Fear and Humor

Still don't have new photos of him, so here are some old ones from the time before I started this blog.

LR is starting to show signs of both fear and a sense of humor. Whenever we get close to the introduction of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, LR begins to whimper. When Buzz appears, the camera pans from his feet to his head and the music swells. LR hates it and wants me to fast forward through it every time.

The other day we were watching an episode of Kipper the Dog and a little bird was jumping around on the ground in front of Kipper. LR laughed and made me rewind it a couple of times before he'd let me move on. It's very cool to start getting insight into what he thinks is funny (and scary).

LR is still all about the corn dogs. I ran out last night so now he's trying to go a whole day sans fried tofu. Gigi arrived this morning and Daddy took the day off, so I expect they'll be able to handle him. Daddy reported that he recognized Gigi which is always a good way to start a visit.

We Made It

We're in our new home! Poor LR was sick from the Thur before the move until the Thur after. He didn't love his new room and was very clingy since he was sick, but Grandma Nese helped out and he was well taken care of the whole time. The day after the move, Daddy came down with the same rotavirus that LR had. That left Nese and I to try to unpack and tend to the wounded. Needless to say, we're still pretty much in boxes except for the kitchen. Grandad B showed up right after the move and helped install a water filter, baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, and a gas line for the dryer. Don't know what we would've done without the two of them. (Dad, I ordered the icemaker kit. Coming back any time soon? *grin*)

LR is slowly getting used to his surroundings. He's constantly at the doors asking to go "shy-shy" which is "outside" or "cars" so that he can go sit in the car and press all the buttons on the dashboard. The hazard lights button is his favorite. After pressing it, he gets out of the car to inspect the lights on the bumper as they blink. Once outside, he runs to the gates in the fence and demands "shy-shy" again. I try to convince him that he's already outside, but he is rarely pacified. As far as he's concerned, any containment is bad. Unfortunately, when I let him through the gate, he makes a dash for the road and the kid is getting fast! We're just getting used to living on a very busy road. That's the only part I don't love about the house, but I'll get used to it.

We found out that we're surrounded by female babysitters. We have 16 and 14 year old teens on one side, a 13 and 11 year old across, and an 8 year old on the other side. We have at least the next 10 years covered! LR loves to go next door where they have a jungle gym. I'm hoping to get him a sandbox soon so that he won't mind staying in the yard.

LR's latest obsession: corn dogs. He wakes up and asks for a corn dog. He's had them for breakfast the past 4 days. It's a veggie corn dog, so it's not as bad as it sounds. He asks for them throughout the day. I try to keep him to 2 a day, max. We've made it through at least 4 boxes of them since we moved. It's also one of his first 2 word phrases. He can say "corn bread," "corn dog," and "tow truck." Oh, and while the grandparents were here, he named Grandad B "Papa."

Sorry for the lack of pictures. The office isn't set up yet, so blogging with photos will be a little tough until then.

Moving Tomorrow

Sorry the posts have been few and far between. We're moving tomorrow and LR has had the rotavirus for the past 2 days. Poor kid threw up 9 times yesterday. Luckily Grandma Nese showed up yesterday and has been wonderful with the sickie. Hoping the move goes smoothly and that LR isn't too traumatized on top of being sick.

Jump, Jump, Jump!

We had a great weekend! Daddy's brothers and sister-in-law came to visit and to help us paint the new house. Daddy worked them like mules during the day, but in the evenings, they came home to play with LR. LR just couldn't get enough attention. Aunt J made up a new game where she would say "ready" and crouch down. LR mimicked her movements. "Set," and they'd lean forward in anticipation. "Go!" and they were off and running. (As if LR needed incentive to run around the house chasing someone) Everyone took turns running with him last night while I was on the phone with Grandma W. I heard the screaming and giggling and then it all stopped as I hung up the phone. LR had thrown up from the exertion, but he didn't seem to mind. It only slowed him down because I had to change his PJs.

To make things livelier this weekend he started jumping off of things: boxes in the house, a large rock at the new house, and the couch. This evening he discovered he could climb up on the back of the couch. He'd say "down" or "jump" and that was Daddy's cue to get ready. Then LR would tumble down, sometimes somersaulting and sometimes just face planting. I really don't know where he gets it from. The look of pure joy on his face just before he jumps is worrisome to say the least.

Help!

LR has learned the word "help!" He uses it when he wants me to do something that he can't do. While in Babies R Us today, LR found a truck which required pushing down the hood to get the wheels to turn and a sound to play. The hood was tricky to push and if he didn't hit it right in the center, it wouldn't play. He would try a few times and then say "help, help!" It seemed like a new level of communication for us, which I definitely appreciated more than he did. He still drags us around by the finger, but I can see that conversations about Plato and Aristotle are just around the corner.

His latest obsession is the car. He can sit in the car for as long as I'll let him now, but he has to be free to roam. He especially likes sitting in the front two seats so that he can play with all the buttons and pretend to drive the car. God forbid I should try to put him in his car seat. Often he stands at the gate in the house and asks for "shy-shy" which means "outside." Then he'll ask, "car?" It's been so cold this week that I haven't wanted to take him out. I'm crossing my fingers for better weather so that we can return to our car/jungle-gym.

Picture Post

Trying on Mommy's shoes

Getting the hang of walking in big shoes.

Walking to the park with Daddy. (Check out the hat! He'll wear this one for a whole outing. No yanking it off or anything.)

Helping Mommy pack

Coming after the camera.

Climbing / dancing on Daddy

More dancing

Dancing turns to wrestling. Everyone wins!

Slip-Slop

First picture is of LR chillin' to Animusic 2. The second is of him surfing his Popper. He's a born quality control inspector.

Yesterday I left LR playing in his Learning Tower while I prepared dinner. He was pretty hungry, so I gave him half a banana. (The kid who has never liked bananas has decided he loves them.) He was chomping away, looking at the cute kid in the mirror in the dining room. I listened to him babble as I cut up some avocado. Eventually it filtered in that he was saying "slip-slop" which is what he says when he slips. He'd been saying it for a minute or two, I just didn't register it. Since he was in the tower, I decided to investigate. I turned the corner and found that he was, indeed, slipping, "slopping" and landing on his butt repeatedly. Sometimes that's a game to him - pretending to fall down - but this time I sensed it was more. I looked at the surface of his platform and saw banana mush. I picked him up and yanked off his shoes. When I looked down at the platform it occurred to me what had happened. You know what fits perfectly into the holes in the top of that Learning Tower? Bananas. It's like those holes were made for bananas. Why else would holes like that exist at all? It's obvious, really.

LR surprised me today by counting to 2. I thought it was neat, so during dinner when he pointed to a piece of food and said "one," I told Daddy, "he can count to two." LR, offended by the limitations I'd set before him, heard the number 2 and then counted to 6. We were pretty shocked. We've spent so much time looking at letters with him that counting has been an after thought. The most counting we do is when climbing stairs, but I guess it shows up in a lot of his books.

Today LR came with me to the bank to get a check for our house closing. (We closed. Yeayyy!) I had never been to this particular bank, but since it was on the way to the new house, I wanted to give it a try. LR was chilling in his seat with a book when a woman in front of us found a place to parallel park. She stopped, put on her blinker, checked the spot, looked forward again, took off her sunglasses, turned back around... I didn't have time to wait, so I saw the opposite lane was clear and went around her. From the back seat I heard, "Vvvroom!" Guess I really hit the gas, huh, little guy?

Oh, and yesterday while I had LR on the changing table, the wipes got stuck in the wipe warmer. "Damn," I said. "Damn," said LR, then "damn?" like a question, then "damn" once more for good measure.

"No" is the new "Yes"

I know it's odd, but I find it really entertaining when LR says "no, no, no, no," when he doesn't want to do something I've asked him to do. I know he's hitting that developmental milestone, but more than that, he's showing me a glimpse into his personality. I'm learning about things he doesn't like: getting into his carseat and having to wear PJs. The boy loves to be naked. New favorite activities include playing in the driver's seat in my car and running while pushing a large dump truck around. He has another large bruise on his forehead from where he face planted as a result of the dump truck "dumping" while he was running bent over and holding onto it.

Lousy night of sleep last night because he's breaking some new teeth, but I expect to get a better post with pictures up tomorrow.

Corndog Finger Puppets

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.

Evenings with Daddy have been few and far between this week, but LR did get to play a few games of peek-a-boo around his easel with him. Daddy had an overnight install on Wed night. LR woke up at 5am and asked for him repeatedly. I had to show him that Daddy wasn't in bed before he would let it go. He even checked under the sheets for him. Most evenings, LR and I have had dinner without Daddy. Conversation isn't as stimulating, but LR cheered me up with his corndog finger puppet. Boy did we laugh.

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.

Today we had our first real tantrum. LR wanted to play in the car when we got home. I wanted to go in the house. We just couldn't see eye-to-eye. He really let loose, cried, screamed, stamped, dragged me by the finger to the gate. Daddy and I have to talk about a game plan when it comes to tantrums.

Climbing Higher

So beyond finding our house filled with boxes like an indoor jungle gym, LR has discovered that nothing is as fun as finding a high place and shaking your groove thing. His latest favorite spot is the fire safe we keep in his closet. A couple of times a day you can find him on top of it saying "hey, hey!" He only says "hey" while standing on the fire safe. No, I have no idea why he does it. Then he stomps around like the lord of the dance. Today he really liked when I accompanied him with the Mexican hat dance while clapping.


We spent some time playing on the deck today and I lobbed snowballs at him while he ate the snow he could pick up. Daddy discovered that nothing makes him giggle like a snowball exploding at his feet. He even laughed when I misfired today and hit him on the back of the hand with a chunk of snow and ice. Whoops!

A Whole Week and No Posts!

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.

This past weekend Grandad B and Grandma Nese came into town to help us out with the packing. Grandma Nese packed the laundry room while Daddy, Grandad and I tackled the basement. Then Grandad and Daddy sorted out a couple of electrical issues. We got a ton done and are forever grateful for their help. The rest of the time, Grandma Nese was on LR duty and he loved having her as a playmate. She brought him a laptop of his very own and he was entertained by it just long enough to allow the rest of us to have a quick Skype call with Aunt K in Spain. He did say "hi" to her a couple of times at least.

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...

On a sad note, on Sunday Grandma W called to let us know that LR's great-grandmother passed away in her sleep. It's hard to write anything about how wonderful a grandmother she was to me, so I'll simply raise a glass to her and promise to share my memories of her with LR.

Extrovert or Pain in the Butt?

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.

With the time change LR is now taking afternoon instead of morning naps. It's driving the nannies crazy, but I love it. I come home from work, feed him lunch, then put him down for a nap. I get a few hours of work done around the house. It couldn't have come at a better time. There is so much to do in anticipation of the move. LR is really doing his part to help.

Today LR showed me how much he likes to watch the birds outside. It was warm enough to go out onto the deck without jackets, so we watched all the birds that had come out to sing. LR was pretty fascinated by them. Then he showed me his stomping skills. All I have to do is say, "stomp, stomp, stomp" and he'll start stomping around. He's such a little bruiser. Speaking of bruises. He has one for each of the past 5 days... all on his forehead. 3 are piled on top of each other, 1 is on the other side, and one in just above his hairline. That last one was from our neighbor's cement wall yesterday. He's obviously in toughness training: gravel for breakfast, concrete for lunch.

Sensory Deprivation Cont.

Yesterday LR practiced eating without using his hands. He ate an entire small plate of cubed cornbread by putting his face down to the plate and picking the food up with his lips. Look ma, no hands!

Sensory Deprivation

Not only does LR like to run around with a bucket over his head, but also he loves to close his eyes and take off running. It completely freaks me out. When I see other kids his age, they are trying to stimulate all their senses. LR is more into sensory deprivation. Is he getting an adrenaline rush from running around blindly? Both with the bucket and with the eye closing, he takes a peek every 5 feet or so. So far he hasn't run headlong into anything, but that day cannot be far off. He's actually had worse luck with his eyes open. Once yesterday and once today he tripped and went head first into something wooden: a table at the baby gym, and the stool in his room. One left a bruise, the other didn't. He also climbed his Incrediblock yesterday and fell off, hitting his mouth on the bookshelf next to it. It's a good thing he heals quickly or I'd have DSS at my door.

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.

LR loves when Daddy comes home at night. Here's a picture of them playing with the Oggs in the dark.

Poor Customer Service

The other day I went to the grocery store and the automatic door shut in my face. Those doors have been broken for a while. I thought, "wow, poor customer service." LR apparently thinks the same thing about us. He could be playing happily, but if we ask him if he wants a bottle, he will run toward us pouting and works himself up to a whiny cry until the bottle finishes warming in the microwave. I guess if we're going to offer something, it should be ready immediately. Having to wait another 45 seconds is just torture for the poor kid.

He's teething again. It's waking him up at night and throwing us all off schedule. The teeth between the bottom four and the back molars are coming through. He's chewing on his fingers and drooling more. He's also had a runny nose for a week. Pretty classic symptoms, so we've been giving him Motrin before bed the last few nights. It's helping a little, but he's still been up earlier than normal.

Our family wants to give a shout out to LR's cousin Bud who turns 2 today! Happy Birthday, Bud!

Busy Days

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.

Today he was with Nanny M in the morning and Nanny A in the afternoon since I put in a full day at work. Didn't get too much quality time with him in the evening. It was mostly full of dinner, bath, and bedtime routine. We're all looking forward to the weekend here!

LR might stand for "Little Reader"

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.

Inhaling Food

Could be that LR is growth spurting again. He's started eating really quickly. I'm sure I give him snacks during the day, but when dinner time rolls around, he crams food into his mouth with both hands. Today it reminded me of a sign that his Grandma Nese used to have hanging in the kitchen. It said, "Anything that takes me more than 2 hours to cook should take you more than 2 minutes to eat." Since guilt won't slow down a 17 month old, what will?

A few days ago, while suffering from a cold, eating and breathing became mutually exclusive events. Eating was an incredibly noisy event, "gulp, smack... gasp!" and then repeat. After swallowing a whole bowl of strawberries, he threw up the last few bites. He's done it twice in the past few days, so I think he's eating faster than his stomach can register that it's full.

Today he had cabbage, mac n' cheese, and avocado for dinner. I stopped giving him food after he cleaned his plate twice. Mental note: don't give him three of his favorite foods at once. He just can't stop himself.

4 Hour Nap

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."

We discovered a great new game. LR lies down on a blanket on the floor and I drag the blanket all over the floor, throwing him around. "Look at me! I'm multitasking! Sweeping the floor and playing with the baby."

Little Things

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 just started enjoying hats. He wears my floppy hat around the house, but mostly to play peek-a-boo with. He tried on Daddy's hat for size and loved it. In the car the other day, the sun was right in his eyes, so I put one of his visors on and he pulled it down over his eyes at the appropriate times.
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.

So in future posts, I will try to remember the little things. I think they might give you a better idea of who he is... a dancin', hat wearin', cleanin' machine.

Snow! Well,... Ice.

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.

Luring Future Consumers?

LR was completely fascinated yesterday by this ad for iPods. He made me rewind and play it about 15 times for him. If Apple's advertising department's target audience is 17 month-olds, they really nailed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKxGfLo7Cqo

Cantaloupe Hat

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?

Changing gears: We finally got snow today! Nanny M took him out to play in the light stuff in the morning and he helped Daddy shovel later in the afternoon. His snow suit held up well, but I think I need water proof gloves for him. He got pretty annoyed that he couldn't pick up the scraper at times. (Yes, I gave him a scraper to play with. Well, shoot... the shovel was too big for him.)

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.

Side note: I find it endlessly amusing that blacksmith made the cut into LR's "Baby's First Dictionary: Farm" book. Were they having problems finding other things on a farm? How about carrots, soy beans, or lettuce? Where's the migrant worker? I would find that much more relevant today than blacksmith.

Bonk

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.

Finally took some pictures at the baby gym when we took him this weekend. He just couldn't be happier than when he's there. He's pretty aggressive with other kids, but they all seem to take toys from each other. I also discovered that he loves my old pair of sunglasses. 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.

No Ear Infection

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.

When I got home today, Nanny M reported that LR had been pulling on his ears an awful lot. I had noticed the same thing for a few days, but he also just learned the word "ear," so I didn't know whether he was showing me his ear or whether his ear hurt. Rather than risk it, I took him to the doctor. LR screamed whenever we closed the exam room door. He screamed through getting his temp taken, chest listened to, and ears looked at. He must remember the shots. As soon as I opened the door he recovered. I was going to have the doc give him the follow up flu shot, but decided it had already been an overwhelming day for him - both the doctor and LR.

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 comes home from Kansas City tonight. *phew* That should be the end of the travel for a little while. (I hope.)