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.