First picture is of LR chillin' to Animusic 2. The second is of him surfing his Popper. He's a born quality control inspector.
nas. It's like those holes were made for bananas. Why else would holes like that exist at all? It's obvious, really.
We've had another busy, busy weekend. Yesterday we started a long day of errands with a blown front tire. I managed to hit a huge pothole on the way to Costco. It blew right on impact. We pulled into an empty parking lot and Daddy changed the tire while LR and I ran around. LR was not thrilled to get back in the car when we were finished. He ends up in tears more often than not now when getting in the car. The first time is fine, but any subsequent strapping into the car seat within a day produces screaming and tears.
Arrived at Costco and bought 2 new tires. They needed 2 hours to put them on, so we killed time by going to Panera for a second breakfast. Good thing since LR was starving. He scarfed down a blueberry muffin and half an apple. He giggled through the whole time we were there since I let him run around the seat of the booth. He tested our resolve on the "no standing on tables" rule by pulling his knee up to the table. He figures, different table, different rules. Today, in fact, he thought he was being smart by standing on a dining room chair and then turning and sitting on the table. Right. He's not standing on the table, so why should I have a problem with it. I actually didn't know if I should keep him from doing it for a minute. Then I saw the sly look in his eyes and knew that it wasn't a good idea to let him get a foothold on this battle.
One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that LR loves to play with the stacking dolls that my brother swingdaddy brought me from Russia. I only give him the biggest 3 sets, otherwise they become a choking hazard. I've been keeping them on the changing table and I can almost always distract him with them.
So sorry for the huge delay! LR was sick with what I think was a rotavirus all week. It was pretty gross. Poor kid lost a pound. I only know that because he loves to weigh himself every time he goes into the bathroom now. When he steps onto it without waiting for the triple zeros to appear, it comes up with an 'E,' but I think he likes that better than the numbers. He announces it every time like he's on a game show. "E!" Anyways, there wasn't much to report on that wasn't about us cleaning one end or the other, so I held off on posting.
He's still asking for Animusic 2 at least a dozen times a day. I know the fascination won't last forever, but we are getting pretty sick of it. I couldn't resist snapping the picture on the right of him watching it at one point last week. I can't remember why the shirt was off, although I'm sure it had to do with vomit and that we had a 70 degree day last Wed. So, he was looking up at the TV and just happened to hook his thumbs into his diaper pulling it down. I laughed so hard I didn't think I'd be able to get the shot. I missed it the first time, luckily he did it again. I know, everyone... like father like son.
While the grandparents visited they got a chance to see LR's skill with letters. He has the majority of them down now and knows some of the sounds they make as well. We have letters on his play mat, in the tub, and on the magnetic side of his easel. We often use the chalk side to draw letters too. Apparently, we're bombarding him with letters. As for numbers he seems to know 2 and 9. He says "eight" each time we stand at the microwave waiting for his milk to warm. He wants me to count down the way I usually do. He also clenches and unclenches his hands as he tries to mimic the way I sign the numbers as they appear. So I don't know that he recognizes the number 8, he just knows it will prompt me to count (just in case I forgot it was my microwave duty.) Yesterday I had him take a break from the alphabet and put a piece of paper up for him to paint on. I put the paint in Dixie cups, LR in a smock, and let him at it. I had to show him what to do just once. Then he was off and running. He kept asking for more paint and he only smeared the radiator cover once. This time I was waiting with a wet paper towel, so no harm done. Wonder if I'll be so blasé about it in the new house...
LR is definitely showing signs of being an extrovert. When we go to the play gym, he'll grab whoever is handy, a mom or dad I know or one I don't. He doesn't discriminate. He'll run up to them, grab one or two of their fingers and drag them somewhere. I apologize to them and sometimes pry his fingers off theirs, but often they wave me off and tell me it's okay. Along with that he's become much more demanding. Animusic 2 is now the biggest point of contention. He asks for it first thing in the morning by asking "again?" When I ask what he wants again, he says, "mei" and swings his arms to indicate music. When I turn it on, he enters the couch potato zone and doesn't come out again until I shut it off. A few times he's started crying when I shut it off, but I think that's because he's been sick for the past few days. He's been hit with a little stomach bug, so I can't tell how good he feels most of the time. He demands computer time, stair climbing, and Animusic. Otherwise, he's still a typically happy kid.
He's accumulating words so fast, it's almost not worth noting them anymore... but I will. Recently he picked up the signs for "cookie," "rain" and "house." He also says "house," "box" and after a video chat with my sister today, he said her name. Of course, he said it seconds after we hung up, but it was still pretty cool.
Wed we went for a walk since the temps came up enough to melt the snow. LR really enjoyed it. I wish I could get more exercise, but he doesn't love being in the stroller and I don't like putting him in there if he'd rather be walking. 
I let him splash through a few puddles and carried him over the bigger ones. He stood and watched the cars go by for awhile, yelling, "Cah!" after each one.
Then we played in the driveway for a bit and he practiced shutting the gate in my face. Mostly he stomped around the icy snow and picked up any chunks of ice he could find. I had under dressed him a little and he was happy to go back in after not too long.
Thur LR took a tumble off a kitchen chair and landed head first onto the tile. The nanny called me at work to let me know, but LR had completely recovered by the time I got home despite a huge lump on his forehead just above his left eyebrow. I trusted Nanny M as an ex-rugger to know the signs of concussion and since he didn't have any and you can't ask him if he feels dizzy or nauseous, I told her it was okay to put him down for a nap. When I got home he posed for me with his sunglasses on. 
They're really too small for him, but he likes wearing them anyway. I thought shirtless was a nice touch. That evening he decided his soup bowl made a great hat. I agreed, so I took some photos of it.
After his bath tonight, I stepped out of his room for a minute to tidy the kitchen. When I returned I saw this. He had climbed onto the footrest and into the glider so that he could read himself his favorite book, "Ernie's Big Mess." It was terribly cute.
Not since LR was a wee little thing has he taken a 4 hour nap. Today we got up early and went to our new house for the inspection. LR ran around the snowy and icy yard for awhile and then did laps inside the house with me. He thoughtfully pointed out all the dangerous stuff: exposed outlets, unlocked cabinets with cleaning supplies, and a pantry with shelves just the right height for climbing! He especially liked the shovels in the garage and basement. We left half way through the inspection as he showed signs of flagging. He actually fell asleep in the car on the 10 minute ride home which he never does. I carried him upstairs and he didn't even wake when I took off his parka and shoes. He slept from 10:30am to 2:30pm. Yes, I checked if he was still breathing around 1:30. Although the need to check his vitals on occasion isn't quite what it was after he was first born, it's still there.
Daddy spent some quality time with LR during the afternoon while I went to rugby practice. Daddy has been working on LR's letters with him by saying both the letter and the sound it makes. He can identify a handful of them now. If we show him the letter A, he'll say "A!" If I show him a B, he'll say, "buh-buh-buh." W is another one that he just says the sound of. It's all very cute. As for words, he has a few new ones. We think he's trying to say "music" and "ga-ga," his word for Daddy, is starting to morph into "da-da."
You know what's the worst about blogging? You forget to write down the greatest moments. (Especially if you're as inconsistent about blogging as I am.) Every day LR does something cool and new. Three days later I can't remember what it was. I know he's no longer a vegetarian baby and I could report that tonight was the first time he ate meat, but really it was last weekend during a trip to the grocery store when he wolfed down a slice of turkey from the deli. Tonight he had meatloaf slathered in ketchup. (Actually, he'll eat anything drenched in ketchup: green beans, pumpkin bread, blueberries.)
Three days ago he really enjoyed dancing with Kermit and I was reminded of it tonight when Daddy came home and LR could not get enough of dancing to the music coming from Daddy's cellphone. He held it to his ear as if it were a boom box from the eighties. Then he ran around his room and dragged us by the fingers if we weren't keeping up with him. He even danced to the ABC's while Big Bird sang them with his birdketeers today.
He loves the DustBuster. Can't get enough. Every time I whip it out to clean up some disaster he's created with Cherrios or cornbread, he has to take over. He runs it around until it runs out of power. I admit that I used it to occupy him yesterday while I talked to my friend in California about her brand new baby girl.
We've been trying to alter LR's nap schedule. He started eliminating his afternoon nap which is kind of the wrong one. I had the nanny push his nap out a bit and this weekend we tried to do the same. Today he slept for an hour and then woke up crying. I knew he wasn't ready to be awake and since it was going to be his only nap of the day, I wanted to make sure he went back to sleep. I selflessly volunteered to nap with him.
LR, Daddy, and I had a great time playing outside today. Daddy had the idea to shore up one of LR's favorite pull boxes and use it as a sled. (We use left over Costco boxes as pull carts for him. Attach a belt to it and voila, a way to pull LR around the house.) We covered the bottom with duct tape and put LR into his snowsuit. 
He's great about getting into it since he knows it means he's going outside. A little background on the weather here: on Wed we got about 6 inches of snow/sleet. On Thur and Fri it stayed below freezing. Sat it got just above freezing during the day and then froze again during the night. What looks like a giant open field of snow is actually a giant open field of ice. It didn't compress under our footsteps despite being at least 4 inches thick and it was as slippery as a frozen pond. 
The duct tape bottomed box slid along smoothly as we made our way to the field. For drainage purposes there is a small gully in the middle of the field. Daddy knew it would be the perfect sledding spot. Having grown up in San Diego, I defer to Daddy on all things winter.
After a few successful rides down the slope, LR decided he wanted to get out and walk. We knew it probably wasn't a great idea, but he did pretty well. He ended up on his butt a few times, but it didn't seem to bother him. (diaper + snowsuit = soft landing) The cold wind whipping across the field bothered him more than falling a few times. LR discovered that he could slide along while holding our hands just as well. 
He stuck his feet out straight and we held him up while walking forward. He really loved that. Then he found a stick to play with. Oh boy, a stick! We had to bring it home with us or it was going to be tantrum city. He's just started to throw some mini-tantrums. They're not bad yet and they're easily averted, but I can see they, like LR, have lots of potential.
Yesterday morning LR wanted to add entertainment to his breakfast, so he put a piece of cantaloupe on his head and said "hat!" I thought it was cute until today when he put avocado on his head and said "hat." Cantaloupe wipes off hair easier than avocado. Who knew? After dinner I got one of my old hats for him to wear. He liked it for a little while, but I'm assuming it wasn't as good as food since he took it off pretty quickly.
We've started having trouble with nap time again. He's learned that if he throws all his blankets out of the crib and gets hysterical, I'll come back into the room. The nannies have been doing the same thing. It would only happen once per nap until yesterday. I put him in the crib and let him throw everything out. Then he screamed for half an hour. I kept waiting for him to wear himself out, but it didn't happen. The last time we needed to let him cry it out, he was six months old. He's gotten much louder since then. I finally went in and got him and he fell asleep in my arms, still hiccuping.
After a quick nap I decided to let him explore his crib a little during non-sleep time. He really enjoyed playing in his crib. He Eskimo kissed his bunny and bounced on it like it was a trampoline. Maybe it will be a less scary place now?
After playing in the snow, we came back in a warmed up while Daddy finished his work day upstairs. LR showed me that he could pick out the iguana, urial (bearded reddish sheep of southern Asia), dolphin, flamingo, and ostrich from his animals. He can also find the letters A, R, S, and T in the alphabet. Daddy's been working with him on the sounds of those letters.
After dinner, LR showed Daddy his fort. He and I pulled out his tunnel system during the afternoon and since the coffee table is gone, there's more room for the big pieces. He really enjoyed playing with them today.
LR has been learning all his body parts. He knows ears, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, knees, elbows, hands, feet, toes, and belly. Today he decided he knew the word for head. It's "bonk." Since he could first crawl under the coffee table, I've been saying "bonk" every time he hit his head on something. (With a kid like LR, that has been pretty often.) So, today he put two and two together. Head = Bonk. Makes sense. Although I'm not sure that he's actually confused by the meaning of "bonk" because he smacked me on the head, smiled and said, "bonk!" He did it again and I told him to stop, so he hit himself on the head. 
The rest of the evening we worked on "head," but after a year of programming him to say "bonk," I can understand his reluctance to switch.
He thought it was pretty funny when he put them on, so I've been letting him wear them in the car. Since we're supposed to get some snow this week (finally!), he may actually need them.
LR thinks his basketball hoop is a toy he can ride. Every day he knocks it over and climbs on it. Not sure where he got the idea.
LR's new trick this evening was the concept of kicking without a ball. We have a song from our music class that he likes which has verses about clapping, walking, stomping, and jumping. He started saying "kick" while balancing on one leg and then he asked for his music. I turned on the song and he practiced his new moves. I got a picture of one of his better kicks.
Daddy's home from Vienna! He passed out at 7:30pm, but he's home! LR and I made it through the Superbowl and 2 of the 6 Nations games (rugby, y'all) without him. We survived 6 days together with a little help from the TV and Toys R Us. I saw a huge number of days spanning out in front of me and a very cold front moving in, so I cracked on Friday and bought him this great easel. It has a chalkboard on one side and a whiteboard/magnetic board on the other side. Not only that, it doubles as a jungle gym. He likes crawling under and around it. Today he pushed it the length of the house while Nanny A was here. Guess it's a push cart too.
