2009_07_31 Friday

Oh Boy, did we have adventures today!

First, we went to the Newark Museum for a percussion instrument demonstration/performance. They had all sorts of drums, xylophones, and others, although no harp. They played a number of songs too. Jonathan liked it, but the music was pretty loud. Afterward, we visited their small zoo to see the 'monkeys' (capuchins?) and some fish.

Then, I finally mustered the courage to get Jonathan's blood drawn for the state-mandated lead test. He charmed all the ladies in the waiting room. Once the nurse finally came to us, he was a little nervous about giving her his arm, but he watched the needle go in (which I rarely do!), and didn't even flinch. That kid is so tough -- not a single tear. I couldn't have been prouder! She gave him tons of stickers on the way out.

Finally, we met up with Steve/Vicky/kids at Chuck-E-Cheese near them for an evening of fun. I had been to one as a kid, and it's definitely changed a lot: much more high-tech. Jonathan loved it. Catherine was fantastic about helping him through the climbing tunnels and showing him rides that were good for him. He even did skee-ball! After about an hour there, we packed it up; the dads picked up McD's for dinner, and we retreated to their house for another few hours. See pix above (and, man, am I a techno-wizard for figuring out how to do that!!)

2009_07_29 Wednesday

I totally lost track of the days, so I forgot we could have had an art project at Whole Foods today. doh! Instead we went to a castle/park and got a private tour since we got there before it actually opened; however, wx was so bad that it we couldn't really enjoy the grounds, which was my initial intention. so much for best laid plans. We ate lunch at Panera's (a treat for me).

Then the rains really hit us. Jonathan, amazingly, slept through massive thunder bolts that must have been right outside the window. The house shook, and the cats were most unimpressed! I couldn't see the back of our property for the rain. And, when it all cleared, we had a lot of downed tree limbs.

2009_07_28 Tuesday

Jonathan needs to get a lead test (blood drawn). It's a state mandate for 2yr olds. I tried to go today, but the parking lot was full, and I don't have the patience to sit there (of all places) and wait. We'll try again another time. Too bad, too, because I had built up all my courage to do it.

Instead, we went to Target for a couple of things and got a call from Iris that she was heading to a playground. So, we checked-out and met her, Finn, and Henri for about an hour. It was great to see her; it's been months. And, I got to practice my German. Felt pretty good. Jonathan was in heaven to play with Finn. He adores him.

Then, the dumpster guys returned for the last of the porch. wahoo. it's all gone!

We may head over to the mall for some window shopping. I also have a GAP Kids gift card that is burning a hole in my wallet.

2009_07_27 Monday

We spent the day with Amanda, Julia, and Olivia. What a great time. It was so great to spend time with Amanda. That was long overdue, too. We even swam in their pool for a bit. All the kids wore life preservers, which was a first for Jonathan. He didn't love it, but he didn't try to take it off either. Jonathan had to ease in, but he eventually made it to about chest-depth. I was impressed. He didn't seem to love it, but he muscled through it. He also managed to stub his toe and scratch up his knee in a klutzy fall, but he shook it off pretty quickly. Of course, as soon as we dried off and went inside, he decided: "I want to go in the pool again."

2009_07_25 Saturday

Dave was up earlier than I today; the dumpster guys arrived to clear out the remnants of our back porch. Unfortunately, they already had a 1/2 dumpster, so they'll have to come back on Tuesday to get the last, long planks. Can't wait for it to be gone!

Once we were all up and dressed, we walked into town to see Donna at the diner. Breakfast as usual on a lazy Saturday.

Dave took Jonathan to the park on the way home, so I enjoyed some quiet time. When they returned, Jonathan went down for a nap. Dave tackled the den blinds. I cleaned a bit and marked the 1/2 bath for the mirror I got. Dave hung the mirror (beautifully, I might add) and took the chandelier down for me (after turning off the electricity!), and I am in the middle of spray painting it black. I sure hope this works. I found some nice chandelier shades online, assuming my little project actually works. Of course, no home improvement project is complete without a trip to (gasp) Home Depot, so Dave had to get smaller brackets than what was included with the blinds. He's becoming quite a handyman. :o) And, I'll enjoy this quietness and a fruit smoothie for just a little longer.

2009_07_24 Friday

We had a new nature center class this morning. Today's theme was lightening bugs. We went out in the fields to look for some, although we didn't find any. Tagentially, Jonathan found about 3 frogs! We came back to the center for an Eric Carle book on lightening bugs. And, then we did an arts-and-crafts project to make one...whose tail glows in the dark! very fancy. We also got a jar with a screen so we (read: J2 and D) can try to catch some tonight.

While we waited for Dave to come home, I tried to start up our fire pit, to no avail. I didn't feel so badly, though, when Dave couldn't do it either. While he tried, Jonathan and I caught, inspected, and released lightening bugs. There was also a lot of ball and frisbee throwing. After the mosquitos had their fill of us (oddly, they don't get me; I think my blood isn't sweet enough or all my time with MN mosquito-birds has paid off), we called it a night.

2009_07_23 Thursday

Today we had a new adventure: Jonathan went to a full-length feature movie this morning. We have tried over the past few weeks, but this time, we stayed for the entire show. We saw Hoodwinked, which is a Red Riding Hood-theme cartoon. It was very cute, and he sat in his green booster seat for the entire show (although he did hold my hand a few times). He also did great keeping his voice to a whisper (he puts his finger over his lips and hushes when I ask him to whisper!) Now, of course, he wants to go to the mooooovies every day.

2009_07_22 Wednesday

Today I tried to inspire Jonathan's inner Picaso by taking our easel outside and introducing him to fingerpaints. That lasted for about 5 minutes -- until his hands got 'dirty'. I think I ended up doing more fingerpainting than he did. And, it took far longer to get set up and him smocked than he actually took to paint. arg. Naturally, once I got him cleaned up, he said "I want more painting!" That kid!

2009_07_21 Tuesday

Jonathan asked if he could take a nap in his new Cars sleeping bag from PopPop today! So, we gave it a try. He was far more distracted by the newness of it, that it only lasted for about 45 mins. After that, I put him back in his crib -- he didn't want the sleeping bag in there (I thought that might work). He was awfully proud of himself for wanting to and actually trying to sleep in it! We'll just keep practicing.

2009_07_20 Monday

Jonathan had his 2nd birthday doctor's appointment this morning. There were no shots, and he did very, very well. He's scoring welll within his range, and he seems quite advanced verbally for his age (I knew that!). Dr asked if he was speaking 50 words; I'm pretty sure he's got well over 100! She let him play with her knee-knocker, and at the end, he traded that for two tongue depressors -- sticks -- because two is always better than one! And, of course, he yelled out "I'm naked!" when I undressed him. His stats are: height: 34.5", weight 28.5lbs, and head circumference 50".

Later on, as I laid him on the changing table at home, he looked up at me and said "oh, that's comfortable, mommy." We have been putting a small pillow down now because he's getting too long for the table, and I guess he really liked it.

In trying to instill some German, he's also learned "Gesundheit," which should be 3 syllables but he does in just two so far. And, he's using his thumb as 'one' (rather than his first finger).

2009_07_15 Wednesday

Safe and sound at home again. We went to the diner for breakfast/brunch after Jonathan woke up around 10:30. Nice to get back into our routine again. We stopped off at the local toy shop for a gift for Nate for Saturday, and we chatted with Oma for a little bit. Jonathan's back down again, and I've taken advantage of the time to catch up on mail, clean a bit, and do some laundry.

2009_07_14 Tuesday

I got to have an extra day of nanny-ing for Shawn today. Pretty uneventful really. Jonathan helped me feed Shawn his bottle today; he was so gentle and sweet. We went to the park for a bit, but it was pretty hot and sunny, so I thought we better not risk a sunburn. We met their new nanny in the afternoon. She's very nice. And, we did a Costco run for them; I really wonder if we would benefit from a membership there. Lots of 'all natural' and organic stuff now.

After yesterday's false alarm, we finally did leave Chicago. Flying stresses me out if it goes smoothly, so I was anticipating more headaches and stress. We managed to get through check-in and security with the help of Jonathan's cheeks. This time, we had much more leg room, and we had the window seat. Both worked very well for us. Jonathan could even stand up without bothering anyone. The flight was packed, and we got bumped out of line for take-off for some reason. After waiting on the runway for about 15 minutes, though, we were cleared and took off. From there, the flight was completely smooth, and Jonathan did fantastic...especially considering we sat next to two 20-something men. lucky them. While he didn't sleep a wink, Jonathan did keep pretty quiet and busy with coloring, a froggie project for daddy, and making some glow-in-the-dark bracelets. Dave was at the airport to pick us up.

2009_07_12 Sunday

Today we went to a local Indian festival. They had a moon bounce that Jonathan pulled Raj into. Jonathan didn't love that the ground wasn't sturdy, so he held onto Raj or at least kept him pretty close. We hung out in the temple's basement so Shannon could nurse for awhile, and Jonathan ran around on a stage and played with any child who came down (and Raj). Then we went back outside to eat (good thing that J2 ate before we went b/c it was HOT). They started playing Bollywood music, and Jonathan got his groove on. We were dying laughing. He was a Solid Gold dancer. Lots of pictures and videos of that. In fact, he was so excited to dance that he went with one of Raj's buddies to the dance floor/area without me -- he didn't even look back! -- and danced his head off. Check out the photos of the entire visit below (Indian festival is toward the end):

2009_07_11 Saturday

Jonathan thoroughly is enjoying his gift from Shannon and Raj: bathtub vehicles and a road. They stick to the tub walls when wet. How perfect for him! His new feat tonight was to lay on his stomach in the bathtub! That was a first, and he did it without any concern. See pictures. He's also pretty comfortable in pouring water on himself, so our next step is for him to put his head in the water himself. we'll see.

2009_07_10 Friday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JONATHAN!!

Wow, is it really possible??? Jonathan's two today! wowser. So far, he's managed to sing Happy Birthday back to anyone who calls for him!

We went to Pilot Pete's for his birthday dinner. He ordered a hot dog, pickle, and french fries all by himself!! And, at the end of dinner, the waitress brought him an ice cream scoop with a candle, and the staff sang to him. I have it on video, so check it out (pictures). It was awesome. Then we went to a local ice cream shop (like the Creamery) for a real b'day hot fudge sundae.

2009_07_09 Thursday

Jonathan figured out how to put his own socks on today! He totally did it right, with the heel where it's supposed to go. yippee!

2009_07_07 Tuesday

Today was my first day on the job as a nanny. I was managing Jonathan and Shawn solo while Shannon went to class and Raj to work. And, frankly, it was great. The kids were awesome. They managed to sleep off cycle so I only had one to deal with at a time. They've collected a ton of toys and clothes for JD, so I didn't have to pack any of that for him (whew!). The 'big truck' and hammer have kept him very busy. Shawn ate, slept, pooped, and cried (repeat). He does prefer to be held, which could be trouble for them. I've been putting him in the swing and car seat to sleep rather than holding him since they'd like to get him into his crib at some point. At this age, though, there's really no set schedule or routine to stick to. Jonathan has been so gentle with Shawn, giving him delicate (and supervised) kisses on his head.

The only big hiccup was Jonathan's nap. I put him in Raj/Shannon's room b/c it's much darker in there. After a little while, I heard him crying, which is pretty unusual. I didn't think much of it, but I popped in to see. He had covered himself in butt cream! He grabbed it out of the outside pocket of the Pack-N-Play, opened the lid, and squeezed it out...everywhere! He looked like he was ready for the beach with it all over his face, arms, and legs. What a mess.

Once Shannon came home, we had planned to go to the local playground, and literally as we walked out the door, it started raining. Instead, we went to a local mall playground...and Cold Stone. Then we came home to Raj having made dinner. I could get used to this!

See Pictures

2009_07_06 Monday

Today is a huge adventure!! Jonathan and I are flying to Chicago to meet his newest nephew, Shawn. We left around 2pm to catch a 5:30 flight at Newark. We took the train, tranfered, and then took a lightrail to the airport. Jonathan was amazing. He's pretty used to the trains, and the rail wasn't all that different. We got through security with little issue. Jonathan got a little nervous, but it wasn't too bad. Then we had about 45 minutes to kill, so we watched the airplanes and ran around the terminal. We boarded with first class, so we could get situated.

On the flight, he did phenominal. There was very little wiggle room since the flight was packed full. I took his shoes off right away to avoid kicking the chair in front. And, I had wrapped up a bunch of gifts for him to unpack as he got cranky. We didn't even get through half of them! Both of us had some sinus issues (I think mine may have been worse), so I relented in giving him his pacifier for most of the flight. As we disembarked, the man behind us said that he didn't even realize there was a baby in front of him -- the ultimate compliment!

Shannon picked us up without any hiccups. And, we finally met dear Shawn. It really was a long, tough day for us, but Jonathan was incredible. He didn't sleep all that well. He ended up in bed with me and was a rolly-polly throughout the night. But, all in all, a great traveling experience.

2009_07_03 Friday

Dave worked from home today (his office was actually closed, so he was home!).

I tried to do Stroller Rollers this morning, but, alas, this awful rainy season thwarted m.e again. We did get to watch some dogs playing for a few minutes before the rains started.

All day long Jonathan has been asking to go to "the museum." We aren't sure what exactly he means! I took him to the Montclair Art Museum because today was free entry. Gesh, I would have been sorely disappointed had I had to pay. P-U! We saw a very small collection of Wyeth pieces. Jonathan did very well, though, keeping his voice down and looking for things he recognized (mostly cows for some reason). We had a snack outside and headed back home to make Dave some popcorn, which was a resounding hit to everyone involved.

After a short visit to the park, we're back home now and getting ready for dinner and bed. Incidentally, Jonathan really wants to be a big boy. He tried mimicking two big girls sliding down a (very high) pole. Nearly gave me a coronary.

2009_07_02 Thursday

This morning we had a new adventure! We went to the movies for the first time. There's a theater the next town over that is offering free kiddy movies for the summer. So, we went to see The Tail of Despereaux. Jonathan did great. He even sat in his own chair, although he's not heavy enough to keep it down. He did get scared at one point, so he climbed into my chair for the rest of the time. Unfortunately, we had to leave somewhat early because our electrician came by for an estimate for the upstairs (ceiling fans and lights?). So, we really only managed about 45 mins, but it's still impressive.