Dreamboat Sunday

I was drawn out of bed yesterday by the announcement, “I want buhwaffles!”  I brought out the waffle iron and Jack helped me stir the batter.  Waffles are so incredibly easy and tasty!  He wanted whipped cream, as well, but we had no cream.  Next time!  Crazily, Jack ate his entire waffle.

Determined to get out of the house and enjoy a bit of sunshine before the fog rolled in again, I asked Jack if he wanted to go on a boat.  He started shaking with excitement and shouted “yeah yeah yeah!,” which answered that question.  We got dressed and I made a PBJ sandwich to take with us, then we headed down toward the Marina to visit the SF Maritime Museum.  It was a gorgeous day, warm but breezy, and after parking at Ghiradelli Square, we headed to Beach Street.

Admission for the museum is uber cheap (especially since Jack is free), which is why I picked it.  We got our pass and boarded a schooner named Balclutha.  Jack was a little nervous at first because he could feel the ship rocking a bit, but he soon got used to it.  When he saw another kid exploring (a fellow pirate-shirted boy), he decided they would be pals and Jack followed him all round the boat.  He didn’t want to leave after that.

We explored the boat for a while and then I enticed Jack off the boat with promises of cupcakes from Kara’s Cupcakes in Ghiradelli Square (although first we stopped on a park bench and ate our PBJ sandwich).  I needed my parking validated anyway, so why not get cupcakes out of it?  We ended up buying 7 because the minimum purchase for validation is $20.  For what I would have paid for those two hours of parking, I got three cupcakes.  That’s a great deal in my eyes!

Grateful for imagination

Jack was not happy about getting up this morning.  From the moment he opened his eyes he was upset.  “We have to close the door!  We have to go to sleep!”  I wish, kid!  He spent the next 45 minutes or so yelling at the top of his lungs because he didn’t want to get dressed, didn’t want to watch George, dropped his piece of friendship bread, and then OMG my chocolate egg is broken and I wanted to crack it open but now I can’t!!!  Yeah, you can see how I tried to use bribery when all else failed.  And even the bribery didn’t work.

What did?  A SPACE HELMET.  I told Jack that if he got dressed he could wear the space helmet (David’s bicycle helmet) and we could go to outer space.  He changed his attitude immediately.  We got out of the door within 10 minutes.  I convinced him my car was my spaceship and we were going to take off!  He counted down to lift off at every stop sign.  He was smiling by the time we got to daycare.  I then told him he needed to find some rockets and teach his fellow astronauts about space.  Off he went to look for rockets among the daycare toys!

I lied to my kid - a huge, bald-faced, complete lie.  And I will do it again and again if it gets him out of the house in the morning and saves my sanity.

A story from Jack

There is a car and it goes into the street.
When the car goes faster it goes FASTFASTFASTFAST in the road.
And when the rocket goes up it goes way high up.
When the car goes down and crashes it turns into a dragon.
AND THEN YOU TURN INTO A SPACE RANGER!!!
And the space ranger says “and beyond!”

Nearly Three

Wow, I can’t believe Jack is almost 3.  Is he even still a toddler or is he now considered a preschooler?  Holy crap, where did the time go?  I am suddenly so aware of the fact that he is growing up quickly and even though I love the stage he is in, I also miss my baby!  (This is how it starts, isn’t it??)

Here are some notes on Jack at 2.75 years:

• His favorite foods are Babybel cheese rounds (“little red cheese”), Fuji apples (whole, not cut or peeled), almonds, “cupcakes” (usually banana muffins), and chocolate.  He loves to peel things – the wax off the cheese, the shell off an egg, the skin on an orange (although he doesn’t eat the orange).  He even throws wrappers and peels away.
• He can count to at least 13 forward and backward, can identify many letters and all colors, and knows right from left.  Also, he has learned where Canada, the United States, and Mexico are on a globe (no joke).
• He likes three books to be read to him before bed: Olivia and the Missing Toy, Olivia (original), and The Way Back Home (in that order).  Sometimes we will add A Color of His Own or How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight?
• He is a favorite at daycare because he is super sweet, funny and quirky, and he always naps and eats and follows the rules.  For whatever reason, he doesn’t have bad days at daycare.  Also, everyone is his best friend.
• He loves rockets, space, and astronauts.  He will watch any movie with space related things in it – Star Wars, Toy Story (Buzz is his favorite, of course), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
• His imagination is growing rapidly.  We had a discussion about what day it was and I cracked up when he said “no, it’s not Wednesday, it’s Mensday!”  He then went on to name many days that I have never heard of.  He also tells stories.  They usually begin with what happened at daycare and then get progressively unbelievable when he makes up new kids that were there or tells us he went to outer space.  And, of course, everything is a rocket from pens to carrots.
• He spreads love all around.  Hugs and kisses and I miss yous and I love yous.  He asks for snuggles with me in the morning and throws his arm around “my cat Wicket, my best friend.”
• His favorite song is No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.  Any time I try to sing anything else, he cuts me off to tell me “I don’t like that song!”
• Physically he is much more agile than he was just a few months ago.  He is a better runner, is starting to figure out how to catch himself if he trips, and in his quest to grab things out of his reach (as in light switches) he has learned to use various pieces of furniture as stepping stools.  Oh joy.
• He is pretty independent.  He insists on getting the things he wants out of the fridge, takes off his own shoes and puts them away, climbs into his carseat and walks up/down the stairs while holding on to the railing.  He of course gets frustrated when he can’t do something, like when someone beats him to opening or closing a door.
• He sleeps well most nights.  More often than not, he sleeps through a whole 10 hours and still takes 2+ hour naps.  Can we breathe a sigh of relief?  ahhhhhhh.

There is so much more…I wish I could capture it all.  I am just lucky that I get to witness it all first hand most days. 

Moving to the city

We are moving and moving means changing daycares…  Yeah, I know; you don’t have to say it.  I know I’m crazy!  But, really, this is going to be an awesome change for us.  It will mean that I won’t be spending time on commuting an hour to get to the daycare before it closes (at 5!) when I should be working a full 8 hour day.  Also, a shorter commute (half of what it is now) means more time with Jack.  Our rent will be less and we’ll have a washer and dryer in the house.  We will have a backyard where Jack can run around!  We’ll have lots of families for neighbors.  We’ll live about a block from a park.  Best of all, I think, is that the time we spend driving to San Rafael to get Jack to Joe will be 15 minutes each way instead of 45-60!  Woo hoo!

I looked at daycares last week and hit the freaking jackpot.  The first place I visited was decent, but it didn’t feel like THE PLACE.  It was small, a bit pricey, and brand new (meaning Jack would be the first kid enrolled).   The provider was sweet and the place would have worked, but I didn’t like it as much as I like his current daycare.  I went into the second place with low expectations because all I know about the place was that it was extremely affordable and a little further than I thought I’d want to go.  But the drive to the place was a breeze and as soon as I walked in I felt at ease.  The provider is Brazilian, just as his current providers are.  She also has a similar menu and schedule as the current daycare.  Jack will get to continue his Portuguese education!  The number of kids in her care is small and she has a helper doing dishes and cooking meals, so the attention factor is high.  The vibe was perfect, so I took the spot and we went back Saturday to introduce Jack to the provider.  That went well, so the deal was sealed!

So far this move is coming together nicely.  This is the easiest time I’ve ever had finding a place we will love to live and also a daycare that we will be happy with (I am of course hoping that a similar environment and a warm-up period will make for an easier transition).  I think the most amazing part is that we are moving into the CITY and yet our rent and daycare costs will decrease.

I’m excited!

Toddler actor studio

Jack loves to pretend.  This weekend involved much pretend play and it cracked me up every time.

Dog – he purposefully spilled cheerios so that he could eat them off the floor.  He also barks and licks.

Orc, wizard- He caught a bit of Lord of the Rings this weekend and he LOVED it.  He immediately started hissing like an orc.  He then held his hand (palm out) toward the television as the army’s horses sped down the mountain.  I think he was trying to be Gandolf and helping the good army along with his powers.

Lion – This involves roaring and biting.  It is not my favorite game, as he often ends up biting my butt.

Pirate – “Yarrgh!  I’m pirate!  I’m finding treasures!”  The scrunchy face that goes along with this is funny on its own!

Fish – Laying belly-down in the bathtub, “Hey mama!  I’m a fish!  I’m swimmin’!”

Monsters under the bed – “Hey mama!  Let’s go find monsters under bed!”  He grabs my hand and drags me into his bedroom to look for monsters.  He is really hoping to find some, too.  Sometimes I can manage to throw one of his monster toys under the bed before he notices, but regardless he always claims (triumphantly) to find monsters hiding under there.

The Two Year Old

I’ve been super busy.  Jack and I are moving to a new apartment on Saturday so I’ve been packing every day.  I’m almost done – the only things left are the things we use on a daily basis (which includes nearly everything Jack owns).  Jack has had a grand time playing peek-a-boo in the closet while I pack.  He keeps me busy in other ways, as well.

One of my bosses gave Jack a Melissa & Doug set of puzzles for his birthday.  Jack is obsessed with it!  We put the four puzzles together again and again every day.  Each time I fit two pieces together, he says “You did it, Mama!”  He also gives himself plenty of praise, muttering “good job” with one nod of his head as the puzzle comes together.  I suspect he doesn’t need help putting the puzzles together at this point, but he likes the company for sure.

Upon hearing, “I wanna walk!” on Sunday, Jack and I headed outdoors for a stroll around the court.  Jack saw the moon in the sky, stopped and pointed (as he often does), and said, “See half-moon, Mama?!”  He repeated this over and over again, his volume rising each time.  Suddenly he stopped shouting and said, “Wanna catch half-moon!” and jumped up with his arms in the air.  I about fell over from the cuteness!  We spent the rest of our walk attempting to jump high enough to reach the leaves on the trees.  Jack laughed every time I groaned and missed (which was every time).

One of the more irritating developments recently has been the, “Hey mama!” tossed at my direction over and over and over and over and over and over again.  I respond, “Hey, Jack!” or “What do you need, son?” and he just repeats himself again.  I can’t for the life of me figure out what the point of this game is.

Jack has also taken a liking to pretending to be scared.  I think this came out of watching too much Monsters, Inc.  With every viewing of the movie, he would visibly get sucked into the story more and began anticipating what would happen next (meanwhile, I’m in the background reciting every line in sync with the characters).  He eventually started to clap his hands to his face and say, “OH!  You scared me!”  He then improvised by hiding behind doors and jumping out at me roaring, then asking, “You scared me, mama?”  (He sometimes mixes up you and me.)

There are so many things I see every day that shows me Jack is no longer a baby.  He asks me tons of questions and has a vivid imagination (often pretends to be a dog licking or a lion biting).  He loves to help with dishes, groceries, and laundry.  He has clear preferences about the shoes he wears and the TV shows he wants to watch (usually Curious George or Super Y).  His attention span is fantastic – the other day I sat and watched him as he decided to take every single Duplo block he owns and stick them all together in a huge brick.  That’s 70 pieces or so and he put them together so that none of the pieces stuck out on the sides of the “square.”  It was like Tetris.  I was amazed that he had the patience and the forethought to fit the pieces together perfectly.  He is like a little worker bee, driven to apply a process to everything he owns using a set of invisible instructions.  Where do they get this stuff?

Soon to be 2

We have about 40 people slated to attend Jack’s birthday party.  What in the world was I thinking inviting all those people?  I guess I forgot that toddler birthday parties are hot spots these days.  I don’t think I’ve ever had 40 people at any of my own birthday parties!  And I distinctly remember at least one birthday where no one showed up.  Alas, I was not popular, folks.

Jack has no idea his birthday is coming.  He doesn’t even know what a birthday is.  We’re trying to teach him to tell us when we ask that he’s 2.  Sometimes he gets it but usually when I ask him how old he is he just repeats my question.  (That’s his new thing, by the way - rather than saying “I want this” for instance, he asks “Do you want this?”  Questions have now replaced statements yet they mean the same thing.)  At least he can tell you that his name is Jack now.

I think I’m mostly nervous that Jack is going to be upset having to share his toys with the other kids.  I had decided not to do favors for anyone because, well, I didn’t think a bunch of toddlers would care.  But now I’m wondering if favors might prevent toy fighting.  Hmm, probably not…

Sand Castle

We had a really great weekend!  On Saturday I took Jack to the beach.  We live across the street from the beach, but I dislike sand and being wet so I rarely go (I know I’m weird).  Our daycare provider called to let me know there was a sand castle contest going on, so off we went!

We didn’t get very far before Jack planted himself down in the sand and started digging with his shovel.  I sat down in the wet sand with him and together we built our first sand castle ever!  We never actually got to see any sand castles other than the one we built because Jack didn’t want to move from the spot he chose.  Still, it was fantastic to be out there in the sunshine with the slight breeze blowing our hair around.

Pictures can be found here.  This one is my favorite.  (Don’t you just love the old school Koolade cup?  I have a pitcher to match.)

 

Maryland Highlights

I’ll have to post some pictures when I am not bogged down with catch-up work and the intracacies of adjusting to the new daycare drop-off/pick-up routine (since Joe started his new job today), but here are some highlights of our trip to Maryland:

• The plane rides were decent (considering that we had a 2 year old on our laps) thanks to sitting by the same folks to and from DC.  After the mom who I sat next to loaned Jack her daughter’s Magnedoodle, I promptly bought one when we arrived at our destination.  Jack is obsessed with it and drew constantly on the way home (his drawings actually look like things!).
• He is now obsessed with airplanes, as well.
• Jack was sick with a nasty fever the first two days of the trip.  It was pretty sad to watch the little guy stare dull-eyed at animals in the aquarium in Baltimore.  I wish he could have enjoyed it more.  On the plus side, he is a total sweetheart while sick (no tantrums!).
• Jack learned how to say “Dad’s coffee” and “Jack’s milk” and “Aunt Holly’s computer” and “Cayenne’s toy” - he is quite impressed with pronouns.
• Every night at bed time, we were treated to several performances of what we think is the Portuguese version of “Ring around the roses” wherein he sang what sounded to me like “ba ti ba,” then switched the verse, then purposely fell on the bed.  (I must remember to ask about this when I pick him up from daycare today.)
• The boy decided to refer to his uncle as “Miken” – we can only guess that this is a clever contraction of Mike + Cayenne (the dog).
• We all ate more junk food and watched more tv than we would normally.  Vacation rules are different, though, right??
• Jack may have a little cousin arriving in 2009!
• We saw the Washington Monument & the Smithsonian Natural History Museum on Memorial Day.  It was disgustingly hot and Jack was a tyrant but we did manage to have fun.
• Jack rode his first carousel!  After shrieking with delight when the carousel started moving, he nervously rode the horse for about 5 minutes before deciding he felt safer in my arms.  I spent the rest of the ride precariously hanging on to him and the moving pole.  Upon exiting the carousel, Jack cried for more.  Of course.

Reminder and a quick update

Reminder: Today is the last day to leave a comment on this post to get a chance to win a copy of Rebecca Woolf’s book!  I’ll be announcing the lucky reader’s name tomorrow.  I finished it in 3.5 days and absolutely loved it.  I can’t wait to hear reviews from all of you!

Two of Jack’s 2-year molars came in while I was out of town over the weekend.  He now has 18 teeth!  Only 2 left before this teething business is over (for a few years)!  YAY!  I firmly believe his recent sleep troubles are due to those molars.  He was drooling all over my side of the bed this morning.  Sheesh.

Three weeks from tomorrow we fly to Maryland to see my sister!  Since I was so happy with the service I received from the Traveling Baby Company back in December when Jack and I flew to Seattle, I decided to go through them again to rent a carseat, stroller, and baby monitor for this trip.  Their prices are great and their equipment is exactly what I would buy.  I am so excited for this visit and I can now enjoy the anticipation because I don’t have to worry about how to lug all kinds of gear along.  I can focus on worrying about how to keep Jack entertained on the plane for 5+ hours.

First Trip Away

My trip went well - better than I could have expected, really.  My boys made me proud!  Jack ate well, slept well, behaved well, and was incredibly adorable on the phone with me.  His face lit up when I arrived home yesterday!  It feels so good to know that the household can survive if I go away for a few days (except for the part where Joe’s job went bye bye, but that wasn’t completely unexpected).

The weather in Washington was sunny and beautiful.  Beth sent her husband to San Francisco so we could have a girl’s weekend, so we stayed up late and attempted to sleep in (apparently parenthood has destroyed my ability to sleep past 8am, though).  We went to a tulip festival, shopped at some outlets, treated ourselves to pedicures, watched a sappy movie (Waitress – very cute!), attended high tea, and strolled around Pike Place Market.  There was a lot of good food and special treats, too.  Fabulous!

I missed Joe and Jack so much while I was away.  As I sat in the airport waiting to board the plane that would take me away from them, I had to leave the gate briefly when a baby started crying because it was just too much for me in my nervous state.  I felt better as the weekend went by and Joe informed me that things were going well, but there were so many times when I wished that Jack was there to see the tulips or the space needle or the kitten playing in Beth’s backyard.

I wondered if Jack might decide to wean himself while I was away but, as I suspected, the first word out of his mouth when he saw me was “milk.”  And though he had gone to sleep just fine without nursing the previous 3 nights, he absolutely wanted to nurse to sleep last night.  I didn’t mind at all because it gave me a chance to snuggle and kiss him and remind my senses of all that I missed about my little boy.

Black Diamond Mines

Sunday we ventured out to Black Diamond Mines in Antioch to hike and see the wildflowers in bloom.  The day was absolutely gorgeous – sunny with enough wind to create waves in the bright green grass.  We generally hate driving, especially in the bay area, but it was a really pleasant trip flanked by hills and trees.

  We ate a picnic lunch with our friends Melissa and Nick, then Joe strapped Jack into the Ergo and we started our hike.  Jack fell asleep about 1/3 of the way into our trek, right as we made our way along a sheer precipice.  I made sure not to look (as I get nasty vertigo in these situations) and made it through just fine.  Altogether we hiked about two miles and Jack awoke as we were descending the last third of the hike, which is when he insisted on walking.  He actually agreed to hold my hand while making his way down, although the adults frequently had to act as bumpers on either side of him to keep him confined to the trail.  He was very helpful in identifying trees, clouds, and “tall hills.”

I passed out in the car while Joe drove us home (literally, I closed my eyes and don’t remember anything until we parked in the garage) and apparently Jack chatted the entire way back.  It was a great day and I think all of the activity helped Jack sleep wonderfully that night.  I’m still sore, though!

Pictures from all of our recent adventures are uploaded to shutterfly if you’d like to see ‘em.

Aquarium of the Bay

We went to Aquarium of the Bay on Saturday.  This was our first trip into the touristy part of San Francisco since Jack was born and it was actually very fun.  Since we went fairly early and the forecast wasn’t great (although the weather turned out to be beautiful after all) the crowds were very manageable.  The only painful part was the high cost of lunch and parking, which were both expected anyway!

The aquarium itself was great, although on the smalls ide.  Jack was surprisingly shy in the touch pool area and refused to touch anything.  He loved looking at all of the fish, crabs, sea stars, rays, and sharks, though.  The best part was the “Under the Bay” tube, which is a giant tunnel that you walk through while fish, sharks, and rays swim over your head.  Jack thought it was fantastic when the sharks and rays would come directly at him, smooshing up against the glass while gliding by.

This outing increased my anticipation of our trip to Maryland in May to see my sister.  There is an aquarium in Baltimore that we’ll attempt to visit while there, and we may go to the zoo, as well.  These are the things I live for as a parent!

Decisions, decisions

I have a dilemma.  Our little family is planning to fly from California to Maryland to see my sister in May.  I’ve looked at various flight options and I’m struggling to make a decision.  I’d love any input from my readers…

• Do we fly direct so that we don’t have to change planes?  If we do, it will be a 5 hour flight and will actually go to DC, which is about an hour’s drive from my sister’s house.  The 3.5 hour direct flight to Wisconsin was not bad, but we were going stir crazy by the end of it.
• Do we pick a flight with a layover so that we can grab some food and allow the boy to walk around between flights?  This will make our travel last about 8 hours but will take us directly to Maryland.  The layovers are only about an hour, so I worry that we won’t make it to our connecting flight on time.
• Do we get Jack his own seat (he is still under 2) and drag along his carseat?  This will increase the cost of our trip by at least $300, and I’m doubtful that he will even sit in his seat and make it worth it.
• Do we forego the seat and the extra cargo and rent one in Maryland?
• Which airlines are more kid-friendly?  I believe our options are Southwest, Continental, Delta, Virgin America, and JetBlue.

When I asked Joe his opinion, he replied, “It’s going to suck no matter what.”  Very helpful. 

This is the last big travel we are doing for quite some time, I swear.  It just keeps getting more expensive and more complicated as Jack gets older!