spinning-jennie: Bub archives

Three Years on the Same Rock

Third year...

Easter 2008

Cheese!
04/14/09 12:42 PM in Bub , Photo  |  Comments


Giving
The bub is old enough to understand, so I really wanted to illustrate the meaning of the season in such a way that he could be an active participant.

Last month we read a story about a Heifer Project family, and how the simple gift of a single goat changed their lives drastically. The bub has been saving his change for a long time, and has well over twenty-five dollars socked away. I explained that we could choose an animal to give to a family just like Beatrice's, and he could use some of his money to help. He enthusiastically chose rabbits. In the name of full disclosure, but with some hesitation (fuzzy bunnies and all), we discussed that that the rabbits, who would have lots of babies to give to other families, too, would be food when they were older. "But not the babies, right?" He seemed okay with it after I reassured him. "No, never the babies."

So we counted out five dollars, and let him drop it in the Coinstar and watch it tallied up (very exciting stuff!). And today we ordered a rabbit. Heifer lets you customize a printable card, so I made one up to give to him as a little commemoration.
11/29/08 04:46 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Activities Director
Me: I'd like to color, too, please.
Him: Okay!!! You should do dat maze. I did it aready, it's kind of compa-cated [hee] but see, you can just do it again!
Me: I think I'd rather just color a picture right now.
Him: Okay. You should color dat one dere, I think.
Me: Oh. Could I choose my own, though?
Him: Oh, yesss!

...

But you could color dat one dere, you know.
11/26/08 04:16 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Walk in the Park
3051376095_ff2aa4c921.jpg
11/22/08 11:51 PM in Bub , Photo  |  Comments


Loot
I think we made a couple of really good gift choices for Daniel this year. My goals were to shop a) locally and b) at independent retailers. I managed the former, but not so much the latter.

Quercetti's Marble Run Vortex is going to get some mileage. Additional kits will allow for more interesting runs someday, but for now the chutes and twirls are completely absorbing (to cats, too!).

Fisher-Price's Kid Tough FP3 Player is almost everything you could ask for in an electronic device for a small child. Rock solid with rubber edges, a breakaway neck cord, and -- this is the big one -- volume that cannot be turned up past a kid-safe level. I had fun loading a couple of his CDs, which is more than simple with the included software. Yes, files have to be converted to their proprietary format; that's the only true negative. Each song or story (type chosen by the child with the "note" or "book" buttons) can be assigned a large FP icon, or you can draw your own with their rudimentary utility. So a non-reading child can shuffle through the playlist and recognize his favorites by the LED displayed icons -- brilliant! You can store about two hours of listening on the device itself, or insert an SD card (inside a secured compartment with the batteries) for even more. So enamored, I'd planned on paying full price, but finding it at less than half MSRP was sweet, sweet frosting.

Daniel has been listening half the afternoon. It'll be great for trips, too!

Grandma sent him L.L. Bean's Junior Back Pack. It's sized just right for preschoolers, and features a nicely padded back panel. We'll have to make a special trip to the marsh so he can try it out, naturalist style! Aunt sent him his very own compact Bushnell binoculars and a bird guide, so he'll be all set for birding with me.
08/14/08 06:33 PM in Bub  |  Comments


He Says He Wants to be Five, Though
Daniel is four today!

But are you sure this wasn't just yesterday?

We're just having a simple celebration, as usual. I baked a cookie monster cake again this year. But, unlike his first birthday cake, this one is not an all-organic no-fun mix from Whole Foods -- this time he's been, erm, already well acquainted with processed sugars. He also requested pizza ("chicken, bematoes, and black olives!"), so we're "making" that (doing the Boboli thing).

We'll go to the coast or Sonoma Traintown this weekend, depending on the coastal and inland temps.
08/13/08 09:10 AM in Bub  |  Comments


Copacetic
A little server hiccup, and no post yesterday. Oops. Still, though, I'm not doing too badly, keeping up, huh? I'm not sure how the whole "quantity over quality" thing pans out for you, reader, but at least it's keeping me more or less in the habit.

Today is picture day, and -- Bad Mommy Moment -- I've ibuprofen-ed up my low-grade-fevered (but otherwise symptomless) child enough that he could comfortably go, because he was so excited about it, and I just couldn't stand for him to miss another special day that he'd been looking forward to. My grandma sent him a little dress outfit for Christmas, shirt and vest and cords, and he looked adorable, if a bit disheveled. I hope he cooperates, and I can show you the results in the next week or so.

Thursday is his "Special Day" at school; children whose birthdays fall in the summer get their own day sometime during the rest of the year. Which basically means forty-eight treats for Mommy to bake. Whee! After much searching around town, I finally found a small shamrock-shaped cookie cutter, so I'm making orange and chocolate chip cutouts from Karmel's First Meals.

Well, guess I'd better get going to pickup a little early. I was forced to park illegally at the Community Center this morning because of some kind of huge conference hoohah. I haven't had any kind of ticket in ten years, and I'm not about to start now, if it can be helped!
03/11/08 11:19 AM in Bub  |  Comments


3 Years
The bub had his three-year checkup today. I know -- quite a bit late. Do you realize that he's had a different physician every year since birth? That's stressful, to everyone. I put it off, even though I shouldn't.

He behaved like a true little monster, but the pediatrician could've also held a degree in child psychology, and managed to get him to come around to take all the tests. He's riding the average line in height and weight, looks excellent physically, mentally, and chemically, and outperformed me on the vision test ("not me!" said The LASIK-ed One). And there are no immunizations at three, phew.

While he was still in big bad fit-throwing mode, I had to hold/strongarm Squirmyfits McSpazzerson on the scale, and face my own weight as tare at eye level. And that little demonic FYI will be whipping me to new walking frenzies... well, as soon as I'm finished hacking up the rest of my left lung.
03/05/08 11:03 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Appointments With Doctor Dan
*looks in ear with scope*

"Yup! You can see."

*sticks thermometer in same ear*

"Beep! You can't hear!"

"Oh, no! What do I do, Doctor?"

"We put dis bandage on you to pwotect it. Yeah."

"On my ear?"

"No, on your arm, to make it heal. Now this is... only doctors can use these. To listen to your tummy."

*listens to random body parts with stethoscope*

More medical fun here.
02/15/08 09:13 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Sigh.
Do three-year-olds really need to exchange classroom Valentines? Considering the majority can barely say the word "Valentine." And if they can write their name, they're probably not going to sit and do it 20 times.

I don't even think we did it in Kindergarten. It just all seems so rushed. Sigh.
02/11/08 11:20 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Another First
Today we took the bub to a matinee for the first time ever! Yes, exciting! We saw The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, which, aside from being the only little kid-appropriate film out in a long time (we've been waiting. and waiting), also was less preachy and more entertaining than I'd bargained on, so score.

It was also the first time I've ever seen a filmstrip crash -- and burn! -- in real life. I've seen it plenty in movies, but never to a movie. They spliced it back together within ten minutes, and afterwards, gave everyone free passes for next time. Score again!

The bub looked so cute, sitting there in the special theater booster (with its own little armrests and cupholder), clutching his own wee bub-sized bag of popcorn. D. wanted to snap a pic, but his phone was full up, and I didn't have mine along.
02/02/08 08:23 PM in Bub  |  Comments


He Liked it Last Month
No more! Tuna!
01/12/08 12:21 PM in Bub , Video  |  Comments


The Napmaker
Someone got a late, fantastically exhausting Christmas present. Video here.
01/09/08 02:08 PM in Bub , Video  |  Comments


Kid Vid
It's been a long, long time since I've used the Handycam, huh? This morning the bub said he'd let me record his wonderful singing for the Grandmas, and so I did. And here it be.

He sings most of the day, usually. What I really need to do is set up the camera and let it go for an hour -- the lyrics he makes up are priceless.
12/30/07 09:07 PM in Bub , Video  |  Comments


3.25 Years Isn't Too Shabby
We've managed to stay away from emergency rooms for a good long time, so, even though last night wasn't fun, I'm grateful that our little daredevil has put it off this long (and of course didn't incur any serious injury).

The Dollar Spot at Target was bursting with little wooden trains of all shapes and colors -- a real bub dream. He's been listening very well the past few days and hasn't had any bathroom accidents in a couple of weeks, so he was allowed to pick out two to buy.

Once we were home with them, he got a little too excited, and wasn't as careful as he normally is on the garage stairs. Slip! Off the edge of the stair. Thunk! Chin made contact with the train in his hand, and hard. At first I didn't realize there was a cut, but suddenly there was blood on his face and hands and shirt, and, sure enough, a split on the underside of his chin. Not very big, just enough to horrify a mommy.

Luckily it happened an hour before the nearest urgent care center, fifteen miles north, closed for the night (we have an ER in town, but didn't feel like waiting four hours to see a doctor if that could be avoided). There was no one in the waiting room, and within fifteen minutes we had an exam room. So, very much worth the drive.

He was scared, but never cried with the nurses or doctors (who were all the height of fantastic). After they cleaned him up and finally stopped the bleeding, they applied a few coats of Dermabond (oh, to have had that available as a kid! what magic), gave him a toy and some stickers, and we were on our way. They said he'll probably have a scar, but it'll be small, and given where it is it'll hardly ever be noticeable in any case.

If he were just a little bit older, he'd probably be proudly showing it off at school this morning.
12/11/07 10:11 AM in Bub  |  Comments


School!
Today was the bub's first day of preschool. Or pre-preschool, more accurately. It meets two mornings a week, and it is freaking fantastic. This morning I sat and watched for a bit, just to make sure things would click. He got off to an inauspicious start for circle time, the other three-year-olds essentially telling him to sit down and shut up, already, so we can sing this dancy song and do the crafts with the snowflake sparkles, already, and ohmigod am I going to have that kid because I was the polar opposite of that kid, hole in the floor devour me now, please and thank you. After that, he did mellow out a tiny bit, though I had reservations about how well he'd listen all day. When I returned, one of the teachers (who has been there almost twenty years) told me that he listened more as they went along, so that was a relief. To say the least.

There was a level of professionalism and investment and sheer staff longevity that, from what I've read, you just don't see in preschool programs. I'm very, very, pleased; as frosting, it's city-run and incredibly inexpensive.

So, mind at ease, then? Then I went Christmas SHOPPING. Granted, I was just across the street, in case problems should arise. But I was out by myself in BROAD DAYLIGHT. Damn. I hate to say it, but on some level I felt a little bit like a parolee must. It was drizzly, and I had that whole Hermione Granger thing going on, and I was skipping around like some kind of puff-headed dork. It was awesome.
12/04/07 08:53 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Cute But Deadly
I'm not going to lie to you. Things aren't all hunky-dory, and, while I do appreciate that they could be much, much worse, I'm going to take advantage of my blogger's prerogative and whine shamelessly.

I am beginning to see that, yes, it's true: the "Terrible Twos" are a joke beside three. Three is... weeeeelllllllllll. His pictures are as cute as ever, but my eyes are hollow and lined, I've got about a hundred more grey hairs than I did three months ago, and comfort eating does nothing for my profile.

Terrorizing Threes? That sounds about right.

The day in, day out struggle of just getting him to LISTEN is grinding. A tactic that works one time won't work the next (though let me pause here to say that, for me personally, time out is a joke, and a tremendously unfunny one). I know it's all about "testing limits, blah blah blah BLAH," but when you have a strong-willed kid to begin with, a week of it will wear you straight into the concrete, and it's awfully hard to rationalize it away with psychobabble.

To rub the salt in nice and hard, he hardly ever screams things like "Go away!" or "NO! I WON'T!" to the parent that is not me. The difference is not for lack of me trying every conceivable permutation, tone, duration, etc. of the same tactics (because, hell, if there's one thing I'm not short on, it's time to experiment). I'd like to think it's just a simple matter of familiarity breeding contempt; other parents have reported much the same pattern.

In any case, it's just a matter of riding out the storm, I suppose. The trick is doing it without losing my mind. Or liver to self-medication.
11/14/07 10:37 PM in Bub  |  Comments


It Is Dry All Up in Here. Yo.
Three days. Three whole accident-free days. That includes a long nap yesterday.

We've literally been working to this point for months. I doubt I could be much giddier about a developmental milestone. If I kept ice cream in the house, there would be much eating of it. And cake. I suppose rum will have to do. Rum and The Office (sniff. sniff.) .
11/08/07 07:26 PM in Bub , TV  |  Comments


Been Through the Trainyard on a Horse with My Name
And now, for some Daniel news.

He's been making up funny little stories with his toys. One serial plotline features his two GeoTrax engines, a firetruck, and a wooden wheeled horse. Ever since we went to Discovery Kingdom, he's been on a Thomas the Tank Engine kick, so (aside from calling everything "cheeky") he's named the trains Thomas and Percy. Understandable.

What really cracks me up every time I hear it? His names for the truck and horse -- Dad and Jennie, respectively. Too funny.

As usual, Daylight Savings temporarily threw his sleep world into chaos. He seems to have shaken it off faster than the last adjustment, though, for which I'm grateful. I wish I didn't still feel a little bit disoriented, though. Getting old sucks.

I can't believe some of the multi-syllabic words he's been dropping (and in the correct context, even); "fantastic" and "absolutely" are two that come immediately to mind. He's able to express himself clearly a good 90% of the time. Which -- let's be honest -- may just surpass me! Ha.

We finally made it through an entire game of Candy Land this weekend. Aside from being thrilled that he managed not to burst into a sitting-still-induced conflagration, it's now obvious to me why other adults grow to loathe the game itself. So Chutes and Ladders and Cootie are next on the menu.

No extravagant plans for his Christmas. I've already got him a "laptop," and the Fisher-Price Medical Kit (since he enjoys "fixing" his "hurt" animals so much). The Honeybee Hop looks intriguing, too (score one for television advertising!); he doesn't really have much in the way of active (read: tiring out) toys.

Breaking News! We had our very first entirely dry/clean day. Very, very exciting. Someone's going to Chuck E. Cheese soon!
11/06/07 07:59 PM in Bub  |  Comments


These Two Things are Related
Let's see if you can guess how.

1. As soon as I was out the bedroom door, Elli was whining and trying to ramrod her hard little head past my legs through the bathroom door and up into the sink. This usually means that the cats have emptied their water bowl. But that didn't seem quite right, because it was full when I checked it last night, and it's a pretty big bowl.

2. Last night, while I was cooking tortellini for dinner, the bub snuck away with the container of parmesan cheese.
10/08/07 08:58 AM in Bub , Cats  |  Comments


One Thing He Doesn't Get From Me
The bub has passed through the "screaming near strangers" phase, and gone right to that "social butterfly" one with which I've so little experience. Especially around other kids.

At the playground, he runs right up to them, enthusiastically throwing himself into whatever activity is happening. Especially if said activity involves sand. He's had a lifelong obsession with sand - even foregoing twisty slides in its favor - so any friend of sand is automatically a friend of his.

He's fascinated with older children, and the solitary ones always seem more than happy to let him join in. I think it helps that he speaks pretty well for his age. Today, a girl of five or six was building a sand "castle," and of course! the bub wanted in on that. It was so sweet, the cooperation (and perhaps a little one-sided adoration). And when the girl was doing a sort-of tumbling act on the sand, and it looked, for a brief moment, as if she might have hurt herself (nope), the bub rushed over with a worried "You okay???" And he was positively frantic for her safety when she hung upside-down from the monkey bars ("Get down from dere! Too high! Too high up dere!").

He seems to forget I'm even around for a good ten minutes at a time, so I'm thinking that my worries about his preschool-ability were unfounded, after all. Aside from potty training.

But that's another story.
04/10/07 09:23 PM in Bub  |  Comments


And on a Completely Different Note.
It's almost New Year's, and so I feel the need to get all sappy and introspective up in it. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Have I told you how happy, and grateful I am that I have such an affectionate little boy? Today, for instance. I've been down much of the day with a real screamer of a sinus headache; even my beloved cocktail of Advil LiquiGels, Pseudoephedrine, and Mucinex wasn't cutting it. So who, completely unencouraged, has been throwing his arms around me -- "kees Mommy!" -- and planting my forehead with dozens of little bub smooches? And he's always giving out impromptu hugs. Some of it is from example, I'm sure, but it can't be all.

And he's just so joyful, singing and laughing and being silly. Sometimes, when I'm watching him, or even just thinking about it (like right now) it brings a tear to my eye. I mean, don't get me wrong -- he's a toddler, and throws the usual fits and tantrums. But he's so sweet when he's not.

A good deal of my unbounded joy and boldness (yes, me!) was stolen from me as a child, in one hidden, violent act, and much of the rest ebbed away not long after. And it was painfully difficult to win my current portions back. Every beat of life within me knows, fiercely, that I'd do my best to destroy anyone who threatened his.

That is, perhaps, the strongest conviction I've ever held.
12/30/06 09:55 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Toddler Equation
s = 1 / (w + p + i + t)²

where

s = the speed of your toddler
w = the weight of the bags you are carrying
p = precipitation
i = cortisol in your bloodstream
t = amount of time you are late
12/12/06 12:16 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Oh What Fun it is to Ride
How fun is it, this year, to go looking at lights with a little person who enthusiastically chatters on (even if some of that only parrots what I've said?). Much moreso than last year.

And then I feel a bit badly for saying things like that, because it might sound as if I'm rushing him along, not appreciating each chubby baby stage as I should be. It's not that I didn't enjoy his baby-ness (and still tear up a little at the photos and videos, already), but I admit I have more, well, fun with the toddler-ness, whining and tantrums notwithstanding.
12/05/06 09:33 PM in Bub  |  Comments


We Have Arrived...
...at those oft-mentioned Terrible Twos. The past few days have been fun, what with the first genuine temper tantrums. Just now, for instance, he went apoplectic because I wouldn't give him another cup of Jello.

On the other hand, he's now learning at lightning speed. There's simply no way I can track his vocabulary anymore, and he can count (more or less accurately) to twelve. His memorization of routine amazes me, things to which I don't even realize he's been paying attention (making our little cursing slips of the tongue just that much more dangerous!).

BTW, thanks much to all for the birthday wishes! Please send alcohol.
09/20/06 01:14 PM in Bub  |  Comments


Three Simple Ways...
...to amuse yourself, using your favorite two-year-old.

  • Ask him to move a good-sized pile of tiny socks from one place (like the floor) to another (the laundry basket). Stooge-esque hilarity ensues.
  • a) Set up his playspace in front of those ungodly floor-length mirrors in the living room and b) engage in extended breastfeeding (no, not at the same time). Eventually he will lift his shirt, look as if he's having a lightbulb moment, Tune in Tokyo (on himself), and exclaim "[insert child's favorite version of "boobies"]!!!"
  • Teach him how to say the word "sit."


    • Aside from providing some comic relief, these will at least compensate you for some of the bruises sustained while trying to hold him down for diaper changes.
    08/31/06 12:42 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    Two
    What a big day for a bub. He was so frothed up/exhausted by the end of the day, he wouldn't eat dinner. Or cake!*

    We drove over to Dillon Beach for the first time (note to self: must explore Tomales). I think it's much nicer than Doran, and seems more spacious (and more easily-accessible, driving in Bodega is frustrating), too. The bub hadn't had a chance to really play at a beach before this, and I think he enjoyed it, with his bucket and shovel and little beach buggy. Until, that is, the water caught his ankles unaware, and he tipped right over from the surprise! And it was cold, too. Luckily I had some dry clothes in his bag (thanks to The Projectile Vomiting Incident).

    He was overwhelmed by some of his gifts a bit. His kitchen from us, the Learning Zoo from Aunt Becky, and a See-and-Say and GeoTrax from the Grandmas. We're setting the trains aside for a bit -- they're a little past him right now -- and we'll probably open the Zoo this afternoon.

    Even today, he doesn't want to stop playing with the kitchen long enough for diaper changes, meals, etc. Which is simultaneously annoying and gratifying. And, I admit, I don't easily tire of hearing him identify all the fruits and vegetables in his basket! I think "ce-wuh-we" is my favorite :-)

    I have footage, but there's a lot, and it wants editing.

    *Oh, that blasted cake. I was hoping to make a kind of 2/3d barn, with the roof and silo shapes cut out up top, and details in milk and white chocolate drizzle. But. The cake only finally came out of the pan in pieces (though it was greased), and couldn't be put back together again without serious lumping issues. And then bits of cake kept getting caught up in the frosting! Aaaand what failure would be complete without running out of red food coloring -- tada! lumpy, granular pink barn! It was honestly the worst-looking cake that has ever come out of my oven, but, luckily it was just us, and it's still edible.
    08/14/06 01:21 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    Gimme.
    Okay, I'm generally not into spendy high-end bubgear. Or even mom gear, for that matter.

    But I want this. I want it badly. 100-pound capacity, and it handles real trails. Oh, think of the letterboxing!
    08/06/06 11:41 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    That Time of Year Again
    Nothing like a hot, frightened bub on portrait day. Add two heat-cranky adults (one internalizing, the other not so much), and that's a fun day out, right there! Luckily, judging by the few poses that turned out well, you wouldn't guess it. Much. The scans aren't perfect, but it's miserable* where my Photoshop lives, and promises to be the same for several days out yet, so they'll do.

    In any case, we won't be returning to that particular Picture People. The photographer -- who is around small children all day, and plenty of skittish ones, I'm certain -- was really aggressive and impatient with Daniel when he wouldn't warm up to her in, oh, two minutes flat. And there wasn't anyone else in the store (she'd in fact been standing outside when we arrived, trying to lure customers in with free prints), so it wasn't a matter of available time. I thought he'd eventually unwind, like he did last year, but it didn't happen. Should've walked out, in retrospect.

    I fear, sometimes, that the degree of introversion he exhibits is inherited. I mean, we're out in public, every day almost, and he sees me [forcing myself to] interact positively with other adults. But my mom was the superduperhyperWOWextrovert... so did I just inherit my dad's introversion? It's something I think about a lot.

    *as doublemotherf**king HADES, if you're curious

    07/23/06 08:36 PM in Bub , Photo  |  Comments


    Not a Card-Carrying Member of AA... Yet.
    I don't even have wine every night, I swear!

    It would only appear that way when the bub sees my wine glass on the counter full of nummy Muscat, points at it, and says "Mama's cup!"
    06/19/06 08:13 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    The Hugginator
    I never thought Elmo could get tired of attention. But, as his days are filled with nearly identical scenes, he's been the one to break up the hugfest more often than not.
    06/03/06 12:44 PM in Bub , Cats , Photo  |  Comments


    One for the Baby Book
    Not that I've been good at keeping one. But if I were, it would say something like this:

    May 31st, 2006
    Daniel's very first real diaper dive. Rather disturbingly, the face he made after tasting his hand was not even a tiny fraction as aggrieved as the one he made after trying my wasabi soybeans.
    05/31/06 01:45 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    Chatterbub
    It seems that he goes through phases with words. Not that he doesn't still know them, I suppose -- he just doesn't care to say them. The newest fun is hearing him put little phrases together. Recent favorites that come to mind:

  • ebow (elbow)
  • noh (nose)
  • no no no no!
  • mo (more)
  • dahnk oo (thank you)
  • wassit? (what's that?)
  • way det go? (where'd it go?)
  • way de bah? (where's the ball?)
  • broom-broom (car)
  • oh noo! oh noo!


    • That last is especially endearing, because he looks so sincere when he says it. Often it's because I play like I'm upset when he runs away from mommy smothering smooches.

    He's always, always "singing" little tunes now, it's adorable. Eating, playing, out in the stroller. ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Elmo's World are his favorites. My mom tells me I was the same way. Sometimes the rhythm really gets him, and he dances and claps and we have our own little American Bubstand.

    Unfortunately, a hidden camera is the only way any of this will be recorded.
    05/16/06 02:12 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    Parenting - Job + Toddlerhood = D'oh!
    Folks, pardon me. For I'm becoming incredibly... stupid.

    Words escape me [moreso than usual]. I forget things easily. Even basic CSS seems beyond me at this point. Yup. It's pretty bad.

    We have Tot Loks in all our lower kitchen cupboards now -- metal latches that are opened through the door itself with a very strong magnet "key". Which, aside from some muttered curses when trying to locate the exact placement of the latch through the door, has worked well enough.

    Until, one day earlier this month.

    See, this one day? The Bub was throwing a marvelous hissy because Mommy wasn't fetching his snack fast enough. So, distracted and frazzled, Mommy set the key on a cabinet shelf while she rooted around for a little plastic bowl to hold the coveted Puffs. And, unaware of her magnet abandonment, she closed the door.

    D'oh!

    Hours later, when I finally (painfully) retraced my steps, that door had to be removed by the hinges, since not a store in town carries a magnet strong enough to open a latch through 3/4" of solid wood.

    We also have an abnormally sparkling clean lid on our dishwasher detergent bottle, as it was likewise abandoned to a load of dishes.
    04/22/06 10:16 AM in Bub  |  Comments


    OKAY!
    If the constant whining/crying/screaming paired with running away and hiding EVERY SINGLE TIME something needs to be done continues -- my HEAD is going to EXPLODE.
    04/08/06 08:08 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    And He's Off!
    Yesterday afternoon the sun shone (temporarily), the wind had stopped (mostly), and the temperature was friendly. So the bub and I decided to go for our first real walk around the block without the stroller.

    I got a couple of very strange looks because I was using a harness. But I have an uncooperative, stubborn bub, one that will not tolerate hand-holding and tends to get a little too chummy with the street.

    I keep reading that safety harnesses are more popular in Europe, but here I get the idea that many seem to view them at best as rather bizarre, and at worst borderline inhumane. Given the bub's temperament at the moment, it's either going to be a leash or the stroller. And always riding, when your new superpower is the ability to run like zee wind, hardly seems fun, does it?

    Not to mention that it's awfully hard to wear a hyperactive bub out with a stroller. Aherm.

    He had a great time. We might never have stopped walking (fast!) had he not tripped and given his head a bit of a bump.
    03/02/06 01:34 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    The Closest Thing is Pocky
    I wracked and re-wracked my brain... but I just couldn't come up with anything that costs a dollar and makes me nearly as ecstatic as Daniel's new shiny yellow ball makes him.
    01/12/06 04:41 PM in Bub  |  Comments


    Inventory
    These days, when I sit down and really think about what the Bub says, it takes some doing. I need this list more for my own reference than for your edification!

  • bah (ball)
  • buh-buh (bye-bye)
  • ba (box)
  • bu (book)
  • ca (socks/shoes)
  • oh-oh (uh-oh)
  • Mama
  • Dada
  • woof!
  • meow!
  • t'cka-t'cka (tickle-tickle)
  • uh-uh (complete with head shake)


    • He's also, I believe, working very hard on "Elmo" and "all done."

    ETA: How could I forget:

  • nana (banana)
  • buh (button, bellybutton)

    • 12/31/05 02:57 PM in Bub  |  Comments