Countdown to perfection

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

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...

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

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

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...

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

Merry Christmas!!!

achievement of a major developmental milestone

He is now capable of popping bubble wrap.

Santa Claus

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

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

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!

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!

Halloween

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

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

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

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

10 whole years.

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