icy pops

You know those flavored ice pops that you buy and they are in clear tubes and then you freeze them?  Big guy has been watching hubs eat them all summer.  But whenever we offered them, he would shake his head no.  I knew at some point he would be intrigued enough to try it- that's what happened with ice cream.  Well, it has happened. 

Over the past week, big guy has been grabbing them for hubs.  He loves going to the freezer, opening the door, and choosing which ones hubs will eat.  Big guy opens the drawer with the scissors, we then cut the tops off, and he brings them to hubs.  As usual hubs offered him one and this weekend, big guy accepted.  He started off only taking a few bites, but is now officially obsessed!  He loves the green and blue flavors the most.  And he can't eat just one, instead it's like a three ice pop event.  Which includes a lot of drool and melted ice pop all over the place.  He hasn't quite gotten a hang of pushing the pop up.  But we are working on it. 

art easel

For big guy's second birthday, Gmom Dino purchased him this awesome Melissa & Doug art easel with the really cool accessory pack (containing paints, paint cups, paint brushes, dry erase marker, eraser, and paper roll.)  this easel is the bomb!  it was easy to put together, super cute, two different trays, chalkboard, dry erase board, and then the paper roll that you can clip (yes, clips included) the paper down.  Anyway, big guy's birthday was in February.  Hubs built it this past wednesday. 

Big guy is obsessed with it.  So fun to watch him use his chalk.  We haven't busted out the paints yet, but I did roll down the paper and we've been coloring with crayons.  He thinks it's so fun to be able to just draw whenever he's feeling the urge.  Such an artist!  I'm excited for paints, but need to wait until we are in need of a good activity and that big guy is in a good mood.  it could go horribly wrong, like I end up wasting a bunch of paint.  But I'm excited that he likes it so much.  We clearly made a good choice for his birthday presents.  I'm getting a little nervous b/c the holidays are coming up and now I have to think of more big ticket items for three grandmom's to buy.  Ahhhhh!

yard sale!

on saturday there was a block yard sale a couple of streets away from us.  Since hubs had some school work to do, big guy and I went scouting for more crap to fill our house with than we actually need.  Big guy and I started at the top of the block (I got attacked by mosquitos) and worked our way down.  We weren't too successful.  Everything was a big too big for our home.  I probably would have gone buck wild without big guy, but he was tired and in a foul mood.  So, we were mostly out for the walking.  The last house we hit was a mom and her two kids.  So, we managed to score some good kids items which are listed below:
1- 2 train books (flap book about counting and thomas book that all buttons still made noise)
2- book about animals that move where the pictures look like they are moving.  very cool.
3- a fake snake
4- a bag of assorted plastic dinosaurs
5- a bag of assorted plastic zoo animals
6- a bunch of messenger bags (someone hubs works with send totes and other free bags to India for school children to use as book bags- I think this woman should start a non-profit!)
7- 2 children's CD's

Grand total- $2.50!  Though I'm pretty sure this mom was going to throw out whatever wasn't sold.

Anyway, everything turned out to be in good condition once I wiped it down or washed with soap and water. The only great disappointment was one of the CD's, which was titled "Train Songs."  Perfect fit, no?  But upon popping into the car, it was one of the creepiest things I've ever heard.  Like some pervy-weirdo was singing and talking to us about making train noises.  Creepy.  I wanted to throw it out the window and run over it with the car. And then back up again for good measure.  And I am adamantly against littering.  Really, I just don't understand people who litter.  This CD was so creepy though, it deserved to be litter!  Overall, a successful adventure and it definitely tired big guy and I out. We took a two hour nap in the afternoon!

more

I think "more" might be big guy's favorite word.  At least he says it more than any other word.  I think the best way he says it is when he is requesting more food.  If it's a handheld food, he'll say "more" and point to his hand.  But if it's something he's actively eating, he'll say "more" and point to his mouth.  How can I resist that?

eat

the past few days big guy has been tanking the afternoon snacks.  today we had pretzels, marsh mellows, and puffs.  yesterday was puffs, raisins, and dried pears.  and he wants to eat at the table all officially.  of course when it comes to dinner he doesn't want to sit or eat.  I clearly can't win.  Yesterday we were eating and deciding what to do after snack time, vacillating between going to the duckpond or the bookstore.  We had decided on walking to the duckpond.  I said, "Eat the rest of your snack and we can go."  To which big guy replied, "EAT!"  And when we had dinner, shoved food at me and said, "EAT!"  Wonderfully, he is still saying it today.  And he has a little song, "eat, eat, eat, eat, eat." Talking is the best!

mama dada

Very funnily, big guy has called hubs mama for many months.  so much so that hubs took great offense and blamed me (of course) for not calling hubs dada enough.  starting this summer, I made a concerted effort to call hubs dada.  almost obsessively!  And sure enough two weeks ago, big guy looks at me and says "where's dada?"  finally!  all my hard work paid off.  Now that big guy is talking so much, saying dada was right around the corner.  admittedly, I thought it was hilarious that he called him mama.  I mean, I'm mama!  it's a term of endearment!!! 

help

One of the favorite words that big guy has recently learned is "help."  Only he says it really nasally and the "p" is almost silent.  it's hysterical.  I'm so glad I taught it to him because he says help constantly.  most often when he's playing with something and it's not working out for him.  But sometimes he really does need help.  The cool thing for me is seeing him make connections though, which I've noticed with the word help.

Ever since big guy has started noticing fire truck sirens- so since he's been a baby, I've explained that when we hear sirens that it means someone is getting help.  I say this automatically when we hear sirens or see car/trucks with sirens.  So, here's the connection.  at night we read "curious george takes a train."  which really should be titled curious george goes to the train station- since there is no train riding.  I digress.  anyway, big guy loves this book.  And in this book george helps a little boy from falling onto the tracks.  And after reading it for the umpteenth time, I start the line about george helping and big guy starts making "woo-ooh-woo-ooh" noises like a siren.  And I look over and he says, help!  That's it, he made the connection with different kinds of help.  genius child!

And then he slept

I'm getting my little man back. He's feeling so much better. Besides a wicked cough when he wakes up from sleeping, he's really low on snot production and is eating again. Saturday was the big turn around day. He played all morning with us outside in his mud hole. Which we've nicknamed him the overbearing foreman of. Since big guy makes us dig in this mud hole. Mostly hubs has to do the back breaking hunched over mud dispersing tasks. Big guy screams at us in a funny way tout more water in, "more water." and then drags the hose over. It's hysterical. He's also not big into letting us have breaks. We really need a union for the amount of time hubs and I spend at this mud hole. Which we've nicknamed the glory hole.

Anyway, after hours there on Saturday morning. Big guy and I went over to the local toy store to buy a present for one of his friends who was having a bday party in the afternoon. The store has great selection and an awesome train table. Everything, we go, big guy is reinvigorated in his love for trains. We stayed for about a half hour before heading to go get hubs some lunch. Then upon returning home, we were back at the glory hole for another hour. After gulping down some yogurt by the train table, big guy and I went up for a nap. It was glorious- two hours!

We woke up and big guy was grouchy! But after a bit of boob tube while I wrapped the presents, we walked over to our friends house for the party. It was really fun! Big guy had a great time! He played with all the awesome toys inside and outside. And much to our joy, ate of his own free will. Mostly potato chips, cookies and some cheese quesadilla. He did awesome. Two hours later we walked home somehow with more stuff then we came with! We watched some puss and boots while munching on Hershey kisses!

Then it was bed time and I plopped the big man in and he slept until six thirty is morning! Tis is the first time he has done that since aunt M came to visit in July. It was glorious and probably explained why we had a great day today!

School and snot

The first week of school went well. Big guy was deciding whether or not he was going to like this new year. But over labor day break, the school rearranged all the classes, so upon return, big guy was moved to a bigger class with more running room and new toys. Score!  Second week was only four days, but of course big guy got sick. I just knew he would get it. We were standing next to some girl the first day back who,was all snotty and she sneezed. I looked and big guys teacher and was like, we will have that tomorrow. 

I was wrong, we had it by Thursday afternoon, but you get the point. He was snotty. Then like a good son he gave the cold to me by Saturday night. So, besides the saturday afternoon trip to the target, where big guy dumped every known snack item in our cart, we were pretty pathetic all weekend. By Sunday we had started coughing, then puking because we were coughing so much. Which led to waking up around eleven to clean up puke, loads of laundry and our good friend albuterol in the nebulizer. 

So, thinking is cant get worse. Oh oh! Apparently it could. I get a call on Tuesday at noon saying that big guy had gotten into a scuffle over a toy and the other kid pushed him. Of course they were in the one area on the playground with concrete and big guy took a sliding nosedive into the ground. He looks majorly beat up. He has a scrape on his forehead, nose, upper lip to nose region and chin. Like he was in a boxing match. So, we were really in bad spirits that night. 

However, yesterday the snot had lessened.  Today it was dramatically down. And big guy was feeling good enough to actually eat dinner, let me take him for a walk, go to the local kids bookstore, play outside with me for an hour. Ah, so nice to have my bub back. And when I just out him down for bed, he actually fell asleep while I was reading his nighttime book, "curious George takes the train." which I've never seen him do. It was both adorable and pathetic.

big boy bed

on sunday, hubs finally built big boy's bed!  super cute- white toddler bed from ikea with two cut out sheep on the headboard.  big guy was fascinated with the building process.  as well as all the little parts- screws, nuts, bolts.  After building, big guy snuggled up and laid down.  a good start!  we used his crib mattress and I added one of our sheets for a blanket, as his room is on the warm side.  the first night he only did a few hours, but fell asleep well.  the second night came with knowing he was going to sleep there.  And big guy and I had gone to the bed bath and beyond to get him his own pillows.  I think this made a huge difference.  last night he fell asleep early, something about the bad night sleep the night before got to him.  but he stayed in his bed all night, waking twice to get a reassuring hug from me before returning to sleep.  I'm so impressed with him.  it's such a big boy move!!!