2 years 9 weeks

He's still busy.

There are cars to drive.

Play dough to check out.

Grandma sent a miniature garden to Zack. Conveniently, it came on a lovely afternoon, so we took it outside. He filled a dish with water from the hose to moisten the dirt cakes.

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of wet afternoons this summer.

He scooped the dirt from the dish into the pot, then put the seeds in, covered them with more dirt and tamped the dirt down. We're happy to report that the seeds have sprouted and there are little sunflowers growing in the dining room.

At least for as long as Mom remembers to water them. Ahem.


There is much other gardening to do, as well. He loves getting his shovels out after we get home in the afternoon. He's old enough now that I can get some gardening done while he goes about his business. He's even started handing me my gardening gloves when he gets his shovels. There might be hope for a decently tended flowerbed this summer!


Speaking of which, I wish I could send this gorgeous smell over the internet to you. Our neighbor's lilac bush continues to creep over onto our property, and the cold winter seems to have done it lots of good. There's a bumper crop of blooms that have lasted and lasted--I think it's been about 3 weeks now.


There is sushi to eat. Bet you didn't realize that eating sushi was such a full body experience!

He has also rediscovered his duck, which sings the Chicken Dance. He now flaps his arms along with the duck, which is pretty darned cute!

2 years, 8 weeks

A quick recap of Easter: We all had a great time. We had a lovely dinner for Mark's 85th birthday. Thankfully, Anna had the foresight to reserve a room just for us, so all the cousins could run around between courses and not get in anyone's way. I'm pretty sure that Zack was running the entire duration of the party! He had a great time with his cousins--this picture pretty much sums it up:

While he did not sleep the first night we were there (and in fact we had to go on a 1 am drive to calm him down), he definitely slept the 2nd night! He was tuckered out after all that running. Oh, and did I mention that he didn't take a nap? At all? Energizer bunny, that boy. We also had a lovely Easter dinner courtesy of David and Anita. Yummmm........

Last weekend we finally got to meet the daughter of my dear friend, Kristen. She and CJ visited and we threw a Meet the Baby party to reunite with her DC peeps. It was so wonderful to see Kristen and meet her little one. Zack wasn't quite sure what to do with a baby in the house. He's fine with older kids that he can play with, but a baby seems to be a slightly different story. He was very interested in her and needed to know where she was at all times. He'd do things like give her toys, then take them away from her. At one point when I was holding her, he came up and rolled around so his head was in her lap, and he just lay there as she poked around his face...

...and slobbered on his nose.

All in all, I think he handled it pretty well. And he still talks about "the baby."

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At the top of our stairs is a set of folding doors that open to our furnace, hot water heater, and a bit of storage. Zack decided he needed to be in there the other night, a decision that I didn't quite agree with. I removed him from the closet and closed the doors. He looked at me, gears turning, and then indicated to me that I should either go into his room or into my bedroom. I knew what he was up to, but complied. Sure enough, as soon as I was out of sight, he'd opened the closet doors and was right back in there!

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I made a coconut cake last weekend. Zack helped me make the frosting. He watched me use the mixer to mix it. He stuck his finger in the bowl to make sure it tasted just right. And when my back was turned, he helped to pour the can of evaporated milk all over the counter.

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He's continuing to develop and grow. He's using more words together at a time, and talks about things that have happened in the past. Watching him pretend is lots of fun--he holds a sock to his nose and he's an elephant; he puts the head of his penguin humidifier on his head and he's a penguin; he pretends he's sleeping. He's started to "read" the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear with us as we read it. He'll sit and talk himself through books all by himself. He likes to pick out his own socks in the morning. He rarely walks anywhere, but prefers to gallop, run, or elephant walk. He's taken to pulling a stool over to the counter as we're getting dinner ready so that he can help. He can now open the refrigerator, pull out the drawer, and get a piece of cheese for himself (I'm not sure this is a good thing, but an accomplishment nonetheless). I'm sure the gods will curse me for saying this, but he's been sleeping really well, too--going down without a fuss and sleeping through the night.

We've been loving the warmer weather and the longer days. We spend about 30-45 minutes outside each evening before dinner. He likes to pick pick flowers, dig in the dirt, and visit our neighbor, Cecelia. He has recently become fascinated with bugs and has no qualms about picking them up (though I suspect that the bugs aren't nearly as qualm-free). I'm rather certain that all those images of Dennis the Menace's mother picking odd things out of Dennis' pockets are going to become the story of our lives soon enough. I've already picked some rocks out of the washer. Luckily, he hasn't become as excited about his pockets as he has about bugs.

At least not yet.

2 years, 7 weeks

Easter pictures will be posted soon, but here's a story to tide you over.

As a bit of background, I've heard that Redbud trees are the true harbingers of spring, as they only bloom when it will really stay warm, unlike the magnolias that nearly always get frostbitten after they bloom. So I am always very excited when they bloom. Thus the following conversation between Rob and I on the way to NJ last weekend:

As Rob, Zack, and I were driving, I commented on the cherry trees that were along the road, then I told Rob that I'd seen Redbuds blooming.

He pointed to some trees along the road and said, "Like those?"

"No, those are maples."

"But they're red and have buds. They're redbuds."

"Buy they're not Redbuds."

"They're redbuds."

"No, they're not."

"They're redbuds."

"No, they're not."

All of a sudden, from the back seat, comes a little voice saying "They're redbuds. They're redbuds. They're redbuds."

Case closed.

2 years, 6 weeks

This weekend was the kind of weekend where you just wanted to get out all of your puzzles...

...and put socks in water bottles.

How was your weekend?

2 years, 5 weeks

Wow, what a great weekend! Not only was it 75 degrees and sunny, but our friends Deb and Shawn came to visit, along with their two girls, Kayla and Haley. They arrived Friday night after Zack was already in bed. Saturday morning, Zack and I went downstairs to say good morning. As he rounded a corner, he ran into Kayla. He stopped dead in his tracks, stared at her, and said "Wooooooowwwwwww....." Then he immediately tried to take her hand to get her to go play with him. The entire weekend he had to keep tabs on them and was pretty much just smitten. Sunday morning he woke up before they did (before anyone, actually). Rob took him downstairs so he could get breakfast started. Rob found Zack standing over where Kayla was sleeping saying "Wake up, wake up!" Oh, the screams of protest when Rob dragged him out of there! I had to take Zack outside for a walk so that they could keep sleeping!

Saturday we took the Metro to the zoo. Along with just about every other family in the DC metropolitan area. The one good thing about that many families and that many strollers is that no one cared when you momentarily got distracted and got in someone's way, or your kids suddenly veered off course. We had a great time. And Zack got to see the elephants.

As you can see, he was totally smitten with Kayla. He didn't want to hold anyone's hand but hers.


Sunday morning, after Zack tried to wake up the girls, they were all pushing each others' buttons, so we took them to the nearest playground to run off some steam. They had a great time running around and climbing. Zack also had his first playground accident--he got hit by someone swinging on the swings. Luckily, that someone was Haley, so there wasn't a whole lot of mass behind the impact, but it still knocked him over. He'd been running straight towards the swings all morning, so I was trying to teach him to freeze. But he thought it was a game and ran right into the line of fire. He got over it pretty quickly and is fine now (well, he has a shiner), but my goodness, did my heart skip a few beats!





After everyone left Sunday afternoon, Rob, Zack and I went for a walk and stopped at a different playground. Clearly, Zack was suffering from amnesia, or his brain is still unable to make cause and effect connections because he headed straight for the swings with no regard for his own safety. Sigh. I have a feeling that my heart is going to skip a few more beats over the course of the next few years.

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Zack is becoming much better at communicating. He describes things that have happened. He's also linking events that occurred at different points in time. For example, last week Rob was traveling. I told Zack that Daddy got in an airplane to go to California. The next day, on the way home, we passed a bus that had a Southwest Airline ad on the side, complete with a picture of an airplane. Zack noted the airplane, then said "Daddy airplane." It took me a minute to get what he was saying, but clearly he remembered what I'd told him!

He's also figuring out ways to get what he wants (aside from giving us that charming smile!). Exhibit A: We gave the kids ice cream before Deb and Shawn left on Sunday, then we served ourselves some. Zack had finished his by the time Rob got his, but Zack felt that he should have some more. So with words and hand gestures he pretty clearly indicated that Rob should put some of his ice cream in Zack's bowl. Exhibit B: Last night he wanted another juice box, which I wasn't inclined to give him. Sensing that his verbal requests weren't effective enough, he took my hand and led me to the refrigerator.

Now that it stays light later, it's so nice to be able to go outside after we get home during the week. We take walks, or go play in the backyard, or call on our neighbor, Cecelia. He loves to look for flowers and put sticks in his bucket. The fresh air also seems to help him go to sleep more easily.

Zack is also exploring interior decorating. He knows very well where his crayons belong (on the table), but often will test how steadfast that rule is, with a gleam in his eye and a grin on his lips. Last night he was really wound up, and not only decided to test where the crayons were supposed to be, but also on what the crayons were supposed to be used. In so doing, he graced one of the walls with a small mural. Somehow, I have a feeling that it won't be the last mural we ever get from him.

And another first--he blew out the knee of his pants (see, he's putting his finger in the hole).


He talks more to himself now. Some of what he says is obvious--telling himself not to do things, reading books. But he also sings to himself sometimes. My favorite thing that he sings to himself when he's going about his business is "digga digga do, digga do digga do, digga digga do......" We have to get it on video, it's just too cute!

Year 2, week something or other

2 years, 4 weeks


Yeah, it's been awhile.


Zack received a basketball hoop for his birthday. He hasn't really had any experience with this sort of thing, but is making up for lost time. Unfortunately, I missed it's debut which was apparently met with a crazy amount of excitement--laughing, shrieking, jumping up and down. Rob said he's never seen him like that. Now he likes to stick balloons in the net, where they get stuck, then thrown a ball in after them to knock them loose. I'll post a video shortly that gives you an idea of his excitement, just watered down a bit.

We also got him an age-appropriate remote controlled fire truck. This he isn't sure what to do with. It really scared him the first time Rob ran it around on the floor and we had to put it on the counter. Then he wanted to look at just the truck, but would have us put it back up after awhile. Now he's OK with us making the truck zoom around for a little while, but he won't really go close to it unless it's stopped. He won't take the controls, either. After a little while he's had enough and will take the truck and take the controls from our hands and tell us to put it up on the counter or bureau. His reaction is interesting because there isn't much he's wary or afraid of. It's been sitting on the bureau for weeks now, with no interest at all.

He also got a set of Duplo blocks, which are a big hit. He loves to pour them out of their container on top of him. Then he sets about putting all the square pieces together. He's really gotten the hang of snapping them together. There was a major breakthrough last week--he put them all back in the box, without being asked!

He discovered that pens aren't just for paper anymore.


The next Andy Goldsworthy in training? He was working on this installation one day after work. The pile of stones is still there now that the snow has all melted.


Last week I was away for a few days at a conference in Philadelphia. While I was away, Zack "got" the phone. The first morning I was away, he picked it up, showed it to Rob, and said "Mama!" So they called me. Which was a good thing. I'd thought I'd set the alarm in the hotel room, but apparently hadn't, so they woke me up (seems I was tired--I'd been asleep almost 10 hours!). I can't even describe how sweet it was to wake up to "Hello, Mama! I love you!" He definitely seemed to understand that he was talking to me because he was telling me what he was playing with.

Friday night Zack and Rob drove up to Philly so that we could spend the weekend with our friends Mark and Judy. Oh, and most importantly, their dog, Gus. Gus was the highlight of the trip, I think. Zack was so gentle with him, and would get nose-to-nose to give him kisses. He still talks about Gus.


We were getting ready to go outside one day while we were there, and I couldn't find his hat. I kept muttering, wondering where it was. As I was looking, Zack took matters into his own hands.

We also turned around at one point and found the construction hat on Gus.

Saturday afternoon we had tickets to see the Picasso show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The tickets were for 3 pm, so the plan was we'd go and Zack would fall asleep in his stroller while we went through the show. Except that when we got in line we were told that we weren't allowed to bring the stroller in the exhibit. Oh dear. Zack really was a trooper while we were in the exhibit (particularly given that he'd had no nap, that the rooms resembled sardine tins, and that he couldn't get down and walk because no one was watching where they were going), but he didn't have a lot of patience for that many abstract paintings in that over-stimulating of an environment. I was also getting tired of getting snotty looks when he'd let out a shriek of frustration (come on people, it's not like he was interrupting a performance or something). So we did an express walk through the exhibit and let Mark and Judy go at a more leisurely pace. Once he was out of there and could walk, he was much happier and enjoyed walking up the big main stairs. Then we walked into the armor hall--he was in heaven. So we tried another hall, with renaissance-era rooms--he loved it. Then we tried the Asian hall, where there was a monastery courtyard with a fountain in it--that warranted repeated visits. All in all, it was a great afternoon, and we learned that he's really good in museums as long as he can walk and the galleries are relatively empty.

He's still growing like a weed. I couldn't believe how much he'd changed just while I was in Philly! He's putting words together to describe things now. He's jumping, with both feet off the ground. He understands the concept behind the number 2--he tells us when there's two of something. He's started stacking and ordering things, like blocks, coasters, plastic containers. When he's using his crayons, he tries to color a specific thing, like a dog's nose in his coloring book. He loves to be read to, and one of my favorite times of the day is when we snuggle in our bed at bedtime to read books. He snuggles in next to me and drinks his milk while I put my arm around him and read to him. It's one of the few times during the day that he sits still.

It's been gorgeous this week, so when we got home yesterday afternoon, we immediately went outside. He helped me plant some seeds in a pot--he took the seeds from my hand and sprinkled them in the pot, then he helped me pat down the soil. Then he helped me clean out some debris from one of the flower beds, both by using his garden tools and by putting sticks in the lawn bag I had out. Then he had to go help Cecelia in her yard for awhile--and by "help" I mean picking all of her crocuses and giving them to me.

We're looking forward to some more good weather through Saturday, which will be great since our friends Deb, Shawn, Kayla and Haley are going to be paying a visit. I'm hoping we can take a trip to the zoo. I can't wait to see what Zack thinks of real, live elephants!

104 weeks

Someone we know is a year older.

Two to be exact.


We had a little party for him, with some friends and family. Of course, we had cake.



But I think his favorite part was the balloons. He LOVED them.


We got him his own little table and chairs, so that he has his own place to color and draw. He's pretty happy with this new setup. The only problem with this plan is that now he instructs us to sit with him--on those tiny, tiny chairs. We nearly had to get a crane to get Geoff out of the chair! (OK, maybe not really, but they're definitely not made for adults!) But really, could anyone say "no" to that face, when he pats the chair next to him saying "Sit! Sit! Sit!"? I think not.

He was thrilled to have Grandma and Papa come to visit and pretty much had them wrapped around his finger, if I might be so bold as to say so. He had Papa sitting here, and there, and playing with this and that. He wanted nothing to do with us in the morning; he wanted to go downstairs to see "'Ama and Papa." He was sorry to see them go.

He got some Legos, which are a big hit and I'm sure will soon be spread all over the house. There are lots of new books and toys to keep him busy, as well. I think we're going to have to purge again.

He's grown a bit, huh?

More snow.

I had to laugh at this column in yesterday's Washington Post. Regardless of what you think of the gist of the article, you can't argue with the fact that the first thing that Zack asks for when we're bundling to go outside is his shovel, so that he can help his Daddy shovel snow. Even if we're just heading to the car.

And we've had more to shovel! This time it was windy and snowy, so it drifted nicely. The highest drifts are, of course, on the driver's side of our cars. Rob made it out this morning and took Zack to daycare. I'm going to wait a little bit longer in the hopes that a plow will remember that we exist (though I'm not holding my breath). Apparently I'm just a block and a half away from plowed streets! So close and yet so far.....

I'm kind of tired of taking pictures of the snow, so just see the last post and imagine more of it. In lieu of snow, I'll show you some of our latest photographic masterpieces. Zack is fascinated with pictures now. He loves to look at the ones that I have on my Blackberry, and he's sort of figuring out that our camera takes pictures and then he see them on the screen. We took these the other night before dinner.



And I was directed to take a picture of his "elephant." He was particularly pleased with this one.


Updated early afternoon: We were plowed! By someone who knew what they were doing! Oh happy day!

Updated again: And they're STILL plowing 2 hours later! The plow driver had people move their cars so they could plow properly! And they're CINDERING!!!!!! This is nothing short of a miracle!

It flurried

For about 24 hours. And now it looks like this. Thankfully, we have power, which many do not, and we're able to get out if need be, though it's tricky since plowing around here has been absolutely abysmal.

And we're supposed to get 10 to 20 more inches tonight and tomorrow. I'm note sure where we're going to go with it all. As you can see, we already had to pile the snow about head-height. The DC area is pretty much infamous for its inability to deal with just a few inches of snow, so this should pretty much bring this area to a complete and utter standstill. I just heard that school is already canceled for the rest of the week. I'm sure the federal government isn't far behind.

We've been doing OK, though. We've made soup and cookies. I've been doing a lot of knitting. Zack really likes to go outside and shovel (Thanks again, Grandma, for getting him this coat and pants--we would have been lost this year without them!).

He's gotten the hang of his boots and the snow, and is walking around like an old pro.


When he's not outside (read: Mom and Dad are cold and want to go inside), he's busy coloring in his coloring books, or making installation pieces.


Here are my guys all snuggled up to watch the Super Bowl. Zack loves to watch football. I can't quite figure out where that comes from, but he didn't hesitate to jump up on the couch with his football, cover himself with a blanket, and ask for a cracker.

Now we're just sitting and waiting for the snow to start. The forecast said noon, but nothing yet. I would love for the weathermen to be wrong this time, but it's not looking promising.

I have no idea what week it is.

But we're back from Florida and I've got pictures.

Zack did great on the plane both to and from Tampa. I'd gotten him his own backpack and put some new toys and books in it for the trip. He was quite happy to stay sitting and look at books.

We chose our week in Florida well, as it warmed up after the cold snap they'd experienced. It was definitely nice to be able to go outside without a coat after the cold, cold snowy winter we've be having so far this year. We didn't do much aside from go to the beach, swim in the (heated) pool and hang out with Nonni, Nonno, and Angie. Zack had a great time. The first thing he'd say when he woke up in the morning was "Nonno! Nonni!" So out to the living room he went, and back to sleep went Rob and I--lovely!

Nonni, Nonno, and Angie were also nice enough to take Zack one evening so that Rob and I could go out for a movie and dinner. I will let Anna recount that story, if only because it's as funny to see her crack up trying to tell the story as the story is itself. I'll suffice it to say that everyone came out intact at the end of the evening, and Zack was apparently the hit of the Italian-American Club of Venice.

It was interesting to see how much Zack had changed from his last trip to the beach which was in August. Then he wouldn't sit still and ran all over the place for hours. This time he was much more content to sit next to us, examining shells, pouring sand on our feet, watching birds in the water. I think I'll always remember just sitting there next to him on the beach, watching him stack shells and be completely enthralled by it all.

Of course, he was also enthralled by the dead fish that washed up on the beach the morning after a storm.


It was like he was magnetically drawn to these fish. I finally pried him away from it by telling him that it was going nighty night. Then not two minutes later, I looked down the beach to see Rob closely inspecting and picking up yet another dead fish. I guess I may as well just give up now.

By the end of the week, Zack had gotten the hang of condo living--going down the hall, getting on the elevator. One day was particularly foggy and chilly and we stayed in most of the day. He was bouncing off the walls by the time we'd finished lunch, so I asked him if he wanted to walk down to the trash chute with me to throw away a bag of garbage. He got all excited, ran to the door, thought a moment, then ran to get his pail, ran back to the door, and said "Outside!" He was so disappointed when we only threw the garbage away and didn't get on the elevators. So we put on coats, and off to the beach we went.

The next day was much nicer, and he was ready to take advantage of it.



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He's grown so much in the past few weeks. He's putting words together to make several word sentences. He's picking up new words like they're candy. He's got more routines down. For example, we were getting ready for lunch one day and he realized once he'd gotten in his chair that there wasn't a bib on the table for him. So he got back down and went and got one.

I made pudding again the other night. I put the bowls of it on the table after we'd eaten dinner. Zack took one look at it and started looking around frantically saying "Boon! Boon! Boon!" I quickly gave him a spoon and all was well.

He's also telling us what to do--like patting the floor next to him and saying "Sit. Play" He's also starting to show some preferences for Rob over me. He wants his daddy to sit next to him and color in his coloring books with him. And he often won't give me a hug and a kiss before bed without some cojoling. I'm not completely persona non grata, but there's definitely a shift occurring, a shift that I find very sweet to watch.

He's starting to figure out colors, though not consistently yet. He knows what numbers are--if he sees a string of numbers he'll say "1, 2, 3." One of his books has a picture of the alphabet on a chalkboard and he'll often start humming the ABC song when he sees that picture. He knows hearts, circles, triangles, and stars. He thinks squares are the same thing as triangles for the moment. He knows where his shirt, pants, socks, shoes and hat go, but hasn't taken much interest in dressing (or undressing) himself yet. Sometimes he'll try to put his socks on, and he likes to pull his and our socks off, but that's about it.

He's started being concerned with "mess." He'd want to brush the sand off of his hands and feet when we were on the beach. When he's eating, he holds out his hand so we can wipe off the miniscule piece of banana on his finger. I find this remarkably amusing since the house usually looks as if a tornado went through it thanks to him.

He's figured out the TV. We have one video for him that he likes to watch for about 10 minutes. He'll open up the TV cabinet, turn on the TV, get up on the couch and pull a blanket over him, and demand "BV! BV! BV!" Sometimes we put it on, sometimes not. He's pretty easily distracted with other things, but watching videos does make getting dinner ready a lot easier!