Abi's New Home

This weekend

2012-02-06T15:39:00.001-05:00

We were busy this weekend. Saturday morning, Zack started a gymnastics class with one of his buddies, Sebastian, from school. While he was a little nervous before it started, it helped that his friends were there (turns out, another of his school classmates was also in the same class). Parents aren't allowed in the room, and we could only see the kids for part of the time, but he seemed to enjoy himself. His perceptions might be slightly tainted by the meltdown he had on the way out when I wouldn't buy him a toy he saw there.

That night, Sebastian, and his mom and sister came over to play and have dinner. After dinner, all the kids got in the tub together, got jammies on, and watched a show before Sebastian et al headed home.

I'm not sure if this is an example of how scattered we moms are, or how we sometimes lose our identity, but it cracked me up regardless. Before dinner, Sebastian and Zack were coloring. Sebastian told his mom that he was making his picture for Erica. Sebastian's mom looks at him and says, "Who's Erica?" I just burst out laughing. Sebastian just pointed to me and said "Her" with a "have you lost it?" tone of voice.

The next morning Zack and Sebastian met for a playdate at Boden's house. (I told you we were busy!) Boden is another classmate and oft-mentioned friend of theirs. The kids all did really well together and I think we managed to call it quits right before everything melted down.

Boden has two sisters, one of whom is 4 months old. I offered to hold her and give her a bottle, to give Boden's mom a break. I was doing this when Zack walked around the corner. His eyes got as big as saucers, and he said, rather apprehensively, "Mommy? Is that MY baby?" He seemed pretty relieved that this was, in fact, really a playdate, and not a baby-acquisition-date.

Finally, Sunday night we went over to our neighbors' house to watch the first half of the Super Bowl. There were a bunch of kids there, so Zack got to play some more. We had chili, and Rob made some really amazing empanadas. Yumm!

And did I take one single picture of all this fun? Why no, I did not.

Pizza and pre-reading

2012-02-02T10:45:00.001-05:00

Zack helped Rob make pizza last night. I think he enjoyed it.

Have I talked about how Zack is pre-reading? He's known what a Z looks like for awhile ("Z is for Zachary and Zoe and zebra."). But more recently he's definitely been realizing that these letter things mean something and can tell people important information. So this isn't an actual example, but he'll do something like take the jar of his vitamins, point to the letters, and say "This says 'these are vitamins and I can't take too many or I'll get sick'." When I read to him at night, he askes me which page I'm reading. And of course, he wrote his name the other day. So he's getting the mechanics of it all. Then last night Rob was reading his new Big Back Yard magazine to him. There are several pages that have pictures of pairs of animals--two cheetahs, two rabbits, two turtles--with the name of the animal in a heart next to the picture. We've looked through this numerous times, and he knows all the animals. But last night, Zack pointed to the words in the hearts, used his finger to follow along the letters, and "read" the name of the animal. Pointing to the words isn't something we've done (though we should probably start), so this was all his doing.

The other thing he's been doing that I wasn't expecting at all is that he picks out words that rhyme. At first he didn't really get the concept---"Orange and orange juice rhyme." But now he's getting really good at it. As he was falling asleep last night, I could hear him whispering words under his breath. Then all of a sudden he said (as if it were the most exciting discovery ever), "Mommy! Shirt and hurt rhyme!"

There is a lot going on in that brain of his, that's for sure. He picks up on EVERYTHING and is so very curious. The other night we were reading his magazine, and we ended up talking about what rhinocerouses (rhinoceri?) eat. I told him that he should remind me the next day and we'd look it up. "You'll look it up on your iPad, Mommy?" Uh, yeah, that was exactly what I was going to do. And we did and he was really interested in clicking on all the links and finding out more about them.

And baby rhinos? "Awwwwww! They're so cuuuuuute!" Just in case you were wondering.

Joy

2012-01-30T18:13:00.001-05:00

He wrote his own name (cue my heart swelling with joy and pride).

In other news, perhaps some things we say ARE sinking in:

Zack (being very nice to Georgia): Georgia likes me.
Me: Yes, she does.
Zack: You know why she likes me? Because I being nice to her.
Me: EXACTLY!!!

2012-01-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Scene: Zack's bedtime last night. Lights are out, he's tucked in.

Zack: Lie down next to me, Mommy.
Me: Not tonight, sweetie. I'm going to sit here by the door.
Zack: (said infused with tears and drama) But I want you to lie next to me......I don't have anybody to lie next to me.

(insert the sound of my heart being stabbed, with an extra twist just for good measure)

He finally went to sleep. I still feel guilty.

2012-01-22T11:20:00.001-05:00

"There is no in appropriate weather, just inappropriate clothing."

I'd prefer the white to be mountain laurels, but I'll take this, too.

Product of his environment

2012-01-21T18:00:00.001-05:00

We're raising a true DC kid--he's playing Traffic Jam.

Jammies

2012-01-18T10:56:00.001-05:00

It's Pajama Day at school today. This is the best pic I could get, as he was anti-paparazzi this morning.

I don't envy the teachers today. Something about wearing PJ's to school winds those kids right up!

One more...

2012-01-15T16:18:00.001-05:00

...to add to that file that we're going to pull out when he's 14 or so.

Babies

2012-01-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

We were all at a baby shower yesterday. I'd been telling Zack that Liza had a baby in her belly, and that we were going to go give her gifts for the baby. He'd even gone shopping with me and had wanted to pick out toys for the baby (which I let him do).

We were getting ready to leave the shower when this conversation occurred.

Z: I want to see the baby.
Me: You mean Liza's baby?
Z: Yes.
Me: Well, she's still in Liza's tummy.
Z: I want to wait for the baby.
Me: (It took a moment for me to process this) You want to wait until the baby comes out?
Z: Yes.
Me: Well, I don't think the baby is going to come out today. They come out when they're ready, and she's not ready yet.
Z: Yes she is (is there anything so confident and optiimistic as a 3-year old?). I want to wait for the baby.

We finally convinced him that there wouldn't be a baby that afternoon, with a little help from Liza asking if Zack would come visit the baby when she was born.

We're in so much trouble

2012-01-07T18:51:00.001-05:00

Zack and I went to Target last night. We were looking for granola bars. He saw the chocolate covered ones.

Mommy, I want the chocolate ones.

No, we're going to get the ones we usually get (which contain zero chocolate).

But Mom, they're granola bars, not candy.

(Cue snickering from everyone else in the aisle)

Puzzles

2012-01-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

Somewhere along the line he's figured out how to do puzzles. He looks at the picture on the box, looks for the pieces, puts them together. All by himself. It's pretty amazing to watch.

Gingerbread houses

2011-12-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

This morning I took my show on the road. I went to Zack’s class and decorated gingerbread houses with them. Zack was so excited to see me come with all the goodies, and his friends were pretty revved up, too. They say quietly on the rug while I set things up and explained how to decorate the houses. Then they took their seats and got to work. The room fell silent except for the occasional “Zachary’s Mommy, do you like mine?”, immediately followed by several others saying “And mine?” “And mine?” “And mine, too?” It was a lot of fun, and the kids all seemed to have a great time.

Twas the week before Christmas...

2011-12-18T20:06:00.001-05:00

It's all about framing

2011-12-13T11:39:00.001-05:00

After I picked up Zack last night, we went to CVS. It was pretty clear that things were going to go downhill quickly: "I want to look at the toys." "I don't want to stand in line." "I don't want to eat dinner. I just want cookies." It is the latter that he fixated on while standing in line at the pharmacy, complete with "I don't like when you say No, Mommy. Say Yes. Say it. SAY IT!"

Somehow we made it out without a major blowup. But it was pretty clear it wasn't going to get any better, especially when we got to the car and, tears in his eyes, said he didn't want to get in the car and go home. We were in front of Starbucks, so I asked him if he wanted to get "coffee," to which he tearily said yes.

We went in, he cheerfully selected a milk and a box of food. /we sat down and he INHALED his food--an egg, cheese, grapes, apple,peanut butter. We had a lovely time.

As we were getting back in the car, I told him that we could go home and get a cookie because he'd been so good.

"But I don't want dinner."

"No, of course not, you ate already."

I wish I could have caught the look on his face--a moment to process what I'd said, followed by a huge grin, a sheepish chuckle, and a damn-how'd-she-do-that? expression. Absolutely priceless.

My latest Google search

2011-12-05T18:59:00.002-05:00

"How to get crayon out of my dryer"

A Full Couch

2011-12-04T11:22:00.001-05:00

Another good day on the trail

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001-05:00

It was a gorgeous weekend here, so Zack and I took advantage of it and went hiking on the trail, but on the other side of the creek. Just to mix it up a little.

This ended up being a good thing, as in the first 5 minutes of our hike we saw a snake. Well, Georgia spotted it first. It was just a harmless brown snake, taking advantage of the Indian Summer.

Of course, after seeing this snake, Zack wanted to find more snakes. I told him that in the 10 years I'd been walking this trail, I'd never seen a snake before, so I wasn't too sure that we'd see another one and perhaps we should look for other things. He thought for a moment and decided that he'd like to look for "frogs, fish, and sharks." He also claimed to see crocodiles in the creek.

If he was disappointed in not finding any other wildlife, it didn't show. He quite happily played in the water for awhile, fishing digging, and exploring. He's quite a good hiker; this side of the trail is hillier and a bit rockier, but it was no problem for him. He was rather proud of himself for walking on rocks to cross a little rivulet. I love watching him exploring and taking in the world.

And what is it about a pile of leaves that draws kids in like a moth to a flame? With no prompts from us whatsoever, he dove in and must have been running, jumping, and swimming in this pile for a good hour.

So if you're looking for Christmas gift suggestions for him, just box up some leaves and send them our way.

Helper

2011-11-26T13:09:00.001-05:00

Note that he isn't doing this in our yard. Oh no. He'd rather go help Cessy.

Milan

2011-11-25T22:13:00.001-05:00

Some belated pictures from Rob's and my trip to Milan. We had a lovely time, particularly since we knew that Zack was having a great time with Grandma and Papa back home. I'm pretty sure we missed him far more than he missed us

This first picture is from the Duomo, the third largest cathedral in the world. The irony here is that I wasn't allowed in the first day we tried to visit inside because my shoulders weren't covered---but there are fashion posters hanging on the outside.

This is the outside of the aquarium. We didn't go inside, but the outside is a lovely art deco building with lots of animals all over it.

Rob popping out of a lovely outdoor market.

A view of the Duomo from the new modern art museum. The swirly lines are part of an art installation reflected in the glass.

Halloween

2011-11-25T22:06:00.001-05:00

Boo!

A very belated Halloween post. Zack wanted to be a skeleton for Halloween, so Rob went to work while I was away on a business trip. I knew it was going to be a great costume, but I was really blown away when I came home to see this. What you can't see in these pictures is that it also glows in the dark.

Zack really loved his costume and proudly told everyone that his Daddy made it for him.

The pumpkins were done by Rob and by Uncle Geoff, who had mentioned early in October that he thought he'd like to try his hand at jack o'lanterns this year.

Zack LOVED Halloween this year. He was so into the ghosts and monsters and skeletons and pumpkins and witches. He loved trick or treating--he went out with Rob while I manned the homefront. They ended up getting together with neighbors while trick or treating and Zack got a huge kick out of "tricking" me when he rang the doorbell with his two friends.

The face of tolerance

2011-11-21T16:38:00.001-05:00

We have totally lucked out with Georgia--she is so very tolerant of Zack and his shenanigans. She's only protested her treatment two or three times. And believe me, it was warranted protest and was done very gently. Regardless of having to put up with this boisterous boy of ours, she's clearly attached to him. She sits for Zack, takes treats ever so gently from him, and sleeps in his bed nearly every night.

What I was surprised at was how Zack is behaving a bit as if he has sibling rivalry with Georgia. Little whacks here, squeezes that are a bit too tight there. Followed by a very gentle hug, kiss, and an "I love you, Georgia" 10 minutes later. And a reminder that we have to take her for a walk/feed her/let her out. This sibling rivalry, combined with other rascally behavior he has been exhibiting lately (more on that in another post), is enough to drive us slightly batty.

At least he's cute.

And this is the pit.

2011-11-16T07:56:00.001-05:00

Why yes, that WAS our backyard and garden. And yes, Dad, they did go through the flagstone walk you just put in (though they pulled up the stones first). And yes, that is as much of our backyard as it looks like--probably more.

And yes, it is raining today, so the workers won't be here and all this will drag on even longer.

Blech.

There is large construction equipment in our yard.

2011-11-15T17:57:00.001-05:00

And also a big pit with an accompanying large pile of dirt.

That is all.

The ever-elusive Christmas Ghost

2011-11-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Hiking

2011-11-09T15:08:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd downloaded Halloween pictures, but I seem not to have. Those will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some pictures of the activity that Zack and I have taken up on the weekends: hiking. We take Georgia over to the Northwest Branch Trail near our house and spend some time outside. This past weekend had the added benefit of being a beautiful autumn day. There's lots to explore for both humans and canines alike. Zack always manages to find the biggest leaves that have fallen, while Georgia is more interested in chipmunks and other dogs. This past weekend had the added benefit of being a beautiful autumn day, and Zack wanted to do some exploring by the water. He didn't manage to fill in the creek, but got a pretty good start on it.

Zack continues to be a cheerful and funny and a joy to be with--when he isn't being possessed by a demon who blatantly ignores his parents, does the exact opposite of what he's been asked, and openly searches for things to get into, break, and harm himself with. In an interesting juxtaposition, he is also becoming increasingly aware that other people have some sort of opinion of him, an opinion that may be different than how he sees himself. This realization has resulted him being much shier in unfamiliar situations and with unfamiliar people. He'll often warm up, but not always. Rob and I find ourselves aching for him in these situations. Despite being a very shy child myself, I have trouble figuring out how to help him negotiate these times when he's unsure. That said, I don't think he's nearly as shy as I ever was, thankfully.

The other interesting consequence of his realization that others have different opinions than him is that he's started....let's say "fabricating reality." I don't want to say he's lying because I'm not sure it's quite as sophisticated as that (though Rob might disagree). So for example, he tried pulling something off the counter the other night and it fell and broke. Now when we ask him about it, he says that it fell off the counter all by itself. Or he'll tell us that he didn't have a vitamin yet when he definitely has had one. Or he'll tell me that Rob said that he could have X, Y, or Z, when I've just heard Rob say the exact opposite. We're not quite sure how to deal with this because when he's questioned about it, it's as if he really believes his version of events.

So long story short, he's still keeping us on our toes.

Heading home

2011-10-30T02:03:00.001-04:00

I miss these guys. I'm getting on a plane in a few minutes to head back to them.

Conversation

2011-10-25T09:52:00.001-04:00

Scene: Zack is tucked into bed last night, Georgia is curled up at his feet, and I'm lying next to his bed. To truly get the feel for this conversation, you have to know that Zack pronounces Georgia like Zhorzhia.

Zack: What is Georgia eating?
Me: (already half asleep) Nothing, she's just cleaning herself.

Zack sits up to see for himself.

Z: Mommy! She's eating fox!

I bolt upright and sure enough, she's got Zack's stuffed fox between her paws and it's damp. I take it away from her, I say something about how we're going to have to keep an eye on his animals, we lie back down, and all is quiet for a minute.

Until Zack says, very seriously...

"You give Georgia a time out, Mommy? I don't like her eating fox."

A boy and his dog

2011-10-24T12:40:00.004-04:00

I think they might be buddies.

Ummmm....

2011-10-22T19:58:00.001-04:00

...we're not dog-sitting this one. Meet Georgia. Seeing Zack's reaction when she first took a biscuit from his hand? Priceless.

Smitten

2011-10-21T15:36:00.001-04:00

We've been dogsitting the sweetest dog this week, Sam. Zack might be just a little bit in love.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-20T14:16:00.001-04:00

Zack often talks in his sleep and last night was no exception. Sometime very early this morningHe very emphatically said "I love you, Nonno. And then went back to sleep.

Quote of the Day (live version)

2011-10-17T19:07:00.001-04:00

Quote of the day

2011-10-17T14:15:00.001-04:00

As we were running errands yesterday, Zack came up with this one, out of the blue:
Mama Mia,
Where's my tortilla?
In my tuumm-my.

Mish mash

2011-10-14T15:47:00.000-04:00

So this post will be a mish mash. A combination of catching up from our trip to Milan, and some chatter about our boy.

Italy was lovely---the food, the wine, the weather, the gelato, the people. It was great to get away, and it was wonderful for me to finally get to Italy, since Rob talks so highly of it.

We did a lot. We saw a lot of churches (there are a few of those in Italy), including the Duomo, the 4th largest in the world. We went up onto the roof of that church and had a great view of Milan. What is astounding about all of the churches and many of the buildings is all the work, the hand labor, that went into building them. From the stonework inside and out to the painting of the interiors. And it was done so many centuries ago, often before America was even "discovered." Just astounding.

We did some shopping. Milan is all about fashion---from the designer stores, to the women walking around that look like (and might well be) models. We mostly looked, which was fun in and of itself.

We also went to museums and walked around a lot. It was perfect weather for that. We ate lots of good food---proscuitto and other salumi, gelato and granita, bread and olive oil, homemade pastas. Most restaurants are set up to take advantage of the lovely weather, so most of our meals were eaten outside. This also allowed for great people-watching opportunities.

Three of the evenings we were hosted for dinner by the Italian clients that Rob and his colleagues were in Milan to meet. The hospitality! It involved many courses of food, many bottles of wine and prosecco, and many hours. One night we went to the oldest restaurant in Milan, where Rob's client was obviously very well known. I've never had service like we had that night. While the attention was flattering, we Americans were all glad that we only had three nights of this---Italian hospitality takes some getting used to!

But it's also what was so impressive---how friendly and open everyone was. For example, after I was chastised by the elder caretaker of a church for taking pictures, he softened it by telling us about the history of the church, some of its architectural features, and about the important paintings that were in the church. He was obviously very proud of it. And did I mention that he did all this without speaking a speck of English? He really wanted to connect with us and he managed to.

It's funny--Rob and I were very excited to get away and get some time to ourselves, but we really missed our liitle guy! Our babysitters...I mean, Grandma and Papa don't really have to worry about us ever being gone for more than a week. We just miss him too much to go away for longer than that. Luckily, it seemed like we missed him a lot more than he missed us. Papa sent us daily email reports on how things were going, and while Zack would talk about us, he didn't seem to be very bothered that we were gone. By all accounts, he was better for Grandma and Papa than he usually is for us! He had a wonderful time the week we were gone, and I hope the same can be said for Grandma and Papa.

Pictures were taken in Italy, and I will hopefully get a chance to consolidate them this weekend.

**************************************************************************

Since I see Zack every day (except when we're off galavanting in Italy), I take it for granted how much he's like both Rob and me. I forget that at first glance many people think that he looks more like me. I was reminded of this lately in a conversation with a friend whose son is in Zack's class. Just to keep his similarity to his father fresh in everyone's mind, I need to share with you these pictures that they took last night as Zack was (supposed to be) getting ready for bed.

A continuing conversation

2011-10-07T18:48:00.000-04:00

The other day he was climbing into Rob's car. He stopped as he was kneeling backwards in his car seat, looking at the back of the car. I could hear the gears turning. He asked me about the back and then he said,

"My little dog could sit back there.........My BIG dog could sit back there."

And he turned around and sat down with a very satisfied look on his face.

An observation

2011-10-05T18:42:00.001-04:00

Zack: "I have to make noise."

A conversation

2011-10-04T19:35:00.001-04:00

Zack: We're going to get a dog soon.
Me: Ohhh? Who told you that?
Zack: I did.

Slacking off

2011-09-21T13:58:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, I've been a total slacker about posting. And it won't get better anytime soon since Rob and I are jetting off to Italy next week.

While you're waiting for me to get my act together, enjoy this picture of Zack and his buddy Sebastian, taken last night at our favorite pizza place. It was a lot of fun watching these two imps interact during dinner.

Until later, ciao!

Determination

2011-08-27T11:49:00.001-04:00

Zack is trying to knock down a 50 foot oak tree by throwing acorns at it. He is convinced this is possible.

Vacation, Part 2.1

2011-08-21T01:19:00.001-04:00

And this is a few minutes later. I'll spare you the pain and agony and hystrionics that occurred when we tried to move him into his bed. Suffice it to say that there was much screaming and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Vacation, Part 2

2011-08-19T19:20:00.001-04:00

The result of a couple hours at the beach and a couple hours in the pool topped off with some pizza.

Vacation, part 1

2011-08-15T19:21:00.001-04:00

It's rained for two solid days. A lovely rain, really, but not conducive to the beach. We went to the aquarium yesterday, which was quite fun. Today we just kind of hung out.

Under the wildly-remarkable-news category, Zack tried and liked both steamers and lobster. Woo hoo!

Words fail me

2011-08-07T18:36:00.001-04:00

Another first

2011-08-06T19:37:00.001-04:00

We took Zack to see his first movie in the theater today--Cars 2. He did a great job and really enjoyed himself.

The movie was not the highlight of the day, however. That came when it started pouring after the movie and he got to run around in the rain. Figures.

More serious business

2011-07-23T18:10:00.001-04:00

He painted his treasure box today.

Strawberry gelatto...

2011-07-20T18:28:00.001-04:00

...is serious business.

Zack and I went to our favorite pizza place tonight since Rob is (wait for it--it's a shocker.) out of town for the week. We sat at Zack's favorite table, from which we can see the train tracks, the fire station, and the guys throwing the pizza crusts. This is also called 3-year-old heaven.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

2011-07-15T12:07:00.001-04:00

Pretty darned well, thank you very kindly! Our efforts to enrich our horrible soil seem to be paying off. We've picked quite a few cherry tomatoes already---Zack is learning when they're ready and when they need another day. We've picked a number of squash already and are waiting for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.

I learned last year that I have to grow basil in pots to thwart the slugs. That strategy is definitely paying off this year as I've already been able to harvest an armful each of Thai and Genovese basil for the freezer, and after looking last night, I think I could do it again.

The flowers are doing so well, too. Last year I helped our neighbor cut back the (formerly) huge bushes along our fence, leading to far more sunlight for our flowerbeds. What a difference! It feels like things are finally coming together.

Zack loves to help water, pull weeds from the patio, watch the bees and butterflies, and just generally be outside with us. We try to be outside as much as possible, but the gnats have been horrible, the mosquitos are horrible, and the heat has been oppressive. There seems to be a break in the heat this weekend, so it looks like we'll be back out there again!

Getting inked

2011-07-12T11:37:00.002-04:00

He's starting early. We figure he'll have a full arm sleeve by Christmas.

(And Anna, before you faint, it's just temporary.)

He also wanted to show everyone the seahorse that he took to bed tonight. Look really closely in his right hand (and use a little imagination)--it's got its tail wrapped around his finger.

How in the world...

2011-07-02T21:09:00.001-04:00

...my baby is this big is beyond me. But he has outgrown his tricycle, so here we are.

He was beyond excited to go get this today. He did really well, though going down (very little) hills was a bit scary. He's getting the hang of the coaster brake, though, and was so thrilled when he realized that he could control more than he thought he could. I expect him to be zooming around in no time.

Wet

2011-06-30T19:06:00.001-04:00

This orange tub? The best $5 we ever spent.

Oh, the obsessions of a 3 year old

2011-06-27T18:15:00.001-04:00

He has taken to picking the seeds out of seedless watermelon.

Quote for Friday

2011-06-24T11:01:00.001-04:00

This morning as I was putting him in his carseat, he said "I like your beautiful necklace, Mommy."

I'm starting to think he's buttering me up for something.

Quote of the day

2011-06-23T11:17:00.001-04:00

Zack and I were getting ready to head out the door this morning. He had his milk and I had my purse on my shoulder when he turns to me, points to my bag, and says, very seriously, "I like your new bag, Mommy."

Quote of the day

2011-06-16T18:39:00.001-04:00

I've lost my voice the past few days. The first day this happened, I picked Zack up from school and he was chattering away in the back seat like he always does. I was doing my best to answer, but not much was coming out. All of a sudden he stopped for a second, then said "Mommy, your mouth not making any noise."

Quote of the Day

2011-06-13T14:00:00.001-04:00

"I'm getting frustrated with you, Mommy."

This after about an hour of him fighting going to sleep. I informed him that he wasn't the only one who was frustrated.

Summertime

2011-06-05T19:54:00.001-04:00

So Zack faired very well with Grandma and Papa. And to their credit, Grandma and Papa didn't leave the second that Rob and I arrived home! Rob and I went to pick the little guy up at school the day we got back. When we walked in the room, he looked at us for a minute, then asked "Where are Grandma and Papa?"

We've been busy since then. Zack's school had an end-of-the-year celebration last Friday, with a Mardi Gras theme that included yummy food and pony rides. It was lots of fun!

We spent a lot of time outside this afternoon, with Zack doing a great job of alternately helping us, making "cupcakes" (this involved water, dirt, weeds, and a watering can, with just the right amount of stirring), picking wild strawberries, and otherwise amusing himself. I suspect that he'll turn a few shades lighter after his bath tonight.

And yes, his shoes are on the wrong feet. He put them on himself and he adamently insisted that they were on the correct feet. Aside from being VERY disconcerting to us when watching him walk, there was no harm done, so it seemed a battle that need not be picked.

I'm on my way to Providence, RI, for a conference as I type. I was telling Zack that I was going on a trip, and I got the requisite "don't go" that I was expecting. I told him that I had to go but I'd miss him. "I'll be sad when you leave, Mommy." Yikes! That really tugged on those heart strings!

Finally...

2011-05-27T12:20:00.001-04:00

It only took us one and a half days, three planes, and an unexpected overnight in Chicago (there are certainly worse cities for an unexpected overnight, to be sure), but we are finally in Santa Fe for our first vacation sans Zack. Grandma and Papa are keeping him busy (or, more likely, the other way around) while we're gone, so we know he is in good hands. By all accounts he is behaving better for them than us, so we can relax.

Though we must admit, we do miss that sweet little face just a smidge.

Mother's Day, Part 2

2011-05-20T14:26:00.001-04:00

A few days prior to Mother's Day, I'd found out that life-sized replicas of the cars from the movie Cars 2 were going to be making an appearance in our very own downtown Silver Spring on Mother's Day. Well, Zack loves the Cars, so I knew we had to go. What I hadn't realized is how staged it would be--we waited in line for 50 minutes, got our picture taken with all the cars, and.....done.

Zack got really upset that he couldn't go up to the cars (that is a pretty big tease), so we told him we'd come back after lunch to say goodbye to them. This seemed to work, and off we went to our fave pizza place, Pacci's. What a treat to be able to sit outside on such a gorgeous day! We had an extra surprise when neighbors walked in soon after we did, so we got to enjoy time with them, too.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend spent with my family--I couldn't have asked for a better gift.

Oh no, not at all.

2011-05-19T11:28:00.001-04:00

His hands weren't dirty. No way.

(Yes, we did march into the bathroom immediately after this picture was taken.)

Mother's Day

2011-05-18T16:43:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day weekend was just lovely. I got to spend a lot of time with my two favorite guys. On Saturday, we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Zack wanted to come home with a goat....

...but settled for an alpaca (see below). He LOVED it. He loved looking at all the sheep, watching the shearing, eating lamb sausage, checking out all the people. He was super gentle petting the sheep and he just loved those little angora goats in the picture above. He had a busy day. But according to him, he wasn't tired.

Here he is about 2 seconds after that declaration....

We went on another adventure on Sunday, but I'll save that for the next post.

Playing Catch-up

2011-05-17T16:43:00.000-04:00

Aside from the news alerts, its been awhile since I've posted about the little guy, so I guess I've got some catching up to do.

Zack and I survived all of Rob's traveling in the month of March, and we even went on an adventure on one Saturday. He and I took the metro downtown (that is excitement in and of itself) and went to the National Galleries of Art. I thought he might like looking at all of the modern paintings and the huge Calder mobile. He did, but (a) it's very difficult to explain the concept of art and it's corollary "do not touch" to a 3 year old, and (b) he kept asking where the fishies were. He wanted to go inside of the Andrew Goldsworthy installation (he has a point, it would be pretty cool), he walked across what I think might have been a piece of art, but I'm not entirely sure (the problem with modern art), and a few statues may or may not have been touched. He loved all the stairs in the East Wing. Then we headed over to the West wing; he loved the light installation in that tunnel, as well as the fountain. The cafe is between the two Wings, and he asked if we could sit down. So we got a treat, rested for a minute, and he decided he liked donuts.

Then onto the West Wing. The big hit there was the fountains and the sculpture galleries. I let him throw coins in the fountains, which he got a big kick out of and sent him off looking for more fountains. (Later my brother told me that coins in the fountains are the bains of the conservators existence--oops.) He was interested in all of the sculptures in the sculpture gallery. He paused at one of Diana, who was half nude with a drape across her. He commented that she just took a shower and had a towel wrapped around her. I which I could have gotten a picture of him staring at the statue of Mercury but I wasn't quick enough. He commented that the statue was (very obviously) a boy and he was wearing a hat. Then onto the third and final fountain. After he threw a coin in the fountain, knocked over one of the flower pots around the fountain, and then picked a flower, I decided it was time to go before they kicked us out. But not before he touched one more statue. Sigh. Then it was onto Teaism where, thankfully, there is a koi pond on the lower level (so he got to see his fish). After eating (well, I ate. He looked at the fish), we headed home on the metro. We had a great day, and he's a trooper, as he walked the whole day--no stroller for him anymore.

The weekend of Rob's birthday we made an impromptu trip to see our friends Mark and Judy. Aside from just having a great weekend filled with good food and good friends, on Sunday I went with Judy to see the Barnes Foundation before it moves in July, and Rob, Mark, and Zack went to the Camden Aquarium. Zack was in heaven--he kept talking about all the sea life that he saw. He still talks about it now, months later.

We went to New Jersey again over Easter to visit Anita and David and all the rest of the Malootian family for Easter and Mark's birthday. Zack had a great time playing with his cousins and taking part in his first Easter egg hunt. He did a great job of sleeping in the hotel, sleeping in his "Buzz bed" two out of the three nights, and sleeping soundly at that. He was super sweet and gentle with Dave and Anita's dog, Bourbon.

Rob scheduled a meeting in Princeton for the Monday after Easter, so that he wouldn't have to make the drive again later in the week. Zack and I set off on another adventure in the Princeton while Rob was at his meeting. We saw statues, sat in a chair outside of Design Within Reach and took funny pictures of ourselves and got coffee and a treat. All the while he kept saying that he wanted to be on an adventure, while I responded that we were on an adventure. "No, we're not." So I asked him what he needed for it to be an adventure. "Fishies." Uh oh. I had no idea where we were going to find fish. So we went to a yarn store instead. He was doing a great job in the store while I looked, and then the owner showed him a basket of blocks, which kept him perfectly content. I started talking with someone else in the store and she asked if I needed something els to pass the time--she suggested the Public Library, which had a great kid's section, with toys and fish and.......Wait--did she say fish? She did say fish--she said they had a large saltwater tank. Woo hoo!

So off Zack and I went to the Princeton Public library---which, holy schmoly, is absolutely gorgeous! And there were fish. As he was looking at the fish, I asked him if we were now on an adventure, and got a resounding "yes." So now I know that all good adventures need to include fish. It was getting close to the time we had to go retrieve Rob, so I told him that we needed to start saying goodbye to the fish.
"Bye, Nemo. Bye, Dory. I going now. I going to see my Daddy," waving all the while.

Aside from all our adventures, things are going quite well. Zack is excited that it's warm, so that he can go outside and ride his tricycle and dig for bugs. I think the dirt factor is going to increase exponentially this year. He's grown up so much, physically and cognitively. He's doing really well with counting, and when we tell him that he needs to eat 3 (or 4 or 5) more bites of his dinner, he knows how many that is. His vocabulary is increasing as well, with longer and more complex sentences and thoughts coming out of his mouth. He is very interested in emotions, pointing out what different characters in his books are feeling, telling us that he's mad at us or that he's happy, etc.

And his imaginative play has just taken off. He acts things out with his stuffed animals, he pretends that dinosaurs are coming, and that monsters are busy fixing the holes in the roads (and because they're busy doing that, they are too busy to come to our house). He re-enacts scenes from his day with his animals and his trucks, using his toys and other objects in novel ways. I love listening to him. He's a very good Daddy to his animals, and he wants to show us this by saying "I rub him gentle", "Bear-Bear is cold. I keep him warm" (as he hugs his bear to him), "Bear-Bear has a boo-boo. I kiss it better." Of course, all this happens after he's just scrunched Bear-Bear into a ball and thrown him across the room.

Of course, he is also testing limits in new ways--negotiating, talking back to us, etc. But for the most part he continues to be a sweet little boy who loves to have fun.

Action shot

2011-04-21T11:27:00.001-04:00

Quick news report

2011-04-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

A longer post will be forthcoming, but Zack had a major accomplishment this weekend--he can now pedal his tricycle all by himself! When he realized that he was moving on his own power, well, the look on his face was just priceless. The concept of looking where he's going rather than to the side, in back of him, up at the birds flying in the sky, etc. still eludes him (thank goodness we got one of those trikes with the long handle on the back!), but I'm assuming that will come eventually. Hopefully sometime before his 16th birthday. At any rate, I can't imagine that it will be long before he's going full speed ahead, like he does with everything else.

What was that? You wanted pictures of him on his tricycle? Are you kidding? I'm too busy trying to keep him on the sidewalk to take any pictures of him pedaling! You'll have to settle for these instead.

A rare....

2011-03-29T14:29:00.001-04:00

....but brief, sighting of the elusive Husbandus Roberto malootianus.

In spite of heroic efforts to tame this rare beast, he was soon off into the wilds again.

It's time...

2011-03-18T11:24:00.001-04:00

...to recommence evening walks.

2011-03-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

ALERT: This post is full of parental blather about offspring potty training. Yes, I am becoming that parent. Consider yourself warned.

I haven't really talked about our potty training endeavors lately. Maybe I'm afraid to jinx things, who knows. But after reading the book Diapers Are Not Forever a few weeks ago, he has wanted to be all underwear all the time.

As an aside, if having a child has taught me anything, it's taught me the power of books.

This was to the point where he pitched a fit one morning before school, so I said to myself that we'll have to take the plunge sometime, and put undies on him. His teachers were so excited for him and he was obviously proud--as indicated by him telling EVERYONE.

Aside #1, little boys in tightie whities might just be the cutest thing ever!

He didn't make it all the way through the first day, but he's made it through just about every day since then. His teachers are really good about sticking to a schedule, so they're really helping him succeed. He's had a couple accidents once we get home, but I think we've figured that out.

In order to help this all along, Rob and I decided that we'd stick close to home last weekend and really work on getting him trained at home. We planned on taking him to the potty every hour. And had about 4 accidents before noon on Saturday. We just looked at each other, absolutely perplexed. We're intelligent people, Zack had been doing so well at school, what in the world were we doing wrong????? So I googled potty training and read that a lot of people start by taking their kids every 20 minutes or so, and start working up to longer stretches. Ooops. So we regrouped, and decided on every 30 minutes. We also started using a kitchen timer, telling Zack that the buzzer meant that it was potty time. This strategy worked much better---no accidents, and no arguments about going to the potty (since the buzzer was telling him to go, not Mommy or Daddy). A random reinforcement schedule of M&Ms also seems to help.

The big test was the other night when Zack asked to go get pizza for dinner. I said that sounded great, hiding my anxiety about him having an accident at the restaurant. We went to the bathroom when we first got there and then also after we finished eating. He did great! He wanted to be in the stall by himself (OK, I know you're an independent kid, but could we slow down a sec?), gave running commentary about the woman's feet in the next stall (where did I put that shell to crawl into?), and pooped on the potty!!!! I wish I could have recorded his expression when I'd peek in to see how he was doing--just a big grin and shaking his head no, and I'd duck back out. A couple minutes later, I'd peek back in and same thing. Then all of a sudden there was an "I pooped, Mommy!" He was so proud of himself.

So we seem well on the way to having a big boy in our house.

Just ask him. He'll tell you.

Ipe Bear-Bear Blanket

2011-03-08T16:00:00.002-05:00

If you were knitting something, and a boy with eyes like these asked you if what you were knitting was a blanket for Bear-Bear (Most Beloved Animal in All The Land), what would you say? I said, “No, but would you like me to knit one for you?”

“Yes.”

“What color would you like?”

“Ipe.” (Translation: White).

I didn’t hop to it, and was asked several times if I was knitting a Bear-Bear blanket. I finally started two nights ago.

“What color would you like?” (Never hurts to double-check.)

“Ipe.”

“Is this color OK?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like it bigger than the one you already have?”

“No.”

I cast on and knit a few rows, then checked in with him.

“Is this size good?”

“Yes.”

And last night I finished the first thing that Zack asked me to knit for him. And this morning I asked him if it was okay.

"Yes. Take it to Balwyn and Elena?" Translation: Can I take it to school with me?

"It's still wet, but it'll be dry by the time you get home tonight."

"Ok. Bear-Bear sleep with it tonight?"

"Absolutely, Buddy."

Update: I was informed the other night that the new blanket could not directly cover Bear-Bear because it's "not very soft. The old one is soft." Which is true, the new one is wooly wool while the old one is softer. However, he still says he likes the new one and needs it in bed with him, so it's still a success in my book.

We survived.

2011-03-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure he's perfect yet, but we survived Zack's 3rd birthday party. There were about 10 pre-schoolers and 2 babies, along with parents. The general consensus was that Rob and I were brave and that the party was a success. Zack got a big kick out of having his friends from school show up at his house, which was just what we were hoping for. He also had a lot of fun with Grandma and Papa and Uncle Geoff. He was very sad to see them go.

"Nirvana is coming. The mystic portal awaits."

The next weekend, our friends Deb and Shawn came down with their parents and their two daughters. What a great weekend! We even had a beautiful, warm Sunday so that our visitors from the North could soak up a little sun and warmth to take home.

Zack helped me make cookies for the weekend. He cracked the egg, poured in the flour, and added the chocolate chips. He stole a few for himself, which he lined up on the counter, all pointed the same direction, before he ate them.

Play-doh was a big hit for all the kids.

And while I'm updating, here are a few pictures from the snow in January.

On other fronts, Zack had started wearing big boy underwear. It started with a book we got him for his birthday, called Diapers are not Forever. He wanted to wear underwear to school the next day, so we figured we'd try it. His teachers were very excited and supportive. He's been doing really well with it--the past two days he's had no accidents while at school. He's very proud of himself, as are we.

Countdown to perfection

2011-02-16T15:15:00.002-05:00

This title comes from someone's belief that 3 year old boys are perfection. We'll see about that.

We had our first parent-teacher conference the other week. We got a glowing report on our little guy--he's performing as expected, progressing as expected, he is a happy, social little boy, he likes to help everyone in the class clean up when it's time (wait---were they talking about Zack? They might have been confused there). He's on-target with potty training, but they suggested he might be ready to push it a little bit and try underwear. He's doing appropriate pre-reading behavior like sitting and looking and "reading" lots of books. (Sidenote: before bed, he hands me a book and tells me to read it while he's reading another one). One of his teachers commented that he was very smart---with a tone in her voice like we might be in a lot of trouble. All in all, they are happy having him in their school, and we are very happy to have him there.

He's showing the first signs of understanding gender. We were doing something in the kitchen the other night. All of a sudden he put a dish towel on his head (like hair. Sound familiar, Mom?), and said "Zack not a boy. I a girl." Then he put it on my head and said "Mommy not a boy, Mommy a girl."

His pronunciation of some words is changing, usually making him easier to understand. Usually. Unfortunately, the morphing of his pronunciation means that "octopus" sounds exactly the same as "applesauce" so context clues are still quite useful. He's got lots more expressions that he throws in here and there, like "Know what?", "Lookit, Daddy", "Not yet", "Try to get me", and ending sentences with "...,right?"

He's also getting much clearer about expressing his opinions of things (of which he has many. Opinions, that is). He's getting very good at telling other kids "Don't X me"---you can insert push, hit, etc. for X. We're happy about this, as more often words are replacing him hitting/pushing/biting back. This also means that as I guide him out of the drugstore so that he doesn't run into someone, he'll say (very loudly) "Don't hit me, Mommy!!!"

He went to his first two birthday parties last weekend and had a lot of fun. Rob took him to the bowling party on Saturday--there was much to report when he got home. I took him to our neighbors' daughter's first birthday the next day, which was also a big hit.

Last night after I turned out Zack's light at bedtime, I realized that I had to go back downstairs for something. While I was down there, I popped a chocolate in my mouth. Of course, Zack wanted to know what I was eating.
A cough drop.
Can Zachary have a cough drop?
No, they're not for kids. Besides you're not coughing.
See, I coughing, I sick. Can I have medicine?

It's seems like there must be much more I'm leaving out, but this is all I've got for the moment. He continues to be a very busy boy, who loves trucks, Play-doh, animals, rockets, and dinosaurs. He thinks of others ("Mommy have cake, too"), and uses Please and Thank You on a regular basis. He's got a crazy sense of humor and loves to laugh. And he doesn't miss a thing.

Maybe he does have a chance of being perfect in less than a week.

Time is relative

2011-02-15T10:58:00.005-05:00

I was one of many chaperones on Zack's recent class trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. When they first gave us the itinerary, I thought that it wouldn't be enough time to do anything. Two and a half hours for lunch, a dolphin show and exploring??? But as we were boarding the bus to head home, that seemed like plenty of time, particularly when spent in the company of about 35 pre-schoolers!

It also gave me a new-found appreciation for all of Zack's teachers. I'm planning on nominating them all for sainthood.

It was so much fun to go along on the trip. I talked to him about the trip as I was getting him dressed that morning, and I told him I was going to go, too. His face lit up at that, and he incredulously said "Mommy's going to go see the fishies, too??!!" like that was the coolest thing ever. Then for the entire 15 minute trip to his school he sat in the back saying "Going to see the fishies? Going to see the fishies? Mommy, going to see the fishies?"

He had a blast. He was excited about being on a bus. He was excited about seeing the dolphin show (though 25 minutes is too long for his age group), he was excited about the rays, sharks, fish, eels, and turtles we saw. He really spends time looking at things, too, to the point where I kind of had to keep him moving so that we could get through the exhibit and not miss the bus. Every now and then he'd see a fish by itself and he'd say "The fish is talking." I asked what it was saying. "Mommy, mommy, where are you???"

And just for the record, Zack was the only one on the trip who NEEDED a fork to eat his pizza, so his fingers didn't get dirty. He wouldn't eat anything otherwise.

I tried taking pictures but was pretty much foiled because (1) I was using my phone, (2) I forgot aquariums are dark, and (3) Zack moves too fast. So imagine him as cute as ever, just in front of a bunch of tanks of fish.

We'll definitely have to go back as a family to spend more time.

Who would have guessed...

2011-01-28T11:20:00.009-05:00

..when I made this stool in junior high shop class, that one day my little boy would use it to help his Daddy?

2011-01-21T21:45:00.006-05:00

We're all just getting over the flu this week, so no pictures. If any pictures had been taken, they would have been destroyed post haste, because we were not a pretty bunch.

Rob succumbed first, than I. We were hoping Zack would be spared, but he woke up with a fever on Wednesday. We were sure he was sick when (a) he slept until 9:30 am; (b) about an hour later, after coming downstairs for breakfast, he said he "wanted to go to sleep in Mommy Daddy's bed pweeeeeeeez" (and then slept for 4 hours); and (c) did not want ice cream. I am happy to report that he had ice cream and pretzels for dinner tonight, so he's on the mend. As are the rest of us.

His ability to express himself had increased exponentially lately. Unfortunately, it's taking the forms of direct orders to us, something we really need to figure out how to curb. For example:
"Don't moisturize me, Daddy"
"Mommy clean up toys NOW."
The ever-favorite "I don't liiiiike it" accompanied by "I don't waaant to."

When he gets particularly obstinate, time-outs do seem to work. Last weekend he started bossing me around, then hit me when I picked him up. So I plopped him on the stairs for a few minutes. Oh the tears! Oh the lip! But it made an impression. The next day in the car, his bear, then his cheese were alternately hitting him, and he was telling them "No hitting, it's not very nice. Time out." I could barely contain myself in the front seat, but was also glad to know that perhaps he was paying attention to me.

I shouldn't paint this picture of a naughty little boy because he really isn't. He tends towards very polite, voluntarily using 'please' and 'thank you.' He can occupy himself with his blocks or trucks for quite some time, and is starting to get much more complex in his play, having his toys talk to each other, and pretending that objects are something they aren't. He himself often pretends he is a cat or a dog and we're supposed to pet him and pick him up like a pet. He loves the kitchen that he got for Christmas, spending a lot of time cooking pasta, serving food to us, and pretending to make a mess by "spilling" the cups on the floor. He also likes to work on puzzles.

The most fascinating part of his development right now is his counting. He can count from 1 to 10, finally without leaving anyone out, and he will count everything. But it's his concept of numbers--or really, lack thereof--that is interesting. On one level he understands counting, but doesn't understand that it should represent a fixed quantity. So he'll count his fingers once and come up with 5, and then be perfectly fine with counting them again and coming up with 7--equally proud both times of how well he counted.

He's starting to recognize some letters. For example, he looked at a bowl of macaroni and cheese and said "C's!" And he seems to recognize "Z, for Zachary." In general, he recognizes letters as different from other symbols, and calls the whole lot QRS.

He's remembering emotional events more clearly, bringing them up later and talking about them. For example, the week after we got back from the Christmas holiday, he had a couple rough mornings when being dropped off at school, crying, and telling us not to go. In the evenings, he would talk about how Zachary cried, how he didn't like Daddy leaving, how Mommy came to get him. And he tied it into his memory of a little boy who was crying at the babysitting at the YMCA one Saturday morning. It was that little boy's first time with the babysitters, and he was missing his Mommy and Daddy. And oh, wow, does he remember his younger cousin Ella taking his trains and cars at Christmas time! Every time he sees her picture he recounts how she took his trains, that it wasn't very nice, and that he hit her on the head.

He's been developing some concept of monsters. There is a lot of "Monsters are coming" and "Shadows are coming," particularly around bed time. He seems fascinated by the idea, and creates games around it, but it's also something that scares him a bit. Before bed, we go through a ritual where I ask him what he can say to the shadows, and he says (very emphatically) "Shadows, don't come here and don't scare Zachary and Mommy and Daddy!" This seems to satisfy him and make everything OK.

Christmas

2011-01-14T13:24:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas adventures.
We wish everyone all the best in the new year!

Over the river, and through the woods...

2010-12-23T12:46:00.003-05:00

...to Nonnie and Nonno's house we go...

Merry Christmas!!!

achievement of a major developmental milestone

2010-12-18T19:53:00.001-05:00

He is now capable of popping bubble wrap.

Santa Claus

2010-12-13T10:53:00.004-05:00

We got our tree and decorated for Christmas this weekend, so we started telling Zack how Santa brings toys to good boys and girls.

His first reaction?

"Santa will bring presents to Elena and Balwyn and Hannah?"

My heart nearly burst--he'd immediately thought of all his friends at school.

First trip to Bassett's

2010-11-29T10:28:00.004-05:00

My Grandpa took my dad, my dad took my brother and I. Saturday it was Zack's turn. It was a big hit (and the water tastes the same).

2 years, 40 weeks

2010-11-18T12:25:00.009-05:00

He's been pretending to be various animals lately--a cat, a dog, a snake, a rabbit. What's really sweet is that wants us to pet him when he's a dog or cat or rabbit (not the snake). He lies on the floor and we rub his back. I started picking up the cat or dog or rabbit to pet him on my lap. Now he's started lying in my lap and saying "I'm a rabbit." It's as if he's too much of a big boy to snuggle with us, but it's ok if he pretends to be a snuggly animal. I think it's super sweet and am loving it.

He's becoming a bit more melodramatic when things don't go his way. It happened a few times this week when I took him to school. I'd say No to something he had his mind set on, and he'd look at me. And the bottom lip would stick out--oh, can he work that lip! And the face would start to crumble. And then the crocodile tears would start to flow. And flow. And flow some more. I'd explain to him why x,y, or z wasn't possible amongst the wailing. I'd ask him if he were listening to me---sniff, sniff...yeah........sniff. Then the dramatic wiping of the eyes with the hem of his shirt. I can't quite describe it but even that has the ability to tug on heart strings. A few more sniffs and then we're usually ok, though he is entirely capable of keeeping the distraught face going for some time for maximum effect.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-08T14:25:00.007-05:00

His picture day outfit, while he's making waffles for himself.

Zack was scheduled to have school pictures taken last week. We realized that perhaps we should have his hair cut so that he didn't look like a ragamuffin. Given his past reluctance to have his hair cut, we figured we should start talking it up. His first reaction when we said he might get his hair cut?

"Lollipop?"

And that was his primary concern for the next couple days. He marched into the shop, sa on the seat all by himself, sat completely still while she cut away, and all in all acted like he got his hair cut every day while Rob and I wondered what alien had possessed our son. He didn't even want a second piece of candy--just a lollipop.

And then we were told he wouldn't smile for his pictures.

We went for a walk this past Sunday. I'm not sure why we bother with the stroller anymore. After about 10 minutes of that, Zack announces "out!" and he runs the rest of the way. Literally. He's already training for cross-country, as best I can tell. Of course we stopped at the playground. My boys had fun.

Zack rediscovered his pull toy dog. He was treating it like a real dog, pulling it around, saying "Come on." He had it lie under his chair while he was eating dinner. I asked him what the dog's name was. Without missing a beat he answered "Placido." I recalled that a few days before we'd been watching a Sesame Street episode with a character named Placido who then met and sang with Placido Domingo. I guess he recalled the same thing.

We were lucky enough to be visited by our dear friend Kristen one night last week. Zack asked numerous times to go for a walk, and I had told him numerous times that we couldn't because we had to be there when Kristen arrived. After asking for the umpteenth time, I responded by saying "What did I say?"

"Please."

"No, that's what you say. What did I say about going for a walk?"

"Yes."

Trouble does not even begin to describe what we're in for.

Way to go, JoPa!

2010-11-08T08:12:00.001-05:00

Halloween

2010-11-02T10:02:00.008-04:00

Yes, I'm behind in posting. This fall is turning out to be pretty busy--both with work and with fun. I'm sure there's a lot of interest in Halloween, so I'll start there.

Zack has been having a blast walking around the neighborhood looking at the Halloween decorations. He's particularly fond of pumpkins but also likes bats and skulls. It's amazing how quickly he picked up on all the new things like jack-o-lanterns and witches.

Zack picked out his own costume and dubbed it Bruce, after the Bruce in Finding Nemo. He even started saying "Fish are friends. Not food." But clammed up as soon as I brought out the video camera.

Sunday was a blast. Uncle Geoff came over for the first time in awhile, which gave Zack a new audience which started getting him really wired. the M n M's may have made a small contribution as well. Then we asked him if he wanted to get his costume on to go trick or treating. He headed right for his jacket and was ready to go (I love how he takes it upon him self to get the ball rolling.) He went to a few houses. He got the royal treatment (along with a few more pieces of candy) at Ed and Cecelia's house. He'd say "Trick or treat" to anyone he saw on the sidewalk but totally clammed up when he was at someone's door. After he got back, he answered the door with me, still in costume, and gave everyone a good "Roarrrrrrrr". There's something wacky going on with our camera, so the pics aren't as good or as plentiful as I'd hoped, but I think you get the idea. Just picture a little shark running around in our front yard and you'll get the idea.

At the end of the day

The Friday before Halloween was a breakfast and Halloween party at Zack's school. All the parents went into the auditorium to wait for the kids to parade in and sing a bunch of songs. This was really just too adorable for words. This was pretty much Z's expression throughout--kind of "So this is what those crazy adults have cooked up now."

Aside from Halloween, he's been busy growing, exploring, and trying to outsmart us. Oh, and did I mention that I've found him in the fridge on a number of occasions, getting himself a yogurt? Ummm, yeah. It's amazes me what he can do, like make himself a waffle. He gets it out of the freezer, opens the bag, takes one out, puts it in the toaster oven and pushes down the button. All I have to do is cut it up and put on the syrup.

Play-doh is his new favorite thing. He plays with that for the longest time. He'll ask us to make things for him, too ("Make an airplane/sea horse/mouse/pumpkin/ghost/turtle/giraffe, Mommy!") And then he proceeds to cut them up. Sigh.

His vocabulary continues to grow at what seems to be a rapid rate. Which means he can use it to his advantage, too ("No, Mommy do it, not Zack"). He can tell us about things that happened awhile ago. And he loves to play jokes and games. His big thing now is to "boo" people--in other words, scare them. You just have to ignore the fact that you can hear him coming a mile away.

He still loves his school and talks about all the other kids by name. It takes us forever to get him out of there in the evening. They do a lot of art projects and music, get a lot of outdoor time (he was riding a scooter the other day when I picked him up), and he gets Spanish and yoga classes, too.

His meltdowns are a bit more intense these days, but they're no more frequent and are usually fairly short-lived. Oh the crocodile tears that he sheds! But once he starts to calm down, he take the bottom of his shirt or goes and gets a tissue to dry them. I can't quite describe it, but it's so endearing how he does it.

We hope you all had a happy Halloween!

The Farm

2010-10-17T20:33:00.002-04:00

Zack went on his first field trip last week, to a farm. Rob went along as a chaperone, so we have lots of pictures.

He had his first bus ride (there were car seats in it, don't worry).

They picked pumpkins.
They explored (the little guy in the striped shirt is Zack's best buddy).

They met some chickens.

They looked at rabbits.

They checked out cassowaries.

They got to ride a pony.

They met some goats, who were apparently a little too assertive for Zack. This is him telling them "Go away, goats!"

They also took a hayride (apparently that was Zack's only meltdown--he was more interested in checking out the tractor than getting in the wagon), and had lunch there. Rob called me when they got back to school around 1:00pm, generally expressing that he wasn't sure how the teachers did it every day, that they were something akin to saints. Apparently 40-some odd pre-schoolers at a farm is a sight to behold. Zack seemed to have a great time and keeps talking about the trip.

I was away for a few days last week, and it was amazing to see how much Zack grew up in that short amount of time. He learned new phrases, could speak more clearly. He's added "yes" to his vocabulary, though it's still well outnumbered by "no." His favorite question these days is "Whatchoo doin' Mommy?", or "Whatchoo doin' Daddy?" Asked at least every other minute.

He's getting even more self-sufficient and wants to do EVERYTHING by himself. "No, Mommy. I do it." This afternoon I came downstairs and found that he'd pulled a stool over to the fridge, opened the fridge doors, and was kneeling on the ledge of the fridge getting a yogurt.

This self-sufficiency translates to him wanting to help with everything, too. He volunteers to help us whenever we say we're about to do something. He put away the clean silverware from the dishwasher one day. He helps bring things in from the car. He wants to help when we cook, mixing eggs or putting in some spice or another. Rob was cooking one night and asked me to go get some basil for him. Before I even answered, Zack was out the back door to the pots of basil, picking some leaves. He was so proud to give those leaves to his daddy.

He continues to be a happy, funny, active little boy. We went hiking with our friends Mark and Judy last weekend and he did nearly the whole hike--some of which was pretty vertical and rocky. He only wanted to get on Daddy's "yolders" a couple times. As a side note, we also discovered where the stink bugs are setting up their head quarters to plan their world domination--Sugar Loaf Mountain. It was thick with them, you could smell them and taste them. Bleck! This morning we went for a walk. He started out in the stroller, but he ran and walked most of it. He seems to have all the makings of a cross country runner.

pictures

2010-10-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

He came, he conquered...

...he slept.

Play-doh is a favorite these days.

He made a snow man.

We don't get many opportunities for snuggling these days, so we take it when we can get it.

2 years 32 weeks

2010-09-29T13:27:00.001-04:00

Ed. note: I've been waiting to publish this post until I download pictures. I keep forgetting to download pictures. Instead of keeping you waiting until my memory returns, I'll post this now and post pictures later.

Throughout Zack's two and a half years on this planet (funny, somehow it seems like he's always been here), there have always been periods where we can almost hear things clicking in his brain, when he suddenly just gets something. That has happened recently with his independence. While he's not quite ready to set up a household of his own, he is suddenly capable of getting a juice box out of the fridge, taking it to the table, shaking it, taking the straw out of the wrapper, putting the straw in the box (without making a mess), drinking it, and then throwing it in the trash. Completely without the involvement of either Rob or I.

Ummmm...hello? Who is this third person in our house?

Honestly, I don't miss the baby stage like I hear some parents do. I'm really enjoying his toddlerhood much more than his infancy. But it's quite a surprise--a pleasant one--to suddenly have this much more independent individual in our house. I don't know how many times a day I hear "No, Mommy. I do it." And usually he can. He's helped me make sesame noodles by putting in the sesame seeds and mixing the sauce. When we get home for the evening, he rushes ahead and opens the gate for me. He carries his food over to the table for dinner. He's given up his booster seat and sits on a regular chair. He's starting to try things out like washing himself in the shower and putting on shirts. He has two best buddies at school to whom he is apparently stuck like glue.

Important for Rob's and my ability to negotiate is his increasing understanding of If-Then statements. As in "If you want me to read a book to you, then you need to climb in bed and not empty the contents of your dresser."

He does get frustrated more quickly, particularly with us and particularly at the end of the day, but he pretty easily snaps out of it. He continues to be a very happy, cheerful little boy with a huge sense of humor.

We've been getting a lot of artwork from his school. They do some pretty neat projects including a lot of paintings (11 kids wielding paintbrushes! bless those teachers!), and he's clearly very proud of what he's done. We hung the first project up on the fridge. When he came home with more a few weeks later, he showed me exactly where on the fridge he'd like to hang it and corrected me when I started hanging it upside down.

I haven't taken very good care of the flower beds in the front of our house, mostly because I haven't been able to have Zack out there with me. He takes advantage of it not being fenced in to suddenly sprint down the sidewalk and generally not stay anywhere close to me. However, I was tired of looking at the weeds along the front walk, so the other Sunday, when Rob took Zack with him to Home Depot, I headed out front. When they got home, Zack wanted to come out with me. And surprise, surprise, he did great! He got his watering can, filled it with water, and watered all the plants (all on his own--I didn't suggest it). He helped Rob put together a compost bin. He helped me haul bags of mulch to the front yard and got his first wheelbarrow rides. He picked up empty plastic bags in the wheelbarrow. He helped Rob loosen soil for reseeding. He was really helpful and we ended up having a lovely afternoon!

The other Saturday night we went to our favorite pizza place. This place seems to have some sort of magical effect on Zack because he always behaves really well there. All we have to say is that we're going to get pizza near the choo-choos and he's half way out to the car, talking about it all the way. It helps that they cater to kids (without being a kid restaurant), and they're near the railroad tracks and across the street from the fire station. We sat outside and had the good fortune of seeing several trains, two ambulances and a fire truck leaving the station, and one ambulance coming back to the station. He ate lots of pizza and was quite happy to get some ice cream for dessert. What was super sweet was he talked about it before he went to sleep, and the next day he told Cecilia all about it, too.

He wanted waffles one morning, so I put some in the toaster oven and told him that when he heard a "Ding!" the waffles would be done. Clearly this process was not moving fast enough for him because he pulled his stool over to the counter, got up, and popped the lever on the toaster oven which resulted in a "Ding!" He looked at me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and said "I did it! Waffles done!"

He continues to love being at school. In fact, it's taken some doing to get him to leave this week! He has two best buddies that he hugs before he leaves. They do a lot of arts, and did water coloring this week. One of the aides in his room said that he was one of the few kids that got it, that most kids load the paper up with too much water or don't quite understand how to get the paint to the paper. They're starting yoga next week--I can't wait to see what he thinks of that! I may even have to stop by one day to watch.

The other night Rob was making dinner while I was in the dining room with Zack. Rob asked me if I wanted to go outside to get him some fresh basil. Before I could even answer, Zack was heading out the door. I followed him to see where he was going. He was going to pick some fresh basil, of course! He headed straight for the correct pot and picked some leaves, which he took inside and handed to Rob.

One day this past weekend he woke up a bit cranky from his nap. Rob was trying to soothe him, but he just wasn't having it. I got out two new cans of Play-doh and started playing with it on the table. Nearly immediately there was a "What's Mommy doing?" He just had to come over and see what I was up to, and then try it himself. We then spent probably the next hour playing with Play-doh--it was so much fun! Well, except for the part where he wanted me to make a sea horse. Thankfully his standards aren't too high!

Just this morning, after I told Zack I was going to get on an airplane to go on a trip, Zack very adamantly told me "No Mommy airplane!!!!!" And so with the increasing verbal ability comes increasing feelings of guilt. Oh joy.

10 years

2010-09-17T06:34:00.003-04:00

10 whole years.

I can't imagine anyone better to have spent it with.

2 years 28 weeks

2010-09-12T10:09:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Gambril State Park for a picnic and to enjoy the gorgeous weather. I decided that we need to sign up Zack for the hiking club that maintains the trails, as he was rather concerned with moving sticks from the center of the trail and spent quite a bit of time moving rocks from the center of the trail and placing them at the side. He's also a little obsessed with "eee-corns" (acorns) and picked up large quantities, some of which made it into his pockets (mental note: remember to start checking the pockets of Z's pants). He finally tired of that and wanted to get up on Rob's "yolders". Of course, this request corresponded with the steepest part of the trail, so Rob got quite a leg workout.

Here he's checking out a spider web in a hole in the bench.

We'd made Zack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. He took one look at it, pointed to what had oozed out from between the slices of bread, and said "Bird poop." He didn't eat a single bite.

We had a great time picnicking and hiking (despite the bird poop). Afterward we went into nearby Frederick to walk around the historic downtown and get some ice cream. The highlight of Zack's whole day was finding a bag of pasta shaped like crabs and starfish. He held onto that bag all the way home and then ate a big bowlful once we got home and cooked it. A close second was when a mastiff and great dane walked by. The owners (yes, both dogs lived together--and had a great dane puppy waiting for them at home. Hope they have a big house!) were only too happy to stop and let Zack pet them. Zack loved it and was not happy when the dogs had to go home to get their dinner. In fact, when we told them that, he pretended to scoop up some food to feed them!

*********

We were all sitting at lunch the other day, when Rob let out a rather large belch. Without missing a beat, Zack looked at him and said "Excuuuse me, Daddy."

*********

Zack is all about doing what Daddy does right now. If Rob zigs, Zack zigs. If Rob dances, Zack studies him closely and dances just like him. I wish I had a video of them dancing in the bathroom the other night--it was too funny for words.

*********

Zack is also a smidge obsessed with trucks. And cars. And motorcycles. He'll play with his for the longest time, just lining them up, wheeling them around, putting smaller ones in bigger ones. I also swear the vehicles are stealing off into dark corners and multiplying, but I digress. He loves it when we drive by construction sites and he points out white trucks and trash trucks and red cars as we drive. School buses have reappeared, so that's been an exciting event for him.

*********

Zack has a buddy at school now. They're apparently inseparable.

*********

Note the socks on his hands. Yes, those are the wet, dirty socks that we just took off after he splashed around in the creek. But he DID IT! and put them on all by himself.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT!

2010-09-09T09:23:00.003-04:00

Zack pooped on the potty last night!

Yes, there will come a day that he will hate me for this blog.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

More vacation pics

2010-09-07T12:50:00.004-04:00

Brothers and cousins.

On at boat ride around the Thimble Islands.

Chasing seagulls.

Looking for hermit crabs.

Taking a break. (Rob sat down first. In typical monkey-see-monkey-do fashion, Zack had to do just what Daddy did)

Touching a starfish at the aquarium.

Swimming with Daddy. They both got wetter for longer in the ocean than I did.

Making sandcastles with Nonno. After seeing all the seaweed on the beach, Zack now thinks that anything green in his food (like basil in his pasta) is seaweed.

Isn't it time for vacation again?

Vacation pics

2010-09-02T14:55:00.004-04:00

Before the natives get restless, I figured I'd better post a few vacation pictures. Rob has run off with my camera, so you'll just have to be satisfied with the ones that Rob took with his camera on the day that we went to Harkness. We figured we should pay a visit, since we are coming up on 10 years this September. Zack liked visiting "where Mommy and Daddy danced." As you can see, he had better things to do than sit still for pictures.

There will be more pictures once Rob comes back with the other camera.

Vacation

2010-08-27T15:57:00.006-04:00

We

took a walk and filled our pockets with acorns
went to a clam chowder and peach shortcake festival
went on a boat ride
went in the pool and thought it was too cold
threw whales and sharks and noodles into the pool instead
that was just the first day
went to the beach
fell asleep on the sofa
met a (fairly) new cousin
saw whales, sharks, penguins, fish, Nemo, turtles and rays at the aquarium
touched starfish and crabs
ate corn on the cob
and mussels
went looking for hermit crabs that tickled our hands, then wanted "Up, Mommy" when we realized they were scooting about all around our toes
collected shells in our bucket
collected leaves that flew away
saw where Mommy and Daddy danced
chased seagulls
swam in the ocean
danced
played with cousins
made sand castles, then knocked them down
loved Angie's eggplant parmesan
slept in a big boy bed, then snuck into Mommy and Daddy's bed early in the morning
ate ice cream
charmed Nonnie and Nonno and everyone else
found baby pinecones and put them in our pockets
weren't ready to come home

2 years 25 weeks

2010-08-13T10:52:00.002-04:00

Zack has learned a new phrase: "do it."

As in "I DO IT!"

Did I mention that he's 2 1/2?

2 years, 24 weeks

2010-08-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

We went up to see Grandma and Papa this weekend so that Rob and I could go to my 20 year high school reunion. Zack had a blast with them, and reportedly was very well-behaved while we were out Saturday night. The first thing Zack would say upon waking up--at 5:30 am--was "Where's Papa?" I finally convinced him that the only way he could play with Papa ever again was if he went back to sleep for awhile because Papa was still sleeping. (And I was so not ready to get up!) They had lots of fun pulling out Geoff's and my old Tonka trucks, picking up acorns and putting them in a wagon, and checking out Papa's shop. And there may have been a bit of jumping on Papa, too. But I don't think Papa minded.

He also got to play with his friends Kayla and Haley and see their dog, Amber, on Sunday, which was also lots of fun. He was a pretty tired boy by the time we got in the car to head home.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT!

2010-08-05T10:03:00.002-04:00

************BREAKING NEWS ALERT!!!!*************

Zack has been using the potty for the past three nights!

It started Monday night before bed, when he was all undressed in the bathroom waiting to get in the shower with me. He looked like he was about to pee on the floor so Rob sat him down on his potty and lo and behold, he did his business! After we made a big deal about it and high-fived him, Rob cleaned up the potty. Then Zack sat back down on it and peed again! He seemed to think the whole process was pretty cool, and has proceeded to do the same thing every night since then. He has also taken it upon himself to empty his potty in the toilet and flush it.

*******Now back to your regularly scheduled programing*******

Week whatever

2010-07-26T10:10:00.010-04:00

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

2010-07-15T11:06:00.005-04:00

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...

2010-07-08T09:25:00.007-04:00

...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.)

2 years 19 weeks

2010-06-29T14:41:00.005-04:00

Hi.

Zack and Rob were jamming last weekend.

It wore him out.

Sunday after lunch Zack was busy doing something or other, so I decided to get out the roll of brown paper and start working on a pattern for a skirt that I wanted to make. I settled down on the floor and started to draw. After awhile he found me, and seemed to think it it was pretty cool to draw on this roll of paper stretched out on the floor. I saw this as an opportunity, and moved the paper into the office where I was going to start cutting out fabric. He kept bugging me to have some pens (that's what Mommy and Daddy use, so why shouldn't he?), but pens lead to a lot more laundry and cleaning when placed in his hands. I suddenly remembered that we had a package of colored pencils, so I searched for those, and lo and behold! They were considered just as cool as I hoped they would be! He hunkered down on the floor and started drawing, and I settled in next to him and started cutting. As you can see, he takes his work very seriously. In addition to drawing, he discovered that when the paper was on the rug, he could poke his pencil through the paper to make holes. He continues to think this is a pretty cool activity and last night we all sat on the floor and drew. It was a lot of fun!

We went for a walk after dinner. Which means a run for Zack. Unfortunately it also meant a crash and scrape for him, as well. He got a really good, bloody scrape on his knee. This meant that he had to be carried home (It's rather difficult to carry a sweaty little boy on a hot and humid evening--he just starts slipping right out of your arms!), and then there were tears in the shower when we cleaned it because it stung. He wasn't sure about the whole band aid concept, so I put one on Bear Bear first, to show him how much it helped make the boo-boo feel better. That worked pretty well, but Mommy still needed to get a band-aid after that, too. Just for good measure. I also thought that it might help in the future if he had band-aids that he picked out himself. So yesterday I let him pick and Curious George was the winner. Of course, now we're on a roll, and Bear Bear needed 2 more band-aids once we got home.

He was drawing at his table the other night while I was getting dinner ready. He came into the kitchen to show me this drawing, telling me without any prompts that it was "Papa, Mama, and Baby." This is the first time that he's identified what he's drawn, and I suspect it was inspired by his recent interest in the book The Three Bears. It's hanging on the fridge now.

I am very happy to very quietly and non-celebratorily tell you that he has been going to bed much more easily the past few nights. A baby sitter even got him to sleep with minimal fuss on Saturday! After getting advice from some other people, we tried just telling him that he can go to sleep by himself, that he's been doing a great job sleeping in his BBB, tucking him in, then leaving. The first night Rob had to go back in and put him back in bed, but since then he's been doing great! Now if we could only do something about the 6 am wake up time.....

So it looks like we may be in the market for a new couch. Rob has been having Zack watch a video downstairs in the morning while he takes a quick shower. Zack seems to have gotten bored with the videos we have because yesterday morning he decided he needed more excitement. So he climbed up on the chair (like this). Normally he pulls out a rubber spatula or something like that. Yesterday he pulled out the (new! full!) bottle of balsamic vinegar. The bottle that we put a pour top on to make it easier to pour. The bottle that is now empty because its contents are now on our carpet and couch. At least we have carpet tiles, so that part was easy to clean. The couch? Not so much. It's in the frame, in the cushions, and our living room smells like salad.

Good thing he's cute.

2 years 18 weeks

2010-06-24T10:22:00.004-04:00

Baby, it's hot outside!

Mother Nature apparently got the message that it's officially summer and cranked up the heat! It's 10:30 am and 91 degrees with about 150% humidity. Whew!

That does not stop our little guy however! It may slow him down a smidge (he wanted me to carry him part way on our walk yesterday afternoon. Just what I was hoping for on a 90 degree day--to hold a sweaty 2 year old!), but it certainly doesn't stop him.

He definitely prefers cool food, like sushi. Didn't you know, wearing your sushi makes it even cooler?

He eats Mom-made chocolate chip cookies. I didn't get a picture of him with chocolate smeared all over his belly. (Hmmm...I see a theme here, with the wearable food...)
He helps Dad wash the bird poop off the car. He carried out the bucket, soap, and sponges, scrubbed the car, and helped rinse it off.

He likes to watch videos of himself in action.

It was time for the Tupperware drawer to be cleaned out and reorganized.

He's rediscovered the train set that Papa made for him. He still needed help putting the cars together the last time he played with it a few months ago. When he pulled it out a few days ago, he was hooking them together like an old pro.

"Thank you, Papa" (He says this nearly every time he plays with the trains.)

He looks like a big boy.

He uses the new pool that Daddy got for Father's Day.

And not related to Zack at all are our hydrangeas this year. Three feet of snow seems to have agreed with them, as they are filled with blooms and were above our window sills before a storm flattened them a bit. They make me so happy every time I go by them!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T10:15:00.002-04:00

A greeting from master Zachary to his beloved granddads! Have a great Day!

2 years 17 weeks

2010-06-18T16:05:00.003-04:00

Just a few pictures to end the week.

We've given him the "job" of watering the plants. As you might imagine, there's often as much water on him as there is in the garden, but it keeps him happy. It took him about 2.3 seconds to realize that it's lots of fun to spray Mommy with the hose. You should see the gleam he gets in his eye before aiming at me!

He likes to jump and run and climb and fall. Often these activities are done on his parents.

When we got him his new bed, we couldn't resist getting this little chair for him, too. I'd put a video on for him one afternoon so that I could cook dinner. When I looked in, I caught him chilling out, like this.

Other times he chills out like this.

He'll be starting a new preschool in a few weeks. To help him adjust, he and I have stopped by to meet his teachers and check things out for a little while, just so he can get used to it. On both occasions, I was impressed all over again with the teachers and the facilities--I'm so glad that they had room for him this year. His teacher, Miss Carol, has been there for 28 years and clearly loves kids. They've made it very clear that it's their job to make him comfortable with the transition and to make sure he's happy there. However, I don't really think we'll have any problems with that. Both times we went, he marched right in and made himself at home. The first time he was won over when he discovered a Thomas the Tank Engine in his classroom that's bigger than the one he has at home. I actually thought there might be tears when I tried to get him to leave!

He's sort of doing better in his Big Boy Bed--some nights are better than others. Unfortunately, he seems pretty set on waking up at 6 am.

His language development is just amazing. New words everyday, putting new things together, talking about what's happened. At bedtime he's started to prefer reading to us instead of us reading to him. He has a book that has pictures of lots of different animals, and we go through it, page by page, so that he can name all the animals, or ask us what they are. He knows most of them, and seems to spend extra time on the pages with insects and spiders on them. I'm not sure how well this bodes for what I find in his pants pockets some day!

Speaking of which, did I mention that he tried picking up a slug the other day? He's very interested in bugs, and I try very hard to control my "ew" reactions (though I do tell him it's a bad idea to try to step on honey bees). However, when he came to me with his fingers out saying "Mess, mess" and I realized what that mess was....Let's just say that slugs are where I draw the line in terms of controlling my "ew's." Blech!