November 5, 2011 ~ The Spaghetti Affair

Billy has a new obsession about putting things around his neck. Not all the way around- a choking hazard- but like a loosely draped scarf. He must have seen somebody wearing a scarf and decided it was cool. A few days ago it was Daddy's dirty sock. Today it was an ace bandage and Mommy's discarded belt. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff with style to spare.

 A few days after I put up the toy shelf, Billy decided not to go over and choose toys to play with. He would only play with toys I got down for him. I thought he was just overwhelmed by the sheer number of toys. This, apparently, is not the case. Evil Airplane strikes again! Billy kept pointing to that smiling sing-a-happy-song Evil Airplane. When I pulled it down from the shelf he started screaming and ran to hide behind the sofa. I coaxed him out, but he kept pointing at it and screaming in terror. Evil Airplane has now been banished to the cookbook shelf on the other side of the room. All better! Billy can now access his toys without fearing repercussions from the Evil Airplane of Death (or Shape Sorting With Happy Songs- you pick).

For dinner I decided to fix us penne with spaghetti sauce. You know, I think I'll just let the photo describe what happened:

The red (in addition to the spaghetti) all over his hands is raspberry- which I gave him for dessert. He opted to mush them rather than eat them.

Yeah, OK, can we say bath time??? I'd need a whole roll of paper towels to clean this mess, so straight into the tub!

That's a true Marylander for you. He's eating a (toy) crab. I haven't food tested him with seafood yet, so he doesn't know the joys of eating crabs, except for bath toys.

Well, it's Saturday, and like any good Marylander we're all geared up for the Ravens game tomorrow. Billy has on his Ravens jammies and before bed he practiced his ability to run with the ball.

Rewind! On this day, one year ago, Billy smiled for the first time and slept through the night for the first time. Now he's good at both!

November 4, 2011 ~ The Going Out Game

The Going Out Game is a balls to the wall, sudden death, harrowing ritual dance where either everybody wins or everybody loses. Trust me, you don't want to be there when everyone loses.

After I picked him up from daycare I had to run by Grandma's to pick her up and bring her over to sit. After the screaming escapades at Grandma's, it was better to try our house. The last time we went over for a visit he started screaming when we walked in the door, sure I was going to leave him. So, this time I brought her to our house. Unfortunately, she doesn't drive at night, so we had to pick her up.

I briefed Grandma on the evening procedures- not difficult, but baby specific. Then I tagged out for dinner duty and snuck out the door while Billy was giggling and Grandma was airplaning a spoon. This is the WIN-WIN!!!! Yes, baby was happy when I left, barely noticed that I was gone, played hard and went to sleep without any diffiulty. The Lose-Lose is when Billy catches me leaving, starts screaming-planting a massive mommy guilt trip, and Grandma gets stuck with a miserable screaming person that cannot be reasoned with who will scream until I come back home. Yay for WIN-WIN!!

Grandma tells me that after dinner he played with my water glass. He dipped his hands into it, pulled them out and clapped and laughed. Then he repeated the process. When it was close to bedtime Grandma asked him if he was tired. Unprompted, he took her by the hand and led her to his room to she could put him to bed. He went to sleep without any trouble.

When I came home from my annual charity function I then hand to retrieve said baby and Grandma and drive her back to her house- without waking the baby. Success again! I got him in and out of the car and back to the crib without any issues. Sometimes, though, I wish I could leave him for the 10 minute drive over to her house and back. That would be nice, but won't happen.

Hey Buddy...wanna babysit?

November 3, 2011 ~ A Trip To The Buddy Doctor

Billy was not thrilled about the idea of going to school this morning. So not thrilled that he headbutted me. Not the casual, oops-I'm-a-clumsy-kid kid of headbutt, but a I-hate-that-we-have-to-leave-and-since-you-picked-me-up-I'm-going-to-make-you-drop-me headbutt. Nothing like going to work with a splitting headache thanks to a head stong (literally!) toddler.

I picked him up early from daycare to we could take Buddy to the Buddy doctor. Billy was so thrilled to see me he didn't know which way to turn. He sang happy tunes to himself on the carride to the house to pick up the dog. He even tried to balance his binky on his head in the car for fun. So we grabbed Buddy and went to the Vet. Billy got to hang out in the waiting room for awhile. There was a collie puppy there coming in for her first check up. Billy was very timid but finally went tover to pat her right on her nose. The older couple with the puppy encouraged Billy to come meet their puppy. He was very shy but excited. Then it was time to go into the examine room. Buddy clearly tried to hide behind me as he usually does when we go to the Vet. Billy was pointing at everything in the room. There were all kinds of pictures of other buddies on the walls. He giggled at every one of them. The Tech checked out Buddy and then the Vet came in to check him out. Buddy got lots of dog treats and Billy decided he wanted one too. He kept asking the Vet to give him one, but we kept reminding Billy that they are only tasty to puppies.

After the Vet's we went out to dinner with Grandpop and Uncle Alex. Billy ate two order of chicken gyoza and half an order of edamame all by himself. Mind you, some of it ended up on the floor, but most of it went into his belly. I have been known to eat that meal and be full and I weigh 5 times his weight! The waitress was so impressed by his appetite that she shared with the other workers and the managers cae over to give him a big pat on the belly for being such a good eater. No worries, he's definitely not starving.

Be sure to check out my new blog. I'll post a link.

November 2, 2011 ~ We're In Trouble Now

Yep. Totally in trouble.

This morning I closed the door to Billy's room while I got him dressed. I do this every time I have to dress him just to contain him. He wants to run around everywhere, so this way I don't have to chase him down the hall, just around the room. Well, he knows the secret of doors and has for awhile. He loves to play with doors by pushing them almost closed and then opening them again. This morning he went over to the closed door and stood on his tip toes. He got his whole hand on the knob and tried to get the door open. He didn't have enough purchase to turn it and hasn't yet discovered the secret of the door knob, but it's only a matter of time. Yep. In trouble.

When I came home from work I found Daddy doing a dramatic reading of the back of a taco kit box in a botched Mecian accent. Billy was sitting in his high chair in rapt attention to the tale of adding the spice mix to the meat. And he was sitting there shirtless. What happened? Daddy gave Billy a bottle for the ride home from daycare. Billy discovered how to open a bottle of milk- while in the car. He got milk everywhere, hence the sitting there half naked waiting for dinner. Yep. In trouble.

One of Billy's favorite pasttimes is to give a Buddy toy to Mommy or Daddy to throw for Buddy. He's not sure how to do it himslef, so he gives it to us. Well, he invented a new game. He picked up a Buddy toy and then asked to be picked up. So I did. Then he waved it around for Buddy and I lowered Billy enough to give it to him. Buddy jumped for the toy and Billy yanked it out of reach just at the last second, laughing as Buddy missed. Billy repeated this several times, very proud of himself for figuring out how to trick the dog. Yep. In trouble.

Finally, at dinner part two Billy was still hungry after all of the food we gave him so I gave him a slice of bread to fill him up. Normally I tear it up into little pieces, but tonight I gave him the whole piece just to see what he would do. He put it on his head, he played hide and seek, and then he ate it. He's learned to play with his food. Probably the first time he's legitimately played with food, rather than just experiementing with its properties. He thought he was really funny with his bread tricks. Yep. In trouble.

Now comes the game of outsmarting the One-Year-Old. Game on!

November 1, 2011 ~ Lollipop, Lollipop! His First One!

I think we're having a case of separation anxiety today. I dropped him off at daycare and he brough Car Kittie in with him like he does every day Car Kittie lives in the car (hence the name) and goes to daycare with him every day. This little white cat seems to help the transition. So, it hasn't been a problem for about a month with me dropping him off in the morning. Only today when I slipped out the door I saw him turn and watch me go. Then I could hear him screaming from all the way down the hall. It's one of the worst sounds to hear him screaming "Mamamamama!!!" But if I go back to comfort him I only make it worse in the end, since I still have to leave him there. Regardless, it's awful.

After I picked him up he just wanted to be held. He would play with his toys, but only if sitting in my lap. He wasn't fussy, didn't cry if I put him down, he just would climb into my lap or asked to be picked up. I'm not sure if it's simply exhaustion or if he's getting sick or if it's something else. Anyways, we played the afternoon away in a quiet snuggly mood.

He did continue his new game of Everything In Its Place. The spooky pumpkins on the coffee table clearly don't belong there. First he moved the orange one to the middle of the hall on the carpet. I'm guessing it's been banished. Later, that same pumpkin got moved to the tv stand and was given the company of a pair of cymbals. He also moved the magnets back into the ice dispenser again.

For dinner he got mac'n'cheese and peas.

Here he is putting peas on top of his sippy cup. He would do this and then pick up the cup and drink from it, laughing as peas went everywhere. By the way, he was served in a bowl, but the bowl wasn't welcome on his tray. The mess is the result. If you think this is messy you should have seen the floor, the table, and the high chair seat. Lucky Buddy!

After dinner I gave him his first piece of Halloween candy- also his first piece of candy and his first lollipop. Phew! That's a lot of firsts!

As you can see, it was an instant hit. When he's happy or likes something he shakes his head from side to side. For us adults that movement means "no" but to him it's "yes". He continued to shake his head the whole time he nommed on the lollipop, giggling with glee. He didn't get to have all of it- I had to take it away once the paper stick became too soft (in case the candy broke off in his mouth and he were to choke on it).

After the lollipop he went from snuggly-tired-baby to happy-laughing-catch-me-if-you-can-baby. Don't you wish that a tiny bit of sugar had that happy effect on you? He ran around and danced and had a merry old time and went to sleep laughing.

I wish I could say that's he's still sleeping, but that's just not the case. I know he's awake because he's singing/whining in his crib. He has had two nightmares tonight already and is now refusing to sleep. Only Mommy makes it better. Daddy doesn't seem to alleviate whatever is ailing him. I have been in 3 times already to put him down and Daddy twice. We're letting him whine it out in hopes of tuckering out and to prevent him working the system. Fingers crossed that Rip van Winkle gets here soon!

October 31, 2011 ~ Happy Halloween!

So yesterday I forgot to write about a silly little thing that Billy has started doing. He's taken to Daddy's dirty sock. I twas on the floor and he picked it up and wrapped it around his neck like a scarf and was loving it with his cheek. I took it away from him and tossed it into the hamper. He dug it out and continued to strut around with his dirty Daddy sock. When you're young it's cute, right?

At daycare they have some black cats hanging in the window. Apparently, whenever Billy wakes up from his nap he talks to the cats. At home he sings a silly Billy song, off key, tuneless. That's how I knwo to go get him. But now he's talking to paper cats. Hmm.

We went to Grandma's to eat and dress from Trick-or-treating. Billy was lucky enough to have an experienced trick-or-treater to show him the ropes. We went up to a neighborhood in Hunt Valley and walked around. That neighborhood really gets into it. Billy got a full-sized Buttrfinger at the first house and refused to let go of it. So we walked around and wished everyone a Happy Halloween, but let him just have the butter finger in his hand. Eventually, he decided he was hungry and tried to eat it through the wrapper. Ok, so then I had to take it away.

He got to stay up late and enjoy lots of Halloween decorations. When I tried to put him down he didn't want to go. He wanted me to rub his belly. He even helped by grabbing my hand and forcing me to keep rubbing his belly after I stopped .Eventually, he drifted off and I'm sure he's dreaming of sweets and ghosts.

October 30, 2011 ~ Everything In Its Place

Today Billy decided that he was going to move things around in the house to exactly where he wanted them. He put his magnets in the ice dispenser, which he did the other day too. He spent twenty minutes moving the bench at the end of our bed to against the wall in just the right position. Then he found a leaf on the floor and picked it up and moved it to a different place on the floor and put it there very matter-of-factly. The spooky pumpkin on the coffee table he picked up and moved a foot over and insisted it stay there.

His other big thing for the day was giving stuff to Mommy. This behavior started when I taught him that if he didn't want something on his high chair tray while he was eating, to hand it to Mommy rather than throw it on the floor. He has a tendency to throw his sippy cup and bowls and plates on the floor. He likes the food direcvtly on the tray with no obstructions, so he'll toss a bowl of food on the floor. Now though he hands things to me (unless I'm not paying attention).

So he wanted to bring all sorts of things to me. He brought me the Wii Remote charger. He brought me my glass of water. I was handed several Buddy toys. He gave me a spooky pumpkin. And he gave me a bunch of his toys. If I tried to give the toys back to him or sit them down he would pick them up and hand them right back to me.

This happened most with his remote control airplane. He wanted to play with it but he's also terrified of it. When it started to sing he got up and moved further away and sat back down (just in case). I guess he figured that if I were holding it, then it cuoldn't hurt him.

A brand new thing he learned today is fear of the radiator. This is a good thing. He's been very curious about it. We have to use it in the den or the temp in there drops to about 50 in the winter without it. It's hearvy, it gets very hot and it's an all around danger for a little guy. Well, he fell backward and bumped it with his bum while it was on That was enough. He realized how hot it was even through his clothes. Now he's side-stepping around it, which is really cute to watch. That's probably something new too- now he can walk sideways.

We watched the Ravens game together (ok, he napped through most of it). He wore his Ravens hat the whole time he was up with the game on. Here is Incognito Baby, Ravens fan.

It's Sunday, but Mommy decided to take half of the day off. While he was sleeping I was nothing but a lump, watching the game and reading a book. Mommy still has to be Mommy regardless of how sick I am. So, I did the bare minimum of Mommy work for a Sunday. I emptied the dishwasher, did the dishes, did 4 loads of laundry, vacuumed the den and packed up for daycare. The house has to keep going and with baby in tow, things can't wait. But, the good news is that I got two hours to myself- yay!

October 29, 2011 ~ How To Train Your Dragon

From Disney Pixar's "How To Train Your Dragon"...

Daddy is descended from actual Vikings, so this costume was a fun one. The outfits are historically accurate, minus the horns and some acccesories. I made everything on the adult costumes. Thanks to my friend for her expertise on historical Viking (you know who you are!)

October 29, 2011 ~ Post 2 ~ Party Animal

Billy has learned the art of the tease. Mommy and Daddy were giving him breakfast and Daddy was teasing him by eating a few small bites of Billy's food. Billy, of course, found this humorous- he loves when he shares food. So, next Billy decided that he wanted to feed Daddy. He tried to put a cheerio in Daddy's mouth but missed and it fell on the floor. Lucky Buddy. Ok, try again. So then Billy went to put a handful of cheerios in Daddy's mouth. Just as Daddy was about to nibble, Billy yanked his hand away and shoved all of the cheerios in his mouth and laughed. If Daddy can tease, then Billy can tease right back!

Billy's obsession for the day was champagne. More specifically two bottles of champagne. All he wanted to do was get his hands on them. So, Daddy relented and gave him both bottles of champagne to look at. Billy decided they didn't belong in the dining room where we keep them (on a wine rack), but instead in the den.

Unfortunately, it was a day of fussing. Daddy had to go out all day and it was snowing. Consequently, Billy kept asking for Daddy because he wanted more Daddy time, but there was nothing to do about it. He also wanted to go outside to investigate all of that white stuff. I let him look at it through the window, but since he and I are both sick I didn't want us outside in the snow/rainy/yuck.

By dinnertime Billy was rubbing his eyes in exhaustion (from not sleeping well since he's ill) and I was totally whipped from also being sick and having to chase and entertain a toddler all day. Daddy was supposed to be home no later than 5, but was delayed and didn't show up until after 7:30. We had a party to go to, but the delay was significant. Also, Grandma was going to babysit, but she changed her mind about the location from our house to hers and I hadn't packed Billy up yet for that, nor was there time if we were going to make the party. I was done and wanted to call out, but Daddy piled everybody into the car and we all went to the party together.

While I was feeling run down and drinking caffeine to stay awake through the party, Billy was partying hard. He sang to himself the whole way to the party, despite having gone to bed earlier and been asleep. At the party he had everyone chasing him around. He wasn't too sure about all of those crazy adults dressed up in silly costumes, but once he got over that it was on to giggling about animatronic spiders and other Halloween decorations. He had the best time, eating chips, making friends and running around. Only after we turned the car on and drove away at 12:30am did he fall asleep. It was almost the instant the car went into gear- straight from laughing party baby to sleeping baby.