Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Apple Picking Time Again...

With the fall temps appearing, it was obvious it was time to visit the apple orchard...

Instead of treating it like something totally new, J fell right into step with me on picking apples. 

It was like it was yesterday, instead of last year that he did this...

We had so much fun...

Although, he tried to eat everyone he picked...

J really wanted to drive the big tractor, since Aunt Char's book has him fascinated by them these days...


In the next blog, I will share his time at the farm with friends & the big red tractor, but I'm exhausted, so that will have to wait...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Snagging the last of summer

I recently posted that we'd said good-bye to the pool for the summer.  However, with the warm weather on Monday & Tuesday last week, Mr. M got it going for one last dip...

He'd hoped we'd have more, but fall seems to have set in with some strength, as we've seen the cool 60's here this past weekend.

J had a blast swimming with him, as I packed his bag for his overnight with Grandma & Grandpa M while Miss Angie was on off for surgery.  Nothing serious, but she still needed time off for it.

J jumped.

Asked to be thrown..

AND counted to 3 before pushing Daddy under water...

They had a blast & moments, neither would trade.

Loving these stolen moments of summer.

Monday, September 27, 2010

We have a bike rider

J has really mastered his tryke this summer, and with his height, I decided to try his bike.  Mr. M & I bought it at the beginning of summer, when we got our bikes & bike cart for my birthday.  I think by next summer, I will have a partner for the ride around our subdivision's lake, as opposed to a passenger.  :)

I was really shocked at how quickly he got the concept and how easily he mastered the bike mechanics. 

These were from Tuesday...   When it was a wonderful 80 degrees.
He looks so old.

He really cracked me up this weekend, when we put him on his bike this weekend, he would just take off for the park, and tell Mr. M or me, depending on who was with him, to run faster.  

He was very good though.  When it was time to come home, he rode his bike back, unlike the tryke, which, I ended up carrying...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Odds & Ends...

Enjoying these warm fall nights, J & I have been playing after daycare before dinner.  Tonight, he'll be staying with Grandma & Grandpa M, as daycare is closed for Miss Angie to have surgery. 

J is getting so tall that riding the tricycle looks uncomfortable to me, and it must be getting there for him too.  He rode it a few houses, then wanted to head home to get his bike.  This is a new thing, as it has been beyond his skill set so far this summer.  While he's still a bit away from taking off down the street on it, he is getting 4 or 5 rotations before hitting the brakes by peddling backwards.  He ended up riding 2 houses down and back last night, which got all kinds of cheers from mommy & Mr. Joe who lives next door & was coming out to collect his boys for dinner.

Potty-training has had some major set backs since the big pooping in the potty.  He's great at daycare or when he doesn't drink a lot of liquid at once.  When he does, you can pretty much guarantee that he will wet his pull-ups.  I tried putting him in underwear, explaining how he has to pee in the potty or everyone will know.

Right... He's now scared of wearing underwear... Mom of the Year material right there... :(

However, preschool is in session again, and yes, I totally missed the first day picture taking.  I was so good about having his playpack ready & being excited, etc... Then I blew the picture taking opportunity.  J has been coming home and being serious when we work on colors or letters or numbers.  He's really taken to his Leap Frog Blackberry.

But Monday night he stole my breath...

"I pwedge allegiance to flag of United America ajsklfjajfdajdfljkj" trailing off as he lost his word memory.

When it dawned on me what he was saying, I stopped & said it with him.  I really wish I could convey the smile that appeared on his face. 

It was priceless.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

He Likes It...My cooking that is...

I've been making an effort to offer J more home cooked meals, and less toddler fare... Due to our schedule, his need for sleep is a top priority, but I want to also ensure he is eating good meals full of whole grains, and organics when possible.

Recently, I made pasta Alfredo with low glycemic pasta (Dreamfields, available at Meijer right by all other pasta) and homemade sauce.  The sauce was ridiculously rich.  I really needed to grocery shop, as in I hadn't been the previous weekend, and it was Thursday, so we are talking scrapping the bottom of the barrel in options here... I mixed cream cheese with Boursin cheese, added butter & shredded Parmesan cheeses, then thinned with pasta water.

It was decadent.

And the best part, J ate his entire bowl.  I love how he is starting to eat food so full of flavor.  And he's starting to ask for fruits.  Bananas, grapes & plums to be exact.  It is such a great start towards a healthier future, which is what was my main concern.

I even got J to eat 2 green bean stalks last week... 

Okay, so maybe I had to bribe him with a M&M for every bite he took, but at least it is a start...

Monday, September 20, 2010

Fall bagel morning...

I HAVE to get J & I back in the habit of attending Mass.  I miss it.  J, however, has never been a weekly attender like I was, so he does not miss it one bit.

I get it.  Really I do.  And it's why I haven't killed myself this summer.

But... Summer is over... Real life begins anew with each school year, and his early introduction to Mass is important to me.  So back we must go...

And the reality is, we could very easily go on a Saturday night, I just have to get motivated to attend with a child who has the attention span of a 2.5 year old.

However, this Sunday we enjoyed another missed Mass at Great American Bagel.  We have gotten into the habit this summer of grabbing a bagel at least one of my day's off.  It is our morning together.  It is time for J to get spoiled with attention, as all the girls (including the owner) gush over how inquisitive he is, how well behaved, and just so darn cute. 

not that I'm bragging or anything...   Okay, so I am...  Big deal!  I'm mom & totally entitled...

He has especially loved this since I've decided to make it fun, as opposed to keeping him on the whole grain, whole wheat bagel.  As I found he spent more time eating the cream cheese off than the actual bagel.  We started with cinnamon whole grain whole wheat with butter.  J was doing wonderfully eating this.

Then Grandma & Grandpa P were visiting during the summer & Grandma decided try the Cinnabon look-alike.  A frosted bagel.  Full of cinnamon & butter.  Full of delicious goodness.

Now, J & I share one.  It is that good.

And it makes him so happy... It is our Mommy & Son time that I wouldn't trade for the world...

Especially on a wonderful fall day that could be enjoyed outdoors in the fresh air.

So yes, it looks like we will have to start attending Saturday night Mass, as I am not giving up these moments.  Or possibly, we'll attend the 7:30 with this as the carrot to behave during Mass...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Happy News...

J -

You are getting to be such a big boy.  Yesterday you pooped in the potty at daycare.  Miss Angie held going outside over your head and that was just the carrot you needed to go take care of business.  You had tipped your hand to needing to poop by letting of several stinky toots.

I could not be more proud of you for this step towards adult hood.  I'm certain we will continue to hit stumble blocks until this becomes a regular activity for you.  And that's okay... It's normal.

But yesterday you proved to yourself that you could do it and it would be all good.  We celebrated it with calling everyone.

You melted my heart with your comforting of my sad heart.  As a result, I've decided to take your blog private.  I've invited some people, either family or close friends, or mommy acquaintances because I've posted pics of their kiddos, and because I love sharing your stories...  

The blog was always for you.  My letters to you.  Snapshots into your childhood.  I hope when you read it in the future you find all the good memories I have of your childhood.

Love - Mom

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

More on PTing...

I know when J is 13 he'll kill me for these pictures, but after our last story, I have to share of our better potty-training moments...

He loves being able to pull his pants up & down.  It makes him feel like such a big boy.

"I do it!" is a common phrase in our home these days.  Sometimes it ends in success, other times acknowledgement of needing help enters the picture, or the dreaded meltdown when J realizes he can't do it by himself.

So cheering him on to do things himself has become one of my favorite pass times.  As well as, suggesting that it is a picture moment.

I love these pictures, as you can just see how tickled he is with himself...

I also adore the wonderful little voice going "mommy help!" when he realizes he need it... I know one day, sooner rather than later, my help is the last thing he will want... And that's when I hope the guidance Mr. M & I are giving him today gives him the foundation he needs to make best decision possible at the age when he thinks he owns the world, and I just get to live in it...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Not Cool J... Not Cool...

First let me say, J has been doing wonderfully since we really started working on potty training, when it comes to pee... And while he will toot his horn with big smiles, the slightest feeling of something more sends him running from the potty saying "I can't mommy.  I can't poop on the potty."

While J was with Grandma M last Friday, she taught him to pee standing up.  While they were at Brookfield Zoo, there was little boy urinals & she thought it was just so cute!

Do you see where this is going yet?

Yes, J, the boy who LOVES to grab the water hose and spray it into the pool, now has a hose of his own.  Would spend hours shivering in the stream of the cold water to play with the water hose.  Generally melting down when Daddy takes it away to play in the warmth of the rest of the pool.

Now do you see?

Daycare requires little boys sit, due to lack of aim and sanitary reasons, but also because it encourages pooping in the potty.  Something J will not even attempt as of yet...  

Right, so last night, as we were getting him stripped down to head off to the shower, J announces he has to poop.  I was like, "well, go for it kiddo!"  And as I was picking up his clothes & putting them into his laundry basket before joining him in the bathroom... 

(He's been doing a really great job of maneuvering onto the potty by going up backwards.  All good right?  I was so beyond happy for his wanting to try.)

Seriously J, this was sooo not cool.

I join him in the bathroom to see him standing at the potty, facing it, spraying all over everything he can reach.  When he turns to notice me, he smiles & says:

"Look mommy, I spray"

Yep... He has a spray hose of his own.

I got to experience this 2 more times in the shower.

Fabulous.

I'm not really sure how to stop this new activity... Turning off the shower, in thoughts of ending it was the only way I was able to get him to stop being so gross.  However, he will learn quickly, as in - as soon as he tries me on for size, that his showering is very important to me.

Thankfully, the boy loves his shower more than his hose.

For now anyway.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Weekend Recap

Mommy had to work Friday, due to the Holiday shift in our close schedule... So J got to spend Thursday night & Friday with Grandma & Grandpa M.

Sadly, Grandma M texted me that she thought J was getting a cold.  And she was right...

Grandma & Grandpa spent Friday at the zoo, which was the total amount of fun J was allowed until late Sunday afternoon, when the mixture of Benedryl & Zyrtec finally clicked to turn off the faucet & alleviate the sneezing, coughing and generally cranky boy I picked up Friday night.  Granted, he wasn't cranky until he fell asleep in the car & I had to move him into the house.  A phone call to say goodnight to daddy didn't help.  Cuddling by mommy didn't help.  However, ice cream finally did the trick.  5 Dots to be exact. 

And off to bed we went, with a dose of Benedryl.

On Saturday he woke up, covered in snot, but in good spirits.  So we took a down day... We did not do anything, other than take P to the Vet, as she had an ear infection.  J thought it was good fun to see how Dr. Dan worked with P.  He showed J where to check for her heart beat, when we talked about his 'medical kit', and how sensitive P's ears are, so that he should never try to look in her ears.  Standing on a chair, J was enthralled to watch her ear get flushed.  He kept asking "What was that?" in this voice of awe.

While both J & P napped on the way home, I was able to get J back down after lunch and a half dose of Zyrtec (as I forgot to give it to him when he woke up).  Then we just lounge, played with his See 'n Say and Leap Frog.  We read books.  We snuggled and watched Barney.

And we did laundry.  Getting all the fall clothes laundered helped me achieve a new weekend record... 4 loads of J laundry.  2 loads of my laundry.  1 load of kitchen towels.  1 load of bathroom towels.  2 load of sheets.  And I got almost all of it done on Saturday.  J has become such a great helper with laundry.  Okay, so really it is just the pushing of buttons, and you better have a good redirection for before and after needed button pushing.  :)

Because of his snotty nose, which the Zyrtec finally seemed to be kicking in to dry up, we only got to see Daddy long enough to say goodnight when he got home around 7:30.

I was hoping Sunday we'd wake up feeling better.  He slept around 11 hours.  And while we woke up in a great mood, that was short lived.  Everything was worth crying over.  Getting a bagel.  Not getting a bagel.  Drinking milk, not drinking milk.  Getting dressed, not getting dressed. 

Finally, I wrangled him out of the house for a bagel around 8 with a half dose of Zyrtec, and I could tell he still wasn't 100%, but he was doing much better.  The faucet had been turned off.  Now it was just keeping up with his need to blow his nose. 

We did another low key day.  Blowing bubbles on the deck.  Playing with his Leap Frog while Mommy read on the deck.  Hanging with Daddy and watching Barney on the iPod.  We did a good snack & off to sleep around noon.

When he woke up, he was so much better.  We even went to the park, and did a last (I think) swim in the pool for summer.  Having figured out the Zyrtec works way better, we stuck with that for bedtime & I hope he doing even better today.

Another hard thing about being a working mom... You cannot have a sick kid.  He needs to be healthy, so he can attend daycare.  Which means, when you have a sick kid, weekends become about getting him healthy by Monday. 

Or come Monday, you cross your fingers and pray that all the activity at school doesn't get him more sick.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Another... Fall Day at the Park

These are from a week ago Saturday...
While we are potty training in full force right now, Mommy needed to get out of the house for a bit... So we hit up our neighbors for a walk to the park after J's nap, but before Skye's.
They had so much fun... Skye is really starting to walk right now... It was soooo cute watching her try so hard to keep up with J on her drunken sailor legs, and her resilience was endless.  I could have watched her for hours.  Which is bad, since our little man has become a very accomplished monkey...
J was even up for posing for some pics...
J helping Wendy slide with Skye down the big kids slide
J saying goodbye to Skye Isn't it just too sweet?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Labor Day 2010 - Family Day at Our Home

Mr. M & I decided to have a family gathering at our home on Sunday of Labor Day weekend...

Grandpa P made the drive, as Grandma P was traveling.

Grandma & Grandpa M, Aunt Liz, Uncle Jon & Great Aunt Joan all came for a visit!

We had a wonderful day...

...playing in the pool...

...celebrating Aunt Liz's birthday...

...just spending time with family...

September 11th...

I'd just like to take a moment to remember those who perished on 9.11.2001, and their families and friends.

While I did not suffer any personal direct loss that day, my heart still grieves for those who did.

The terrorist bombings was the first time in my life that I encountered an event that every single moment and detail sticks with me. 

Getting engaged, married, even the birth of my son had so many more emotions going, as it was so directly hitting me, that I miss great pieces of those so very important days.

But 9.11 is a day that will probably never leave my mind, as it was my first real understanding that the United States could be attacked. 

Please take a moment to join me in prayer for those who lost so much on that day, and for the safety of our Men & Women Serving in Uniform to Defend Our Safety & Freedoms.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Birthday Party - Jack turns 4

J has a little buddy at school, Jack... He's turning 4, and we got to celebrate with him.
This is not only lucky because of our being in town, after planning to be in Michigan, but because, Jack's little sis, Allison, was at Children's the whole week prior to the party having been diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes.
Plus, it was loads of fun...
And the added bonus, Grandpa got to join us!
J even peed in a public potty - 3 times.  Score!!  Granted that was me dragging him off every 45 mins, but no accidents!  He loved running back to tell Grandpa about what a big boy he was!

J proved just how fearless...

truly fearless...

he really is...
We had so much fun... I can't wait to do this again!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

He's a Cars man...

One of Grandma M's friends made this adorable quilt for J.

I'm honestly not sure who is more excited... Mommy or him?

We are so very thankful, especially as it is the current craze for a certain potty-training little boy...

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Mommy's Group Playdate

We've been so busy all summer, we haven't seen my local Mommy's group at all.  I was so excited when one of the mom's sent me an invite via Facebook for a last minute play date at her house.  The group was on the smaller side, which I thought was good as J is in a mommy phase, and I was leery of his being tossed into a big group.

He did great!

Even when the host little boy got a little overwhelmed with sharing all his toys, and started taking them back from everyone. 

But for the most part he did well sharing, I think nap time approaching made everyone a little more anxious....

As for mommy, she got some good chatting time with good food to boot.  :)

And we are looking forward to a slower fall so we may join up more mommy events.  Maybe even host a playdate or two or our own.

I do believe Payton just took cover to our bedroom at that thought.  :)