Ride 'em Duckboy

Robert got a wonderful surprise in the mail this week from his godmother Tara.   I'm sorry she didn't get to actually see him on this (it came the day after she left to go to SXSW) but here is a little video of him enjoying his new gift:

Thank you Aunt Tara.  Come see us again soon!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Robert got an amazing St. Patrick's Day gift today from his godmother Tara.  I'll have to put pictures up as soon as I get them, but this was a picture from  a similar scene earlier this week, with a different box:

Happy Friday the 13th!

Here at Moose Manner we are the proud owners of a brand new 17-month-old Moose.  Yea!  The days just go faster and faster.  Robert continues to be a very happy, easy going child (recessive genes, apparently) and really a delight to be around.  He's sleeping great-- 13 hours at night, 2 during the day-- and eating like a little piggy.  This week I made a 3 egg, two piece of cheese omelet, thinking we would share it, and he at the whole thing.  And then a cup of applesauce!  

Wish I had some funny things he said to report, but he's still not talking very much.  He's starting to repeat words, but mostly only says people's names (he's started saying "Grandma" and "Grandpa," though, to be fair, not necessarily in connection with said grandparents) and animal sounds. I will try to get a video of him making the chicken noise because he does the little arm movements too.   

We've been going to a gym class (Diaper Gym) for about a year, and he really loves it.  Here are a couple pics from a recent (ok, judging by the hearts, a not-so-recent) session... 

Gym class has been really good for him, though if I had to do it all over again I might not have started him quite so early.  He is just now really getting into climbing up ladders, walking across beams, etc.  He doesn't like to swing on the trapezes, but does like to flip on the bar.  Of course, I don't have pictures of any of that stuff, because I can't hold onto him and the camera at the same time!

Well, it hasn't been quite a month...

Sorry for the lack of communication.  My dissertation goes to the full committee tomorrow in preparation for the defense March 20, so I've been a little busy.  And I've misplaced our camera, so I don't even have any good pics to put up.  

Robert is doing well and transitioned to the toddler room at daycare about 3 weeks ago.  It's been a little bit of a rough go since he is the youngest in the class, but he's learning to eat when food is available and hold out for nap a little bit longer.  He's starting to repeat words, and is very into making animal sounds.  Except for "oink," which he just can't seem to figure out, so he "baaas" for the pig too.  Which really makes no sense unless you know that the pig is directly after the sheep page in the Touch and Feel Farm Animal book.  And even then I'm not so sure...

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!