Friday, January 30, 2009

Friday, I'm in love

I am. So there.

The boy just went down for a nap, but he is adorable and sweet. I've been reading the complete Beatrix Potter to him and it's more charming than I remembered and it puts him to sleep.

We had a trip to Disneyland yesterday to celebrate Miss Julie's birthday, and that was fun. A loves the Winnie the Pooh ride and the Buzz Lightyear one. Good grief, that kid can run, especially when he decides he wants to ride, now! I love it when Julie has friends along who are happy to be on babysitting duty for the day, especially those who A takes a serious shine to.

His speech is coming along. He said his name for the first time this week, which is a big thing. Not terribly coherent, but still, having the concept of his name is a big deal.

His speech therapist tells me he's amazingly smart. He plays with his toys in ways that other kids don't think to. He's brilliant. We know. He's singing: the Wheels on the Bus, the Itsy-Bitsy Spider, the alphabet song, Where is Thumbkin, all the classics. It's starting to be berry season here: strawberries and blackberries. A loves blackberries.

He's moving right along. I sat next to him today and I couldn't stop looking at his legs (it's freakishly beautiful here today even by SoCal standards), since he's got little boy legs now and not little fat baby legs. Sigh.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Sick and story

Sick first: A celebrated MLKJ day by puking, rather spectacularly, as we were getting into "time to go to swim class" mode. Of course, being such a momentous week, he celebrated again on Tuesday and Wednesday by throwing up right after breakfast.

Being with a sick toddler who can talk a little is no fun, because he spent most of his days saying, "Hungry! Cookie! Cookie! Fruit [leather]! Cookie! Drink!" when he was supposed to be getting two tablespoons of Pedialyte or water every ten to fifteen minutes. This was pretty unbearable for a mommy. At least I wasn't sick with the stomach flu this time too, although I've got a riotous head cold going and I felt like I was under house arrest from not leaving the house for three days.

But this morning he was fine, breakfast stayed down, and he went to preschool. He's in a much better mood; the drywallers came to put the downstairs bathroom ceiling back together and it looks much better, plus these guys didn't seem to be on meth, always a plus.

Story: This is from last week. One of the words A has picked up is IKEA. I kid you not. We drive on 805, and there is IKEA in all its shiny yellow and blue Swedishness across the way in Mission Valley, and A yells and points, "KEA, KEA, KEA." When we go to Costco, he asks to go to IKEA, and sometimes I indulge him. I don't know why he wants to go. I really don't. I am told that these are my genes.

So here's the story. Last week, before he was sick, A and I headed to IKEA for the semi-annual sale. At some point, we went to the restroom for a diaper change. After we get done, we both wash our hands, and I hand A a length of paper towel. I tell him, "There's a trash can right by the door, just throw your paper towel out and wait for me," since I'm coming up behind him with the stroller.

A ignores me, takes the paper towel, wraps it around the door handle, and opens the door. Yes, he's opening the door with a paper towel, just like Mommy and Daddy do, especially when they see the lady who left the bathroom before us without washing her hands.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Christmas Wrap-up

Christmas was great. Mistah A ran downstairs Christmas morning and found a beautiful blue tricycle under our tree. He loves it and is getting pretty good at the whole pedaling thing. We ate scones and tea and cheese fondue with fantastic bread and it was a wonderful Christmas even if it did rain for most of the day. It was good cheese fondue weather. It was low-key and quiet and lovely.

Post-Christmas, we managed to get up to the last year of the Wild Animal Park's Festival of Lights and see, among other things, a black light puppet show, which had one of the best anti-photo deterrent routines I've ever seen. A behaved himself so beautifully; there were many brats in the crowd and I was happy to be with my kid.

Then it was off to Colorado for New Year's, with the grandparents bestowing much spoilage and love upon yonder boy. I got a new sewing machine from C and my in-laws, and we saw many people that we did not have enough time with. I don't think there's a good way to have enough time with everyone. We ate at the Canton Palace many, many, many times and are almost done with the General Tao's we brought back. It's so good to visit with people we don't get to see nearly often enough.

A traveled well, although leaving Colorado turned into a panoply (not comedy) of errors. On the way to the airport, the "Low Tire Pressure" light came on. C stopped and got out (on one of the worst, most dangerous sections of I-25) and checked the tires. Nothing appeared to be protruding from the tires, no flats, so we stopped at the next exit with a gas station and filled the tires. Some time between the gas station and the airport, A started really complaining and fussing, pretty unusual for him in the car. We kept driving because, well, we were already late from the tire incident. When we got to the rental car drop-off, I carried A out and--oh. That's why he was fussy. Let's just say that we've traveled with all levels of sick, but toddler with diarrhea is probably my second-least favorite. Small mercies: while we had a fearsome number bunch of changes in the airport, with proper tag-team diapering to keep it fair, A was done and fell asleep on the plane while people were still boarding.

The last week's been spent digging out, resuming routines, returning A to the level of attention he normally receives and not the adoration of the masses. He's happy to be back at preschool; he was thrilled to see his speech therapist. In swimming last Monday, the heater for the air in the pool room was broken, so while the pool was warm and wonderful, getting out was terrible. The steam rose off the water of the pool. Plus they had two cherry pickers in there to fix it, which was astonishing. I hope it's fixed. My toes are curling just thinking about it.

And now I have a new sewing machine. Once A falls asleep, C plays new video games and I sew and we're ridiculously pleased with ourselves. Last night we fixed a seam of C's at midnight. That's how ridiculously thrilled we both are. And tonight will be tea and cookies (thanks, Bump Bump Bumps) and early bed. Unless the lure of sewing and video games proves too much...