2009_09_30 Wednesday

Today was actually a pretty ordinary day for us. Jonathan got up around 9; we had breakfast (egg and peach). Then we went off to our art class at Whole Foods. Today's theme was 'apples,' so we heard two stories of apples, made an apple tree (for Grandma Cathy), and had apple juice (which was a highlight for Jonathan). Our neighbor was there, so our boys picked up another boy and they danced, jumped, and spun for another 15 minutes after class. Very odd, but tired him out nicely.

I managed to get my sunroof stuck open a few days ago, and it's not been a priority to fix until today...when it started to rain while we were still out. I managed to dodge most of the drops, but Jonathan kept asking/telling me to close the 'door'.

After his lunch and nap, which he now constantly says "No nap, mommy" even as he's falling asleep, we had a playdate with our typical troupe at the local playground. I thought it was enough to tire him out, as he was yawning, but he was a challenge to get to bed tonight. maybe he was overtired. Dave was a conference until late, so I got Jonathan all to myself. We watched an Elmo movie that we borrowed from the library before dinner. We ate, had a nice bath, potty time, and I read a long-ish Dr Suess story (Horton Hears a Who, which I also got at the library) to him. He was pretty good about sitting still through it. He seems to like stories that rhyme; he even finished a few lines for me! very cool.

While I can't remember any specific examples, Jonathan is now speaking in complete and complex sentences. It's pretty amazing to have a real conversation with him. And, I love that people comment about his clear enunciation, large vocabulary, etc. It makes me very proud.

2009_09_25 Friday

We had a lovely day with Stroller Rollers in the morning...and we actually had another person walk with us (bonus). She was pretty flexible, so we stopped the strollers a few times to pick up acorns and leaves. That afternoon we had coffee and M&M cookies with Leslie and Ava. Also very nice time.

The hit of the day, though, was a bath time. Dave was giving Jonathan a bath when he asked to go to the potty. Obliging, Dave ran into his room to get a towel to dry him off. But, by the time he got back, it was too late. And, Jonathan asked, "Daddy, what are those brown things?" etc. lovely. Now we know that we he asks, he means immediately!

2009_09_17 Thursday

We got another request for the potty today. This time, I got some toots and pee. How exciting is that! Of course, he flipped out when I didn't call daddy to tell him.

2009_09_15 Tuesday

We arrived safe and sound last night to meet Steven. Sleeping wasn't great since Jonathan slept on his sleeping bag; he's just not used to it. But, he did really great with Baby Steven. He's so gentle and sweet with him.

The most exciting part of the day, though, came at nap time. Jonathan woke up fairly hysterical. When he finally calmed down, he said "I have to go to the potty." So, we rushed to the bathroom, and before long, he tooted twice and pooped!!! In the toilet!!! That was soooo exciting. I tried to make a big deal of it without scaring him. Afterward, we actually called Dave because it was so exciting!

2009_09_11 Friday

The weather stinks today. We went to the diner because Tino was back to finish off some work in the kitchen. So, we had our standard pancakes and sausage breakfast. This time, he captivated the whole corner of the diner with his charm. He showed off his knowledge of opposites, blew kisses at the ladies, and did knuckle-bumps. He's now starting to quiz me on opposites: "Mommy, what's the opposite of outside?" It's a riot.

That afternoon, we went to Unbelieva-bills, which is a Chuck-e-Cheese knockoff, but cheaper. They have a nice climbing area and a ton of arcade games (which we did NOT play but Jonathan wiggled the joysticks, etc so he thought he was). Food was good and cheap, so this may turn into our new icky-weather go-to place! See pix:

2009_09_10 Thurdsay

This morning, over breakfast, Jonathan told me he wanted to see the horsies. When I asked him where the horsies were, he said "at the farm." When I asked which farm, he said "Old MacDonald's!" I was in tears!

We went to the Newark Museum today to feed his need for animals. Rather than paying the $7 parking fee, I circled Newark for awhile, but we finally found a decent spot (probably spent $7 in gas though). They have a (very) mini-zoo, which we spent about 40 minutes in. The pythons were shedding their skin, which he thought was really cool. And, he enjoyed calling out the colors as the fish swam by. We also watched the marmosets, the chuckwallas, and some other strange animals. They also have a firehouse that we've browsed through once before. I thought that would have been a no-brainer, but he wasn't interested...until it was 5 minutes before we had to go.

That afternoon, we were lounging on my bed, and he did a forward roll all by himself! As it turns out, he and Dave had been practicing, but he actually did it! I helped him do some backward rolls too. So cool.

Finally, he's also getting the hang of "I'm a little teapot" and "Mr. Moon." He can sing "teapot" pretty much alone, and he shouts "when I get all steamed up, then I SHOUT...". And, with "Mr. Moon," he knows when to shout out 'moon' and then hones in on other words he knows. He does the same with the radio now, too; he'll shout out words that he knows. It sure makes me pay more attention to what station I'm listening to!

2009_09_07 Monday

Yeah, Dave's home today for Labor Day!!!

We all slept in pretty late today. After breakfast, Dave and Jonathan went to the park to play so I could finish some contract work, and they brought back pizza for lunch. Jonathan told lme how daddy threw the ball up and threw the ball down. He's also starting to sing Mr. Moon, which makes me happy. Afterward, he went reluctantly to nap. He doesn't ask for 'purple paci' much anymore, but he cries a lot more in bed. I think Dave tuckered him out, though, because he did simmer down pretty quickly.

2009_09_06 Sunday

Since we didn't get to see the NY Hardwicks yesterday, we made a date with them today. We got up there right in time for Jonathan to take a nap, which was a disaster. He didn't sleep a wink, but he did lay still with me for a few minutes. Regardless, he had more energy to run around with Bobby and Catherine all day long. He adores them, and it was fun to watch him chase after them. We ate dinner there, and he polished off his plate and dessert. Everyone also tested him with The Opposites Game (what's the opposite of...), and he was a master champion! It's so neat to see him actually think about things and give a (correct!) response and then beam with pride. He's pretty solid on:

inside-outside

up-down

big-small/tiny

stop-go

hot-cold

mommy-daddy

daytime-nighttime

sun-moon

Jonathan was out before we pulled out of their driveway. Finally, they wore him out!

2009_09_05 Saturday

After breakfast at the diner, we walked to the local toy store for Jonathan to pick out a special toy because he had dealt as well as could be expected with the whole paci thing. He played around for a bit and finally settled on a Thomas the Train train and a basketball, which I found crazy because he has tons of balls. But, that's what he wanted, so that's what he got. He does love his Thomas train.

Then, it was nap time again. And, again, it became a full-blown crisis that he didn't have 'purple paci' so we let him sleep with Thomas, but that apparently was no match for PP. This time, his nap was awful; I'm not sure he slept at all.

While he was at least contained, Dave and I wrapped up the lovely carpet I had ordered for the dining room that didn't fit. And, we secured it to my car. Once Jonathan was up, we drove to the UPS store to ship it back and then headed up to the O'Conner's BBQ in NY. Especially for not napping, Jonathan did extraordinary. He played with all the kids, and even some of the parents. We were going to crash at the NY Hardwicks to avoid the long drive, but in the end we decided to push through. Jonathan didn't sleep a wink in the car!

Happy Anniversary, Jen and Chad!

2009_09_04 Friday

We went to Stroller Rollers this morning, but no one else showed up. Since it was such a beautiful day, we went anyway...after we checked out all the dogs in the dogpark. I pushed him a bit in the stroller, but then realized it was much better for him to get some energy out. So, he would run ahead of me, like I was chasing him. Unfortunately, though, he whiped out three times and really scratched up his right pinkie and both knees. He was a bloody mess. But, we looked at all the acorns and ripped off their 'hats' and made lots of friend with the people running by us.

Today was the first day without the dreaded paci but in the crib. I decided it would be too tramatic to move him into a toddler bed on top of no paci. Jonathan's nap did not go particularly well. He was very upset about not having "purple paci," but he did eventually fall asleep. Basically, it was the same scenario for bed time.

2009_09_02 Wednesday

This morning was our art class at Whole Foods. En route, I got stuck at a red light, and I heard a little voice from the back yell out: "Oh My God, cars are everywhere!" I nearly started crying laughing because he was right. Unfortunately, this class was jam-packed with big kids, and there was no craft this time. Instead, a local kiddy studio came by for story- and dance-time; they brought along pom-pons, musical instruments, and handkerchiefs to dance with. It was cute, albeit chaotic, and I much prefer the arts we've done before.

Once sleeping beauty stirs, we'll head to the grocery store for some staples.