I thought I was a morning person, but by my definition morning starts around seven. I also like to laze in bed for a bit before starting the morning routine. Lazing, used to be part of my morning routine, but lazing has been replaced by abbreviated lazing, or sometimes, no lazing at all.
The little man goes to bed around 7:30pm so it's not too surprising that he's ready to go before I'm done lazing ... and sometimes before I've even started. Said little man has been known to attempt to push parental units out of bed despite efforts to encourage snuggle time (read parental lazing).
Sunday morning T woke in a good mood. I retrieved him from his crib and took him back to bed with me in an attempt to laze. He promptly climbed off the bed and headed for the kitchen. I laid there figuring there wasn't much for him to get into between the bedroom and the kitchen, but then I heard an odd sound. I wondered if he was going through the cupboard under the kitchen sink so I got back out of bed to investigate. I was very surprised to find my 16-month-old son pawing (yes, I said pawing) at the pantry door along with our three cats. We fed the cats and headed back to the bed for another pass at lazing. No dice, he climbed off the bed again and headed toward the kitchen. A few minutes later he returned, tugged my bathrobe off the chair next to my bed, and handed it to me. I couldn't help laughing as I pulled it on and headed for the kitchen to make breakfast.
He really gets it. This morning after joining me at 6:20am and tunneling around the bed for 15 minutes while I tried to laze despite small feet periodically smacking my face, T started to push. I helped him off the bed and waited for him to head toward the kitchen. Instead he went straight for the bathrobe. This time he added lip smacking sounds as I carried him to the kitchen so that I would know that he was definitely looking for breakfast. It's impossible not to be amused by his creative methods of communication. Do you think he'll see the humor when I try to coax him out of bed as a teen by handing him a bathrobe? Somehow, I think not.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Fashion Police says NO! to accessories
T is not a fan of my accessories. What's with that? If I put on a scarf he will pluck, pull, and yank until he removes it or I remove it for him. He doesn't want to play with it. If I give it to him throws it on the floor. Yesterday I wore a very attractive capelet (in my opinion) that I knitted myself.
The second he saw it he was pulling it over my head and throwing it on the floor. My solution ... wait until he's a school to put it on again. Of course I was wearing it when I picked him up after work, and he informed me under no uncertain terms, that I was absolutely not to wear the capelet .... by pulling it off again. Apparently I'm not allowed to wear hats either. His teachers at schools get to wear scarves, so why can't I!?!
The Scoot just informed me that he isn't allowed to wear hats either. Maybe I should have him try on the capelet.
And on a topic completely unrelated to fashion ... T loves to visit his cousin Abbey. He says her name perfectly over and over and over. His teachers at school finally asked who Abbey was. Not only does he pronounce her name flawlessly now, but he also recognizes where she lives. If we pass her apartment complex in the car he will point and say Abbey, Abbey, Abbey. Last Saturday we had home made pizza at Abbey's house. T, The Scoot, and I dropped off a pizza stone earlier in the afternoon and the Scoot pulled up to the apartment while I ran up to deliver the stone. When I got back to the car T was wailing! He was so upset that I hadn't taken him with me to play with Abbey.
The second he saw it he was pulling it over my head and throwing it on the floor. My solution ... wait until he's a school to put it on again. Of course I was wearing it when I picked him up after work, and he informed me under no uncertain terms, that I was absolutely not to wear the capelet .... by pulling it off again. Apparently I'm not allowed to wear hats either. His teachers at schools get to wear scarves, so why can't I!?!
The Scoot just informed me that he isn't allowed to wear hats either. Maybe I should have him try on the capelet.
And on a topic completely unrelated to fashion ... T loves to visit his cousin Abbey. He says her name perfectly over and over and over. His teachers at school finally asked who Abbey was. Not only does he pronounce her name flawlessly now, but he also recognizes where she lives. If we pass her apartment complex in the car he will point and say Abbey, Abbey, Abbey. Last Saturday we had home made pizza at Abbey's house. T, The Scoot, and I dropped off a pizza stone earlier in the afternoon and the Scoot pulled up to the apartment while I ran up to deliver the stone. When I got back to the car T was wailing! He was so upset that I hadn't taken him with me to play with Abbey.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Fashion Guru
T is a little man who knows what he wants (at least some of the time). He's been picking his own outfits lately and he's very particular in his choices. He picked out a red and white plaid button down with a gray hood yesterday morning. I grabbed a white onsie with a superman logo on it to go underneith for warmth and he was really restless until I actually helped him into the button down. I also picked out some matching pants but he turned up his nose in disdain when I tried to help him into them. He walked over to a pile of pants on top of a storage bin in his closet, pulled them all onto the floor and started going through them. He picked up one pair and studied them for a while before discarding them and riffling through for another. Finally he held up the "right" pants and brought them over to me. I swear he was looking for a specific pair. I wanted to decline his offering, but decided to honor his decision. As it turned out the pants actually matched quite well (much to my surprise). They were light tan which I initially thought clashed with the shirt until I remembered that they have a gray cuff (when rolled) that perfectly matches the hood of the shirt. I hope he maintains his fashion sense so I don't have to cringe and bear it when he chooses some truly eye jarring combination.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Upside Down
My life feels upside down and backwards right now. I'd like to say it's just my house, but my mind tends to mimic the state of my environment and I'm desperately seeking mental organization.
The bright side is that all this chaos stems from fun and forward progress. We've been remodeling our house for several weeks and we just got back from a family reunion at Disneyland.
The remodel has been exceptionally taxing, but I'm so happy with the results. Our upstairs loft needed flooring (we were down to the subfloor) and we chose hardwood. The research on woods and contractors took longer and was more taxing than I anticipated. We thought we knew exactly what we wanted (bamboo), but we totally changed our minds. In the end we chose Hickory. It's hard and has beautiful color variation and patterning. We figured this would help hide scratches and dents more than something uniform. We also expanded our project to include the downstairs.
I have HATED the linoleum in the kitchen since we moved in, an I mean PURE HATE. Not only was it an ugly pale yellow, but the installer either cut the piece too short or bought it too short, so there was one big solid piece throughout the kitchen and one small 4-5" strip added on where the kitchen meets the living room. It wasn't added well so it was very obvious with peeling and cruddy deposits at the seem. It's been an eyesore that I've never been able to ignore. So, I figured why not just extend the wood from the stairs into the kitchen, it's not that much space after all. Then I got to thinking that we really should put wood in the dining room. The carpets have gotten so nasty since we started eating in their regularly (we don't have a kitchen dining space in our floor plan). But if we did the dining room we needed to do the hall or it just wouldn't look right ... and the entry way wood flooring needed to be replaced as well for continuity ... and then why not just do the family room and get it over with. The main floor is now complete and looks amazing. The upstairs is about 2/3 done and also looks amazing.
The tough part of all this is that we had to move everything into the living room (including the refrigerator). For 5 days my kitchen was pretty much unusable. The range/oven was outside (another story entirely) and wasn't plugged in. My sister took pity on us and let us eat dinner at her house every night that week. We did bring food from our freezer to cook so it wouldn't be so taxing on her. We left for Disneyland with the living room still full of furniture (and the refrigerator) and although I was glad to leave that round of chaos, I was dreading coming back to it. I really like to come home to a clean home when I've been on vacation.
About the oven ... it just stopped working one day a few weeks ago. I was trying to broil some casadillas and it just went off. The Scoot got it to produce and error code saying the circuit board was fried and he wasn't able to find a replacement. The range still worked, so at least we were able to cook until we had to move the mammoth appliance outside. The great beastie tipped over when The Scoot was bringing it back inside days later and the glass front shattered leaving the stove broken AND ugly. We are still using the range, but the beautiful Bosch replacement arrives tomorrow. Yay! I can't wait to make one pot meals again!
At this point there is still a stack of wood flooring in the family room. The couches are squeezed in too so we have a place to sit and we've moved the TV back and forth every day although I've only watched 1 hour of TV this week. I long for a mindless evening in front of the TV in an organized family room that isn't full of wood flooring. Tonight perhaps? I also really want to move all the furniture out of the living room, but have to wait until the flooring is done upstairs.
The last hurdle is getting railings designed and installed for the opening around the stairwell. Once that is done I may be able to relax again .... oh, after I finish the painting.
This blog has gotten way too long and I will have to write about Disneyland later.
The bright side is that all this chaos stems from fun and forward progress. We've been remodeling our house for several weeks and we just got back from a family reunion at Disneyland.
The remodel has been exceptionally taxing, but I'm so happy with the results. Our upstairs loft needed flooring (we were down to the subfloor) and we chose hardwood. The research on woods and contractors took longer and was more taxing than I anticipated. We thought we knew exactly what we wanted (bamboo), but we totally changed our minds. In the end we chose Hickory. It's hard and has beautiful color variation and patterning. We figured this would help hide scratches and dents more than something uniform. We also expanded our project to include the downstairs.
I have HATED the linoleum in the kitchen since we moved in, an I mean PURE HATE. Not only was it an ugly pale yellow, but the installer either cut the piece too short or bought it too short, so there was one big solid piece throughout the kitchen and one small 4-5" strip added on where the kitchen meets the living room. It wasn't added well so it was very obvious with peeling and cruddy deposits at the seem. It's been an eyesore that I've never been able to ignore. So, I figured why not just extend the wood from the stairs into the kitchen, it's not that much space after all. Then I got to thinking that we really should put wood in the dining room. The carpets have gotten so nasty since we started eating in their regularly (we don't have a kitchen dining space in our floor plan). But if we did the dining room we needed to do the hall or it just wouldn't look right ... and the entry way wood flooring needed to be replaced as well for continuity ... and then why not just do the family room and get it over with. The main floor is now complete and looks amazing. The upstairs is about 2/3 done and also looks amazing.
The tough part of all this is that we had to move everything into the living room (including the refrigerator). For 5 days my kitchen was pretty much unusable. The range/oven was outside (another story entirely) and wasn't plugged in. My sister took pity on us and let us eat dinner at her house every night that week. We did bring food from our freezer to cook so it wouldn't be so taxing on her. We left for Disneyland with the living room still full of furniture (and the refrigerator) and although I was glad to leave that round of chaos, I was dreading coming back to it. I really like to come home to a clean home when I've been on vacation.
About the oven ... it just stopped working one day a few weeks ago. I was trying to broil some casadillas and it just went off. The Scoot got it to produce and error code saying the circuit board was fried and he wasn't able to find a replacement. The range still worked, so at least we were able to cook until we had to move the mammoth appliance outside. The great beastie tipped over when The Scoot was bringing it back inside days later and the glass front shattered leaving the stove broken AND ugly. We are still using the range, but the beautiful Bosch replacement arrives tomorrow. Yay! I can't wait to make one pot meals again!
At this point there is still a stack of wood flooring in the family room. The couches are squeezed in too so we have a place to sit and we've moved the TV back and forth every day although I've only watched 1 hour of TV this week. I long for a mindless evening in front of the TV in an organized family room that isn't full of wood flooring. Tonight perhaps? I also really want to move all the furniture out of the living room, but have to wait until the flooring is done upstairs.
The last hurdle is getting railings designed and installed for the opening around the stairwell. Once that is done I may be able to relax again .... oh, after I finish the painting.
This blog has gotten way too long and I will have to write about Disneyland later.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Awareness
We had a breakthrough in potty awareness over the weekend. T has been using the potty for months, but he really affirmed his understanding on Saturday. He declined the potty first thing in the morning, but after a fresh diaper and a potty demonstration (by me) he walked to the training potty, sat down on the potty fully clothed, and peed! Yay! He gives cues when he goes so I know he peed on the potty, if not in it, lol. Now we just have to work on the taking off the pants part. Although I've felt confident that he understands the association between the urge to go and the potty, this really confirmed it for me.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Snickering in the Dark
It was bedtime and we followed the normal routine. I nursed T, tucked him in and lightly rubbed his back. I was about to walk out when I heard a soft little "Ha ha ha" pause "ha ha ha." Was he snickering in his sleep? Maybe. My exit from the room was met with loud protestations that sounded nothing like laughter. OK, not asleep.
I proceeded back to the crib, hugged T and asked him to lay down. He complied and then commenced snickering and giggling as I rubbed his back. That was just the beginning of the bedtime routine breakdown. None of my usual tricks were working and although I was charmed by his playfulness and laughter I was reticent to encourage him. Concepts like sleep and bedtime have been a challenge for T.
Ultimately I ended up playing his little game, hoping it would wear him out and he'd go to sleep. It started with the standing hug, followed by the request to lay down, followed by T putting his head on the mattress in standing forward bend position, followed by me helping him lay down, followed by another fit of giggles. After a few rounds the game escalated....
T stands up and races to the head of the crib, I swing him back into sleeping position, major giggle, repeat from the beginning. I was sure this would wear him out. After five or six sprint/swing cycles he tripped and face planted into the end of the crib. At this point, I broke my rule about not removing him from the crib after I've put him down for the night and pulled him out to make sure his teeth were all still in his mouth and nothing was bleeding. After a quick calming snuggle he was back in the crib and snickering.
I really wanted to play with him, but didn't want to encourage a rambunctious bedtime routine. I took a gamble and walked out. He whimpered once as I left and then again as he saw me walk past his room. That was it. Minutes later he was asleep (I went back in and checked). Part of me still wishes I'd played a little longer.
I proceeded back to the crib, hugged T and asked him to lay down. He complied and then commenced snickering and giggling as I rubbed his back. That was just the beginning of the bedtime routine breakdown. None of my usual tricks were working and although I was charmed by his playfulness and laughter I was reticent to encourage him. Concepts like sleep and bedtime have been a challenge for T.
Ultimately I ended up playing his little game, hoping it would wear him out and he'd go to sleep. It started with the standing hug, followed by the request to lay down, followed by T putting his head on the mattress in standing forward bend position, followed by me helping him lay down, followed by another fit of giggles. After a few rounds the game escalated....
T stands up and races to the head of the crib, I swing him back into sleeping position, major giggle, repeat from the beginning. I was sure this would wear him out. After five or six sprint/swing cycles he tripped and face planted into the end of the crib. At this point, I broke my rule about not removing him from the crib after I've put him down for the night and pulled him out to make sure his teeth were all still in his mouth and nothing was bleeding. After a quick calming snuggle he was back in the crib and snickering.
I really wanted to play with him, but didn't want to encourage a rambunctious bedtime routine. I took a gamble and walked out. He whimpered once as I left and then again as he saw me walk past his room. That was it. Minutes later he was asleep (I went back in and checked). Part of me still wishes I'd played a little longer.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
T Drives the Truck
T drives his aunt and uncle's vintage truck on December 27, 2011 ... sound effects included.
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