Pictures to come, but to a ll a Merry Christmas.
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Happy items from Wisecraft: a dear little elf :: *smile* :: Sweet St Lucia Dolls ::
a worthy cause (help a woman start a business and get out of poverty) and free Christmas tunes from Cool Mom Picks.
Reminding me of Christmas' past, Swallowfield's house ornaments and instructions
A few favorite things as profiled at Creative Thursdays.
To remember for next year and the next with T.
Love this traffic jam picture, and T would find it fascinating, "tuk! busss, ca." and Laugh Often Birds, both at Bloesem.
Check these happy pictures from Shim and Sons (and remember Portland NW district options).
More Christmas card ideas at two green chickens.
Pin the mask on the superhero!
Blair at Wisecraft listed a song she and her daughter are liking right now. It's a YouTube video. I listened, then listened to the next that came up by the same artist (Fiest), then the next, then the next video that came up was this skateboarding best of. I've been kind of fascinated by skateboarding - it came into vogue in my youth - and every time I see boys skateboarding these days, I wonder if T will take it up. There is a kid on our block who passed us last night as T and I were decorating the mailbox (little late I know). T couldn't take his eyes off the boy as he went by.
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Saturday afternoon we bundled into the Jeep to go get our Christmas tree. We went to the Lutheran church near where N, JW, and I lived. I like going to this church as they are always so friendly, and all proceeds go to local/community charities. The current minister is a really nice guy, our age, and from Colorado. Two years ago, just after we returned form our sabbatical in Oregon, we had a nice long conversation with him about Noble Fir trees – the kind of tree we got in OR.
Because it was rather miserable out (not that I am complaining about it raining – we are down record amounts: 22” last I heard), we got the first tree we looked at. It is a very nice tree, about 7 ½ feet tall, and rather slim, so it fits in our corner across from the door. While I paid, Bill and one of the church members tied the tree to the roof, and we settled T back into his car seat to search for Christmas lights. “Ohhh!” he says when he sees a light decoration he likes. It’s all very exciting and fun. Reminds me of N and I counting all the lights we would see on Sunday nights coming home from spending the day with Dad.
We had gone out late, so while B got the tree off the car, T and I ran in to get T some dinner. He ate it sitting in his highchair in the dining room facing the tree, while B and I set the tree up (really B did most of this). He was fascinated. He became especially enamored of the wooden cranberry beads I brought out to decorate with, and delighted in putting them over his shoulders and walking around with them dragging behind him.
There wasn’t time to decorate before T’s bedtime, (I also think he isn’t up to it for another year or two), so I did the lights and ornaments while he slept. B and I had dinner (a flank steak in honor of B finishing all his grading) and watched Live Free, or Die Harder while I worked on the tree. As always, it is charming to me with all the various ornaments.
Sunday is B’s day to get up early with T, so I didn’t see T’s first reaction to the decorated tree. B told me it was very similar to what T did with me later in the morning. At about 8am, these little feet padded into the bedroom, “Mama. Mama, wok, mama,” I heard. I pulled the pillow from over my head and the top of this curly head was smiling up at me and trying to pull me form under the covers. He ‘dragged’ me into the living room, “oooohhhh, mama.” And then T started pointing out all the ornaments at his (relative) level – balls in red, silver, and muted jewel tones, a wooden owl, cat, drum, snowflake, vintage boy and cat, pinecone, stars in tin and brass, etc, and all the colored lights. As you can imagine, it was quite dear.
As can be expected with a toddler, the downside of the tree is his fascination with pulling the ornaments off the tree and bringing them to us to show us. I have been trying to get him to point only, but it is a struggle. The cowboy boot, the birth angel, and three of the balls, have all had to be moved higher up the tree. It appears as if almost all the ornaments will have to be moved form the lower rungs, but I am trying not to do that. If I can find the time (unlikely) I will make some ornaments for T especially that he can do whatever he wants with.
T will be 18 months on Christmas Eve! Hard to imagine, although he is so far from where he started out a year and a half ago. We went to his 18-month well-baby pediatrician visit this morning. I tend to think I am a pretty good mom, until I have to answer questions at the doctor's and feel that perhaps I am not doing what I should. Below are things we need to work on with T:
- getting him to put himself to sleep (he should be awake when he goes in the crib)
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brushing teeth twice/ day even if there is a battle (he has to learn he does his teeth, and he can't feel that if he puts up a battle he can get away with stuff)
- limiting milk to 24oz/day, water at other times
- childproofing our home - plugging outlets, keeping bathroom and kitchen doors closed (!) so he can't get into anything in there. Also using door knob covers so he can't open doors. Moving detergents and other harmful items out of anywhere he can get to them. Making sure water heater is set to 100 so he can't turn on water and burn himself.
Most of this is stuff I knew - especially the sleep and teeth (currently we get him to brush once/day, but he does it, so it's not such a good job. He fights when we try to finish up.) I actually asked about milk limiting as I thought he might be getting too much, and sure enough the Ped brought it up. He might not be getting the other nutrients he needs by drinking so much, as he may fill up on the milk.
T got a few more vaccinations: Polio, Tetnus, and 2nd flu shot (the one with themerisol - they were out of the other, and I/we felt the issue was worse if he got the flu on the plane (or elsewhere)). The nurse let me sit him on my lap to get them. He was a very good boy and took the pain pretty well. He will probably be a little extra fussy today after them, and because he didn't sleep well last night. I forgot to give him Tylenol before we went to the Ped (though I wasn't sure he was going to get any shots), and then thought we had some at school. I couldn't find the bottle that I was sure Ms. B had put in the medicine cabinet there. Ms. Am wasn't thrilled that T hadn't had any Tylenol, and again I felt a ding about my being a good mom. But I am sure I took Tylenol into school and it should have been there...
Anyway, his 18-month stats.
- T weighed in at 26.7 pounds, or 50th (+) percentile
- He was 32 1/2" tall, or 50 + percentile.
- His head is 18 3/4" in diameter, or 50th percentile.
- 3191 Two women 3191 miles apart, each take a picture, they put them together.
- Hallow necklace - neat circles and a pretty neck
- neat little box idea for gifts from Angry Chicken
- pencil holders and neat fabric
- pretty bird at Bookhou. Also, diaper on the go in pretty material {I could make something like this - add a pocket for a sippy...} And oh, by the way, I LOVE this quilt.
- cool vases from Dream of the red chamber series - see fine china
- Gift Tag for kids to write on from A little Hut (check out also the Tinker Toy tree and ornaments)
We now have a tent in our living room. One corner is taken over by a yellow, purple, blue, and red cube tent with
yellow tunnel entrance. Yes, we have a child. We have moved beyond a few toys in the corner, we now have a tent. And the tent sits on some foam floor tiles, and an old comforter. A nice blue waffle blankie, and teddy and polar bear are the current inhabitants, but earlier tonight a little red head was in there. He laid his head down and said, "night-night."
I had been thinking about getting T something to crawl in and out of for awhile. I had tried setting up a blanket between the dining chairs, or using pillows. He is still too young for either of these options and didn't get what I was about with building him a fort. Not that he gets this tent really either. But, he will, someday...
Anyway, it is not as cute as I would like, but it was $30 rather than the $280 for the one I saw ealier today, and it didn't take any sewing and stick finding on my end. I had thought we might have this thing as a gift from Santa, but it was set up in the back yard when I arrived home. No need to tell B excitedly that the thing should be delivered today and ask would we be able to stand waiting.
As I mentioned, T doesn't totally get it, and he doesn't quite get that he has to bend down to get inside (though he has no trouble crawling in the small tunnel). We might find the tent migrates all over the house - a moving tent over a little boy, rather than having this sweet spot in the corner of the room. He also was getting a little uptight about the foam tiles - he keeps wanting to pull them apart and got quite animated in his requests for help in pulling them apart. They might have to disapear the way he was acting tonight. Though it is quite sweet to see him ask for, "hep, hep." "Help, Please." I said several times right after saying, "these tiles don't need to go anywhere sweetie."
T did manage to get one of the foam tiles free and dragged it into the master bedroom where he waited for B to come out of the bath. He then told B
something he wanted, something neither of us understood, but he did it quite seriously so that B picked him up and took the tile in the other hand. T then directed B to go outside and down into the basement. The little one is good with distraction (it was dinnertime.) The way he gets us to do things sometimes, I really think he might be good at management.
It is late, and I need to be in bed, but expect a few pictures.
[Added: 12/20] I finally got this second video up where T is trying to pull up the foam tiles. You can hear him as for "hep," which I think is sweet. In both videos I repeatedly ask T to do his One Front of the Other dance. We had songs from Christmas TV specials on and he was doing this funny little dance where he marched around - high stepping. Unfortunately I couldn't convince him to do it on video.
Checked one of my favorite blogs and got a bunch of links to more holiday ideas.
- x-mas card disk garland and disk ornaments from MS.
- MS yarn snowflake
- children's art ornaments (could do sachets) from Soul Mama
- all kinds of stuff including photo magnets from Wisecraft
- [added 12/12] another pretty advent calendar from shimandsons
- gift boxes
- donate to childcare center or school for crafts
It looks as though I am not going to have time to do any of these, but, perhaps, or next year, or... Did a bunch of on-line ordering and some shopping this weekend. Yesterday T and I went to the CD store and the local kids book store. We got some good gifts (we hope anyway) - and were greatly helped by wonderful shop owners and staff. T got a bit wild in the book store. He had been so good on the walk to town, and in the CD store, that I had to let him out of the stroller. Will have to write more later about how that turned out, as well as the parent teacher meeting B and I had on Friday with Ms. B.
Today, B suggested we get T some fish after Christmas. T is going to be very excited!
B took T to the pet store to buy more cat food on Monday. Cheap fun B said. T enjoyed running to all the tanks and cages. He liked being up close and personal. He also had a blast making a bit of mess (keeping B on his toes) as he pulled out various fun pet toys. B and T came home with two new balls for the cats and a new feather toy. See below for videos of B trying to teach T how to play with our cats with the feather toy. T doesn’t get the concept of throwing a ball or mouse to or near the cat, rather than directly at them, up close, and hard. All these things to learn!
Last night I took T with me to see Gaza, friend M and B’s cat. M&B are away and we are cat sitting. T was very excited that Gaza let him get close, that Gaza rubbed up against him, and didn’t flinch when T waved/thwacked the cat toy on his stomach. Poor Gaza. He did eventually have enough though and move away when he was hit in the head. At any rate, it was exciting for T to see this cat, unlike our elusive Oreo that T is enthralled with.
T tries every day to see Oreo, and takes the cat treats out of the cupboard to feed to her. He goes in Bill’s office and waves the bag saying either, “Oeo,” or “teet” like he has heard me say, “Oreo, Treat, treat.” She doesn’t come out of hiding for him. Biscotti is better, but she stays out of T’s reach, and runs form him on a regular basis. She doesn’t like being hit by cat toys, and for some reason doesn’t find it fun to have the treats thrown at her head full toddler force.
This morning when I took T to school he made Ms. B laugh. She was cleaning out the fish tank. He ran over to see what was going on when she had the fish in a net, and transferred it to a new tank. “COOL!” T said. “Cool,” escaped from his mouth several more times before I left. He was up on his tiptoes his little nose was just over the edge of the counter top, little fingers gripping the edge.
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Ms B has been telling us for a long time that knows the names of all his classmates. He is good with the teachers at well and might have a new crush. There is a new teacher or student teacher that we saw when we were leaving last night. “Shaya, shaya,” T kept saying. I didn’t understand, but Ms K was working at the front desk and she said, “T, you already know Miss Shaya’s name? You must like her.”
This morning at school after I put T down from diaper check and hand washing Jk arrived. Jk was in the door to the Toddler 1B’s and was hanging back a bit. T looked over at him and said, “Jk.” Then he smiled and waved. It was very cute.
Daddy teaches T how to play with the cat:
FYI, all video I have uploaded can be seen on my YouTube page.
Sunday, T took Target/Tad/Ted (we can't decide what to name this dog from Target with a T on his chest. B doesn't like to call him Target.) for a ride on the ride towel. Later B pulled them both.
and lastly, a video from November 12th - Phones can be frustrating:
Today T and I had a busy day. We started out with an early breakfast at 6:45 am. T woke up crying, and as soon as I went in to him, he said, "eat." While he had cereal I made a loaf of banana bread - yum. We had this for snack, and again at lunch. Our first out of house activity followed rather shortly when we had a 9:30 Kindermusick class. The last class of Sing and Sign, and the last class until January! We will miss this Saturday morning activity that lately has ended with us heading to a local coffee shop with others for coffee, snacks, and chatting.
Our next stop was seeing Santa at Miss Debbie's. I had high hopes that my little Mr. Social, who smiled so lovingly at Santa last year, would do great. But no luck. The poor little guy did not like Santa this year. I can't fault him for having fear of strange men, but I had tried to prepare him all week, and tried my best while at Debbie's to show T that it was all OK. Perhaps next year, though I'm not sure we'll be any luckier then. Expect a "funny" picture, though I also ordered one where I am holdling T and he has a deer in the headlights look.
After returning home and napping, T and I eventually made our way to Westchester Park and the playground. He had a great time! After playing on the wooden truck he made his way over to the slide. I let him climb up and slide down on his own this time, and he was thrilled. He went down the slide about 8 times in a row, running aorund to the steps after getting down and saying, "more, more" as he ran.
One of the words T uses quite well is "help". He does a sign with this, not quite the ASL sign, but close. It's cute, and I am happy that is OK with asking for help. I do tell him a fair amount however, "you can do it, you try." Today I had to use distraction. The park has two playground areas, one that is fenced in, where we go, and one that is not. The one that is not is more for older kids and is rather near a stream. There were 4 older kids playing in the other areas and T was fascinated with them and wanted to run after them. He kept standing at the chain link fence asking for help - help to get out.
I took two videos of T on the slide, one of which is below (to come, it was too many meds for YouTube; I have to edit it). After we retuend home from the park and T had his dinner,he and B ran around a bit. T initiated the running, and kept asking for more. Two of three videos I took are below.
