Nate's Journal

Nate has changed SO much in just few months. We went from having a moody preschooler for 6 months straight to having a delightful little man with a killer sense of humor and a happy disposition (with the occasional naughty behavior throw in -- nobody's perfect). I relish the time we get to spend together when he's awake and I'm home from work. We play all sorts of games together and he's using his imagination more than ever. I think his vocabulary is fairly advanced for his age but as his mom I think I'm suppose to say that. He's still bashful around other people and I wish with all my heart that others could see how personable he is when he feels at ease. 

I started a journal one year ago where I wanted to record all of the different things Nate says. My mom did that for me and I wanted to continue that tradition with Nate. Here is the journal I create and purchased via papercoterie.com:

I am soooo behind in writing in this book. My last entry was February!! I have random slips of paper stuck in it from things he's said recently. Now I just need to find the time and energy to transfer said paper into the journal. I know I've let some real *gems* slip by...

I Thought We Got Lucky. Nope.

Somebody promptly turned three:

and the next day, 

began the Terrible Twos phase (late bloomer??).

Where a Kid Can be a Kid

Yesterday, Nate ran up to Lee and stated very clearly:

"Chuck E. Cheese is a proud supporter of PBS kids, Daddy."

That's what he hears every day when he watches Sesame Street. Just another example of the power of marketing, even from public television. And, no, Nate has no idea who or what Chuck E. Cheese is.

Mom Tip: Clothespins

I keep a stash of these in my car now:

(Source)

Why are clothespins in my car? Well, if you have a young child who likes balloons, they're the perfect "weight" to keep a balloon from flying away. When we're out doing errands, Nate will occasionally be given a balloon at Trader Joe's, etc. Once we're back at the car, I can grab a clothespin from my stash and quickly tie the string to it (I guess if I was SuperMom I'd keep a clothespin in my purse but I'm not, so that's not going to happen). Once we get home, it's fun to play outside with our weighted balloon in the front yard too. It stays just enough above the ground to float around but won't blow away.

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

In typical Nikki-fashion, I'm 2 days late posting this...

 Dear Nate.

Today is your 2 1/2 year old birthday. You have changed SO much over the past six months.  Where has my little Nater Tot gone? He's been replaced by such a big boy.

Your vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds....your dad and I can't keep up! Every day you surprise us with a new word or phrase. These are some of my current favorites that you say pretty frequently:

"I say cheers sometimes."

"Tinkle Tinkle little star, 'ow I under ut eee ahhh."

"That's sooo wonderful." (or sooo cute or sooo sweet.)

"Nathan can do it."

"Mommy go get the chocolate."

 You are still on the timid side and aren't sure of things outside of your comfort zone. I completely understand & can relate to this side of you but I hope to help you grow into a confident, self-assured young man.

On the homefront, you love being outside, don't mind taking a bath, and are a fabulous sleeper. As for eating....well, challenging is the word that comes to mind. We'd love to get you to eat things like pasta, pizza, and a PB & J sandwich, but you'll have none of it. I hope the future brings some changes in this area :)

Nathan, we couldn't be prouder of you and are so blessed to be your mom and dad. Our hearts burst with love for you.

Shoes that Shine (in my mind)

Nate's first real pair of shoes.

He wore them practically every day as he learned to walk.

I just tossed them in the trash because, seriously, 

they're gross (and I never want to be on that Hoarders show).

But I love these shoes for what they represent. 

I had to take a picture of them.

Aren't they beautiful?

The Ugly Side of A Toddler

It's such a pain being a rock star and having people always wanting to take my picture. Maybe if I hide behind these glasses, they'll won't recognize me and I can go to preschool like a normal kid and be left alone. Wait, am I wearing these right? Mommy, help me! Help me but don't touch me because I also want to do it by myself. I said help me! No, don't help me! Ugh, why is it so hard for you people to figure this out??

Scarry World

I was thrilled to find this 1968 book a few weeks back:

Richard Scarry was a BIG part of my childhood. I didn't have this particular book but I had others and I can recall vividly how much I loved pouring over every page and every illustration. This story book has been a real hit with Nate. Some of the poems and tales are a little old for him so I can see how this book will grow with us for years to come. Currently, Nate has his favorite 4-5 stories that we read over and over. One of them is a lesson in numbers/counting and I have to share one part of it with you to give you a laugh:

The first time I read this and saw the handsome husband sitting on his behind while he was suppose to be doing housework, well, I thought that just sounded like someone else I know....ah-hem. When we get to number 7, the handsome husband is trying on his wife's hats. He's kind of an odd duck, this handsome husband. Not unlike, uh, you-know-who (who has never tried on any of my hats, as far as I know).

21st Century Child

Last night after bath time, Lee and Nate played peekaboo with his bath towel and this was their conversation:

Lee: "Where did Nate go?"

Nate: "Gramma's house!"

Lee: "Now where did Nate go?"

Nate: "Ruth's house!"

Lee: "Now where did Nate go?"

Nate: "Target!"

And here's this morning's response after I woke up Nate and told him about our day's activities:

Nate: "Nate excited see Ikea! Yea Ikea! Go Ikea now!" (I heard this over and over for 2 hours. We got to Ikea and within 5 minutes he says "Pay. Go home now." Figures....)

Is he a child of the 21st Century or what?!? Little Man can't identify his colors all that well but he knows what Target, Ikea, Trader Joe's, Von's, and Fresh & Easy are. Umm, am I doing something wrong here???

Picture a World without Picture Books

 Can this article be true? The New York Times is reporting here that the popularity of picture books is diminishing and that more younger children are reading chapter books. Sad but not surprising once you factor in the rising pressure of younger children to be more advanced in their studies by Kindergarten. I think we'll still be a picture book pushing family. I have really, really enjoyed the books we've been reading with/to Nate. It's almost like having a second childhood -- for example, I only discovered Don Freeman's gem, Corduroy, this year (I know, what rock have I been hiding under?!).  What is your favorite picture book?

Seriously??

The Haves and the Have Nots....

While some people are struggling to put food on their table, I suppose there's also got to be somebody out there who can easily drop $360 on recliners for their toddler.  Yeah, not me.

I am man. Make fire. Burn stuff.

Every time I open the garage, Nate runs immediately to the bag of charcoal, points to the Kingsford man and yells out "Daddy!!!"  If that doesn't make Lee feel manly, I don't know what will....

I'm Doing A Happy Dance

Mister Nathan has decided that he doesn't like poopy diapers and is alerting us right after he poops....sometimes even before he poops.  "Change poopy diaper," he says.  He even cut short a trip to the park today because he wanted us to change his pants.  Woo hoo.  This is just a tiny baby step toward diaper independence but, I'm very excited :) 

A New Way to Count

 

Every night during bath time I put Nate's bag of sticky letters and numbers all over the tile around the tub.  We recite them over and over and spell out short words.  Tonight I lined up all of the numbers in order -- one thru ten -- and asked Nate to tell me what they were.  Very rapidly, he recited the following as he pointed to each number, beginning with the number "one":

"Unn, two, tee, water, daddy, nine, unn, two, tee, ten."

Another Hair-Don't -- I'm on a Roll!

Nate and I have our bath-time routine down pat. We play with bath toys, sing songs, and generally act silly in-between the actual business of washing his little body with soap. He gets the giggles when I flip my hair over my face and pretend I can't see him. Then I shake my hair back into place and ask him to shake his head too.  

So the other night, I finished up with the bath and handed Nate over to Lee. He was going to finish putting Nate to bed while I ran a few errands. I'm out the door at 7:50pm, in a rush to get to the library and TJMaxx before either of them close. It only dawns on me about 15 minutes later as I'm standing in the library that I didn't brush my hair before I left and I'm sure I look something like this:

 I reached up to pat down my hair as I stood looking for a book.  Oh brother.  I really need to slow down sometimes.  Makes for a good laugh!

I Need My Own Craft Corner Because....

Men.

Eating in front of the television.

Watching football.

This will be my life for the next 18 years.

Controversy: Children make us unhappy?

The July 12th edition of New York Magazine is causing a great deal of discussion on the Internet and,  I believe, was featured on The Today Show this week.  When I saw the cover at the newsstand over the weekend it made me stop and think "whoa, that's brutally honest."

You can read the story on the magazine's website here.  It's long but a worthy read -- just so you can start to think about parenting, your expectations, society's views on kids, etc.

What are your thoughts after reading this story?

A Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord,

So far today I've done all right.  I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or very indulgent.  I'm very grateful for that.  But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help.  Amen.

From The Toddler's Busy Book - Trish Kuffner

Never Got to Eat Any of the Rice

July 15, 2008.

Approximately 6pm

I arrive home from work and start the rice cooker. I'm hungry and thinking rice will be a nice treat for my tummy. I haven't felt so hot all day and want to eat something bland. As the rice is cooking, I go into our bedroom, turn on the television, and lay down on the bed. Hmm, I think, something feels a little weird. I go into the bathroom. After thirty seconds, I look up at the ceiling and have a little heart-to-heart with God. "This can't possibly be happening now. I have one month left to go. Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away." The responsible voice inside my head says, "uh, let's be smart about this. Call the doctor now!" I listen to the voice and speak to the doctor's answering service. Within two minutes, my OB calls me back. Two minutes after that, I'm leaving a desperate but calm message for Lee. Two minutes after that, I call my mom. The phone rings and it's Lee wondering where we're going to meet for our last parenting class that starts in thirty minutes. Change of plans - you better come home. My water just broke. I try not to sound scared but I am. After Lee arrives (wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that drive home!), we immediately head to Pasadena and a hospital we weren't prepared to be at. In the parking garage Lee heads for the stairs. "I think I should probably take the elevator, " I say. "Oh right," he replies. We find our way to the Maternity Wing. Tests are run, blood is drawn, paperwork is submitted, and IVs are started (ick!).

This is night #1 of 9 spent in the hospital before Nate arrives.

Calgon Take Me Away

I played hooky from church today so that Nate and I could go to the PCC swap meet.  This antique swap meet is held every 1st Sunday and I try and go once a year at this time because the weather is nice.  My mom went with us and I told her that we'd pick her up before 8:30am.  When you go to a swap meet you gotta get there early -- it's just part of the treasure hunting.  So when I've gone in the past, I've just gotten up, thrown on some clothes, put my hair in a ponytail, skipped putting on makeup and wore a hat and sunglasses.  It's kind of expected that when you're treasure hunting that you look sorta grungy :)  Fast forward to today -- Nate's in the Pack N Play while I'm tinkering around in our bedroom, getting ready as quickly as possible.  I look in the mirror and then it dawns on me.  What I see before me isn't somebody grungy one day a year to go to a flea market -- this is my look EVERY day now that I have a baby.  Oh. My. Gosh.  I was wearing the same t-shirt and jeans I've worn a zillion times since Nate was born.  I almost always pull my hair back in a ponytail.  And who wants to waste makeup on a 9-month old?  I'm grungy everyday.  This is so sad. 

So to summarize how I feel and look lately.....this is how I'd like to look:

  

But this is reality: