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Gus has been here eight months

2012-02-09T21:45:00.006-05:00

He's on the loose! Gus is a full-fledged crawler now. The gate is up; our eyes are peeled and Leo is terrified that Gus is going to take his toys! (He should be, by the way. I let Gus play with his dump truck while he's at pre-school...shhhh.)

Gus is also into:

--Eating his shoe: He has tons of toys but his favorite thing to play with/eat is his shoe. I figure it's all right since he's never actually walked in those shoes. (Too loosey goosey?)

--Leo: He thinks Leo is the coolest person on the planet. When he sees his big brother, he breaks into a grin that usually evolves into laughter. He can no longer sleep in the car if Leo is there. I think he's going to get a crick in his neck from turning to gaze at him.

--STILL being angelic: His dislike list is short: having his diaper/clothes changed, getting in the car seat (but is fine after a few seconds) and waiting even a nano-second for food. People who meet him still say he's "content" but I'd say he's also jolly. When I go in to get him after a nap or in the morning he looks like he's posing for a picture: "CHEESE!"

--Eating: I love these pre-picky days. He'll eat anything right now. We give him a mix of finger foods (sweet potato, avocado, broccoli, bread, beans, Cheerios) and purees. I'm still making his purees and I'm really proud of this one I made called "Super Foods Puree." It contained ground turkey, spinach, sweet potatoes, shallots (!) and oatmeal. Of course, he just ate it up. Pretty sure it gave him super powers!

--Babbling: It's tough to write out what he's saying but there definitely are some "mama" sounds in there!

--Playing: We're full on into the toy stage now. He's truly delighted by His favorites are these soft bath toys that are shaped like buildings. I'm always saying, "Where's Gus' building?" Good thing we have plenty of them! He's also showing a preference for balls. Feels familiar.

Here's Gus doing one of his favorite things. You can tell he feeds himself because he has avocado in his hair.

And I like this one because you can see how progressive we are being with finger food--apples, black beans, maybe some Puffs on there.

Here's Gus saying "More" in baby sign language. I wasn't even demonstrating it. I was just holding the camera!

I LOVE this adorable thing Gus does: He poses on his side like he's doing a side plank in Yoga. He even crosses his legs for extra cuteness.

Swinging and Silliness

2012-02-03T20:55:00.006-05:00

Frank commented, "This was a big week of firsts for Gus." I asked, "What firsts?" He said, "Swinging and riding in the wagon."

Oops. Gus has been in the wagon before. Guess I forgot to tell Frank. I told everyone else, right?

But anyway, he was right on the swinging. Here he is, having a rootin' tootin' good time!

Leo loves that "bucket" swing at our neighborhood playlet but he let his baby brother use it while he practiced leg pumping on the big boy swing:

Prior to swinging, Leo made a chair train in the kitchen:
Here are the boys on Gus' second wagon ride. Sorry again, Frank!

Here you can see Gus swinging and hear his sweet giggles!

Finger Lickin' Good

2012-01-23T14:28:00.003-05:00

I'm all about finger food with Gus. I was clueless about this with Leo. I thought if he had to chew anything (no matter how soft), he could choke. Now I know that chewing is important, even if you're toothless! Leo does finally like to chew things but he won't dare eat anything crunchy.

The other nice thing about finger food is that the kid can do it himself. (Although Leo liked soft food so much it seems like he's always been spoon-savvy.) I don't have time to sit there and shovel food into Gus' mouth but then again, he's only seven months old so it's not so easy for him to pick it up either.

A friend told me about putting wheat germ on stuff to make it easier for babies to pick up food themselves. It totally works! The only downside: it's a big 'ol mess.

But Gus doesn't mind! Here he is picking up and chewing bananas!

Gus also likes Happy Baby puffs, steamed apples, steamed sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and avocado! He can pretty much pick it all up himself. And if he can't, well that's what that trough in the bib is for.

Hollywood Heavy Weight

2012-01-19T22:34:00.003-05:00

I have two things about Leo that I want to report and I'm very pleased with the title I've come up with to cover the dual topics.

1. Leo is eating more and it's showing! It's not just the horizontal stripes either. He's gained about two pounds and to me, his face looks fuller. His teacher even commented that he's eating his lunch now. Woo hoo!

2. In other news, Leo is taking his "stories" to a new level. He's now making up movies. He wants to know all about movie making. "What's a set?" "What does the director do?' He then explained to me how it all works: "The director makes the movie and then he puts the movie on the truck and the truck takes it to the movie theater and they show the movie."

In these videos Leo is an actor, not a director (although he still bosses me around plenty by telling me exactly which lines to say). He's playing the part of the conductor on the Dinosaur Train:

Now that you know the two topics, isn't my title pretty awesome?

Sibling Slumber Party

2012-01-18T07:48:00.002-05:00

Over Christmas Leo and Gus did a good job sleeping in the same room while visiting family. I don't think, however, that they are ready to share a bed yet. Here they are practicing!

Gus has been here seven months

2012-01-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

Grandpa Ron says Gus is "Easy Money." I've got a few days left of that because Gus is about to be on the move! And I predict that once our sweet boy is mobile, he is going to be into everything. He's showing small signs of mischievousness already. For instance, if I give him a toy to play with but there's a non-toy item near by like a shoe, he'll go straight for the shoe.

"Who me? Mischievous?"

I also predict that he is going to be a climber and one of those kids who gets into cabinets. I say this because a). he's very squirmy and is already difficult to diaper (lots of rolling around) and b). Leo was not a climber nor a cabinet looter so I figure this one will be.

Gus is doing the military scoot so he does a combination of that and rolling and boy, that kid can get around the room! In fact, as I write this he is all over the playroom/guest room/office...most likely trying to get into non-toy things!

He's still very good-natured and smiles and laughs all the time. He loves to cuddle!

Lots has happened on the food front too: In just a little over one month of eating Gus has tried sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, bananas, apples, oatmeal and those puff things that babies eat. And not all of these are pureed! The other night we went to Bahama Breeze and I forgot to bring food for Gus (which is really more for distraction). I saw that they had a banana milkshake on the menu so I ordered it for him...just kidding, you can't give milkshakes to babies! No, I asked the waitress for a banana and she gave me one. Little Gus ate almost the whole thing! I didn't mush it up or anything. This is actually a big step for me since I was so scared to have Leo chew anything. That kid still doesn't like to chew!

Gus is also very vocal, despite his generally quiet demeanor. He pretty much yells the whole time he's in the high chair, demanding more food. I've been showing him the sign for "more" and "food" and I can just tell he's going to do it any day now. He also says "ma-ma-ma" and "da-da-da" but just in a babbling way, not addressing us. But if I really wanted to stretch it, I could say that he's saying Mama and Dada already :)

Okay, just a few more things to note since Gus is about to make his way under the couch...sleeps well, spits up a lot...

This pic was taken right before Gus sucked on Leo's shoulder to which Leo was greatly offended.

A bare-bottomed Leo trying to crash our photo shoot!

Playtime with Leo and Gus

2012-01-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

It's just starting and it's so fun to watch: Leo and Gus are playing together! This involves Leo rough housing with Gus while I scream, "Gentle! Gentle!" and Gus giggles uncontrollably. I think Leo would have to break one of his bones before he'd cry. This is what Gus is thinking:

"Yes! Roll right on top of me. That would be so cool!"

"I'm not sure what we're doing but if Leo's doing it then it must be good."

"Squeeze harder!"

"Sure! Twist my head. Maybe it can spin around!"

Identical Cousins

2012-01-04T21:19:00.003-05:00

I used to love the Patty Duke Show: "But they're cousins, identical cousins all the way, one pair of matching bookends, different as night and day..."

Now we've got our own set of identical cousins! Okay, they're not identical but sometimes, in pictures, I can't tell the babies apart (and I am the mother of one of them)!

This year Leo went from having one cousin to having two more cousins and a brother. So the cousins as a group are five. This Christmas marked the first time they were all together.

Leo: 3 years, 8 months

Gus, 6 and 1/2 months

Charlie, 3 months

Franklin 9 months

Ellie, 2 years, 2 months

The 2011 babies are all bald, blue-eyed and chubby!

Leo and Ellie may not be identical but they are both super cute
Here they are putting out cookies for Santa
Christmas tummy time with Gus and Charlie
"Leo, hug your cousin!"
Ah, the traditional reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas...on the iPad

Leo and Ellie riding on her really cool dump truck
Santa's little helpers...Charlie and Gus (Seriously, who's who? Only a mother can tell!)

The three little old men! Even their names are old-men-esque--Gus, Charlie and Franklin!
We can't wait for more fun times with the cousin crew!

December Doings

2011-12-22T21:56:00.004-05:00

It's been a busy December! Leo has been bringing home enough Christmas crafts to last us till Easter and Gus is doing new things every...well, every three or four days!

First, we are totally saving water because they can now bathe together. Gus is still a little unsteady so we have to be extra careful and hold his fat little arm. And Leo runs extra water so I guess we're not actually saving the earth with this system.

But talk about efficient, I can carry Gus AND the laundry in one trip. I remember doing this with Leo too. (Bonus: I get a little workout in!)
Frank is trying to follow in his friend Aaron's footsteps by getting famous by having a video with daddy/guitar + baby dancing go viral on YouTube. So far Gus isn't ready for millions of hits.
Gus had his six month appointment and Leo came along to ham it up. He is wearing the patch that they use for the baby eye exams. He, of course, thinks he is a pirate. Gus, of course, thinks he is a weirdo. (Notice Leo also brought his own shot needle along!)
Gus weighed in at 17 pounds, 2 oz. He's now in the 50th percentile which means perfect, right?
Leo loves to wear this Santa hat. When I walked in to set him free from "relax time" he had it on and even posed for a pic. The other night I went in to check on him and he was sleeping in it. So cute!
Merry Christmas, y'all!

A Blue (Ridge) Christmas

2011-12-16T15:10:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we rode the Santa Express train from the mountains of Blue Ridge, Georgia to the North Pole. Once at the North Pole (which is surprisingly just a 30 minute hop from Blue Ridge), we picked up Santa and he rode back with us, visiting with the children along the way. Our tickets also got us a story from Santa's helper, some caroling and visits with Santa's buddies--Rudolph and a freakishly skinny Frosty. (Wish I had pictures of that creepy character).

Here I am with Santa...I mean Gus! It was his first train ride.

This was Leo's third Christmas train ride with Santa. He did one in Durango in '09 and the Blue Ridge one last year. He is clinging to his ticket :)
Ready to go tot he North Pole!
We thought Gus would sleep on the train but no...
Not when there was so much to see!
And to suck on!
All the boys on the train.
Leo's thinking, "Does Santa know that I've been naughty?"
Gus says, "Some old dude with a long white beard wants to hold me? Whatever."

This picture tells two stories: 1). He must be so tired to fall asleep while watching a Thomas video and 2). We stopped by the yummy chocolate place in downtown Blue Ridge after the train ride.

And here is just a cute Christmas pic of Leo and his buddies, John and Etienne. They have recently discovered the wonders of candy canes!

Gus has been here six months

2011-12-10T20:49:00.005-05:00

We cannot believe our baby has been here for half of a year! People keep telling me that they feel like it's flown by and I feel that way too. I'm trying to really cherish every moment with Gus. It's easy to do because he is such a good-natured guy. I also feel like this last month has brought the most change in Gus. Since he's older and more wakeful, we're getting to know him better. It used to be that he slept most of the time and when he was awake he was happy and cute. But now he's awake more of the time and well, he's still happy and cute. Sure, the kid cries but he gets over everything really quickly.

Here's what Gus does lately:

--Rolls everywhere! He could get across the entire house by rolling. If we turn our heads for a second he's across the room. I'll put him down on the floor in our room while I'm getting ready and the next thing I know, he's almost under the bed!

--Babbles and squeals: I think he will be an early talker like his big brother.

--Sports two bottom teeth.

--Eats sweet potatoes, rice cereal and as of last night, broccoli. I actually gave him broccoli to pick up. I would have never done that with Leo. But there was Gus on the eve of his six month birthday, picking up broccoli.

--Loves peek-a-boo. This is a sure-fire way to get him to laugh. Either that, or zerberting his cheek. He's an easy audience.

--Eating our faces. If you hold him close he will come at you with a wide open mouth, ready to devour you. We love it!

--His big brother. Now that Gus spends time in the exersaucer, he is at a level where Leo can interact with him. Gus loves it when Leo talks to him, sings to him and even wrestles with him. He laughs and laughs and just loves to watch Leo.

More pics of Gus, the BBE!! Notice his shirt says "Chillin'." So appropriate for our laid-back Gussy.

Grubbin' with Gus

2011-12-06T19:55:00.006-05:00

Gus is eating food now! His friend Pascal's mom told me she was just going to do the same feeding plan with Pascal as she did with his older brother, Etienne "because it worked." As for me, I am going to do the opposite of what I did with Leo because it, well, didn't work :)

I'm not certain I'll avoid having a super-picky eater but I'm going to give it my best. With Leo, I didn't let him start chewing food until he was like 22 months old. Or as Frank says, "You still have him on a liquid diet." I was so scared he would choke that the dude was eating baby food long after he was a baby. It was a little embarrassing. So anyway, I've got a book and a steamer and some food storage trays and I'm making my own baby food this time! And since I'm sure I'll tire of that quickly, little Gus should be onto chewable food within a few weeks.

(Here's a picture of Leo right before we baked some cookies. Didn't want to leave him out and since the topic was food...)

Here's Gus' first rice cereal feeding. Frank looks like Super Dad, doesn't he?
Frank is feeding Gus with the spoon that he used when he was a baby!
So glad Leo has his stethoscope handy, just in case.

Gus loved it so much that we brought out the high chair!
Now he's trying sweet potatoes (that I made)!
Don't be fooled by his Halloween outfit. This did just take place within the last few days. But the outfit still fits and is comfortable!

Gus' impatient side came out when we fed him so he insisted on having his own spoon in addition to Frank's baby spoon.

And here's just a cute shot of lookalikes Frank and Gus (or "Captain Hook" and "Cubby" since Leo, I mean "Jake" insisted that we play characters tonight. "Dizzy" took the picture.)

Notice Cubby's cloth diaper. Between making baby food and using cloth diapers, I have become so crunchy these days!

November in a Nutshell

2011-11-30T21:55:00.007-05:00

Here we are on the eve of December 1st and I don’t even have my Christmas decorations up yet. I’m drowning in deadlines, laundry, bills, cleaning, kid-drama and oh, a lot of fun too. Here are some pics to prove it. No time for amusing anecdotes, I’ll just list out the events: the zoo, riding the Pink Pig, Thanksgiving (with Grandmother, Grandpa Ron and Tia) and Texas beating A&M on our last game in the same conference. The last pic is Gus smiling about the win!

Gus and his buddy Tyler out to dinner:

For Grandma Val

2011-11-17T22:33:00.002-05:00

This is one of my favorite songs to sing to Leo and Gus. I learned it while doing Guys and Dolls for our senior musical. Frank's Grandma Valerie always ended phone calls with it. She'd say, "I love you...a bushel and a peck."

Gus has been here five months

2011-11-10T22:17:00.007-05:00

I keep waiting for Gus to suddenly spin his head around and become a horrible baby but we're five months in and he's still the BBE...

BEST BABY EVER!!

I don't look at this as bragging but rather as being grateful for a baby who is so easy-going. (Because his brother is especially challenging right now!)

The way he wakes up tells you everything you need to know about Gus: if I didn't have a video monitor I wouldn't even know the kid was awake. He just wakes up and starts sucking his thumb. He makes no noise. And when I go into get him, he just smiles.

He's starting to "play" now. He grabs at the toys on his bouncy and he loves this little rabbit rattle, given to him by John and Tyler's grandparents--Nanny and Grandpa.

Here's what else is new with Gus:

He's a rolling machine! He actually rolled back-to-front before front-to-back (the latter is easier) because he was rarely in tummy time due to his unfortunate spitting up habit.

But even his spit up is better! On Saturday he spit up on me so bad that we couldn't even go out to dinner because I smelled and looked so awful. But now, after a few more days on his third spit-up medication, he seems a little less spitty.

Do you know what this means? If Gus doesn't spit up then he is perfect! I have no complaints about this child. And if he's perfect, well then, that can only mean one thing...

His head will surely start spinning any day now!! There's no such thing as a perfect baby, is there?

Gus also sports cloth diapers now. He's super hip. But more on that later when I get some cute pics.

Gus and Leo are finally playing together. Gus used to look at Leo with an expression of, "What the heck are you doing?" Now he laughs! He smiles and coos at Leo and thinks everything he does is funny. It is so sweet!

Leo's Spiritual Side

2011-11-08T21:25:00.005-05:00

Lately Leo has been interested in all things religious. A few examples:

--The other day at church, rather than chugging trains or talking too loudly or being generally disruptive, Leo wanted to follow along with the readings! He kneeled and stood in all the right places. And when it came time for the Lord's Prayer, he obediently recited it word for word.

--For about a week he was into reading all his churchy books. One day we were reading "The Mass Coloring Book" and there was a picture of Jesus sort of hovering over these people at a church. Leo asked, "Why does Jesus never come to church?" I tried to explain that Jesus doesn't really live here anymore. He lives in heaven. He said, "Is heaven far away? Is that why Jesus never comes to church?"

--We recently had a loss in the family. Frank's sweet Grandma Valerie died last week at the age of 93. While Frank was at the funeral in Houston I needed to explain where he was to Leo so I said, "Grandma Valerie lives in heaven now." I used a picture

I had of Leo with Grandma Val to remind him of who she was. He looked at the picture and asked, "But mommy, what am I doing in heaven?"

--The past few days Leo has not been excited about going to school.

Yesterday when he was especially resistant I said, "What could we do to make going to school better?" He said he needed a blessing! So I said a little prayer.He still threw a fit about going to school. Maybe he's beyond preschool. He's ready for the seminary.

Here he is trying to transform Gus:

If the priesthood doesn't work out, Leo's back-up plan is to be a chef/volunteer firefighter:

Plan C is to be a paid firefighter/volunteer doctor

Halloween: Leo's Fourth; Gus' First

2011-11-01T10:26:00.005-04:00

Imagine my relief when Leo finally gave up on the idea of being a TV set and settled on "Jake the Pirate" (from his current favorite TV show, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates.") Not only did I not have to get crafty with scissors and a box, his friend Etienne had been a pirate last year so the costume was available for borrowing!

Of course we had to have a long talk with Leo about not taking his character so seriously. For a week before Halloween he made us call him "Jake" and screamed if we forgot. By the way, "forgetting" can also mean just saying something to him and not using any name or not even talking to him at all.

"It's supper time!"

"WAH WAH!! YOU DIDN'T CALL ME JAKE!!"

Driving in the car...silence...

"YOU FORGOT TO CALL ME JAKE! I AM JAKE!"

Luckily, for the Halloween festivities, he went easy on the method actor stuff. On Sunday night we went to his school's church for "trunk or treat." It's like a Halloween tailgate (but without beer, much to Frank's disappointment. Hey, they're Presbyterians, not Catholics.)

Hanging with John, the crayon, at trunk or treat.
Mini hay ride:

For his school party on Monday Leo went as a cowboy (a dress-up costume he had) because his pirate outfit wasn't potty friendly.
His teacher said he kept his hat on all day! Notice his belt buckle says Leo. So cute.

Gus wore this "My First Halloween" onesie a lot this week. Love the pumpkin on the butt!

Time for the neighborhood Halloween party! Gus is a monkey (another borrowed costume)! Leo is holding a broom in case we see witches.
Seems like just yesterday they were a sweet pea, a tiger and a lion!

Underdog Etienne wasn't here that first Halloween but he's been here the last three. He's also bigger than the rest of them but a few months younger!
Leo won the prize for "meanest costume." Frank said, "I don't think it had anything to do with his costume."
Gus says, "No candy for me. I got my thumb."
Leo did a good job saying "Thank you!"
Trick or treating with the beautiful Bianca (Princess Aurora).
Frank took Leo trick or treating while I manned the candy bowl at our house with the monkey. When they got home Frank instructed Leo to dump out all his candy and roll around in it. "What? You never did that?" he asked. I think we need to work on our Halloween traditions!

Leo-The Stud; Gus-The Chub

2011-10-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

I'll start with "The Chub." Gus had his four month doctor visit and while he's not in the 95th percentile anymore, he's still way up there in the 75th at 16 pounds, 8 ounces. Same goes for height (length) at 26.2 inches. His head his in the 50th percentile. "That's good," I told the doctor. "I don't want him to have too big or too small of a head!"

Gus was actually really fussy at this appointment until the sweet doctor got a hold of him. I said, "He's probably going to cry when he gets his shots" and the doc said, "I'd worry if he didn't."

"Hey, no fair weighing me in socks! They add at least two more pounds!"

As for Leo, he had a lot of fun at cousin Barbara's wedding in Birmingham last weekend. He met an almost three-year-old little girl at the rehearsal dinner and actually shared his trains with her! I knew he was in love!

The next night at the reception, after I encouraged him a little, he asked her to dance. (She was the flower girl!)About three times they bumped heads and would go running to their parents crying but other than that...
They danced all night!
Well, actually, she also danced with this other little boy. I called him the "curly headed Cassanova." But then Leo stole a flower from a bridesmaid's bouquet and brought it to her. So smooth!

October Traditions

2011-10-18T15:06:00.005-04:00

While I still think the whole pumpkin patch thing is way too recital-y, every October since having Leo we've made the pilgrimage to the PP. This year was extra cute because we got a good shot of Leo holding Gus, which was challenging given that Gus is just about the same weight as Leo.

It was also an extra cute experience because we went to a smaller patch with fewer crowds, no fee to enter and a hay ride! Bonus: Leo got to drive the tractor for the hay ride.

The boys on the hay ride. Gus actually cried for most of it. Not sure what he has against hay. Or rides.

I hope he's not crushing Leo.

Put that down! We're not actually buying any pumpkins here!

This place doubled as a Christmas Tree farm. Makes sense. I mean man cannot live by pumpkin alone.

Got it. Obligatory kid in the pumpkin shots:

Then we went to Helen for the annual Oktoberfest. I know--two events in one day with two kids!

This looks weird but I think I can easily explain it: Chicken Dance! I get really into the "Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle" part.

Happy October!

Gus has been here four months

2011-10-10T14:37:00.002-04:00

I guess God thinks I have enough on my plate because, boy, did he go easy on me with this one! Gus is so easy-going and happy! I believe that if Gus were to speak right now he'd say, "Whatever."

Yesterday he cried at length and we didn't know how to console him but that is really rare. It's only happened one other time. With most babies you're outside bouncing them around, trying a bunch of different things: Is he hungry? Is he tired? Does he need to burp? Is his diaper dirty? Does he have a hair wrapped around his pinky toe? Not with Gus. If he does cry, it's like, "Oh, he's hungry."

He smiles all the time now. If you catch his eyes, he'll smile at you. He coos and coos--sometimes he squeals with delight.

We rarely do tummy time (because of his epic spit-up, his only flaw!) so he hasn't rolled over yet. I think he might roll from back to front first. He can roll from his back to his side but not quite all the way over.

He's a full-fledged thumb sucker now. I'm pro-thumb-sucking. I, personally, was a thumb sucker so it's nice that Gus does something like me (since he looks like Frank and is laid-back like him too). Plus, when Gus does wake up in the middle of the night, I watch him on the monitor as he just sticks his thumb in his mouth and starts sucking away, putting himself back to sleep. Can't do that with a paci!

And speaking of sleeping...he is awesome at that too. I don't know when Leo started becoming a nightmare napper but so far Gus is consistent with daytime and nighttime sleep. I don't know how long this will last but we don't even have to rock him. I just swaddle him (with one arm out so he can suck his thumb), sing Twinkle Twinkle, lay him down completely awake and he goes to sleep. Amazing.

Leo loves him but we STILL have to remind him to be gentle and to not give him things. ("Here, Gus, hold this race car!" "What? He likes it!")

"Thank you for this adorable onesie, Grandmother! I am huge so 6-9 months fits great!"

"Oops! I fell but I don't mind!"

"And then I spit-up. But I don't mind that either!"

We are head over heels in love with this boy! (I'm sure we would love him just as much if he were fussy and ugly but the fact that he is happy and cute is sure nice!)

Playdate with Pascal

2011-10-08T21:51:00.003-04:00

Last week after snoozing in their strollers while their mommies walked, Gus and Pascal (both about four months) had fun on Gus' exercise mat:

Tummy time!

Look how well they hold up their heads.
Pascal promises to teach Gus French. Gus promises to teach Pascal...um...I'm sure he will have some special talent to share!
Tummy time is good but back is best!
"Enough with the cameras, mommies!"
Gus says, "It's good to have friends!"

Inside the Actor's Studio...with Leo Simcik

2011-10-05T15:13:00.008-04:00

The role-playing that Leo and I did today was not my first clue that Leo may one day become a famous actor:

--There was the phase he went through a year ago where he insisted we call him different names: the goalie, the engineer, the doctor, Gordon, etc.

--There was the resurrection of that phase recently where he asked to be called the shark, the dinosaur, the beaver and "Baker's Man."

--There's the performing on the stage (the elevated floor in our foyer) where he pretends to be holding a microphone

--There are the Oscar-worthy performances about having boo boos and not being able to walk. Lately he's been saying that he needs to poop right after getting into bed for his nap. At first I fell for it (I mean, who is going to deny a person a bowel movement?) But after several false (fake) alarms, I told him that he would just have to wait until after nap. He wailed, "But I really need to poop! I'm gonna make an accident! I'm going in my Pull-up right now!" I started thinking, "This time might be for real" but I stuck to my guns. And did he ever poop in his Pull-up? No. He didn't even poop after nap!

But the role-playing today showed me that he not only likes to pretend and perform, he's really good at it--a method actor! I'm going to just put excerpts from the dialogue here. (And remember, "Leo" is Leo pretending to be me and "Me" is me pretending to be Leo. It was hard for me to keep straight too. But not for Leo. He corrected me when I slipped up.)

Leo: I'll be mommy and you be Leo. What did you do at school today, Leo?

Me: I learned about the Letter R and I watched kids do show and tell and I made a raccoon mask and I was so nice and kind to my friends.

Leo: That's nice. What are you going to do when you

get home?

Me: I'm going to play for five minutes and then go take my nap because I'm tired.

Leo: That's right, Leo. But you can play for six minutes today!

Me: No, I'm too tired. I just want to play for five minutes.

Leo: I'm mommy. I'm a grill. (Girl.) I'm a woman. I can be a grill or a woman. (Giggles.)

(When we got home I thought we would switch back but he stayed in character.)

Leo: Okay, Leo, I'm going to set the timer for five minutes (as he pushes buttons on the TV remote.)

Me: Well if you're mommy I guess you'll have to take care of Gus.

Leo: Yes, I'm going to hold Gus!

(Now holding Gus on the Boppy)

(While Leo is a good actor, it does not appear that he is fooling Gus into thinking this is his mommy.)

Leo: Leo, can you look at Gus' diaper and eat?

Me: No, I can't.

Leo: But you need to get used to it, Leo. And you need to be able to eat when there are napkins and paper towels around too.

Me: You're right, mommy. Do you know why I don't like to eat when paper towels and napkins and diapers are around?

Leo: No, but you need to get over it.

(Real timer that I had set beeps)

Leo: That's the timer, Leo! It's time for you to go upstairs a

nd get ready for your nap!

(As we're walking up the stairs)

Leo: You must do what I say, Leo! Are you listening to me, Leo? Good job!

Switching back was much harder than you could imagine. I tried to do this whole "let's hold hands and spin around and 'poof' you're Leo again and I'm mommy' but he kept insisting he was mommy and he was going to sleep in my bed, etc. I promised we could switch back after nap so I'm enjoying being myself for awhile until I have to go back to being a three-year-old!

(And this is just a cute pic of the boys!)

Bend it Like Leo

2011-10-01T21:14:00.005-04:00

Leo wrapped up his fourth and final week of soccer lessons. (Well, he really only had three because we had to miss the week we went to the beach. I hope this won't set him back for his whole soccer career!) He better continue because we invested all this money in cleats, socks and shin guards!

Here he is showing off his gear:

Focused on the game:
They have these cute "magic carpets" to warm-up, stretch and take water breaks.

Stretching those hamstrings on his magic carpet.

Gus was totally caught up in all the action.

And here are a couple of videos--one of Leo goofing off with Gus after soccer and one from soccer (that only a grandparent could love).

Beach Boys

2011-09-25T20:40:00.002-04:00

We took our first vacation as a family of four to Tybee Island, Georgia. Some highlights: Leo being so brave in the ocean, Gus putting his feet in the ocean for the first time and lots of fun times in the pool. Some lowlights: Frank finally getting burnt after a summer of risky no-sunscreen-applying, Leo being a general menace and torrential rain on the drive back.

Here are some pictures (and of course we only photographed the highlights because who wants a picture of Leo being a menace?)

This is how Gus spent most of his beach time--in this cool tent-umbrella contraption we borrowed from friends:

Frank said, "If only Gus could sit up, this could be our Christmas card!"

Leo LOVED the ocean. He and Frank frolicked in there. I tried to play with him in the ocean and he told me that he preferred to swim with Daddy. (I was very insulted, especially after I had sung my cover of "Ring around the Roses" which I changed to "Ring Around the Ocean...Splashes, Splashes..."

Big news: Gus became a thumb sucker on this trip!
Tybee is close to Savannah so we had dinner there one night. Leo said, "Savannah is a silly place!" (He came to this conclusion after seeing cars driving on the trolley tracks.)

The condo we stayed in had a great pool!

Gus in his happy place
Ready for a day at the beach!

Sunrise view from our condo:

Guys, get off your computers so we can hit the beach!

Carpooling and Kicking with Leo

2011-09-18T20:44:00.005-04:00

September has brought a lot of new activities for Leo: he started preschool AND soccer.

He goes to a Presbyterian church for preschool. (Sorry, Catholic church. Your tuition was higher and you lacked the carpool line this lazy mom desired.) Leo's buddies John and Dawson also go to this preschool but they are in the three-day class. Leo is in the four-day class because he is gifted. Just kidding. He's in the four-day class because that's all we could get into since the three-day class was booked. But it's working out great. Dawson's mommy kindly takes Leo to school each morning that Dawson goes. They go in the carpool line which is a lot of fun. Then I pick Leo up at 1:00 and he chats the whole way home about his adventures. Here are some things he's told me:

--He was "The Weatherman" last week. His job was to look out the window and then announce to the class what the weather was like.

--He would like to be the "flag holder" one day.

--When the flag holder holds the flag they say the pledge. I only know this because he started saying something that was the same cadence as the pledge and then Dawson's mommy confirmed it.

--Someone named Ellie had a birthday and they had cupcakes.

--He sits on a star that says "L-E-O" for story time. His class' name is "The Stars."

--They have story time every day and they sing some song about how they should be quiet.

--Ms. Amanda, his teacher, calls pee-pee "tinkle."

--At first he wouldn't eat his snack because it was on a paper towel but then he did. He even throws his paper towel away. (His teacher actually told me that.)

--He didn't get to play in the Diego house one day. It wasn't his turn. He had to do another activity. (Seriously, he said "activity.")

On an unrelated note, (well, sort of related to the "tinkle" comment), Leo now pees standing up. And not only that, he just goes into the bathroom by himself, lifts the seat, pulls down his pants and goes! It's so funny to see him do that. I did so good training Frank to put the seat down and now I'll need to train Leo too. Or maybe I should just accept that I'm outnumbered!

Now, for his other first--soccer. Leo is in a sports class again but this one is outdoors and it's four weeks of soccer and four weeks of t-ball. Leo does okay with the soccer skills but he sometimes has trouble following directions. For instance, for one "activity," they were supposed to dribble a soccer ball from one side of the field to another. Leo just stood there looking very confused. The coach had to keep saying, "Leo, kick the ball!" after all the other kids were already back to the other side. Oh, well. Maybe we'll have better luck with t-ball!

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks:

The cutest part about soccer is how he wears those high socks and shin guards!

The only "first day of preschool" pic I have is this one and it's not even the real first day!
Leo zonked out after a rough day at preschool. I love how he's sleeping on his stuffed Chicken. (She-Liz, that is the chicken you gave him!")

Leo took this picture of me! I think he is a budding photographer. (Well, there was another one with fingers in front of the screen.)

If you look closely, you can see that Gus' shirt says "Gus." We are having a bit of a cool front so Gus is sporting pants for the first time in his life!

Here's Gus and me on our "date night." Frank and Leo went to the Braves game and Gus and I stayed in. It was so lovely!

Call the Guiness Book of World Records. Leo ate 17 mini pancakes one morning! (Oh, and that's syrup in the coffee mug.)

Gus has been here three months

2011-09-10T16:18:00.005-04:00

It seems like just yesterday our little Gus was born. But really it was like 90 yesterdays ago! While Leo still seems to require more of our time and attention, Gus is content to take a back-seat to his older, more demanding brother. I'm not sure yet if this is an age thing or a personality thing. Probably both.

Little Gus is just so content. Did I say that last month? He's not jolly. He's not angry. He's just content.

But he does smile a lot more now! When he sees a new face he gives a big grin. And then before you know it, it's gone. He even laughs every now and then. Leo was belly laughing at nine weeks old. We haven't gotten that from Gus yet. Then again, we also haven't had a crying spell that we can't squash with Gus either, and we had plenty of those with Leo!

Two things they have in common: Gus is still spitting up a ton, maybe even more than Leo did! He's actually on medication and even that's not helping. Poor guy. Poor us. Poor all of our clothes and furniture! The good news is he's not upset about it. Just me. I hate spit up! There, I said it!

And the other thing they have in common is that they are both AWESOME night sleepers. I sometimes feel guilty telling people that because I rarely encounter babies who sleep through the night as quickly as my boys. But then I think about Leo and his terrible napping and Gus and his terrible spit up and I don't feel so bad. I mean, I should get something good, right?

Gus goes to sleep between 8 and 9 and we don't hear from him until after 7am. Sometimes after 8. Okay, today he did wake me up at 5am but that hardly ever happens. And I just gave him a little snack and he went right back to sleep. (By the way, breastfeeding is so much better with all these multi-media devices--Blackberry, iPad, etc. I didn't have all this stuff when Leo was a baby!)

During the day, he's more wakeful. It used to be that when we took him in the car, especially right after eating, he would fall right asleep. Now he stays up. He's got things to do, people to see.

Leo is still "aggressive with love" towards Gus. I cannot seem to get him to be gentle. Just yesterday Gus was propped up on the Boppy and Leo was kindly tickling his feet and saying, "Hey, Gussy Gussy." The next thing I know, Leo's got Gus by the ankles and is starting to drag him across the rug!

But did Gus freak out? Nope. Just me.

I think now that Gus is three months he's not considered a newborn anymore. He's officially a baby. And we love everything about him--his fleeting smile, his rolls, his chins, his long eyelashes, his demeanor, his fuzzy hair and even his chronic sour milk smell!

God Bless Gus

2011-09-08T12:41:00.007-04:00

Labor Day weekend we welcomed Gus into the Catholic Club. Whereas I had to go through months of classes to be in the club, Gus is now a "cradle Catholic." We were so happy that our family came to celebrate with us: My parents, Frank's parents, My sister ("Tia"), and Aunt Julie and Uncle Doug, who also served as Gus' Godparents! We got to meet their son, Franklin, for the first time. He is just a 2.5 months older than Gus so they will be close cousins. The only people missing were Uncle David, Aunt Laura and Cousin Ellie. But they had a good excuse; they are expecting another close cousin of Gus and Franklin's in the next few weeks. (Side note: I will be that baby's Godmother!)

Here is the whole group at Gus' baptism:

Proud Godparents and parents with a confused Gus: "What is this Catholic thing and why am I wearing a dress?"

With cousin Franklin!

Franklin, Leo and Gus--future longhorns. You're outnumbered, Aggie/Bear Ellie!

Big Boy + Zoo

2011-08-28T22:00:00.007-04:00

I'm telling you, these boys are sucking the creativity right out of me. I can't think of a clever way of tying together Gus' two month doctor visit and a trip to the zoo. So pardon the disconnect.

Here's what we learned at the check-up: Gus is big. Huge. Enormous. He weighs 15 pounds and is in the 95th percentile for weight! He's 24.7 inches and is in the 92nd percentile for length. I think his head is big too but in proportion with his body. The doctor actually sympathized with me about the spit-up and gave Gus some meds. (It probably helped that he spit

up all over the exam table as you can see in one of the photos below. This, however, was a very light spit-up day for Gus.)

And here are some zoo shots. It was Gus' first trip and, although he was very excited to go see the pandas, he fell asleep by the time we got to their exhibit.

And this is just me and my big boy, Gus! I mean big baby. Leo would correct me if he saw this. HE is the big boy. Gus is the baby.

Bumbo Practice

2011-08-23T08:07:00.004-04:00

I remembered that Leo started sitting in the Bumbo chair around 12 weeks. Here's Leo back in the day!

Since Gus is 10 and some change, we thought we could attempt the Bumbo with him too:

I now know why they call it the Bumbo. When he sits in it, he starts to fall over to one side and drool. And he doesn't care at all! He looks a little pathetic--like a Bumbo.

Here's Leo trying to play peek-a-boo with Gus while he's in the Bumbo. I told Leo that he liked peek-a-boo a lot when he was a baby. Gus isn't into it yet (and Leo probably wasn't at this age either). But Leo said, "I liked peek-a-boo and Gus doesn't. We are opposites!"

Had to emphasize that you put the cloth over your OWN face and not the baby's!

Now he's getting the hang of it!!

Potpourri Pics

2011-08-17T19:25:00.007-04:00

Usually I can wrap my pictures up in a neat bow, all relating to one topic--something quirky Leo does, a milestone for Gus...but this batch is just that, a batch.

A Grumpy Gus says, "Do I have to go to church?"

Brothers hanging out: one is going for the "no pants" look...

...while the other is going for "pants too high."

SSC! So Super Cute!

Leo was the leader of story time at our house. He told Gus and me to be quiet!

Gus has been here two months

2011-08-10T13:47:00.007-04:00

Gus is excited because he turns two months during his favorite month!

Here is what our little August has been up to:

He's getting really big! I don't know how big he is but he's got rolls everywhere. I love his little thunder thighs and his muffin top that hangs over his diaper.

He's still very content. Smiles are fleeting so they're special. He'll give us a big grin and then immediately it's back to serious-face. The word "poo poo" seems to give him the giggles.

I'm afraid we've got another spitter-upper on our hands. I put him in this outfit this morning and by the time I took the picture, he had made his mark. We had to remove it after this photo shoot. The other day I put him in his car seat, a good 15 minutes after he had eaten, and he started spitting up like Niagra falls. His entire onesie was soaked through; he was swimming in it! I've already traded burp cloths for receiving blankets and I think soon he'll become the bib kid, like Leo was.

He coos. It's cute.

Just last night he slept in his own room for the first time! He still wakes up once at night (or sometimes it's like 5:30 or 6:00 which I count as the morning).

He's often mistaken for a girl. I think it's because of his pretty eyes.

He's just a good, sweet boy. He really only cries when he's hungry or when he's hurt (like if big brother pulls his hand a little too hard).

Leo is very protective of him and every time someone looks at him Leo says, "No! Don't take him! He's ours!"

I can't blame Leo. I mean, Gus is so adorable it makes sense that people would want to take him!

We tried to take the "Gus 11" picture (Thanks, Jacquie, for the awesome t-shirt!) but I think we need a re-do. I must have forgotten that Gus can't hold his head up by himself yet.

Gender Roles

2011-08-02T18:07:00.001-04:00

Here’s Leo being silly in front of the mirror one night before bath time:

Like Mommy Like Leo

2011-07-26T17:37:00.001-04:00

So lately Leo’s thing is that he doesn’t like napkins. I realized this when he requested that we move the napkin holder to our bedroom. I thought that was ridiculous so I put it on top of the fridge (as if that’s not ridiculous). He said he couldn’t look at the napkins while he ate. When I asked him why, he said, “Because Leo is on the napkins.” While that didn’t make any sense, his comment about not looking at something while he ate sounded familiar.

As a child I, too, could not look at certain things while eating. (I still can’t watch talk shows while eating.) We had a framed poster of a bull fighter hanging in our kitchen and I never liked to have that in my line of sight during a meal. I told Frank, “Now if he didn’t want to look at that (pointing to our framed poster of a lady sipping a martini that hangs in our kitchen), I could understand!”

And then, a few days later, he announced that he also couldn’t “look at that lady and eat.”

Oh my gosh, what have I done to him?

Here are some pics of how Leo sits for every meal:

And here are some pics of Gus who is most likely thinking, “What kind of family have I gotten myself into?”

Hodge Podge

2011-07-18T20:47:00.001-04:00

Here’s what’s happening at our house this week:

Leo is always getting up in Gus’ face. Here’s a cute video of what that looks like:

I’m trying to encourage Leo to dress himself so that when he goes to preschool he can put his clothes on in the morning. We have a sticker chart and everything. He’s pretty good with the bottoms but obviously, we need a little work on the top (unless he’s going to a toga party)!

Today I took both boys on a walk by myself for the first time!

And finally—if that wasn’t enough excitement—Gus posed for a picture that will go in Frank’s high school alumni magazine.

Keep checking back for more exciting tales and photos from our expanding family! (I should say “expanded,” not trying to imply that we are expanding anymore).

Gus has been here ONE month

2011-07-10T19:30:00.001-04:00

Here is the first of Gus’ monthly blogs--you know, like I did with Leo. I’ll post a picture of him in the green chair and talk about what he’s into. This one should be easy:

-Eating

-Sleeping

-Pooping

Well, maybe there are a few more things we’ve learned about Gus:

--He’s so cuddly. He loves to be held and he’ll put his arms around our necks. His favorite way to be held is in the “burping” position, up on a shoulder.

--He doesn’t really care for sitting in things like the swing or the bouncy chair. I mean, he’ll sit there but he rarely falls asleep and he only lasts a few minutes.

--Jury’s still out on the pacifier. Sometimes he likes it but I don’t think he’s a true paci kid.

--He’s very consistent. He eats every three hours during the day and can now go longer at night (yea!) The last few nights he’s gone five hours in between feedings.

--He’s quite content. Sure, he gets upset when he’s hungry or tired but he’s yet to just cry at length for no reason. It’s usually easy to figure out what he wants. (Or maybe we’re just brilliant parents).

--He’s so stinkin’ cute!! And he’s getting rolls which makes him even cuter.

Everybody wants to know how Leo is doing with him. Leo doesn’t seem jealous but he is a little bit aggressive. He likes to get up in Gus’ face and say, “Baby Baby” while pulling on his arms or poking his cheeks. He also wants to check on him all the time. Oh, and he’s not as helpful as I thought he would be. If I drop a burp cloth and ask him to pick it up, he refuses. And everybody told me a three-year-old should be able to “grab a diaper.” Not happening.

Leo does let Gus hang out on his big boy bed:

And here’s Gus hanging out with his best pal, Pascal

Soon after these photos were taken, Pascal tried to eat Gus. Luckily, Gus is a forgiving guy.

Fun for the 4th

2011-07-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

In our family, we always kick off the 4th of July with Frank’s birthday, which is on June 30th. This year was no different, except we kicked it off with a “summer cut” for Leo and then celebrated Frank’s birthday. We also had family in town—Granny Jo, Popsy and Tia. And of course it was Gus’ first Independence Day. The days leading up to the holiday were sunny here but we had rain the evening of the 4th. We still had fireworks; we just watched them under umbrellas. And we still had store-bought explosives; we just enjoyed them from the garage. Classy.

Brothers Bonding

2011-06-30T16:02:00.001-04:00

For the first couple of weeks of Gus’ life, Leo was kind of indifferent. People were asking about Leo: “Is he jealous?” “Is he mean?” “Is he throwing tantrums?”

He wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t mean. Yes, he was throwing tantrums but not any more than he did before.

Then in the last couple of days, as Gus entered his third week of life, Leo started taking an interest in his little brother. He wants to look at him, touch him and “help” with him.

So, of course, our cameras have been flashing!!

Summer Smiles

2011-06-23T17:23:00.001-04:00

Our second week home with Gus has been eventful! Here are some pics, including Father’s Day, Granny Jo meeting Gus, Carrey and me holding Pascal and Gus in our Moby wraps and Leo learning to put on his shorts all by himself!

Good-Lookin’ Brothers

2011-06-17T14:29:00.001-04:00

Before Gus was born (last week), I commented to our friends Claire and Josh (parents of Leo’s BFF John, who are expecting in September) that it will be fun to see what our new babies look like. Josh said, “I hope ours looks like John. I like the way he looks.” Good point. We like the way Leo looks too. Then Gus came out and, to us, he doesn’t look all that much like Leo. But some people say that Gus does look like Leo. What do you think? Here’s Leo at about one week (top) and Gus at one week. Either way, we like the way they both look!

A week of firsts

2011-06-16T13:21:00.001-04:00

In addition to the whole “being born” thing, Gus has had an exciting first few days at home!

First, he received this adorable burp cloth/bib set from Tia Kristin. (Btw, they are from my fave place to buy baby gifts: Your Baby’s Room if you’re interested). Then he played around on his tummy time mat, although he preferred his back.

Last night we gave him his first sponge bath. As you can see, he was a big fan of that.

Then he had his first ever play date with Pascal, born one week earlier than Gus. And by coincidence, we got the same bib/burp cloth set for Pascal! Of course, his mom and I had to make it a photo op.

And Leo got in on the fun too!

Tomorrow Gus will be one week old! It’s hard to believe that just last week, on the eve of his birth, we were singing Happy Birthday to him and eating cupcakes. (Bizarre birthday party, I know.) Luckily, we froze the cupcakes so we can celebrate again tomorrow!

Meet Gus!

2011-06-15T08:16:00.001-04:00

August “Gus” Frank Simcik came into the world on June 10th, 2011. He was a big boy, weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. So far he is calm, sweet and easy going. People keep telling me that second children know that they need to be this way. And in the tradition of how parents should be with second children, I’m totally late in getting out pictures of him. I think I posted Leo’s birth blog on his birthday, from the hospital! Oh, and while Gus is very laid-back, he does have one demand: do not call him “Donald Duck” anymore!

Gus’ First Few Days

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Expansion: The Final Stages

2011-06-05T15:33:00.001-04:00

Baby Donald Duck is scheduled to arrive this Friday, June 10th!

I am eager for him to get here because this belly just CANNOT get any bigger. Look at this thing:

Everywhere I go I have to answer to my pregnancy public. 99% of people have nothing but nice things to say but it really adds on time to my errand running. Yesterday I went to the Dollar Store and Target and I had seven people stop me to talk. One lady said, "Oh. My. Gosh. It’s a girl, right?” And when I told her it was a boy, she said, “I’m rarely wrong about these things.” Then she told me about how she had four girls and for her fifth pregnancy they said it was a girl too but it was a boy. Then she commented on my hugeness and how this baby is sure to be enormous. The biggest baby she’d ever seen, I think she said. Later I went to Fresh Market and a gaggle of people at the register, including employees, all ambushed me about how I’m probably going to go into labor at any second and they didn’t know how to deliver a baby.

I totally can relate to how celebs feel but at least they can cover themselves up with sunglasses and hats. There’s no covering up this bump!

I’ve got so many stories about stranger comments, I could probably write a book. I’ll stop going on and on about it cause this is most likely my last pregnancy and I should just enjoy the attention. But I do have to tell you about one stranger who stroked my belly for way too long and as she was running her finger over it and I was feeling really uncomfortable, she said, “Do you get annoyed when people touch your belly? I know I did when I was pregnant!”

So we’re gearing up for the baby’s arrival by getting out all of Leo’s baby gear, washing tiny baby clothes and spending way too much money at giant baby box stores. Here’s Leo trying out the baby’s car seat:

We’re also trying to shower Leo with attention (and water since it’s so hot)! Here we are last night at the spray ground. That’s my totally-worth-it maternity bathing suit!

And here’s Leo relaxing and goofing off with John after the spray ground. John will be a big brother in September and he is ALSO having a baby brother. I’m sure Leo will be glad to give him some big brother pointers!

Heat Wave

2011-06-03T15:39:00.001-04:00

It’s record temps here in Georgia this week (supposed to be 80-somethings but it’s actually 90-somethings). Looks like we’ll have to tell Leo’s brother that he was born in the middle of a heat wave!

The future big bro is handling it just fine. Since summer unofficially began last weekend we have made four trips to the pool, two sessions at the water table and one excursion to the spray ground. I had my camera handy for a few of these moments. I managed to get the water table, a sing-a-long at a park with our MOMs club and Leo, John and Etienne enjoying Bomb Pops post-spray ground.

Gotta go. We’re off to the pool again! (Oh, and the maternity bathing suit that I hesitated to buy since I would only need it for two weeks? Totally worth it!)

Choo Chooin in Chattanooga

2011-05-23T22:05:00.001-04:00

We took Leo on a “Big Boy” trip to Chattanooga this past weekend. It was his last trip as an only child so we made him the center of attention. The main draw was the “Day out with Thomas” event that was being held there. We joined other parents and their 2-7 year-olds for a hot, fun-filled afternoon with Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt and the gang. Here are some pics from our weekend which also included the Aquarium and a ride on an electric train at the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel.

Oh, and luckily I found another family of three where the mom was taking all the pics and convinced them to take our pic in front of the Aquarium (in exchange for us taking their pic). If I hadn’t done that, there would be no record of me being on this trip! It looks more like “Leo and Daddy’s weekend fun!” Oh, I was there all right—8+ months pregnant and sweating!!

All the world’s a train…

2011-05-16T20:52:00.001-04:00

…and we are merely passengers. At least that’s how it seems to Leo. He can make anything into a train. We had this stack of plastic cups and he took about twenty of them and lined them up in our bedroom to make a train. He takes books and, instead of reading them, puts them in train formation. Straws become coaches; spoons become engines; napkins become cabooses.

Today I tried to get him to play Memory and, while he did match up the cards at first, he ended up even making them into a train!

Boy, was I in trouble when I stepped on the train. “They’re not coupled up!!” he screamed at me. He’s constantly doing the train whistle noise which sounds like “Haw haw!” Yep, he’s definitely got trains on the brains.

Bigger Boy Room!

2011-05-10T21:05:00.001-04:00

In the 15 minutes that the Rooms to Go crew was in our house, Leo’s room went from baby to big boy. Gone went the crib-converted-into-a-toddler bed. Gone went the rocking chair that we spent so many nights and naptimes in, rocking him to sleep. Gone went the changing-table-dresser where we changed thousands of diapers.

Now Leo has a twin bed, night stand, new curtains, a new lamp and a new chest of drawers. The furniture is “mission style” so it matches our dining room set. That’s a good thing in case we ever have lots of kids and have to put Leo in the dining room!

We DO have a comforter for the kid; I just need to wash it. But it’s hot here and he’s quite a sweaty-head so I don’t think he minds.

Here he is on his first morning after waking up in his big boy room. He’s still good about not getting out of bed until we come in. In fact, yesterday during nap (his first experience in the twin bed), I watched on the monitor as he cried when his teddy bear had fallen out of bed. I had to go rescue him twice. He didn’t even think of getting out and getting it himself!

So while our first-born’s room is just about complete, our unborn’s is still a work in progress. Ah, the life of the second child!

One small step for mankind. One giant leap for Leo!

2011-05-08T21:12:00.001-04:00

Do you know how many kids’ parties and events involve jumpy castles? Well, you probably don’t notice unless you have a kid who is terrified of them! Whenever we are about to go to a party, Leo asks nervously, “Will there be jumpies there?” Poor guy always watches from the sidelines and clings to one of us while the other kids bounce without a care in the world. Selfishly, I always wish he’d jump because it would be easier on me. I could stand around and chat with the other moms rather than having to comfort Leo or go to the baby/toddler play area. And although Leo is very verbal, he’s never said exactly what scares him about jumpies. I suspected it was the sensation of being off balance or maybe he’s scared of falling down.

But yesterday LEO JUMPED IN A JUMPY!!! It was the perfect setting. We were at our neighborhood’s spring fling and everyone there knew that Leo doesn’t like jumpies. So when they saw him climb in and jump, they were really supportive. “FIRST time in a jumpy!!” I exclaimed to everyone as I pointed proudly at Leo.

At first he climbed in and just lay on his tummy saying, “Look, mommy, I’m in a jumpy.” And then finally, with some encouragement from John (who even sweetly offered his hand to help Leo up), he stood up and jumped. I could tell he was thinking, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”

At some point it was nap time and we needed to get him out. He refused. Frank had to actually climb in and drag him out.

We just had the phone camera so the pictures/video aren’t amazing. But still, we’ve got the evidence in case he never does it again!

Leo’s Third Birthday!

2011-05-03T20:53:00.001-04:00

It seems like just yesterday Leo was pushing other children and demanding that we “give him some space.” Oh, wait. That WAS yesterday! That’s life with a three-year-old. Still, it’s hard to believe our little Leo is three and that soon we will have another little Leo (but probably a different name) to amaze us.

Have you ever tried to throw a kid’s birthday party based on a theme that’s not completely mainstream? Sure, if you go with Thomas or Toy Story or Mickey Mouse or Dora, that’s easy. That stuff’s readily available at party stores and online. But if your kid is into Dinosaur Train, well, it’s a little bit challenging.

But since Leo only turns three once and he may only be into Dinosaur Train for a little while, we went with it. Here are some shots of his party (which took place at the train museum) and from that evening when we went out to dinner and to a park with the family:

What a difference…

…three years makes!!

“Tell Me”

2011-04-27T22:24:00.001-04:00

If you ask Leo a question like, “How old are you?” or “What did you do today?” or “How many muffins did you eat?” He’ll answer with: “TELL ME.”

He even responds this way for things that the asker would not know the answer to.

For instance, “Leo, why are you crying?”

“Tell me.”

Oh, and you have to imagine this in his Georgia accent. It’s more like, “Tail me.”

Every now and then he changes it up a little and says something like, “Mama say it” and shifts the burden of answering to someone else.

And if he’s tired or wants attention, he simply answers, “NO!!”

No matter what, he’s not answering questions. He’d be a terrible witness in a court of law (or maybe a good one, depending on your perspective).

I have no pictures or videos that demonstrate this blog topic so I will just show you photos of our Easter weekend in Austin. Don’t be offended if you live there and we didn’t call. The point of the trip was to attend my sister’s Catholic confirmation. It was a fun, hot and holy weekend!

Easter Fever

2011-04-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

Leo’s already participated in two egg hunts and it’s not even Easter yet! In the first one he scored four eggs (two of which were given to him by another parent) and in another one he got two. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind.

Egg hunt #1:

Leo with the Easter Bunny. He told him he wanted candy. Chocolate Candy.

Checking out the Easter Bunny with Dawson, Reagan and Anna:

Leo wasn’t sure about him once he stood up:

Baby Ryan says, “Will this guy bring me food? Then I like him!”

Egg hunt #2: Goofing around before the event:

Got an Easter egg painted on his face, which he wiped off in about four minutes.

Look at the crowd, lining up for the hunt!

Frank giving Leo a pre-hunt pep talk:

Competition was tough in the 0-2 age group. We knew Leo was on the edge so we went with the younger group. However, in this group parents were allowed to help. So that was our downfall!

Hunt was over in about one minute. Two eggs, not too bad!

Is that lady hiding a basket under her shirt?

Just a cute pic of my view from the kitchen sink:

And a shot of Leo’s baby brother at minus eight weeks to go!

Give this kid a job!

2011-04-13T08:35:00.001-04:00

All day yesterday Leo’s major complaint was, “I need a job!” Sometimes he would just say it matter-of-fact but other times (lots of times) he would erupt into an epic melt down. He’d cry and scream and just say over and over, “I need a job!”

I kept asking, “What kind of job?” but I couldn’t get a straight answer. So later, when he was just sitting in the car calmly, I asked, “What do you mean when you say you want a job? Do you mean like you want to be like daddy and make chips?”

“No.”

“Do you want to water the plants?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be an astronaut?”

“No.”

“Do you want to sweep the floor?”

“Yes.”

Okay, so we were making progress. Leo was looking for chores to do, rather than a career. Well, that is NO problem! I’m thinking of creating a whole chore chart and saying he can get stickers when he does them. If he gets really good at it, I may even let you hire him from me!

Genie in the Bottle

2011-04-11T20:31:00.001-04:00

Frank’s family has this cute tradition where they sing this little diddy at the end of the Happy Birthday song. It goes like this:

“Genie in the bottle. Who’s the happy birthday boy today? LEO!!” (Of course you say ‘girl’ if the honoree is female and you say a name other than Leo if their name happens to be something different.)

It actually was something Granny Jo’s family sang growing up and she says they got it from a TV show. Oh, and the words were really: “Genie in the bottle, what have you to say? Who’s the happy, lucky birthday boy today? Leo!!”

And the most important part: You make circles with your thumb and forefinger, turn your hands upside down and put them over your eyes as you sing.

So we’ve carried the tradition through our family and Leo is very familiar with the song. Lately, he’s been busting out with it at birthday parties and asking later why no one else is doing it. Here he is adding on “Genie in the bottle” to the Happy Birthday song at his best friend John’s party:

Here is a cute picture of the boys playing at John’s Gymboree party:

And Happy 3rd Birthday to John on Wednesday! John told us tonight that he’s not three yet. He said, “I’m just a little guy.”

More Leoisms

2011-04-02T21:37:00.001-04:00

Here a few of the cute things Leo has been saying lately:

In the car on the way home from Creative Play I asked, “Leo, what did you do at school today?” to which he answered, as he always does, “NO!!!”

I said, “Leo, it’s not nice to scream, ‘NO!’ when someone asks you a question. Try saying, ‘I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

So Leo said, “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

To which I asked, “So what would you like to talk about?”

And Leo replied, “I don’t want to talk about anything! Can we just be quiet?”

Such a man.

He’s noticing that certain words sound like other words. For instance, I told him he were going somewhere with his friend Etienne and Etienne’s mom, Ms. Carrey. Leo said, “Carrey. That’s a funny name.” I wondered why a name like Carrey would be funny to him. A couple of weeks later when her name came up again he said, “Carrey, ha! Does she like to carry things?”

The other night I introduced him to pudding. “Pudding. Pudding,” he repeated as he dug into it. “Do you put things in it?”

We were all excited when our nephew, Franklin, was born on March 30th to Frank’s sister Julie and her husband Doug. Here is Leo’s newest cousin:

And here is what Leo had to say about Franklin as we looked at pictures: “Where is Baby Ellie? I want to see Baby Ellie.” I guess he thinks cousins are always together!

I tried to use Franklin’s birth as a way to prepare Leo for his baby brother. “So Franklin was in Aunt Julie’s belly and then they went to the hospital and he came out. That’s what will happen with our baby.” Leo asked, “Will our baby be named Franklin too?”

Today at the mall he saw the train but (luckily) it wasn’t ready to go yet and still had a blanket on top of it. Leo said, “The train sleeps standing up, like a horse!”

And here are a couple of pics of the family, doing our annual anniversary picture. If you’re not good at counting fingers, it’s eight!

Singing Thomas y Counting in Espanol

2011-03-29T22:03:00.001-04:00

Here are a few videos of Leo showing off some of his talents—singing the theme song to “Thomas” and counting in Spanish:

Baby Talk

2011-03-25T15:59:00.001-04:00

I hear that some kids don’t notice their mom’s pregnant belly. That is not true of Leo at all. He has noticed it from the get-go and LOVES to talk about it!

He hugs it all the time, nuzzles it and either says, “Say Say Mommy” or “See See Mommy.” I don’t know what this means but it’s cute.

He has lots of questions like, “Is the baby crying in there?” “What would happen if the baby came out now?”

He’s read up on the subject so there are some things he just says matter-of-fact:

“Babies cry because they want something.”

“Babies wear diapers.”

“Babies can’t walk.”

When I tell him that babies sleep a lot, he says, “I will wake up the baby!” Great.

And this was the sweetest:

Leo: I wish there was a door on your belly.

Me: Why?

Leo: So I could open it and see the baby!

He’s excited to hold the baby and take a bath with him but he will not share his Dinosaur Train with him, he’s informed us.

I was explaining to him about how we would go to the hospital and he would stay here with Grandmother and Grandpa Ron. He was listening until I mentioned the grandparents. Then he said, “What will they bring me?”

A Good Saturday

2011-03-19T21:03:00.001-04:00

We had PERFECT weather here in Atlanta today so Leo decided to make the most of it:

He started with a good breakfast while he read about March Madness:

Then he went to the zoo with John, Etienne and the rest of Atlanta:

After dinner at the Fickle Pickle (sorry, no pics) he took an evening stroll around downtown Roswell and posed with this dog (a species he now claims he likes, although he prefers the “pretend” kind)

He ended the day by watching the end of an exciting basketball game with daddy.

Tomorrow he’s got church, the Horns at noon and a birthday party on the agenda. Each day gets better and better when it’s spring time and you’re Leo James!

Almost Big Boy Bed

2011-03-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

We plan to move Leo into a real big boy bed in May, a few weeks before the baby comes. But to help with the transition, Frank decided to transition his crib into a partial big boy bed. See, the crib does convert to a bed but we need the crib for the baby. So Leo will get a new bed and Donald Duck will get the crib.

When Leo saw Frank working on this project he said, “I’m going to be daddy’s helper!” and he ran into his play room and got his tools. Frank was very grateful for the help!

We told Leo that sleeping in a big boy bed is a big responsibility. If he gets out of his bed before we come in, we will have to change it back to a crib. (Little does he know it’s not all that easy to change back!)

So Sunday night he slept in his big boy bed and in the morning, when I saw him wake up on the monitor, he stayed put! When I went in, though, he immediately got out of bed so that’s why this is the only picture I could get:

Believe it or not, the picture below is actually from today (the next morning) even though everything looks the same—the pajamas, the messy hair, the “get-that-camera-out-of-my-face” look.

A great advantage of a big boy bed is that I don’t have to lift Leo and put him into his crib. We just sing “Twinkle Twinkle” in his chair and then he walks over and climbs in! Between big boy underwear and a big boy bed, I’m starting to think maybe, just maybe, Leo is not a baby anymore!

All Aboard the Pillow Train!

2011-03-11T15:39:00.001-05:00

Leo has a new game: he takes all of the throw pillows off our couch and chairs and makes them into a train on the living room floor. He then asks us—orders us—to sit on the pillows and ride the train to various places, usually the zoo. Sometimes we go across the ocean to get to the zoo!

He was really into this when Grandmother came to visit so here she is, sitting in her assigned train car. On this particular excursion the train was serving food so that’s why she’s got a snack. (Normally the conductor serves mac and cheese though).

If two of us are sitting on the train, he makes us sit right behind the other one, even when there are available pillows—I mean train cars—in other parts of the train. After he punches our imaginary tickets, Leo will say things like, “Okay, folks, we’re going to the zoo!” If you’re really lucky, you get to sit in the “observation car” which is the tan reclining chair. For some reason Frank always gets the observation car while Grandmother (a senior citizen) and me (a pregnant woman) must get up and down off the pillows on the floor.

If you ever ride the pillow train it’s very important that you know not to EVER move one of the train cars, not even a little bit. They must stay “coupled up” or the conductor has a melt down. He has quite a temper (which is understandable considering all the stress he’s under, taking a passengers across the ocean to the zoo and serving them food).

Yesterday Leo made a body pillow into a train. This train actually moved around the house.

The conductor came to me crying last night accusing Frank of throwing his train (the body pillow). Now I don’t know why Frank would do such a thing but this I do know: he’s gonna lose his spot in the observation car if he’s not careful.

And here is just a cute picture of our conductor, ready to go to the train museum yesterday. Yes, his pants are reflective. You gotta be able to see the conductor on the night train!

Books for Baby

2011-03-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

Leo and I were at The Container Store the other day and we found a basket that looks like the one that holds his books. I said we should get one for the baby and we could put his books in it too. Leo picked out the color (a nice chocolate brown) and then he tried to also carry it through the store. I said, “This is kinda big so why don’t you let mommy carry it?” He said, “How about you carry one side and I carry the other?” I thought this was brilliant 1). Because he used the phrase “how about?” and 2). Because it really was a very good solution! So we each took a handle and carried it through the store.

When we got home I asked Leo if there were any books of his that we could put in the baby’s basket. At first he wasn’t willing to give up any, not even the really babyish board books. But then he finally agreed that he would give the baby “Leo the Late Bloomer.” I was surprised because that’s not only one of his favorites but it’s specifically about LEO. I had the basket in the guest room which will soon be the baby’s room. I told Leo to bring in any books that he thought the baby could have. He ran from his room to the other room, each time with a new book. He was enjoying doing this so much that he was picking up ANY book, even ones that he really likes. Here he is posing after putting books in the basket. (He’s also holding a little stuffed bull the whole time.)

And while I’m at it, “how about” a video of Leo sharing his books?

Sharing Mommy’s Musical Memories

2011-03-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

We were having big probs at bath time. Leo didn’t like to take baths anymore and basically screamed throughout the process. He wouldn’t even sit in the tub, just stood there while we tortured him. It was agonizing for everyone.

So last week I had a “Come to Jesus” talk with him. I said, “What can we do to make bath time go better? Could we add bubbles? Would you prefer to take a shower?” He didn’t like either of those ideas. Then, for some reason I remembered this song I used to listen to on a record when I was little. It was Bert and Ernie in the bath tub singing, “Everybody wash.” I started singing it to Leo and he perked up. I then searched for it on YouTube and showed it to him. This is the first one I found which was good because it had visuals but it wasn’t the exact song I remembered:

Then I found the actual song that I remembered so vividly. Only it was a video of someone playing it on their 8-track cassette player! (Old alert.) At first Leo didn’t like it because you couldn’t see Bert and Ernie but it grew on him. Now we play each of these videos before bath and bath time is so much more enjoyable! There’s no crying; he loves it again. (He also confessed that he prefers to be washed without a wash rag which has helped the process.) Bert and Ernie are pretty funny if you listen to it, way ahead of their time comically.

Then the other day he wanted a treat for going potty but it was right before nap and I didn’t want to give him sugar. I said, “Maybe there’s another song that mommy can find…” and I thought of “Moving Right Along” from the Muppet Movie. Now we watch this video at least twice a day, just for fun. I think it’s the catchiest, cutest song and I pretty much remember all the words from my Muppet Movie record! I had a Muppet-themed party for my third birthday so I think it’s perfect that Leo likes them just as he’s about to turn three.

And here are a few pics of us watching our fun, life-saving videos.

Now that I know Leo and I share similar musical taste, I can’t wait to dig up other childhood favorites. I wonder if he’d dig Annie?

“Let’s talk about trains”

2011-02-24T15:23:00.001-05:00

Leo’s train obsession is so intense that I think it has officially eclipsed the ball obsession. (Don’t worry, Grandpa Ron, he still likes to talk about and play sports too.)

And speaking of Grandpa Ron, he’s the one who gave Leo this very grown-up book about trains that Leo is currently—hate using the same word again here—obsessed with. It’s a book about the history of trains and Leo makes us read it to him every day before nap and every night before bed.

Here he is with Frank, holding his “conductor” hat and making Frank read him this huge book:

He’s very particular about HOW we read the book. We have to start with the back cover and Leo says, “Let’s talk about it.” We are to read the back cover and then flip to the front. Then we “talk about” the pictures on the front. “Which is your favorite?” he likes to ask. Then Leo flips the pages and we stop only when he wants to. If I want to stop because I think a particular picture looks pretty or interesting, that is not allowed. He has all these catch phrases like, “That’s the MARTA train,” (it’s not) and “That’s the Dinosaur Train.” Sometimes he remembers things we’ve told him like, “That train is in Australia” or “That’s called the Super Train.”

I was so amazed the other day when Leo pointed at one of the trains and said, “I rode that train when I was a baby.” It was the Durango-Silverton train which he did ride when we went to visit David, Laura and Ellie in Colorado for Christmas 2009. Leo was only 20 months old!

As it turns out, Frank had told him that when he read it to him on a previous night. Still, we were impressed that he remembered which picture it was. After all, he can’t read. (I don’t think.)

After we read the “Big Train” book, Leo gets to choose another book. Lately it’s always “Freight Trains” which is a regular kids’ book. The other night I said, “Maybe we could read a different kind of book” and he said, “Okay, Terrific Trains!”

And one more funny train anecdote: I was explaining to Leo that I have this running grocery list on the dry erase board in the pantry. I said, “If you think of something we need, tell mommy and I’ll put it on the list.” He said, “We need trains.”

Risky Business

2011-02-20T20:38:00.001-05:00

After a successful session of doing his “business” in the potty today, Leo’s get-up reminded us of a young Tom Cruise so of course we had to snap some pics. We even tried to add the sunglasses at the end:

Leoisms

2011-02-16T16:00:00.001-05:00

I subscribe to this writers’ newsletter where the editor has a little intro note where she usually mentions one of her son’s “Maxisms” (funny or sweet things that Max says). I’m going to copy that and call Leo’s “Leo says the darndest things” Leoisms.

Here are a few recent ones:

Leo was asking me “What things are not fun?” I said, “Well, you know how you don’t like it when the sun gets in your eyes? That’s not fun.” He said, “Actually, I close my eyes.”

When I told him Granny Jo had left on the plane to go back to Texas he said, “I need another grandparent to come.” I thought that was so cute because a). He thinks he’s entitled to grandparent attention all the time and b). He even knows what the word “grandparent” means!

He keeps opening the fridge and the freezer and trying to get in. I once saw an episode of Punky Brewster where this happened and it’s freaked me out ever since. I keep telling him not to do that because he will get trapped. So the other day he opened the freezer and said, “I will get trapped and you will have to eat me!”

When I picked him up from the babysitter’s house yesterday he ran outside to the car and exclaimed, “The sun makes me happy!”

Yesterday we had a big #2 accomplishment on the potty. As I was “coaching” him through it, I said all sorts of crazy things, including, “You can do it. You are the master of the potty.” So after he had finished and drank his chocolate milk (his reward for going #2, gross, I know) he ran into his room (no bottoms on), waved his hands around and kept screaming, “I’M THE MASTER OF THE POTTY! I’M THE MASTER OF THE POTTY!”

And here are some pictures of our potty master at the zoo this past weekend:

“Mommy, you look like a caboose!”

2011-02-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

And that, I think, is the highest compliment you can get from a 2 and 3/4 year old. Plus, I really looked quite caboosey today:

I’m 22 weeks now and I decided to check out how I looked at 22 weeks when I was pregnant with Leo:

OH MY GOSH!! My belly is soooo much bigger than it was the first time. In comparing to the old pictures, I look more like I did at 28 weeks with Leo.

Leo is sweet and hugs my giant belly. Other times he threatens to pee on it. Oh, boys. And in case you haven’t heard, Baby Donald Duck is ALSO a boy! Here are some previews of him:

He just started moving around some. I’m hoping he’s a little calmer than Leo. You can see in one of the photos that he’s sucking his thumb. He did that in his 8-week ultrasound too. Here we are finding out that we were going to have another little boy:

By the way, Frank told me that night that my outfit looked like something Leo would wear. Is this what I have to look forward to with a house full of boys? Years of ridicule over my clothing? (I knew I could bring it back to the caboose headline!)

And because no blog is complete without a picture that includes our first-born, here he is with his buddies John and Dawson at our MOMS Club Valentine’s Day party today:

Put the Pedal to the Metal

2011-02-01T09:41:00.001-05:00

Leo got this classic tricycle for his birthday last year and for the past nine months, he’s just happily scooted along with his feet on the ground. But this past weekend he discovered the pedals. Well, I guess he always knew there were pedals there but he discovered how to use them. We were impressed with how quickly he gave up his Fred Flinstone ways and started really cycling, even on the part of our driveway that’s uphill!

The Girl Next Door (or across the street)

2011-01-23T21:58:00.001-05:00

Until recently, Leo has always played hard to get when it comes to beautiful, younger and taller Bianca, who lives across the street. She, however, has always been open about her love for him. Her mother tells me that Bianca looks out her window every morning at our house and says, “LeoLeoLeoLeoLeoLeo!” When she would say this to Leo, though, he would shout, “Football Player!!” which means, “Don’t call me Leo. Call me football player.” When she’d come to play he wouldn’t always be the most gracious host either, sometimes even pushing Bianca.

But when we attended story time at Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago, Leo decided to go public with his love for Bianca. They played together; Leo didn’t yell “Football Player!” at her and he didn’t push her either. (The two of them did push another child but we dealt with that.)

They even walked out of the store hand in hand!

Last week Bianca came over to our house for a play date. Leo hugged her and she gave him a head massage:

And Leo even let her come into “his house.”

I’ll save these pictures because I’m pretty sure that when they’re older, Bianca is going to be way out of his league!

Curious Leo

2011-01-19T15:11:00.001-05:00

Leo’s friend John has been curious for awhile. This was a funny exchange I had with him a few weeks ago at his house:

John, pointing to the scar on my forehead, “Do you have a boo boo?”

Me: “Yes.”

John: “Where is your Band-aid?”

Me: “Well, I did have a Band-aid but I don’t need it anymore.”

John: “Where is your Band-aid?”

Me: “It’s not bleeding so I don’t need a Band-aid.”

John: “Where is your Band-aid?”

Me: “Oh, you really want to know where it is! It’s in the trash can.”

John: “Where is the trash can?”

Me: “At my house.”

John: “Where is your house?”

Me: “Right down the street.”

John: “Where?”

Me: “If you look out the window, it’s that way.”

John: “I don’t see your house.”

The whole thing was funny and also made me realize that Leo isn’t really all that curious. He would have just accepted my first answer about not needing a Band-aid. Leo overheard me telling the story a few days later and I guess felt inadequate about his own lack of curiosity because ever since, he tries to re-enact the exchange I had with John.

Leo: “Mommy, where is your Band-aid?”

Me: “In the trash can.”

Leo, giggling: “Where is your house?!”

But then, a couple of weeks ago, Leo started asking questions on his own. Now he’s like an interrogator.

Leo: “I want to eat eggs!”

Me: “We’re all out of eggs.”

Leo: “Why?”

Me: “We ate them all.”

Leo: “Why?”

Me: “Well, we were hungry and we ate the eggs so I’m going to go to the store to buy more today.”

Leo: “Why are you going to the store?”

Me: “Because we’re out of food.”

Leo: “Why are we out of food?”

Then I found myself going into this whole monologue about how we buy food, eat it and then go buy some more. It was quite fascinating!

Leo also repeats the the last part of everything we say in the form of a question.

“Leo, we’re going to church.”

“We’re going to church?”

“Leo, please don’t take off your diaper and pee pee on the floor.”

“Don’t take off your diaper and pee pee on the floor?”

Sometimes his questions are more vague like, “It isn’t?” “We’re not?” and “We shouldn’t?”

But the point is, he now ends a lot of sentences with question marks. He ends a lot of sentences with question marks?

I don’t have any pictures to illustrate this story so I’ll just leave you with a few snow week ones:

Leo with his hat hair:

John, Etienne and Leo eating pizza on a snowy night

Leo and Frank n the snow

A Bigger House Party

2011-01-13T08:53:00.001-05:00

If you didn’t see my blog from yesterday read that first.

These pictures were taken on Day 3 of “snowpocalypse.” (We’re now on Day 4.) Since we’re trapped in our neighborhood we’re glad we at least have fun friends to play with. Leo’s buddies braved the ice and snow (some walking uphill in treacherous conditions) to come play. While we had plenty of toys for them to play with and lots of room for them to run around, they chose to hide out in Leo’s “house.” In fact, the first thing John said when he walked in was, “I want to go in the pantry!” This time we gave them flashlights. I was grateful they used them just to shine a light in the house and didn’t beat each other with them. Although I was a little embarrassed when they shined their lights on the crumbs in Leo’s house.

House party host Leo with Bianca, Etienne and John:

Bianca says, “I love being trapped in the house with all the boys!”

“Come into my house”

2011-01-12T08:24:00.001-05:00

Leo has invented this new game called “Come into my house.” His house is our pantry. He just learned to open doors (a little late with that skill) so he thinks it’s exciting to go in there, close the door and then come out, yelling, “HELLO!!” That would be great if he just wanted to go in and out of the pantry, however, he prefers for someone to come in there with him. “Come into my house,” he says as he drags me by my sleeve. Then I must go in and sit on the stack of paper towels while Leo keeps saying, “It’s dark in here.”

Luckily, John came over yesterday and Leo took HIM into the house. I still played along though: