preschool!

Punkin is starting preschool for the first time next week! I got a new job that pays really well and has a less flexible schedule than my current gig, so little one will be spending the day with a bunch of other kiddies in a small child care center nearby. It's licensed for something like 35 kids but there are only about 15-20 enrolled right now. I think it might be a rough transition but I think he'll really like it once he gets used to it. I'm spending a couple hours with him there every day this week and next week I'll do the first few days and then grammy is coming down to help. I'm excited to have a more regular job in a place where other people also work and not trying to simultaneously work from home and raise active toddler.

punkin grows up

The little one is saying all kinds of words these days, but no one has any idea what he's saying, including me. He has learned a few new songs as well! I realized the other day that in less than 4 months this kid is going to be 2 and how totally crazy that is. I probably will be saying the same thing when he's 30.

There's not much to report, but there are a few new pictures on flickr, which if you're Mike or Mary or Grammy Robin you already saw when I put them up there a couple days ago. We are all pretty busy but doing OK.

bugs, phones, keys, beach adventures

Punkin handed me a bug this morning. He found it in the living room, and he may have been playing with it for a few minutes. I was sitting at the table and thought he just had some toys. Then he came over to me and said "aaaahh gaahhh?" and lifted up his finger, and there was a lovely black insect sitting on top of it. One of the little ones with the split tail that make them look demonic. He was very proud of himself.

We went to the beach for the day on Saturday and I think he had a good time. He wasn't a huge fan of the water, but he got used to the sand eventually and dug big holes with a little plastic shovel and bucket. He liked walking on the beach too, close to the water, but not too close. The current was pretty strong so I put him in a lifejacket before we went out. Lucky for him, mama doesn't much like the water either, at least not after it goes past her waist. We bought a canopy tent which turned out to be a piece of crap and will be returned, but it definitely made being outside in 90 degree heat more tolerable.

We started having early morning battles after the last time he spent the weekend with grammy and poppy and they LET HIM GET UP AT 5AM!!! He is very much opposed to mama sleeping when he wants to be awake. One morning he pulled my eyelids open, hit me in the head with a book, tried to push me off the bed, scratched my face, bounced on top of me, and screamed for like 30 minutes until I got out the bed.


More Things Punkin Likes!:
1) Opening and closing doors, and going in and out
2) Keys, taking the biggest key on the ring and running around holding on to it
3) Laughing at people
4) Building block towers and knocking them down
5) Having a ball kicked directly at him, especially when it hits him, and then rolling them off the couch
6) Bubbles
7) Mandarin oranges, pears, yogurt, and GOLDFISH
8) His red wagon
9) Crawling through his tube
10) Smacking other little kids and stealing their toys
11) The recycling bin
12) Hiding in the closet
13) Hiding in the side of the tv stand
14) Tickle tickle!!!!!
15) Feeding peas to mama. One time when I didn't want them he knocked me down, climbed on top of me and tried to prize my mouth open and shove them in.
16) Throwing peas on the floor
17) Trying to take bites out of my face and my toes
18) Pulling and pushing people around to get them where he wants them to be
19) Shoes, and putting on big shoes
20) Climbing everything

A few days ago the phone rang and Punkin answered it. He said "hello???. . . . . yeah . . . . . good!!!!" and then hung up.

toddler aggression and punkin's first tick!

Punkin has been being aggressive with other little kids lately. So far it's the only thing he's been giving a time-out for, and then sparingly. It's pretty critical to break him of this behavior however, before he actually hurts someone. So far he has succeeded mostly in scratching and scaring them.

I also found a tick on him today after we were out playing in the backyard. I have plans to look up the symptoms of all the local tick-borne diseases - Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever being the only two I can think of at the moment. If he gets a cold in the next couple months I will probably be convinced it's a serious tick disease instead.

Things are going well in general. I think he's learning some new words. We no longer have boobs at night and sleep much better as a result. The no boobs during the day project is taking longer. Punkin is generous with the hugs and the kisses. He hates it when anyone leaves the room. He definitely does naughty things to get attention, and then smiles at you crookedly to see if you figured it out. He also runs from any threat of tickles, of which there are many.

the terrible two's are a misnomer

Because they definitely start around 16 months.

Toddler frustration is here hard-core. Punkin wants what he wants dammit and he will not be deterred! Of course when what he wants is something which a sharp blade, to be allowed to eat the orange peel, boobs for the millionth time, or to hit people, he is denied and becomes very unhappy. Screaming has become a regular part of our day. You'd think he'd get over it after he figured out it doesn't actually make me do what he wants. But no such luck.

Other than that, he climbed out of his crib last week and landed on his head, so it has been converted to a toddler bed. The trouble with this being that he now has absolutely no reason to stay in it whatsoever.

punkin plays soccer with mama & ben

punkin's email to mama

Punkin is visiting his grammy and poppy for a few days. Here is his email to mama!

Dear Mommy,


I really miss you and want to see you and please let me stay at my Grammy's for another day. I am playing and writing and drawing and have marker all over my face, hands and clothes. Grammy said you wouldn't mind if my green pants got all blue and red.

bv;x;bzdbb
She let's me eat as many cheerio's as I want and even gave me some ice cream yesterday.
She takes me outside and let's me run in the grass.....we even got to watch the birds this morning.!!

When she dropped the sifter on my head.....she even put ice on the bump...SHE IS THE GREATEST GRAMMY IN THE WORLD.

I have to go now, I gotta get ready for my disco lesson
I love you mommy and will see your real soon.
.vl;Si9f-12r asdfvv

LOVE, ELIAS cgven j


IUHU787880-HCX [;;\
B


vcsvg p[j234pg[




HI[MV V

adventures!

Punkin locked himself in a closet yesterday during a film showing at a community center. He walked in and shut the door, and the thing was locked from the inside. We had to go run and find the woman with the key. Luckily there was a grate in the door so we could see each other, so neither of us really flipped out. And it was a food pantry, so there wasn't anything real dangerous in there that he could get to. Still, it freaked out his mama. We're going to have to work on this doors business.

We also started sleep training last week. I'm really tired of nursing him all night long. He wakes me up at least 3 times a night, and it's just getting exhausting. My goal is that he will sleep through the night on his own by 18 months (about 5 weeks from now). He's doing pretty well. He responds OK to being in his crib as long as i'm right there next to him. I think I can keep nursing for longer as long as I don't have to do it at night. I'm starting to get this really restless antsy feeling whenever I'm woken up or stuck in the bed because I'm giving the baby a boob. It's stressful though, because he cries when I put him in the crib and I have to stay there and calm him down. I also miss him in the bed. I haven't been able to sleep very well until he's with me.

the talking continues

New things punkin has said that have been more or less intelligible to some people.

1. Yummy yummy!
2. Thank you
3. Hello
4. See you later!
5. I love you!

By more or less intelligible I mean, thank you comes out as "taaannnkoooooo" and see you later is "seeeeuuuuulaaaaaaarrrrr" but you get the general idea.

punkin is sick

Punkin got sick today. :-(

He threw up 3 times. The last time was a lot too. He threw up all the milk he had drank an hour before. I think it's just a tummy bug but mama is nervous. He's never been sick like this before. I want someone to fix him, dammit.

Sick baby = no good.