Saturday night at Chick Fil'A. Yes, we loaded up the boys and spent almost two hours at Chick Fil'A on Saturday night. They actually had a blast. The playroom was empty and Gill chased Jonas around, even following him high up to the slide, then coming down on his own, sometimes with a helpful push from big brother. He look quite funny coming down the bright yellow plastic slide on this back, his curls springing out from static electricity. His expression was fear and joy rolled into one, ending with little gurgles of laughter.
The best part of the evening was the trip home in the car. The boys were quietly sitting the back seat. Gill made a noise, and I spontaneously mimicked him. He parroted me back. We went back and forth, with me imitating him and vice versa. He would gurgle, then I would gurgle. I would giggle, then he would giggle. Then Jonas said "poppa" and Gill said "poppa." It made Ed immensely happy.
Gill continues to eat almost anything you put in front of him. He never cries when we drop him at daycare. Not to say that he's the perfect child. He will scream in outrage if you take his toy, or some "no no" that he's trying eat. And he is aggressive, taking things from Jonas and pulling his hair.
The Easter Bunny was good to Jonas, bringing him lots of books. His favorite so far is one about wheels (big surprise). He attended two eggs hunts: one with the neighbors on Friday night, and one at church on Sunday morning. Both included generous hauls of sugared loot. We are trying to control the eating, but he is quite a candy freak and there is a lot of whining for more.
Other Easter activities included dyeing eggs and video chatting with Noni. At dinner with the Pattons and Parrain John, we pâqued eggs. The king egg was a nice, bright orange one.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Lump and his brother, Guitar Man, board the rocket ship Enterprise
Gill eats everything in site. He had tubes put in last Friday, which was amazingly simple and not too invasive. He was given ether gas (no IV) and we were done in an hour. No bleeding, not much apparent discomfort. I couldn't have imagined it, but his appetite improved after surgery. He's not a big drinker (about 12 ounces of formula and breast milk per day) but eats whatever you put in front of him. Especially meat. He is not overly fond of pureed green beans though. But that's about it. We call him "the chunk" and "the lump" (for "sugar lump" from his Grandma Vogt) though he's not that big. He is heavier than Jonas was at that age, though. He's probably about 18 pounds now; Jonas is only 10 pounds heavier but 2 years older. His personality remains so bright, cheerful and pleasant, except when he's mad or wants something.
Gill has begun to climb the stairs and can make it to the very top. This scares me of course. Because of the weird nature of our newel post position, the gate is on the 4th step up, leaving the lower 3 stairs unprotected. Gill will climb these steps then hang on the gate and yell for me. He's rolled down these 3 steps and it scares him. But it doesn't stop him from climbing. We keep sofa cushions at the bottom to cushion him when this happens. In general, the house is in total disarray. So much is in perpetual mess that sofa cushions on the floor don't bother me too much. Well, they do, but it's just easier to leave them there for now.
Snaggle tooth or Four Tooth are also names we have for Gill. He has one upper tooth that seems large, and 3 lower teeth, all in a row. It looks a bit hillbilly to say the least.
Though Jonas sleeps in his room (and has for the past year), he doesn't go down easily. Nightly, we do the "getting Jonas to bed" dance and I'm happy to say that it's getting a smidge bit easier. We start at 8:30, after the bath. He chooses PJs and 3 books. After each book Ed or I will ask, "Now, what are we going to do when we're done with these books?" Like a little soldier, he replies, "Turn off lights, close eyes, go to sleep."
One of my favorite games to play with Jonas is rocket ship. After lights out, we lay flat on our backs, ready to board the rocket ship Enterprise. We choose one or more passengers, strap on seat belts, do the "checks" (I say ignition, Jonas says check, I say fuel, Jonas says check, I say insurance, Jonas says check. No, I'm not very imaginative or authentic, but he doesn't know that yet). Then the countdown (backwards from 10) and then liftoff, which involves shaking the bed. Then silence as we reach space. At that point, we decide where we're going. There are no rules. It can be a planet, or the park. We decide on an activity, or narrate what we see outside the window.
Tonight, Jonas chose to bring Gill along for our space odessey. We flew to Mars where we celebrated his 3rd birthday with a catepillar birthday cake (he remembers this from his party last year), no presents (his request), and playtime at the park.
Because we're exhausted at day's end, we often fall asleep with (or before) Jonas. We wake the next morning feeling befuddled to find ourselves in his room. This happened to Ed the other morning. But what he awoke to made the bunk bed discomfort worthwhile. Jonas opened his eyes, and the first words he uttered that day were "Rock On!"
Lately, he's been playing at being a "Guitar Man." He loves his guitar PJ's and his 3 (yes, three!) play guitars. One looks like a mini version of an acoustic, and the other two are battery operated and highly annoying. I'm not sure where or how he learned the moves, but he straps on those guitars, steps to the beat, strums, works the frets, and wings the whammy bar.
Gill, of course, loves watching all of this. He is in love with his brother, except when he wants what Jonas has. Or when Jonas wants what Gill has. These clashes happen almost all the time that they are in proximity to each other. I'm slowly learning to let them be so they can work it out on their own. When one or the other would yell or cry, I would intervene. (Yes, Gill often makes Jonas cry - mostly with hair pulling) But now I pause and if the crying doesn't exceed about 15 seconds, I let it go. I do feel a bit sorry for Jonas, though, as he spends a lot of time on the bottom step in time out. He has a nasty habit of pushing or head butting Gill, or stealing toys from him.
Gill has begun to climb the stairs and can make it to the very top. This scares me of course. Because of the weird nature of our newel post position, the gate is on the 4th step up, leaving the lower 3 stairs unprotected. Gill will climb these steps then hang on the gate and yell for me. He's rolled down these 3 steps and it scares him. But it doesn't stop him from climbing. We keep sofa cushions at the bottom to cushion him when this happens. In general, the house is in total disarray. So much is in perpetual mess that sofa cushions on the floor don't bother me too much. Well, they do, but it's just easier to leave them there for now.
Snaggle tooth or Four Tooth are also names we have for Gill. He has one upper tooth that seems large, and 3 lower teeth, all in a row. It looks a bit hillbilly to say the least.
Though Jonas sleeps in his room (and has for the past year), he doesn't go down easily. Nightly, we do the "getting Jonas to bed" dance and I'm happy to say that it's getting a smidge bit easier. We start at 8:30, after the bath. He chooses PJs and 3 books. After each book Ed or I will ask, "Now, what are we going to do when we're done with these books?" Like a little soldier, he replies, "Turn off lights, close eyes, go to sleep."
One of my favorite games to play with Jonas is rocket ship. After lights out, we lay flat on our backs, ready to board the rocket ship Enterprise. We choose one or more passengers, strap on seat belts, do the "checks" (I say ignition, Jonas says check, I say fuel, Jonas says check, I say insurance, Jonas says check. No, I'm not very imaginative or authentic, but he doesn't know that yet). Then the countdown (backwards from 10) and then liftoff, which involves shaking the bed. Then silence as we reach space. At that point, we decide where we're going. There are no rules. It can be a planet, or the park. We decide on an activity, or narrate what we see outside the window.
Tonight, Jonas chose to bring Gill along for our space odessey. We flew to Mars where we celebrated his 3rd birthday with a catepillar birthday cake (he remembers this from his party last year), no presents (his request), and playtime at the park.
Because we're exhausted at day's end, we often fall asleep with (or before) Jonas. We wake the next morning feeling befuddled to find ourselves in his room. This happened to Ed the other morning. But what he awoke to made the bunk bed discomfort worthwhile. Jonas opened his eyes, and the first words he uttered that day were "Rock On!"
Lately, he's been playing at being a "Guitar Man." He loves his guitar PJ's and his 3 (yes, three!) play guitars. One looks like a mini version of an acoustic, and the other two are battery operated and highly annoying. I'm not sure where or how he learned the moves, but he straps on those guitars, steps to the beat, strums, works the frets, and wings the whammy bar.
Gill, of course, loves watching all of this. He is in love with his brother, except when he wants what Jonas has. Or when Jonas wants what Gill has. These clashes happen almost all the time that they are in proximity to each other. I'm slowly learning to let them be so they can work it out on their own. When one or the other would yell or cry, I would intervene. (Yes, Gill often makes Jonas cry - mostly with hair pulling) But now I pause and if the crying doesn't exceed about 15 seconds, I let it go. I do feel a bit sorry for Jonas, though, as he spends a lot of time on the bottom step in time out. He has a nasty habit of pushing or head butting Gill, or stealing toys from him.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Pink Anniversary
Jonas has pink nails. He saw me painting my toe nails, and decided that he needed some pink in his life as well. Ed is horrified anew every time he catches a glimpse.
Gill, Jonas and I went over to the Johnson's house to feed Tiga today. The boys had fun exploring Daniella's toy stash, and Jonas sampled Tiga's "Temptation" treats.
Lately, we have been making concerted efforts to get Jonas to playgrounds; he is insatiable with playtime and reading time. Yesterday, we took him to Little Monkey Bizness, an indoor play area for toddlers, and were a little horrified at the level of aggressiveness Jonas exhibits toward other boys. He mostly plays well with girl, but will boss the boys around, and try to prevent them from playing on the same equipment as him.
Gill cut another top tooth this morning; you can barely see the edge of it. We had been calling him "Three Tooth" but now will have to switch to "Four Tooth."
On our 6th anniversary, we had a nice full table. Susan & Allen, plus Helen and Lin all joined us for dinner. We had venison steaks marinated in a Teriyaki glaze, grilled sweet potatoes, and asparagus. Susan brought a good salad and Helen made a delicious dessert. The conversation was lively; they stayed for 4 hours. Both of the boys were delightful. Jonas napped until after dinner was over, and Gill was content in his high chair. They are such joys to us.
What better way to celebrate 6 years of good marriage than with our children and good friends?
Gill, Jonas and I went over to the Johnson's house to feed Tiga today. The boys had fun exploring Daniella's toy stash, and Jonas sampled Tiga's "Temptation" treats.
Lately, we have been making concerted efforts to get Jonas to playgrounds; he is insatiable with playtime and reading time. Yesterday, we took him to Little Monkey Bizness, an indoor play area for toddlers, and were a little horrified at the level of aggressiveness Jonas exhibits toward other boys. He mostly plays well with girl, but will boss the boys around, and try to prevent them from playing on the same equipment as him.
Gill cut another top tooth this morning; you can barely see the edge of it. We had been calling him "Three Tooth" but now will have to switch to "Four Tooth."
On our 6th anniversary, we had a nice full table. Susan & Allen, plus Helen and Lin all joined us for dinner. We had venison steaks marinated in a Teriyaki glaze, grilled sweet potatoes, and asparagus. Susan brought a good salad and Helen made a delicious dessert. The conversation was lively; they stayed for 4 hours. Both of the boys were delightful. Jonas napped until after dinner was over, and Gill was content in his high chair. They are such joys to us.
What better way to celebrate 6 years of good marriage than with our children and good friends?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
A Green Kind of Day
Today was St. Patrick's Day. Since I had the week off (Spring Break), Ed took the day off, we brought the kids to daycare (we have to pay even if they don't go) and went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Compared to N.O. Mardi Gras, it was a bit of a let down. Not many good marching bands, modest floats, no throws. But the Marching Cobras did not disappoint.
When we picked up the boys at 4, Gill was asleep and Jonas whined the whole way home because he wanted to stay at daycare to play outside. I am relieved that they both seem quite content there. The staff all know them, and they no longer cry, or even look miserable, when we drop them off.
After dropping us back home (so Gill could sleep), Ed took Jonas to Arbor Villa Park, where people were drinking beer while their kids played. It's rare in the Midwest for people to relax like this, especially midweek. Thank God for the Irish!
Jonas learned a new word today: Leprechaun. And he loves saying it. And he knows that they are green. And he somehow knows the words to Humpty Dumpty.
And Gill has a new tooth! Upper right. He loves to sit in his high chair and feed himself, and he does not discriminate. All things are edible to him. Tonight's menu included kiwi, beets, green beans, and chicken. Most of it ended up under his butt, as I discovered when I lifted him out of the chair. Then, he had mangos with Greek yogurt, which I feed to him via spoon. I love feeding him, and he loves to eat!
We video chatted tonight with Noni and Aunt Desi. The boys were hyper, very playful, and Jonas hammed it up. He seems to finally be past his bashfulness with video and phone. Later, we called Aunt Desi while in the bath, and Jonas stood up and jumped around, right there in the tub. It got a little crazy.
When we picked up the boys at 4, Gill was asleep and Jonas whined the whole way home because he wanted to stay at daycare to play outside. I am relieved that they both seem quite content there. The staff all know them, and they no longer cry, or even look miserable, when we drop them off.
After dropping us back home (so Gill could sleep), Ed took Jonas to Arbor Villa Park, where people were drinking beer while their kids played. It's rare in the Midwest for people to relax like this, especially midweek. Thank God for the Irish!
Jonas learned a new word today: Leprechaun. And he loves saying it. And he knows that they are green. And he somehow knows the words to Humpty Dumpty.
And Gill has a new tooth! Upper right. He loves to sit in his high chair and feed himself, and he does not discriminate. All things are edible to him. Tonight's menu included kiwi, beets, green beans, and chicken. Most of it ended up under his butt, as I discovered when I lifted him out of the chair. Then, he had mangos with Greek yogurt, which I feed to him via spoon. I love feeding him, and he loves to eat!
We video chatted tonight with Noni and Aunt Desi. The boys were hyper, very playful, and Jonas hammed it up. He seems to finally be past his bashfulness with video and phone. Later, we called Aunt Desi while in the bath, and Jonas stood up and jumped around, right there in the tub. It got a little crazy.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The eyes of the beholder...
We have an older vacuum and I've run over the cord several times. This leaves some hot spots - areas of exposed wire. Because the boys are always at my feet, I often involve them in my household chores. After running the vacuum this past weekend, I decided to wrap the hot spots with electrical tape. Jonas sat with me on the stairs as I did this. At each point in the process, I explained what I was doing. "See this Jonas? It's called a power cord. These little spots have to be taped. And this special black tape is called electrical tape. Help me wrap it around the power cord." That's about how it went.
It was all normal and boring until Jonas took at piece of the tape, looking at it in true wonder. Then he said to me in a hushed voice, "It's beautiful Mama!"
That's when I felt the spirit of his grandpa Bill.
One day, he'll learn about his electrician roots, and especially about Grandpa Bill. He and his brother will always have answers to questions about electricity. There are lots of teachers in the family...their papa, Uncle Greg, Cousin Kyle. Even great Uncle Carl can teach them about nuclear energy.
It was all normal and boring until Jonas took at piece of the tape, looking at it in true wonder. Then he said to me in a hushed voice, "It's beautiful Mama!"
That's when I felt the spirit of his grandpa Bill.
One day, he'll learn about his electrician roots, and especially about Grandpa Bill. He and his brother will always have answers to questions about electricity. There are lots of teachers in the family...their papa, Uncle Greg, Cousin Kyle. Even great Uncle Carl can teach them about nuclear energy.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The almost 3 magician
This is the scene at tonight's dinner table....
While sitting on his bench at the table, Jonas, who is now almost 3, spills the entire contents of a closed and sealed sippy cup UNDER the table. And then, only 3 minutes later and within seconds of clean-up, he then spills a closed container of yogurt in the VERY SAME LOCATION.
How sad that his mother mother has nothing better to blog about on a Friday night.
Oh, and there's a(nother) mouse about the house.
While sitting on his bench at the table, Jonas, who is now almost 3, spills the entire contents of a closed and sealed sippy cup UNDER the table. And then, only 3 minutes later and within seconds of clean-up, he then spills a closed container of yogurt in the VERY SAME LOCATION.
How sad that his mother mother has nothing better to blog about on a Friday night.
Oh, and there's a(nother) mouse about the house.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What He's Up to Now
From March 2, 2010. Jonas is almost two and will soon have a brother.
He grits his teeth when he sneezes.
Some of his words: knee, mine, momma, banana (nana), bubbles, snack, juice, ears, car.
He knows some of his letters (E, W, H, O), and can identify various body parts (knee, toes, fingers, mouth, nose, ears, head, eyes, bellybutton).
He likes to sit and read his books, pulling them all off the shelf one at a time, and leaving them in a mess. He also has a train set and he enjoys running the train on the track as well as setting up the track. But he's also developed little "fits" where he destroys the whole set-up.
He's begun to really eat like a champ. Lately, it's all about oranges, bananas, corn, and toast. He absolutely LOVES to color, but can't confine himself to paper, so only does it in short bursts under careful supervision. Definitely prefers markers over crayons, but then who doesn't?
He grits his teeth when he sneezes.
Some of his words: knee, mine, momma, banana (nana), bubbles, snack, juice, ears, car.
He knows some of his letters (E, W, H, O), and can identify various body parts (knee, toes, fingers, mouth, nose, ears, head, eyes, bellybutton).
He likes to sit and read his books, pulling them all off the shelf one at a time, and leaving them in a mess. He also has a train set and he enjoys running the train on the track as well as setting up the track. But he's also developed little "fits" where he destroys the whole set-up.
He's begun to really eat like a champ. Lately, it's all about oranges, bananas, corn, and toast. He absolutely LOVES to color, but can't confine himself to paper, so only does it in short bursts under careful supervision. Definitely prefers markers over crayons, but then who doesn't?
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