Vacation pics

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

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

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

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!***

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

2 years 21 weeks

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

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

Before school.

After school.

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


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


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

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

He made train tracks.



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

Sure thing, Bean.

A Sure Sign You're Delusional...

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

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

2 years 19 weeks

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

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!

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

2 years 17 weeks

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!

He's a Big Boy now

So the big news in the Spotts-Malootian household is that the Mini Maloot has graduated to a Big Boy Bed (hereafter referred to a BBB).

Here he is guarding his precious cargo at Ikea.

It took Rob awhile to put it all together. Actually, I'm sure he'd like me to tell you that it took him 6 hours. At least he didn't come down to the last couple pieces only to discover that a crucial part was missing!

Zack had to get right in there and help.

Zack was SOOOO excited by his BBB. Even before Rob finished it he wanted to go in and check on the progress, and he'd get in the frame and jump around with joy. He proudly tells people about his BBB, and when I tell him it's time to read books before bed, he proclaims "in my Big Boy Bed." Absolutely!


Unfortunately this enthusiasm hasn't translated directly into sleeping well in the BBB. He's been going through a bit of a procrastination phase when it comes to going to bed anyway, and this seems to have been exacerbated a bit by having free reign to his room. While I don't mind that he wants to play a bit before going to sleep, I don't really need to feel the need to accompany him while he does this. Which is the way he'd like it to work. He's also been waking up way too early (even by his standards) and wanting us to sleep with him or to come into our bed. Which is sort of alright, but not really. I'm hoping that this is just the way this transition is manifesting behaviorally for him, and that once he gets used to the change, he'll go back to normal. Or at least go back to acceptable.

I do have to say that once he's asleep, he sleeps solidly. And he's been doing really well with staying under the blanket and not ending up in strange positions.

One of the reasons that we decided it was time to get him a BBB was that he was running out of room in his crib--what, with him being rather long, and with the menagerie of trucks and stuffed animals that need to accompany him to bed. It seems that Rob and I got it wrong. He needed a BBB so that he could bring more paraphernalia with him to bed. Before Rob even finished putting it together, Zack was lining up his trucks next to the frame. And once the mattress and sheets were in place, in went all the stuffed animals and even more trucks. Whatever works!