Marshmallows and Snowman Droppings

Earlier this week, a coworker gave me a small baggie of marshmallows along with a note inside saying that I had been naughty and that all I was getting for Christmas is snowman poop. AJ had never had marshmallows before (to my knowledge), so I offered him some "snowman poop". He thought it was absolutely fabulous and wanted some more. When Daddy came into the room, AJ was standing in the kitchen, pointing at the counter, and asking "more poop?"

After picking up Daddy and explaining about the snowman droppings, he decided it would probably be best to teach AJ to say "marshmallow" instead. We could just see him at school asking for more poop to eat. They would call CPS on us, and it would just get really ugly...totally not worth it.

We ask for "mallows" now, but was I so wrong for letting him use a word he already knew?

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all. Now go enjoy a nice handful of snowman poop!

Quiet Time Out

Call it what you will ... quiet time or time out ... I'm not sure we're getting the hang of it. We've watched "Nanny 911" and "Supernanny" and even have the "Supernanny" book. We give the warning after the bad behavior, put him in a quiet spot one minute for every year old, and make him apologize afterwards. Now whenever AJ does anything wrong and gets scolded, he says "quiet time" and heads to the corner on his own. We have to tell him to come back -- that he hasn't been sent to time out. He hugs an apology when you first take him to the "naughty spot", before he has even sat down. What are we doing wrong?

Tinkle Tinkle Christmas Star

AJ had his Christmas program at school on Friday. HIs class was the youngest group to perform. They sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star" while holding cardboard and glitter stars on sticks. The center of the star was open, so they could put their face in the hole while they sang. AJ was the only one out of the 16 kids that actually held the star in front of his face. I think he did the best of all! (Of course I am completely objective). They went back to their classroom afterwards to have a party and snacks. Lots of fun was had by all.

On Saturday we went to Mary Jo Peckham park with our lunch for a picnic and playing on the playground. AJ had an absolute blast. He didn't want to eat -- just wanted to swing and slide. It was a great family outing, and much needed. He woke up this morning in a fantastic mood. I think the breathing treatments have finally helped. He feels much better and is a new man. My sweet little boy is back and the demon spawn has left the building. Yay!

Merry Christmas

I got an email this morning that finally got me sort of in a holiday spirit. Enjoy!

http://badaboo.free.fr/merryxmas.swf

Find the Baby

Grace Community Church in Katy hosts "Journey to Bethlehem" every year on the church grounds. It's a really neat walking tour of several vignettes leading up to a live nativity. We decided to take AJ there on Saturday night. He was really interested in watching the camel, the donkeys, and the goats...more so than actually paying attention to the story. Along the "journey" you meet fellow travelers, including Roman soldiers, census takers, Magi, and shepherds. They are all looking for a baby they have heard was born. I kept leaning down to AJ telling him, "let's go find the baby." He would say "find the baby" and be ready to move on.

On Sunday morning, he was watching cartoons when a goat came on. AJ pointed at the television and said "Jesus?". I think he may have missed the point of the story....he now associates goats with baby Jesus.

Santa Claus, the Sequel

We took AJ back out to Katy Mills last night to try the Santa thing again. Since we went last week, AJ has been noticing Santa's pictures everywhere and pointing them out. He'll say, "Santa" and kiss the picture. Reasonable assumption would be that he's okay with Santa now.

Uh uh. Reasonable does not apply to toddlers -- particularly stubborn two-year-olds.
Before we left the house, we asked AJ "you wanna go see Santa?"
"Yes."
"Okay let's go."
"Leggo"
We get to the mall..."wanna go see Santa?"
"No."
"You wanna go get your picture taken with Santa?"
"No."
We get to the Santa display...AJ holds onto me with a death grip.
"No."
"Can you say hi to Santa?"
"No."
"You want Mommy to sit on the bench with Santa?"
"Yes."
"Will you come take a picture with us?"
"No."
"Look, Santa is giving you a candy cane. You want a candy cane?"
"Yes."
"You wanna shake Santa's hand?"
"No."
"Santa gave you some candy. Wouldn't it be nice for you to take your picture with him?"
"No."

We ended up just going to eat dinner instead.
AJ=2, Santa=0.

He actually SMILED!

AJ has this longtime suspicion of cameras. I don't really blame him. The child has always had a LOT of pictures taken of him. With him being so premature, we logged just about every second of progress. It's understandable that he NEVER smiles in pictures. He's always laughing and carrying on, but stops as soon as he sees a camera.

On the cruise, however, we finally captured the rare big smile while AJ was playing on the balcony.

Mission Aborted

Well, we put AJ in underwear all weekend and tried to do some intense potty time. Here is how it went:
8:00am - I actually managed to get AJ to go poo poo in the potty. While we were celebrating and putting his undies back on, he peed all over the bathrom floor.
9:00am - AJ has been cuddling in my lap watching cartoons when I notice that both of us are now wet.
10:00am - Got AJ to sit on the potty for a while with no results. He wanted me to carry him back into the living room. On the way, he peed on me again.
noon - Sent AJ to potty before we leave the house to pick up food. Take a change of clothes with us to run to Taco Bell. Standing in line at Taco Bell waiting to order, I look down and AJ is standing in a puddle.
naptime - We put him down in Pull Ups for a nap. I leave for the store to run errands. I get a phone call from Daddy to tell me AJ went pee pee in the potty when he woke up from nap.
afternoon - We have now gone through all of AJ's long pants, and have put him in shorts. We're doing LOTS of laundry.
dinner - We're all a little stir crazy, so we decide to go to James Coney Island to eat. Again, pack extra clothes for AJ. This time I take him to potty right before we leave, then again right when we get to JCI. No results. Two bites into dinner, I see large wet spot on AJ's pants.

Sunday - Daddy decides to stay home with AJ while I go to church. Have to change AJ's clothes twice before I leave the house at 9:30am.
Sunday evening - We have decided that maybe we are a little premature on this. Go out to buy some more diapers. We don't want AJ to start seeing this as a punishment or something bad. He obviously is not ready to tell us when he needs to go potty.

This is going to take some more time...

Hi! I'm in trouble

AJ has recently developed a new habit, and I don't know where it came from. When he has gotten in trouble (and possible got a swat), he'll scream and cry. Then he'll look up at us, wave, and say "HI" with a little grin.

It's kind of a neat way to diffuse the tension. Whether he does it on purpose or not. Hard to stay mad and frustrated with someone when they're being so gosh darn cute.

Uh-oh

I just had to laugh at AJ this morning. I went to wake him up, and he was sleeping so peacefully. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked around and said, "uh oh". Then he lay back down and closed his eyes.

You know -- how many of us feel that same way in the mornings? UH-OH, I'm awake...

Potty Progress

Since we have been gone for two weeks on vacation, then Thanksgiving, AJ seemed to have lost his progress on using the potty. He has been in diapers all week at school. He was sat on the potty at school, but hadn't done anything there.

Last night AJ decided he needed to "help" me potty and followed me into the bathroom. While I was sitting there, AJ pointed at his potty, said "potty", and started pulling down his pants. He kept getting up and down for a while, so I figured he was just playing again. Then he went over and tried to flush the regular toilet. When I looked down I saw that he had actually went pee pee in his potty. Since there was no flush handle on his potty seat, he was trying to flush the big potty.

This weekend we will try to put him in his underwear for the first time. Fun, fun, fun...

Weird Things follow-up

Apparently my doll has won the Weird Things contest over at MamaDrama. I have found out what her real name is and started to do some research. Seems she might have some twin sisters out there somewhere...


http://www.bigredtoybox.com/cgi-bin/toynfo.pl?saucyindex

Santa and Funship Freddy

It seems AJ has developed a phobia of Santa and large costumed characters. We thought it was kinda cute that he was afraid of the Funship Freddy mascot on the cruise. During the Camp Carnival Talent Show, AJ was much more interested in watching Freddy's every move with great suspicion, than with actually participating in his class dance.

Last night we went out to Katy Mills to have AJ's picture taken with Santa again. He did so well last year, and we got such a cute picture. This year, however, AJ didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with Santa. He didn't want Santa within 6 feet of him. I felt bad for the poor Santa -- he really tried to engage AJ, but AJ would just scream and look away.

Guess Daddy's idea of an annual Santa picture is going to have a gap...

Weird Things Contest

Jenny over at the MamaDrama blog that I frequent, has put out a challenge to show her the weirdest thing that you have. My entry for this contest seems to freak out everyone but me. Jenny seems to have an eye for the macabre, so I think she will like my "evil possessed doll" also. This doll was given to me MANY years ago by my grandmother, and I have never seen another one like it. On the surface she seems like a normal doll, but when you pump her arm up and down she changes facial expressions. Here are some of my favorites.



One night in college I had a party at my apartment. The next morning (after drinking a bit the night before), I found my precious doll sitting at the end of my bed with this expression and holding one of my kitchen knives...

I can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with that.

Relaxing Vacation

This is a child who knows how to party down on his first big family vacation. Here is AJ enjoying Jamiaca.

Here he is enjoying the Cayman Islands.

And partying hard in Cozumel.

Still going in our cabin.

And really enjoying Camp Carnival.

Sneak Preview

Things have been a whirlwind since we got back from the cruise on Sunday afternoon. I am unpacking and repacking to leave again tomorrow for our annual Yaklin family Thanksgiving in Falfurrias. I know I have to do a long entry about the cruise, but here is a sneak preview.

Here is AJ relaxing on the Lido deck.

Countdown to Cruise-time

Hubby has talked of little else but the cruise for the past six months. To the point that I told him not to mention the word again. Today is my last day at work before we leave, and I think I finally have a case of "vacation-itis".

Okay, I'm back now. Apparently I will not be allowed to tie up loose ends today and coast through the day. There have ben nothing but emergency fires to put out since I walked into my office this morning. AAGGHHH!

I'm looking forward to relaxing on my stateroom balcony, spending some quality time with Hubby and AJ, and celebrating the big 4-0 in style. I'll post pictures when we return.

Peace out!

Shopping Needed

We had a little chat with AJ's lead teacher this morning at school. She says that he's doing really well with the potty and we should go ahead and start putting him in big boy underwear. Let me get this straight -- we are leaving in 5 days, taking a one-hour ride to Galveston, standing in line for who-knows-how-long, going on a seven day cruise (complete with 3 shore excursions), coming home on another hour-long drive, going back to school for only two days, leaving for a 4-hour car ride, staying in a hotel room for 4 nights, then taking another 4-hour car ride home. And this lady wants me to put AJ in underwear for the first time? Who is she kidding? I think we'll wait until after Thanksgiving. Jeez, he has only gone pee pee on the potty a few times...And I don't think I'm ready to start changing his clothes 4-5 times a day.

I think she and Daddy are going to have a hard time convincing me...

Wanna Potty, Part Deux

We seem to be making some real progress in the potty department. Of course, that progress will more than likely go away when we leave on Sunday for our vacation. AJ went pee pee in the potty twice at school yesterday and even did it once at home last night. Unfortunately, he had pulled off the little deflector shield on his potty at home, so most of it just went all over the bottom of his shirt....Oh well, I've cleaned up worse stuff than that lately. He was very proud of himself. I think it might just be starting to sink in.....

Wanna Potty

We bought AJ his very own potty this weekend. He apparently took that to mean that he needed to potty CONSTANTLY from that point forward. We set it up in the spare bathroom and he would run to the bathroom door yelling "wanna potty". We pull down pants, remove the diaper, let him sit on the potty, he would play instead of doing anything in the potty, I'd get him up, put on a new diaper, pull up his pants, go back into the living room. Then five minutes later -- "wanna potty"! Off we go to repeat the process. We spent most of the weekend in the bathroom. Of course the one time that I made him get up before he wanted to, he peed on the floor....I know it's a case of the boy crying "wolf" (or potty), but I just know that the one time I ignore his question would be the first time he would have actually DONE anything in the potty. So I guess I will just spend the foreseeable future hanging out in the bathroom. At least I quickly broke him of thinking that if he was sitting on the potty, that I had to be sitting on the big potty too...

Reverse Trick-or-Treating and Vampires at School

Halloween is over....YAY! AJ looked absolutely adorable in his clown costume even if he wouldn't leave the red nose on. There would be a picture posted here, but the batteries are dead in the camera and the pictures are locked inside. AJ had a couple of parties at school. During morning snack time, they put on their costumes and trick-or-treated to the other classrooms. During afternoon snack time, they had juice boxes, cookies, and fruit. One of the other children bit AJ on the back of the neck during playtime. They put ice on it for a while, but there is still a big bruise on his neck. Must be the Halloween thing....biting on the neck is a first for us.

After school, I picked AJ up and took him to the church for Heroes night. Daddy acted in a skit, and after the program, about 165 kids went "trunk or treating" in the parking lot. AJ's clown costume was again a big hit. AJ went to each trunk, said "tukteet" and held up his bag. After the first few trunks, he would go up to the next trunk, reach his hand into his bag, and try to give candy back. Thus is born the new fad of "reverse trick or treat".

It was a long day. AJ was so enamored of his costume that he wouldn't let us take it off. He passed out in the car on the way home. I finally managed to remove costume and clothes from a still-sleeping kid. He woke up long enough for me to let him down to go say goodnight to Daddy, but he walked straight to his bed, crawled in, and lay down. Daddy and I said "Night Night". AJ just waved at us through the bed rail and said "bye bye".

Start the stripper music

I have been trying to reinforce the pre-potty training exercises that they have been working on at school by letting AJ sit on the toilet at home. When we were gone out to eat lunch yesterday, I ask him if he needed a clean diaper. We went into the restroom and he headed straight into one of the stalls and started pulling down his pants. He didn't do anything while he was sitting on the potty, but at least he's making progress.

Last evening I heard the toilet seat banging and went to investigate. AJ was in the bathroom. He had lifted up the lid and the toilet seat, and was trying to climb onto the toilet. I got there just in time to keep him from sticking his foot in the water. While I was getting everything reorganized, AJ climbed into the bathtub, completely removed his pants, and was trying to turn on the water in the tub.

Guess I'm gonna have to start keeping that door closed now...

C...O...O...O...

AJ went to his first football game on Saturday. It was Band Alumni Day at the UH vs UCF football game at Robertson Stadium. I saw some friends I hadn't seen in 15-16 years. It was fun catching up and participating in some of the UH band traditions.

1) The band has a 350lb brass bell that they ring for every point after each score. By the end of the first half, AJ was waving his version of the "Cougar Paw" in the air to count points also.

2) The band sways left and right while they play the fight song. We had AJ swaying along with us. He was very cute.

3) AJ loved dancing to the drum cadences. Particularly the "Cougar Spellout". He would yell "C!", "O!", "U!", "O""O""O"......so maybe his spelling needs a little work.

It's Potty Time

AJ went poo poo in the potty for the very first time yesterday at school. Does it count if it wasn't on purpose? Apparently the teacher was changing his diaper when he decided he wanted to fill it, so she scooped him up and sat him on the potty to finish. He was very proud of himself...

I SOOO don't want to be in the middle of potty training when we leave for the cruise in a couple of weeks. I was hoping he would hold off on making any progress until we get back. I suppose that's kind of selfish...On the bright side, if he does actually figure out this whole potty thing before we leave on the 12th, we will be able to go into the kiddie pool on the ship. They don't allow diapers in the pools.

Oh NO! Not nice!

Two of AJ's latest phrases have been popping up in hysterical places lately. AJ now has a very dramatic way of saying "Oh, no!" that makes it sound like his little world has just been ruined. When we are watching "Deal or No Deal" on television, when a contestant opens a large number, the audience reacts with a gasp or "aaawww". AJ screams out "Oh, NO!"

This weekend when Daddy had to apply the brakes pretty hard while we were driving, we all lurched forward a bit, and hear AJ shout "Oh, NO!" from the back seat.

His other new phrase is "not nice". Yesterday's application came when Daddy was tickling AJ on the leg. AJ pushed his hand away and said, "Not nice!" I just about fell out of my seat.

The Great Pumpkin

Saturday we decided AJ looked bored so we took him out for a ride to the park to play. On the way to the park I had the great idea of taking him out to Dewberry Farm in Brookshire. It's only about a 20-25 minute drive from our house and looked like we could have some fun. Let's backtrack to last Monday....when the Houston area was deluged by several inches of rain....Let's take a toddler out to a big field. What a huge, muddy mess!!

AJ took his first hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. Of course, first rattle out of the box, he steps into a ditch and gets stuck in the mud. From then on, he doesn't want to walk -- only wants to be carried. So Daddy and I are taking turns toting this 23 pound squirming weight around in a muddy, uneven field full of pumpkins about the size of an orange. AJ had a blast on the hayride, though.

He also got to ride the corn train. The corn train is a "train" made of 55-gallon plastic barrels that have been turned sideways, a hole cut out of the side, slapped on some wheels, and dragged through a field by a tractor. AJ was too small to ride by himself, so I had the privilege of riding with him. Here's the visual -- muddy toddler and me wedged into a 55-gallon drum, staddling a piece of wood "seat" about 6 inches wide, being dragged and bounced along with other parents and children through a muddy, hilly field for about five minutes. Count me out for the next ride!

There were lots of neat things for the kids there, but AJ will probably not be back until he is a little older....and that will give my butt time to recover...

Cleaning the Bathtub

Well, I have now had another momentous "first" with AJ. Last night during his bath, he actually pooped in the bathtub! I made AJ stand up and asked him if he was finished, then sat him down on a towel on the floor. I left the tub draining while I went to dry AJ off and put on his pajamas.

Unfortunately, I then had to go back into the bathroom and figure out the least offensive way to remove the poop from the tub...EEEWWWW....

Renewable Resources

AJ posesses a highly valuable renewable resource. It's called N.O.I.S.E. He has so much of it inside of him that occasionally some of it just bursts out. And no matter how much of it he uses, there always seems to be plenty more...

Homecoming

I have finally returned home from a week away from my family working a show in Washington, DC. It was my first time away from AJ for more than 2 nights, so I was really a mess leaving. Daddy kept me informed every day about happenings on the homefront....AJ wandering around the house with one of my shoes.....AJ looking for me in the mornings in the bed, then pointing the the bathroom sure I must be in the shower....

I was really excited to get home Friday night. I thought AJ would be excited to see me too. The van door slid open for me to get in next to him. He had a HUGE smile on his face. But rather than shouting "Mommy" with joy in his heart, he just threw his arms out wide and screamed "AIRPLANE" (well, his version of it). Apparently when they were driving around the airport, there was a plane sitting on the overpass above the road. He thought that was just the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He spent the rest of the ride home pointing out the window saying "airplane".

On Saturday, the local fire department had a open house. AJ got to sit inside a fire truck and an ambulance. Then they brought in Life Flight. AJ got to sit across the street and watch the helicopter land in the parking lot. That just got him started on "airplane" again.

We were looking online at the Carnival site to find our stateroom for our upcoming cruise. AJ was sitting in Daddy's lap at the computer, pointing at the ship on the screen and saying "airplane". I think I'm sensing a trend...

Transition Time

AJ started transitioning into his next classroom this week, and it looks like we have some practicing to do! In this class, the kids eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the school instead of their classroom. There are no more sippy cups (I see a lot of wet clothes in our future). AJ will have to put away his own toys when he is finished playing with them. The room is divided into different "stations". Throughout the day, the kids move from station to station for a set period of time. They can play with whatever is in that station, but must stay in that station. No more running crazy around the room. And the strangest thing to me -- stand-up diaper changes! They start potty-training here, and there is no changing table. At potty time, the teacher takes each kid into the restroom, lets the "trainers" sit on the potty, then changes their diapers while they are standing up. I have tried this. IT'S NOT EASY! How do you keep him from walking away while you are holding his shirt up with one hand and trying to put on a diaper with the other hand?

My first spontaneous kiss

5:20am this morning...AJ standing next to my bed waving "hello" and raising his arms up to get in the bed...He laid down between me and Daddy in the middle of the bed. A few minutes later he sat up, leaned over me, and gave me a big "SMACK" kiss on the mouth. Then he laid back down and giggled.

AAWWW....

Communing with nature

My baby has turned into a little boy before my very eyes and seemingly overnight. I know he's a little boy because of his newly-found fascination with dirt, bugs, and worms. He loves his new sand/water play table and spent over an hour on Friday evening throwing sand across the yard, putting sand on his head, and using handfuls of sand in the "water" side to build a dam. When we got back into town last night, he got out of the car and went straight to the sand pile.

Saturday night he made friends with an ant and a cricket. While spinning around in circles he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It was a tiny ant crawling across a small leaf. He leaned down over the leaf and waved a cheery "hi" to the ant. When the ant kept walking, AJ lay down on his tummy next to the leaf to take a closer look and tell Mr. Ant "hello" from up-close.

A few minutes later, he discovered a cricket walking across the way. He had to lay down and talk to the cricket for a while also.

Yesterday while we were unloading the car, AJ found a live earthworm crawling across the sidewalk. We had to stop and carry on a conversation with the worm too.

The "after party"

After the school party, we went home and played outside while we waited for more birthday guests to arrive for dinner and presents. AJ had another cupcake and blew out his candle (with help from Daddy). He got another couple of books for his Little Leappad, a Little People barn (which he seems to LOVE), and an activity table that Mommy and Daddy are having trouble assembling. Gotta find a customer service help line to Fisher Price now. Can't wait for Christmas.....*SIGH*

Happy Birthday

I am now officially exhausted. AJ had a party celebrating his 2nd birthday yesterday at school with 15 other toddlers. We had balloons, Elmo hats and napkins, goodie cups, and cupcakes for everyone. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. We completely trashed his classroom, though. I understand now why they wanted cupcakes with white frosting!

Weekend

We got up and took AJ to the zoo on Saturday morning. His only other trip to the zoo was about this time last year, and he wasn't interested at all. This time he really seemed to enjoy himself. It's all about the elephants, bears, and monkeys...He was kinda cute waving and saying "bye" to each animal as we walked away.

"Aunt Marsha" and "Uncle Rafi" came over yesterday on their way home to San Antonio. They are getting married in January and want AJ to be their ring-bearer. AJ is such a ham that I don't think he will have a problem with that at all. And he'll look really cute in a tuxedo!

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Not many good stories lately....AJ has started being very clingy and doesn't want us to leave him at school. This is very unusual for us.

Yesterday AJ found a dead earthworm curled up on the sidewalk. He picked it up and tore it into pieces. I must admit, it was rather disturbing...

Two of AJ's school friends are almost potty-trained. Both of them were born the week of AJ's original due date, so they are 3 months younger than he is. We haven't even started trying to potty-train AJ yet. Are we behind? Do girls always do this faster than boys?

One week until AJ's second birthday and his party at school. Must remember not to bring cupcakes with colored frosting. Apparently the food coloring stains everything.

Puppies for Breakfast

I will be very glad when AJ finally begins to speak clearly. But life won't be nearly as funny.... On Saturday morning AJ starting pointing toward the kitchen saying "eat". I asked him what he wanted for breakfast. He said something that sounded like "puppies". I just stood there scratching my head wondering where the puppies were (since we only have a cat). So I asked him "what puppies?" He just kept repeating "puppies". After about the fifth time, I realized that maybe he was trying to say "breakfast". When I asked him "breakfast?", he got a big smile on his face and started applauding. He was so proud of his stupid Mommy finally figuring it out.

As for the "Mommy" thing...I apparently have a new name. Instead of saying Mommy now, AJ replaces the middle "m" sound with an "n". I am now "Money"! I hope that isn't prophetic. This child is already very expensive!

My new favorite picture of AJ

I think he looks so grown up in this one....it's hard to believe he will be two years old in a couple of weeks.

Early morning ...

If you spend any time around AJ, you will soon learn of his love for books. When we get home from school each evening, he immediately starts bringing out books for us to read. We are required to read at least 5 or 6 books before dinner.

This morning at 4:18am (jeez, that's early) AJ came into our room. Since he moved into his big boy bed, he can get up by himself without having to wait for someone to rescue him from his crib. He navigates very easily through the house in complete darkness to find his way into our bedroom.

Anyway, this morning he showed up next to my side of the bed at 4:20am. When I reached down to pick him up, he handed me a book!

(I should have known this was coming when he started "reading" so early in life...)

I'm Sorry

Last night I was tired and yelled at AJ when he picked up his plate at dinner and emptied it onto his lap and the floor. We took this as a sign that he was through eating and (after cleaning him up) he was sent away from the table. My own dinner put aside now, I got out the broom and started cleaning up the food, because AJ will just come eat it off the floor.

Daddy took him into the living room and explained to him that we don't throw food, that he had hurt Mommy's feelings, and that he needed to apologize. I heard this and immediately thought "Right...that'll happen....he's just a baby and won't understand."

AJ walked into the kitchen where I was standing and started hugging me around my leg. I got down on my knees and he gave me a really big hug....

Of course my eyes filled with tears and I felt about this small....

Like a day at the beach...

Since we are going on a cruise in November, we decided we should see how AJ would react to the beach. So we went down to Galveston on Saturday. He wasn't too sure about the water, but really enjoyed playing in the sand. Daddy took him out to wade in the water -- that was fun. AJ liked destroying Daddy's sand castles. I took him along the beach to pick up sea shells; until he ate one! I saw him put it in his mouth, but by the time I got him to open his mouth to let my fingers in, all I found was crunched up shell. Guess he needed some calcium is his diet!

Of course sand was EVERYWHERE! During his bath, he kept putting his hand under the running water, then reaching up to touch the faucet. After a while we realized he was copying what Daddy was doing....he'd put his hand under the water to test the temperature, then reach up to adjust the faucet.

Monday (Labor Day) was a trip downtown to the Children's Museum. That place is AWESOME! There is an area called the Tot Spot, designed especially for toddlers. AJ was able to touch and play with anything he wanted to without being told "no". There were all kinds of toys and developmental areas. Signs on the walls explain to parents how children play with certain objects and how they learn from their play. Some friends and their 15-month old daughter went with us, and the kids had a blast. There is also a play area outside with jungle gyms, duck ponds, etc. We bought a year's membership so we can take him back any time we get a chance. The museum had lots of different activities that should interest AJ for several years to come. It's indoors, so it makes a great place to take him to play when it's really hot and when it's really cold.

Monkeys with typewriters

I now believe a little more in the theory that if you park a monkey in front of a typewriter long enough, he will eventually type the works of Shakespeare.

AJ picked up Daddy's cell phone from the table yesterday. During the course of the 15 minutes or so that he was playing with it, AJ managed to turn the phone on, and make two phone calls to numbers in the address book. Of course, we didn't know that's what he had done until we started getting phone calls later in the evening from friends returning our calls.

Kid is getting too smart too fast....

Peaceful Sleep

I'm afraid this next bit may make me sound a little insane.

Last night we went to check on AJ before we went to sleep. Looking at him lying there so peaceful and small actually brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it's everything that we've gone through with him.....maybe he's growing up too fast....maybe I miss that little tiny dependent miracle baby.....or maybe I'm just crazy and sleep deprived......

Paper Clips

I always knew someday having a paper clip around would come in handy. AJ locked himself in the master bathroom on Saturday. I never dreamed he would have already figured out how to twist the lock on the doorknob. I was cleaning house and heard Daddy calling from the bedroom that we had a problem. He couldn't figure out how we were going to get AJ out of a locked room with no windows. Luckily, I remembered that you could poke a straightened paper clip into the small hole in the door knob to release the lock.

Found a paper clip and went back to the door. AJ was knocking on the door from the inside and having a great time. The paper clip worked, and AJ was released from his "cage" -- none the wiser.

Paying Attention in Class

Apparently my son has an eye for the ladies. His teacher told us yesterday that AJ and one of his little girlfriends are not allowed to sit next to each other during circle time anymore. They spend all of their time playing with each other and not paying attention. This is the same little girl who shares her donut holes with him at breakfast and used to hold hands with him during breakfast in their previous class together. Aaahhhhh....young love......

Tales of Nerd Boy

With the parents that AJ has, I fear he is doomed to become a little nerd boy. He already spends a lot of time "reading" books or having them read to him. And although his adjusted age is only 19 months, his problem-solving skills tested at 22 months. Apparently he has a knack for puzzles.

Anyway, I got an email from Dad a couple of weeks ago declaring that nerd boy had returned. He had logged into the daycare class to watch -- while all of the other children were running everywhere playing, AJ was in the back corner sitting on the floor reading a book.

When I logged in, the classroom was empty. They had either gone outside to play, or AJ was having them create a diversion while he plotted their escape!

You decide --- nerd boy or genius?!

Self Recognition

AJ now loves to look at pictures of himself. He will wander through the house, see a picture, then stop, point and yell "AJ!" with a big grin on his face.

In his classroom at school, they have posted photo collages of all of the kids. When I went to pick him up the other day, he was standing in front of his collage and kissing it. A couple of his little girlfriends came up to look and he just pushed them aside and said "MINE!".

I don't know whether to be concerned about this or not.... :)

Feeding the Kitty

AJ is becoming quite the little helper. The other day he decided he wanted to feed the cat. A little background on the cat -- she doesn't know she's a cat, and she doesn't like people. She doesn't even particularly want to be in the same room with AJ. He, on the other hand, is completely fascinated with the cat.

He opened the cabinet where we keep all the cat stuff. Took out a couple of bowls and lined them up on the floor. Then he grabbed a can of food and placed it (can and all) into the bowl. Then into the living room where he held a very animated conversation with the cat lounging on the back of the couch.

When the cat ignored him (as cats are often wont to do...) he came back into the kitchen, picked up a can of food and took it with him. I found him standing next to the couch holding up the can of food to the kitty.

Another quick AJ/Kitty story:
A couple of days later, Daddy and kitty were playing with a straw. They tired of the game, and the straw was laid down....somewhere....Next thing we know, AJ is chasing the cat while waving the straw at her.

Favorite Sayings

I read a hilarious blog entry yesterday about some of the most common phrases said in the toddler household. http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/ These are too funny. It seems I spend all of my time telling AJ to "put it down", "get down", and "be careful". The ladies who author that blog are quickly becoming my daily pick-me-up!

My little Myna Bird

AJ is really mimicing everything now. He has a little stuffed bear that wears pajamas and is laying on a pillow. When you push a button, the bear says a little goodnight prayer and begins to snore. My husband and I fell out laughing last week when AJ started saying AMEN about halfway through the prayer and started making snoring noises. It was just too cute.

He already sings along with my husband's cell phone ring tone. The phone plays the theme to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". When AJ hears the "doodle loodle loo..." he sings "wah, wah, wah".

Last night I swear he was trying to sing the alphabet song along with one of his toys. Keep in mind... this is a child who only says a few words now and then. I just know any day now, he's going to start a full-blown conversation with us...

I'm sure this is all normal and boring for other people, but hey, gimme a break, this is my first kid! :)

How I got here...

My son AJ was born at only 26 weeks gestation. He weighed only 18 ounces at birth and measured only 10 inches long. The doctors only gave him a 50% chance of survival. AJ spent the first 2 1/2 months of his life in the hospital's NICU. After 71 days, AJ came home with us weighing 4 pounds.
I had no clue what was in store for us. I had never even spent any time around babies, much less had one of my own that was so tiny and dependent!
I am happy to say that AJ is a true miracle. He has been released by all but one of his specialists, and is testing in the normal range developmentally for his adjusted age. (Adjusted age is how old he would be if he had been full term.)
Every day is a new adventure, hence the beginning of this blog...