Oh dang it!

My child is running around the house, starting with "Get set, go!" and then "falling" and yelling out "Oh dang it!" Yeah, that was not really a phrase I was planning on teaching him, but I suppose it is better than many alternatives I have said in front of him.

New things about Logan:

• He loves the movie Cars. We discourage TV watching, but he was sick last week and we spent a day with the boob tube on. Cars was viewed twice. I am ready to put it away for a while, but I doubt I will be allowed.
• He is taking temper tantrums to a whole new level, with an epic one lasting over 45 minutes last week. It was not. fun. This week has been so much better.
• He sings Ms T's daughter's name like a song. He has such a crush on her.
• He got another haircut, and Don didn't even notice until Ms. T pointed it out. This after not letting me do it when he was around because he didn't want to see the curls go.
• He has new "yellow shoes" that he is obsessed with. They are actually sandals, and they are the first thing he asks for when he wakes up in the morning.
• He is so helpful. He sweeps, does laundry, wipes up, and washes dishes. Heaven!

So other than that, we have been preoccupied with Don's job stability and our general lives. We have tickets for our summer vacation, and will be in PA and ME this summer at the end of July, beginning of August. So looking forward to it!

Ouchie

Logan has an ouchie on his arm that he got a daycare today. I pointed it out to him and asked him how he got it and he told me his arm is "broken," and vaguely referenced a toy. I asked him if he wanted me to kiss it and he emphatically said "NO!"

He didn't even notice this gem below, yet a little scrape and his arm is broken...

Vacation

We had a great time in Palm Springs. Seems like it was ages ago, hmmmm, I guess it was...

Here are some pics of cuteness.

Wow

It has been so long. Just the thought of blogging had me paralyzed with all the things I should write about but wouldn't remember properly, and so I didn't. But now I am!

Logan is doing great. He has been so pleasant despite getting three of his four eye teeth in at once. There is some crying in the night, but nothing motrin can't handle. And in true Logie fashion, they are taking forever to come in. Two-year molars are nowhere to be seen.

He is talking like crazy, and most conversation revolves around "big trucks." He can now properly identify bikes, cars, trucks, vans, buses, big trucks, trains, and we are currently working on scooters. Colors are hit and miss (which means he calls most everything blue), but he surprises me every so often.

The other night he was so cute. He got his baby doll and decided to put it (can't decide if it is a he or she--it's an androgynous baby) down for "night-night." He got a blankie, covered the baby and we all had to be really quiet. The he picked it up and did the cutest little bounce up and down while shushing, to help it fall to sleep. It was seriously adorable. Then he found a bed and spent a good 20 minutes putting the baby to sleep. My heart instantly turned to goo. He is going to make a great dad someday!

We are going on a little trip tomorrow so wish us luck. I hope we can still watch tv or a movie while he is sleeping in the room with us. If not I guess we will come back really well rested!

4, 5, 4, 5, 6

A list, since I am so far behind...

• Friday was Grammy Brown's birthday! We wish we could have been there to celebrate, we love you so much.
• He is starting to count, but I guess he feel most confident about the 4-5-6 pattern right now. So we hear a bunch of 4, 5, 4, 5, 6...rinse and repeat. Hee hee! It is really cute.
• We have been insanely busy lately. Lots of running around, working, and general life stuff coming together right now. A "when it rains, it pours" kind of thing.
• Sunshine continues to be our son's most favorite living thing in the whole world. She is being very patient with him (as usual), despite him becoming a bit more aggressive. He pushy with love, so we have to shield her. At least he responds to "gentle" and she is much, much, much faster than him. :-)
• Speaking of Sunshine, she brought in another live alligator lizard the other day. I had to get it out with spaghetti tongs and a garbage can. It was not my idea of fun, but it had to be removed. She was mighty disappointed when I chucked it outside and she stayed inside. Forever.
• We went to the beach yesterday and it was perfect. It reached 85 degrees here and will be close to that today. Hooray! Logan loooooooved the beach and the water (which was unbelievably cold, like really painfully cold). There were some bugs, and Don would say I am whiny at the beach, but bugs are gross no matter what. But that was the only unpleasant part. So a great morning overall.

More wheeeee!

In the car, on the way back from seeing the annual desert wildflower bloom with Grammy and Grampa.

Two eggs!

Yeah, that is what my kid just said on his way for a diaper change while holding--wait for it--two plastic eggs! Guess all those number books are paying off...

Two!

Today is Logan's second birthday. Two. I am in total denial.

We had a great morning. He was thrilled to wake up to streamers all over the house and very much enjoyed the balloons we bought while out and about. We had H & M over for his party (brunch and cake/ice cream), which was low key and yummy. H & M brought presents and MORE balloons, so you can imagine how this pushed him over the edge to ecstatic. After we ate, he actually asked for a nap. Poor kid, he was wiped. The rest of the day was nice, a long walk, web calls with the grandparents, doodling outside, and a bath. He is now out like a light.

He has gone from this...



To this...



To this...

Broken

Did you know that breaking food items up into smaller (non-choking hazard) pieces for your toddler is blasphemy? Causing reactions such as howling with indignity and sobbing "broken" repeatedly? Hmmmm...wait.Your children don't do this? Ah well...welcome to life with Logan. He has become incredibly picky about having food presented to him in it's"natural" state. A cracked graham cracker (even on the line where it is supposed to be divided) means complete refusal of any snack. Hummus in a bowl instead of the container it comes in is a personal insult. You ripped the bread in half???? You are rewarded with a piercing shriek that could break glass. Ok, he just yells and sobs, so the shriek is an exaggeration. Our saving grace is soup. The boy loves soup.

Overall he is doing great, other than the typical toddler stuff. He is saying more words every day and is starting to recognize colors and shapes. His most consistent color is white, and he can find a star anywhere. He was looking at our fish over the weekend and declared"white fish!" Which they are, with some orange. And he knows there are two, so numbers are right around the corner.

And, um, he is turning two (2!) next weekend. Gah!

Reunion

Facebook strikes again. I met up with my high school friend K, who I hadn't seen in 9 years. She found me on facebook and happened to be in town for a course. We had a great time and it was like no time had passed at all. Lovely!

On the mend

I succumbed to a nasty stomach bug this weekend and it wiped out all my fun plans and interesting adventures. Booo! Not at all what I was expecting, but who really plans for a random illness?

Last week, Logan was sick in the middle of the night. We changed him, the sheets, wiped everything up, and all went back to sleep. The next day I saw what a poor job I did at 2 am. I sometimes think back to before Logan and pregnancy, when I had an idealized view of motherhood and caretaking. I daydreamed about rocking him, changing diapers and the hilarity that would ensue, breastfeeding, playing silly games, and most especially the crafty projects that would consume all our free time. I did NOT envision wiping puke off every rung and rail on the crib and the wall. I didn't fantasize about cleaning vomit out of our washer while my child sprinkled A.jax cleaner all over the garage floor. Nope, not part of my little collection of fuzzy white fantasies.

Logan started swimming lessons last Saturday and they were a hit except for the part where he had to put his ears underwater. He might even learn to put his whole head under this week. Poor kid was so cold when he got out that he had the all-over body shivers. He had completely warmed up by the time we left and went to the awesome playground outside the pool. He ran around like a crazy man who couldn't believe his good fortune. There were so many different things to play on, with, and over that he was totally overwhelmed. Then he pooped so we had to go to the car, and then home.

Pictures of our park adventure and a meme to come...

Adjustments

I think I mentioned that there is a new baby at Ms. T's who just started in January. Logan had been the youngest kid at daycare until B joined the group. I am thrilled, because I think it is great for Logan to be around kids littler than him.

He seemed to be smitten with baby B until he figured out that this kid isn't a temporary addition. Now he is so impatient, and, most dramatically, is crying at his morning drop-off. This kid has never cried when he has been dropped off. Poor kid, jealousy is hard. Ms. T feels badly for him too, since he rarely causes trouble (you know, outside that biting issue this fall). He'll come to terms with it soon enough.

Speaking of adjustments, I had my first ever chiropractic appointment last week. Bouncing a 20+ lb baby on an exercise ball for months on end really messed me up. We haven't been doing that for ages now, but my back hadn't fully recovered. I am glad I went, though I won't be returning to the same practice. It was too impersonal and busy. I am looking for someone who, um, listens to me. What a crazy requirement, eh?

Congratulations Don!!!!!

Don was selected as Zamorano's Teacher of the Year!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I am just so excited! I love you honey, way to go!

Pathetic

So I didn't mention how, on the way home from the party Sunday, Logan's nose started running like a faucet. Out of nowhere. I guess I didn't think much of it, but when I picked him up from daycare on Monday he had a full-blown cold. Monday night was pretty hellish--he was up every 2 hours and my day pretty much started at 3:30am. Not the start I am accustomed to, but what can you do. The coughing/wheezing is the worst part. It makes him puke, which means we need to do all sorts of changing and laundry, and in general keeps everyone in the house up. I stayed home with him today and this is what our morning looked like. So sad, isn't it? Don't be alarmed, he perked up after his paltry, waaaaay too short afternoon nap.

Work par-tay

Yesterday afternoon we braved the rains (like buckets dumped on our car) to attend a work party in Carlsbad. I rarely go that far north, so it was a treat for me. The house we visited is gorgeous! I mean, really amazing. It would be like living in a hotel/spa. They have an outdoor kitchen, putting green, and a waterfall. All with a spectacular ocean view, of course. Logan had a great time mingling with people he--kind of--knows. Though truth be told, the people were secondary to his obsession with finding V&T's cat. Because every house has a cat, don't you know? He looked under beds, asked all the guests ("Where's sunshine?" "I can't find sunshine?" "Where is the kitty cat?"), and explored every corner he could get into. Alas, V&T don't actually have a cat, but no one could convince Hoagie otherwise. I think he was still wondering about that cat this morning.

Needless to say, his Sunshine obsession has not waned. She is the most patient, loving cat I could have asked to share our home, so he is dang lucky. I am not sure she feels the same way. ;-)

Scruba scruba scruba

Logan looooooves playing in the sink. He walks around asking "hand, hand, hand?" as his way of saying, let me play in that sink lady! He likes it the best with bubbles and washes anything that is in his reach. He even puts stuff on the drying rack when he is done. Exxxcelent. Good thing he doesn't understand allowances yet...

Meme time!

Thanks for the tag from Insane Animals...
The Rules:
1) Link to the person that tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6) Let the fun begin!

Ok, six things...

1-I drool a lot (not on purpose, it just happens), and so does Logan. His is excusable, as he is not even 2 yet, but mine is a bit more embarrassing. Like when I did it in my supervisor's office this morning.

2-I have been putting off cleaning my beloved fish tank for weeks. This is not good. I am a bad steward of these animals and I am sure my mother could have predicted this situation from the moment she read I was thinking of getting the dang tank. I should have listened. Anyway, I have let it go so far that now I even have to clean the plants. Grrrreat.

3-I am going to start exercising by walking with Logan in the E.rgo. This contraption is wonderful and he loves it. He won't even walk when I have it on. Maybe I will lose the 15+ lbs I have gained since he weaned.

4-I love, love, love audiobooks and am currently listening to the "His D.ark M.aterials" trilogy. The G.olden C.ompass was excellent, though the sound quality was a bit lacking. I look forward to my daily driving when I have books to keep my mind occupied, though I do feel out of the loop politically speaking because I am not listening to NPR.

5-I am totally undecided on who I will vote for in less than 2 weeks. Totally. I am informed about the local propositions, but I need to just choose a presidential nominee out of a hat.

6-One of my favorite things to do in this whole world is to watch my child dance. He really gets down to the funk Don has and he liked ABBA the other day. He gets his whole body into it and is beyond happy. He likes it when we join him or clap the rhythm. It really is a sight to behold. Hmmmm... I sense a video coming soon.

Surfacing

January has been pretty insane around here, between parents visiting, a trip back east, and a weekend away in Arizona, things are just starting to slow down to normal. Of course, this "slow down" coincides with Don's first day back at school for both jobs and a Saturday class this weekend. I really feel for him, that isn't exactly easing back into things.

In Hoagie news, Logan is going through a big language spurt. He is saying more than ever and is talking in short little sentences. We still hear "mine" (think"miiiiiine!") a lot, but there is more complex language mixed in there too, like "I see it!" Some things never change--his obsession with shoes and having them on all the time for instance, but other things are inconstant flux, including his teeth. The poor kid really does hurt when they are moving and shifting in his mouth, and the volume of drool is something to behold (see, he is like me...). Overall he is melting our hearts and making us laugh, with occasional moments of intense frustration. You know, normal child rearing.

Here he is looking adorable even with a yucky (and I mean YUCKY) stomach bug...



And evidently this is the kind of stuff that happens while mum is away...

For Monty

And can it be that in a world so full and busy, the loss of one weak creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up!
~Charles Dickens

Much love to Don's parents, whose sweet, silly basset hound Monty passed over the rainbow bridge yesterday. He will be sorely missed.

In loving memory

Logan's Great-Grandfather, and my much beloved Grampa passed away today. I am so incredibly thankful that he was able to meet Logan and spend time with him. I was able to say goodbye to him this morning and I am so appreciative of the thoughtful family who allowed this to take place. It means so much to me that I was able to say goodbye. Please send some love to my family who is grieving his loss.