Week whatever

So this week is starting out well. A storm tore through the area yesterday and knocked out power around 3:30 pm, and we didn't get it back until Monday midnight. There were water restrictions because a pumping station was without power, and 2/3 of the county's traffic lights were out. And more than 2/3 of the county's drivers have NO IDEA what to do when they encounter an intersection with dead traffic lights. They're expecting to get the power back up in a few days--a lot of people still don't have power. We had to throw out everything in the fridge and freezer--a grand opportunity to give the fridge a through cleaning.

But the hardest part of it all? Telling a 2 year old why the light switches don't work and why he can't watch The Muppets. What seemed to work was telling him that very bad rain took away our lights and TV, and that very nice men are working on getting it back.

On Saturday we took him for his first professional haircut. In keeping with my latest motto that if you keep expectations low you'll be pleasantly surprised, he did great! We talked it up before he went. He didn't want to sit on the booster seat, so he sat on Daddy's lap. He got to pick a lollipop. And then the hairdresser turned on a kid's video for him. He totally chilled out and let her snip, snip, snip. Now he doesn't look like such a ragamuffin (though he was a rather cute ragamuffin).



The other Friday afternoon we went over to friends' house in Bethesda and spent the evening at their neighborhood pool. We swam for awhile, then had a lovely picnic lunch. Zack jumped right up on the bench and started eating everything we put in front of him--sausage, pasta salad, pita and hummous, fruit. We swam for a little while more before going back to our friends' house for dessert. Their kids are all out of college, but they've kept some toys. They presented Zack with a whole drawer-full of random and assorted trucks and cars. He was in HEAVEN. As we were, since he happily pulled out all the vehicles while we sat around and had some lovely non-interupted conversation. It was a great evening!

And in other news, Zack is now the proud owner of his first self-propelled vehicle. He'd been trying to climb on any tricycle he saw in the neighborhood, so we figured it was time. Investing in the push handle was a good move, as he hasn't really figured out the pedals yet. Rob and I have realized how tough it must be to learn things like that. I'm sure it won't be long before he's pedaling away on his own.

He had to get right in there and help Dad adjust the seat.

2 years 21 weeks

Big transitions this week--Zack started his new daycare/preschool this past Monday! It's a bigger place than the family daycare he was in, with about 50-some kids in 5 classrooms. He's in the Honey Bear room with other 3, 4, and young 5 year-olds. The first day both Rob and I dropped him off. We talked with his teacher, Miss Carol, for a bit, then said goodbye to Zack. He briefly looked up from the toys that he was playing with, said "Bye bye" and went right back to playing. We had been pretty sure his transition would be pretty easy, but this was more than we'd hoped for! The rest of the week has been like that--he runs to the door when we get there in the morning, and I have to practically drag him away in the afternoon. The teachers have been impressed with how friendly and sweet he is, how well he's transitioned, how helpful he is. Needless to say, we're quite pleased--both with how well he's doing and with our decision to move him to this daycare!

And the best part? He's EXHAUSTED when he gets home.

Before school.

After school.

When we get home, he has to chill out on the couch for a bit while he has a snack. By the time dinner is ready, he's jumping up on his chair, eating every bit and asking for more (in contrast to last week when I had to practically wrestle him to eat anything). He's asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow at bedtime. And he's been sleeping later. Woo hoo!


We tried out a new pizza place in Silver Spring last weekend. It was a lovely evening, so we sat outside and had amazing pizza, good wine, fabulous tiramisu, and great service (they were clearly trained to deal with kids--a big plus!). But the best part? It's near the train tracks. In thinking about it, while Zack loves trains, he probably hasn't really seen a real one except for the Metro. So when a freight train went by, Rob took Zack closer so that he could really see it. Talk about making a little boy's day! I'll never forget the look on his face when they walked back to the table. "Mommy! CHOO CHOO! HEAVY CHOO CHOO!" he sputtered, eyes as big as saucers. Priceless! And he talked about it all weekend.


This past weekend I got around to making desperately-needed new covers for the couch pillows (see picture above for what they look like). I spread out on the dining room table to cut the fabric, and Zack set up his drawing shop next to me. He wanted some of the cut-offs, so I handed them over.

This is what he did with them, all on his own.

He made train tracks.



And when these tracks didn't get him where he needed to go, he asked me for some more.

Sure thing, Bean.

A Sure Sign You're Delusional...

...would be when you dress your 2+ year old little boy in a white linen (albeit washable) shirt.

(Just for the record, the mustard, chalk, colored pencil, and other miscellaneous dirt all came out. And those eyes? Those eyes continue to be our downfall.)