Yea, Pics!

Ok, so I finally downloaded the pictures off my camera for the last 6 weeks.  So below will be some picsation sensation.  Anyway, we're all doing ok here, and Robert's snot level has gone from Katrina back down to Tropical Depression 5231.  Which is a happy thing.  

Tonight I put together the first of thousands of holiday crafty things for various school functions.  We have Robert's gymnastics class in the morning  and the kids are supposed to dress in red and bring little valentines. While I personally think that 16 month olds don't really need to be buying into the whole Valentine's Day thing, I'm going to look like Mama McScrooge if I don't bring something, so I put together these little buckets:

They have Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (think Goldfish crackers, but organic) in little Valentine's Day buckets I picked up at Big Lots for $1.50/4.  The little cards say (prepare to gag) "Somebunny is wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day."   I really couldn't come up with anything better, since the kids are too young for candy.

Here are a couple cute pics from the last couple of weeks....

 I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing... see how cute I am?

I DO NOT LIKE FINGERPAINTING!!!!!

Having fun at the Toy Lending Library...

Rockin' out with the drums at the Toy Lending Library.

Ugh... has it been that long?

Since I posted?  Sigh.  Well, what can you expect from a mama who is 6 weeks away from defending her dissertation?  

Robert is sick (again) and got sent home from daycare yesterday for, well, let's just say that the word "explosive" was used and leave it at that.  You other parents will know what I mean.  Fortunately, Grandma Madison (wow-- that's weird-- Grandma Madison was MY grandma Ro, who has been dead for nearly a decade) was on hand, and so the day wasn't completely shot to hell.  And Robert LOVES him some grandma-- Mama is NOTHING compared to Grandma (who doesn't let him get away with as much as he  thinks she does).  Anyway, we're in survival mode here, and hopefully some semi-regular blogging will return after Mama becomes Dr. Mama (fingers crossed).

I'm sure others will see developmental leaps, but I feel like we're in a holding pattern.  He is babbling, and has "words" (consonant b,d, or m +vowel o or a) for things, but not much anyone else would recognize as a word.  He has definitely caught up on the walking and now will run and kick a ball and pull a toy behind him.   He also has grown a phenomenal amount so that at (still)  15 months he is well into all his 24 month clothes.  I guess I'm just impatient for him to talk, though in 6 months I'm sure I'll be wishing he would just shut up for a minute.  Signing is back and forth-- he'll pop out a new sign and then the next day look at me like he has no idea how to do it.  But despite his constant cough/runny nose, he is so laid-back and sweet that I have to wonder if he is actually mine-- I often find myself whining more than he does about how bad I feel.  What a little trooper... I hope, as many friends have suggested, that we're going to see the turning point soon with all these upper respiratory infections, for his sake at least. 

I'll try to post some pics soon... it's been hard to get good ones lately and I think I may need to drop some of the scarce coinage on a new camera.   Anyway, much love out to the blogosphere, and I hope everyone else is weathering February well.  

More Christmas!

We're recovering from the holiday-off-scheduleness and Robert and I are both on the mend from bad colds that turned into ear infections and a sinus infection for Robert (again!) and pneumonia for me.  I think everyone is glad to be back to school and work-- "vacations" aren't much of a vacation with or for a toddler! 

Anyway, here are some pics from our Christmas morning at the Farm:

Robert in a rare shot with Grandpa "helping" him open a present

With Great-Aunt Carol, trying to get her cane (one of his FAVORITE toys)!

And a picture from this morning, which shows why we shouldn't have bothered buying Robert Christmas presents at all!

Merry ChristMoose!

Pretty quiet

Not a whole lot to post about recently... Robert is still working on standing and walking, but he doesn't seem to be in a big hurry to take off.  We did have a funny moment today when I was sitting at the Green County Garden Club's cookie walk today with a woman who is the mother of 4, grandmother of 8 and great-grandmother of 9 who said that she had never seen a child eat like Robert.  I guess it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed...

Lots to say

Robert will be 14 months on Tuesday, and I've found that when kids turn one year everyone wants to know if a. ) they are walking and/or b.) if they are talking.  Well we've had a big week here on both fronts.  Just this week Robert has learned to stand on his own, and even took a few tentative steps.   He is definitely on the slow side on walking, but Rob was 15 months before he walked alone, so I wasn't worried.  Plus, when you are in the 98th percentile for height and 75th for weight, that is just a lot of mass to move around.  But I think the peer pressure at school has got to him, and he's trying to catch up with the big kids.  He also really started verbalizing this week.  Here's a partial list of Robert's words, with the grown up translation:

Da (socks)

Do (Dog)

Do (Down)

Do (Duck)

Da (Dad)

Nnnnn (Sound doggie makes)

Nana (banana)

Oh ah ah ah (Sound monkey makes)

Dada (Dad, or Doggie, or Down NOW!)

Bu (Book)

Mama (Mama, I want, help, It's dark, come get me...)

No No (I'm going to touch something I shouldn't)

Uh oh (I just threw something on the floor and want you to pick it up)

Fortunately, the signing rounds out his needs.  He signs "eat," "drink," (I just figured out what that was-- he points his finger at his mouth, instead of making the ASL cup sign) "all done," "more," "banana," "brush teeth," "wash hands," and  "dog" reliably, and sometimes "apple" and "water" (which looks a lot like his "drink").  We're going to continue with the signing because he really seems to like it, and it turns out that I do too.  There is a huge school for the deaf in our neighborhood, and it would be great if Robert could make use of that resource as he gets older.

 

A day in the life...

Sometimes it seems like the days, weeks, and even months fly by without me even noticing.  How can so much time pass without me seeming to get anything done? I think we all know who is to blame, but gosh, it seems incredible that the days fly by so fast.  Especially since sometimes the minutes just drag on and on (how long until nap time?!?)

So, (and I realize this is scraping the bottom of the blogging barrel) here is a typical Saturday in Toddler land.

3:30 AM-- Drag self from nice warm snuggly flannel sheets to go put Robert's binki back in and rock him back to sleep.

4:30 AM-- Ditto.  Glare at Rob who seems to just sleep through the crying.  Shut bedroom door to so as not to hear Robert cry anymore unless he is super-upset.

7:15 AM-- Wake up.  Realize it is 7:15 and no crying.  Try to decide if I should get up and get some stuff done, or sleep some more.

7:16 AM-- Hear Robert start to make waking up noises.  Decide that I REALLY wanted to go back to sleep.

7:17 AM Pray Robert will go back to sleep.

7:29 AM Get up, go downstairs and graciously allow Rob to fix me breakfast. 

7:50 AM  Suggest to Rob that since he went to so much trouble to fix me breakfast that he should go change Robert's diaper and get him dressed while I eat my breakfast.

7:51 AM Can't believe that worked.

8:00 AM Feed Robert breakfast, get him dressed (Rob did the diaper, but not the outfit), play downstairs with  him.

10:00 AM Send Rob and Robert out to Costco to do some household shopping while I decorate for Christmas.  Turn up Jay-z's Black Album since I don't have to explain to Robert why he has 99 Problems But a Bitch Ain't One. 

12:00 PM Feed Robert leftover corn and turkey for lunch.  

12:30 PM  Naptime. Change his diaper and realize I'm out of cloth diapers. Put him in a 'sposie. Robert is really tired and goes down immediately. I hum "It's the most wonderful time of the day" to the tune of that Christmas song.  More decorating.

1:40 PM  I decide I should take a nap.  

1:45 PM I decide I can't sleep.   Stuff clean diapers so we have them for after nap.

3:00 PM.  Robert wakes up.  I install newly-cleaned diaper and rejoice that his one 'sposie of the day coincided with the dirty diaper of the day.    

3:15 PM Next-door neighbor and her 13 month daughter come over to play.  Robert hits Lily over the head with a puzzle piece, Lily dumps Robert head-first out of his rocking chair.  In other words, a normal day.  

4:00 PM.  Neighbor heads home.  I look at the clock and realize that there are still 3. hours. till. bed.  Try to tempt Robert with toys instead of banging blocks into window.  Fail, and send Robert to time out.  

5:30 PM Forget the research about kids not seeing TV until they are 2.  Find Little Einsteins on ON DEMAND.  Get more interested in it that Robert is.

6:00 PM Feed Robert dinner.  Spinach ravioli with salmon in dill sauce and peaches.

6:30 PM Bath

6:45 PM Diaper, PJs, 2 stories (The Going to Bed Book and When Mama Comes Home Tonight)

6:50 PM Find Paci, Douglas, Put Robert in bed.  Leave room, make it down 3 steps before the crying starts.

7:00 PM  Go back up stairs, sing song, pat tummy.  Leave again, and listen to crying 1/2 way down the stairs.

7:02 PM  All's quiet...

7:20 PM Eat a grown up dinner with no food thrown, cut up into microscopic pieces, or stuck up anyone's nose.  

8:10 PM Start watching WVU's last home game.  Too tired to do anything else....

So, that folks, is why nothing is done around here.  Pretty sad, I know.