Monday, March 30, 2009

New Tooth Update

A week of drool and general unhappiness resulted in a new canine tooth for Kevin. Here's a pic of our little kissyface. Now he is truly armed and dangerous










Finally downloaded the remaining Zoo pictures.  Here's one of Joe, Jason, Kevin and I.  Below is one of the whole group: Joey, Molly, Cindi, me, Joe, Kevin and Jason.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Kicky and Jumpy's Zoo Adventure

The Kickster and the Jumpster, accompanied by their cousins, had a big adventure on Sunday. They had brunch at Friendly's followed by a visit to the Stone Zoo. The brunch was good. Kevin greatly enjoyed hash browns and pancakes while Jason chose milk and sitting on his Dad's lap. No pancake, no hash browns, no thank you. He did high five the waitress so he had some fun and made a new friend. Both boys had a great time visiting with their cousins while the grown-ups enjoyed the chat and the food. Both boys were very well-behaved. Jason fussed a bit because he was hot and didn't want to eat. 

At the zoo, the boys had much fun watching their cousins run ahead of the stroller. Kevin had a nice chat with Joey while boy boths loved to watch Molly twirl in her pink coat (pink being one of their favorite colors). 

The boys really liked the cheetah who was pacing back and forth. We called him "kittycat" and talked about how he says "meow". When the wolves came over to the fence, Joe pointed out the "doggies". Jason and Kevin watched the wolves carefully.  Smart boys as the wolves looked hungry.


The day was fun. It was wrapped up by a quick nap in the car and then applesauce at Dairy Queen. Well, the boys had applesauce while Mom and Dad had ice cream. It seemed odd that Dairy Queen would be open in March but it was a pleasant enough day if you had a coat on. Oddly enough, our sunny and windy day turned into a snow squall. We had huge snowflakes for about 10 minutes while the sun blazed on. 

Friday, March 20, 2009

New Word Alert

On Friday March 13th during dinner, after being asked if he would like more, young Jumpy looked me dead in the eye and said, "More".  And it sounded like this --> "moah". Because that is how I say it. "Jason, would you like moah?" I have lived in New England for enough time that there are some words that I pronounce like a born-in-the-wool New Englandah.  (I do still pronounce my 'r's" howeverrrrrrrr.

Just to be sure that it wasn't a fluke like  the earlier declarations of "woof" and "yankees stink",  I repeated my statement to which 
Jumpy said "Moah".  Not once but several times. So, there it is. 

Be on the lookout for new word updates as we're working on the following list: up, down, all done, Go Pats, yucky and eww. 

What's the new word that you learned today? 
Mind > vatic - it means prophetic, oracular

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Awwww

I've mentioned it before but I'll do so again....Kevin lllllllllllllllloves critters. Stuffed or live. He's got a great big soft spot for the cute and cuddly. Yesterday I was prepping lunch and things got awfully quiet in the living room. So I peeked around the corner and saw 

 Kevin with his arms wrapped around our cat Ginger giving him what amounted to a big bear hug. When I said, "Aww, is Kevin hugging kitty cat?"  Kevin flashed a great big grin. At that point, there was never a happier little boy.  To Ginger's credit, he was taking it well. He sat perfectly still and let Kevin squeeze him. I did walk over to make sure things didn't take an ugly turn. Kevin let go and then grabbed Ginger's tail and neck. Ginger, again to his credit, took it like a man and sat there patiently.  I scratched Ginger's ear and got him to purr and said "OOooh, Kevin, kittycat is purring. He likes you." 

This made Kevin bounce. Bouncing = true happiness for our Kevin.

Where was Jason you ask?  Riding his pony into town, headed to the saloon for a birch beer. He watched the whole thing from the pony...not very impressed based on his expression.




Friday, March 13, 2009

New Word Alert

This morning Jason said "Ball".
Clearly and concisely.
Alert MSNBC.com.

I would say "alert the press" however apparently newspapers are dying off every day so getting the news out is best done via another means.

Ta

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Milestone Alert!

I confess to not having read many "You're the Parent of a 1 year old" books but I perused one over the weekend that indicated that a 13 month old is a toddler. So I'll go with that premise.

The boys are now "officially" toddlers. They do toddle a bit. With help. They are really good at cruising along the furniture. But the term "cruisers" probably won't catch on and even if it does, by the time they do it, the boys really will be toddlers toddling along.

We celebrated 13 mos with golden butter cupcakes and white frosting. Kevin had a taste and Jason refused any cake or icing. Oh well, more for us. 

The boys are getting bigger and smarter, kind of like Steve Austin but without the bionics. Typically I do an update on both boys but I think this time, I'll do a post on each boy so that he can have his moment in the sun all to himself.

Kevin

Kevin is a pretty happy-go-lucky little boy.  He is easy-going but very motivated to satisfy his own needs. Kevin is always in motion, rocking back and forth or jumping up and down. He loves to be on the go-go-go. He loves to bounce and be bounced. He gives you a great upper body workout. He loves music any and all kinds. He rocks in time to the music or he taps his foot in time to the music. He seems to favor classical but likes kid music (itsy bitsy spider, Farmer in the Dell, Shoo Fly, etc.) also. He thinks we are mildly amusing but thinks the cats and objects are hilarious.

LIKES:
Fred (his lovey)
His brother Jason
Any and all stuffed critters
Ginger (our cat)
Mango (our cat)
Cars
Trucks
Music
Books
Playing "Who has Daddy's hat" with Dad
Ernie & Bert (any version, stuffed, in books, etc.)
Elmo (any version, stuffed, in books, etc.)
Sweet potato (nashed or in chunks)
Vanilla yogurt (from a big boy spoon)
"Hello Bee, Hello Me" book
"Ernie & Bert" book
"Smiles" (another Ernie & Bert book)
Cheddar cheese
Food, heck...he loves food
Spinning the star that hangs from the kitchen light fixture
Parking his cars in the underground garage
Bouncing
Bouncing on his ball
Playing baby foozball with Mom and Dad
His crib aquarium
Playing the drums, the maracas or the piano
His heliocopter
Goodnight Moon book
Pulling books off the bookshelves
Being kissed
Snuggling
Eating Ginger and Mango's id tags
Riding his rocking horse
Singing after he's eaten
Playing 
Chatting with Jason when he should be napping or sleeping

DISLIKES:
His molars and the pain they cause
Mom's spaghetti sauce
The flash on the camera
Having his picture taken
Shoes
Socks
Peek-a-boo
Hide-n-seek
When Jason has any toy he wants




Here Kevin reads Hello Bee, Hello Me outloud. He's quite a conversationalist and enjoys a good story.  

Hi Kevin!

Jason

Jason is quick to greet you with a smile and is very quick to laugh. He thinks we're very funny people. Funny faces, funny voices, playing hide-n-seek or peek-a-boo - all are tremendous fun to Jason.  He is developing his sense of independence and is always trying to walk. He plays possum for example when you check on him at naptime. He'll be awake and playing in his crib but if you poke your head into his room and look at him, he'll lie down quickly and close his eyes. 

If you are holding him, he'll lie still and close his eyes. If you stop rocking or stand up to put him in his crib, his eyes fly open.  

Jason is very patient especially with his brother. There are times when he isn't. The other night, Kevin was taking his time reading Goodnight Moon and was waiting on turning the page and Jason reached over and flipped the page. 

LIKES:
Chewy - his lovey
Books - to read or to eat
His brother Kevin
Music 
Dancing a polka with Mom
Playing "Who has Daddy's hat" with Dad
To have his picture taken
To view his picture after it's been taken
Playing peek-a-boo
Playing hide-n-seek
Ernie & Bert (any version, stuffed, in books, etc.)
Elmo (any version, stuffed, in books, etc.)
Sweet potato (nashed or in chunks)
Vanilla yogurt (from a big boy spoon)
"Hello Bee, Hello Me" book
"Ernie & Bert" book
"Mine: A Little Ernie & Little Bert" book
"Smiles" (another Ernie & Bert book)
To bite 
An Orange Tonka truck
When Bert plays the baby piano
Bananas
Playing baby foozball with Mom and Dad
Playing the maracas, the drum or the piano
His play farm especially the sheep and the tractor
Being tickled
Being dipped upside down
Flying like an airplane
Chasing Ginger

DISLIKES
Change
Sudden loud noises
Pop-up books
Elmo's "So-Big" pop-up book especially that last page
The backup/replacement Chewy (big phony)
Slimey, slippery foods
Things pulled over his head
Gas
Goodnight Moon

A Mom Post

The other day my stylist and friend says to me, "You look tired."  
My answer, "Well, yeah. Of course."

Here you see Bert and I pretending to get some rest. 

Our boys are great but like anything that's worth having, there's work involved. It doesn't help that Joe lures me into staying up past my bedtime with things like this:

"Are you going to have a snack? Those girl scout cookies aren't going to eat themselves."
"Oh, I just want to show you this high-def trailer." Or:
"Oh, you have to see the intro to 30 Rock." Or:
"This made me laugh so hard, you have to see this."

And then there's is the much dreaded and hated Daylight Saving Time. Don't get me started on that.

By the way, that Ernie and Bert Gangsta Rap on youTube is hilarious. If you have a 1:27, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OH0wlkfbc

It's disconcerting how focused you become on poo as a parent during that first year of your child's life.  I'm reluctant to add "pooologist" to my resume.  Does the need to be up on your childrens' poo continue beyond the first year? 

Last week Sue and I were fortunate enough to each catch Jason sitting quietly reading a book. I was changing Kevin and peered over my shoulder to see Jason sitting there quietly perusing the book known as "Disco Bedtime".  He just sat there turning the pages and studying them. Adorable. Sadly, neither of us had a camera so I'll post a pic of Kevin reading. 

Here Kevin reads The Lion King ABC book, one of his favorites. He's carefully studying Simba in this picture.



Hi Jason

Continuing the story.....The same day, Sue was changing Kevin (funny coincidence, eh?) and Jason was lying on his stomach, holding himself up with his elbows reading "Smiles" (a favored Ernie & Bert book). Again, adorable.

I caught Jason "marking" books yesterday AM. He does it to any book he likes and he does it in the same manner and spot each time. He puts the book spine into his mouth, roughly a quarter of the way down from the top and bites down and sucks for a minute or so. This makes a double mark on the book where his teeth have rubbed after the saliva has loosened things up a bit. I keep finding these marked books around their room and the living room. It's only the books he likes though. Of course, I try to stop him and say the house motto "We don't eat books, we read books" but when I'm busy with Kevin and can't physically stop Jason, well, there's nothing I can do. In the end, it's a book, not the Mona Lisa. When they are grown up and ask me for some of the books they had as kids.. I'll say "There aren't any. You are them all."

Jason understands No. He shakes his head back and forth after you say No or Don't or a house motto to him. Funny. 

Kevin probably understands No but chooses to ignore it. No head shake. No acknowledgement. Sometimes a cutesy grin but mostly him crawling away from you.




I've discovered that Kevin's waving is also an equivalent of pointing. Yesterday when I entered the nursery to get the boys up and start the day. Kevin waved at the window. I realized he was (in his own way) indicating that I was going to open the curtains. I did. Then he waved at the other window and I then opened that curtain. For Kevin, waving = Hi and waving = That thing/You do/I see. Smart boy.





Tuesday, March 3, 2009

He Does Smile

There are days when Kevin's molars aren't menacing him and he gives us a big ol' million watt smile. Here's a snap of said moment.

Here's a snap of Jason displaying his shy guy smile. 

The guys are getting bigger and funnier. Today Jason decided he wanted to read my Neil Gaiman novella, "Miss Finch".   A piece of literature decidely not for 1 year olds. His temper tantrum did not sway me and we moved on to the Tasmanian Devil and Tweety starring in "Opposites".  Whilst I was distracted, SOMEONE took a nibble out of "Bob the Builder and His Hammer". Oh well. I have a book hospital up and running. Rubber cement and cello tape are handy items. 

Jason walked again today. He was put out about the Gaiman book so he didn't notice so I'm not sure if it counts towards real walking. Amy visited Pokey Oaks for lunch and the boys were fascinated. 

Having me home with the boys during the day might not be the greatest idea but I'm sure enjoying it. I say it might not be a great idea as I'm doing things that I probably wouldn't let anyone else do. Refried beans and spanish rice for lunch anyone? Yes, I know that someone (prob me) will pay the price later. But they really did like it. Yesterday they tried spaghettios. Kevin figured out fairly quickly that he can suck the sauce off and spit out the little O's. 

Kevin recognized a Spiritualized song on the radio on Sunday which surprised me. I've been singing the song to him since he was born and was pretty certain that I sound nothing like the original.  Kevin and Jason both love when Sue sings "Pony Boy" to them while they rock on their pony. I tried to sing it to Kevin today. He reached over and put his hand over my mouth. Now, there's a comment, eh? Sue, they miss you. Come back.

Our condolences to Sue and her family on the passing of her Godmother, Annie. Annie was a very sweet lady that I was fortunate enougth to meet a few times.  God bless her and her family.

Oh dear, I hear thumping....naptime must be over. Gotta run. Ta. Kathy