2010_12_09 Thursday

Ack, so much for my quiet, relaxing shower at 1:30PM. Elise went down for her nap with little objection. Jonathan has had a rough day, likely because he went to bed very late last night (b/c we were visiting friends). He had a hard time eating pizza for lunch (?!?!), and wasn't pleased about taking a rest/nap. He didn't need to pee. With the two of them relatively quiet, I got into the shower, and sure enough, within minutes he came running in to pee, tried to do it himself, but then peed everywhere. So, I gathered him, sobbing, up in the shower, which he definitely does not enjoy, rinsed him off, and then he hid under daddy's towel on the shower mat until I was done. Oh, to have 5 minutes of alone time....maybe in a few years....

oh right, then he managed to take a 3 hour nap afterward!!!

2010_12_07 Tuesday

Within the past couple of days, Elise has figured out how to kiss. She sort of makes a popping noise as her kiss. She's not actually blowing them to anyone; she's just kissing. It's a riot. She also won't do it on demand quite yet, but if you catch her doing it, you can solicit a couple of them!!

On top of that, she's also learning the sign for 'daddy' very quickly. That must be some remnant of our prehistoric times, an effort to keep the man around, right?! She's also pretty good with 'more,' although she may think it means 'I get another Cheerio when I slap my hands together.' She knows who Jonathan is by name. But, 'mommy' is nowhere in sight. Not even close.

Last night was St Nicklaus. Jonathan got a game called Ants in Your Pants, which he finds a hysterical title and a somewhat difficult game. It's very much like tiddlywinks. Elise got one of those wire tangles with wooden shapes that slide around. Dave got underware. And, I got a 2011 family calendar. St Nick is so wise!

2010_12_02 Thursday

On Tuesday, Jonathan had a complete melt-down at school. He hid behind my leg, wouldn't speak to anyone, and the sobbed when he realized I wasn't there any longer. The principal said he sulked for awhile but then realized everyone else was having fun and snapped out of it. So, today, en route to school, he said that he didn't need to cry at school today. He did last time but not this time. I said that everyone cries sometimes, but school was fun and we didn't need to cry there. He agreed. What a rascal.

2010_12_01 Wednesday

On the way home from Elise's Rutgers study, Jonathan chimed up from the back seat:

J2: "Mommy, there's a 't' on that building!"

J1: "yes, honey, that's a church. And, that 't' is a cross."

J2: "but, mommy, there's no 't' in church!"

2010_11_22 Monday

We went to Northlandz, a train museum, today. Jonathan really liked it. His favorite was the life-size train, although he was disappointed that there was only one tunnel to go through. We spent the better part of 3 hours watching model trains drive around and through tunnels. It was fun to follow them from room to room. It's a very cool place for a train-enthusiast.

2010_11_17 Wednesday

Oma got here yesterday evening, and we've been having a blast. We took her to Whole Foods today for art class, where we made Thanksgiving sandwiches and paper turkeys. Lots of Jonathan's friends were there, so he had a particularly good time. Afterward, we headed straight for the science center and stayed for about 3 hours. Great times and pretty empty (whew). Jonathan and Oma played in the toddler room for awhile; he really enjoyed showing her the rice table, the DIY cars and track, and the ball flinger-thingy. Then we ran through their zoo, which he typically loves but didn't seem to care for today. After a snack, we stopped at the construction exhibit on the way out, and they 'drove' an excavator. Good times!

At home, they've been playing with new puzzles and toys from Oma's goody bag. He's in for a sore awakening once she leaves (tomorrow). poor guy. However, Daddy comes home tomorrow night, so that will be good.

2010_11_11 Thursday

There are a couple of things of note that may or may not have actually happened today (memory is a little fuzzy) that are represented in the slideshow...

Elise realized that there is a baby in her mirror every time she looks. She tried to kiss her and find her behind the mirror, but was unsuccessful despite lots of cooing and chatter.

Jonathan wrote "MOM" on his board, but by the time I got the camera out, he had erased a good chunk of it. He wrote it vertically but that's still a good start.

Finally, we celebrated St Martin's this year just with making a pretzel. Since we were traveling to MD that evening, we really couldn't make a lantern and have a mini-parade. But, the pretzel was a big hit, again.