Where should I take this now?

You should recognize the Wii Fit box as something that John has been using lately. It was kinda tucked away in the corner of the den until earlier this week when he started using it to sit on at the "new snack bar". Since that time he has also been carrying it around like a suitcase (albeit one that is too large for him to carry). The box is empty except for some cardboard. Tonight he wandered into the kitchen with his two newest "toys" the Wii Fit box in one hand and the Swiffer broom in the other. So funny to see the combination! He does occasionally use it to stand on. I guess he's figured that if one box works that way then others will, too.

JHP got a box in the mail today from Nana. It had several things in it, among them an orange sand bucket. We'll need to remember to take that with us when we go to the park next. After I'd given him the box to check out, he promptly removed all the items and then wandered around bit. I was fixing dinner at the island. Then I saw these two hands reach up and just about grab the bowl (it was covered, thankfully) that contained John's potatoes off the island. Now, normally, John's fingertips only barely reach the countertop. So, I look down and he has used Nana's box as a stool to reach what he wanted. As I stood there in shock (I'm not sure why I should be surprised!), the box slipped away and I caught him on the way down. He was fine, but I guess I learned a lesson. My son is climber and learns quickly! Boxes need to be secured from now on. And no stools left unsupervised!

I thought you might like to see our stripped bathroom. This is what it looked like after they demolished it yesterday. We did have a shower pan liner, but since we had a leak, obviously it was breached in some manner. The rest of carpet has been removed in the whole room, except for the water closet. I guess they'll do that last. Eventually it will all have tile. YEAH - then I get to shop for throw rugs! More retail therapy!

This is what it looks like tonight. Hardie backer installed and the pan liner. We'll see how far they get tomorrow!

-EBP-

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Before and After

Our household was in need of a haircut. I got mine cut yesterday. And JHP got his cut today. (Next up - Daddy!) We went right when they opened and John had a bit of bed head. This is his BEFORE. There were other befores, but you know they always make the before with the person not smiling. That's why I picked this one. He's been sweating so much lately that I thought I'd get it nice and short. While he did give me some angst earlier in the day, he was just perfect for the stylist while riding in his little Taxi. Going out the door after we were done, not so good. But we managed.

Here is John's AFTER. He was really enjoying his Taxi ride. He got a No. 4 clipper on the back and sides, all trimmed up nice and neat. The top was blended in (just like Daddy). I should've taken a picture of how much hair was on the floor. I was surprised when I saw it all. And I was a little shocked that I could see his scalp in places, but the stylist assured me that in two weeks it would be grown out quite nicely. With the way he sweats, I'm just happy it's nice and short. It almost looks like some of the hair near the scalp is quite blond. Since it is so short, I did buy some baby gel, just in case we have some alfalfa issues that water won't tame.

While we were gone to get the haircut, the contractors demolished the old bathroom tile in the master bath. There is a little water damage that will be fixed and we decided that we should let it air out until tomorrow when they start over from scratch with the form. I'm guessing it will be about 5 days or so before it's completely done. I can't wait! John was quite interested in what was going on back there and so I took him back there to see. And, of course, he charmed everyone with the squinty-eyed grin of his. Let's see if keeping him out of there hair goes as planned.

After lunch, I decided I was going to sweep. A few days ago I tried this, and all John wanted to do was carry my broom around. Today, I took the old swiffer broom, shrunk it down to his size, and handed it over. He still wanted my broom, but I kept pumping him up about how helpful he was by sweeping with me with HIS broom. It mostly worked and I was able to get most of the filth off of the floor. When it got to be too much whining, I realized it was nap time and the house fell quiet. Thankfully! The contractors were gone. But I was waiting on the A/C maintenance guy for our checkup and the dryer repair guy. Both showed and took care of business. And John slept through it all. YEAH!

At one point while John was eating dinner, he propped his chin up with his arm. Daddy happened to be near the camera, but missed the shot. But this picture shows just how much hair no longer resides on John's head. It will takes some getting used to!

Oh - I forgot to mention - yesterday JHP started thrusting his tongue out while he was making a sound. I'm guessing he picked at MDO yesterday because neither John or I taught him to do that. It's funny to hear him making the noise. And he likes to do it because it's new! And he's started coming to get me if he wants to show me something. Twice today something upset him or he got a minor boo-boo and he came to get me, wanting me to follow him. I never quite got what happened, but it was cool to see the effort at communication. We had our moments of frustration today, but we also had our moments of love. I guess that's why I'm home. To feel that love!

One more thing - I've put some pictures by a friend of mine from one of the egg hunts we went to on the WebAlbums. You might have to dig back a bit. It was on 4/10/09. There are some really great ones! I really appreciate her sharing them with me.

-EBP-

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Does your mother know what you are doing?

Uh - no, she didn't! This is what John discovered when he walked in the door tonight. I was in the kitchen starting dinner. I heard JHP pushing the box and I heard that noise stop. I just figured he'd moved on. Uh, well, no. He used the box as a stool to get to the toy that is sitting on the buffet. And while he was up there he found the key we keep by the door. That is what John is asking JHP to give him in this picture. Needless to say, the box was removed to the garage and we put the key up. Tomorrow, I'll have to find a place for the toy out of eyesight.

My friend Jennifer gave us a Little Tikes puppy dog rocker. JHP really liked it, although he will still need some training on the rocking part. He had no trouble, however, pushing it around the carpet. Go figure! Probably looking for a way to use it to climb up on the couch...

John and John read several books tonight. I was fiddling with the camera and took several shots of the session. This was my favorite.

JHP is throwing more little tantrums each day. Most of the time, he fusses and walks away which makes it REALLY easy to ignore. Usually, it's as a result of not getting his way. Little does he know that Momma is pretty hard headed and isn't going to give in easy!

I figured out that he is signing baby, although it looks like the same sign he uses for change (as in the diaper). He says baby quite alot. I'm guessing it has some deeper meaning to him that we aren't aware of yet...

Tomorrow is demo day in the master bath. I bought the new shower fixture today. Can't wait for the whole project (and problem) to be fixed! I anticipate tomorrow will have plenty of fussiness since JHP will WANT to see what's going on in there. Wish me strength!

-EBP-

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The new snack bar

We didn't even make it to the grocery today. Instead, we waited again for the dryer repair guy who never came. I've called another company who will come out on Wednesday. I spent two days waiting. I should have listened to the little voice that said to just call someone else. I seem to trust it less these days as it relates to all manner of things. I need to learn to listen to that voice. I did get a contract signed for the master bath repair. It will likely begin on Wednesday and last about a week or so. It will probably kill JHP not to see what's going on in there. I might have to do periodic show and tells for him.

When I gave him his snack bowl today, he took it over to the window sill in the den and sat on the Wii Fit box that he had previously laid over in front of the window. So I brought him his water and there he sat looking out the window and snacking. It was kind of interesting to see him sit there and enjoy the scenery outside.

I checked his latest molar today and it still hasn't cut through, but I don't think it will be long. Today, he most definitely called his pacifier a "papa" with a soft A sound. And he signed kitty or cat tonight on his cheek where it's supposed to be. When he first started trying to sign cat, he would point to the top of his head. He gets all excited when he sees Wicket and wants to pet her. She'll tolerate a little bit, but usually runs off if he lingers too long.

As I was feeding John his bottle tonight (this is the only one he gets now), it had started to rain again (another heavy rain - I expect we'll get at least a couple of inches, maybe more, before it's done). And it thundered and flashed lightning. This attracted his attention. So I pulled the blinds up so that he could see. And he seemed unsure and watched. He finished the bottle, and then watched the rain some more. I kept reassuring him that it was OK and that he was safe with us indoors. I was afraid this would impede bedtime, but it didn't. I am soooooooooo thankful that (at least for this week) he goes to bed easy.

-EBP-

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Playing catch-up

We had some playtime in the crib today after John's three hour nap! Daddy is showing him Mickey. JHP has such a cute look on his face! I love it! So innocent, which I know he is quickly losing. He has been especially unhappy when he doesn't get his way in recent days. I'm not sure if it's the terrible two's already or if it's because he cutting another tooth. Yes - I'm talking about #3 1st year molar (bottom left). I discovered it yesterday morning when I realized he was drooling alot again. Sometimes, he drools alot because he's congested, but yesterday that didn't seem the case. So, I thought I'd check his mouth. And, lo and behold, I felt a change in the area where the bottom left molar is. It has not cut through, but it won't be long if the others are any indication.

Back to the nap... he only slept until 800a or so this morning. That was after he'd gone to bed 1.5 hrs late last night. And woke twice before he made it into his own bed for the night. And he only napped for about 30 mins before church. So I guess he had some catching up to do. He still made a fuss at dinner (we went to eat with SNBNA) when HE was done. He hasn't gotten the concept that he has to wait for everyone else to be done. I need to remember to bring him a toy to play with at the table next time.

If you look closely above his right eye, you'll see the evidence from last night's collision with the brick siding outside SNBNA's back door. Both Andrew and John decided to exit the door at the same time. John lost his balance and hit the sharp edge of the brick. I was right behind him and I didn't think he really hit it that hard, but it sure left a bruise and a little lump. He cried a bit, but it wasn't the silent cry so I know it wasn't that bad. He was quite charming last night after he got over the shock caused by the rush of people showing up. By the end of the evening he'd made some new friends, grinning his way into their hearts!

He's been saying more. Last night he repeated baby. Baby John is used a lot to describe him at SNBNA's house. Someone called him that and he repeated baby. Today, it was water. We were int he car and I asked him if he wanted water. And he repeated it. Multiple times. It's not perfect enunciation, but understandable.

Today we put the bed down on his dump truck and encouraged him to put things in it to push around. Earlier it was the empty cat food barrel. Tonight it was his shoes. He thought it was cool. Don't you love this little button down shirt I bought him recently. I bought 24 month size thinking he'd grown into it. Well, it already fits pretty well in the shoulders. It's just a tad long. (Note: If you are buying him clothes, grandmas, buy at least 24 month size, please.) He looks so like a little boy, huh?

I did upload a couple of pics from yesterday and a slew of pics from today to the WebAlbums tonight. Enjoy!

-EBP-

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Waiting on Daddy

This will be short. We just got in from SNBNA's house who had a little party. We bathed JHP there and put him down in the pac-n-play. It was a late bedtime (930p) for him. So, he was ready for sleep. He only woke once when he couldn't find his pacifier. All in all it went pretty well. I'm sure there is more to tell about the experience, maybe tomorrow...

One quick picture for today. John went to mow this afternoon. And JHP was quite upset at the fact he couldn't go outside with Daddy. He actually followed him around the house watching him mow. At one point he even threw a little fit by lying on the floor and putting his feet on the door, I guess thinking that would get the door open. I finally put him down for a nap and he slept well.

I'll put the pictures from today (there are only a few) up tomorrow on the WebAlbums. I'm tired and ready for sleep!

-EBP-

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Just the two of us

What do you get when you cross a requirement to stay at home after lunch and JHP not getting what he wanted? A very unhappy boy. And a frustrated Momma (with a camera!). We were supposed to have two service appointments today, but both were cancelled (I'll use that term loosely, here) at the last minute. So, we stayed home for nothing. Well, almost. I did have the bathroom contractor make it by to discuss the details to finalize the contract. We did walk to the park this morning, but that must have worn off by noon. John was pushing all my buttons and clamoring for attention. When I picked him up all he wanted was down and cried even more. It was clear that nap time was really needed. I had the carry him kicking into this room, but once I gave him his pacifier and blankie, the protesting ceased. And he must have been really in need because he slept for almost 3 hours. When Dad got home, I was better, but I still put him in charge. Thankfully, John was in a pretty happy mood when he woke up.

Our friends the Sloans lent us this classic toy: the colorful popcorn popper (I'm sure that is not the proper name for it, but I'm also sure you know what I'm talking about if I call it that). And John loves it! Can't you tell from the look on his face in this picture? Tonight he pulled it around and around. And he really like sit if you say, "POP! POP!" in a slightly higher pitched voice. He just giggles, kinda like on the first video I ever posted here. I loved to hear that giggle. And surprisingly, he doesn't get the hiccups when he laughs like that. Now, if you tickle him, he's sure to get them.

John and I were playing with his giraffe that Nana gave him for his birthday. I stuffed his front legs into the back of John's shirt and he carried him around for the longest time. Sometimes, he'd walk in circles, just trying to see him back there. He knew he was there, but he couldn't reach him. I thought his was cute picture, with the giraffe peaking over his shoulder.

JHP is starting to mimic words that you say. Sometimes he's more successful that others. Tonight I thought I heard giraffe. And he repeated Daddy when he said tee-tee in response to JHP tinkling in the tub at bath time. He's trying hard to say ball. We've also been watching these baby sign language DVD's. He was very attentive today. I know that it's songs are stuck in my head. Maybe there are in John's, too.

-EBP-

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Out for a stroll

Not much to report today. Did some shopping for me and the house. I got some shirts. I looked in my closet last week and decided that I didn't like what I saw. Lots of out of date, boring things. Not so out of date that I look goofy, but out of date enough. The house got a new toaster oven. The one we had was a hand-me-down and finally decided to start falling apart. The door glass was slipping in it's frame and the handle was really loose. So a new one was in order. John was at MDO and then we went to the playground afterward, as usual.

It wasn't as hot as yesterday but was a little more humid. A nice breeze kept things in check, however. After dinner, we went for a short walk and on to get the mail. John always enjoys his walks. I took the picture above while on the walk. He was enticed to look interested in me by the lens cap (surprise!) again. He is usually very solemn as he takes in his surroundings. The other pics from today show that.

-EBP-

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Smell the flowers

We didn't really do much today. Just hung out around the house and ran to get Barbara a birthday present and deliver it. Today she turned 38. We were horsing around this morning and I snapped some pics (when don't I). John won't interact with me and the camera some days, especially if he's riled up, unless I give him my lens cap. He was playing around on the couch when I caught this moment. I love the happiness on his face.

While John was napping, I did some stuff around the house including rearranging the plasticware. Now I imagine that some of you are asking why I bothered. Well, I couldn't find anything. Really. Many weeks ago, John had totally emptied it out. In a hurry, we just basically THREW it all back in there. It was a total mess! After lunch, John must have heard it calling his name. He dumped some out, but it was reparable. I really like that I captured this look of "uh-oh, she caught me".

It got up to 91 or 92 degrees here today. I think it was record. So, I figured we'd wait until after dinner to go to the park, which we did. We let John walk in the sand at the park, but when we got home I forgot to empty his shoes. So, I took him out back and started to do that. Then I decided I wanted more pics of the amaryllis, this time with JHP. But try as we might, John was intimidated and really wasn't interested in getting too close. After much trying, we let him be. And then he decided he was going to sit on the step going into the house. It's just his size! Then suddenly he got excited and started flapping his arms and bouncing up and down on the step. I think it was all for show because I was snapping pics and John was egging him on. But I liked that I caught the emotion he was showing.

Finally, he did touch the flower. There are lots more pics on the WebAlbums, both from this morning and this evening.

-EBP-

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Love him in Orange

I've decided I love him in orange. And that's good because in his latest school picture he was dressed in orange. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hoping it was a good one! We were real busy today, but I took some time out this morning before MDO to snap this picture of John dressed in orange with his little stride rite shoes (with matching orange stripes). Too cute!

After MDO, we went to the ob/gyn for my yearly checkup. John was not too excited (ok- he was unhappy) to be getting in the car instead of going to the playground like we most always do after MDO. Time just didn't allow it and he fussed almost halfway to the doctor's office. Everyone there was happy to see how he'd grown and how charming he was. He was making friends with everyone in the waiting room and even gave away his milk to a nice father-to-be that just thought John was adorable. When it was our turn to go, I tried to let him walk/run as much as possible, thinking that when we got into the room I'd put him in the stroller for the exam. This worked well until John started balling when the exam started. Thankfully, things were quick and as soon as I sat up, John calmed. I'm not sure if he thought the doc was hurting me or if maybe he thought it wasn't right because it was a strange man (strange to John anyway - the doc and I go way back - just look at the latest volume of my file - it's almost 1.5 inches thick). Anyway, things got better and we left after he charmed a few more nurses on the way out.

Next we had to make another stop. John actually did really well and only showed his boredom by untying his shoes (as seen above). Then he tried to get them in his mouth, or at least the shoelace. I keep telling him shoes are not for chewing, but it doesn't seem to sink in.

John is starting to say a few more words, some better than others. Dadee is heard very often. He associates it with John N, but also I think he uses it for outdoors. Yesterday, he said Uh-Oh when he dropped his milk on the floor and will repeat it if you say it. Today, I could have sworn he said Bye when I told him we were going bye-bye. He will say mama on rare occasion. I'm not concerned about this because I know that I will hear it way too often soon enough. The teachers said he was trying really hard on ball today. He's got the B down, but hasn't quite gotten ball and blue and balloon, yet. He babbles a lot, so I'm sure we'll be seeing at least a few more words come along soon.

John N worked on the dryer vent again tonight. He cleaned a lot more out, like almost as much as I did. He had motivation to do so. He needed to wash some jeans, which he did. And get this - the jeans dried in an unbelievably short amount of time. And we did decide we better call a professional to verify that the dryer is working properly. Something has to be wrong for that much lint to make it past the filter. We'll see...

-EBP-

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John's new chair

John likes to play around in the pillows and he likes to sit on things. Unfortunately, not too many things are sized for him in this house. He does still "sit" on the one piece of bumper that is left in the crib. So, I'd been thinking about getting a bean bag chair. Well, last night when we went to Target they had them on sale. It's a nice firm one covered in Target red cotton. And he LOVES it! After I showed him how to do it, he sat and watched some cartoons this morning. Later in the day, he wrestled with it. Even later, he showed Dad that he could carry it around. Dad is a bit concerned about it, though. He wonders how long it will take for John to figure out how to use it to climb onto the coffee table and then onto the couch. I guess we'll see...

I did manage to clear a large clump of lint from the dryer line this morning while John was napping. It took some effort, but I think the line is mostly clear. Now we need to shore up our seal on the outer vent cover and determine if the dryer is filtering the lint properly or not. My guess is it is not. Unfortunately, this might cost me a service call. I couldn't easily see how to get the exhaust housing apart. I'm still thinking on it!

We went to the store today. While I was there I bought John a blue latex balloon. He thought it was just great. The lady who blew it up for us tied a slip knot in the ribbon. So, now John carries it around with him whenever he wants attached to his wrist. He thinks it's too cool. It really does put him in a good mood! I hope it works tomorrow, too!

-EBP-

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More boy than baby

I couldn't resist taking this picture of JHP reading his book. Not because he's reading the book so intently (although he is), but because he looks so grown up in his little khaki shorts and plaid button-down shirt we put him in to go to church. I can't believe I bought these 24 month shirts and they don't seem all that big on him. They are roomy but aren't swallowing him.

John has discovered that he can rotate some of the rungs on the stools and the make a great squeaking noise. He had come to chase me since I had the camera on and then got sidetracked by the stool. He stopped to make some noise, but in this photo something else must have distracted him, likely John N or the cat.

We had pretty much ignored the amaryllis bulb we had in a pot until John "rediscovered" it on the back porch and moved it to get a little sun and some water. It had already sent up a shoot when he did this. And look what has finally emerged. It only missed Easter by a week. We figured it might be later than this.

John N. and I worked on the dryer vent while JHP was napping today. It seems that we have plugged the line up because there was water in the vent line and the filter screen on the dryer is not filtering. We only got part way done when we stopped because John was sleeping and because John N needed to go to work. We'll have to likely take the back part off the dryer and see what we can do about the filter problem. Then we'll have to see if we can clear the plug some the inside end. I might try to work on it tomorrow, although the "extra" help might prevent this until Daddy gets home.

Since Daddy was gone, it was just me and John for dinner. I had wanted to go to Target, but JHP woke relatively late, around 430p, from his nap. After getting him up, John decided he was hungry. I offered him some milk, but he passed that up going straight to the pantry and patting it and looking at me. After John tried unsuccessfully to reach the handle, I went to open it for him and he reached right in a selected a veggie container. He went to his chair and waited until I lifted him up and buckled him in. Since it was obvious he was hungry, I went ahead an fed him dinner and decided to go to Target after.

The trip was a non-event except for running into SNBNA (whom I knew were heading in that direction) and this one little tidbit I'd like to share. I'd love to show you a picture, but as the old point & shoot was at home, I have none to share. As we were checking out, SNBNA were lining up to do the same. I stopped to chat with Barbara, but John started make the motions that he wanted out of the cart. He'd already started to climb out once earlier and I had to strap him in. Since we'd be getting in the car soon, I went ahead took him out and held him until he wanted down. I let him down and as we started to leave I tried to get him to help "push" the cart from down below. He tried, but when I moved him over, he came up with a better idea. He stepped up on the lower shelf of the basket and then reached up putting his hands in a couple of secure places and peeked around the side of the basket. There he rode ALL the way to the car. He didn't fall off or even look unsteady in the least bit. The basket was built such that he could stand up easily without being tilted backwards. I'm not sure where he saw this done or how he came up with it, but he sure looked comfortable. I wished I'd had the camera with me!

-EBP-

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Flooding fun and another tooth!

It started raining early in the day. During a break in the rain, John decided he'd better address our gutter issue. It was quite obvious from the rain we got yesterday that they needed a bit of cleaning out. Before he headed out, I snapped a couple of pictures of John and John. JHP liked trying Daddy's hat on. Afterwards, JHP was not happy that Daddy went outside without him. So, we spent time looking out the windows at what Daddy was doing.

It was drizzling as we left for lunch today. We knew it was going to rain some more and really didn't think much of it. We headed over to a burger place we frequent and ran into a girlfriend of mine, Jennifer and her family, Jeff and Benjamin. We had been trying to get together for a meal, and coincidence brought us together today. While we were there, it began raining extremely heavy. So, even after we had finished our meals, we all decided to wait until a break in the rain and continue our visit. This was wise, especially since we had left our umbrellas in the car. The boys did get a little bored! This burger place did not have any real amusements for the younger set and it was too busy to just let them roam. When the break in the rain came, we said our goodbyes and headed out.

Hindsight tells us that John and I did not make a wise decision at this point. We decided to head to the library. John wanted to get a book and I figured I could keep JHP occupied in the children's' section for a while. While we were in there, the skies opened up and DUMPED rain. I'm sure it was at a rate of several inches per hour and the rain was blowing horizontal! So we waited and waited. JHP was getting fussy and so we decided to make a run for it. We managed to get in the car without getting too wet and headed home. Well, that was the plan anyway.

Over an hour later, we still had not made it. We headed out in one direction and because of high water (we were in the car), we chose a different route. That one wasn't much better. So we pulled over and waited. And waited. Watched lot of cars, I should say trucks, really, go by. And waited. The boy tolerated it fairly well. I gave him his pacifier and blanket and anything else that would appease him. I had forgotten his snacks at home, but thankfully, he was still pretty full from lunch. It was nap time, but he didn't want to miss anything. So, he didn't sleep. I did pull him out of the car seat for a while to let him stretch his legs. He thought that was cool since he rarely gets to explore in the car. Finally, after the rain slackened and John could determine that water was starting to recede, he started home again. The trip was uneventful after that and as soon as we got home it was time for the long overdue nap. John slept for over an hour when we decided we'd better wake him. Otherwise, he'd never get to bed tonight.

Right before bed tonight, father and son were playing on the couch. JHP was having great fun. He loves to romp around and horseplay, especially on the couch or the bed. Here are the best two pictures of the session. There are a couple of others that I really like the expressions in, but I need to see if I can salvage them. They are out of focus, unfortunately.

The rain is supposed to let up tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a bright sunny day. While playing at the park might be a bit wet, a stroll would definitely be doable!

{Edit} Oops! I forgot to mention that I was checking on John's 1st molar tonight and discovered that the upper right 1st year molar has partially cut through. I can feel all 4 edges on the first one and the two outside edges on the new one. I hope the others come in close together. I'd rather get it over with quickly!

-EBP-

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New Duds!

Second post for today...scroll down for Friday's first entry.

Check out the new duds on the old blog! Whatcha think? It took me a while to orchestrate this, but I think I actually learned something in the process. And I did it all by myself! With a little help from the wondrous resources on the Internet, of course.

-EBP-

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Grey Skies

John has recently become aware of his clothing. This morning I caught him examining the front end loader on his shirt. He studied it for quite a few minutes before moving on.

It was quite dreary here today. Eventually the skies opened up and it rained at least 2 inches. And there is supposed to be more rain tomorrow. Good thing, John got the fertilizer down last weekend. Before the rain, JHP and I made it out to do a little shopping. We went to Lowe's and bought a shop vac. We've been having issues with a musty smell in our dryer and we suspect we've got water in the vent line to outside. Our vent line runs under the slab and is about 11 feet long. Thus, the shop vac. Anyway, the trip to Lowe's was mostly uneventful. I did have a little panic when I thought I'd misplaced my keys. Thankfully, they were just buried in the diaper bag.

It had already started to rain when John woke from his nap. And of course, the house was dark. Since John had not really seen rain in a while (recent rains were at night most of the time), I took him out the front door to see the sheets of rain pouring down. He did tense up a bit when it thundered. I assured him that it just came with the rain and all was OK. After we came back inside, John kept going back to the window to look out at the rain.

As John and I were preparing to eat supper, John H. took the flour sack dishcloth we had hanging in the kitchen down from it's hook and starting running around the kitchen, making the loop. He'd wave the towel up and over his head and then back down again. Sometimes, it would trail behind and other times, he'd nearly trip over it. And he kept laughing. And running. And laughing some more. I'm not sure if he thought we were going to chase him or were chasing him. It was quite obvious he was having great fun!

-EBP-

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Who needs shoes if you've got socks?

Today was another no-nap day at MDO. Now, some mothers would immediately take their children home and put them down to get another 2-3 hours of quiet time to herself. I did not do this. I chose a different approach. My son can't stand to miss anything and as long as he's occupied, he's pretty happy. He did not fuss really at all when I picked him up. In fact, he was just so happy to have my keys that he just kept moving and shaking, and then it was a game. There he was just running done the hallway labyrinth that is the pick-up time at MDO. So, I took him out the playground, fed him a snack, and let him play. I took pictures and chatted with my friends. This approach was a bit selfish, I know. But I got to visit and the activity made certain the John was plum wore out. This assured me there would be no fight when I laid him down for his nap.

When I picked him up today, he was running around in socks, which really didn't matter to me. I assumed that he took them off and were in his bag. Since we were going to the playground, I went to put them on, but they were MIA. Really, MIA. Oops! They went home with someone else today. So John played in his socks at the playground. It didn't seem to phase him at all!

They have these little cars at the playground. They only have one door and it's on the left hand side. And John ALWAYS tries to get in from the right, requiring him to go over the side as you see in the picture above. I've shown him lots of times that there is a door, but he'd rather go over. Most of the time, he'll turn around and face backwards, but today he actually acted like he was driving it, which I thought was pretty cute.

I'm not sure what this look means, but I liked the picture!

John woke up from his nap very upset. And wouldn't really be comforted. He was very restless about it. Finally, I decided he'd better eat and get some Tylenol. After that things did get better. And bedtime was a non-event, thankfully.

-EBP-

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