Reshen's 2nd Year Slide Show

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Happy Birthday, Reeshy-Roo!

Happy 2nd Birthday my Reeshy-Roo!!

Your birthday was on Monday (the 19th), but I feel like we've been celebrating it all week. On Friday we all stayed home together (because you had a bad cold and we felt like you should stay home) and we gave you your birthday present from mommy and daddy (a geo-trax train set). You love it an played with it all day long. You call them your "new choo-choos" and love to control the train with the remote, or "hammer" as you call it, because it resembles a hammer, I guess.


On Saturday, you got a present from your great-aunt-Nancy- a fun magnetic farm book, which you played with enthusiastically.

On Sunday we made you a birthday cake, which you helped mommy decorate with sprinkles of your choice. You delighted in us singing you Happy Birthday and even tried to blow out the candles all by yourself. You thought your yellow cake with chocolate frosting was very yummy and asked for more after you devoured your first piece. That was not a shock to us.



Monday was your actual birthday, and although mommy hated taking you to daycare, I knew you would have fun celebrating it there with your friends. Before we left, you got to open a present from Grandma- some books. I sent cookies with you to share with all your buddies, and I knew Pam would make it a special day for you. I sang Happy Birthday to you again and gave you extra hugs and kisses before dropping you off. You came home that day with a Diego safari set and cookies on your face, so I know you had fun.

Birthday cards and well wishes have been arriving all week. When asked how old you are now, you say "Be Two!" and try to hold two fingers up (you can get one, but can't quite control the others- it seems to be either all or nothing for the rest of them). You love the Happy Birthday song and like to sing it now to other people and toys. You even sang it to mommy :-)

Little man, how can you be two years old already? You are officially not a baby anymore... it just doesn't seem possible. It's really hit me this week, how much you are maturing recently. You want to do almost everything yourself...the other day you were listening to music on the computer and I was hovering above you. "Mommy go over there," you said and pointed across the room. My bubby boo wanted to be left alone! Talk about bruising my mommy ego!

You want to help do everything. You like to read by yourself. You have very definite preferences for food, tv shows and music. You seem to have a greater understanding of the world every day and always amaze me with what you pick up from casual conversation and observation. You're also becoming increasingly stubborn and are testing your limits with mommy and daddy. I still think you are basically compliant and easy-going for your age, but you do have your moments- we've had our share of public embarrassments the past few months. Most of your "misbehaving" have been related to running away from us. You have such a mind of your own- you want to go where you want to go and when you want to go there- no matter if it's at home and you want to go upstairs or downstairs of if it's at the store and you want to go down a different aisle. You don't listen to mommy when she tells you to stop or wait- you just go faster! *sigh*

You seem to have a better understanding of time now. You use the word "after" often in relation to when you can do something. Such as "watch show after daddy game." Meaning you can watch your show after daddy watches his game. If I say you can't do something, you immediately say "after..." and then whatever is going on, such as "after nap" or "after eat". You always have hope, don't you? :-) You also are using the word "remember" and telling me you remember things that have happened in the past. Today you pointed at the decorating sprinkles and said "member (remember) making cakes?" I love that you are making memories now that might last a long time- into adulthood even. The more you verbalize your memories, the greater the chance they will survive in that intricate mind of yours... so I encourage your reminiscing.

You're finally starting to correctly identify colors. You can usually point out blue, green, yellow and black. You can also identify some shapes- circles, triangles, squares, stars and hearts, and often tells me that is what you're drawing (although all your drawings are actually large, loose circles).

The Typical 2-Year Old, you have many favorites, so I'll take the time now to share of them:

TV:
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Jo-Jo's Circus
- The Wiggles
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- Jungle Book Movie
- Care Bears Movie
- Little People
- Finding Nemo
- Happy Feet

Toys:

-Trains
-Cars and Trucks
- Books
- Paints
- Ride-On Toys
- Anything that has buttons to push and parts to manipulate
- "pretend" toys such as his microwave and play food, phones, and keys- you like those that look and feel real

Food:
- Crackers, cereal and carby things
- Mac and Cheese
- Noodles
- Baby Corn
- Carrots with ranch dip
- Sweets of any kind (cake, ice cream, candy, etc.)
- Pickles
- Yogurt
- Meatballs
-Potstickers
Strange mixture of food, isn't it? Of course, just because these are your favorites, doesn't mean you get them often. We do the sweets and pickles sparingly. Luckily you will also eat other food- these are just the ones you especially love and are sure to gobble up.

Songs:
-Wheels on the Bus
-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Teapot
- Octopus' Garden
- Down on Grandpa's Farm

Animals:

-Lion
-Monkey
-Penguin
-Elephant
-Giraffe

Games You Play:

-Pretending to drive vehicles, such as trains, buses and trucks. You sit and steer pretend steering wheels and "buckle" your seat belt. You also always have a destination in mind (library, store, restaurant, or home).
- Cooking food in your microwave for mommy, daddy or your stuffed animals
- Pretending to be a lion- roaring and all
- Pushing around your school bus with "guys" in it
- Dancing in crazy circles to music
- "I'm gonna get you"- basically me chasing you and you running away laughing hysterically
- Making your stuffed animals drive your big car
- Reading books in your tunnel tent
- Pretending to go to the library and brining me back pretend books to read, each on a different subject that you make up (cows, buses, monkeys, etc.) I then have to make up a story about the subject.



Reshen, you are such an delight. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more snuggly little guy. I love that you still want me to hold you before bed. I love that you still like to snuggle in the morning. Your hugs and kisses are the highlight of my day. You are such an amazing little person. I celebrate your achievements, marvel at your sharp mind and applaud your independence... but there is always a small speck of wistfulness for the baby you are leaving behind. But even though you are growing up, you will always be my baby boy. Always.

Love You To The Moon and Back,

Mommy

Imagination

One of my favorite recent developments about our boy is his budding imagination. Lately some of his favorite games are pretend-based. He pushes cars around the room and pretends they are going to the beach, library, store or park. When they arrive at their destination he acts out what they are doing (throwing rocks in the water, eating food, or reading books). He'll even point into the distance and announce that he's watching birds or looking for whales. He loves to look at books and pretends that he's picking up whatever is in the picture and uses it (like he'll "pick" up a ball and then "throw" it, or "pick" up food and "eat" it). When he's done he'll pretend to put it back in the picture :-) I love watching his imagination flourish and hope that he never looses this gift. Although I'm really enjoying this age, I also look forward to when he is a bit older and can play with more advanced playsets, like Playmobil and Legos. How fun that will be :-)

Speaking of playing and toys, we bought Reshen's birthday present this weekend. Something I've had my eyes on was being sold at Costco for a reasonable price so we snatched it up. It's a Geo Trax electric train set. It's *so* cool! Here's a link to it: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=geotrax
You can control the trains by a lever and it has "guys" that you can take in and out of the train and move around the train station and other features to manipulate. It's an interactive and imaginative toy that hopefully will grow with him (there are additional sets you can buy to add on to it). Anyways, I'm very excited to give it to him, but have to hold off for a couple more weeks.

Catching Up

As you may have noticed I have fallen *very* behind in this blog! Life has been full and I've been so tired in the evenings it's been difficult to take the time to write down all that the little man has been up to. But no more excuses- today I will try to catch up. Mind you, because I'm trying to capture a month's worth of Reshen antidotes, it may be jumbled and not very poetic ;-)

Most recently (and note-worthy) was Halloween. Reshen still didn't totally "get" it this year, but at least he was a little more aware than last year. To kick off the festivities, we went to a pumpkin patch at Craven Farms in Snohomish (out in the country) on the weekend before Halloween. I dressed him in a clown costume that my great-grandmother Crowe made for my mom. Three generations (including my sister and I) have now worn it :-) Reshen was actually almost too big for it, but I managed to stuff him in it long enough for him to walk around the pumpkin patch and attract a lot of attention :-) He had a great time playing on a tractor, and "pushing" a huge wheelbarrow. Most of the pumpkins out in the field were already rotten (we have had a lot of rain and cold temperatures), so he began saying "yucky pumpkins!" We picked out a nice healthy one up at the front and Reshen decided he wanted his own tiny pumpkin too. Later that day I let him paint it at home (he chose to paint it mostly black for some reason). He also decided to paint his cheeks and nose telling me "clown on face." He was re-creating his clown costume.

That Sunday I wanted to carve the pumpkin we picked and thought he might like to help me take the "guts" out. He watched with interest as I pulled out the first handful and then wrinkled his nose. I asked if he wanted to try and he shook his head and declared "No Reshen put hands in there. Yucky pumpkin!" He's been particular about his hands lately and so I didn't push it. He just sat and watched me for awhile, supervising and telling me to throw the pumpkin guts in the trash. I thought having kids meant I got to delegate these tasks, but I think Reshen enjoys pumpkin carving as much as Alan (which means not at all). Maybe next year...



On Halloween Reshen had a party at his day care. Of course I wasn't there, but it looks like they had fun as he came home with a pumpkin painted on his face, a bag full of goodies and real pumpkin. I picked him up early that day and took him to Bothell Country Village for their early trick-or-treating. It was perfect. It's a quaint, village-like setting of local shops. There are chickens, ducks, a pond and streams and fountains, and cobblestone streets- a great place for kids. At first Reshen didn't want to put on his lion outfit, but I told him he had to wear it if he wanted to get candy. He finally agreed and actually kept it on (including the hood) the whole time. He was a little overwhelmed and unsure at first- I suppose it was a combination of all the people and all the costumes. He didn't want to go up to the doors to get the candy and would plant his heels and say "no." After I gave him a piece of candy, though, he decided it was OK to go get some more :-) He took everything in with those wide, dark eyes. I asked him a few times if he wanted to go home, but he quickly told me "No. Reshen go trick treat." So we stayed awhile longer. I let him have a few pieces of candy, but we didn't go overboard. He has enough trouble sleeping as it is and I wasn't about to get him on a sugar high before bedtime! All in all it was a fun Halloween. It's so nice to have a kid of my own to share it with now :-)



Our little man is quite a voracious book reader lately. Yesterday evening he pulled out every single book he has in our living room one-by-one. He would take one out, flip through it quietly, and when he was done, he would put it down and grab another one. He was so serious and focused. He read books like that for a good 30 minutes without a peep, except for the occasional comment about what he was reading. We've also started reading a book before bedtime (The Going to Bed Book, by Sandra Bonton) and he's formed an attachment to it- taking it to bed and even brining it downstairs in the morning. The past few nights I've put him to bed with two books and his star light on so he can see and he reads until he falls asleep without any complaining. How wonderful is that? :-)

I scored Reshen a wooden train and track set from Freecycle. I was going to save it for his birthday and add a bunch of accessories to it, but couldn't wait that long and gave it to him last week. He played with it every chance he got for a few days, but now he's more interested in the one battery-powered engine that it came it. He's so much like his daddy sometimes- all about the electronics. I had these visions of him making long trains with the many pieces it came with and pushing them around the track and over the bridge... but he just likes to turn on that one engine and watch it drive. He does like the set, though, and it was free so it's not like I wasted any money. Also, I think this is a toy he can grow into and we can add new pieces to it as he gets older.

Reshen's "Gamma" and "Gampa" (my parents) visited in early October and had so much fun with him. He totally ate up all the attention and really enjoyed spending his days with them. He still talks about them and says goodnight to their photo now. It's really sweet and I'm glad he's at an age where he'll remember his relatives even though they all live out of state.

Reshen went pee in his potty for the 2nd time at the beginning of October. Like the first time, I think we were just lucky, as he hasn't done it again since. We're not pushing it yet, though. If he wants to sit on it, that's great, but if not, that's OK too. He really has shown no sign that he can really control it yet and is only mildly interested in the whole process, so we're not too worried at this point.

He's such a talker and has taken to saying "mommy" after almost every sentence that he says to me. Example: "Mommy sit by you read book Mommy." "Chancey eat food Mommy." "I want Mommy hold you Mommy." It's like he has to confirm that he's talking to me and that I'm listening. It's really cute :-) He also says "please" a lot. One morning I came into his room to get him out and he greeted me with "I want mommy change biper (diaper) please mommy." :-)

As usual, he is really into music and singing. He sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" so well- he even has the melody and cadence down. He still really likes "wheels on the bus," and also likes "baa baa black sheep" and "Bingo." I check out music tapes for him every couple of weeks from the library and we listen to them on our commutes to and from daycare. His favorite tape so far has been Raffi.

He has discovered his belly button. He noticed it before bath the other nigh and asked Alan "What's that?" Alan told him it was his belly button. The rest of the night he would look down and say "Where button go?" Funny kid, though, he won't touch it. I told him to show me where it was and he looked confused so then I told him to pat it and show mommy where it was and he said, "No Reshen touch button." I have no idea why he won't touch his belly button- just one of his little quirks I guess.



Reshen and Chancey (our cat) are becoming better friends these days. Chancey hangs around him more and even rubs against him. Reshen is softer with him and pets and hugs him. For the most part they get along well, although we still have to make sure he doesn't run his cars and trucks into the cat and sometimes we have to tell him that Chancey is not a pillow. He thinks the cat is hilarious and it's so funny to watch Reshen get a laugh out of him. Chancey often hangs out around his toys and Reshen will crack up and say "Chancey playing with trains!" or "Chancey read book!"

Well, it's getting late here and we never know how early our little man will wake so I'll end this here for now. More later (and hopefully sooner rather than later) :-)

From the Mouths of Babes (or Bubbies)

Thought I'd share a few funny quips from my guy:

1. Yesterday he kept telling me "Bee in ear," "Bee in there," and patting/pulling at his ear. He had also told me the night before that his ear hurt. Thinking it might be an ear infection I took him to the doctor today. Verdict? No bees in his ear... and no ear infection either. It could be teething or perhaps allergies causing pressure (his nasal passages are swollen). But the "bee in ear" cracked me up and left me scratching my head.

2. Reshen was in his carseat reading a Winnie the Pooh book quite intently. Stopped at a red light, I turned around to look at him and he was holding the book up to his chest. "What are you doing?" I asked him. "Tigger hold you!" he exclaimed and grinned. LOL He was pretending that Tigger was holding him :-)

3. We've been listening to a Raffi tape in the car during our commute and Reshen really likes a song called "Octopus' Garden" Funny thing is though, every time he listens to it, he has to ask "Where Addson (Addison) go?" Addison is a baby at his daycare who recently moved away. I have no idea why he associates that song with Addison, but he says it *every* time.

Oh, and for those who were reading "My Kids Plate," I finally got that blog rolling again too :-) You can check it out here: www.mykidsplate.blogspot.com

Growing Pains

Our little boy is both looking and acting like such a "big boy" lately. First off, I finally broke down and let his long baby locks get cut. It was just getting so long and out-of-control and I know Alan was getting tired of the "What a pretty girl" comments. Because we're cheap, we decided to cut it ourselves. Actually, Alan cut it while I held a wiggling Reshen. The result wasn't the best haircut- it's a little short for mommy's taste and a bit uneven. I suppose we'll spring for a professional cut next time. He's still pretty darn cute though :-)

He has been saying the funniest things. It's so much fun to hear what's going on in that remarkable mind and to watch his personality develop .

Here are some examples:

1. We were reading a "Bob the Builder" book and were looking at page showing Bob standing beside an empty truck. Reshen pointed at the truck and said "Go in there." Then he pointed to Bob and said "Go!" and then back to the truck and said "In there." He waited a moment and then pointed at Bob again and made a pushing motion towards the truck and ordered "Go, Go, Go!" "Go in there." Alan and I were extremely amused. He really thought he could boss Bob the Builder into the truck.

2. The other day he was eating steamed veggies and decided he didn't want them anymore, so he dramatically spit them out of his mouth and then shook his head solemnly. "No," he said, "I don't like it." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. It was the first time he has actually used the words "don't like it." He's also started saying that he loves things, like "I love strawberries," and my favorite, "I love mama." :-)

3. Reshen counted to 12 *in correct order* last week. Alan and I were floored. What a smart boy he is :-)

We've had lots of fun adventures recently. We went to the zoo with his daycare a couple of weeks ago. He had a great time and it was fun to see him interact with the other kids. He even has a little curly-haired "girl friend." :-) That day he rode a carousel for the first time and loved it. Now he often asks to go to the zoo when we get in the car. Too bad it's so expensive!



Another of his favorite places these days is the library. We have a nice one just down the street and he loves to go and read books in the children's section. They also have lots of puppets there and a small toddler area to play in. We usually check out a couple of board books and a music tape. He's always asking to go to the "Liberry" now and actually cried the other day because he was heartbroken that it was closed. Perhaps we have a little reader on our hands :-)

Today we went to the Cedar River Watershed and took a walk down to Rattlesnake Lake. Reshen had a wonderful time watching butterflies, eating blackberries and throwing rocks in the water. We also went the their nature center and he had a blast playing with their interactive water cycle game (sticking balls into vaccum tubes and watching them travel to a location across the room). He was also amazed by their really cool "water drums," (water drops randomly spill from above and hit various drums, making a really neat, constant rythmn created by nature). He exclamied "Water play drums!" as he watched wide-eyed.



We can really tell that Reshen is nearing age 2. Along with a heightened understanding and vocabulary he is developing a ferocious sense of indendpence. Most of the time he's still my sweet boy and *usually* cooperates, but more and more often he'll go into meltdown mode when we won't let him do something that he wants. He has begun to scream "No!" and will also run away screaming and crying if I'm trying to change his diaper when he doesn't want to, or put him to bed. He also seems to anticipate trouble, and will tell me "I want Mama walk away," and points the other direction when I approach him to change his diaper or put on his shoes. He is just so bossy. We've begun to introduce "time-outs," although luckily we've only had to give a few so far. Most of the time, tantrums result from him being tired or when we are out in public, so time-outs aren't appropriate in every situation. He's also been teething lately (those 2 year molars I think) and can be so crabby, especially in the evening. I'm seeing shades of our developing 2-year-old and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!

He likes to watch the end of the movie "A Mighty Wind," as it's a folk concert. He sits attentively and claps with the audience at the end of each song. He calls the movie "Guitar Show." I love how he is so into music.

I suppose you've noticed the new look of this blog. I was tired of seeing my old template on other people's blogs, so Alan created me a totally original one. Isn't he talented? :-)

About a Little Man

What a busy few weeks it has been…. We are now all in our work/day care routines and have settled into our roles. Reshen still enjoys preschool, or as he calls it “Pam’s House.” He is learning so much there… he can recite days of the week, can sort of say his ABC’s and can count randomly to 20 (not always in the right order). Really he is just a mimicking machine and has memorized most everything. He might not fully grasp the concepts, although he does know that the ABCs are letters and will point them out, and he knows that numbers are for counting. He is such a smart little guy!

He loves to dance and is lately enjoying the Spanish mode of his Learn and Groove Music Table. He turns it onto the Spanish Alphabet song and dances away- preferably with me and in a circle. Mommy can’t do this for long or she gets dizzy. If I change the song to English he says “No” and turns it back to Spanish. It must sound more festive to him ;-) He also tries to sing along with it, which is quite funny to hear as he has no idea what he’s saying.

Reshen went to his first parade this weekend. It was the Celebrate Shoreline parade; just a block away from our house. Reshen had a fun time, except for the noisy firetrucks which scared him and made him cry. He normally loves firetrucks, but these ones were just too loud and close to him. There are really only two things he doesn’t like- water over his head and getting startled by loud noises. He really liked the marching bands, though, and the decorated buses and tractors. He sat there on the curb so sweetly and would crane his neck to look down the street and ask: “What coming, Mama?”

Reshen is *really* into cars and trucks right now. He has so many toy cars at home and plays with them *all*. His favorites are construction trucks, but his bus and little cars get a lot of use too. He’s always pushing them around on the floor and making them go down ramps and slides. He’s a boy through and through.

He’s also very into balls, and man can he throw! He has a drawer stocked with different sizes and types of balls and he will empty it one-by-one, giving each ball a good throw. He also likes to get fancy by bending over and throwing the balls between his legs. Unfortunately, throwing does not end at balls and we’ve had many talks about what you can throw and what you can’t. I know it is hard for a 1-year old to grasp, but we’re trying to get the point across that it’s *not* OK to throw a heavy, hard toy at mommy or daddy (or Chancey).

Our boy has an incredible memory for his age. My parents visited almost 2 months ago, and he still mentions it and pulls stuff seemingly out of the blue. He says things like “Gamma hold you,” “Gamma bath,” and “Gamma, Gampa, sit by you car,” and even today he said “Gamma shower,” when we were in the downstairs bathroom. These are phrases I haven’t prompted him to say at all. Something in the situation will just suddenly jog his memory and he’ll have to tell me about it. He also still talks about Luke and Lucy and even the “sleepy rides” we used to take with them in the stroller. When he sees a car that resembles Rik’s (Lucy’s dad), he’ll exclaim “Rik car!” Sometimes he asks “Where Lucy go?” That’s always a sad one for me, as I know he doesn’t really understand why we don’t see them anymore. He also wants to go and see “Gamma” sometimes. It will be easier when he’s old enough to understand time and distance a bit better.

One of my favorite times of day with Reshen has always been our bedtime routine. I still hold him and rock while he drinks his before-bed milk and we listen to his bedtime music. It’s such a sweet and comforting time of day for us both. He snuggles next to me and I give him kisses while he drinks. It’s just a nice quiet time for us to reconnect at the end of the day. After his music is done playing I sing him a lullaby that goes like this:

La La Lu
La La Lu
Oh my little star sweeper
I’ll sweep the stardust for you
La La Lu
La La Lu
Little soft fluffy dreamer
Here comes a pink cloud for you
La La Lu
La La Lu
Little wandering angel
Fold up your wings
Close your eyes
La Lu Lu
La La Lu
And my love be your keeper
La La Lu
La La Lu
La La Lu

Anyone recognize it? It’s the song Mrs. Darling sings to her new baby in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. I’ve always thought it was such a sweet tune and am happy to sing it to my own boy. He loves it too. In fact, depending on how tired he is, he often sings along now, in his sweet little voice. Occasionally he even asks for more, which I happily oblige.

Sometimes after we’re done singing, he will initiate conversation and we’ll talk for a little while about his day, etc.. I always love to hear what he has to say, especially when there are no other distractions. He loves it and so do I.

After he is finished with his milk and we have sang and rocked and talked a bit, I lay him in his crib (he’s almost always still awake now), and make sure all the proper stuffed animals and blankets are in there. He’s become a pack rat and likes to have a variety of “friends” in his bed. He is often happy to go to bed now (versus the bedtime troubles we used to have) and will often play or talk in there for 15 minutes before falling asleep on his own. Of course, we still have evenings where he will begin crying for me and I have to go back up there, but for the most part bedtime is so much easier than it used to be. He is also still sleeping through the night most of the time. Teething or illness or a change in daytime routine will always throw this off, but for the most part he is doing great. He is still an early riser, though… although it has been a tad better lately- 6-6:30 a.m. instead of 5-5:30 a.m.. Actually I don’t want him sleeping much later than 6:30 on the weekdays anyways, because we need to leave for daycare at 7:15 a.m.. I just wish he understood weekends and let us sleep late on those days. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be wishing I *could* wake him up in another 12 years ;-)

As usual, his language is doing great. Now that he’s at daycare, he picks words up there and talks about events that happened there and I have no idea what he’s saying because it’s out of context for me. When I can’t understand him, his forehead wrinkles as he searches for another way to tell me. He’s pretty good about finally getting me to understand. For awhile he kept telling me “Hair cut, Pam’s house.” I was really confused by this one, as it was obvious that his hair hadn’t been cut, but he kept insisting and pulling at his hair. I asked Pam the next day and she said the kids play a game where they pretend to “cut” each other’s hair…. One little girl especially likes to pretend to “cut” Reshen’s. It must have made quite an impression on him as he still talks about it.

Some other funny phrases he says often:

“What (insert animal or object here) say?” He’s so into knowing the sounds things make. If it’s something that doesn’t really make noise (or I can’t think of what it is) I’ll tell him it’s quiet.

An example:

Reshen: “What dillo (armadillo) say, Mama?”

Me: “Mommy doesn’t know, bubby.”

Reshen: “Dillo quiet!”

He asks what *everything* says- even apples! Funny kid.

He calls all people “guys” if he doesn’t know their name. Even women. He told me “Guy help you downstairs TumbleBus.” “Guy hold you Tumblebus.” I thought it was cute that he was telling me about his day on the Tumblebus, assuming there was really a man working with them. I find out later that there are no men working on the Tumblebus though… he was referring to the women as “guys." We’re working on that one!

He’s really into cleaning up, which is nice. I have no problem usually getting him to clean up his toys, if I help. We sing the clean-up song and he happily plays along. He likes to put things away in their correct spots too. He’s always asking “where dis go?” He will even go into another room to put it in the right spot- such as a sippy cup going on the kitchen counter. I wonder how long this enthusiasm for cleaning will last? Oh little man, you always keep your mama guessing...

Slow Down!

Now I know why my mom always told me to "slow down" in the growing-up department. I don't think I would have totally understood it until I became a mother myself. It's such an interesting balance... one moment I am so excited about Reshen's accomplishments and amazed at the *person* he's becoming, and the next I'm getting teary-eyed and hugging him tight, my cheek against his soft baby hair, willing him to stay my little one forever. I know I will most likely feel this way the rest of our lives. Someday I'm going to be hugging a 40-year-old version of Reshen and wishing he was still my baby (even though he always will be) :-)

Childhood is quite an incredible journey, and I so enjoy being a part of Reshen's adventure. He's changed so much already and yet it feels like we've only recently left the station. He just soaks up *everything.* His day care provider has told me a couple of times that he is just *so* smart and understands everything. She said he's far beyond what he should be at his age. Of course, a mommy always loves to hear something like that :-)

His newest quirk is saying "Wha'sat Mama?" (What's that, Mama?) *all* the time. It reminds me of when he was 10 months and always asked "uh zat?" My guess is that he's going through another noun collecting phase, although he often asks about objects that he already knows the names of.

He also says "Look, Mama!" often. He's always pointing out objects around the house and outdoors, and showing me things that he's done. He lined up all the magnets on the fridge today and came running to me shouting "Look, Mama! Look, Mama!" He was so proud of what he did :-)

Other new phrases are "this one" and "that one." When we feed him bites of food from our plates, he is very particular and points to the exact piece of food he wants, declaring "This One!" And he can't be fooled.... don't try or you may experience the wrath of Bubby ;-)

He loves to push buttons. Any buttons will do, but the best ones are those that create a large effect... like the garage door remote button. Oh how he loves that one. Every morning and every evening he shouts "Push button!" as we go by the door and into the house. I always let him do it. He pushes it and then turns around expectantly to watch the door open or close. Of course he then has to announce "Garage door open!" (or close). It's really cute :-) Although not so much when it's our cell phones, the dvd player, our computers, etc..




As I mentioned before, my Reshen is now going to day care because I'm working full-time. He's doing great, but it feels like another step towards him becoming a "big boy." It's the first time in his life that he doesn't *need* me. He takes naps there on a mat, eats at the little kid table, sits with the "big" kids during pre-school, and does gymnastics on the Tumblebus on Thursdays. I love that he is confident and not too afraid of new situations and people- I think that is what made the transition relatively easy. We both had our moments, but overall it's been great for him. Of course, I would rather still have my days with him, but I know that he will be enriched from this experience as well.

Reshen is obsessed with Chancey (our cat). He chases him, searches for him (calling "Chancey, where are you?"), and gives him very enthusiastic pats. Chancey is not so hip on this, though, and Reshen has been scratched a couple of times. I thought that might teach him to leave the cat alone.... but no. We have to be vigilant about where the cat is and where Reshen is at all times. I wish Chance would hang out in harder-to-reach places, but he insists on hovering around our feet all the time. I hope they will have a better relationship once Reshen has more control over his actions ... until then we just encourage "soft" pats and only when mommy and daddy are around.

More later... it's getting late and I should be headed to bed.

Chatting with Reshen

While I was posting here yesterday, I mentioned how much Reshen is talking, yet I was having trouble coming up with "exciting" things that he is saying- I suppose I just take it for granted now.

But today he has been his normal chatty self, and I've listened closely and have collected some funny/impressive (at least in my book) phrases he said:

1. "I un (want) money in nair (there). " He wanted me to put more money into the truck he was riding at the store (so that it would "go" again).

2. "Car driving down nair (there). " We were watching the traffic from an upstairs window.

3. "I un (want) Mama see dark too. " He wanted me to go in my room with him so I would notice how dark it was.

4. "I un (want) Mama sit nair (there)." He wanted me to sit in a very specific spot while he played. He's getting very bossy.

5. "Shen (Reshen) have water too." I was drinking coffee and he had a sippy cup of water.

6. "I help." He was "helping" me put dishes away by stuffing sliverware in various kitchen drawers.

7. "Wha do-in (what are you doing) Mama?" He always asks me what I'm doing.

8. "I put guy away." We were cleaning up his toys before nap. He calls all his little figures "guys."

I could go on and on. He does still say plenty of one and two word sentences, but his long sentences are becoming more common. Out of all his development milestones, I think talking has been the most fun (and the most helpful for that matter). Every evening we do a re cap of what happened that day- he loves to talk about it and sometimes even mentions things I forgot about. It's so much fun to get a glimpse into his mind.

Ok, enough gushing about my boy today :-)

We're Back!

*** Huge Sigh***

We're back! We made our big move on July 2nd, and even with the wonderful help of my parents and moving men on both sides, it was a looonnnng day. I don't know what we would have done without my mom and dad (thanks so much!!). But we're here, mostly unpacked (although not as organized as I would like), and getting settled.

Alan started his job last Friday and likes it so far. I found a great day care for Reshen and we will begin transitioning him to it next week (the 16th). It's a privately owned day care that offers preschool and gymnastics. Hopefully Reshen will love it and we will be happy with it. I begin my new job on the 23rd. Our goal is to have the bubby adjusted to his new day care before then. Wish us luck!

Reshen is doing so great. He's really very easy-going when it comes to changes in environment and routine. He seems to relish new experiences. The only part of him it screws with is his sleep. He had some horrible nights while my parents were here. He just got so jazzed up during the day I suppose his mind had troubles turning off at night. That has always seemed to be his problem. He is doing better sleeping now, so let's hope it lasts for awhile.

As usual, his language is rolling right along. Something I hear all the time now is "I un (want) Mama hold you," with the appropriate hint of whine to it. Even though he says it *all* the time now, while clinging to my leg, it still gets me. How can I not pick him up when he says that? :-) Of course when he says it at the grocery store or when I'm in the middle of cooking dinner, it can be a little annoying. He has been very affectionate (i.e. clingy) this past week. Perhaps due to the move... I guess I can't really blame him.

His vocabulary is *huge* now. He knows so many nouns, it amazes me. He also understands (and verbalizes) concepts such as "turn around," "unlock," "under," "in there," "on there," etc.. He can pretty much verbalize anything he really needs to these days. They aren't always perfect sentences and sometimes you need to do a little guesswork, but he usually gets the point across. He is still calling himself "shen" which I just love. It's so cute. The other day he said "Shen wuv (love) Mama." Can you ask for any more than that? He also uses "I" and "You" too. What a smart little guy he is :-)

He went pee-pee in his potty chair for the first time when my parents were here. He told my mom he wanted to go potty, so she took him there and we were shocked to see he actually *used* it! I don't know if he actually went intentionally or if it was just an accident, but it was still exciting. We praised him, and then I let him help flush it down the toilet. It hasn't happened again though. In fact, he doesn't really even want to sit on it now. I'm not pushing, just offering when we are in there. I don't think he is actually ready (I don't think he has the physical capability to control it yet, or the burning desire to use the potty all of the time), so it will still be awhile I'm sure before we will be done with diapers.

We've had a lot of fun since we've moved here. I've been trying to spend as much time as a I just simply having fun with Reshen before we're doing the work/day care routine. We've done the zoo, beach, numerous playgrounds, toy stores (just for playing/browsing), and the library. The weather has been simply gorgeous this past week... hot, but beautiful. There is nothing quite like a cloudless summer day in the Pacific Northwest.



Today we went to Carkeek Park, which has a great mix of beach, forested hiking trails, and an awesome playground. Last time Reshen was there he was 7 months old and was confined to the front pack and the baby swings. It was a whole different experience today. He owned that playground :-) When he was finally done with it he decided he needed to go for a hike and took off onto a trail! It was a little scary how he didn't even look back to see if I was following. But of course, I was close behind and let him lead the way. He climbed up this pretty steep hill, using the built-in steps, and stopped every-so-often to check out a rock or flower. He was really interested in the twisted root of one tree and insisted that it was a monkey! It did kind of resemble the face of one, I guess. I just love seeing the world through his eyes. He really is a little nature boy. I think we're going to have to take him on some hikes this summer!



On the teeth front, he now has 13. He has just cut his first incisor (I think). They are the pointy ones. He still has 3 more of those to go, which I'm not looking forward to. He was *very* drooly and cranky while cutting this one. He even told me a few time that his mouth hurt and that he needed Tylenol- not kidding!

He seems like he is getting so big- both weight and height. He legs are looking so long these days, although some of his 24 month stuff is still a little big length-wise. He still has his crazy long hair. I was going to have my mom cut it when she was here, but we never got around to it- or maybe I just wasn't ready for it :-) I suppose it does need some attention in the front. It's often in his eyes or it makes a funny point on his forehead (reminiscent of Eddy Muenster). And people think he's a girl *all* the time. It's just going to make him *really* look like a kid (not a baby) when it is cut.

Well, there is so much more to tell, but it's getting late. I'll blog again soon-- promise :-) And I have *tons* of photos to upload to his website and also to my flickr site. If you want to see them, check after this weekend and they should be up by then.

Thanks again for all the well wishes people. This all has been a huge change in our lives and it is a bit overwhelming... but will it be good for us. It's the dawn of a new era for our family :-)

News

Things are beginning to fall into place. First off, I have a job. Yay! I was hired as a content writer for Allied Trade Group (an e-commerce company that sells lighting fixtures). I'll be inputing product information and writing descriptions for the website and maybe doing some image processing as well. I'm actually excited about going back to work now. :-) I begin on July 16 (assuming I have child care secured by then).

We also have a place to live now. We're renting a 3 bedroom townhouse in Shoreline (just north of Seattle). It's a nice place... not our ideal location, but at least it's in a safe part of town. After our exhaustive search for rentals we finally realized we just can't afford to live in the desirable parts of Seattle (which was why we had to rent in Shoreline instead). The only thing we can afford in Seattle right now is a tiny apartment, a piece of crap house or something in the sketchy parts of town (none of which were exciting options for us). So we settled for Shoreline (again), but we do like the place and at least we'll have the space we really wanted. I'll send out a mass e-mail soon with our new address in it.

We're moving tomorrow (July 2) and I'm not sure when we'll have internet access again. Hopefully I won't be offline too long, so check back to hear more :-)

Thanks for all of your well wishes!! Knowing I have support (even virtually) in this stressful (yet excited) time in our lives means the world to us. I'll get back to you all soon.

Brooke

Changes....

There are some big changes in store for us...

First off, Alan landed a new job working as a web developer in downtown Seattle. Yay! :-) Needless to say, he is very excited and we are happy to be moving back to Seattle.

Now comes the stressful part.... it begins on July 5th and we're trying to move on July 1st. Yikes. We were in Seattle today (Sunday) to look at some rentals and can't get over how expense housing is.... I swear it's gone up even since we last lived there a year ago. We only saw one home that would work for us and are crossing our fingers that we get it (there were other applicants). *sigh* We might be going up again on Tuesday to look at some more (further away from Seattle).

Anyway, to all of our Seattle friends, we'll be in touch with you soon! I've been *so* behind in e-mail, photo editing, blog posting... anything "recreational" related has been put on hold for awhile. Not only are we trying to get housing, selling stuff, and packing, I am also still applying for jobs (yeah, I still don't have one lined up). Oh yeah, and there's still a certain little man that needs my attention most of the day.

So stay tuned... I'll update this blog as soon as I can. Reshen has been doing some amazing things lately (well, at least they are amazing in my eyes) :-)

"Talk" with you all soon!

Links

Just a couple of things.

First off, we've figured out how to upload videos fairly easily to Reshen's Webpage, so we're putting them there again. So if you want to check videos of our little man, they will be at www.baby2.memanproductions.com, in the Movies section.

Secondly, I've started a blog about the adventures in feeding a toddler at www.mykidsplate.blogspot.com. Mostly I talk about what I feed Reshen from day to day and share recipies, ideas, etc., but I'm hoping that others will come and comment and give their own ideas and advice as well. Feeding a picky toddler well-rounded meals can be tricky and I'm always looking for new things to feed him and ways to get veggies past his picky palate.

That's all for now :-)

A Little Man with Big Ideas...

Our little man has many ideas these days. Now don't get me wrong, Reshen has *always* had ideas and opinions about things, even as a newborn and has always been good at expressing them. But lately it seems he has strong opinions about anything and everything. I will share some examples:

1. His clothes- I put overalls on him the other day and he began crying and pulling at the "bib" part and saying "off!" This was quite sad for mommy as he is *so* cute in overalls. I put khaki pants on him this morning and, again, he started crying and pulled at the legs. Not sure why he didn't want to wear them, but I put him in some softer pants and he was fine. He also cried when I changed him into jeans later today, but I was able to distract him this time. Who knew he would get so picky about what he wears?! He also prefers to wear his sandals or boots rather than his tennis shoes, and we have gone to the store with him dressed in froggy boots and shorts.

2. His bibs- He won't wear them anymore. Pulls at them and screams until they come off. *sighs* It's either deal with a tantrum or put a new shirt on him when he's done eating. I've chosen the changing shirt route. We have enough tantrums as it is. Pick your battles is my motto.

3. His highchair- He really does think he's 4 years old sometimes. He wants so badly to eat at the table with Luke and Lucy, so at their house he is now allowed to sit on the bench with them, as long as he actually *sits* there and doesn't climb onto the top of the table (which I've caught him doing when I left the room for 10 seconds). He is *so* proud of himself and it's really adorable to see him sitting there like a big boy with his friends. Only problem is now he doesn't want to sit in his high chair at home either. I began letting him use his booster seat and that was OK for awhile, but today he threw a fit because he wanted to sit in daddy's *real* chair and eat at the table that way. The chair is too low and not sturdy enough for him to sit in and eat, so I told him he needed to use his booster seat and even pushed it up to the table (without the tray), but he knows the difference. This was something I couldn't give in on, so the crying ensued. Funny thing was he still ate, only between cries for the "chair." He would take a bite, say "um" (yum) and then point to the chair and start crying again. *sigh*



4. His Food- He always has very definite ideas of what he wants to eat during the day. I can't count how many times he asks for milk, juice, crackers and cake... all of which are restricted to a certain degree. By the way, cake really means any type of "cakey" thing, like banana bread or muffins. Of course, if he doesn't get it the crying begins, but this is something I for which I stick to my guns. He has to eat fruit and veggies *sometimes*.

5. What he wants to play- He will think of a game or toy and announce it to me. He then runs to find whatever it is, or takes my hands to prompt me for a game. It's really adorable and I love to get a glimpse of those little wheels turning. It's especially funny when he's looking for a toy and holds his hands up and says "go?" like "where did it go?" Then he says "hmmmm.." like he's thinking about it. He also looks for specific books and objects in the kitchen cabinets.

6. His Cup- Milk has to go in the milk sippies, water and juice in the other sippies, and then sometimes it can't be a sippy at all... He sometimes wants only a cup with a straw, or like today a big kid cup. I was reluctant to let him drink out of a big kid cup, but he actually did very well. He's really growing up, isn't he?

He is just so independent suddenly and is trying so hard to have some control over his world. He is becoming self-aware and has been referring to himself as "shen" (for Reshen). He is also really into other people and talks about our friends and his family constantly. He has started saying "Hi" to everyone and everything for that matter. With this I have seen some separation anxiety again, especially at nap times and in the middle of the night. He also calls for me when I leave the room and sometimes is like another appendage (the way he clings to my leg).

He loves to imitate and repeats nearly all our words and actions. He especially enjoys mimicking Luke (one of his 3 year old friends). I love watching him run after the kids and join in their games (as much as an 18 month old can). He soaks up everything we say and do. Perhaps this is part of the reason his vocabulary is constantly expanding.

He talks *so* much now. I can't possibly list all that he says, but here are a few examples of things that have shocked me:

1. "I want find a car" (sounded like "I un fine uh car). He was looking for a car in a book.

2. "Cold. I want shirt on."

3. " I want see truck." He wanted to go over and see a large truck more closely.

4. "Hear Choo Choo. " He heard a train.

5. "I want two dog." He had one stuffed dog and wanted another.

6. "More guitar!" This shocked me because he heard guitar in some music and wanted to hear more when it was over.

Actually most of his sentences involve "I want" He can say pretty much any noun, and if he doesn't know the name of what he wants he says "I want this" and points to it.

He also says a lot of "sentences" (if you can call them that) that involve a string of nouns. Such as "Rik Car Neigh-Neigh." Which means he rode in Rik's car and saw a horse while he was in it. Or another one we hear a lot of recently "Ye Ye Boat Water." Which means Ye Ye (his grandpa) was on the boat in the water."

Other phrases he says are "in there" and "on there," and he uses them correctly. He also likes to assign people to objects (Mama Shoes, Dada Cup, Tookie (Luke) Potty, Shen (Reshen) Sock.)

He counts... sort of. He usually says "three four, three four" over and over again. Sometimes he makes it to five, and sometimes he'll start at two, but three and four are his favorite right now.

Anyways, he's *so* communicative. He really has those words down and is working on the sentence structure and picking up some more verbs. I wonder how far along he will be in one month from now! I can only hope his increasing vocabulary will gradually ease his toddler frustrations.

Our Cruise- Day 5 (going home)

Day 5- May 25

This was a long day of traveling. We were up early with Reshen and were already packed and eating breakfast by 7:30 a.m.. We had to check out of our rooms by 8 a.m. but couldn’t get off of the ship until our color was called (they disembarked the ship by groups, each assigned a color). Reshen was so tired that he fell asleep in my arms while we were waiting in the ship’s theater. We hung out there for over an hour... at least the seats were comfortable and they had a large TV.

The disembarking process was long… we had to wait to be called, then we had to wait in a line to get off the ship, then we had to wait in another line to go through customs. I think it took close to 2 hours. Reshen had some antsy moments, as can be expected, but overall he did great.

We still had a long time until our flight left Los Angeles, so we all went to Long Beach and let Reshen stand in the water. He loved it!

Then we had some tasty dim sum for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Reshen had fallen asleep in the car and got maybe a 30 minute nap. He woke up on our way into the restaurant and was happy to sit in his high chair and eat. It was really the first good amount of food he ate on the trip.

We then went to the airport and found we had a small delay, due to some air traffic control issue. It wasn’t a big problem, though, and went got to Seattle around 7 p.m. with little problem. Reshen was awake the whole time on the plane and it took a lot of distraction to keep him happy… exhausting! He fell asleep in the car on the way home and stayed asleep all night. It was a fun trip, but we are happy to be back in our own beds.

Our Cruise- Day Four

Day 4, May 24-

Reshen woke crabby this morning- not a great precursor for the rest of the day. We made the mistake of not having milk in the room for him this morning, so we had to rush through our morning routine to get some from the cafeteria. After eating we did our walking and then nap routine and then met Alan’s family to go into Ensenada.

We took a private tour bus out to La Bufadora (an ocean blowhole). The ride was interesting, as it gave us a look at the local area beyond the tourist front of Ensenada. Reshen was very quiet on the bus, but every time it stopped or paused he would say “done.” “fun.”

Once we arrived at La Bufadora, we had to walk though a long strip of people peddling their wares. The blowhole itself was neat, but we happened to be there at low tide… it would have been much more impressive if we had seen it at high tide. Reshen liked it- kept saying “water.” After we were done, we had to walk back through the “street” of shops and ended up buying some churros to eat. This was almost the only thing Reshen ate today.



Next the bus took us to downtown Ensenada. Reshen fell asleep on the ride and took about a 30 minute nap in my arms. We went to the fish market area and had some authentic fish tacos. We also walked around the general downtown area and looked through some stores. I bought a carved bear to add to my collection. We looked for something for Reshen, but it was all kind of cheap and not good for toddlers.

We then went back to the ship and had a late lunch. Then we walked around some more and let Reshen play. He was crabby and we tried a nap, but he wouldn’t take another one.



Before dinner we had some photos taken of the whole family. Dinner itself was short for us, as Reshen was too tired. We were back at the room by 6:30 and had Reshen asleep. Tomorrow is our trip home.

New Reshen Video

I had to interrupt the cruise story to share a video of Reshen I took the other day. He's showing off his body part knowledge as well as singing a bit. Enjoy :-)

Our Cruise- Day Three

Day 3, May 23.

Reshen slept *all* night (12 hours) without waking. I can’t believe he fell asleep at dinner the previous night and actually stayed asleep until 5:30 this morning. He really surprises me sometimes. He woke up in a great mood, although he did need some extra tending too (considering he hadn’t had dinner or his diaper changed before bed last night). We played in the room for a little bit and then had breakfast at the buffet (once again, he didn’t eat anything).

He then had a little playtime with Ye-Ye and Nai-Nai and then went back to mommy for a short morning nap. After his nap and a bran muffin that he ate (under the guise that it was cake) we thought he would like to go to the toddler playgroup. Turns out he was the only kid there and he wasn’t interested in the toys. She set out this neat boat toy with people and animals to go along, but he just sat there with his little hands in his lap and stared at her and at the toy. He then pointed outside the window and said “Boat.” He was too interested in what was going on around him to play with toys, I guess. So we left and got ready to take the tender (small boat) to Catalina Island with Alan’s family.

It was actually sunny and warm today so we changed into our shorts, packed the backpack and got in line for the tender. The boat ride was short and soon we were on the island. Reshen had a fun time walking around and climbing up and down stairs. He walked through the sand and watched the waves. He stood and stared at the ocean for a very long time with a very thoughtful look on his face. “Water” he would say every once and awhile. Then he said “Fun.”

We couldn’t find much to do in Avalon with a 1-year-old, so we ate a blueberry smoothie and let him play on the playground (he *loved* the curly slide). Then we caught the next tender back to the ship. We decided to sit on the very top this time and as the boat was pulling away thick, black smoke began pouring out of one of the pipes. We thought it was unpleasant but normal, but soon found ourselves back at the dock. One of the engines was having problems and we had to get off and wait for another boat to pick us up. Inconvenient , it was, but at least we didn’t have any plans or schedule to worry about. Reshen was surprisingly patient and didn’t make too much of a fuss. Soon we were all on another tender and headed back to our ship. Reshen actually fell asleep in my arms and I was able to transfer him to his stroller when we arrived on the ship. Alan and I had some lunch while he napped beside us. Of course, he wanted nothing to do with food when he woke up, so we took him back to the room and let him really wake and adjust a bit.

When he was up, we walked around the ship a little bit and then let him have some more Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye time while Alan and I walked around together. Then it was time for dinner. Food tonight was so-so, but Reshen was in great spirits for most of it. Still not eating much of all…. We think it’s just a combo of constipation and excitement. Instead of eating, he drew on his magna doodle and entertained his family. He also really liked the dancing waiters tonight.

He stayed awake through dinner tonight and went to bed around 8:15.

Our Cruise- Day Two

Day Two- May 22, 2007

Reshen slept OK last night- not wonderful, but good considering, I guess. He woke briefly at 1 a.m. and then again at 3:30 a.m.. This last waking was when our troubles began. He was doing his fidgety half asleep/half awake thing that he does sometimes at home. *So* frustrating, especially here where I can’t put him back in his room and let him be for awhile. I think he was up for an hour and then slept till 6:30 a.m..

There is no bathtub in our room, so I held him in the shower this morning. He didn’t like the water hitting him, so we did an improvised sponge bath using a washcloth. After we were cleaned, we had breakfast at the buffet. Again, Reshen didn’t really want to eat and only had some juice and a little bit of yogurt. He also had some milk before we went down, so maybe he still a little full from that. He wasn’t great at breakfast- fussy and a little temperamental.

We then packed our backpack and walked to downtown San Diego. We met up with Alan’s family down there and took the tram to Old Town. We thought Reshen would fall asleep in the stroller, but the energizer bunny was still puttering along, so we let him out of the stroller and he walked around the historic area holding his Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye’s hands. He still seemed very tired, just trudging along, but he made it clear that he still wanted to walk.

After Old Town we parted ways with Alan’s family and walked about 6 blocks to In-N-Out Burger. Reshen finally fell asleep along the way and napped in the stroller for about an hour. We ate our yummy food outside and then walked back to the tram. He woke up just as we were getting on the tram and was in good spirits. He said “Choo Choo. Fun.” We gave him some leftover fries and he drank some water.

We then went back to the ship to regroup. We got the boy some lunch and let him run around for a little while… climbing stairs and “driving” cars in the arcade. We also hung out in the room for a bit, relaxing and catching our breath and letting Reshen have some quiet play with his books and drawing.

At around 2:30 we decided to head over to the ship museum which was very near our own ship. We had been there before, but it was mommy’s birthday and she requested it J Foolishly thinking the distance was shorter than it was and that the boy was lighter than he is, we left the stroller in the room and decided to carry him and/or let him walk. It was exhausting and it didn’t help that he was getting tired and crabby and defiant. We still managed to have a good time, and he really enjoyed walking around on the tall sail boats. We only went on a couple of the 5 boats, though, as he was beginning to show signs of tantrums, so we headed back to our ship.

We did some more walking around on our ship and then some more quiet time in the room. Reshen was really tired, but I was at a loss on how to get him to sleep. He just wouldn’t settle down. At 5:30 we went to dinner and Reshen actually fell asleep in Ye-Ye’s lap. He was so sound asleep we actually laid him down in the booth between us and he stayed asleep- through the entire dinner!! Alan and I tried Escargot for the first time… and it was actually very tasty! We also both had some wonderful beef fillet and I had some yummy Birthday cake. We left promptly after dessert and he even survived the journey from the dining room to the stateroom- through hordes of noisy fellow cruisers. I was shocked. He is *still* sleeping now at 9 p.m.. He is still in his day clothes and hasn’t had a diaper change in ages, so I wonder how long he’ll go before he wakes and needs tending too. This could be an interesting night…

Our Cruise- Day One

Many of you have asked to hear about our cruise- so here it goes... more than you ever wanted to know. This will be done in separate installments for each day of our trip.

Day One- May 21, 2007

Our day began early. Alan and I woke at 4:30 a.m. got showered, did some last minute packing, and fed Chancey. Reshen was still snoozing away at 5:30 (unusual), so I had to wake him. I felt so bad rousing his cozy little body from his warm bed, but we had to leave the house at 5:45, so it had to be done. He was a bit groggy, but didn’t complain, and after he was dressed and had his sippy of milk in hand, we loaded up everyone and everything into the car and were on the road (on time!). We drove to the airport and didn’t hit traffic until Federal Way (about 20 miles from the airport). It was the Monday morning commute, so we were expecting *some* amount of traffic. It was pretty slow for awhile, even in the car pool lane, but we still made it to the park-n-ride a little after 7 a.m.. Reshen did pretty great in the car, only crying towards the end of the drive. He really seemed impressed with the “bus” (the airport shuttle) that we took to the airport.

The airport experience was thankfully non-eventful. It is a little stressful juggling all the luggage and getting us all through security, but we didn’t get stuck anywhere or loose anything, so it was good. Reshen did great in his new stroller, and didn’t make too much of a fuss. He seemed to understand that he needed to stay in there while we were waiting in line and pushing him through the airport. We let him run around at the gate to stretch his legs. He liked looking out of the large window at the runway and would exclaim “Plane Bye Bye!” when he saw them taking off. He also liked the airport trucks.

Time went really fast at the gate and before we knew it, we were boarding! It actually caught us off guard and we were scrambling to pack our carry-ons back up and get a tag for the stroller. It wasn’t until we were already on the plane that we realized we hadn’t changed Reshen’s diaper. Oops!! Bad mommy! Luckily he didn’t have a poo, and it was a short flight and also he had his overnights on (super absorbent), so decided to let it go. I changed his diaper right after the flight and it was fine (not *too* full).

He was good on the plane as well. I am *so* happy I had Alan with me this time, though. We didn’t buy a separate seat for Reshen (although next time we will), so it really did take two of us to hold him, juggle the carry-ons, and take things in and out of the bags. He is just so much to handle physically. I had a very hard time when I traveled alone with him last December, and really appreciated Alan’s help this time J

I don’t think he really understood that we were on a plane. He watched in the window at take-off and as soon as we flew into the clouds he got this confused look on his face and said “Go?” Like “where did the ground go?” I explained that we were up in the sky in a plane. I wonder how much he really grasped of that.

We did have a few moments where he began to get “iffy”, but I had packed a bunch of toys he had never seen (from his Grandma and also the Dollar Store). He really liked this travel-sized Magna-Doodle we bought at Walmart. It was perfect. He could write “S’s and “B’s” to his heart’s content and “got” how to erase them with the lever. He also played with stickers, cars, read books, and played with cards. He looked really tired around 10:30 a.m. and was getting crabby, so we broke out the laptop and let him watch some Baby Einstein. He totally zoned out in front of it and before we knew it he was asleep on my lap. He took about a 30 minute nap and woke just as we were landing. I think he had some ear/sinus discomfort on the landing as he suddenly began crying (he wouldn’t drink his juice, so didn’t pop his ears), but then when I pointed out the window he calmed down. He watched the approaching ground with wide eyes. After we landed he looked up at me and said “Again! More!” I said “Was that fun?” He looked back out the window and said “More! Fun!” I wonder what he thought was happening??

We collected our luggage in Los Angeles (everything made it- yay!) and waited for Alan’s family to arrive. They picked us up outside of baggage claim shortly and we all drove to the cruise terminal. Reshen seemed to remember them a bit. He pointed at Alan’s dad while we were driving and said “Ye Ye.” Very cute. He totally zoned out in the van. I think he was becoming a little overwhelmed with all the new experiences and the people. He just stared and stared at everything with those huge, beautiful eyes. He didn’t want any toy I gave him or anything to eat or drink. Just wanted to sit and watch.

The cruise boarding had a lot of “steps” to go through, but it was all pretty painless. It was kind of a whirl-wind. We didn’t really know what we were doing, but we just shuttled from one station to the next. . It probably would have helped if we actually had read our Cruise Handbook (or brought it with us, which we didn’t). Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and loved Reshen (of course). Most people thought he was a girl, but he gets that all the time. He was even wearing blue today.

Once we were on the ship we checked out our rooms and were shocked at how *tiny* they were. I mean really really tiny. Alan was worried that would wouldn’t be able to fit the play pen in it, it was so small. After some creative unpacking, though, everything fit (even the play pen). It’s cozy ;-) The coolest thing about our room is that we have an ocean view. Pretty amazing to look out your window and see the open ocean.

We next went to the main dining room and had a late lunch at the buffet. There was a nice selection and the food is good (not excellent, but pretty good). Reshen wasn’t eating still, but was doing OK just watching us and playing with a spoon and his cup.

After lunch I tried to get him to take a nap, but he wouldn’t have it. He at least drank his milk, but after he was finished he just wanted to play. *I* was tired, so was hoping he would lie down with me, but I finally gave up. So instead, we walked around the ship with Alan and his parents. Reshen was very cute, holding May and Ben’s hands. He *really* likes stairs and wanted to walk up and down them all. After touring some of the ship, Alan and I came to the conclusion that it reminded us of the boat version of Reno (which is the “cheap” version of Las Vegas). Reno on the water ;-)

It was now 3:30 and Reshen was so tired he was loosing coordination, so Alan and I took him back to the room and tried for another nap. No go. He was in quite a state. Frantic, crazy, and only wanting one thing- to get *out* of the room. We kept trying, but finally it was time for our safety drill. We all had to put on life jackets and report to our muster station. We found out one thing today… it is *very* difficult to carry a toddler when you are both wearing life vests!! We ended up making him walk, holding our hands. He did look really cute in it J

So we all stood in a grouping of lines, clad in orange life jackets, waiting for the drill to begin. Forever! Shocking part is, Reshen stood, as still and quiet as he could be, holding our hands. Never cried, never tried to walk away. Just stood and stared. I don’t know if it was because he was exhausted or if he just knew that he needed to be good, but it was truly amazing. He’s only 18 months old!

*Finally* the drill began, and all the knowledge I gained from it was how to put on my life vest and that I needed to meet there in case of an emergency. Duh!! I needed to stand there for 15 minutes to figure that out? I thought we were going to learn how to get on the boat or the evacuation procedure or something. We were a little peeved, but at least they let the people with children leave first.

At that time we went back to the room and let the little man play while we dressed for dinner. I was a little worried about sitting through a formal dinner with the no-nap king, but we thought we would at least try. He did some more stair-walking and then we went to the dining room with Alan’s family. He sat on my lap for awhile, until the food came out. He was *very* tired (you could see it in his eyes), but he behaved wonderfully. He didn’t eat much (some bread, *loved* the strawberry bisque, and some cake), but at least he was content to sit and graze and watch the people around him. I did have to sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Ram Sam Sam” quite a few times, but he was happy. He lasted there for almost 1.5 hours! We had a good dinner too- I had Antipasti, Lamb Shanks and Chocolate Cake. Really great food. At around 7 we left and picked him up some milk and looked out at the water, as we were now out to sea. We saw dolphins leaping through the water towards the front of the boat. Really cool.

We finally went back to our room and put Reshen to bed. He went down pretty easily and is now sleeping peacefully in his playpen beside us. I hope he sleeps well tonight and I look forward to another full day tomorrow.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 2 of our trip!