- didn't feel like rice krispies, so not broken. Then we went to eat dinner- he freaked. And while we were relaxing after some yogurt he was biting a train track and burst into tears, ah-ha! After checking out the teeth I saw all around his two front teeth his gums were bruised all around them. defintely not good.

Anywho- a trip to the Dr's office later- he's fine, but he really hurt his teeth b/c they slammed into his gums. And there is the possibility he could have damaged his nerves. WTF! I'm pissed. Especially since big guy got up at 2:45 friday morning and wouldn't go back to sleep. hubs and I gave him some tylenol and went to watch the early morning news. Ah, like those beginning days again.

Hubs stayed home with big guy. And I called the daycare to say he wasn't going to be there and then unloaded all of my frustrations on the director. About his teacher, reports I get that say he's tired and sensitive every day, how I need people in there to be more cognizant of him b/c he's injury prone, how I cringe every time I walk into that building to hear how the teacher has nothing nice to say. Clearly not what she thought the call was. She's got some work to do to try to fix the problem. More on that later. Most importantly, I feel better getting it all out, even if his teacher is going to give me and hubs serious stink eye!

clean up

this morning big guy was running around naked before getting dressed from school. He ran over to hubs who was washes some dishes and was reaching for the paper towel roll. Hubs helped him grab a paper towel and then big guy dashed away. Curious, hubs looked around the corner and saw that big guy had peed on the floor and was cleaning it up! I guess kids really do pay attention to everything you do.

Another couple of "cleaning" things big guy does- if you give him a tissue or napkin, he'll wipe his nose and face. And when he gets something on his hands he'll rub them together to get off what's on there- like the move when you are finished with something and are cleaning your hands of it.

so cute!!!! And he's started to like putting things away in their respectful buckets. He'll pretty much put anything away once I start, except for his crayons- he's obsessed with coloring recently. He needs to have the crayon container empty at all times. Big guy's favorite crayon? The jumbo yellow crayon- might explain his sunny disposition!

new school?

so, I've been struggling with big guy's school- more specifically his teacher- who hubs and I call dollface b/c she wears this bizarre makeup, kind of like a barbie. Anyway, I think dollface is an idiot. (my mom pointed out that she only has to be smarter than big guy-haha). And I don't like that every time I go in there she tells me that he was sensitive and crying all day. Oh, and he refuses to eat when he's in there and the past two days, he won't even sit down during meal time.

Something is seriously wrong. I understand that big guy is going to act differently at school- but being sad all day is not how my baby rolls- he is happy, loud, and full of energy- and everyone who has ever met him has said this to me- like somehow other kids aren't like that. And he's a great eater. So, I'm contemplating switching him.

Yesterday was election day so big guy and I had off together. After we voted (big guy pressed the orange VOTE button to cast it- so fun!) we went over to another local school to check it out. within seconds of being in there, I wanted to run. It was in the basement of some church. The director wasn't very nice, in fact it seemed like she didn't like children. And the room he would go into- no windows that can be opened, it was dirty, and it reeked of diapers. OMG, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Oh well, for now we stay. But we visit another one the day before thanksgiving. Maybe we'll have a better experience.

candy is dandy

Big guy has recently tried some candy due to halloween. He's not much of a sweets guy, but he certainly appeared to be on halloween and the next day. After our walk through the neighborhood, big guy was throwing his candy all over the living room. He picked up a three musketeers and kept putting it in his mouth. I unwrapped it and gave him a taste- thinking he would not be interested. As usual big guy surprised me.

He took a bite said, "mmmmm," and opened his mouth for another bite. I then turned to hubs and arrogantly said- see, now there are three people who like three musketeers- me, big guy, and my dad- grandpop J. Then he proceeded to eat the whole fun size bar. Then the next day with grandma Dino we were snacking on m&m's. big guy started munching and really enjoyed them! I think b/c they were crunchy and fun to pop like grapes! Needless to say, I am no longer offering candy as a snack- clearly too much temptation!

yummy dinner

Tonight for dinner we had Chicken Divan- or at least my sis-in-law/Aunt K's recipe, which might be one of the grossest meals to make but taste the yummiest! I've had a craving for it recently b/c I had been thinking about when big guy was born. I know this might sound bad, but the first few weeks were really hard and awful. Until we got a hold of the whole breast feeding thing and started getting a little bit more sleep- it was essentially a nightmare.

Most of the horror I have blocked b/c it's too painful to think about (people have told me this is necessary to happen so you can have another one!). But I have this really great memory of Aunt K coming over with Uncle E and cousin C and bringing over two huge pans of Chicken Divan served with buttered noodles. It was the light I needed to get me through. I'm pretty sure hubs and I ate it for a week straight for like every meal.

So I got the recipe and made it tonight. mmm, it was just as good as I remember- probably better b/c this time big guy got to chow down-which he did. At the end he was just shoving handfuls of food into his mouth. He wasn't too crazy about the broccoli spears- but I think broccoli is an acquired taste, I"m not too worried- he'll figure out how delicious it is soon enough! It's definitely too fattening to eat every once in a while, but when I need a pick-me-up, it's now on my list!! And as a funny aside- hubs has no memory what-so-ever eating this meal during that first week!

haircut

Big guy desperately needed a haircut. Here is pre-haircut pumpkin fun:

And here is big guy post-haircut helping to scoop out another pumpkin!

Much better!

ooops- sesame place visit

Big bird is really big!

Bert actually got a smile!

Abby Cadaby- our favorite on the tv show- real life, not so much!

Ok, this is really past due!

Over the summer, grandma dino, big guy, and I went to sesame place!! The visit was... eh. I suppose that is the correct sentiment! We started the morning with breakfast with the old school sesame street characters and abby cadabby. Big guy was really unsure of them- they are really big. He didn't do a loud freak out- but the look on his face was pretty much a quiet freak out. And it went down hill from there. He didn't want to play in the water park part, though it was brutally hot outside. He did a full on meltdown while playing in the sand pit. I was ready to call it quits when we decided to eat some lunch on a grassy hill surrounded by flowers. Perhaps it was the nature- but big guy ate a great lunch and he suddenly turned happy!

We headed over to this giant foam pit with more giant foam shapes- big guy ran around like a crazy person and had so much fun. Then we went to where the big slides were and we hung out in the large wading pool underneath them for about two hours. Mmmm, it was delicious. big guy splashed, made eyes at other kids & adults, and essentially had a fantastic time!! And I got to work on my tan (sigh- I was so tan this summer). So, it turned out to be a perfect day. Enjoy the pics!!!

Helping Mommy Cook

Big guy has been a super helper recently. The kitchen is definitely his domain- probably b/c he's so hungry! Our most recent delicacies have been cookies (you know, the kind that are all ready to go except for putting them on the cookie sheet), meat and tomato sauce, pumpkin bread, and lasagna.

Probably the most fun are the cookies. big guy loves standing on a chair right next to me. He takes each cookie and we count as he puts them onto the cookie sheet. The cookies are really cute- shortbread with chocolate kitty cats in the middle. He's pretty much obsessed and actually eats them! And he's not a sweets guy, so I'm guessing he knows that he helped to make them. I guess I'm making the future Mrs. a very happy woman!

Helping to clean

I know, I know- I'm really behind- I have a ton to catch up on- we went on a hayride, carved pumpkins, it was halloween for goodness sakes! But this was too cute to wait until later.

Tonight the cat got out while big guy and I were checking the mailbox. Which of course means she was binging on grass and then subsequently threw it all up later on. I was cleaning up the hot red puke from our beige (of course) carpet using baby wipes. They are the best product in the world. Poop, vomit, dirt, make-up, pretty much anything a baby wipe can clean. Anyway, I finish cleaning the vomit with a couple of wipes- maybe going back to the box to take them out three times. I'm throwing away the wipes when I turn around. I heard a wipe being removed from the box. big guy is wiping the floor with a wipe over the barely visible vomit stain. I walk over and exclaim, "Thank you! You are helping mommy clean!" Big guy then continues to take out two more wipes and continues to wipe the floor. Could he get any cuter?